As much as they attempted to stay connected in two different locations, Camryn and Steve both found it increasingly difficult. Between their busy schedules, and Steve's struggles with technology, it was hard to find a minute to talk.
It wasn't necessarily his fault. He knew how to use his phone. He knew how to text and how to make a call, but every time he attempted to, everything always seemed to go wrong. Steve was becoming convinced technology simply hated him and was against him, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
It had been a month since Steve had seen Camryn in person, and boy had he been missing her. His days just seemed so dull when she wasn't around. There was less to do, it seemed, even if he knew that wasn't true. All the same TV shows and movies were there, all the things on his list he still needed to do. But without Camryn it just didn't feel right.
So when he got his orders that he was being transferred he was ecstatic. He knew it would be the perfect time to surprise Camryn.
He hoped she had missed him as much as he had her.
It was how he had found himself at her apartment, which conveniently was located just beneath his. He assumed Shield likely had something to do with that. It couldn't be a coincidence that they had been placed so close to each other once again.
Camryn was blissfully unaware that Steve was right outside her door. She laughed as Wyatt tickled her sides, looking at the door when she heard a knock.
"Wyatt, stop," she laughed, swatting his hands away as she tried to stand up. "I have to get the door."
"Awe, do you gotta?" He asked with a laugh. He held his hands up in surrender as Camryn moved to the door. He wasn't worried. He had Camryn wrapped around his pinky.
Camryn opened the door, her smile falling when she saw Steve.
"Steve?" She asked softly. "W–What are you doing here?"
"Hey, doll." He smiled. He didn't process that she didn't seem entirely thrilled to see him. He wrapped her in a tight hug, one she took a moment to return. "I got transferred to DC. Isn't that great?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah. That's great Steve." She said, her enthusiasm not matching his as she pulled away from the hug.
"Who is it babe?" Wyatt called from the living room.
The voice and pet name made Steve's smile falter, and it had completely dropped by the time Wyatt was standing behind Camryn's shoulder.
"Who's this?" Wyatt asked, a grin on his face as he slung his arm over Camryn's shoulder's. It was unnecessary, but Wyatt was showing that Camryn was his.
"Steve Rogers. A friend of mine." She explained softly, even though she knew Wyatt knew Captain America. Practically everyone did, especially within Steve.
"Steve, this is Wyatt. My…" she trailed off awkwardly. She was hyper-aware of how she had basically told Steve she didn't date.
"Boyfriend." Wyatt finished for her, offering his hand to Steve. "Wyatt Esper. Shield Behavioral Analyst."
Steve reluctantly shook Wyatt's hand. "I'm Steve. But I think you knew that." He said softly. He felt betrayed. Had she lied about the no dating rule she had? Could he have taken his shot long ago?
"So, you got transferred?" Camryn asked, feeling the tension and trying to change the topic.
"Yeah. I was going to surprise you." Steve replied, looking at her. It had only been a month. How had he managed to lose her in a month? He wasn't sure, but he was more upset with himself than anything.
"Well, it's certainly a surprise. I'm glad you're here, Stevie." She said softly. Her eyes lit up as she had a thought. "Oh! Goose is going to be so happy to see you."
Steve couldn't help the small smile that made its way to his face at the mention of the cat. He hoped Goose hadn't abandoned him too.
"Think you could maybe go get him?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Of course! Goose doesn't like Wyatt for some reason. But I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you." Camryn giggled, ducking under Wyatt's arm to go find the cat.
It left the two men alone, and Wyatt crossed his arms, his happy-go-lucky expression falling.
"Look, can we talk man to man for a minute?" Wyatt said, making Steve's brow furrow. Wyatt didn't even wait for a response before continuing. "I think you should stay away from Cami. I know there were some feelings on your end, ones that made her uncomfortable. But Cami, she's too nice to tell you to back off herself, so I'll do it for her."
Steve frowned at his words, growing defensive. Who was he to say what Camryn wanted?
"Look, I think I'll let Camryn tell me that for herself, alright? I'm not here to cause any trouble. But Camryn is my friend." He said.
"Was your friend." Wyatt interrupted. "She was your friend. Not anymore. She was so glad when she was able to get away from you, and she's pretending she's glad you're here. So do her a favor, spare her the awkwardness of having to lie about it. I think you should go."
Steve's own insecurities flared up inside him. What if Wyatt was telling the truth and Camryn really didn't want to be around him? It would make sense as to why she didn't seem enthusiastic about his transfer.
He sighed, nodding. He felt defeated, but he'd do anything to make sure Camryn was happy and comfortable. "Alright… Alright. I'll go. Just tell her it was good to see her, okay?"
"Scouts honor." Wyatt replied, a smirk on his face when Steve turned around and left.
Camryn frowned when she saw Wyatt closing the door. Goose was in her arms, mewling softly.
"Wyatt, where did Steve go?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
Wyatt turned to her with an apologetic expression, moving over and bringing her into a hug. "He left. Said that I didn't deserve you. Which, he's right, but I think he's jealous. I think he still has feelings for you." He said, rubbing her back gently. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know you were excited to see him."
"Oh." She said, deflating as she scratched Goose's head. "Did he actually say that?"
Was Steve actually jealous of her dating Wyatt? It made sense. Maybe he had realized she had lied about her no dating rule. It wouldn't be hard to assume he was angry when he saw them together.
"Yeah, he did. I'm sorry, sweetheart. But don't dwell on it, okay? He'll get over it." Wyatt said, kissing her head.
After that day, Steve made sure to keep his distance from Camryn. He believed he had truly upset her with the kiss and had ruined their relationship. He believed that by staying away from her, he was doing what was right.
But Camryn missed Steve badly. She didn't understand why he was so upset, and everytime Camryn mentioned it to Wyatt, he told her not to worry and to let Steve make the first move and apologize for his actions. Reluctantly, she would agree, keeping to herself.
But as time progressed, Wyatt was slowly getting on Camryn's nerves. He never gave her a chance to breathe. He was always right on top of her, checking over her shoulder.
It was suffocating.
She also wasn't oblivious to how possessive he was, but every time she brought it up he apologized, explained he was just worried about someone whisking her away, and things would get better after that.
So she fell for it, over and over again. She never seemed to learn. But Wyatt was just so charming. He could talk his way out of anything. Plus, he never pushed her farther than she was ready to go. He seemed like such a good person, so Camryn didn't understand why she wanted to break up with him so badly.
Camryn wasn't sure what to do, or even who to go to to talk about it. She had no female friends except for Emma, and after she moved out it had been like she had dropped off the face of the Earth.
Steve was her only other real friend, and had it not been for the fact that they hadn't talked for quite some time, she likely would have gone to him. Instead, she just felt quite lost.
As she thought about it, she figured an innocent phone call couldn't hurt. Maybe it was exactly what they needed to rekindle their friendship.
She gnawed on her lower lip, knowing Wyatt was in the shower. He wouldn't exactly like her talking to Steve. Because Steve had hurt her, Wyatt claimed. She reached for her phone, pushing Wyatt aside. She could make her own choices — he didn't need to make them for her.
She scrolled through her contacts before clicking Steve's name, hitting the little phone icon and holding it to her ear.
Her heart was racing as she heard it ring, and she chewed on her nail, trying to be patient. But it only rang twice before it was sent to voicemail.
Maybe he was on a mission, she told herself. She could leave a message.
"Hey, Steve. It's Camryn. I was hoping maybe we could talk? It's been a while, and I need some advice on some things. I–I don't know who else to go to." She sighed. "I've been thinking of breaking up with Wyatt, and honestly I just need someone to talk to. You're all I have… or at least used to have. Call me back. Please."
"What the hell was that?"
Camryn startled, twisting around to see Wyatt standing there with a towel around his waist. Her eyes went wide with panic.
"W–Wyatt," she whispered. "You weren't supposed to hear any of that."
"Clearly not." He scoffed, walking over to her and grabbing her phone. "You want to break up with me and you call him? What the hell is that about."
Camryn frowned. "I–I just needed someone to talk to. To talk through my feelings with. I'm allowed to do that." She defended, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked up at him.
"Sure, fine. But you're not allowed to talk to him," Wyatt argued. He let out a groan, rubbing his face. "We will talk about this later. Understood? We have a mission."
"What do you mean? I never got a notification." She frowned, looking around for her watch.
"Yeah. That's because I have your watch." He said, showing it to her on his wrist.
"Hey, how did you get that? Only I can get it on!"
"There's an override darling. To keep the watch from getting in the wrong hands. I just happen to know the override code." He shrugged. "You get this back when we get to headquarters. Grab your bag."
"You can't talk to me like this. That is my watch. Hand it over. Now. Before I report you." She snapped, standing up and glaring at him.
"No can do, sweetheart. I'll just say you left it unattended out at breakfast earlier. It'll be a mark on your record but what's one mark?" He taunted. "Now get ready. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"
Camryn frowned. She knew there wasn't much to argue. She couldn't miss the mission regardless of how horrible Wyatt was being. She stood up, going to grab her Go bag and check through it. She needed to go through her routine. It was like a good luck charm.
Wyatt scoffed. "Not this crap. Let's go." He snapped, grabbing her arm and dragging her out the door.
Camryn gasped as he dragged her along, pulling her down to his car.
"Wyatt! Stop being so rough!" She insisted, frowning as he slammed her door shut.
Wyatt sighed as he got into his side of the car. "I'm sorry. I'm being an ass. I'm sorry, sweetheart. It just upsets me that you wouldn't talk to me about our relationship before talking to the guy who abandoned you." He explained, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "It just upsets me. Please forgive me?"
"We'll talk about it later," Camryn decided, falling silent. She couldn't just forgive him. But maybe she should have tried to talk to him first. After all, he was her boyfriend. Not Steve.
Seeming to be remorseful for his actions, Wyatt nodded, kissing the back of her hand and beginning to drive.
It was all just a part of the game he played. Slowly he established his control over the relationship. He made his girlfriend vulnerable to him, eager to do anything to please. Once he got what he wanted, he dropped them, leaving them a lost shell of what they once were. It was fun to break the strong ones — the ones like Camryn.
They were both quiet as they pulled into the Triskelion. Wyatt unclasped her watch from around his wrist and handed it to her, waiting for her to put it on.
"Let's go. I don't want us getting in trouble for being late." He said, not bothering to help her out of the car like he usually did.
Camryn followed after him, her bag thrown over her shoulder. She didn't understand why he was suddenly acting so different. And she definitely didn't like it. She knew she had to break up with him. His behavior only confirmed so much.
As soon as they sat down the briefing started. The mission would have twelve agents on it, one of which was a level eight agent who would be the commanding officer.
"Agent Trenton will be your commanding officer. She will be in charge of giving you orders. Agent Trenton will be briefing you on the jet. Suit up." Pierce said.
He shook Trenton's hand, leaning in and whispering something Camryn couldn't hear before leaving.
"You heard him. Suit up." She repeated, hands on her hips as she looked around at the group.
None of them wasted any time in getting ready, throwing on their stealth suits and doing their weapon checks. They all were issued a certain number of bullets and weapons. They all had the same.
Wyatt pulled her aside before they left. "Behave, okay? Don't open your mouth and do what you are told. I know you struggle with that." He said with an eye roll.
"Yeah yeah. Be a perfect little agent. Don't embarrass you." She grumbled.
"And don't give me attitude." He warned, gripping her chin and making her look at him. "Are we clear?"
"Crystal." She hissed, glaring up at him.
"Good. Now go."
They headed to the jet immediately after the exchange. Every time he opened his mouth since the argument, it just further showed Camryn needed to break up with him. He was too controlling. Too demanding. And she was sick of it.
They got to the jet, all eleven of them strapping in and waiting for Agent Trenton to explain the mission.
Once they were in the air, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, beginning to explain what they were to do.
"This is supposed to be an observational mission only. We are going to steak out a base where we believe a rising terrorist organization may reside. We are not supposed to make contact." She explained, bringing up fuzzy surveillance images. "However, if we have clear proof of what is going on, I will send you in and we will take them down."
"That sounds like going against orders to me." Camryn said, looking at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Surveillance only. Not infiltrate and disband."
"Agent Simmons, is it?" Trenton asked, crossing her arms.
"Yes ma'am," Camryn replied. She wasn't supposed to speak out against a superior, but she felt it was necessary when the woman was clearly ready to send them in on a suicide mission.
"Who is the one in charge here?" Tenton asked pointedly.
"You ma'am."
"So that means you will follow who's orders?"
"Yours ma'am." Camryn conceded.
"Glad you understand. If you are so worried about your safety perhaps you should stay on the jet." Trenton snapped, glaring at her. "Actually, I think that's best. You will not leave this jet. Understood?"
Camryn flinched. "Understood, ma'am." She said, deflating. She missed when Steve was in charge of her missions.
She knew she shouldn't have opened her mouth, but she was only trying to point out a flaw to what she wanted to do. It was dangerous to send agents into a base they knew nothing about. One steak out wouldn't be enough to gather what they would need to know.
She could only hope that it didn't come back to bite them in the butt.