Despite Adeline's claims that it would be boring – Howard had never been more engaged in his life.
Adeline had been working through the group of 14 candidates, engaging them quickly in hand to hand combat, under the watchful eye of Agent Carter, Colonel Phillips, and Dr. Erskine, who had tentatively taken a seat next to him. She had just managed to sucker punch a black haired man in the face, sending him to the ground before all eyes fell upon the second last in line.
He was tiny – maybe 5"3-5"4 – and was sickly thin, with weedy arms and legs. His blue eyes looked large in his head, which looked ill-suited to his body.
As the black man stood up and limped off, making the small man the next candidate, the tall man behind him with dirty blond hair shoved the skinny man forward roughly, sending him sprawling in front of Adeline in the middle of her training mat. He laughed, "Hopefully the Kraut will go easy on ya, skinny-boy – then you'll be able to say you finally hit a Hun, even if it was a girl. Well. At least I think it's a girl – I don't know if German girls are really… you know!" he laughed.
Stark winced. He didn't know what would happen – Adeline had so far proved herself to be unpredictable – but whatever it was; it wouldn't be good.
Adeline was still for a moment, but the blank look on her face was something that Stark was coming to associate with her thinking very carefully and thoroughly about her next moves. Then, she bent, and extended a hand to the man on the floor. He looked at it disbelievingly for a second, before accepting the help, and she tugged him up in one swift movement – before pulling him close, whispering something in his ear. He swallowed visibly, but nodded.
Adeline turned to the man. "Soldat. Step forwards." She beckoned him closer. "I am going to show you how to throw a punch."
"Listen, Kraut. I know how to throw a goddamn punch." He said as he sauntered closer to her. When she beckoned him closer still, he chuckled. "Hey, if you wanted a slice of the Hodge, all ya gotta do is ask, little-"
With a movement that was too fast to follow, Adeline slammed her forehead into his face, and as he stumbled back, she dropped and swiped her legs around, knocking him over. He fell heavily onto his back, and Adeline stood over his groaning form looking utterly composed – as if she hadn't moved a muscle. "Do you need some help, Hodge?"
Hodge eyed her outstretched hand distrustfully, but after a quick glance at Steve – who had just accepted her help without consequence – he half sat up, and took her hand. She pulled him up, and helped dust him off.
Then, without warning, she punched him. Hard.
Hodge went out like a light, nose bleeding freely. Carter stifled a smile, and Stark giggled wildly. Abraham shook his head in mock disapproval, and the Colonel merely sighed.
Adeline turned to the small blond man, and then back to the assembled candidates. "And that is how you throw a punch." There was a smattering of laughter and amused nods. She turned on the ball of her foot. "Now… Mr.?"
Steve realized that the blonde woman was talking to him. She was looking at him with those unblinking, unnaturally pale grey eyes – expecting an answer.
"Oh- sorry. What did you say?" he stumbled over his words, flushing furiously.
"What is your name, Soldat- soldier." She quickly corrected herself, rolling her eyes endearingly. Endearingly?
She was a German ex-assassin. And he'd just watched her take down all the candidates for the serum without breaking a sweat. Nothing about her was endearing-
And Steve realised that he had once again spaced out – not answering her question.
"Rogers. Uh, Stephen Rogers – uh, I mean, just Steve." He blushed even harder. "Just Steve Rogers." He shut up as she raised an eyebrow, and Howard Stark stifled a laugh.
"Well, Just-Steve. Please. Let us begin."
He stepped closer to her hesitantly, raising his fists. He had a sinking feeling. Already, she had gone easy on him, allowing him to go to her, rather than her springing on him – as she had done to the others.
Why was he here?
If even German assassins didn't see him as any kind of threat, then why did he even try? Though he didn't want it to get under his skin – it did. He was here to be a soldier, dammit – and even if he wasn't the super-soldier – he was still gonna fight, and the fact that no one took him seriously – thought him so weak that he couldn't even take a hit-
With a thud that winded him, Steve found himself suddenly staring at the ceiling.
A dull pain spread through him, and he coughed – the sudden throw had jolted his chest, irritating his breathing. The woman's face appeared in his eyesight, and she was raising an eyebrow again. "If you are caught up in your thoughts in a real fight you are dead. Understand, Just-Steve?" she said, with the same cool tone she had given to all of the other candidates after they had lost.
Despite the pain in his back and chest, Steve felt a sudden warmth spread through him. She had thrown him – no mercy; just like she had with all the others. He clambered to his feet behind her as she faced the other candidates. "Tomorrow you will be awake with one hour before sunrise. Meet me in front of the officer's barracks." Her slightly broken English was still good, all things considered, Steve decided.
As the other candidates filed out, and the Colonel, Carter, Dr. Erskine and Stark exchanged words with the blonde woman – Steve hung back.
Soon, they were alone in the dimly lit gymnasium. Steve watched as she paused in the centre of the room, and began un-doing her knuckle wraps.
"Did you need help with that?" She whirled, hands flying up immediately, body tensing. He flinched backwards slightly, flushing. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
She barked a laugh. It was harsh, and without humor. "You didn't scare me. I don't scare." She lowered her hands. "What do you want, Just-Steve?" she asked, working at the wraps again.
He bit his lip, thinking.
What did he want?
"I wanted to thank you… and to, uh, ask a favour."
She paused, looking up at him slowly. He shivered at the intensity in her eyes. She was unsettling.
She reminded him of some kind of wild animal.
"Why thank?" she asked suspiciously. He shrugged, thinking it was safe to approach. She dropped her gaze as he approached, going back to tugging at the tight bandages. "No one thanks… not after they'd been beaten. Especially by a female…" she muttered, almost as if she was talking to herself.
Steve raised his eyes, praying for bravery, and then reached for her hand. She stilled as he slid his smaller fingers under the wraps, easily finding the ends and pulling gently, unwrapping it.
He could literally feel his cheeks alight with embarrassment as he felt her gaze on his face, staring at him in a way no other woman had. But then again, he was sure she was entirely unlike any other woman. Her skin was almost burning hot as his fingers brushed over hers.
He swallowed down an awkward squeaking cough, and stepped back quickly as she gathered up the wraps in a deft movement. "Uh. Well. I just wanted to thank you because… well… you're the first one – first person, sorry, to treat me like any other solider."
She cocked her head, the left corner of her lips twitching slightly, almost as if it wanted to lift in a half smile. "You want to be like 'any other soldier'. I have not… is unusual, no?" she asked him.
He shrugged. "I get sick really easily. I have bad asthma. And also, as you can see… I'm not exactly the right size for a man."
She frowned. "There is no 'right size.' You are small, and you are sick. That does not mean you are not a threat. You are enlisted, no? So you are a soldier. Those who are not treating you like that are… töricht. Foolish. Stupid."
Her words were rough, and she was clearly unused to giving any sort of support, but somehow that made it mean more. His blush this time was one of pleasure, flattered that the woman considered him a threat.
She cleared her throat, shifting uneasily. "And the favour?"
Steve blinked, mind blank for a second. Then he remembered. "I was wondering if it wouldn't be too much trouble… if you could teach me how to fight properly?" He asked timidly.
She raised a brow. "I do that already." Then her face flashed with understanding. "Like a private tutor?"
He nodded hopefully.
Her mouth twitched again. "Very well. Tomorrow you can stay behind after the group. We can begin then."
Steve nodded, and thanked her vehemently, trying to ignore the blush that grew again as he stumbled over both his words and feet as he tried to leave.
Alone in the dim gym, Adeline felt a brief stirring of warmth for the tiny man. She pressed her lips together, squashing the feeling.
That would not do.