—-

The two stayed like that until one of the doctors checked in after Amelia's report. Steve nearly pushed Claire off the bed, despite himself. The guards had sort of melted into the background, but moving people did not.

Claire chuckled, moving off of the bed. "I have to, um," Claire searched. "Set a few things up. Before we leave." She smiled at him.

Steve tentatively returned the gesture on reddened cheeks. "Yeah," he replied. He looked away. "I'll just, um." He picked up the remote, making what he anticipated to be a 'cool' pose, and switched it on.

He looks like a 90s teenage fashion magazine cover, Claire mused, doing her best to leave the room with no altered expression. She received moderate success.

Once the door had closed behind her, composure took over and her features became unreadable.

She spoke to the nearest nurse. "I need to ask Doctor Navya about something."

The nurse nodded in affirmation, and Claire followed behind her.

—-

Claire returned to Steve's hospital room beckoning Navya to wait outside. One of the guards was accompanying them. "I still think he needs to be restrained," he breathed.

Claire exhaled and faced him. "Listen, I know you mean well, but on this new drug, Steve's main trigger is emotional stimuli." She let the sentence lie in the air as Navya nodded dully in agreement.

When the guard remained silently perplexed, Claire carried on. "How do you think being restrained would make him feel?"

The guard remained silent, looked away and readied his gun. "If this all goes south…"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Navya stated, handing Claire a small box.

The guard eyed it. "What's that?"

"A weapon, of sorts," Navya shrugged.

Claire placed it in her holster, opposite the gun, hoping to never have to use either.

She entered the room.

—-

Steve passed the time watching television, unconsciously tugging at his collar in discomfort. It felt as though this was simply to be his existence for the foreseeable future.

He looked around. No more guards inside the room with him. It didn't really matter, as he was sure the corner cameras gave any and all security just as much access to his actions. He sighed and supposed that distracting himself was preferable to thinking too deeply about circumstances.

Claire entered the room, and with her, one of the guards from outside. "Steve! It's time to leave," she declared, smiling.

Steve turned and mirrored her expression weakly. He didn't know how much he believed in any of this, but he wanted to believe in her.

He got up from the bed, making sure to turn off the television before doing so.

Claire looked at the door and then faced him pensively.

Oh, he thought. She's worried about me. He shook his head and plastered the largest smile he could muster. "I'll accompany you," he paused for dramatic effect. "M'lady."

"Oh god, Steve, no," Claire laughed. "That phrase has taken on a new meaning in recent years." Her concern was erased in a matter of seconds.

Success, Steve thought. Still, he wondered what this new meaning was, and threw the word into a 'never use again' pile.

Steve moved to her side, poised to leave. Claire peeked over at him. I nearly asked him if he needed to hold hands. She would have to try to give Steve more credit in being able to handle himself around people. He has done very well, so far. Barring a few traumatic events… But it would get better, she asserted.

As soon as they left the room, Navya and several more guards followed. Steve felt their presence magnified with their movement. It gave them more bearing as real people.

In the corners of his eyes, he saw researchers scurrying to their destinations. There were more people than he had seen for… He didn't know.

Navya stopped, and their walking with her. "Take care, you two," she supplied. "If you need anything else…" Her eyes moved squarely to Steve's. "Let me know. I'll be watching you." Seemingly satisfied with Steve's widening eyes, she walked off with a slight smirk.

If the two didn't agree on anything else, they would always be on the same page about how unnerving her personality was.

Feeling all too aware of his eyes now, Steve looked down, attempting to cover them with his bangs. Breathe in. Out. In. Out. In…

Claire noticed he was struggling, and was dangerously close to trying to hold his hand when she stopped. I have to cool it. She steeled her resolve and stayed by his side.

Trying his best to block out his surroundings, they made their way to the underground parking garage.

—-

It was dark, open and yet limiting all at once. Steve didn't like this place. It reminded him of a steel version of the cavern from then. He gulped and tried to look to the van which people were loading.

Once the doors opened, half of the guards entered to sit. Claire looked to Steve, whose timid eyes were locked on the vehicle. She gently waved in his peripheral, getting a slight start.

"Hey, it's just a short trip until we're there, okay?" She offered.

Steve nodded quickly and replied with an uncomfortable, "Mhm," following her to their seats.

Once a few more guards had entered, completely surrounding them, the doors closed.

Steve looked up and then down. Anywhere but around him. He could hear and feel every output of breath they took. The whole place was overwhelmingly warm and overbearing. In. Out. In. Out. In. Not working, he panicked.

Peering down, he spotted Claire's hand at her side. I won't grip her, just to be safe, he reassured himself. Just this should be okay. He breathed and closed his eyes, his hand brushed against hers, causing Claire to stir. He willed his hand to remain there, just barely touching her.

Claire looked down at Steve's hand in surprise, then searched his face, finding his uncomfortable expression clenched. Looking back down to his apprehensive hand, she smiled and enveloped her fingers around it carefully.

She heard him exhale, and witnessed his features soften slightly as his hand twitched in hers, soon settling.

They stayed like that the for the rest of the ride.

—

When the van stopped, Steve was once again greeted by dim light. He let go of Claire's hand, and she had to pretend to be okay with his sudden independence.

"Another underground parking garage," he sighed upon exiting.

Claire chuckled behind him. "Well yeah." She gestured to the expanse. "Security."

As they followed the guards to a large elevator, Steve asked, "So, are these guys going to be with us too?"

"You could ask us, ya know," one of the younger guards replied. "We're people." He was soon nudged by an older, more stoic teammate.

"You never spoke to me like one," Steve muttered under his breath.

"No," Claire answered him. "They're just here to make sure nothing goes wrong on the way."

Steve sunk into himself. "Are they always going to chaperone when we go somewhere?"

Claire was silent for ten long seconds. "Claire?" Steve hesitantly called.

Claire was debating whether or not to tell him they wouldn't be allowed to leave. Or, at least, he wouldn't. Not for a while. It might upset him, she worried.

"Cl—" Steve stopped when he heard her tongue click. A smile stretched her features in false pleasantry. "We can talk more about it later," she offered.

Steve's eyes fell to the ground. Cold, grey steel. He knew he had to steel himself in turn. Just for now, he assured himself hollowly.

They were guided to a large elevator at the edge of the room. The button numbers were numerous. Just how tall is this building, Steve wondered.

He hadn't seen which number was pushed, but they waited, cycling through number set after number set.

Steve was doing his best not to think. He wanted to trust Claire, this girl he met years ago. Now she was a woman, equipped with lies and a smile. She hadn't quite lied to him earlier, but he knew she was keeping things from him. He wondered what she was thinking.

The elevator doors opened and Claire wanted more than anything to grab his hand; to offer him reassurances, but she let those thoughts fall back. "Let's go," she called to him plainly.

Steve gave life to his anxieties through ground teeth, their mismatched lengths making the action awkward. He followed after her pensively, but not before catching the floor number: 77.