Nexus,

or

Seven Friends Steve Rogers Makes When He Wakes Up (And One Love of His Life)


1. Hill and Fury

He wakes up a week before aliens invade.

Apparently, it had been the World Security Council responsible for the decision to pretend that Steve had woken up in the '40s. Given Fury's tone as he whispered – soft enough that no ordinary unenhanced human could have heard it – to the Commander about "You owe me ten bucks about the Council's stupid-ass decision", Steve was inclined to believe it.

Steve cleared his throat. Fury looked a little startled, then comprehending.

"Once again, Captain, my apologies for the…" Fury searched for the appropriate word. Steve supplied one.

"The TARFU?" That won the ghost of a smile from both Hill and Fury. "Apology accepted."

Steve felt shock being replaced by the strange, surreal calm that he always felt in a fight.

There would be time to fall apart once he got the basics settled. Survive, Rogers. Then grieve.

"So, seeing as I've been legally dead for the past sixty-seven years. What happens now?"

Fury looked at Hill, gesturing her forward.

"There's an apartment waiting for you in Midtown, fully furnished and set up," she said. "Under the alias of Grant Jones, complete with an interim identity. I'll get an Agent to do some grocery shopping, so we don't have to introduce you to supermarkets today." She paused, making eye contact.

He nodded: continue.

"Your bank account should be reopened under your true name within the week, and with all your backpay from the past seventy years deposited on it, adjusted for missing in action benefits, of course. As soon as that's done, I'll have a driver's licence waiting for you, along with a bank card, Metro Card, passport, and so on, in your true name. In the meantime, Grant Jones has a motorcycle licence and a Metro Card, as well."

Steve remembered his last pay-check, did some quick mental math, and then blinked.

"How did you swing the backpay?" he asked her.

There was a definite smirk on her face. "I called in a favour. Or two," she said with a shrug.

He smiled back at her, a little touched by the amount of effort that had clearly gone into taking care of him. "Thank you."

The smile softened; steel blue eyes looked almost gentle for a moment. "Captain Fury and Lieutenant Hill of the Army Rangers, prior to S.H.I.E.L.D, Captain. We take care of our own."

The thing that, more than anything else, the Commandos had understood.

Each man sacrificing a share of the ration so that Cap didn't faint in the middle of a battle.

Giving Jim Morita his last pair of clean socks, so that the smaller man wouldn't develop trench foot, with no serum to combat it.

Gabe Jones chivvying at Bucky to "hush and take the damn aspirin, Sarge, before I make Jim telegram your mama."

Bucky attacking Steve with a comb. "Stevie, you've gotta look the best for your date with Agent!"

"Buck, so help me God, if you call the briefing a date one more time–"

"Stevie's got a girlfriend! Stevie's got a girlfriend!" Bucky taunted, dodging Steve's punch.

He felt a lump in his throat, and Fury coughed. "A couple more things. We thought you'd appreciate this back," withdrawing something from his long-coat. The lump grew bigger, as Steve recognised his sketchbook that he'd left in his pack just a few days

seventy years ––

ago.

"Thanks," he said, reaching to take it. Fury handed it over, and then opened a drawer from the desk.

He withdrew a large, elegant deep brown case with the words Caran D'Ache inscribed in gold across it.

"A measure of our gratitude. From the senior Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," Fury said. Steve opened the box, and ran his hands over the pencils inside them reverently. The colour range was incredible.

They stood there for a long moment, letting the silence stretch. Then Steve closed the box.

"Could I go to the apartment now, please?"

Commander Hill nodded, pulling the shiny little rectangle out of her pocket and tapping on it.

"I'll ride with you. I'm heading that way anyway," she said. Steve opened his mouth to say that it wasn't necessary, and found himself silenced by a pair of steely blue eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, instead.


TARFU stands for Totally and Royally #$ed up.

I can't buy Fury being stupid enough to fake that room at the end, and not even get the game right. So, World Security Council it is. They're stupid enough in-universe, it makes sense.

I don't ship Hill and Fury, but I think they do work as a unit. If you're friends with one, you're probably friends with the other. They're basically like a male-female version of Those Two Guys, which is why Steve sees them as one unit.