All The Tiny Boxes We Fit

by touchnotthecat

'It's hard to pinpoint when that moment happens. When you realize that the way things had been going…. Well, they wouldn't be going that way for too much longer. The lid on the box won't close. That's the hardest, when you realize your reality has forever shifted. That it would never go back to the 'before'. No matter what you want.' Romanogers, Begins Post WS.

14. 14:Steve

Chapter Fourteen

Steve

The world is falling apart at the seams.

"The next wave is going to hit any minute. What do you got, Stark?" I ask, hopefully as I walk over the rubble to look at the sky in front of us where there should have been the other side of the square.

"Well, nothing great." Tony sounds exhausted, "Maybe a way of blowing up the city, that will keep it from impacting the surface. If you guys can get clear..."

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan." I find myself snapping in spite of myself.

"The impact radius is getting bigger every second. We are going to have to make a choice." He says sounding as desperate as I feel.

Her voice fills my ear suddenly, "Cap, these people aren't going anywhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock…" I had seen her earlier fighting in the streets, surprised at her presence. I had thrown her my shield out of instinct, like she was a limb I just knew was there, before even seeing her. Before realizing she shouldn't be here. Maybe it was better that way, after all instinct was all I had, I couldn't think about it right now. Couldn't think about the fact she was here and not on the way to safety and freedom and her happily ever after.

"Not until everyone is safe." I snap back at her, trying desperately to come up with something, anything.

"Everyone up here, versus everyone down there?"She says shaking her head looking at me with empathetic eyes that seemed to pull at my soul, "There's no math there."

"We're not leaving this rock with one single civilian on it." I say looking at her glaring.

"I didn't say we should leave." She says softly. I look at her caught off guard by her words, she nods "There's worse ways to go." A smile pulls at the corner of her mouth. She looks peaceful, beautiful. "Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

I look at her as she looks out over our new horizon. And I know, I love her. It is as true now as it ever was. She is the best of all of us. She doesn't deserve to die here. I feel like I have failed her. I wanted her to be away from this, from all of this.

"Glad you like the view Romanoff," Suddenly, Nick Fury's voice fills our ears, with the dulcet sound of salvation, "It's about to get better."