TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of molestation and rape
So, this one is actually kind of fun, even with the warning. There's no in depth imagery or anything, just a little talk between Eve and Steve. Thanks for all the love, I totally love reading reviews and I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far! I can't wait to hear what you guys are thinking from here on out!
Steve woke up with a start, breath stuck in his throat on a scream that he gulped back, eyes flickering wildly as he tried to figure out where he was. Ice still froze his vision, thick and unyielding, panic gripping his chest as he realized that there was a chance he wouldn't live to finish what he'd started. He wouldn't get to see Evangeline again, wouldn't be able to protect her from the threats that lurked close by. Slowly, he woke to the truth, that he was in the Tower, in his bedroom, safe.
Looking sideways, he found Evangeline curled up next to him in her clothes, long hair splayed around her and her expression peaceful. In sleep, she looked younger, less like the woman he knew and more like the one she had probably been before DC. Before HYDRA was revealed and she became a prisoner of a war she shouldn't have been in.
The scars that lined her face told a different story, taking that imagery away and reminding him of why he was panicked out of his mind while in the ice. The things HYDRA had done weren't forgivable and he was in no mood to forgive anyway. If they got her again, he'd get her out and burn HYDRA to the ground once and for all if it came to that. He wanted to protect what was left of her innocence. All that pain could have made her angry, could have made her hate, could have made her as dangerous as Natasha, but she'd ignored the anger and the vengeance she could have wanted, instead protecting others from the same fate. It was admirable and he wondered how anyone could call him a hero when she was standing next to him.
"You're staring," her sleepy voice informed him. Steve rolled over to her, reaching out and pulling her closer. It was easier now, at the end of the day. His healing was kicking in and the strength was returning. Once he was strong enough, he'd take her away. From here, from HYDRA, from any threat. They'd go wherever she wanted. There had to be somewhere she was yearning to go and he'd take her anywhere in the world as long as HYDRA couldn't follow.
"Didn't know you were awake," he offered in return, resting his chin on the top of her head. Evangeline hummed and curled up tighter, cold fingers pressing against his chest when she reached out. She was dressed in clothing he'd never seen, a pair of slimming, soft leggings and a knit tee shirt dress that wasn't very warm. He pulled her in tighter, not bothering to ask why she wasn't under the covers. Apparently, she hadn't planned on falling asleep at all.
"You were thrashing," was her only answer before she sighed deeply and tried to snuggle deeper, pressing her nose into his chest as well. A bolt of guilt went through him at the thought of waking her up with his nightmares, but he ignored it as best he could. An apology would get him scoffed at and he wasn't interested in her telling him it was fine.
"Stay here tonight." It was an afterthought that felt strange on his tongue. Evangeline had been in his room at Sam's house so long he'd gotten used to it and he liked it that way. Having her close at night calmed him and even his nightmares didn't feel as bad when he could roll over and touch her, a physical reassurance that he was in this time, this place.
"I don't have pajamas." She didn't argue too much, not even bothering to open her eyes as she spoke to him. He wasn't sure he'd ever had that kind of trust from someone. Evangeline was the first woman he'd slept in the same bed with that didn't bolt upright if he thrashed in his sleep. She didn't seem the least bit afraid or worried, though he knew she was aware and keeping tabs on how he was doing to see if she needed to wake him up. But she wasn't pulling a gun or a knife. Sharon had kept both close by and it had unnerved Steve. It was odd to Steve that Evangeline trusted him so readily. He fought the urge to warn her he could hurt her, instead tightening his hold.
"You can wear one of my shirts," he informed her, nuzzling her hair. It tickled his nose in the best way, the thick mass soft under his chin.
"Okay…" Obviously, she wasn't awake enough to argue. Slowly, Steve let her go and Evangeline rolled to the edge of the bed before finally opening her eyes and standing up. She waved Steve down when he went to get up and help her find a shirt.
"Second drawer down on the left," he instructed as she reached his dresser. She opened it up and pulled out one of the shirts, starting to strip in front of him without thinking. Steve tried to look away, he really did, but she was beautiful and his and it was late and she wasn't aware of the implications and that was what had him watching her with honest interest, waking up a little more when she pulled her shirt off over her head, shaking her head a little to get her hair out of her face.
Below the knit shirt she had on a tank top and Steve watched as she moved to take the tank top off as well. He sat up hard, eyes zooming in on the bruises on her right shoulder, dark and definitely new.
"Where did that come from?" Steve practically barked, sudden worry stabbing him. Who had hurt her? Why hadn't she told him?
"Hm?" Eve hummed, glancing over her shoulder at him until she realized what had caught his attention. She twisted slightly to see the damage, frowning a little at the sight of the bruises. There were four on her back and, when she turned, one on the front, right where her collarbone started. He knew without an explanation that they were fingerprints. Fingerprint bruises pressed into her flesh. "Oh… That was an accident. James grabbed me a little too hard when he was trying to calm me down and his metal hand clenched hard enough to bruise. No big deal."
Steve almost growled at her, rage slowly starting up in his gut, firing through his veins easily. Bruising Evangeline wasn't an option. Even if it was Bucky and an accident. He'd grabbed her. Literally grabbed her, leaving behind bruises in his wake. Obviously, Steve needed to have a talk with Bucky about the power of his metal hand.
His thoughts were sidetracked when Eve stripped off her tank top, turning her back to him once again. Her back was a patchwork of scars, each one more concerning than the last. He'd seen some on Bucky's back, whip marks and wounds that came from more torturous things, but they were scarily terrible on her. Beautiful, in a horrifying way. He wanted to run his fingers over all of them, memorize every soft ridge and be able to tell the story behind each of them. He wanted to learn her in a way he'd never bothered to learn anyone before. If she trusted him enough, he would listen to the stories she kept hidden in her mind, horrors he was sure kept her up at night. Her pale skin barely had an inch without the disruption of the silvery scars, some pursed against the smooth expanse of her back.
All thoughts scattered when she pushed her pants down her legs, easily bending at the waist to take them off. With her standing ass end up, he looked away, unable to watch her like that. She was his girl, yes, but that didn't mean ogling her ass when she was half asleep was proper. He wasn't that big of a jackass. Besides, watching her change left him itching to reach out and grab her, pull her into him, clothing be damned.
Heat hummed through him for a different reason, his injuries all but forgotten as all the blood in his body rushed south, even as he attempted to stop the thoughts running through his mind.
Evangeline finished putting on his shirt and Steve drew his gaze back to her, almost choking on his own spit. His shirt was basically a dress on her, but her legs stuck out, bare and pale in the low lighting of the room, her auburn hair in a mess around her, eyes half lidded. She looked like every man's wet dream and Steve bit back a groan on seeing her, especially when he saw which shirt she'd chosen.
An image of his shield was splayed across her front, the star a white beacon in the dark. The dark blue of the shirt set off her ivory skin and she didn't even know what she was doing to him as she walked back to the bed and climbed in.
Steve deftly held the blankets up for her, biting into his cheek hard as she curled into the bed, his bed, resting her head against his pillows and scooting towards him with her golden eyes already falling closed as she reached out, cold fingers finding the shirt he was wearing and fisting there as she pulled herself closer. Steve wrapped an arm around her, curling up sideways so he could hide his own excitement.
Eve's eyes blinked open and she seemed to shake herself awake, eyes finding his in the dark.
"Are you alright? You don't sleep on your side," she yawned out the last part, burying her face in his chest to stifle the sound before pulling back to stare up at him, trying to read the truth in his eyes. She wasn't wrong. He slept on his back, used to barracks and military quarters, not used to having a large bed. Even when he was a child, he'd had a fairly small bed. Then again, it wasn't like he was a large guy back then, but it was still a habit.
"I'm fine; go back to sleep," he ordered, knowing immediately that it wasn't going to work. Especially when awareness slowly returned to her eyes, her fingers loosening in his shirt and her attention unwavering on his face. She raised a hand to brush over his forehead and his cheek again, fingers cool as always.
"You're a little flushed. Is your fever back? Did you take any of the medicine the doctors gave you?" Evangeline asked as she woke up more, moving to push up onto her elbows. Steve grit his teeth, every curse he knew running through his mind. God, could this get any more awkward? Then again, he didn't want to find out if it could…
"I feel fine. I promise." Not that he would tell her if he was in pain. She worried far too much without him admitting anything.
"Are you sure? Because I can get you medicine if you need it; it's only in the-" Eve trailed off when Steve rolled his eyes and reached up, pulling her down to press his lips into hers. She softened to his ministrations, mouth automatically opening for him. Steve weaved a hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head and tilting her just slightly, swiping his tongue along hers. She hummed and he watched her eyes slide closed as she relaxed, worry disappearing from her frame.
Steve rolled onto his back and she moved with him, crawling to hover over top of him, one hand braced on the shoulder that wasn't a mottled bruise. Ignoring the pain, Steve grabbed her by the hips and picked her up, moving her so that she was braced on her knees, sitting on his own hips. He gently bit her bottom lip, holding in a groan of satisfaction.
Evangeline pulled away abruptly, golden eyes snapping open. Steve raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her reply to what was really wrong with him. "You're…"
"Yeah," he prompted.
"That's…" Her face was hysterical and Steve chuckled, groaning when it rubbed him against her in a way that was decidedly fantastic. Evangeline buried her face in her hands, peeking at him between her fingers when he didn't talk to her immediately. "Oh my god…"
"I wasn't going to tell you; it's not a big deal," Steve shrugged slightly, grabbing her hips again and picking her up, gently moving her to sit on the bed by his side. He sat up, gritting his teeth as a stab of pain ran through him. It didn't deter him from the conversation they were having, however. It was honestly too funny to miss.
Evangeline was sitting on her knees, feet curled under her as she hid behind her fingers, obviously embarrassed. That hadn't been Steve's intent at all, but she was kind of cute when she was embarrassed. Her golden eyes blinked at him from behind her fingers and she was waiting for him to say something else, something that wouldn't force her to point out that, yes, she had that effect on him. Especially when she was willingly taking her clothes off in his presence.
"Haven't you had boyfriends before?" Steve finally asked, unsure how to proceed. It was hilarious to see her so awkward, but it was a little confusing too. He'd never thought about her dating anyone else and he found that it wasn't a pleasant thought process. Slowly, his reaction to her changing clothes was fading and he focused on Evangeline, curious and a little annoyed at himself.
"Well, I mean, yeah…" Evangeline trailed off and he noticed she was nibbling on her bottom lip again, fingers tangling in the bottom of his tee shirt. It rode up on her thighs, revealing more creamy flesh and more raised scars, his mind starting to kick in. Scars that high meant nothing good.
"And you didn't…" He found he didn't really have a good way to put it besides directly asking if she had ever had sex before. He wasn't a virgin so it wasn't fair to assume she was, especially in this day and age, but it was an inappropriate question to ask a lady. Even if the lady in question was his girlfriend and currently in his bed.
"Not really, no. I mean, not when I wanted to…" Evangeline's jaw clamped shut and Steve's eyes snapped to hers, the wide golden orbs focused on his face, panic in their depths. She obviously hadn't meant to say that out loud, but he'd already heard and his mind was already whirling with possibilities, none of them good.
"What does that mean?" Steve asked as gently as he could, reigning in his own rage at the thought of someone touching her without permission. It was annoying enough to think of someone touching her with her permission, but without? It was unthinkable. How could someone do that to her?
"Um, well, HYDRA…" She bit into her lip hard and Steve tensed immediately. They'd taken enough from her, then they'd taken her virginity too? Had raped her?
He would make sure that those within HYDRA paid for what they had done. They would all pay for what they'd done to Evangeline. Steve clenched his jaw at just the thought, fists forming at his sides. He almost jumped when Evangeline's cool fingers brushed his hand, her golden eyes blinking up at him cautiously.
"I know you're upset with them, but there isn't anyone left. When they found me, Mama Mags figured out what had happened and ordered everyone to shoot to kill. Anyone who had hurt me died that day. There's no one left to hurt," she informed him, her voice soothing and soft. Steve uncurled one hand to take hers in his, wondering how she could be so calm in the face of something so terrible. It hadn't even happened to him and he was furious. How could she speak it like it didn't matter?
"How can you be so unaffected by it?" Steve asked, reaching out his other hand to pet her hair out of her face, wanting a good look at her expression. She winced a little and he knew that she wasn't unaffected. She was pretending to be.
"Honestly, I don't remember much. The therapists said that my mind sort of blocked out the worst parts of the torture as a coping mechanism. I might never remember what happened, and I'm fine with that. But I've had a long while to come to terms with everything. It still hurts; it's my past that was ruined and it changed my life, but I'm healing from it," she shrugged slightly and leaned into his hand, closing her eyes briefly. She looked at peace for the first time since this conversation started and Steve pulled her into him, pressing his lips into her forehead.
"Then we'll wait. As long as it takes until you're comfortable," Steve promised, lips brushing her forehead as he spoke. Evangeline pulled away just enough to look up, blinking at him warily.
"You're okay with that?" she asked, sounding heartbreakingly cautious.
"Hey, I told you, I'm in this for the long haul. Besides, in my time, it was expected that you wait until marriage," Steve reminded her, just to see her smile. "Did you think I'd say something else?"
"Others… haven't been as kind about it…" she offered, tilting her head down. Steve clenched his jaw for a second, wondering how many more names his personal hit list would have once he finished getting to know Evangeline. Honestly, how could people be so terrible to her? Had they never looked at her? Talked to her? She deserved so much more.
"Well, you know, I could beat the shit out of them for you. No one is going to arrest Captain America," Steve offered, softening a little when Evangeline snorted, looking up at him with a fond smile.
"Trust me, Nova put them through enough for a lifetime. None of them are ever going to remember me with a smile, that's for sure." Her smile broadened thinking about whatever Nova had done to her exes, obviously satisfied with whatever revenge plan Nova had come up with. Steve was more and more thankful for Nova's presence in Evangeline's life. He had never met Nova face to face, to his knowledge, anyway, but he would thank her one day. For watching out for Evangeline when he couldn't.
"The offer still stands if you change your mind," Steve shrugged a little and pulled Evangeline down onto the bed, laying on his back while she curled into his side, legs tangling with his. She threw one arm around his waist and fisted her hand in his tee shirt, resting her head on his chest.
"You're so full of shit," she murmured as she got comfortable. Steve pulled the blankets up and wrapped an arm around her.
"I'm not going to disagree," he informed her, grinning when she laughed. This, this was what he was fighting for.
