"I mean I didn't leave it so much as deliberately throw it at you".
The captain wasn't really expecting an answer considering he lives alone, and nearly jumped out of his skin when the mysterious voice rang out. He grabbed the closest object (a coat rack, obviously) and spun around defensively to engage in battle, again, when he was met with the sight of a tall, slender woman dressed in black, lounging on his couch.
"Who are you and how'd you get in?"
Short. Simple. To the point. So he's not in the mood to banter with someone who appeared out of thin air. Sue him.
"All very good questions Captain but if I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of coat racks when they're held like that."
"Yeah? And I'm not particularly a fan of strangers in my house."
Steve shifts his position slightly, angling the rack forward threateningly. He takes a few seconds to tame the fear lodged in his throat because he truly had noideawherethiswomancamefrom, and schools his expression into something kind of fear-inducing, he hopes.
"I'm not going to ask you again, who are you?"
Steve isn't sure what to expect of that question when he's simply only interested in making sense of whatever the hell is going on, but it still catches him off guard when, instead of the snark from earlier, something dark falls over the room. She doesn't answer, seemingly lost in a world of her own. The moment is fleeting however, because now she's staring directly at him and her expression is flat.
"My name is not important. All you need to know is that I'm not here as an enemy", she says.
Her voice is carefully neutral and any undercurrent of playfulness from earlier has completely vanished. She's still staring at Steve but he doesn't miss her glance at the coat rack. Figuring that this mysterious, nameless, soundless woman isn't an immediate threat, he lowers the rack and positions it in its place again. Swallowing the quick sliver of doubt, Steve slowly advances further into the room and places himself a safe, but close enough distance from the woman. Her eyes have not left his but her expression has shifted and is no longer flat.
The two of them remain silent, opting to assess each other from across the coffee table. The silence is broken when the woman sighs.
"I know it's no consolation, but I'm not here as an enemy. In fact, right now I'm not looking to make any new ones, I've got plenty of my own. Which is kind of why I'm here, Captain."
Steve is confused on so many levels but chooses to field his burning questions.
"What kind of enemies?" he asks.
"The kind that you work for. Or, used to anyway, I'm not sure how much of S.H.I.E.L.D's alliances have survived your trust after that shit show", she says.
It seems that some of that previous snark is back. Something familiar aches in his chest but Steve ignores it.
"How do you know about that? You work for HYDRA?", says Steve.
He's beginning to give in to that little speck of doubt that's been lingering around and is internally kicking himself for not incapacitating her when her guards were down. His hands twitch for his shield.
He must not have looked half as intimidating since the woman's face becomes amused, smiling something carefree and says, "Oh hell no. I wouldn't let myself be a part of HYDRA, I'd much rather shoot myself in the foot, you know?" She waves a casual hand towards Steve and says, "or you know, do time as a capsicle or whatever."
Her voice carried on but Steve paid it no mind over the sudden memory of two years ago flashing by.
Standing with Tony in the quinjet. Tony making jokes about Pilates and his age. Tony poorly masking his insecurities with untimely humor.
"You might have missed a couple things, ya know, doing time as a capsicle."
The words are ringing in his ears, barely masking the sound of the woman's voice over the sound of Tony's voice. He can't make sense of it. It could be a coincidence. 'Capsicle' isn't exactly the smartest iteration of his title but for some reason the manner with which she spoke them resonated so much of Tony that Steve is almost unwilling to accept it as a coincidence.
He's suddenly brought back into the present when he realizes that the woman has stopped talking, her hands paused mid air, staring at him with a curious look in her eye. She seems genuinely concerned for a moment, appraising him with a raised brow. Steve stares back (it seems like they've done a lot of that in the past half hour than talking) with wide eyes and a bit of awe.
"Who've you been talking to?"
His voice, though a whisper, sounds sharp in the silence of the room. For his sake (or maybe her own), the woman doesn't pretend to misunderstand.
"Honestly? You. You're the first person I've spoken to in weeks. Months even."
"You're lying. Drop the attitude and tell me who you are."
His voice has taken on a hard edge, unwilling to play any more of this woman's game. Something about the memory of Tony and the familiarity exuded by this stranger who he's never met, has Steve feeling uncomfortable. The ache in his chest is back and the Captain can't help but connect this woman to Tony. It all feels so wrong but not quite.
Not to mention that he's still largely in the dark and has no information about this girl, all while sitting in his own home, and he's beginning to tire of the non-answers he's getting.
"You say you're not HYDRA and I'm not sure what to think of that yet. I'll take your word for it now but I'm not letting you sugar coat your motives any more. You either answer my questions or answer my shield. Your pick."
The woman drops all pretenses of friendliness and gives him a sharp look. Her lips move silently as if to accept the challenge but reconsiders and sighs instead. She moves to sit up properly and leans forward with her arms resting on her knees. Steve is standing and clearly at an advantage but given that he knows next to nothing of the woman who soundlessly entered his house, he's not stupid enough to test her strength yet. He considers the woman before him and takes her in properly this time. She's dressed in all black, likely for stealth, with various pouches secured at her waist and right thigh. Steve assumes those to be weapons, probably knives. He can spot a black hilt over her shoulder and guesses that she carries a sword but he can't be sure since the rest of it is obstructed behind her. The captain also spots a quiver of arrows but no bow, and wonders whether she's a skilled fighter or just a weapons hoarder. Steve reckons the first.
"You know why I gave you that?"
She suddenly points to the metal device still in his hand (which how did he forget it was there?) with one hand while the other reaches up to her ear. Steve's hold on the device tightens, ready to throw it in case it turns out to be explosive but doesn't need to when she presents him with an identical device in her hand.
"It's called a Focus. Without going into too much detail, it's kind of like a third eye. Place it above your ear and it helps you to, ah, focus. See pieces of the world that others can't. I could explain it in technical terms but I swear it's easier to see for yourself."
She places the dev-, the Focus, back just above her right ear where it's promptly hidden behind a strand of jet black hair. She looks to Steve, gesturing him to do the same and so he does. Slowly, hesitantly, Steve twirls the Focus in his hand as it hovers just above his right ear. He brings it closer, wondering how it will stick when the Focus pulls out of his fingers and attaches with a magnetic like force to his temple. He startles and glances at the woman, who looks to be enjoying the scene a little too much for his liking when suddenly, the world lights up around him.
Steve stands there in shock, awe, disbelief, whatever word best describes the feeling of a literal holographic sphere surrounding you. It's made of lights, illuminating various objects in his vicinity. Each item he looks to seems to respond to the Focus. The coffee table, now highlighted by various purple lines along its edges, has the word 'TABLE' hovering above it. There are various circular buttons floating in his periphery that don't seem to make a lot of sense to him at the moment but he keeps going. None of the logistics of the device make sense to him and Steve wonders whether Tony is able to create something as intuitive as the Focus. He did make J.A.R.V.I.S. after all.
Why am I thinking of him right now?
His thoughts are interrupted by the woman getting up and moving to stand in front of him. There's a hint of a smile on her face, like she's amused to see Steve reacting to the Focus.
"Why would you give me this? What's your bargain?"
"Why does there have to be a bargain? I'm not looking for anything in return."
"I find that hard to believe. You came here for a reason and this Focus or whatever, cannot be it. What are you really after and why do you need me?"
Steve's not sure if the Focus had anything to do with it, but the woman suddenly looks worn down and tired. She looks to be around Steve's age (not including frozen birthdays) but seems to have aged with exhaustion, like she's been running for too long. She's not making eye contact anymore, a stark contrast from the confidence she previously displayed, choosing to look every which way as if to calculate the best escape route. Steve is suddenly reminded that she's the intruder in his home and not the other way around.
"I'm...on the run, so to speak", she begins. "Long story short, I've been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property for most of my life, being prepped as a "fail safe". I can't detail exactly what that means, it's all classified and I don't exactly have friends or family to confide in so...here I am. And if I really had to tell you, I don't really know why I chose you. Maybe because S.H.I.E.L.D.'s defective now and you kind of have a reputation for being too "righteous for your own good", or so I've heard."
That gets a look from Steve.
"Their words, not mine. I swear."
She lets out a soft, nervous laugh at his face but sobers quickly.
"I guess what I'm saying is that I'm homeless. And a fugitive. And a secret. If they find me, it's over. I've used up my chances, I've pissed off a shit tonne of people, and I've got no backup. I'm not here because I know you'll help me. I'm here because I know you're the only one that'll at least listen. And whatever you choose to do after that, I'll respect. You have my word, and my Focus."
Steve is surprised, to say the least. Of everything, a plea for a second chance was at the bottom of his expectations. He looks her over and notices that the confidence is gone, replaced with a weariness and vulnerability that he wasn't even sure this woman was capable of, given how comfortable she made herself in a potential enemy's home. And to now be responsible for what is her safety and security, Steve is completely at a loss. He needs time. He needs to think this over. He still doesn't know anything about this woman. Which is why he surprises himself when he says,
"Okay, fine. I'll help you, for now, but if I find that you're dangerous, I will take you down. In the mean time, I think the best thing to do now is get some rest and you can explain everything to me in the morning."
The look on her face is of shock, staring at him in disbelief, like she didn't expect him to react in her favor at all.
"I understand. Thank you, Captain."
"On one condition."
"Y-yeah, of course. Anything."
"Tell me your name."
Steve figures he should ask more important questions but resolves to get to that after a good night's sleep. And besides, she looks relieved, probably expecting a lot worse in terms of favors, which Steve isn't sure if that disturbs him or saddens him. Suddenly he's reconsidering everything he thought about this woman.
"Nukoni. My name's Nukoni but you can call me Kon."
"Okay, Kon. We'll...figure something out, I guess." Not the smoothest consolation he's given.
Steve removes his Focus and pockets it for the time being, gesturing to Kon to follow him to the guest room. As he leads her to the guest room, Steve chances a look behind him and sees Kon walking with her hands clasped behind her, taking in her surroundings with a sense of longing. She wears the look of someone who's never seen a home. And maybe in the morning, Steve will blame this on the ache in his chest that reminds him of Tony, or the fact that he's still sore from his Elevator Fight, or that he's extremely sleep deprived, but somehow he thinks he made the right decision.