Hello again! How is your weekend going? I'm nursing a very bad hangover due to very poor decisions today but somehow managed to finish up rewriting the final scene in this chapter. Props to my writing skills I guess haha. Thank you to everyone who favorited/followed the story! It's always exciting to see my work pay off.
ZabuzasGirl thank you so much for the review! To answer your question, I'm not too sure if I'll ever have a third installment to my Star Trek series. The last movie wasn't my favorite, and I honestly have no idea what I should do with Lara! Sometimes I think about bringing her back to the good side, but other times I really like having a villain character and writing for them. Villains have always been more fun to me. Then again, maybe she'll evolve into a sort of anti-hero character which would be 1000x better because anti-heroes hold a special place in my heart. Who knows, maybe I'll find inspiration soon. We'll see!
So I really, really hope I got Steve's character right. I go back and forth a lot with what he should or shouldn't say. And I'm still trying to get a feel for Diana as well. But I'll stop talking and let you get to the good stuff!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Marvel...I only own Diana...
It took every ounce of her willpower not to freak out. Not only had they found Captain America's body—he was alive! Somehow by some miracle, Captain America was alive beneath all that ice. In fact, it was probably the ice that ultimately saved him. S.H.I.E.L.D had managed to pull him out and transferred him back to New York where he was currently being slowly thawed. Diana stood next to the sleeping form of Steve Rogers, Captain America. He was in a heavily induced coma while doctors slowly brought his body temperature back to normal.
"How much longer until he wakes up?" Diana asked, looking across the bed towards her former SO, Agent Phil Coulson who just happened to be a bigger fan of the Captain than she was.
"Pretty soon. We'll have to move him tonight and prepare. I overheard a few doctors say that it's possible he could wake up tomorrow morning." Coulson answered, hands deep in his pockets. The room was being kept at a low thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. Phil continued, "The doctors were saying that his recovery time is remarkable. Then again, it's remarkable that he's even alive."
Diana smirked and looked back down at Steve Rogers. "Yeah. Remarkable." From what she read about Steven Grant Rogers, he was more than just remarkable. He was...a miracle. And he was the first super soldier. Diana's hands balled into fists. She had so many questions. Did he know what was in Erksine's formula? Did he know why it changed him? Would he remember her grandfather, Howard Stark? Would he be able to help her piece together what little information she had on Erksine's procedure, and finally figure out what made her the way she was?
Did he also have no reaction to alcohol?
"You want answers." Phil could read her pretty well, having known her since she was just a kid.
"Of course, I do." Diana crossed her arms, trying not to get her hopes up. She knew the basic equipment used to create the reaction that made Captain Rogers who he is now, but she didn't know what was in that damned serum. She also knew that her grandfather had synthesized a serum from Rogers' blood, and then used that serum on her when she was still in her mother's womb. But she didn't understand what made them. What was the secret ingredient?
Diana sighed, staring down at Captain Rogers' relaxed face. She didn't want to think about it too much. Usually when she did, she would start spiraling and give herself a headache. Diana lifted her hand, fingers falling to a stray piece of the Captain's blonde hair. She moved it aside, fixing his hair into a perfect coif. "How do you think he'll handle the news?" The tip of her finger fell across his cold cheek, and she ignored what she thought was a twitch in the muscle under there.
"Finding out that he's been frozen for seventy years and that everyone he knew is probably dead?" Phil shrugged, "He might do alright." Diana rolled her eyes at Coulson's dry humor. Honestly, she wasn't so sure. Maybe when he woke up they could tell him—albeit slowly. But she didn't think hiding the truth would be the best of ideas. Phil opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted when his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He glanced down at it, "I've got to take this. Let me know if anything changes." Phil pointed down to the Captain before leaving the room, phone pressed to his ear. She wondered what exactly could be going on that had Coulson on pins and needles. It might have something to do with the Mandarin bombings. They were becoming more and more frequent lately, and S.H.I.E.L.D was getting concerned.
With Phil gone, Diana was left alone with the Captain. He still wore his uniform; his body was still too frozen to risk pulling it off. Maybe in the next day or two they'd be able to get him into something more comfortable. Carefully, Diana sat on the edge of the hospital bed near Rogers' legs. The heart rate monitor was going steady like always, and in the silence, it was almost comforting. She watched him for a minute before sighing.
"You know, we've been searching for you—for a long time." Diana felt like she was speaking to herself. But she'd read studies and articles about people in coma's being able to hear other's speaking to them. Maybe he could hear her. Diana continued, "Everything will be…different when you wake up."
The Captain's only answer was to continue breathing.
"It's funny," she watched his eyes move back and forth rapidly behind their lids, "with all the movies and posters and comics, I expected you to be taller."
His face twitched. Diana saw it and continued talking. Maybe it was helping. "You look good though. I can see why all the girls swooned at the sight of you." Diana snickered to herself, "I'd expect nothing less from Captain America."
Diana smiled at him, not noticing his left finger twitch. Her smile quickly faded, however, when she heard a swift knock on the door behind her. She stood to attention with her hands folded behind her back.
Without much flair or drama, Nick Fury came into the room, dressed in his typical black uniform. "Agent Howard. Are you going to watch him all night?"
"Wasn't planning on it sir." She answered and fell to an easy stance when Nick nodded at her.
Fury moved to stand next to her, watching the Captain's eyes move rapidly. "I need you to get home, get some rest."
Diana's brow creased, she looked up from Rogers to Fury. "Sir?"
He turned to face her. "We're moving him tonight. Doctors are saying he could wake up any day now and we need to be ready."
"Director Fury, his body isn't completely thawed. If you move him to a lower temperature you could cause massive organ failure." Diana suddenly felt like she needed to protect Rogers at all costs.
"We're moving him to a secure room at HQ. Temperature will be regulated and gradually raised." Fury explained, walking to the end of the bed and picking up the charts of Rogers' progress. "He's coming to faster than I expected. The Council agrees we need to prepare to break the news to him gently."
Diana gave him an incredulous look. "Sir, lying to Captain Rogers about his situation will do nothing. He's too damn smart to fall for anything but the truth."
Fury held up a hand. "I realize you are our resident expert on all things involving Captain America, but The Council has made their decision. As have I."
That effectively silenced the agent. She clenched her jaw and let out one final, hard breath. "Understood, sir. What are your orders?"
"Tomorrow morning you will debrief a team and prepare your procedure. Oh-six-hundred. Don't be late." Fury replaced the chart and watched Rogers. "I got a feeling he's going to wake up sooner then we can anticipate."
Diana had come in the next morning and briefed the team on what to expect and the protocol to follow when Rogers finally woke up. Per order of The Council, Diana formulated a plan that would break things to the Captain slowly. What she didn't like, was the red tape keeping her in check. They wanted him to be in an isolated room that was dressed to look like a hospital from the mid 1940's. Diana reluctantly complied, dressing a female agent in a uniform from the same era.
Diana requested a radio in the room and that a broadcast be played. She didn't specify which broadcast, hoping her agents would choose something appropriate. The room was all set. It was a small, steel box placed in the middle of an empty room. The room had previously been used as a training facility, but Diana claimed it for the next few days for The Councils brilliant plan.
It took a full two days to set up and prepare the procedure. The Captain decided to wake up on the third.
Diana watched Steve Rogers sleep soundly on the fake hospital bed. His vitals showed he would come to within the hour. Now everyone waited with bated breath for the moment they'd been preparing for. Diana chewed her lip and took one last overview of the "hospital". The room had been dressed very well. It looked authentic and the pictures outside the fake windows were pretty much convincing.
"Ma'am." A tech engineer got her attention, pointing to the large screen in front of them. Rogers had opened his eyes and was starting to sit up in his bed.
"Alright, he's up people." Diana pressed the small headset further into her ear, ignoring the shock that came over her. He really did recover fast. "Agent Blair, that's your cue."
The agent—a young brunette still in training—had been personally selected for this by Fury himself. At first Diana wasn't too sure why he'd chosen a trainee. But when she saw the agent dressed in her 1940's uniform it had clicked. That agent now held a suspicious resemblance to Peggy Carter.
"Bring up her camera on the screen." Diana's hands fell to her hips as two videos now occupied the monitor. On the left, she could see a full view of the room. On the right, she saw a view from the agent's perspective through a small lens in her tie clip.
"Morning." Agent Blair greeted him as she came into the room. She "checked her watch" before smiling sweetly at the Captain, "Or should I say afternoon." Diana glanced at a computer screen nearby. The watch on the agent's wrist was a live monitoring device that kept tabs on Captain Rogers' heartbeat and breathing rate.
"Where am I?" Rogers asked, already suspicious. He was still on the bed, sitting just on the edge and tensed up like he was prepared to fight at any second.
"Oh, that's not good." Diana mumbled to herself. She pressed her headset, "Be ready by the door, I want two men on each side. Do not enter unless ordered." She heard a swift "yes ma'am" on the other end before returning her attention to the live feed.
Agent Blair faltered for a half second but quickly recovered. "You're in a recovery room in New York City."
It looked like Rogers almost bought it—almost. He paused, eyeing the girl in front of him carefully and cautiously. "What are you thinking Cap?" Diana mumbled again, watching his eyes move from one side of the room to the other.
"Where am I really?" He asked again. Diana heard Agent Blair's quick exhale of breath as she tried to laugh off his behavior.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." The agent tried to feign ignorance, but Diana could tell Rogers wasn't buying any second of it.
"The game," his eyes danced to the radio across the room, "it's from May 1941—I know cause I was there."
"Shit." Diana cursed. How could she have missed that? She pressed her headset again, "Team be ready. Enter at Blair's order." She was going to let the younger agent determine whether or not she could handle the situation on her own. Diana knew Rogers wouldn't hurt the girl, but she was hoping that by giving Blair command of the team used to subdue Rogers, it would calm her down a bit. Diana turned around and grabbed the microphone that connected directly to Blair's earpiece, "Blair you've got command of the subdue team. You bring them in on your discretion."
Diana knew the girl couldn't acknowledge her, but she hoped that Blair felt a little bit more confident now. Setting down the microphone, Diana looked back at the monitor and watched Rogers slowly stand up from his bed. He towered over the agent, and even though he wasn't trying to be intimidating, his height and build certainly made up for it.
"Now I'm going to ask you again." Rogers walked towards her, bending down slightly to meet her at eye level. "Where am I?"
"Blair just pressed her panic button." An analyst nearby stated. Diana kept her eyes focused on the screen.
"Captain Rogers…" Blair tried to keep both herself and Rogers calm, but the Captain wouldn't have it.
"Who are you!" He demanded, raising his voice just high enough. Only he wouldn't get his answer. The team of men ordered to subdue the Captain came into the room. Except…that wasn't the whole team.
"Why are there only two men?! Where are the others?!" Diana shouted into her headset. But her only answer was static. "What the hell just happened?!" She demanded, looking to the analysts for help. They only had confused looks on their faces. Diana rolled here eyes. Of all the days and of all the missions to have a technical failure, the one where she needed to protect her men from Captain America had to be it.
Diana looked back to the live video and saw Rogers tense up, stepping back from the two heavily armed men who'd entered the room. The word "subdue" failed to apply to anything they tried to do. In fact, they would best be described as punching bags. Captain Rogers let them come to him, and when the men tried to get their arms around the Captain, he'd used their weight and momentum to throw them into the opposite wall. Diana quickly found the live feed of the empty training room and saw the two agents on the floor covered in plywood and steel. Captain Rogers jumped out of the fake hospital room and bolted.
"Son of a…" Diana turned and ran out of the situation room, pressing her headset. "All agents, code thirteen!" She burst through the door and ran down the halls hearing her own voice over the mass intercom system of the S.H.I.E.L.D New York HQ. "All agents, code thirteen!"
It didn't take her long to get to the main lobby—the New York office was much smaller than the D.C. office. Diana turned a corner and spotted the Captain bursting through the gathered crowd of agents trying to stop him. "Captain Rogers!" Diana called out to him, making a beeline in his direction.
Steve heard his name and looked for the source. He found a woman with tan skin and dark hair in a black, heavily armored uniform running at him. Her combat boots looked heavy, but she moved with a speed he'd never seen before. Steve didn't stick around to watch her any longer and turned to find the exit.
Diana saw him make for the exit and moved to intercept him. She pumped her legs hard to catch up to his longer stride. "Captain!" She called again and he glanced over his shoulder at her.
She was closer than he'd realized. He stopped and looked for something to get her away from him. He didn't want to fight anyone, he just wanted to get away from whatever the hell this place was. He turned and grabbed the first thing he saw—a silver trash bin—and chucked it towards the woman running at him.
Diana saw him throw the trash can and had to duck down, skidding on her knees to avoid the flying silver bin. It sailed over her head and clattered to the floor behind her. When Diana looked back up, she saw Rogers running across the street. "Shit!" Diana cursed got up from the floor, sprinting after the Captain. She heard several agents follow behind her.
Diana rushed through the doors. "Rogers!" She called after him, but he either didn't hear her or wouldn't stop for her. Diana let out an annoyed sigh, quickly sprinting after the Captain. She heard radio chatter over her headset. Fury's voice eventually coming through the static.
"Agent Howard are you in pursuit?"
"Yes sir!" She shouted over the noisy cars, quickly catching up to the Captain. He rounded the block towards Times Square, Diana close behind him. She picked up her pace, "Converge on my location. I've got him."
Steve came to a slow halt in the middle of Times Square. Diana ran up to him, coming to a halt several feet away. He saw her and tensed up, falling into a sharp fighting stance. Diana held up her hands, "Calm down Captain, I'm not here to fight you."
"Who the hell are you? What's going on?" He demanded, stepping back when he saw three black cars pull up behind the woman. She kept her hands up, palms facing towards him in a sign of peace.
"My name is Diana Howard. I'm only here to help, you can trust me."
Steve watched her, never lowering his fists. Her armor and sidearm didn't look much like 'help' to him. "And how do I know I can trust you? You still haven't told me who you people are."
"At ease soldier!" Nick Fury had stepped out past the cars and agents. Rogers turned around to find the source of the new voice, fists falling to his sides though he never relaxed his stance. Diana slowly walked around to stand closer to Fury. She spotted other agents holding back a gawking crowd and made a mental note to get people started on erasing this whole incident from the internet. Fury glanced at Diana. He knew she wanted to say it. I told you so.
Fury looked back at the Captain. "Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there but…we thought it best to break it to you slowly."
Rogers, still slightly winded from his sprint, glanced between Fury and Diana. "Break what?" His patience had obviously worn out.
"You've…been asleep Captain." Diana answered him. Not sure if he would faint when she told him, but she could tell he was fed up with the games. Diana decided to be frank with him. "You've been asleep for almost seventy years."
It looked like she'd just destroyed his entire world. And she essentially had, hadn't she? Diana watched Captain Rogers' mouth fall open, watched his eyes go wide. His breathing turned shallow, and he almost fell back for a second. Rogers started to really look at his surroundings, seeming to take it all in for the first time. Concerned, Diana took a step towards him, "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah," Rogers answered, staring off at nothing, "I just…I had a date."
Late. Again.
Diana came to a slow stop on her treadmill, sweat dripping down her neck and chest. Steve was supposed to meet her in the gym ten minutes ago. She expected Captain freaking America to be more prompt. This was the fourth time this week he'd shown up late to their training session.
She got off the treadmill and wiped the sweat from her chest. It irritated her beyond reason that he did this. She made sure the entire gym was kept empty for three hours each morning just so they wouldn't have any gawkers. They were to meet at 7 o'clock sharp, bright and early. Steve had agreed when she first proposed this idea. In order to get him out of the dormitory he so graciously accepted from S.H.I.E.L.D and to keep his mind focused. Diana had a sneaking suspicion something was bothering him. Steve hadn't really gotten around to opening up to her yet.
But he only woke up three weeks ago. She had to give him time.
But showing up late to a pre-planned training session?
Diana knew she was being picky. But promptness was kind of her thing. Without it, she'd not be who or where she was today.
She peeled off her sweat drenched t-shirt, leaving her in only a sports bra. Diana walked over to a nearby bench where her water sat. She picked up the bottle, a blue "Stark Industries" logo reflecting off it's metallic surface. Diana took a large gulp, paused, then took another. She could easily workout on her own without Rogers. She just would skip the sparring ring today. Maybe she could throw in an extra run on the treadmill…
The gym doors came open, Steve Rogers stepping inside. He wore simple attire. A pair of khaki sweats and a white t-shirt on top. Diana dropped her towel on the bench followed by her water bottle. She bent over, retied her left shoe and stood back up straight.
When she did, Rogers had made it to the bench next to hers. He sat down on it silently avoiding eye contact with her. Diana rolled her eyes.
"You don't have to act so ashamed." She put her hands to her hips and watched him stretch out his arms. He didn't say anything to her. Hell, he barely even looked at her. Diana sucked in her lip, trying not to get angry. There had to be a reason for him being late all week. Rogers just stubbornly refused to speak to her about it—about hardly anything.
Diana shook her head but refused to give up. He would talk to her eventually. Steve always seemed to get in this sort of mood in the mornings. Maybe he didn't like training that much. Maybe he just wasn't a morning person.
"Do you need to warm up or are you ready to go?" Diana stood in front of him. What she failed to notice, was Steve trying to keep his eyes off her. She didn't have a shirt on first of all, and second, he could see the muscles on her stomach and shoulders and arms. She was in very good shape, incredibly good. But Steve had walked into the gym expecting his sparring partner to wear something other than…that.
"Sports bra" is what she called it. Came out in the seventies. Steve could understand why they were invented. But did she have to wear just that on top? It was hard to look away from Diana's body even when she had clothes on. He may be old, but he was still a man after all.
Steve stood up, his eyes falling to her bare, sweaty legs. Her shorts were also dangerously short.
"No-no." Steve walked away from her towards the treadmills. "I mean," he turned around, "yes I need to warm up. Give me ten minutes."
Diana watched him move to a machine, hand swiping through his short blond hair. Was he…flustered? From what? He started up on a slow jog that quickly turned into a rapid sprint. Diana ignored what her brain told her was the reason for Steve's floundering. It was not because of her. It couldn't be. For as long as she'd known him—which really wasn't even more than a month—he had shown zero signs of finding her even remotely attractive. At first Diana was a little offended by it. But she'd come to accept that she just wasn't Rogers' type. It's not like she planned to date the guy anytime soon.
After ten minutes, Steve came off the treadmill covered in a light layer of sweat. He was breathing hard but not panting. Diana dropped her weights when she saw Steve reach into his bag and pull out the tape. She dug through her own bag and found her hand wrappings. Silently, they wrapped their own fists tightly. When she was done, Diana took out a mouth piece and a pair of gloves. They were small and open-fingered. Ideal for the type of sparring her and Steve would be doing.
Without a word, Diana moved to the sparring mat in the center of the room. She jogged a few laps around the mat, shaking her arms and rolling her neck back and forth. Steve soon joined her, copying her moves and warming up his muscles.
She stopped and pulled out her mouthpiece. "First one to tap out owes the other a coffee."
Steve's brow creased, and he took out his own mouthpiece. "What are we placing bets now?" Diana shrugged, a grin on her face. Steve felt a smile slowly form on his lips. "Okay Howard. You're on."
For a moment, Diana felt thrilled. That was the first genuine smile she'd seen on Steve's face since he woke up. All the other times had been polite, half-smiles that never fully touched his eyes. But today she had gotten lucky. That, or she was finally starting to chip away at the wall between her and Steve.
She decided to think about it later. Diana fell into a loose fighting stance, bouncing from foot to foot. Steve copied her movements. They circled each other for a moment before Diana made the first move. She pushed off her back leg, jumping through the air with her fist raised. As she fell, Steve raised his hands and grabbed her arms. Diana felt him swing her around and she used the momentum to wrap her legs around his neck from behind. She squeezed his neck, trying to pull him backwards and off balance. Steve grunted, reached up a hand to grab hold of the back of her neck and tumbled forward.
Diana rolled off him, catching herself before she fell too far away. When she leaned up on her arms, she saw Steve on his hands and knees. Steve spit out his mouth guard, annoyed at the plastic constantly sitting on his tongue. "That was a new one." He panted while he slowly stood up.
She grinned and pulled out her mouth guard, thought about it, then tossed it aside. They had an unwritten rule to avoid punches to the face anyway.
"I think I've been going too easy on you Rogers." Diana stood up swiping away at invisible dirt on her knees. "You need to learn a lot of new things. New fighting styles fall under that category."
"And what would," he gestured to her and the mat, "that be called?"
"Experience." Diana smirked before explaining. "I'm strong, but I'm not always strong enough." That was a bare faced lie. She was more than strong enough. If she wanted, she could probably lift Rogers over her shoulder right that minute. She continued, "Sometimes I have to use my opponents own body against them."
"Well, it probably helps that you're so small." They moved back to the center of the mat.
Diana held up a finger. "That's "petite" to you sir." They faced each other, and Diana saw another smirk on Steve's face. Okay, this was going a lot better then normal. "Why don't I show you how to get your enemy on their back?"
"Is that what you were trying to do before?" Steve shook his arms and rolled his neck.
"Actually, I was trying to flip you over." Diana rolled her wrists. "You're just a lot better than I expected."
Steve ignored the swell of pride he felt when she complimented him. It was always nice to have anything you work hard at be praised. And Diana was a very good sparring partner. He was happy to impress her. "Can I ask why you want to show me this?"
There was a dirty, filthy part of her mind that immediately thought, "because I want to be on top of you", but Diana instantly pushed that thought to the far, far corners of her brain.
"Because," Diana walked up in front of him, "this move is from a style you don't know yet."
Steve ignored the scent of her shampoo. "What style is that?"
"Jiu jitsu." She answered, spreading her legs and getting into a readied stance. "Okay, this is called a Tomoe Nage." She grabbed his wrists and held them to his chest, standing back about a leg's length away. Diana looked up at him, "I'm going to flip you over my head, but I'll be gentle. Just don't tense up and be sure roll onto your back."
A blond eyebrow lifted. "You sure you can toss me over your head?"
Diana's only answer was a smirk. Oh, if he only knew. She held his wrists tight then jumped up. Her right foot planted into his hip and she pushed and pulled simultaneously. Steve let out a quick yelp. He barely had time to register what was happening before he felt his back hit the floor. Diana, still with a hold on his wrists, landed on top of Steve.
"Woah." Steve's eyes were wide. "What the hell did you just do?"
Diana couldn't help but laugh. His face was priceless. "I flipped you." She released his wrists and sat up, hands falling to her sides.
Steve leaned up on his elbows, watching her smug grin. "Where did you learn that?"
"A coworker who happens to be the best hand-to-hand fighter I've ever met." Diana relaxed on her haunches and froze. If she sat down anymore, even and inch, she would be sitting on his lap. It was then that she realized the compromising position they were in.
"Okay then." He laid back down, "How do I get out of this?" Diana fought back a blush. He was either too innocent, or too focused on learning a new technique to realize how compromising their position was.
You're just his trainer. You're just teaching him something.
Diana repeated this mantra in her head. "Right," she took in a shaky breath, "from here you can get out a few different ways. But I'll teach you the easiest." She tapped one of his legs. "Use this leg to knock me forward."
Steve followed where her hand fell and kicked up his left leg. It bumped into the back of her thigh, pushing her forward. Diana caught herself from falling on top of him, her hands landing by his head.
"And from here?" Steve seemed eager to learn and Diana appreciated him not making it anymore awkward then she already was in her head.
She showed him how to trap her foot with his own. He was a fast learner and they repeated the first two moves to be sure he got them. "Okay." Diana had worked up a sweat. She forgot how tiring Jiu jistu could be. "Now lift your hips and turn whichever way you want to roll. While you do that take hold of my wrist and my elbow. If you push against my elbow it'll fold, and you'll be able to take control." He grabbed her wrist with one hand and she put his other against the inside of her elbow.
Diana felt like a proud teacher and grinned down at Steve. "Okay good. Ready to try the whole thing?"
He nodded, and Diana sat back up. They repeated the first half smoothly. Steve's leg firmly bounced into the back of her thigh and she fell over like before. Now Steve grabbed hold of her wrist and elbow, pushing back while he locked her foot against his leg. He lifted his hips and turned.
Diana let out a surprised scream, not having been on the receiving end of his strength yet and felt her back fall against the mat.
"Are you alright?" Steve panted, sweat dripping down his neck.
All she could do was laugh. "You're stronger than I thought." Diana laughed a little longer before assessing his hold on her. He had both of her wrists in his hands, her foot still wrapped up with his leg. Diana gave him a nod of approval. "Good job Rogers. You'll be a master soon."
Steve felt her shift her hips against him and suddenly, he wanted to run away. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Her legs were wrapped around his waist, one foot hanging loosely against his back while he still had a hold of her other foot. It wasn't until now he truly noticed how thin the material of her shorts was. Or how thin his sweats were.
Diana could feel the skin of her thighs brush against the exposed skin of his stomach. A chill ran up her back and she cleared her throat. "Right." Her leg fell limp and Steve's hold on her quickly fell away. He must have realized the compromising position they were in as well. He quickly stood up and backed away, thought about it and then came back to offer her a hand.
Quietly, Diana took his hand and let him pull her to a standing position. When their eyes met, he quickly dropped their hands and backed away. Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to practice."
Her stomach flipped. "Practice what?"
"Punching!" Steve's hands fell to his hips and he looked away from her towards the punching bags. He pointed to them. "I need to practice punching. So, I'm going to…yeah."
With that he turned and left. He knew she would follow, she usually used their training sessions as a way to quiz him. Diana did follow but reluctantly. She didn't know why things were suddenly getting so awkward. It might have something to do with how he looked at her when he had Diana on her back.
That sounded wrong.
Diana shook herself and made her way to the punching bags. Steve had already begun his routine. She stood against the back of the bag and held it in place. The air was still tense between them. Diana wanted to say something. Tell him that it was okay to be feeling anything because she understood being lonely. But that would just come off like she was feeling something too. Which she was. But she didn't want Steve to know. Besides she was still pretty sure he was pinning for Peggy Carter.
In fact, that was still a rumor among S.H.I.E.L.D agents. No one really knew for sure if there had been something between them. Out of all the interviews and reports she filed, Peggy Carter never mentioned having any sort of relationship beyond a professional one with the Captain. But there was something not everyone knew about.
"You know, I studied you." Diana suddenly said aloud, making Rogers stop mid-swing. He gave her a confused and concerned stare.
"Studied me?"
Diana shrugged. "You're kind of a big deal. Anyone with a mild interest in American history has a hard time avoiding reading anything about you. It's kind of a given."
Steve resumed his punches, though they were less intense then before. He was curious where this line of dialogue would take them. "Well what did you find out?"
"A lot. Basically everything." Diana smirked, "I think it's ironic that your birthday is July fourth. But in a cute way."
All Steve did to answer that was give her another concerned stare.
Diana chuckled. "Sorry. It just suits you. But there is one thing I've always been curious about, and I've never been able to find the answer."
"About me?" He caught her nod before continuing, "Well, I'm here now. Ask away."
"What was Peggy Carter to you?"
The question was a deadpan. It made Steve freeze, his heart suddenly picking up pace. Slowly, his eyes met hers. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Diana rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Rogers. It's okay if you two had something. She never confirmed it and there have been rumors going around for decades. I figure now that I have you here, might as well ask."
Steve's hands fell to his sides. "Diana, that's not a very appropriate question."
"Well that just means that the rumors are true." She watched his jaw clench. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing you of anything. She's always spoken highly of you. I could always tell she cared. A lot."
"Is she…?" He was breathing hard. From the workout or his nerves, he couldn't quite tell anymore. Steve found it suddenly very hard to look Diana in the eye. "Is Peggy…"
"She's alive." Diana's voice was quiet and gentle. "She retired-reluctantly-several years ago. But she's one of the main reasons while S.H.I.E.L.D even exists. Her and my grand—Howard Stark. They built this entire organization from the ground up."
Steve didn't miss her slip up. As nice as it was to hear about Peggy, he couldn't ignore that. "Howard Stark? Who is he to you?" He felt like flipping the tables on her.
Diana stood back from the punching bag. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure. Who is he to you?" Steve asked again, pushing the subject. "You know, I've been curious about your name. Don't think I've ever heard it before."
"It's just an uncommon name." Diana shrugged and started to walk away. She peeled off her gloves but could feel Rogers chasing after her.
"It kind of sounds like a cover to me." Steve was honestly getting tired of Diana asking all the questions. He caught up to her, catching her arm and making her stop. "You want me to join S.H.I.E.L.D right?"
That question caught her off guard. Diana stuttered. "I-It's not up to me. If Fury wants you then…"
"I'm not asking Fury. I'm asking you." He bent his neck down to meet her eyes. "Do you want me to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D?"
She didn't know how to say that she was honestly finding herself becoming attached to him and used to having him around. All she could manage was a small, "…yeah…"
"Then I need to not be kept in the dark." Steve kept her eyes locked with his. "You're the first person to even mention Peggy to me since I've woken up. I don't even know what happened to my other friends—it's like everyone is afraid to tell me the truth." His hand hadn't let go of her arm yet. He fingers eagerly squeezed around it. "Diana, I want to trust you. I want your help. But I can't accept that until I know who you really are. No more games, please."
He had a right to be feeling this way. Diana and Fury were the only two S.H.I.E.L.D personnel he had truly spoken to since waking up. Everyone else seemed to avoid him or stare. No one seemed to have the guts to talk to Steve. And she was guilty of it too. She'd been avoiding telling him the truth about a lot of things. Maybe now she could finally start letting him in on a few secrets.
"Howard Stark is my grandfather." She blurted it out, like ripping off a band aid. Diana really had no idea how Steve would react. She expected him to call her a liar, to stop talking to her, to request a new liaison and a new trainer. She honestly expected the worst.
What she got however…
"Huh." Was not what she was expecting. Steve stood up straight, eyes falling over her features, taking them in in a different light. "I never took Howard for a family man."
Diana snorted. "Well according to my dad, he wasn't the best at it." She felt his hand fall away from her arm. "My real name is Diana Stark. My dad is Tony Stark. You've probably heard his name here or there."
Steve let out an indignant snort. "Almost everywhere I look. He seems to like the spotlight." Though he noticed that she failed to mention anything about her mother.
"That's putting it mildly." Diana chuckled with him. She could feel a weight being lifted from her shoulders. That was one major secret out in the open. Now all she had to do was work up the courage to tell him her other one. Not today though. She didn't think Steve would take it too well.
She let out a short breath, hands falling to her hips. "You mentioned your friends. The Hollowing Commandos." At the sound of the name, Steve perked up. "How about after a much-needed shower, I take you down to the archives. I'll let you see everything you want to see. You deserve to know what happened to them."
Steve's shoulders relaxed. "Thank you, Diana. And, maybe you can tell me what it's like to grow up as a Stark. There's got to be some interesting stories."
They started to walk towards their bags, gloves and hand wraps slowly coming off. "Oh, I've got plenty to keep you entertained. Remind me to tell you about my college graduation party."
"I get the feeling there was a lot of alcohol involved."
"Well," she picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder, "I was only twelve years old, but I don't think I'll ever see that much booze in one place ever again."
"Wait, wait, wait. You graduated college when you were twelve?!"
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