Author's Note: Hello! This is just a simple one-shot of an OC I'm working on. I always like sampling a new OC with a few one-shots before I post an actual story and since I already did an OC/Bucky one-shot series, we're switching for an OC/Steve one!

P.S I picture this OC to look like the actress Mariluz Bermúdez with green eyes and short ginger hair.

If someone once told her where she would be standing today, she would've laughed in their face. Or maybe she would've been a little bit rude about it. But really, how would she have ever guessed that one day she would be standing in a beautiful, hidden, civilization in Africa? Wakanda. A terribly underestimated place. It was too bad that none of her attention could focus on the beauty of it, the genius of its architecture.

No.

Her attention was on what was coming. What had happened was already done and there was nothing she could do to go back and prevent it. She was stuck with this future and its uncertainty, its cruelty for a lack of a better word. It wasn't the end of the world, persay, but it was for her.

"Agent Soul," she heard her name from a distance.

Agent Seren Soul tore her gaze from the glass wall to see the King of Wakanda himself coming up to her. She fixed her body posture that'd been slacking and slouching as soon as she was alone (the grim thoughts were clearly getting the best of her). "Has it been done?" she asked quietly. Her voice may have been frail but it was also better to speak quietly for precaution.

"In a moment," T'Challa answered. "They are saying goodbye."

"Ah," Seren chewed on her bottom lip. "Will he really be safe here?"

"Wakanda is the only place no one would be able to get through without our noticing. Like I told Steve, this is the best option."

Seren nodded. She looked past him when she spotted Steve coming out of the room. It'd been done. Bucky was gone again.

"I will give you a moment," T'Challa said and walked past Steve. They exchanged a couple words that Seren couldn't hear, making her even more anxious. She suspected plans were already being made and she wouldn't know a thing about details.

At last, Steve came up to her. She felt ridiculously nervous but they weren't misplaced. "Are you okay?" she eventually asked him.

"He'll be good here," he said, though it sounded a lot like he was still in the process of convincing himself.

"Bucky made the right choice," she assured him. She laid a hand on his arm and offered him a smile. What else was there? No words would ever be able to comfort him after losing his best friend yet again. "And you know that he'll eventually come back." Maybe that one would mean something.

"I'm afraid of the 'when', to be honest," Steve admitted. He had no idea when Shuri would be able to pull all the brainwashing out of Bucky's head. "But I have to focus on what I have right now and what I need to do."

Seren felt her nerves rising. This was the conversation she was deeply afraid of having. The others. Everyone who had fought alongside him were arrested and incarcerated. She knew very well that Steve wasn't going to just forget that. "What are you going to do?"

Steve's eyebrows raised slightly, his expression indicating he already had thought of a way to go about it. "It's best if you don't know." He really preferred that way. Seren had done her best to lessen the tension between him and Tony but in the end nothing had worked. They fought and now they were here. Steve wasn't going to risk Seren's status for the likes of him. He'd already dragged everyone else down. Never Seren.

Seren shook her head. "Oh, don't do that."

"I will because they're going to go to you first. You may be a CIA Agent but they know very well what you are to," —he cleared his throat, "—me."

Seren deliberated upon hearing those words. She ignored (or rather tried to ignore) the skip of her heart. "What...what exactly does that mean?"

Steve looked her dead in the eye. "Seren, they might not know everything but they know enough. We were close..." More than close at one point, and they both knew it. It was perhaps the reason Seren turned her head away from him. She crossed her arms, letting her fingers drum against her skin. Her nervous tell. He'd picked up on it almost as soon as they met. "They could think that you helped me."

"I would help you," she whispered.

Steve had no doubt in his mind that she would help him; she'd risk her own job in the process just to help him escape. "I know." She flinched lightly when his hand touched her arm. "Seren, please, let me go."

Seren finally gave him her gaze. He almost wished she hadn't. Her usually cheery green eyes were shiny with tears. "You're telling me to let you go after everything?"

"Well—"

"Everything," she reiterated with a strong emphasis beckoning him to think about what she meant. It wasn't fair to ask that of him when they had both agreed to never bring it up again, but she was desperate, and scared...and so, so out of her element here. "If you can do it so easily then I envy you."

"No, I can't," Steve admitted in the quietest of voices. How could he ever forget that night between them? They both agreed it happened suddenly but Steve knew better, at least in regards to him. It wasn't random, it didn't just happen. There were reasons it happened...for him at least.

His feelings for Seren started a long time ago. She was utterly kind, always professional and most of all loyal. She had dedicated her life to S.H.I.E.L.D., working hard and striving to help the others. She was one of the first people he'd met after waking up and very quickly found her to be about the only agent—the only person—he could trust. He could trust that she didn't hide secrets like most agents (or director for that matter) and she plenty of secrets that made her a potential target (like the fact she wasn't entirely human). They worked well together. They made a good team. Somewhere along the way, he started paying more attention to her, whether it was her sparkly green eyes or her pink cheeks or sweet laugh. His favorite thing about her had turned out to be her sweet laugh because it always ended up happening when he failed to catch up to the modern world. While he would typically be embarrassed, she would just laugh softly and teach him.

She was timid, even. She with her alter-ego known to be powerful and literally out of this world. Stardust. She who could take down flocks of enemies. Yes, she was timid and so very real. They spent most of their time together, whether it was at S.H.I.E.L.D. or outside. Even when the teasing started, they collectively ignored it and focused on whatever they were doing that day. Steve could vividly remember the exact moment he knew he'd fallen for her.

She introduced him to the sweet delicacy of cinnamon rolls with pecans. It was her favorite pastry and she was sure that he would love it. They were sitting at a table with said pastries in front of them. They looked a bit different from what Steve was used to, naturally, and he'd been a little hesitant to try them.

Seren laughed softly. She brought an arm over the table and rested her cheek on her palm. "You gotta do me the favor of at least trying it," she said. She'd picked up his fork and cut a piece of the cinnamon roll for him to taste. She then held it to him. "Please?" She hadn't pressed further but her expression was what got him in the end. He'd taken the fork from her and slowly brought it to his mouth. She laughed again, looking away from him when she pointed out, "I'm not trying to poison you, you know. Expand your palate. Tomorrow we're trying pumpkin cheesecake." It was such a small moment, a casual moment, domesticity if you will, and it was then that Steve realized they'd been having these types of moments for a while now. They made simple plans like these and he liked them. He never really had that with a woman. And he realized these plans had been going on for a while. He wanted to do what she wanted. He liked seeing her smile when it happened that he liked whatever she showed him. Little by little, that desire to see her smile would eventually expand. No longer would he just want to see her smile, he wanted to hold her hand whenever possible. He wanted to be close to her, and alone if possible. And for reason—some God lucky reason—it was easy to do.

For a moment in his life, he dared to believe that Seren was knowingly letting it happen. How else would they explain the one night they were alone for a celebratory dinner where they ended up far closer than any other moment in their lives? Their sudden first kiss, the slow touches that soon led them to forget all about being 'cautious'—Seren had wrapped her arms around him, practically begging him not to leave her there. He, hopelessly in love, was a goner. He held her tight and didn't let her go until the next day. But when the sun came up, things had changed and suddenly they were agreeing that it'd been a mistake. Just a mistake. A mistake.

Years later, the pain still rippled through Steve like it was a fresh wound. He met Seren's eyes, more serious than before, "I didn't forget, Seren. You did."

"I di—"

"You're the one who said it was a mistake. You were very quick to act like nothing ever happened."

Seren pursed her lips, her eyes darting to the side. That stung but it was fair, very fair. "I had to," she whispered.

"You 'had' to?"

"Yes, I had to—"

"What on Earth forced you to—"

"I had to!" Seren exclaimed, quieting him down for a moment. "Because-because I was working with the CIA and you went with Stark! You had your own missions and I didn't want to get in the way; I didn't want to distract you." She swallowed hard and forced herself to meet his gaze even when she was sure that she was looking more like a mess as the seconds ticked by. "You had your plans set and I would never want to get in the way of them."

Plans. Steve knew exactly what those plans were. "I was trying to find Bucky..." Seren nodded. "But Seren, you wouldn't have 'distracted me'. It would've made a huge difference having you there with me."

"I'm sorry," Seren said. Her tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I'm really sorry. I wasted our time, I know, but I can't let you go again. Not for...for this injustice."

Steve remembered another reason why he loved her. She always stood by his side, even when he made some not-so-good decisions. He took a step closer to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "I need to go and if you come with me, you're a fugitive too. You're still an Agent and the best one the CIA has. You like your job, you like the missions, I know you do. You have a family. Your parents, your grandmother, they would lose it if you came with me. And I know that you don't want to leave them behind. That's okay. I could never ask you to sacrifice everything for me."

He probably deserved a lot better than her. Seren raised her head to meet his gaze again. "I..." Would she be that imprudent, that unfair, to say she loved him? Her heart pinged with pain. She couldn't do that to him. He didn't deserve a confession like this—if he even cared for it anymore. He'd been under the assumption that she'd chosen to forget what happened, after all. Maybe it was too late.

Steve moved his hands to cup her face. His thumbs cleared the tears from her cheeks. "It's okay..."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, because you're going to go back home and you're going to keep being you. That's the best thing you can do for this world because after what we did to it...it'll desperately need your help." Seren laughed in the lightest of ways, but it was exactly what Steve wanted to hear. He loved it. "Who better to fix the world than Stardust, right?"

"I really want to cry and you're not letting me," she sniffed.

"Good!" He smiled. The urge to tell her everything he felt was big but he wouldn't be stupid enough to come out with that nonsense. She had way too much to deal with already. He loved her but...she didn't need to know. The chances of her feeling that much for him were slim, really slim. "I, um, I have to go."

Seren nodded. "I won't even bother asking if I'll see you soon..."

"It'd be too dangerous right now. You're the first person they'll go to when...when I do what I'll do." He already felt terrible for what would inevitably happen with her after he broke everyone else out of prison.

"Stay safe," Seren whispered, bringing her hands over his on her face. "Please. Natasha's going to keep you out of trouble but...she's not a miracle worker."

Steve chuckled. "I will do my best."

They spent a minute in silence just staring at each other. For a moment they both believed there was something that the other wanted to say to them. In the end, neither said a word.

"Bye, Seren," Steve lowered his head to leave a kiss on Seren's forehead. It was the only thing left for them now.

Seren felt a chill when Steve pulled his hands from her. She shouldn't have missed it as much as she did in that moment. "Bye..."

He said what he was capable of and now he had to leave. Steve took in a breath and walked around her without looking back. He didn't know what would happen if he looked back but it probably wouldn't bode well for his plans.

Seren stayed right where she was for several more minutes. She was trying her best not to lose it but her body was trembling. She'd wasted her time with Steve and now he was gone. God she was stupid.

"Agent Soul," she heard and immediately sought to put herself together before the King saw her. "Agent Soul, everything is ready for when you decide to leave."

Seren swallowed hard, pushing the tears away to put on a more suitable and appropriate face for conversation. "Yes, thank you so much."

"Of course," T'Challa said. He looked past Seren for a moment before speaking up, albeit quieter. "I thought you might want to have this."

Seren blinked when she saw him hold out a small device that resembled a watch. One of Shuri's inventions for sure. "What-what is that?"

"It's a communications device, an odd one but my sister Shuri assures me that it is better than your typical type of communications device."

"Why's that?"

"There is no audio to leave a record behind. It's more of an advanced computer. You type a message and it'll send it to the other pair."

"Other pair?"

T'Challa smiled. "I gave the other to Steve in case there was ever a situation where he might need to contact somebody."

Seren's eyebrows raised together. Many things were racing in her mind right now and 99% of them had to do with the possibilities she had her fingertips now. "Thank you," she eventually said. "I-I don't even know what to say..."

"I believe that is what this is for," T'Challa tapped a finger over the device, making her chuckle for the briefest of moments.

Yes it was but now Seren had to come up with what to say.

~ 0 ~

Steve had been right. The moment they got word of the "break in", Seren found herself at the center of questions and demands. Had she been anyone else she might have crumbled under the pressure, especially when a lot of her first days were spent in the company of Thaddeus Ross. "Company" was a loose term for nonstop interrogation.

"You know it would be a lot easier if you just told them what they want to hear," Tony was the usually the first one she spoke to after her interrogations. As it was, the doors to the compound were still very much open to her. But Seren was no fool to think it would be completely tension free. Moments like these were proof enough.

She walked up to Tony with a bit of a sway in her steps. "Oh, I did say some words alright. Just no the ones they were hoping for."

"You know you can't hide Rogers forever, right?"

"I'm not hiding him anywhere—to hide him, I'd have to know where he is."

Tony raised an eyebrow at her. "You really don't know where he is?"

"You can give me all the lie detectors you want," Seren reminded him. She'd told him that the first moment he insinuated she would know where Steve and the others ran to. "I don't know where he is but I do know where my room is...am I clear to go there right now?"

As hard as Tony wanted to be, he always cracked in the end. His problem wasn't with her, nor with the others with Steve for that matter. "Yeah, you're good Twinkle Star."

Seren pointed a finger at him, lips pursing at the terrible nickname she just couldn't get rid of. The tiny smile on Tony's face didn't help either. She dropped her hand to her side and headed for her room. She locked the door behind her and threw her purse on the bed, or so she thought. She heard her things fall out from the foot of her bed. With a sigh, she went to collect the stuff from the floor.

She soon came across the communication device T'Challa had given her. To say she'd forgotten all about it would be a complete lie. She held it gingerly in her hands, unsure whether or not to put it away just like her other things. Despite the heavy interrogations she'd been put under, most of Seren's thoughts were of what to say if she decided to use the device. She wasn't even sure if Steve knew she had the other piece—T'Challa hadn't exactly been clear about that. Would he know it was her?

Of course, if you know the right thing to say! If she said something only they knew about, he would know it was her. Would he...respond? That, she wasn't sure and she was very afraid the answer would be 'no'. They'd left important things unsaid but the more Seren thought about what she had wanted to say, the more fear she felt. She knew exactly what she had wanted to say to him in their last moment but fear won out and she kept silent. Now it killed her that she'd kept silent.

Maybe that's what you should say, stupid! Seren shook her head as soon as that thought crossed her mind. No, she couldn't just write that to him like it was a simple sentence. A confession like that deserved to be in person and that was definitely not happening anytime soon.

But still...

What if by the time they were able to see each other—if they were ever able to see each other—the feeling was gone. Or worse, Steve didn't believe her. Seren slowly sat on the foot of her bed. She looked down at the device in her hands. Do something before it kills you! She gripped the device. You're clever, you always know what to say so say something! Anything that says it without saying it. Seren glanced at her bed stand where a small book still rested just as she left it. The poem book that Steve had given her for one of her birthdays. It'd been a mix of delightful poems that included a few sweet ones she once had courage to read with him.

An idea popped into her head.

Whether it was a good one or not, she'd rather not think about it lest she want to lose courage. She crawled over the bed until she was able to take the book into her hands. She flipped through the pages, stopping on one of her favorite poems. Doitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoit! Before he knew it, she was writing it out on the device.

You dream with a love,

Pure, unconditional, strong,

Eternal like the sun

One that you draw a passion with

Seren held her breath for an ungodly amount of time after sending it. Steve would recognize her poem and he would either respond with the answer she hoped for or at the very least with an answer kindly rejecting her. But when? She would have to agonize for God knew how long.

~ 0 ~

In the first minute he saw the message, Steve was frozen. He had to have been reading it wrong. Or...or the wires in the device were wrong. He recognized the lines immediately. How could he not, he had bought the poem book after all. He'd picked it up for Seren's birthday last year. She'd gone over every poem with him and this one had been one of her favorites. He loved it too but for obvious reasons.

That's when he wondered if it was the same reason that Seren liked the poem.

Their last meeting certainly implied she felt something for him. Now here was this poem, this beautiful poem that spoke nothing but sweet passion and love.

It had to be Seren and no one else sending him this. He would have to believe that somehow the other device T'Challa talked about hadn't been left in Wakanda like he had assumed. It was with Seren. She could message him whenever she wanted to and that definitely raised his spirits. Being on the run—being a fugitive of the law—could somehow be better if he didn't have to lose everything.

So then answer her! If he didn't answer, Seren would take it as if he didn't want to speak with her anymore and that was far from the truth. But what would he say? She said plenty already. How are you afraid to respond? It was true. If he was being optimistic, and perhaps he was, he could take this message as an admission without it actually being an admission. He could do the same.

They would dance over the words they weren't able to say to each other the last time they were together. But at least he would be doing something to show her that he was still there, that like her there was something he felt too...even though he knew exactly what that feeling was.

So, later on when he gathered enough courage to respond, he sent her a message with the same meaning but just as much of a cautious dance.

~ 0 ~

It was late at night when Seren saw her device blinking a light red. She would've missed it if she actually slept but as of late, she was very bad at sleeping. She shifted on her bed to reach for the device on the nightstand. She held it for a few minutes before deciding to be brave and see the message.

You dream with a love,

Clear, with devotion

Free, growing wings to the heart,

To fly where passion nestles

Seren actually felt her heart stop for a moment. She reread the stanzas at least twice before deciding it was actually there. Her lips pulled into a smile, perhaps one of the biggest ones she'd ever had on her face. She held the device close to her and stayed just like that for God knew how long. He had answered her with that. Of all the things he could've said, whether it'd be something polite or rejection, he said that. Those stanzas meant something—they were part of the same poem she'd sent him.

Could it be that he was trying to tell her the same thing she had in the first message?

What else could it be, idiot!? She had to stop over-analyzing this. Steve could've sent her anything and he chose that precise poem. He chose to keep her game going. What else could that mean? But, her brain being cruel, she had to try one more time before letting herself believe it was happening. Her fingers tapped the screen for its keyboard.

Passion is like a restless wind that is converted to freedom

It is knowing that there's someone else who lives wishing to meet you

Seren held her breath when the message sent. As much alien as she was (and she was), she was also human. She had fear and she had doubt just like anyone else. Lucky for her, Steve knew that about her very well. He wasn't surprised she didn't believe him. She never realized that he loved her for years now. Her name meant 'star' and to Steve, that's what she was: a star that illuminated his grim life. She gave him back the light that he never thought he would have after waking up out of the 40s.

It is traveling without fear among the stars and the immensity

It is going through fire, walking on waters, converting a dream to reality.

That should seal the deal.

Indeed it did. When Seren received his next message, she couldn't stop the butterflies erupting in her stomach. It wasn't an admission, it was the cautious dance that she was more than willing to do. It's all they had now.

Passion is an enormous force that moves the whole of creation,

It is knowing there's someone waiting for you beyond where the sun hides

Steve's smile could've matched hers when he first opened the message. For a split moment, he wasn't hiding. His fingers worked faster than ever to respond. If he was lucky, Seren might still be awake for the next one.

It is two souls that unite,

Continuing into to Eternity

Why wouldn't Seren be awake? They had to finish the poem. And she had the honor of giving him the last line.

You'll never miss someone in whom you trust,

They're an angel who takes you by the hand,

Revealing a world of passion

After that, Seren found it easier to sleep through the nights. Not all was lost.

Author's Note:

I'm definitely going to try and add a second piece here because I have some ideas...I just don't know whether to finish it on a happy note or a not-so-happy note...suggestions are always welcomed :)

Full disclaimer that this poem is not a poem but a Spanish song I love to bits and pieces. I got the translation online and tweaked some words to fit the story!

P.S As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars".