**A/N: So umm... trying new things are good right? So I tried a new thing. And by default, so did Steve and Bethany. 'Cause I wanted to try non-vanilla smut writing. I tried to start small, and this is what happened. If it's awful, I can't say anything but "I tried".
Chapter 16- A Balloon On A Broken String
"I'm a balloon on a broken string. I'm not attached to anyone or anything. I'm a balloon on a broken string. I don't belong to anyone or anything. And I know I look shiny and bouncy but I'm all empty inside."
~Balloon On A Broken String, The Boy Least Likely To
Bucky watched Kiley sleeping with caution. It was the first time in days that she had seized her shaking and crying and he was grateful for that. It was his fault that she was suffering. He knew that. It killed him that someone as lively and innocent as Kiley was now in torment over a series of events that were his fault.
Their Christmas had been amazing. They had bought each other little knick knacks, things from gas stations typically. She had drunk a little too much as well, and had been hilariously entertaining. Not only that, but the way she flirted when she was drunk was enough to make the strongest man blush. But Bucky didn't want to spend their night in their dumpy hotel room. It was Christmas, and they needed to celebrate properly. So they had put on their best clothes, taken some shots and found a street party to join.
Kiley had pulled Bucky deep into the crowd, wrapped her arms around his neck and danced. It had been fantastic, and he couldn't stop smiling. It was on their way home that everything went to hell. They had got lost and decided to cut through an alley where they were cornered by a group of men.
Feeling like a cornered animal, like a trapped prisoner, Bucky went into action. He felt his fear rushing through his veins, his anger towards HYDRA pulsing with every breath and he attacked without hesitation. It was only when all the attackers were on the ground that Bucky was brought back to the moment. Kiley was sobbing, standing a few feet away from him and looking at the bodies on the ground, each one bent in an unnatural manner, blood pooling around them. He had killed them. All of them. Without even meaning to. And to make matters worse, in front of Kiley.
He had hoped that she would forget it all the next day. She had more than enough alcohol in her system to make this reality, but when she woke up the next day, it was evident that the image was branded into her memory forever. They had packed up immediately and left, for fear that the police would track them to the crime.
He didn't blame her for being distant lately. She seemed to shy away from him and no longer talked to him like she had before. He had been afraid of physically hurting her, but instead, he had scarred her in other ways. But unlike physical wounds, these ones wouldn't heal quite as fast. To make matters worse, he didn't even know how to help her. The only thing he could think of that would help would be sending her home, but he didn't know how to bring it up.
That was until earlier that day, a little more than a week later. They had spent New Year's Eve in a dumpy hotel room, but after midnight, they took a walk. It took a lot of prompting on Bucky's part, but he finally got her out of bed. They had found a small restaurant that was filled with people celebrating 2015, and Bucky had left her alone for three minutes to go to the bathroom. When he came back, she was holding a small cylinder, turning it slowly in her hands, little clacking sounds coming. Out of all the noise in the restaurant, those little clacks seemed to be the loudest.
"What are those?" He asked her when he slid into the seat across from her.
"Anxiety meds," Kiley reported, her voice quiet and void of any emotion. The bottle shook in her hands.
"Where did you get them?"
"They were on the ground," she whispered. "I need them."
"But… they're someone else's," Bucky reminded her, trying to take the bottle away from her.
"They have more repeats," She protested. "I need them. I need them. I need them."
"Okay, okay," Bucky said softly, watching as she took one, while her body continued to shake. She didn't even take a sip of her water to wash it down, she was that desperate to get it in her system. As soon as they returned to their hotel room, Kiley had taken another one and fell asleep. Bucky had counted how many were in the bottle; twenty-four.
Everything had been so perfect. Christmas night, all he wanted was to kiss her. See how she reacted and then blame it on the atmosphere if she didn't feel the same way. He wanted to take a chance, to show her what she meant to him, but now all he could do was beat himself up for even thinking that taking her with him was a good idea. If she had been back in America, she would have been surrounded by her loved ones, eating turkey and ham instead of a turkey and ham sandwich, and would have woken up the next day slightly hung over, but smiling from the amazing night.
And now she was lost, like a balloon on a broken string.
He had ruined everything.
But then again, was that anything new?
Thor, Tony and Jackson had taken Theo away from the Tower for the day for tobogganing and ice skating. Bethany knew that it was their attempt to give Bethany and Steve some much needed time alone, but they had too much on their plates. Natasha had returned without Clint, but instantly dragged Steve off on a small mission. Bethany had agreed to sit it out, knowing that Steve and Natasha made a good team and that she was perfectly happy staying home and taking care of Jamie. It was the bigger assignments she wanted in on. She could do without the intel gathering field work. So far, they had been out six times.
Christmas had been perfect. After Theo had gone to bed, the entire team worked to set up the giant Christmas tree in the communal living area and decorate it to match the smaller tree before hiding it and then moving the stockings to the top floor as well. Theo had been at first worried that everything was gone, and even shed a few tears, but seeing him upset for even a few minutes was worth the amazed smile on his face when he saw the giant tree.
Theo had got the hottest toys, a few clothing items and a lot of candy. He had bought Bethany a picture frame, with his own money, and put a picture of him and Jamie in it. The sentiment and thought he put in it touched her and she would have been happy with that alone. Jackson had told them that he had taken care of Jamie's gift to them, which ended up being a cast of the baby's hands and feet in heart shaped molds.
Bethany had bought Steve private swing dance lessons, to which Steve both laughed at, but honestly appreciated it and couldn't wait for his first lesson. Bethany had opened a box from him, with a green sweater in it. She had acted surprised and claimed she loved it, and honestly, she did love it, but remembered what he had said about her gift being pink.
When they were alone, Steve had presented her with another gift, this time, the gift indeed being pink. A smooth, pink vibrator that had Bethany laughing so hard that she began to cry. Steve had laughed with her, reminding her that she told him to ask Natasha what to get her. That had been her idea. Natasha sat him down in front of a computer and Steve had spent a good hour narrowing down his options. He had settled for a rechargeable one, with a smooth curve. In all honesty, it looked like a telephone handset, which was the ultimate selling point since if someone stumbled upon it, it would look harmless.
They hadn't had a chance to use it yet, but it was charged and ready to go. Whenever the chance for sex would arise, they agreed it would have to be a quickie. Neither minded, but both were anticipating seeing what all the rave was about. For now, Bethany was in Bruce's lab, the two of them looking over her brain scans as Jamie slept in her arms. "Look at the nociceptors," Bruce instructed. "They look…"
"Unnatural," Bethany finished. "Which would make sense since it's what creates the preconception of pain. I mean, I've already told you that for now, no pain is not a bad thing. I mean, I wish I didn't feel pain all through my pregnancy with Jamie, not to mention labor."
"The only thing is, pain is a necessary part of life," Bruce explained. "While you're healing, it's not an issue. But while pregnant, you don't heal the same way. If something was wrong, you wouldn't necessarily know."
"I guess that's true," Bethany sighed.
"Why? Have you and Steve discussed more kids?" Bruce asked casually, flipping to another scan.
"No," Bethany answered before correcting herself. "Well yes. I know it's not the right time. But when I was pregnant with Jamie, it wasn't the right time either. But this time, I'd like it to be planned. It's not the right time. But a painless pregnancy is the goal. Not to mention a painless labor."
"Will it ever be the right time?" Bruce asked honestly.
"That seems to be the ultimate question," Bethany said before letting out a deep breath. "Okay, so the real question here is what to do. I may not want to experience pain now, but in certain circumstances…"
"If I can cut into your head and scan your brain with my own two eyes, I'll be able to see, ideally, what is different," Bruce explained, cleaning his glasses before slipping them back on.
"Sounds reasonable enough," Bethany nodded. "Can this wait until Steve gets back though? I'd rather this not happen with Jamie in my care."
Bruce let out a soft chuckle, nodding as he closed the files and started to clean up his station. "I had plans to go see Jen today. Will you be joining me?"
"I would love to," Bethany responded. "But I have a lot to do. The apartment is a mess and I have a bunch of files that Maria wants me to look over. Also, Jamie is out of clean clothes, so laundry is a must."
"Do you miss it?" Bruce asked as Bethany moved to the door. She stopped at the doorframe turning around and cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "Life beyond marriage and kids?"
Bethany looked down at Jamie before smiling. "I'd say I miss sleeping, but I didn't get much then anyways. It keeps life interesting, and that's coming from a top agent of SHIELD who was sent out to capture the top assassins, collect alien artifacts and track down the jolly green giant."
Bruce offered her a soft smile, looking at Jamie sleeping in her arms. "We're all really happy for you. When I met you, all those years ago, we were all about science and innovation. Years later, I'm still the same, but you… You have something much more important."
Bethany smiled shyly. "So children are more important than science?"
"I never thought much about children before," Bruce explained, taking his glasses off again and putting them on the table. "I figured it would happen when it happened, but I never thought more about it than that. And now…" Bethany nodded, signalling that she understood.
"I'm sorry Bruce," Bethany said softly. "I should've told you sooner that gamma radiation wasn't the way to go-"
"Hey, you warned me," Bruce interrupted. "I don't blame you. I made my own decisions, my own mistakes. I just keep hoping that my decisions and mistakes will give me what your decisions and mistakes have given you. I'm accepting who I am, and right now, I'm happy. Not as happy as I could be, but much happier than I was."
"Good," Bethany said with an honest smile before leaving.
Bethany was scrubbing the bathroom floor when she heard Steve's footsteps. "I swear, Rogers, if you're tracking mud on my clean floors…" She turned around and smiled when she saw his socked feet and brought her gaze up. "You know, that uniform looks much better with boots."
"I was afraid I'd get in trouble if I kept them on, and evidently, I would," Steve explained, leaning against the doorframe. "Where's the baby?"
"Sleeping," Bethany explained, going back to her scrubbing. "He's catching up on sleep considering he spent all of last night throwing a fit."
"And Theo?"
"Tony sent me a text. They're going to a movie," Bethany explained, wiping her brow. "How was your operation?"
"All's well that ends well," Steve replied. "Natasha was… It was supposed to be simple. She made it difficult. As if she wanted it to be that way."
"She's bored. Maria has a bunch of stuff lined up for her, however."
Steve nodded, reaching a leg out to tap her shoulder and gather her attention. "And you still want to sit out on the small stuff?"
"It's not worth leaving," Bethany rationalized. "When the entire team is needed, I'll be there, decked in red and ready to kick some serious ass, but until then, I'll be at home, cooking and cleaning. Never thought this would be my life, or that I would actually enjoy it, but I do."
"How long has Jamie been out?" Steve asked, starting to undo this uniform.
"About an hour or so," Bethany replied. "He's out like a light, though."
"Perfect," Steve nodded, disappearing into the bedroom. Bethany shrugged before turning back to her scrubbing, pushing a stray hair out of her face with her forearm. When he came back into the bathroom, she didn't spare him a look, her list of things to do echoing in her mind with every brush.
He settled behind her, his hands on her ankles, but moving up to her hips. Bethany froze as his hands moved higher and his arms wrapped around her center, pulling her flush against him, sitting her in his lap. "Steve-" She tried, but he kept his movements focused as one hand moved up to cup her breast, the other to cup her core.
"Shhh," Steve instructed, his breath hot in her ear. "There are very specific things that I want to do to you, and you to me, and none of it includes you cleaning the floors."
"Does it involve me on the floor?" Bethany asked slowly, a grin growing on her face. "Or me on you and you on the floor?"
"Hmm," Steve hummed, clenching both of his hands, drawing a sharp intake from her. "Apparently we have the same thoughts."
"Well, great minds think alike," She reminded him before gasping from his wet kiss on her neck. "I could probably get off just like this."
"Do you like this shirt in particular?" Steve asked her against the column of her neck. She shook her head softly, tilting it to the side so that his lips could have free reign. Steve took the plain white tank top in his hands and ripped into pieces letting them fall around them.
"The bra, however, was expensive," Bethany told him quickly.
"I know," Steve assured, his hands cupping the light blue fabric before finding the frontal clasp. "I bought this for you, remember?"
She tilted her head back onto his shoulder, closing her eyes as he began to fondle her breasts, softly squeezing the flesh before harshly twisting her nipples, then forcefully kneading her breasts and placing feather light touches to her perked buds. Through it all, Steve would whisper how beautiful she was, how much he loved her and for her just to lay back and relax. He had very specific ideas of how this would progress.
"Just let me do all the work," Steve whispered. "Don't try to get me to adjust to your own desperate pace. Let me be in charge."
"Okay," Bethany said, her throat dry. She would not argue with him. While she was heavily aroused, she was currently thriving on adrenaline. To lie back and let Steve do all the work seemed like a pretty good deal to her. It wasn't like this was some strange man who could perform odd and forceful tasks on her, not listening when she firmly told him to stop. This was Steve. He knew her body just as well as she did, and the only time she really ever had to tell him to stop was when she was pregnant and would go from wet to dry within a few thrusts with absolutely no explanation to why she was no longer aroused.
Bethany shifted a little in his lap, feeling her arousal dripping onto her underwear, but Steve showed no signs of being ready to move forward. Her breasts were swollen, flushed and leaking, but Steve kept working his magic on her. She could feel his own desire hard against her, which only made her core ache even more.
Bethany let out a soft whimper when he twisted both nipples hard, but one of his hands moved away. She didn't think about much than the loss of contact until she heard a soft buzzzzzzzzz begin, slow and steady. "Take off your pants," Steve whispered into her ear, his voice deep.
She followed his instructions, moaning quietly when she saw the long, thick string of arousal trailing as she slipped her underwear off and pushed them to her ankles. Steve placed his hands on her thighs, pulling them wide open. Bethany smiled excitedly as Steve lowered the tip of the vibrator to her center, dipping it in her slickness before trailing it up against her clit. The reaction was immediate.
Bethany laughed, throwing her head back, unable to keep herself from smiling. "Oh my god, you have no idea how ama-oh shit…"
Steve kissed the side of her head before moving the vibrator in a circular motion, intensifying her pleasure. He kept his pace, listening to her small moans for minutes before he hit the next pattern. The vibrations quickly turned to a pulse, which made Bethany jolt. "Yes," Bethany whispered.
Steve took a grip on her wrist, moving it so that she had control of the vibrator, watching at the circular pace she set against her swollen and sensitive nub. Her breathing slightly labored, her whimpers spewing out at random. Steve took one of her nipples in between his fingers while the other hand went pass the vibrator and pushed into her with two fingers. Curving his fingers up and finding an all too familiar spot, he massaged it as Bethany's hips began to move slowly, encouraging Steve to start thrusting.
He dug his teeth into her neck, sucking as he felt her clenching around his fingers. Her orgasm was building, and he could feel her getting closer and closer. One of her hands moved up and behind Steve's head to grab his hair. It was all too much for Steve and he didn't want to wait any longer. He pulled his fingers out, absolutely dripping with her juices. Bethany let out a sound of disappointment, but Steve slipped away from her, Bethany lying on the ground in front of him.
When he disappeared to get the vibrator, he had also slipped out of his uniform and the garments he wore under it. The only thing he had on now were his boxers, but as he pushed them off his hips and down to his feet, Bethany let out a deep and desperate groan. She cherished every moment, looking at his cock, hard and dripping, the ridges from his veins making her drool, all until it was masked by a condom. She felt herself pout for a moment until she remembered what this meant. She pressed the vibrator against her even more, knowing that she wouldn't last that much longer, especially with his hard and sculptured body hovering above her.
Steve moved down onto his knees, taking a hold of her ankles and pulling her forward. Taking a firm grip of her hips, Steve pushed himself into her, relishing in the loud sound of approval that came from her. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Bethany's smile was dangerously close to splitting her face and her eyes were shining with fulfillment. It didn't take long before she hit her peak, her hands going weak and if it wasn't for Steve catching the vibrator and holding it in place, she would have lost her climb all together.
Steve kept thrusting into her, not letting her get a moment to recover. He turned off the vibrator, however, and put it on the counter before slipping out of her for a moment, flipping Bethany onto her stomach and then pulling her onto all fours. He wrapped his body on top of her, carefully asking her if this was okay. They agreed to try new positions, and he remembered this one from his kama sutra book.
"Do it before I pass out," Bethany breathed, her heart pounding hard in her chest. Steve pulled himself back onto his knees, touching each of her cheeks for a moment before finding his way back inside of her. Bethany's groan was a little off putting, causing Steve to pause.
"Doll?" He checked, barely containing his own groan. He was buried so deep in her, deeper than he ever had been before, which seemed impossible but his hips were pressed flushed against her ass.
"No, it's okay," She panted, swallowing hard. "It just… Oh god, it just feels different. Keep going, though. No, it feels good."
He took this as encouragement, and assumed that something that felt this amazing for him couldn't be anything less for her. Steve pulled out before sliding back in slowly, eliciting a harsh groan from Bethany. He bent his body over hers as he continued the slow pace, placing kisses on her back. "So good," Steve murmured into her skin. "Beth?"
"Mmmm," Bethany hummed. "Steve, if you want to go faster, go faster. It doesn't hurt."
Steve followed her instructions, but continued to place the feather light kisses on her back. His pace slowly built faster and faster, their moans, panting and the echo from their bodies slapping together filling the room. Steve pulled himself straight again, giving a hard thrust. Bethany jolted forward slightly, but let out a chuckle. "Again," she said, looking over her shoulder, a huge smile on her face.
He gave her three hard pumps, watching as she continued to giggle. "What?" Steve asked, taking in a deep breath.
"Your balls are hitting my clit and it's fabulous," Bethany admitted, her smile contagious.
"I have you on your hands and knees, and yet you're still adorable," Steve said, shaking his head but pumping into her hard again, this time noticing what Bethany was talking about. Her laughter only encouraged him to thrust deep and hard, hands on her hips to keep her in place and combined with the sweet sounds escaping from his wife and her all but begging him to come, to finish the race now and not hold back was his undoing.
Bethany crawled away from him, moving to rest against the bathroom tub, Steve joining her after he took the condom off and cleaned himself. He threw an arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. "Well, that was… interesting," Bethany said with a laugh.
"How you doing?" Steve asked, turning to start the tub and reaching for the face cloth on the corner of the tub's ledge.
"I'm gonna need to start cleaning the floor again," Bethany said, jolting as Steve laid the wet facecloth against her thigh.
"Let me clean you," he explained.
"No, I'll just hop into the bathtub," she countered before getting up on shaky legs and getting into the tub. She put the stopper in place and adjusted the temperature of the water before resting against the back.
Steve handed her the vibrator with a cheeky smile. "It's waterproof, you know."
Bethany laughed as she took it, but placed it on the edge. "I'm too tired. You did good, Captain."
He leaned over the tub's ledge and kissed her softly. "Yeah?"
"Hey, next time you wanna doggy it up, just do it," Bethany said, her eyes heavy.
Kissing her forehead, he pushed up against the tub, taking the facecloth and quickly cleaning his body from the sweat he built up before cleaning up the mess in the bathroom as best he could. "I'll clean the floor properly later," Steve promised, turning off the faucet and chuckling when he saw that Bethany was falling asleep. "Well, that's always a good sign."
Bethany kept in close contact with Coulson at all times. He had certain information about HYDRA that they didn't have and vice versa. It was nice to have ears elsewhere, and information from people who were currently out in the field. Not only that, but Coulson's friendship had always meant a lot to her and she wasn't willing to lose it.
However, it had been a while since she actually saw him. The last time she visited the new SHIELD HQ, which was actually an old one, was the day that Theo was left at their doorsteps. It was on that day that she decided she didn't need her old life now that she had Jamie. She had been content with her motherhood role. But after losing her memory and having been a part of that one assignment, it reawakened something in her. She didn't want her old life… just a little piece. Every once in a while.
But when Coulson called her and asked her to come to the SHIELD headquarters as soon as possible, she didn't hesitate. Coulson hadn't given much detail, but both Bethany and Steve knew that he wouldn't ask for her to come unless it was important.
"Come with me," Bethany said as she began to get dressed; dark washed jeggings, knee high black leather boots, a blue tank top and a slouchy black leather jacket.
"Someone needs to stay here and take care of the kids," Steve reminded her, cradling Jamie to his body. "Go. He asked for you, not me."
"We hired Jackson for a reason," Bethany pointed out. "And trust me, Phil will not be upset that you're with me. Please?"
Steve sighed, bouncing Jamie lightly, trying to get him to fall back to sleep. "It'll only draw more questions. Go."
And so she went. Alone.
The atmosphere in the base, however, was haunting. People didn't seem happy to see her, not even Bobbi Morse, who had been one of her favorite people to run missions with a decade ago. It only made her nervous as to why she was actually summoned.
"For the last time, Koenig, she doesn't need a lanyard," Coulson said as he ushered Bethany into his office and closing the door.
"You know, I don't mind posing for a photo," Bethany chuckled, making herself at home by jumping up to sit on Coulson's desk.
"If we give you a lanyard, you'll be here more often," Coulson explained.
"Oh, and you don't want me here, is that it?" Bethany chuckled.
"Not that your company isn't welcomed," he began, sitting in the chair in front of his desk, usually reserved for visitors. "But it's your turn to settle down and let your family be first."
"Well, until HYDRA is stopped, and Steve can't find anything else to pick a fight with, it'll be a long time coming," Bethany said with a sigh. "I can't just sit back and let him have all the fun. I tried. Whenever we're apart, something happens. We protect each other. And I know that me helping them, helping you… well, an extra pair of hands is always a benefit."
"What about your son?"
Bethany let out a deep sigh. "He's okay. He's happy. I'm raising him, Phil. Steve says that as much as he'd like me to be a full time mom, he knows it's unrealistic. A lot of moms work now anyways. And I'm not away from Jamie forty hours a week. More like ten. Maybe fifteen. And before you ask, I want to be a full time mom. Just not in a world like this."
Coulson gave her a small smile but it quickly faded. "Listen, I called you here for a reason. I need you to accompany me on a home visit."
"A…" Bethany began before sighing. "Someone died? Oh man, Phil. I'm so sorry."
"So am I," he nodded. "Listen, I thought his mother would take it better if you were with me."
"Why?" Bethany asked, dreading the answer.
"It was Antoine Triplett," Coulson answered. "Being a legacy, his grandfather being one of Steve's Howling Commandos, I just thought it would be easier if you brought his remains."
"He… wow," Bethany breathed. "He… He was a good agent. And an even better man. His grandfather would have been proud. God, Steve's team meant the world to him. Not only are they gone, but their legacies are fading too. I wanted Steve to come with me. Here. I wish he did."
"I thought about asking you to bring him," Coulson added. "But the thing is… you knew Trip."
"Yeah," Bethany whispered. "Yeah, I'll… I'll do it. Can we go today?"
"We have some missions to run," Coulson explained. "But give us two hours to get the ball rolling and then you and I can head out."
"Anything I can help with?" Bethany asked.
"I don't want to drag you back in when you've almost freed yourself completely," Coulson replied.
"I'm married to Captain America," Bethany reminded him. "My nephew is Iron Man, my son's godparents Black Widow and Falcon. I live in a building with the Incredible Hulk, a demigod and an expert marksman. I'll never free myself completely."
"I could use you in here more than out there," Coulson began, standing up and going to his filing cabinet and taking out some old SSR files, dropping them in her lap. "Any information you can give us would be great. Anything you need from us, help yourself. Your information is in our system already, so you have full access."
"Thank you," Bethany nodded, moving to sit in Coulson's desk chair and pulling a pen so she could add some notes to the files. "I can't help you with a lot of this. These were my bad years. The years where getting out of bed was the ultimate success for me. Or the years that Howard had me training all day, every day. No actual fieldwork. I never did any fieldwork for the SSR anyways."
"No, but you did for SHIELD," Coulson reminded her, heading towards the door. "A lot of the earlier missions were yours. Any other agent that participated is dead. Except for Agent Carter, but she won't be much help to us."
Bethany nodded, flipping a page. "Let me know when you're ready Phil."
Somehow, Bethany ended up in Mrs. Triplett's kitchen making tea. She didn't question this turn of events, or even complain about it. She had just lost her son, and Bethany could only imagine how life shattering that was. She lived in a constant fear of losing her son, and she refused to even think about her life without Jamie.
"Okay, here we go," Bethany said softly as she brought the tea service into the living room. As the three of them made their respective cups, Bethany looked around Mrs. Triplett's living room. She had seen the photo when they walked in. Right away, as if it was on fire. The photo of the Howling Commandos.
She could tell this grieving mother stories of her father, of her son for hours. How both men made her smile. How the both of them could effortlessly tease her, as if she was their little sister. How both men were honorable and faithful and damn good at their jobs.
She couldn't pretend that the photo wasn't there any longer. Putting her cup down, she walked over to the photo, ignoring the looks she was getting from Mrs. Triplett and Coulson. All six of the men were holding guns, Bucky looking the most war torn out of the group. None of them were smiling, but there was a soft hint of one on Jim's face which only made Bethany chuckle to herself. She had never run missions with them, all except that one time where she needed to activate a device in the mountains. But Peggy had joined them on occasions, which had always made her a little jealous. Bethany's talents and skills were elsewhere.
But that didn't mean she didn't have countless memories with them. They always liked to tease her, to tease her and Steve. It was nothing she couldn't handle, and she would only throw the teasing back to them.
"Stop it," Bethany chuckled, trying to kick Gabe away. She was adding some improvements to Steve's bike, but she had been there for less than two minutes before Steve's entire team crowded around her and pestered her with questions.
"Not until you tell us," Jim threw back with a wicked smile.
"Why don't you boys just ask Steve?" Bethany replied in turn. "And let me do my job?"
"We did," Dum Dum added. "Multiple times. He won't say a thing. He just blushes and that just makes us more curious."
"The guy has been sweet on you for a year," James explained. "But refused to make a move. We just want to know who made the first move."
Bethany sighed, pulling herself up from underneath the bike. "You know, this is considered harassment."
"Well, you know how to get us to stop," Dum Dum pointed out.
Bethany looked to Bucky, who had been quiet this entire time. "Back me up here."
Bucky put his hands up in mock surrender. "Steve won't say anything in respect for you. The cards are in your hands."
"Look, we kissed," Bethany said simply with a shrug. "I realized that I wanted more than friendship. End of story."
"Must have been some kiss," Jim replied, amusement laced in his voice.
"You know what, Jim?" Bethany began. "It was. Now, will you fellas let me get back to work?"
"Hold on, you didn't answer who made the first move," Dum Dum reminded her. "See, I have money on it being you."
"Why doesn't that surprise me," Bethany mumbled, letting out a heavy sigh. "After I embarrassed myself with the yelling and screaming, and Steve took me away-"
"Carried," Jim corrected.
"Dragged, more like it," Bucky inputted.
"Do you want me to finish the story or not?" Bethany asked plainly, to which silence fell over them. "We got to talking. He was comforting me, trying to make me feel better, and not completely embarrassed and ashamed and… I don't know."
"Yes you do," James prodded. "You were there, were you not?"
"But I don't know if I kissed him or if he kissed me," Bethany admitted. "And it didn't matter. It doesn't matter. But yes, it was a really good kiss, not because it was expertly executed or done suavely, but because…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "No, you know what? It's private."
"Aw, come on," Dum Dum groaned. "We had to watch him make lovey dovey eyes over you for months, heard him go on and on about you almost every single waking moment-"
"I get it," Bethany assured.
"You make it sound like he's obsessed with her," Bucky scoffed. "He doesn't talk about you every moment of the day."
Bethany raised her eyebrows for moment, nodding. She hadn't even thought that it sounded obsessive until Bucky brought it up, she just thought it was sweet. "He just can't stop thinking about you," James offered politely. "You're always on his mind."
"He spends a good majority of his day strategizing plans so we can all go home," Bethany reminded them all. "And he's very focused when it comes to that, you all know that. Now, go away. I have to work, and guess what? So do you. 'Cause I want to go home. I have a beautiful house in California with a pool and some servants. Not to mention, I miss good food. Scat."
She ducked underneath the bike again as the men dispersed, but when she felt a hand on her ankle, she aggressively kicked it. "I said 'stop'," Bethany protested, making contact with a shoulder.
"Okay, ow," Steve replied, no actual hurt in his voice, only a light chuckle.
"Steve," Bethany said, shooting out from under the bike. "I thought you were someone else."
"Hate to be who you thought it was," Steve replied, sitting in front of her. "Am I distracting you?"
"Hmmm," Bethany thought, a finger on her lips. "Let me see… Working on your bike, or getting some much deserved loving? That's a real toss up."
"Much deserved, huh?" Steve said with a slight frown. "What's wrong, your day not going well?"
Bethany put her screwdriver down, letting out a soft sigh. "Your team was trying to pry some information out of me."
"Aw, Beth. I told them not to bother you about it," Steve promised.
"From what I understand, they don't take you seriously when you're blushing," Bethany told him with a teasing tone. "I told them enough to get them to go away. And not that I didn't doubt your… what's the word? Gentlemanliness, but you didn't go around telling everyone you know that you got some, and that just makes me like you even more."
Steve ducked his head for a moment before taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "That's no one's business but yours and mine."
"How was your meeting with the Colonel?" Bethany asked, moving back to work on the bike.
"It was actually about you," Steve confessed.
"Me?" Bethany asked, a deep frown on her face. "What did I do?"
"Spent the night in my room. Three days this week," Steve said quietly.
"Wait, he knows about that? How does he know about that?" Bethany asked, crawling back up.
"He didn't, but… it's not exactly a secret that we're… together now," Steve replied carefully, still not sure what word to use. "Apparently it's his business though, since romances are looked down on here."
Bethany reached out and fixed Steve's tie before crossing her arms. "They can't do anything about it."
"They could separate us if we get… problematic," Steve explained.
Bethany shook her head. "I doubt it. I know that the SSR are bringing in new scientists to basically take over my research, but I'm still here because it's written in Howard's contract, as sad as that is. Where Howard goes, I go. And where we go, so does the innovations and weapons. And where that is, you are. Therefore…"
Steve smiled, reaching out to play with one of her curls. "I like it when you ramble."
"You should have seen me drunk," Bethany chuckled. "I'd ask questions and answer them all in the same breath."
"I wish I could have seen that," Steve admitted.
"Go on," Bethany said after a moment of silence.
"With?"
Bethany rolled her eyes but wound her arms around his neck. "I don't believe I got my good morning kiss, Captain."
"Wait, right here?" Steve asked, looking around the area where dozens of men were working, including her brother.
"Right here," Bethany replied leaning forward and kissing him softly. "Unless… you're embarrassed to be seen kissing me."
"Are you out of your mind?" Steve asked.
"Well, then. Give me a smooch and show these fellas to stay away," Bethany teased, tapping her lips. "Right on the kisser."
Steve looked nervous, his face pinking. "Uh…"
Bethany couldn't help but giggle at him, reaching out to take a firm grip on his tie. "I do have to work, so that you can take this bike out on your next raid."
"We're not heading out until Thursday, if that helps?" Steve offered, letting her pull him forward.
"Either kiss me now, or I'm gonna straddle you and not think twice about it," Bethany replied with a smirk.
"You're real desperate for a kiss," Steve replied nervously.
"You have no idea," Bethany responded before their lips touched again, this time lasting longer. One of her hands rested on the back of his neck while the other held onto his tie. When they broke apart, Steve's entire face was red. "Look, no one even noticed," Bethany reported, looking around the room.
Steve shyly followed her gaze, but felt his stomach drop when Howard was staring at him with his arms crossed. "Your brother…"
"Couldn't be happier," Bethany replied. "Don't let him scare you. He's five foot eight. He thinks you're good for me. Which is true. Honestly, he's probably more afraid of me corrupting you than the other way around."
"Hey, how come we weren't allowed to distract you?" Gabe protested as the entire group made their way back over.
Bethany rolled her eyes, letting go of her hold on Steve. "Because your distraction isn't nearly as satisfying," she replied, tossing Steve a wink, only increasing his blush.
"That colour looks better on Bethany," Bucky teased Steve as he took his place by his side.
"Stop it," Bethany said sternly, not wanting to discourage Steve. "Don't listen to him, he's just jealous."
"Damn straight," Bucky replied with a laugh as Bethany reached inside her trousers and handed Steve a handkerchief.
"We should let you work," Steve said, wiping the lipstick off his lips.
"Oh come on, this girl puts all the other men in here to shame with how fast she works her magic," Dum Dum spoke up.
"I feel like there's a sexual innuendo in there somewhere," Jim added.
"Don't," Steve said strictly, but Bethany didn't let that falter her for a moment.
"You boys have no idea," She replied with a flirtatious tone, earning her laughter from all of the men, except Steve. But as she nudged him with her foot, he gave her a small smile. "Cheer up, Steve. They didn't mean anything."
Steve received a bunch of 'ooohhhs' from his team, all of them reaching out a hand to shake Steve until he was laughing, watching as Bethany ducked back under the bike to finish her work.
**A/N: There was a little bit of everything in that chapter :) Also, need honest opinions. Stick to vanilla? Or no? I'm about to write another smut scene (sometime this weekend) so it'll be nice to hear what people want!
Jordan Lynn 7: Thanks!
Jo: Slowly but surely!
HerooftheDay: Thank you so much! I'm working on the revised script for Ultron right now, and it's slowly becoming what you want, but at the same time, there's certain things that will be the same. I always try my best to write Bethany into the movie with her own storyline and struggles so that it'll ultimately change at least one important aspect of the script. I agree with you; Steve's vision was pretty tame. I was actually writing out the first draft of Steve's vision when you posted your review. While it'll still focus on the aspects of home, it'll be darker. Tony won't be saying that Steve walked away without it affecting him. It'll shake him up quite a bit. Soon, Steve and Bethany will realize that their happiness isn't exactly what the other one wants. It'll be a fun aspect to explore.
NewYorkLghts: YES, Aaron Tveit. Love, love, LOVE him. His voice is so soothing. I agree with you; in one of the comics, it's shown that the only way to torture Steve is to torture Bucky. I'll definitely have to find a way to work that into the outline I have set up already. Great idea! And yes, two lose both Steve and Jamie, and probably Tony too would really break Bethany.
fallingforthecaptain: Hope that you're on the road to recovery! *Awkward laughing* Hahaha, yeah about Kiley and Bucky...
sarahmichellegellarfan1: Thanks :)
BerMH: I've started to draft Steve's vision and I actually included something along the lines as that, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only person with that idea!
FeliciaFelicis: It's not "ages" away! Haha, I promise. I'm getting there. I'm ball parking chapter 22? Maybe 23? And yeah... see what I meant about the smut?
