Author's Notes-
zikachigaku- Baby Duck Steve. I loved that so much. And I LOVED your idea about this leading to Steve not trusting Nat in TWS (Am I stealing it? Maybe. It's a great idea that I hadn't even thought of!) And yeah, Brooklyn is a professional. At least she's trying to be, but much like Steve told Nat in TWS, she's looking for a friend. I don't understand, because Steve is perfect, but she has her reasons...
Steve taped up his knuckles, preparing for another long night in the gym. He'd come every night for the past week and a half, ever since he'd found out about him.
Brooklyn hadn't planned on telling Steve about her new beau, for reasons he didn't understand. Over the past five months, Brooklyn had been incredibly open about every date and one night stand she'd endured. She'd regaled Steve with stories about her awkward dinner dates, and her sinfully passionate nights that followed the good ones. Occasionally, when things went especially badly, Brooklyn would text Steve to come collect her, and he would. Every time she called; he came. He rescued her from every man she wanted to get away from, but never once did she give him the satisfaction of holding her in his arms as she had their last night at the Retreat.
Brooklyn took their agreement that it never happened very seriously.
With every man that Brooklyn spoke about, Steve's affections for the woman grew, because every story ended the same: with the man fortunate enough to pique her fancy nothing but an entertaining night. Nobody stuck around, giving Steve hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd realize the companion she was looking for was the one beside her through it all. Brooklyn claimed she'd only gone out with seven men in five months, and only three of them took her home, but to Steve, it might as well have been two dozen.
While Brooklyn was sent away on missions, Steve sat at home, doing nothing but waiting for her to text or call, which she often did when she could. He was thankful she'd kept him from joining SHIELD, because once he realized what her job entailed, he wasn't so sure he wanted to be a part of it.
Brooklyn was just as open about her work escapades as her personal ones, and on two missions, one in late January and one in early April, she'd texted Steve after having sex with her targets, needing him to get her mind off of what she'd done. He obliged, letting her vent to him over the phone while she hid in the bathroom, pretending to be in the shower. In January, she'd cried a little, because the man she was sent to seduce was somebody's husband, and she felt bad helping him cheat, even though she was able to extract the information she needed from him because of it. In April though, Brooklyn had needed to vent about something else.
Steve lifted the punching bag up, gritting his teeth as he hooked it to the ceiling. The gym was empty. It was long closed, but Steve had an agreement with the owner. He always cleaned up after himself, and he paid handsomely to destroy the old punching bags that the owner planned to replace anyway. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he breathed through his mouth, sending the first hit against the bag as he remembered his call with Brooklyn on April 9, at 2:47 in the morning.
She was on a mission in Phoenix. She hadn't realized it was almost three in the morning in New York, and Steve didn't bother to tell her. He didn't sleep well anyway, and he always had his phone turned up as loud as possible, so as not to miss a call from his best friend. If he had missed that call though, Steve wouldn't have minded.
"So, apparently the guy I'm looking for is dead. Had a heart attack or something." Brooklyn told Steve casually, and he could hear the water running in the background. "However, this guy I met, he's not too bad. He's actually not part of it. He's clean."
"Great. Good for him." Steve deadpanned, rubbing his temples as he sat up in bed, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm better than okay." She admitted, and Steve's breath hitched at her confession. "I kinda like him."
"I mean, that's good, but you need to focus on the mission." Steve droned, hating how pleased Brooklyn sounded, "Remember- what was his name? The guy who took you out for sushi? You thought you kinda liked him too after the first time. Then he took you to meet his Mom."
"Yeah, well, this isn't like that." Brooklyn argued, pausing, and calling away from the phone, "I'm fine! Just cleaning up…" Steve held his breath as he struggled to hear the voice through the door. Finally, Brooklyn whispered to Steve, "I gotta go. Talk tomorrow."
"Wai-"
Before Steve could talk her out of letting the man in, Brooklyn hung up and Steve began to panic. He prayed the man had caught onto her and was planning to kill her. She'd subdue him and get out of there fast, home by morning. God forbid he wanted to join her in the shower. She'd never allow that. She'd never let herself get so close to a mark on a mission. Brooklyn would never do that to Steve.
Steve hadn't realized how aggressively he'd been attacking the bag, and the sound of cracking metal caught his attention. He looked up and saw the metal chain beginning to splinter, and he quickly removed the bag and laid it against the wall, choosing a heavier bag to hook up in its place. He shook out his hair, then slid his fingers through it to push it back away from his face as he got back into a boxing stance.
After that mission, Brooklyn had this dreamy look in her eyes that Steve hadn't seen before. She didn't tell him what happened after she hung up, which was odd for her, but she did go on another date a week later. This put Steve at ease, because it meant that whatever she'd felt for the man in Phoenix wasn't anything serious, and Brooklyn was back to her usual ways.
That was, until Earth Day.
It was a beautiful spring day, and Steve asked Brooklyn to come walk through Central Park with him. She'd teased him, saying it was weird that Captain America wanted to go stroll through Central Park looking at flowers. In truth, he didn't give a damn about the flowers or the perfect weather or his stiff legs from being cooped up at home day after day. Steve wanted to ask Brooklyn to give him another chance. A real chance, even if it was just one lunch date.
The sun was hot, but the breeze was cool, a perfect day to try and win over the woman Steve wanted to take out. He stood outside the Fifth Avenue subway station with his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants. Steve had decided against his leather jacket, but wore a long sleeved, button up plaid shirt anyway. He had tried to look nice, making sure his hair was combed back out of his face and that he wasn't dressed like a gym rat.
When he saw Brooklyn, his grin reached from ear to ear. She smirked as she approached, wearing a loose sundress and her favorite little brown boots that she swore were comfier than sneakers. Her hair was pulled back into a high pony tail, bouncing as she picked up speed and ran into Steve's arms.
"I've missed you!" She cried out as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "It's been, what, three weeks?"
"Something like that." Steve answered as he pulled away, breathing deeply, "You ready for a hike?"
"A hike? It's Central Park, I'm fairly sure the most hiking we'll be doing is walking up hills." Brooklyn chuckled and grabbed onto Steve's arm, leaning into him as she started walking towards the park, "There's a concert in a couple of hours, if you want to stick around?"
"Yeah, I have no plans. I read an article about Earth Day and wanted to see what it was about. Figured this was the only place in Manhattan that would give me a good idea."
"You're not wrong." Brooklyn said as they passed by a group of people watching a juggler, "So how have you been? You seeing anyone yet?"
"No. No, not yet." Steve answered softly, looking down at Brooklyn as she released his arm and walked towards the crowd for a moment, clapping loudly as the juggler finished his set. "I've been busy."
"Oh yeah? Doing what?" Brooklyn challenged as she looked back to Steve with a knowing smile, grabbing his wrist and tugging him towards a bridge overlooking The Pond. He blushed as they stopped to overlook the water, leaning against the railing, and smiling at her silently, "That's what I thought."
"You'd be proud of me though! I've been going out." Steve argued and Brooklyn laughed loudly, "What? What is it?"
"Your definition of going out and mine are very different." Brooklyn leaned her back against the railing as she looked over at Steve, "What, are you going out for walks? Maybe lunch out every once in a while?"
"Are you spying on me, Agent Hayes?"
"No… never." She mocked and Steve snorted in response. Brooklyn turned to lean over the railing with Steve, "Seriously though, I haven't been watching you. Too often. I track your phone sometimes."
Steve groaned and pushed back his hair, "Brooklyn…"
"I'm sorry, I like to check up on you." Brooklyn apologized, smiling broadly before she deflated a little, lowering her voice, "I just want to make sure you're well taken care of."
Steve saw his in. It was early. He'd hoped to spend more time with Brooklyn before making his move, but the conversation was going in the right direction, and they were in a beautiful spot. He began to shift back and forth as he gathered the courage to make a move.
"I'm okay. Really. I don't need anybody else." Steve told her, noticing how her olive skin was darker, and there were tan lines around the back of her neck. "I worry about you, though."
"Me? Why me?" Brooklyn shoved his arm and he pushed away, starting to walk further into the park. "I can take care of myself."
"Just because I know that doesn't mean I can't worry about you. It's because I care about you." Steve said as he walked backwards, smirking as he held out his arms to the sides, "It's what friends do!"
"Steve, watch where you're going!" Brooklyn yelped as Steve backed into a woman walking her dogs. Her two Labradors starting barking wildly at Steve as he apologized profusely.
"It's fine, really." She assured Steve as she held onto his arm to steady herself and untangle her dogs. She looked up at Steve and he blushed, "Hi."
"Why yes, he is single." Brooklyn purred as she walked up to Steve and placed her hands on his shoulders, "He's gorgeous, right? I've been trying to find him a date for weeks."
"Brooklyn." Steve growled through clenched teeth as he pulled his hands away from the woman, "I'm really sorry, Ma'am."
The woman looked between Steve and Brooklyn, and Steve felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as the woman brushed off her yoga pants and pulled a business card out of her purse, "Maybe I can bump into you again sometime."
Steve opened his mouth to respond as the woman winked and walked away, leaving Steve completely stunned as Brooklyn laughed.
"See! Oh my gosh, she's adorable, you two would make the cutest kids."
"Brooklyn." Steve moaned, shoving the business card into his pocket, and hunching his shoulders, "I'm not interested."
"Why? Not your type? Listen, if you're into men, that's totally cool now. I'd love nothing more than to visit a gay bar with you."
"Brooklyn!" Steve snapped and she stood up straight, seeming to realize he wasn't joking along with her.
She tilted her head and grabbed his hands, taking a step closer to him. She brushed his hair away from his forehead, and he shook a little, "Steve, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?"
"No. No, I could never be mad at you, I'm just… not interested." Steve murmured, daring to lean his head forward to bump into hers, "Brooklyn, I-" Suddenly, Brooklyn's phone began to ring in her pocket and Steve groaned, "am incapable of getting my words out."
She looked at the screen and then back to Steve, "Just one minute, it's Fury." Brooklyn lifted her finger up in a 'one minute' motion and answered her phone, "Agent Hayes speaking."
"I was just calling to let you know we approved your request for the first week of May off. I'm not in love with the idea of you going off the grid. I'll do it for you, but you owe me a favor."
"Thank you, Sir. This means the world to me." Brooklyn sighed, smiling up at Steve as he leaned against the back of a park bench facing the lake.
Fury's voice scoffed through the receiver, "Must be some man for you to already be taking a vacation with him."
Steve stiffened at Fury's words and his head snapped up as his brows drew together. Brooklyn smiled sadly and sighed, "It's not a vacation. He's coming to spend the week with me here in New York. See the sights and such."
"Well, stay out of trouble. We'll keep our noses out of your business. I'll turn your tracker back on when you return to SHIELD headquarters that next Monday."
"Thank you, Sir." Brooklyn said sadly before hanging up and turning to Steve with a brave smile, "So, what were you going to tell me?"
Steve's whole world came crashing down around him as he realized the woman he was trying to ask out already had somebody, "You have a boyfriend? Good for you! Why didn't you tell me?" Steve exclaimed weakly, trying to hide his disappointment behind his jesting.
"I didn't know how you'd react." Brooklyn said softly, kicking against the dirt, "You're very protective of me. And I love that about you… I didn't want you to worry. It isn't serious."
"He's coming to stay with you for a week, that sounds pretty serious." Steve chuckled, "I'm happy for you. You deserve this."
"It's the guy from the mission. We've been talking ever since Phoenix, and I asked him to come visit. He doesn't know I'm SHIELD, and I'd like to keep it that way." Brooklyn explained slowly. The expression on her face was like a child trying to hide her feelings from her crush, but it broke Steve to know that wasn't him. It was never him and it would never be him. Brooklyn seemed to study his reaction, and he kept his brave smile intact, "You sure you're okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be? If you're happy, I'm happy. You're my best friend." Steve told her honestly, his smile falling a little bit as she looked out over the lake. "Come on, let's get some ice cream to celebrate."
"What were you gonna say earlier? You didn't get a chance to finish."
Steve crunched his brows together as he pummeled the punching bag with all his might, remembering his answer, remembering how she gushed about her boyfriend for the next two hours while they strolled, and remembering how stupid he felt for thinking he had a chance.
"Nothing," he answered with a beaming smile, "I don't even remember."
Suddenly, Steve knocked the punching bag right off the chain and sent it sliding across the floor of the gym. He panted, wiping the sweat away from his forehead as he whipped his hair to the side. Steve picked up another bag and hung it, bouncing as he prepared to start again, but a voice called from behind him, keeping him from falling back into his reverie, "Trouble sleeping?"
Steve looked up and saw Nick Fury standing in the doorway to the gym with his hands behind his back, approaching slowly. Steve lowered his head and continued punching, "I slept for seventy years, Sir. I think I've had my fill."
"Something on your mind then? What did the bag ever do to you?"
Steve stopped hitting the bag long enough to give Fury a good once over, realizing he was holding a file. "You here with a mission, Sir?" Steve asked, ignoring Fury's questions. He wasn't in the mood for bonding. His best friend had spent the past two days galivanting around New York with her boyfriend, only texting Steve to ask if he'd called that woman from the park yet.
He pulled the tape from his knuckles, tossing it aside as Fury answered, "I do."
"Trying to get me back in the world?"
"Trying to save it." Fury answered, shoving the file towards Steve. He looked up and took it, wondering why Fury decided to give him a paper file instead of a digital one. He didn't spend six weeks with Brooklyn learning all about the world's modern technology just to be treated like a simpleton. Then again, Brooklyn had prepared him for SHIELD. If Fury was here, he wanted Steve for the Avengers Initiative.
Steve flipped open the file and practically fell onto the seat when he realized what he was looking at. The Tesseract. "Hydra's secret weapon."
"Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you…"
He found the cube, but not me.
Steve suddenly realized that if Howard found the Tesseract, he found it years ago and SHIELD had it ever since. If Fury were coming to Steve with a mission regarding it, it was because they'd lost it. They lost the thing Steve died trying to keep out of the wrong hands, they lost a weapon that could vaporize people into nothing.
I just fucking dealt with this shit.
"Who took it from you?" Steve asked evenly, looking up at Fury with his jaw squared and body tense.
"His name is Loki. He's not from around here." Fury explained quietly as he took the file from Steve, and the soldier nodded as he pursed his lips. "There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. More than even Agent Hayes had access to. She only knew the tip of the iceberg, but we're heading right towards it now."
Steve snorted and looked up, "I already told you I was in. That was the deal, wasn't it?"
Fury took a few steps away from Steve, allowing the man to stand, "The world has gotten even stranger than you already know. If you didn't want to keep your word, I wouldn't blame you."
"At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me."
"Ten bucks says you're wrong." Steve turned and grabbed one of his punching bags, telling himself he'd come back after Fury left to clean up the sand he'd spilt everywhere. The Director of SHIELD called after him as he left the gym, "There's a debriefing packet waiting for you back at your apartment." He paused, as if waiting for Steve to say something, but Steve didn't really care. He'd do the stupid mission. It would get his mind off of Brooklyn. "Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?"
Steve stared at the ground ahead, his mind flashing back to the fight on the Valkyrie and how the cube disintegrated Johann Schmidt before his eyes. He remembered his comrades who died by the cube's blast, and he remembered the dreams he'd had before the Tesseract became his problem to solve. He'd died and nothing good came from it. He'd woken up and couldn't even get plain Brooklyn Hayes to give him a second look.
"You should have left it in the ocean."