Author's Note: So, two minor time skips again, just so Steve moves into his apartment. These are the definite steps into friendship though, guys! Steve and Mack are pretty much friends at the end of this chapter, and that means we get more development and comfortable moments between the two.
And romance, eventually, but we get hints of attraction first, and then some other fun incidents, and guest appearances… and you'll find out everything in the next few chapters. I'm so insanely excited about it, really. But yeah, now that we've gotten past the getting to know you stages, we're going to start heading into the fun stuff and the sexual tension and OMG I AM SO EXCITED FOR ALL OF IT.
I'm also incredibly touched, because guys? We have 78 reviews right now. I'm amazed at that, because I have never had a story get this many in this short of time. Bohemia is only a month old, and it's doing so well. Thank you all so much for that. :D And thank you to those who have put Bohemia on alert or favorited it. We would not being going into the fourteenth chapter without all of you, so thank you so much!
As always, I don't own Avengers, and I hope that everyone's having a great weekend!
Edit 3/6 – For a few minor tense changes and mentions of Tori's background, along with a few other things related to the Howling Commandos.
Bohemia
In her three years at SHIELD, Mackenzie Donahue has run into some strange things. Weird hammers, egocentric billionaires, and of course her archer SO. Somehow, a gentleman soldier out of his time turns out to be the best of it all. Steve/OC
Chapter 14 – Friend to Friend
March 3, 2011
It took a while for him to be able to look at the files.
Moving into the apartment SHIELD provided for him hadn't been too hard. Steve had only had about two bags to bring, and had spent the last few days trying to adjust. Even if he had barely spent a week with her, Steve was surprised to find the silence of his apartment unsettling. Along with those attempts to adjust to the new apartment had been nightmares.
He hadn't seen Mack for days. Steve hadn't been back to SHIELD since he had moved to the apartment, but she had sent him a text message checking on him the day before, along with asking if he would be up for her coming to check on him today. After spending about twenty minutes figuring out how to reply and thanking the fact that Mack had taught him to use the phone the night before he left, he had said yes to both.
For now, Steve went back into his past as he took a seat at the small, bare kitchen table and opened the files that Mack had provided for him.
He knew that some of his friends were gone by now. It had been sixty-six years since he had crashed the Valkyrie into the ice. He couldn't be surprised that some of the Howling Commandos had passed away by now.
Mack had told him that Morita and Falsworth had passed away in the last decade or two, as had Phillips and Howard. Morita had died of cancer in 1998; a heart attack had taken Falsworth in 2002. They both had family members still alive, and Morita's son apparently worked for SHIELD. Steve made a mental note to ask Mack if he had met Morita's son or not.
Dernier still lived in France with his family, but his contact information sat in the file. He would call him later as well.
Jones was a French professor at Culver University down in Virginia. Steve remembered Mack wearing a Culver sweatshirt days before, and that she had been at student there almost three years ago, and made a note to ask whether Mack had ever been a student of him. He was almost positive that she had mentioned something of that nature, but honestly, the past week or so had been filled with so much information that he knew he was forgetting a thing or two.
Dugan's file didn't tell him anything more than he had expected. Tori had filled Steve in with everything Dugan had been up to over the years, and had explained gently that while her grandfather would have loved to hear from him, Dugan understood that it would take time for Steve to contact him.
Steve had been glad to hear that the Commandos had kept up with each other over the years. He had talked to Tori several times since their first meeting at the dinner, and she had answered a lot of questions that he had about them. She had given him her contact information as well, saying that she understood if he wanted to talk to her first before he contacted anyone else related to the Commandos.
When he thought about it, Steve knew he would probably end up talking to Tori about it sooner or later. There was something genuine about the doctor that reminded him of Dugan, and Steve could see Tori becoming a friend. He could see everyone he had met at the diner becoming a friend, honestly, and that was a huge relief to him.
Along with the rest of the Commandos, a few other files had been included – Tony Stark's with his father's and Tori's with Dugan's. Mack had told him a few things about Tony Stark, and Steve had noticed the building with his name on it a while ago; it wasn't too far away from his apartment. Howard had died in a car accident over twenty years ago, but Steve had been amazed upon learning that Howard had never stopped looking for him.
Steve had to remind himself to breathe when he saw Peggy's contact information included her phone number.
For a few minutes, he alternated staring at the phone in his hand and the number on the paper. Peggy's file said that she had never married, and instead had been instrumental in forming SHIELD, alongside Howard and Dugan. SHIELD would not exist without her, and Steve was so proud of her for that. She had done so well.
Steve wanted to hear her voice again so much. His mind flashed back in an instant, to that last conversation they had. He remembered that one last, desperate kiss before he went to stop Schmidt.
But it had been sixty six years since he had went down. Steve knew that Peggy was aware of his survival; Mack had mentioned early on that she had told all his friends from back then that he had survived, and had actually visited Peggy.
He needed time. He couldn't talk to any of them, not yet. It had been so many years, but it had only been weeks for him. For Steve, he had been with them weeks ago. Bucky had died weeks ago; he had crashed Valkyrie weeks ago… he didn't want to force his friends to dig up a past they might not be able to.
Especially Peggy. She deserved so much more than that.
Steve jumped as several quick knocks on his door broke the silence.
"Steve?" The super soldier took a deep breath when he recognized the voice. Dimly, he heard a dog barked, and gave a small smile when she realized that Mack must have brought Arizona. Steve couldn't deny that he was fond of the dog after the days he had spent at her apartment. "Steve, it's Mack. You there?"
"I'll be there in a minute," Steve called back, putting the papers back into the file. He stole one last, long look at Peggy's face before he slipped it back in the file, putting the file itself back into the desk next to the wall.
He went over to the door a moment later. A smile slipped on his face as he saw Mack there, and she grinned back instantly. Steve gave a startled chuckle as Arizona gave an excited bark, standing up on his hind legs and putting his paws on Steve's stomach, his tail going a mile a minute. Steve backed into the apartment, Arizona following him, yelping in excitement all the while.
"Oh my God! Arizona, no!" Mack yelped; her eyes were wide as she stared in a combination of amusement and horror at her dog.
Mack closed the door behind, rolling her eyes. Steve noticed she was carrying a shopping bag. "Arizona! Be nice to Steve! No attacking Steve with love and affection!" the brunette agent warned, shooting a serious look at her German Shepherd.
"Mack, it's fine," Steve laughed. He leaned down to the ground, grinning down at the dog as Arizona whined. The dog went down to all four legs, whining happily as Steve rubbed his neck. "Hey, Arizona. I missed you too, buddy."
"I still don't understand how my dog loves you. It doesn't make any sense," Mack said as she watched the two with an amused half smile. She looked around the apartment before smiling slightly. "I like the apartment."
"Thanks." Steve rubbed Arizona's belly as the dog went on his back, shaking his head as he grinned down at him. "How are you?"
Mack paused before looking at him, and Steve caught the hesitation in her eyes. "Fine," she replied after a moment, and for a moment he wondered if she was lying.
Steve shot her a concerned look as he stood to his full height. "You're sure?" he asked.
Mack nodded firmly, and Steve realized he wasn't going to get much more out of her than that. "I'm fine. I promise. I'm more worried about you, honestly. How are you feeling?"
Steve hesitated as he went over to the couch. Mack followed him, Arizona behind her a moment later. The dog went over his owner first, lying down next to her when she sat on the couch. As much as she joked about it, Arizona did love his owner above everything else. Steve sat on the chair on the other side of the living room.
"Better," Steve admitted, trying to figure out exactly how to explain everything. Mack deserved some form of honesty from him. "I'm still getting used to everything, but… I'm getting there. Slowly. It's going to take a lot of time, but I think I can get there."
Mack nodded. "Any more nightmares?" she asked quietly.
"Every night." He was almost surprised that he had admitted it to her, but Mack hadn't judged him for any of it. Steve knew that she wouldn't tell anyone else, and had realized that talking about it might help him. "It's not always the same, but they're nightmares all the same. I don't know when they're going to stop."
Mack nodded, but didn't ask anymore. Her unspoken reassurance that she was there if he needed her was stated in the silence, and Steve took a deep breath before running a hand through his hair. "You said the nightmares get better?" he asked.
"You just have to keep going." Mack bit her lip before adding, "Just give it time. They won't stop completely… but they get easier." She sighed before glancing at her bag, giving him a weak smile as she said, "I have something for you though."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you brought something?" he asked, surprised.
Mack held up the bag with a sheepish smile. "Housewarming present," she explained, watching Steve's eyes widened in surprised. "I would have come sooner, but I couldn't figure out what exactly to get you, but I think you'll like this."
Steve raised an eyebrow at her as he smiled softly, a bit surprised that she had thought of him. "You didn't have to."
"I wanted to," Mack said, looking a bit excited as she passed Steve the bag. "I think you'll like it."
Steve chuckled. "I appreciate it." He paused when he saw what in the bag, his eyes widening as he realized exactly what it was. He pulled it out of the shopping bag, staring at it in surprised before looking back up at Mack.
It was a sketchbook. It was simple and its cover was black, but there were numerous designs on the front – including, Steve realized, a star identical to the one that had covered his shield. Mack was the only one who knew about his drawings so far. She had seen him drawing Arizona that first night, but he hadn't gotten a chance since then to draw and let everything but what was in front of him go. Maybe now he would have a chance.
"Thank you," Steve murmured, looking down at the sketchbook. A further search through the bag found color pencils and a supply he knew would last for a while. He looked back up at her, a little stunned that she would have thought of all of that. "Mack, I don't know what to say."
Mack shrugged, rolling her eyes as Arizona trotted over to Steve, settling down with his head on the man's foot. "You're really good," Mack said, smiling, pausing for a moment before adding, "If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to keep that sketch of Arizona."
"It's yours," Steve said, trying to split his attention between Arizona and Mack. The dog seemed determined to take all of it, however. He chuckled as Arizona licked his hand, adding, "I wouldn't mind getting another chance to sketch him though."
"Of course," Mack replied, putting her hands in the air.
"You don't know what this means to me." Steve looked up at her, his eyes serious as he said, "Drawing as always let me unwind, and I think this might really help with everything. Thanks, Mack."
Steve had seen a lot of Mack in the past few weeks. He had seen her mischievous smirks when she pressed Moreau's buttons. He had seen her teasing grins from when she had hummed the songs from his shows in the 40s to make him blush, the tight, hard smiles that came when she was getting angry.
But the soft, small smile that crossed her face right then made Steve realize how pretty Mack Donahue actually was.
"Anytime." Mack looked almost uncomfortable for a moment before she stood. "They went all out on the 40s feel, didn't he?" She took a step into the kitchen, glancing around. "I honestly thought Fury might have been lying about an apartment and was planning to keep you in mine for as long as we didn't kill each other."
He chuckled. "I like it," Steve said. He turned his attention back to the SHIELD agent before admitting, a nostalgic look on his face, "It reminds me of the apartment I used to share with Bucky, before… before, well, everything."
Mack gave a sympathetic nod, raising an eyebrow as Arizona sat at Steve's side. It was at that point that Mack realized her dog had just made the conscious decision to go to Steve's side instead of her own. Traitorous hound.
"You're abandoning me for him, aren't you?" she asked her dog, rolling her eyes as he yawned and leaned against Steve. "Traitorous hound."
Steve gave a harder laugh, rubbing the top of his head. "Don't listen to her, Arizona. You can always come with me if you get tired of Mack."
The SHIELD agent looked halfway between horrified and amused. "You're talking to my dog. Now we know you're spending too much time with me." She was giggling though, and Steve only rolled his eyes.
Steve didn't know what else he could do other than play along. "What can I say? Arizona is great company. He doesn't talk back-"
"Bullshit he doesn't talk back," Mack laughed, rolling her eyes. "He barks when I try and tell him something. He totally talks back."
Steve shook his head. "It doesn't count."
"It so does, Rogers." Mack stood, taking her dog's leash before saying, "I was taking him for a walk, and then I was going to stop at the diner for something. Do you want to come?"
Steve hesitated for a second before nodding. "I'd love to." He grinned down at the dog before turning his grin to Mack. "Let's go."
She grinned back at him, and Steve realized that he might not be alone in this time.
March 12, 2011
"I thought Moreau put you on medical leave from any physical activity."
Mack grinned as she kept going at the punching bag that Steve usually claimed. The gym was empty for a change, except for her and the new arrival. "Moreau said I can go back to working out now. If Barton comes back and finds out I've been slacking, I'll never hear the end of it."
Steve chuckled as he dropped his bag on the ground, coming around and holding the bag in place as Mack went at it. "It looks better," he admitted, glancing down at her wrist. The bruises had almost complete faded, and relief crept down his back as he saw she hadn't suffered any other ill effects from the incident.
"Feels a lot better, too," Mack added, as she launched herself into a high kick at the punching bag. She shot Steve a grin as he raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Remember, Rogers; fully trained SHIELD agent. I know how to fight."
He had learned that by now, of course. Steve and Mack had spent a lot of the past week together, when he wasn't in the history tutoring sessions Fury had organized and when Mack wasn't working in her office. She was comfortable in her body, and the way that she moved just told Steve that she was dangerous. Steve was comfortable with her, and that was really all he needed right now.
Mack paused as she looked over at the boxing ring, grinning over at Steve a moment later. He knew immediately what she meant, and he groaned when he recognized the look on her face. He hadn't known her for a long time, but he knew when that look came over her face there was no way he was going to get her to back down.
"No. That is a horrible idea." Mack was already sliding into the boxing room, and Steve sighed. "You're just ignoring everything I say, aren't you?"
"What's the worst that can happen?" Mack asked, staring at him. The spark in her eyes – the wild, reckless, free spark that reminded him almost too much of Bucky – told him that she was not going to let this go.
Steve sighed before following her into the ring. "This is a horrible idea," he repeated.
"I've had Natasha go full Black Widow on me before, Steve." She pulled her loose dark hair into a tight ponytail before adding, "Trust me. I can handle this."
She moved almost before he realized, in a surprisingly strong kick that nearly knocked him off balance. Steve blocked it on instinct, and she dodged as he threw a punch. He realized he had left her an opening the moment her elbow hit his gut, knocking him back a step. Mack took a step back as well, her ponytail looser and her grin just as radiant.
"You're quick," Steve noted. The smile on his face was natural, and he was surprised that sparring with her was almost fun. She was different than any other opponent he had met, but that was just fine with him.
Mack grinned, panting a bit as she added, "Strength hurts, but speed kills. Romanoff drilled that into me."
"Am I going to meet her and Barton someday?" Steve wondered, the two circling each other a bit in the ring. "You talk about them both a lot."
"They turned me into what I am today, Rogers," Mack explained, tightening her ponytail again. Steve was beginning to realize why she usually wore it down; it never stayed in a ponytail too long. She was always on the move.
"They didn't do a bad job," Steve murmured, and realized even he didn't realize exactly what they were
This time, he made the first move, and the two were sparring again moment later.
It only took Steve a few minutes to recognize the flaws in her fighting style. Her speed gave her a strong advantage, but left openings that he could exploit. Her speed came at the cost of some endurance; if a fought took long enough, exhaustion would give her more disadvantages. While the bruises had mostly faded, it was causing her wrist some trouble.
She moved constantly, and Steve realized that was her biggest disadvantage in her fighting style – she would exhaust herself out, and would forget to defend herself if a fight went on long enough.
Remembering that weakness in her style, Steve kicked out the first opportunity that he found. The kick caught her knee, knocking her onto her back onto the ground. She looked genuinely surprised, and Steve felt a bit of satisfaction creep up into him.
Mack breathed heavily on the ground for a few moments, staring up in surprise at him. A grin crossed her face after a few moments, and Steve knew a similar one had hit his face. Steve had started to trust her before this, but it was mutual respect that came now.
It was in that moment that Steve realized he wasn't alone in this time.
"Not bad, Captain Rogers," Mack said, the teasing light in her eyes reminding him so much of Bucky it was almost painful.
Steve chuckled as he held out his hand. Mack took it in an instant, letting him pull her back off the ground. "You're not too bad yourself, Agent Donahue," he replied, grinning down at her. "Round two?"
Mack's grin only widened as she readjusted her ponytail. "You know it."
March 14, 2011
"You know what today is, right?"
Mack shot a confused look at Steve as she sat on a bench in Central Park, rubbing Arizona's neck. The two had been on one of their normal runs, though this time they had decided to go through Central Park. They had picked up Arizona from her apartment and everything, and they had decided to take a break for a few minutes if only to allow Arizona to recover.
"What's today?" Mack asked, frowning as she sat down on the bench next to Steve, going for her water bottle. Keeping up with Steve on her jogs was honestly a huge challenge, though Arizona loved the fact that he got to be so active.
Steve hesitated, holding his own water bottle in hand. "Today's the anniversary of when we assaulted HYDRA's main base. Sixty six years ago today…" he said, his voice trailing off as he looked up, looking around at the park.
Mack's eyes widened a second later. "Today's the anniversary of the day you crashed the Valkyrie," she whispered, slipping her water bottle down to allow Arizona a chance to get some of the water.
Fuck. She had completely screwed up on this. She should have remembered that it was the anniversary of Steve crashing the Valkyrie. She should have been more prepared for this, not just as his SHIELD liaison, but as his friend. She wasn't doing a very good job of that at the moment.
"Are you okay?" Mack asked, unsure of what else she could possibly say to him.
Steve sighed, just watching his water bottle for a few seconds. "I think so," he admitted, leaning back against the bench. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "I'm actually going to go out to dinner with Tori tonight, talk to her about the Commandos…"
Mack nodded. "You know how to reach me if you need me," she told him, raising an eyebrow.
"I know." Mack was surprised when Steve's hand found hers, squeezing tightly. He shot her a warm, if not slightly tired smile. "Thanks, Mack."
She ignored the butterflies that exploded in her stomach at the physical contact.
March 17, 2011
They were at the diner when Mack realized it.
It had become their tradition over the past few days. After their spar in the gym at SHIELD a few days ago, Steve had been joining Mack and Arizona on their morning runs, followed by going to get breakfast at the diner directly after. They would meet up for lunch in SHIELD's cafeteria before going back down to the gym, and Mack realized that yes, she and Steve were definitely friends at this point in time.
That morning in particular had been a fun jog, with them racing for the second half and Mack nearly collapsing against him in laughter once they reached the diner. They had still been laughing a half an hour later, and it was when Steve grinned at her that it hit her with the force of a train.
It wasn't the first time he had smiled at her. She had long ago thought that Steve had a pretty smile, but this was something different, and when she realized exactly what it was, her heart almost stopped. She could not go through that again.
With a jolt she could have compared to being struck by lightning, Mack realized that she was attracted to Steve and that her life had just gotten a lot more complicated.
Author's Note: Well, Mack, fantastic time for you to realize the obvious. From here, things are going to get a bit more fun, because Mack's attracted to Steve and there are definite hints he's attracted to her. This is where I laugh evilly.
Next chapter is the set up for the first independent plot line the two go through, so that'll be a fun one. Just have to get through that set up and then it'll be fun. Thanks for always for the reviews, guys, I can't believe we're at 78! Thanks as always, I hope everyone's having a great weekend, and I hope to hear from you all soon!
Chapter 15 – Memories in Photographs
This however, was the first true bit of hesitation she had given him, and Steve realized that Mack was trying to figure out a way not to hurt him.