Hello. I am a day later than I promised but I wanted to look over it again. :)
I hope you enjoy this. Same thing as always, I do not own Marvel...which is sad.
Chapter 11:
The fear of the Tail
If one more man slapped her ass, Toni was going to rip off his arm, slap him with it, and then shove it up his ass. She didn't care that she had a broken arm, which was feeling better with each passing day, or that she only weighed 100 pounds, she was going to beat each one of those assholes, who touched her ass. She didn't care that she was sex on legs as they had no right to touch her without her permission, and believe her, none of them had her permission.
Toni put back the hammer that some asshole had changed his mind about when he was checking out. He had given her his best smile that he could muster and asked her in the most annoying manly voice he could if she wanted to go out with him. She politely told him no, but that didn't work as this was the third time that he had done that. He had come in every day for the last few days and done the same thing, which was really infuriating. She had told Nick about it, but he just waved it off as nothing. He was happy about the increase in sales that Toni brought it and didn't want to start a fight with anyone by addressing it.
"All men are assholes," she muttered as she took a seat behind the front desk. When she got the cast off, Nick had agreed to let her do more tasks, but for now, he had her seated behind the counter to ring people out. It made her the first person people see when they walked by, which annoyed the hell out of her. Since they were located a couple of blocks down from a few bars, a lot of drunken man walked by, and nine out of ten times, they would come in just to bug her. She didn't know what it was or what gave them the idea that it was okay to sexually harass her, but it really needed to stop. It was making her go crazy, and if she didn't need this job, she would pick up the hammer that she had just put back and bang their faces in with it.
With a big greedy smile, Nick walked out from his office and handled Toni an envelope. "Here's your money for the week," he said with a smile.
Toni thanked him before taking the cash filled envelope. Considering this was the 1940's, it wasn't a large amount, but Toni was okay with anything. Plus, she was glad that he was willing to pay her under the table, because there wasn't any other way. Even if she knew what her SSN, it wouldn't be good in this time. "Thanks," she said as she pocketed the cash in her grey dress.
"I'll lock up tonight," he said as he walked past her.
That was fine with her, because she didn't want to be here any longer than she needed to be. "K," she replied as she crossed to the coat hanger for Rogers' coat. She had promised herself that she would buy herself a coat as soon as she got enough money, because she didn't want to keep borrowing Rogers' coat. Maybe, she could do that now, because she didn't want to keep relying on him. After putting on his coat, she reached down for her bag, which held a few tools that Nick had let her take. He had asked why she needed them, but she told him it was for a project. "I'll be back tomorrow."
He looked up from the cash he was counting. "You can take tomorrow off."
"Are you sure?" she asked. It really didn't matter to her as it gave her time to scope out Stark Industries. If she wanted to get her device back, she would need to know everything about the company, a company that she would ran and sign over in the future.
"Yes," he said without giving any explanation. "And I'm sorry about the asshole earlier. I'll talk to him about it."
"Thanks," Toni stated, not expecting Nick to do that. She exited the shop with a smile on her face. Walking outside, she took a look around just to make sure she wasn't being followed. She hadn't seen her stalker, the guy who had been tailing her since the diner, in the last few days and that had her worried. Did he already have what he wanted? Did she scare him off? Or worse, was he still watching her and she not know it? That freaked her every time she thought about it and she hated that feeling.
It was already dark out, like it always was when she got off work. She hated that. Right now, she really missed Happy as he would never allow her to walk alone in the dark. At first, she loathed how protective he was, but now, she missed it. She also missed her Iron Man Suit. O' God, she missed the suit, as she didn't remember how she lasted without it.
Shaking her head, she started her long walk to the apartment, and she almost jumped five feet in the air when she noticed someone leaning against a building. She couldn't see his face as it was covered in shadows and Toni readied herself to reach in her bag for the hammer in case she needed to bang someone's face in. "Who's there?" she asked, trying to hide her nerviness.
The man stepped into the light with his hands in the air, revealing who he was. "Relax," Barnes stated as he smiled at her. "It's just me."
Toni shook her head, feeling like an idiot. Why was she acting like his? She wasn't normally like this. "I just-"
Barnes interrupted her. "Thought I was someone else?" he finished. "So who were you expecting?" he asked, eyeing the hammer's handle (the only part he could see).
"I thought you…were…someone…else." She said slowly. She didn't want to admit that she was afraid and that someone was stalking her.
"You know you can tell me the truth, right?" he asked as he looked around. "If someone's bothering you, you can tell me." Barnes had protective look in his eyes that Toni didn't understand. "I can take care of him for you."
"You didn't even like me at first, so why are you Mr. Protector now?" she asked. "What changed?" She didn't understand what was going on, and that annoyed her.
"I was mistaken about you at first," he replied with a sexy smile and wink. "But you can tell me if someone's bugging you."
Toni took a deep breath. "Why do you think someone's bothering me?" She didn't think she was that freaken readable, which also irritated her. That was the last thing she wanted. She fought the urge to look around, as she was felt eyes on her again. Maybe, she was just imagining it.
"I can see how uncomfortable you are, and I've noticed how jittery you get when you go out by yourself."
Toni really didn't want to talk about this anymore and started the walk to the apartment again. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. She was grateful to Barnes for coming to walk her home, but she didn't want him to know that.
Getting over the shook of Toni just walking away from him, it took Barnes a few seconds for him to catch up to her. "Geez, slow down," he stated, giving her a smile again. "You don't have to be so scared."
She stopped suddenly and turned to him. "I, Toni Stark, do not get scared," she snapped rapidly. It took her a few seconds to realize what she had just said. Maybe, he won't notice, she prayed to herself, but she wasn't that lucky.
He looked at her. "Did you just say Stark? As in Stark Industries?"
Toni could see the shock in his eyes. "No, no," she denied, unsure of what to really say. "Did I say Stark?" she asked. "I meant Sark." She tried to laugh it off.
"Sark?" Barnes looked at her as if he didn't believe her. "That makes sense. If you were really a Stark, why would you be staying with two random guys at a rundown apartment?"
"I wouldn't say rundown," she replied. It had a homely feeling that she wished she had at her place. She took her deep breath as she continued her walk.
She was a fast walker and Barnes had to run to catch up with her. "So, you remember now?" he asked.
Trying not to look at him, she stared at the sidewalk in front of her. The bag was starting to get heavy and it made it awkward to walk. "It's coming back slowly." She was annoyed at herself for that lie. It was stupid and it was hard to believe anyone fell for it. Out of the corner of her eyes, she eyed him. "It's…weird."
Barnes took a deep breath. "You know I'm not falling for that memory loss, right?" he asked.
Toni cracked a small smile as she glowered at the ground. "I knew it was stupid." She was beginning to worried, because she would have nowhere to go if Barnes didn't let her stay with him and Rogers. "What gave it away?"
"You know you can't keep everything in, right? You have to let it out or you're going to explode." He didn't answer her question.
She shook her head as she expected him to be mad. "Not in my family," she muttered as she picked up her speed to get away from him. She needed to figure out what she was going to do.
Barnes reached toward her. "You can't do this. You need to let people in. You need to talk to people, especially when you think someone's after you." He shook his head and reached out toward her.
Toni glared at him as she saw him reached for her. It took her a few seconds to figure out that he was going after her bag, which annoyed her as well. She didn't need him to carry her bag, but she didn't fight him when he took it from her. "I can take care of myself."
"Never said you couldn't."
Shaking her head, she continued her walk slowly. It would do no good in trying to get away from him, because he wasn't going to let her. "It's just a guy from work who doesn't understand the word no," she lied. She knew someone was watching her and it was more than a guy in love. She just had to figure out who it was and why he was following her. Did it have to do with Colonel Salty? She hoped so. At least, she would know he was a good guy…though she wondered if that would be a good thing.
"I can show him my fists if that helps," he stated as he smiled at her.
He was showing his teeth with that smile, and she had to give it to him; he had a sexy smile. She had already thought that, but now, she was sucked in with it. "So why did you let Rogers believe that I lost my memory?" she asked. He had gotten her curious.
"You didn't want to talk about it and I can see that. I don't know what it is, but I know it can't be good." Barnes took a deep breath. "And I know Steve. He wouldn't have dropped it if you didn't tell him something." He ran his hand through his hair. "He can be so annoying sometimes. Sometimes, I just want to…" He drifted off.
Though Rogers pissed her the hell off, it irritated her to hear his best friend say that, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to start with a fight with a man, who if she thought about it, she didn't really trust. She didn't care if he was a sex god. As she looked him over from head to toe, she cursed her body's desire to jump him. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? She knew she couldn't have him, which made him so much more desirable. She always had a thing for men she couldn't have. Shaking her head, she knew it was stupid to fall for a guy who was going to die. That just screamed commitment issues, didn't it?
In about ten minutes, they arrived outside of the apartment. "You need to tell him, Barnes" she said, trying to change the subject. Toni didn't want to talk about her anymore.
He looked at her weird, hearing his last name out of her month. "He doesn't need to know," he stated as he unlocked the front door to the apartment.
As he opened the door for her, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're leaving in three days. I think he would notice you disappearing."
"I know."
She shook her head as she entered the building. "You better tell him." She wanted to say 'or else I would', but she didn't want to pull that card. Plus, it wasn't her job to do so. It was someone else's because she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place.
"I will tomorrow."
*O*O*
The next morning, Toni had no inkling of why she thought it would be a good idea to make breakfast for the guys when she had a broken arm, an arm that she was glaring at in the hopes that it would get better by magic. She burnt the bacon, which she could deal with as crispy bacon was the best; however, the eggs were a different story. Toni had completely burn them, which irritated her. She picked up the pan from the stove, which took her awhile to figure how to turn on (she didn't think it was a stove to begin with) and threw the pan in the trash. She had burnt the pan beyond repair in her eyes. "I'll buy them a new one," she muttered to herself. Every cent was important, but she didn't like to be in anyone's debt. She didn't want to owe anyone anything.
"So I guess, they're just getting bacon," she said to herself as she plated the meat. Shaking her head, she turned to the sink and turned the water on.
"I don't think you should get your cast wet."
Toni turned to see Rogers who had a curious look in his eyes. She wasn't sure how long he was standing there, watching her with that look. The shrimp Rogers was much quieter in his movements than the giant Captain Rogers. He had been able to sneak up on her a few times already, which irritated her. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath as everything he did seemed to annoy her. She knew he was trying his best to get her to like him, and if she didn't know the future Rogers, she would like him, but she can't get the future asshole out of her mind. However, if he knew her, he wouldn't care if she liked him. He wasn't the only asshole; she was one too but bigger. "It's fine," she stated as she waved him off.
She turned back to Rogers and reached into the sink. "Fuck," she cursed as she made the water too hot.
"For a dame, you have a mouth," Rogers said as he walked over to her. As he took the pan from her, he didn't notice the glare she was giving him.
She stepped away rather than fight with him, because it wasn't worth it. "Why thank you," she said instead. "I enjoy my mouth. Guys do as well." Toni intended for that to be dirty.
"Um…" Rogers looked up from the dishes and stared at her with large eyes and rosy cheeks. He didn't know what to say to that and that did make Toni laugh. He was innocent as ever. He turned away from her a few seconds later as he couldn't face her with his deep cherry red face. "Burnt the eggs?" he asked, changing the subject.
Letting him do so, she smiled at him. "I should just stay out of the kitchen, right?"
"Or until your arm gets better."
His back was toward her and she could see how stressed he was. "So where's Barnes?" she asked. Though she never saw him leave, she knew he wasn't here. She would've seen him by now.
He glanced toward her as he washed the dishes. It didn't seem like he had any interest in eating the bacon, which was okay with her. She could eat it all herself. "He left early."
Toni sighed as that meant he still didn't tell Rogers that he was leaving yet. She didn't want to be involved in that conversation or be around when that happened. "Any idea of when he'll be back?" she asked. Maybe, if she timed it right, she could be gone when that happened.
Rogers turned and Toni's breath got stuck in her throat. His right eye was black and blue. How didn't she notice it before? "I don't know. Nowadays, I don't know what he's up to." He smiled weakly at her.
"What happened to you?" Toni asked worried. She was ready to beat the asshole that attacked Rogers. No one was allowed to mess with him but her.
Not answering her, he stepped away from the sink to the pan she threw away. He eyed it curiously but he didn't say anything.
Toni rushed to the freezer for some ice. "Let's put something on that," she said. To her luck, there was an old fashion ice pouch, which was probably a sign that Rogers got hurt a lot. She didn't understand why he did that. What was the point in fighting if he was going to lose? "Go sit down," she ordered, as she tried to project Pepper.
Rogers turned to her and he could see the worry in her eyes. "I'm fine," he replied. "My eye will heal on its own." He eyed her as she walked toward him. "This isn't the first time I got a black eye."
Switching the ice bag to her broken left hand, she felt him flinch as she grabbed his hand. Ignoring that and his rapid heartbeat (which she could feel through her grasp), she pulled him to the couch and sat him down. She wasn't going to hold it against him, as he was innocent and naive unlike her; he wasn't comfortable around women. After she had him sitting, she pressed the cold compact to his face. She felt him jump at her touch but he didn't pull away. Though he couldn't really look at her with the pouch on his face, she felt his eyes on her.
After a few seconds, Rogers closed his eyes in awkwardness. He sat straight back against the couch as she sat on her knees at his side. Her body was inches from him. "How did you get this?" she asked.
He took a deep breath. "There was this guy who was mouthing off. I told him to shut it and he didn't like that."
Toni shook her head. "Why do you get into fights you can't win?" she asked. The future Rogers popped into her mind. It had appeared that nothing had changed, well beside the fact that he could win fights in the future. She felt him sigh in annoyance. She knew he must've been asked this question a lot and that he had been in a few fights with Bucky over it. He tried to pull away from her, but Toni wouldn't let him. She dropped the bag and held him. They both knew he wasn't going to fight her. "You had asked me to talk. Why can't I ask you to talk?" she asked.
Rogers looked down at the ice in his lap. "I do it because it's right." He turned to look her in the eyes. "I do this because it isn't right for me to do nothing. I have a part to play in this world and I'm going to play it." He had light smile on his face.
She knew what he was feeling. "Is there a point where you're going to give up?" she asked. She knew he had already tried to enlist a few times, but each time, he was turned down. "The odds are against you."
He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand," he said as he pulled her away from her slowly. Her hand moved to his leg, which stopped him from pulling away.
"You would be amazed at what I understand," she explained as she picked up the ice bag and placed it against his eye. "I understand what it means to have everyone doubt you and to have the odds against you. My ego keeps me going, but I think you have something better, more important, keeping you going." She smiled at him. "And I don't think you should give up. I think you're made for something special." She could say that because she knew the truth; however, even if she didn't, she could see it in him. But should you be saying that to him? She asked herself.
Rogers looked at her with a smile. "You're something."
"Why thank you," she smiled, still holding the ice against his face. "But you need to be smart about it."
"I know."
This was the Rogers she could handle. Why couldn't the future one be this sweet and soft instead of the righteous asshole, who yelled at her for everything?
Rogers reached up to take pack from Toni. "I got this," he stated.
Toni took a deep breath and let him take it. She did her best to ignore the feeling of his hand on hers. Once she was sure he had it, she let it go and hopped off the couch. It was then that she realized how close she was to him. Turning away from him, she hid her face as she didn't want him to see her red face. She didn't want Steve Roger to know that he did this to her. "I got the kitchen," she stated, changing the subject.
"But your cast," Rogers protested.
"I made the mess. I can clean it," she said. When she was sure her red cheeks were gone, she turned to him with a smile. Her arm was feeling better and though she was overshooting, she could be getting it off in a few weeks. "You worry too much," she smiled as she waved the cast.
Rogers stood up and walked to her. "I got this too," he stated as he took the pan from her and put the ice pack down.
"Men," she spouted as she walked away. She didn't see his smile but she knew he was smiling. This was the first conversation that they had together since the diner. Though she wouldn't admit it, she had been avoiding him as she was waiting for him to yell at her. Taking a deep breath, she took a seat on the couch. The tools that she had brought were hidden in a bag under the table, which the guys hadn't noticed yet.
"Geez," he whined, with a hint of laugher. "I feel insulted."
Toni turned toward Rogers, who was wearing a large smile. That smiled warmed her up, unlike what Barnes' smile did to her. Barnes made her feel hot, while Rogers made her feel safe, even if he couldn't really protect her at this time. She loved that feeling, but she didn't want to admit that. Shaking her head, she turned to the table. I wanted to avoid this, she thought to herself. She didn't want to get close enough to him to make an impression.
"Since you don't work today, do you-" Rogers started but the door silenced him. In came Barnes with a smile on his face. Over his shoulder, he held a bag, which held some clothes. "Hey, Bucky."
Toni shifted on the couch so she could look at Barnes. She could see the tension in his shoulders and she knew he was going to tell Rogers the truth. She did not want to be here for that. "Hey, Barnes," she stated as she stood up. "Where have you been?" she asked.
He gave her his signature smile. "Off putting my affairs in order." He had a way about him, which could calm anyone.
"Why would you be doing that?" Rogers asked. "Is something going on?"
That was her clue to go. "I'm going for a walk," Toni stated loudly as she walked to the closest. She grabbed Roger's coat and put it on. Barnes eyed her the whole time, knowing why she was leaving. She didn't want to be here for the argument that was about to happen.
"Toni," Rogers called. She was at the door before he called her name. "Toni." Again, he had a special way of saying her name that drove her crazy. "Where are you going? What's going now?"
"Just be careful," Barnes said to her. He took few feet toward Rogers, blocking Rogers' view of her. For that, she was grateful as she didn't want to see his face. She knew that Rogers knew that something was wrong. "We need to talk, Steve."
With that, Toni was out the door. She could hear yelling the second she reached the stairs and she was glad she wasn't there. Though she yelled and fought a lot, she hated it. Growing up that was all she heard from her parents.
*O*O*
Finding Stark Industries was easier than Toni first thought. She didn't know why she thought it be so hard, considering how big her father was at this time. She couldn't go down the street without hearing his name. His building, not as impressive as her tower, was huge and could be seen from a few miles away. The Stark logo wasn't as big as she thought it could be, but it drew enough attention from the people around. The color of the building was dreadful though, but she doubted that her father really cared what the color of his building was.
Toni took a seat across the street as not to draw attention. If her father did have the device, he would know she would be coming for it and would have his security team keep an eye out for her. Again, Peggy could be lying and this could be a trap, but she had no choice. She needed that device or she would be stuck here….
Her mind drifted to what she would do if she was stuck in the past. She couldn't work in that hardware store forever or she would go crazy, but what else could she do? She could try to get a job at Stark Industries and outsmart her father at every turn just to piss him off, but that wouldn't be a good idea. Plus, she couldn't really stand him and she didn't want to see him every day. If she did, the cops would probably be called daily.
Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind and focused on the task at hand. She needed to study Stark Industries for a way in. There were high fences around the complex and security guards that walked up and down the fence every few seconds. Though she couldn't tell from here, she knew there had to be cameras, so even if the guards missed something, the guys monitoring the cameras would not. There was only one way into the lot, and that was through a single check point. Each employee was required to have their badge before entering, and if the guards wanted to, they were able to search the vehicle without cause. They seemed to search them all though, but she spotted the one time the car was not. The guy who drove in must've been trusted.
The first thing first was getting her arm back, which she hoped would be in a few weeks. She was pushing it, but she couldn't help it. She really couldn't stand the cast and she wanted to take a saw to it, but she knew better. Toni took a big breath as she knew she couldn't wait for her arm, so the first thing really was to study the security for holes. That would take a few long days of watching, but she had to do that. After she figured that out, she would need to get her hand on a badge. "I could tail an employee and swipe his card," she thought to herself. "However, he could notice it's gone and report it's missing. A stolen badge would get me caught."
She rubbed her temple. She would need to copy the badge, but that would be difficult. It all depended on type of security system that her father had. "Fuck," she muttered. A card cloner wasn't a problem as she could build a machine to hack her father's system. She had done it before. However, she didn't have the materials to build it. Yes, the hardware store gave her access to tools but she would need some computers parts, which was all but impossible to get in this decade.
Toni reached in her pocket and pulled out her broken smart phone, which wasn't totally beyond repair, but again, she didn't have the materials she need. She might be able to rework the parts. "I can do that when I get back to the apartment," she stated, hoping that Barnes and Rogers hadn't kill each other. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stood up. She had so much planning that she needed to do. "Maybe, I should try and randomly get caught." Though she would have to tell them the truth (and risk the possibility of being put in a nut house), it might be the only way she could get her device back.
As she turned to leave, she noticed her stalker again, and this time he was smiling and waving at her. How dare he smile at her like that!? "He's a horrible tail," she muttered as she started to walk after him. Maybe, she could get him in a trap. "Though the question is why he's so horrible?" she asked herself. Tails weren't supposed to be noticed, and if Colonel Salty had ordered someone to follow her, why would they want her to know? Was it an attempted to fool her? Maybe, he wasn't the real tail. Then what was he?
Toni took a look around, but she didn't notice anyone else tailing her, not that she expected to, because she really wasn't trained to notice tails. She didn't know what she was looking for. She only noticed the sucky tail, who seemed to want to be caught. She watched as he turned and walked away with his arms behind his back. Being the risky idiot that she was, Toni followed after him, without a second thought about her safety.
It was getting dark but Toni didn't care because for the last hour, she had been following her stalker and getting close. Though she wasn't sure, she didn't think he had spotted her, and this was a good opportunity to see what this guy was up to. She would find out if he had been ordered to follow her by the Colonel. She knew the chance of that was low as no military tail should be this sucky. If he was, she would have to give Colonel Salty a firm talking to.
There was hesitation in her step as he turned down an alleyway; however, she was never one to turn away scared. Walking toward the alley, she tried to ignore her rapidly beating heart, but she was failing; however, she didn't stop, because she didn't play chicken. As she entered the alleyway, she wished her smart phone was working so she could use it as a light, but instead, she just played with it in her pocket. As she walked, the noises of the city begin to die down. It made her wonder if someone would be able to hear her screams if she were to scream. "Relax, Stark," she muttered to herself. "Stop thinking like that. Nothing's going to happen."
She took a deep breath as she tried to clear her minds of the negative thoughts. This reminded her of one of those scenes in a horror film. The type where the viewer says, 'you're an idiot for going into that dark alley alone.' Shaking her head, she put on a smile as she tried to hide her fear. She exhaled slowly as she walked pass a dumpster, which was only a few feet away from the back of the alley way.
"That's strange," she uttered as she took a long look around. She had seen the stalker come down the alley and there was no way out, so he had to be here. Sure it was dark, but it wasn't that dark, and she should've seen him leave if he did leave. "How could I have lost him in the first place?" she asked. This stalker was supposed to be sucky. He was better than what she gave him credit for, and that worried her.
Toni turned to leave, but she didn't make it one foot as she was slammed against the brick wall. The Stalker (she doubted it was anyone else) hadn't been gentle when he pinned her to the wall. Her head hit the wall hard, and it left her dazed for a seconds. She knew it would leave a mark, but that wasn't the only mark she would have. Her good arm was smashed into dumpster, while Rogers' jacket ripped catching on some metal piece sticking out. It wasn't long enough to cut her, but she felt it drag against her skin, scratching her. Her broken arm was pinned against her body in an uncomfortable position.
Without much thought, she swung her good arm, but he caught it easy and pinned it above her head. "It won't be that easy." There was a hint of laugher in his voice. "No lady can best me."
That pissed her the hell off, because she was just as good as any man. "Asshole," she yelled as she kneed him in the groin.
Like any guy would, he bent over in pain, but he still had a hand on her. "You Bitch," he yelped as he looked away. She saw this as an opening and head-butted him. They both cursed in pain, but he let her go.
"You should stop talking about yourself," she replied with a heavy breath. "That isn't very nice." As soon as he let her go, she ran; however, she had only made it a few feet before he came to his senses. He had grabbed her from the back of her neck and ram her into the brick wall. Her face smashed into the wall and she was completely helpless. She couldn't even open her eyes.
"You should just shut up," he hissed as he flipped her without much effort.
After she regained her senses, she looked up to meet her attacker, who placed his hand firmly on her mouth to stop her from screaming or talking back. She could see the red mark on his face from her head butt, but it was his eyes that stopped her cold. He was staring deep into her eyes, looking for something, and she did her best to part up a front, though she didn't think it worked. His smirk cut her deep.
"Some would call it stupid to follow a stranger into a dark alley at night," the stalker stated. His voice was rough and emotionless, and that shocked her.
She refused to show how scared she was so she focused on the smell of the nasty trash and not the emotionless voice. Maybe, the smell would put some other emotion besides fear in her. She shook her head, trying to free her hand. "Or smart," she retorted back, knocking his hand away.
He inched his face closer to hers. He could kiss her if he wanted to. "It's such a shame a pretty lady like yourself has to be caught up in this." There was a pause. "However, you need to work on being respectful. I guess my master would show you that."
Toni turned away as not to look him in the eyes. "Did anyone tell you your breath smells?" she asked, mockingly. She wanted to ask him what he thought she was caught in and who this master was, but she decided not to play his game. "Do you not know what a toothbrush is?" She closed her eyes waiting to be hit, but it did not come.
However, he grabbed her face and made her look into his eyes. "You should watch what you say."
"I never watch what I say. That's no fun," she teased, trying to give her best playful voice.
He laughed. "I see. However, you should be focused on-" The Stalker couldn't finish his sentence as he was ripped off her and was thrown to the ground. Toni stumbled forward without anyone holding her.
She looked up to her savior, expect either Barnes or Rogers (not that she expected Captain Shrimp to be able to do that), but she didn't see either of them. The unfamiliar man was a big well-built man, who stood high and proud. That was a trait that Toni could respect. The only thing funny about him was his facial hair that covered half of his face; she wouldn't want to kiss that.
Toni caught him looking at her as if he was trying to judge her mental and physical health. She wasn't sure if he saw what he wanted but he was smiling at her. He turned to the Stalker, who hadn't gotten to his feet yet, and glared. As the stranger reached down to grab him, the Stalker rolled back and flipped out of the way. Before the stranger could react, Toni's tail bolted out of the alley.
Her savior looked at her. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back," he said as he chased after him.
She closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he walked away. It was then that she started to fall apart. Her heart was beating was so fast that it was hard to breathe, forcing her to her knees. Every bad choice that she had made flashed before her eyes, sending her to a panic attack. Why did she think she could do this? Why did she always put herself in situations that she couldn't win? Did she not care about her own wellbeing? She could've gotten hurt or worse because she didn't think first. This was a why the Captain was always yelling at her.
"I…I…can't…breathe," she stated as she played with her collar, trying to loosen it. It was suddenly getting too hot, and it had started to snow again. "I don't know what to do. What am I doing?" Her Tail could've killed her and there was nothing she could've done. She wasn't able to protect herself. When he had her pinned, her brain was useless and she couldn't do anything.
Taking deep breaths, she failed to calm herself down and tears started to fall. "I'm an idiot," she thought. He could've done anything he wanted, and it wasn't for that kind stranger, he could have.
Shaking her head, Toni pushed herself up and wiped her eyes. She didn't want to wait for that man to come back. She needed to get away, far far away. She didn't want to be here anymore and she just wanted to go home, her home in the future with the Avengers.
Getting on her feet, she did all but run out of the alley with no care how she looked or who she ran into.
Poor Toni. It looks like she is never going to get a break.
I hope you enjoyed the reading. And thanks for all the reviews! They make the world go round.
Updated.
