Hey!
Another Chapter for you all!
I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel. And also, I must say I like Black Widow so much better after seeing Captain America two. She was more personable.
Chapter 18:
The Nickname Chase
Toni's head was fuzzy and she couldn't make out heads or tails of what was going on. She could tell they were on the move but all she could hear was distant voices, and there were a lot of voices, most of them were unknown to her. At first it scared her, not knowing who these voices belonged to, but she heard a familiar man's voice. His voice calmed her and she knew she was safe. She didn't know what about his voice calmed her, but it did. So the more he talked, the better. While resting in someone's arms listening to him (she wasn't sure if it was him holding her), she allowed herself to drift. As she rested, her mind was becoming less fuzzy, and she was able to make out what was going on around her.
"How much longer?"
"A few hours or so. It shouldn't be much longer."
"Good." There was a pause. "And she hasn't awoke yet?"
"She hadn't stir."
The voices were getting louder, interrupting her rest. She needed to sleep, damn it. Toni groaned as these voices were giving her a headache. Why couldn't they shut it? Why was there so many voices? She just wanted to listen the one.
"Is she okay?" She could hear the concern in his voice.
"She will be," another voice responded.
So many voices! She thought. It was hard to make out was going on, but she could recognize Rogers' voice and he sounded annoyed which was a state she hardly heard from Mr. Perfect. He usually wasn't so stressed, and it was that fact that stuck her. It also surprised her to how much it meant to hear that, because it meant he was human.
"You-"
But Toni was sick of their conversation. They were loud and annoying. How could anyone sleep through it? "So loud," she moaned as she tried to open her eyes. Her eyes lids weight a ton.
The man, who were holding her, slowed down his pace. "Toni," he stated softly.
Her eyes flicked. "Rogers," she said, fighting to speak. She was so exhausted that she could barely stay awake. "You sound h-horrible."
Toni could feel his hold on her tighten. "You sound horrible," Rogers responded.
She didn't know what to make of his tone, but he was correct. She sounded like a frog. "You aren't a shrimp a-anymore," she muttered, making out his large form. He was Captain America again-which meant he was an asshole again.
"Not anymore," he stated. His voice was strained.
There was something about his voice that threw Toni, but she pushed it aside. She didn't need to worry about that.
"Shrimp? Did she call you a shrimp?"
Toni almost jumped in Rogers' arm at that voice. "Barnes," she croaked. She tried to look at him but her body screamed out in pain. "You're alive."
He said something back to her but they were just words, as she faded back into darkness. However, she could rest in peace as she was safe and Barnes was alive, though she would give him hell the second she came to.
*0*0*
Toni didn't know what she was dreaming about when she came to, but she remembered the tone of her dream, and it felt different than the dreams she had in the past. This dream had been relaxing and calm, which was something that she hadn't had in years. Her dreams, one of the reasons why she hadn't sleep well, had been nightmares for as long as she could remember. She didn't have good dreams. They weren't apart of her DNA, but somehow she had a good dream, even if she was unable to remember what it was about.
However, that good feeling didn't last long as she groaned, trying to open her eyes. It was too painful to move and her eye felt like it was fire. Her left side of her face where Skully had hit her felt huge and she could barely feel that side of her face. "Asshole," she muttered as she imagined what she looked like. She probably looked like a balloon and Peggy was probably going to mock her. She groaned in pain again as she tried to roll.
It was that roll, which made Toni realized that she was on the cold hard ground. She moaned as her bruised face bumped against the ground. Why the hell was she on the ground? Why did Rogers put her on the ground? She was going to give that asshole a talking to, because he should at least have found a softer spot to put her down.
Toni forced her eyes opened and took a look around, almost jumping at the sight of a man a few feet away.
"Ah, you are a wake."
Though her left eye was useless making it difficult to make anything out, she was able to see that this man was not Barnes or Rogers. It worried her at first, because she had no idea of who this was or the where the hell Barnes or Rogers were. Why would they leave her alone with someone she didn't know? She tried to glance around but the muscles in her neck hurt and she couldn't muster it through the pain.
"Are you look for the Captain and Barnes?" he asked as he looked at her. "They're checking on something. They'll be back soon."
Her eye sight started to focus and she was able to make out the man. He was an average size man, and if she had to guess, he was slightly over 6 feet. "Who are you," she asked; her voice quaked as she spoke. She was barely able to get her words out.
"Gabriel Jones. Gabe for short," he stated as he stuck out his hand to her, but she made no motion to shake it. "Rogers asked me to keep an eye on you while he's gone."
His name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. "I don't need a baby sitter," she stated as the pain was getting to her.
"No one said you did," he replied with a smile. "Let's see if I can find Barnes or Rogers for you." He got to his feet.
Toni watched as he walked away and disappeared into the crowd. She took a look around, as she had no idea what was going on, and she didn't like it. Sure, she recognized some of these guys from camp, but that didn't mean she knew what was going on. They appeared to be stopped somewhere in the wilds, nowhere near camp. But you know how this story turns out, she told herself. She knew it was stupid to be worried, but she blamed it on the pain, clouding her judgment.
Trying to get a better look, she pushed herself up through the pain. There were a few odd tanks that looked out of place, but it was the men, who caught her attention. There were so many of them and each looked like they had been through hell; however, they probably looked better than she did, which wasn't fair. "Goddamn it," she cursed. She fell back again; she tried another but the same thing.
"Toni, what are you doing?"
She glanced up to see Barnes, who was a sight for sore eyes. "Barnes," she called. "What happen to you? You look disgusting." She teased. "You make me feel better about myself."
He laughed as he kneed down next to her. "I think you're fooling yourself," he started. "Have you seen what you look like?" He was looking at her as if she was going to break.
"Geez, thanks," she replied as she glared at him. He was teasing and that wasn't allowed. That was her job. "So where's Rogers?" she asked, changing the subject.
"He's around." He paused. "He's talking to some of the men." He was staring at her again with those eyes. "We're almost at camp. Only a few more miles."
Toni could tell he wanted to ask or say something, but he was holding back. "Good," she stated. She may have not gotten the core from one of those hydra guns, but she did see quite a few that she could lift. "Help me up," she ordered.
"You can't give me orders." She glared. Barnes gave her another look as he hesitatingly helped her to her feet. "Maybe, you shouldn't get up," he said as he watched her curse in pain.
"Don't baby me, Barnes," she said as she slowly got to her feet. Her legs wobbled under her, forcing her lean on Barnes for support.
"I'm not babying you," he said as she put her weight against him. "Just worried." He held her close to keep her on her feet. "You had us all worried." He glanced at her, focusing on her discolored face.
"You were captured too," she stated as they walked in the direction of Rogers.
"Yea, but I wasn't the center of attention of a crazy man," Barnes replied as they walked slowly.
Toni glanced up, looking him over. "Skully isn't that scary." She tried to shrug it off as nothing. She didn't need them worrying.
"Skully?"
"Schmidt's nickname," she answered as Rogers came into view.
"So everyone gets a nickname but me?" he laughed.
His laugh was comforting, but she wouldn't tell him that. "You have nickname already," she stated.
"But you don't call me by it," he whined.
"You have to earn it," she stated as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, I will," he stated with a cheesy smile. "I-" Barnes started.
"Toni, Bucky," Rogers called as he noticed them.
Toni pushed away from Barnes slightly as she watched the Super Solder walk to them. For taking on a base filled of hydra soldiers, he looked unharmed, which was pretty damn amazing. She had to give it him, without really giving it to him, because that outfit wasn't helping. He looked like an idiot wearing it, but he liked it for some odd reason. "Geez, Rogers. You look to be in one piece unlike that shit you're wearing," she said as she eyed his ripped jacket.
Rogers gave her the look of disapproval, which was normal for him. He was always giving her that look. "I see that bump to the head didn't affect you." Again, there was something in his tone that Toni couldn't place. It was like he was mad or something, though it could be because he was Captain America again. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
She didn't care for his voice. Seriously, what the hell happened to make him such an asshole? Well, you did leave him high and dry, a voice inside of her head said. Barnes mentioned that Rogers spent days looking for her; he had to pissed, but he needed to get over it. "I don't need to rest." She hobbled toward Rogers. "You worry too much."
"I don't worry too much," he snapped back. "Considering what had happened, I worry enough." He was clearly angry with her.
"Geez, relax," She stated as she waved it off.
"I-"
Barnes stepped between them. "You know you two are ridicules," he stated. "You didn't need to fight with each other."
Toni glanced at him before looking at Rogers, who was staring at her with those stupid blue eyes of his. "I think it-" Before she could finish, Barnes picked her up. "What the hell?" she stated.
"Time to go," Barnes said.
Ignoring the pain, she glanced at Rogers who was staring away. "Put me down," Toni ordered. Not only did she not want to be picked up, but his grip was hurting her already injured body. "Barnes, put me down. This is not how you get a nickname!" She yelled as she hit him lightly.
"Let's go," Barnes stated.
"You're hurting me," she said, hoping that it would get him to put her down. "Don't make me beat you."
He chuckled. "I thought you didn't want me to baby you," he said, stepping away from Rogers with Toni in his arms.
Toni was sending him the death glare to end all death glare. He was doing this just to piss her, and it didn't help that she was already pissed. "You just want it," she stated as she struggled in his arms.
He gave her a smirk. "Anything from you," he stated. He was an endless flirt, just like her, but there was a way about him that drove her crazy.
She slapped him harder. "Put me down," she ordered as she glanced at Rogers who had turned away. She could see the tension in his shoulder, reminding her of the present day dick Rogers. Was this when he turned into an ass? She missed her shrimpy Steve, who had a heart of gold; she missed his sweetness, which could touch anyone's heart. Right now, he was acting cold, and it pissed her off as she had no idea of why he was acting his way. Sure, he could be mad that she disappeared but she didn't understand why it pissed him off so much.
Plus, what did he have to be mad about? He saved a heck ton of soldiers, including his best friend. He should be on top of the world because he was making a difference. He was finally doing what he wanted to do: saving people. So why was he so angry? He shouldn't be this angry. He had no right to be angry.
*O*O*
Toni was going to puke and it wasn't because she was sick. It was because of Agent Sassy Pants and the giant Shrimp and their sickeningly lovey-dovey looks that they were giving each other. It made her sick. Why did they have to look at each other like that? They weren't horny teenagers; they were in a fucken war. There was no time for that shit…. Wait, why do I care? She asked herself. It shouldn't matter to her what they were doing, because once she was back in the future, none of this would matter. It wouldn't matter what they said or did, or whether they making out. None of it would matter, so why did she care? She shouldn't care. She really shouldn't.
Limping, she made her way through the base as she looked for her beloved father, who she had an urge to choke. Once they got back, Howard had taken the cores to study as he had no idea of how they worked. He wanted to test them before he let anyone else touch them, which annoyed her. She didn't have time to wait; she needed one of those core to use with her device, so she could get the hell home and not have to look at those two love birds.
"Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map." Toni's eye twitch in annoyance at the sound at Rogers' voice, which seemed to carry on for miles. What was it about his voice that did this? It was so loud and annoying.
Shaking her head, she stepped into the debriefing room. The room was filled with Soldiers, and most of them were circled around a table with a map. Rogers was pointing to something, but it wasn't what he was pointing at that caught her eyes. It was his uniform, and how good he looked… Wait? What? She took her head, because she mustn't think of how good the jerk Shrimp looked in his uniform, though she wasn't sure why he didn't wear this thing more often. He looked hot. Stop it! Stop looking at him, she yelled at herself.
"Agent Carter co-ordinate with MI6," Colonel Phillips stated as he leaned over the table.
Toni's eyes switched again, which was quite painful as her left side of her face was sore and any movement hurt. Her face was turning into a deep shade of purple and black. "Figures," she stated, glancing at Peggy. Right now, that Agent was pissing her off. Sure, they didn't get along to begin with, but lately, she was pissing her off just to piss her off. If Rogers was Mr. Perfect, Peggy was Mrs. Perfect and she couldn't take that.
Phillips glanced at her and eyed Toni's bruise for a few second as if he found it insulting. "I want every ally looking for that main Hydra base."
"What about us?" Rogers asked.
"We are gonna set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass. What do you say, Rogers? It's your map, you think you can wipe Hydra off of it?" There was a smile on Phillips' face that Toni hadn't seen before.
"Yes, sir. I'll need a team," Rogers replied.
Toni did her best to hide her limp as she crossed to the table. She didn't need anyone to notice it, because whatever was happening, she needed to be a part of it. This could be her way to get a core, though she would have to deal with the fact that Barnes and a few other good men were going to die, which she wasn't sure if she could.
"We're already putting together the best men," Phillips answered as he stepped to the side to allow Toni a better view. He eyed her as if she was able to fall over.
That pity annoyed her, because it wasn't needed. These injures were nothing, and she could deal.
"With all due respect, sir. So am I," Rogers said.
Toni closed her eyes are she tried to think. If she remembered correctly, this was when the howling commanders were formed, and that was an interesting group so she heard.
"I-" Phillips started
"Are you okay, Sark?" Peggy asked, interjected. "Maybe, you should be laying down."
"I'm fine," Toni stated. "Just thinking." Not even a few seconds later, she felt a present over her right shoulder and she knew it was Rogers. "I'm fine, Captain."
"You should be resting," he said. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're hurt. Schmidt had-"
Toni waved him off. "I am peachy." She winked in pain again as she turned from him. "Why don't you get your team together?" she said, trying not to snap; however, her tone was pretty clear. She blamed it on the pain. Rogers looked like he wanted to say something, but he just walked away. Peggy followed him for a few steps before she turned back to Toni. Most of the room had cleared with him.
"You know you shouldn't be so mean," Phillips said as Peggy brought over a chair. He glanced at the doorway that Rogers disappeared through.
"That wasn't mean. You hadn't seen my mean." She paused as she turned to Peggy. "Aw, you know it's bad, when you're nice, Sassy," Toni teased as she sat down. She never thought a chair would bring her so much joy, as she couldn't help but smile when she sat on it. She didn't realized how tired she was until she sat down. Her hands went to her pulse to check her heart beat, which was beating a few beats too fast.
Peggy's raised an eyebrow but didn't respond; however, Salty did. "I'll blame that on the pain."
It made Toni feel somewhat salty, but she didn't say sorry, like she never did. She wasn't really sorry for anything, well besides leaving the shrimp Rogers without a good bye. She glanced up at Phillip saying something to Peggy, who nodded and stepped away. Toni knew what this meant. He wanted to talk. "What, Salty?" she asked softly, as he wouldn't want to hear them.
Phillip glanced at her. "Are you okay?" he asked. Even if with cargo pants and a long sleeve shirt, he could still see that her body was lined with bruises and cuts. "Being tortured isn't anything to take lightly."
"I know," she stated. If she wasn't already damaged by the nightmares, she would be worried, but she wasn't. Her mind and soul were already damaged.
"So how are you really?"
"Just ask what you really want," she stated as she tried to get her heartbeat down.
He looked at her. "I never got to debrief you on what happened."
Toni tried to stand up, but her legs gave out and she fell back. "He thought he could use me, after he saw my reactor," she spoke, pointing at her chest. "He also found it funny that you send a woman." She felt her face, trying to feel how bad it was. She had resisted the urge to look in a mirror, as she didn't want to see how bad. It had to be bad since she had a hard time seeing out of her eye and her jaw hurt whenever she spoke, which was horrible as she loved to talk.
Phillips took a deep breath. "I didn't want to send you out."
"I know." She stated. "But it doesn't change the fact that he wanted to use me. He thought he could convince me to join him." She tried to force out those memories out of her mind as she could feel still the cold water hitting her face.
"What did you say to make him hit you like that?" he asked.
"I told him he wasn't a god," she answered.
"Yea, I bet he wasn't happy to hear that," he chuckled as he kneed down next to her. He grabbed her face and turned softly to look at the bruise that took up half of her face. "Doesn't look pretty. Maybe you should go see a doctor."
Toni snorted. "I did, but he was useless." She only saw a doctor because of Barnes and the stink eye that Rogers had been giving her; however, he was useless, only giving her pain pills.
"You should-"
Peggy came back with a glass in her hand. "You look like you need something to drink," she said, holding the glass out to Toni. "And some sleep."
Toni glanced at her before turning to the glass filled with water. The very thought of water freaked out and she could barely look at it, without feeling sick. "I got to go," she stated as her heart beat started to race. She stood quickly.
"Relax, Sark," Peggy stated, realizing something must've set her off. She reached a hand out to steady her, but Toni shoved it away. "Come on." Her voice rose. "You need to sit back down. Don't be so hard headed."
Phillips laughed again. "Impossible for Sark."
Shaking her head, she tried to gain control of her senses, but she couldn't. The water in the glass was mocking her and she needed to get away. Without a second though, she bolted. She could handle the pain, but that glass was affecting her more. The thought of water on her lips brought her back to that state of being tied down and she couldn't bare that.
*O*O*
"You shouldn't drink alone."
Toni exhaled. "So I hear," she muttered. She was a mess, both physically and mentally. She hadn't washed up since getting back to camp, only using wet towels. She couldn't bring herself to take a shower or turn the water on. She couldn't even look at a faucet, without going into a panic attack. However, she told herself that she should be happy as she wasn't thinking of her stalker. If he could get her now, she would award him.
Barnes took a seat next to her at the bar. "I don't think I can judge you considering I was going to drink alone too," he stated as he waved the bartender over. He ordered a drink before turning back to her. "You should be resting."
Toni winced in pain as she turned to him. "I don't need to rest." She was tired of everyone telling her that; she didn't need to rest. She didn't want to rest. She wanted to get going; she wanted to be on the move. "You look like a mess," she said as she looked him over. He was the one who Rogers found strapped to a lab table. "You need to rest."
"Why do you have to be so hard headed?" Barnes asked.
"Runs in my family," she stated as she thought back to her father. He was the most stubborn man that she had ever met, and even now, he was one of the most stubborn person she had ever met and that included Barnes and Rogers.
Barnes raised an eyebrow. "You like being a handful."
Toni smiled though the pain. "Yes, I do."
"You know you don't have to smile if you're in pain," he said, noticing her twitch.
"I-" A cheer down the bar caught her attention, and she turned to the table that the cheer came from before rotating back to Barnes. At the table was Rogers, who she would only consider an ass always trying to tell her what to do. He would probably yell at her for drinking. "Don't knock my smile."
"You know, you two fight like an old married couple," Barnes stated as he took a drink.
"Old married couple?" She questioned as she narrowed her eyes at him. "A married couple? That's what you come up with?" Why did she find that so insulting? "We aren't anything close to marry."
Barnes raised his hand up as if in self-dense. "Geez, relax." He paused. "Let's talk about something else."
Toni glanced back at Rogers for a second before spinning back to Barnes. "I don't want to talk about Skully either," she stated. She had talked about that man enough, and she didn't want to give him any more power than he already had.
"Okay," Barnes stated. "What about the fact that you hadn't given me a nickname yet?"
She laughed. "You're still on that?" It hurt to laugh, but she didn't care.
"Yep," he stated, smiling. "I want a nickname."
"Again, you have one!"
He chuckled again. "Not from you."
Toni just stared at him for a few seconds. He had that smile on again that could make her melt. "You really want one from me," she stated shocked. She couldn't understand why it was so important that she gave him a nickname.
"You even gave one to Schmidt, but not me," he whined, playing the hurt card with his hand on his chest.
She shook her head. "You better be careful or I'm going to give you a nickname that you don't want!" She stated as she jokingly punched him. She didn't back away from him as she stared into his eyes. There was something about his eyes that just pulled her in. "What ab-"
"Shouldn't you be resting?"
Pulling away like she had been burned, Toni pulled away and glared at Rogers, who seemed to love telling her what to do. "Give it a rest," she stated, fighting the pain. "You act like I'm charging into battle." She picked up her glass and took a slip as to mock him.
"You're injured," Rogers stared as he stepped toward her. "You shouldn't be up."
"I don't-" Toni started but feeling a hand on her knee, she froze. It shocked her more than anything as she didn't know how she felt about it. Why would Barnes put his hand on her knee? Did that mean anything? Only a few people had ever put their hands on her knee and either they were family members or someone she was about to have sex with. She wasn't going to sleep with Barnes, so what did this mean? In disbelief, she stared at his hand.
"She's fine, Steve," Barnes stated.
Toni shook her head, as she tried to clear her mind. After a few deep breaths, she turned to Rogers, who seem to be glaring at something and it wasn't her. What was he glaring at? It couldn't be Barnes, could it? Was he glaring at the hand of the knee? Was he confused by the hand on the knee as well?
"Recruiting?" Barnes asked, breaking the silence.
Rogers blinked, trying to focus his thoughts, and turned completely to Barnes. "Yes." He paused "What about you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"
"Hell, no! The little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I'm following him. But you're keeping the outfit, right?" Barnes stated as his hand left Toni's knee, leaving an empty feeling.
Toni shook her head as she tried to rid herself of those thoughts. "Oh, that outfit," she said, remembering what he wore during the battle of New York. His man really loved to be a flag, didn't he? "Such a sexy outfit." She laughed.
Rogers turned to her and took a deep breath. "You just like to poke fun at everything."
"Yup." She smiled. "But at least, I'm a basket of fun. Aren't you glad I'm coming with you?" She put on the biggest smile ever and she held it for a few seconds, even with the pain.
Rogers narrowed his eyes. "Maybe, it would be best if you stayed put." He clearly did not like the idea of her coming with them, but there was nothing he could do about it.
She took a deep breath as she didn't want to have this fight with him again. "What are you afraid of, Rogers?" she asked. "I can take care of myself."
His eye brow rose. "You call Schmidt capturing and torturing you taking care of yourself?" he asked. He took another step toward her, blocking her view of the bar.
"Okay, that's a bad example, but I blame Barnes on that one," she said, annoyed. Why did he have to step in front of her like that? What was he trying to show?
"Hey, hey. That was so not my fault," Barnes protested. "We were clearly outmatched."
"Yea, but you distracted me!" She stared pointing at him.
"You-" Barnes stated
"Captain," Peggy started interrupting the three.
"Agent Carter," Rogers greeted. His face practically glowing.
Barnes also looked shell shocked. "Ma'am," he stated, standing up to greet her.
Peggy glanced at him only for a second before turning back to the Captain. "Howard has some equipment for you to try. Tomorrow morning?"
"Sounds good," Rogers replied.
Toni glanced between the two and that pukey feeling from earlier returned. Why were they staring at each other like they were going to eat each other? Why in the hell was Peggy wearing that dress? Was she just trying to show off? If she was, it was sure working, because Rogers was looking at her with such an intensely that it annoyed Toni.
A loud cheer drew Peggy's attention. "I see your top squad is prepping for duty."
"You don't like music?" Rogers asked.
"Probably not her taste. I think it's pretty cool," Toni chirped in.
Peggy turned to her. "Shouldn't you be resting?" she asked, glancing Toni over. "You went through quite an ordeal."
What was with everyone telling her that she should be resting? She was perfectly fine; the pain wasn't too bad. "You all worry too much. That so wasn't the first that I'd been tortured," Toni revealed, raising up her glass and taking a slip.
"What do you mean that wasn't your first time that you hadn't been tortured?" Rogers asked taking a step toward her. His hands were balled, and there was a hint of emotion in his voice that Toni couldn't figure out.
As she was focused on Rogers, she didn't notice the hand reappearing on her knee, until she felt the pressure, and it surprised her, causing her to finch noticeably.
"When was this?" Barnes asked. His hand was tightly on her knee again. "Toni."
"Does Phillips knows about this?" Peggy asked. She also had a concerned look in her eyes. "Maybe, you should speak to someone."
They were all talking at the same time, and it was all too much for Toni. She couldn't handle all of their concerned looks and she couldn't think. "Stop worrying!" She yelled, jumping to her feet. "Why don't you two get a room?" She pointed toward Rogers and Peggy. She turned to Barnes. "And why don't you just go find some hot dame to bang?" she stated. She glanced at them all before pushing pass them. "Just leave me alone."
"Sark, that was uncalled for," Peggy snapped.
Toni turned back, looking at them, and she knew all of them were annoyed with her but she couldn't find the urge to care. "Just go dancing or something," she stated as she turned to leave.
*O*O*
Toni felt like an idiot for what happened in the bar, but she wasn't going to apologize. It wasn't her style, and it was the truth. She just wanted them to leave her alone. Why was that so hard? Why were they pushing so hard? Why couldn't they leave her alone? She wasn't speaking in French or anything. She just didn't want to talk about her feelings.
Taking a deep breath, she took a step down the stairs leading into Howard Stark's lab. She planned to check on her device, once she figured out how to get one of those cores away from her father. He probably wouldn't let her near the cores, but she would convince him.
"Initial signature is unusual. Alpha beta remain neutral," Howard stated, talking to no one in general. There, however, were a few techs next to her father, taking notes and watching. He stood in front of a glass window, experimenting with one of the cores. "I doubt Rogers picked up on that. He-"
"Better be careful, Stark. It might bite," she stated, noticing him reach a metal arm toward the core. Before continuing down the steps, she took a deep breath, and it wasn't until she was at the bottom of the stairs that she spoke again. "You might hurt yourself." She stood a good few feet back. There was no doubt that thing would bite if it was made from the Tesseract.
Howard glanced back with a cheesy smile. He let go of the controls and tapped on the glass. "We're safe behind this," he replied as he tapped again. "Why don't you come closer? I would like a second opinion."
Toni smiled and chuckled. "Well, when you get blasted on your ass, I'll be right where I'm needed to laugh at you."
"Who says I'm going to be blasted on my ass?" he asked as he rotated back to the glass. "Just hopeful thinking? You want to see me on my ass."
She did a chuckling sigh. "I would love to see you fall on your ass." She took great joy whenever he failed or fell on his face. It meant he wasn't perfect.
He turned back to her. "You're never going to like me, are you?" he asked.
"Nope."
"We will see," he replied,
"We will," she said, annoyed that they were talking about this. Why did he keep trying to get her to like him?
He turned back. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again, "Seems harmless enough. Hard to see what all the fuss is about." He poked at the core again, but this time, it poked back. The core sent out a pulse that shattered everything in its path. The glass could not withstand the wave and it splintered, sending glass everywhere. The pulse also threw the techs and Howard several feet.
Toni, in shock, brought her arm up to protect her face as a few fragment of glass flew at her, slicing her. It wasn't anything substantial, but the cuts bleed. The wave knocked her back a step, as she wasn't expecting it to be so strong, but it didn't knock her down like it did Howard, who landed a few feet from her. Slowly bringing down her arm, she turned to her father, who had a smile on his face.
"Write that down," he stated with a laugh.
"Are you okay?" She asked, annoyed. Her arms strung from the cuts, but they wasn't as painful as the bruise on her face.
He glanced at her as he pushed himself to his feet. He was scrapped up, and it was clear that he hurt his back when he landed. "It seems you were right. I did land on my ass." He let out another laugh. "And it seems like you do care about me!" He was beaming.
Toni's eyes twitched as he smiled. His smile made her want to hit him and she might, as she spotted a familiar wrench on the table. "You're pushing it, Stark," she said. She eyed him with a deadly glare. "I don't want to end up back in a prison cell, so shut it."
Howard dusted himself off. "Don't deny it. I'm growing on you."
She picked up the wrench and pointed it at him. "Don't make me kill you," she stated, knowing that she could never really kill him with him being her father and all.
He laughed again. "But that would put you back in a cell."
"I have ways to kill you without anyone knowing. I just don't want to waste them." Toni waved the wrench at him.
"Witnesses!" He yelled as he limped to the containment room. The core was still glowing as brightly as it had been before he messed it. "We have witnesses."
He was playing with her and that pissed her off. She had no interest in playing this game with him. "You," she stated waving the wrench again.
"Yes, me," he stated with a smile.
Her eye twitched, but she couldn't throw the wrench at him. Phillips wouldn't like that, and she couldn't make him mad again. She had already gotten him angry. "Where's my device?" she asked, changing the subject. The wretch was still dangling from her hand.
"It's over there," he stated, pointing toward the other side of the room. "Has something changed? I thought you couldn't power it."
"I want to test that core," she stated, nodding to it.
He looked at her with a serious look. "No." She glared. "Don't give me that look. You aren't testing it." His voice had a parenting tone to it, and she didn't like it. "It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous?" she snapped. He so did not have the right to tell her no. She would do what she wanted. "Just because you don't know how to handle it, doesn't mean I can't."
Howard took a deep breath. "That isn't it." He paused. "You're already hurt, and adding that core to your device won't be as simple as you think."
"I know that!" She snapped. "I'm not a child." Here it was again. He was treating her as he did in the future with the kid gloves. He didn't believe in her, and she tried to ignore the fact that it hurt.
"I never said that," he said.
Toni closed to him. "Then let me try."
"Why don't you let me do it?"
Something in her mind just snapped. "I know what this is! You don't think I can do it. You think you're the only genius there is." She tried to calm down. She tried to catch her breath, as she couldn't allow herself to explode. If she did, she might say something that she might regret later. "Get off your high horse."
At this point, the techs had left. "The only one person on a high horse is you," he stated as he stepped toward her.
"Excuse me?" She was not on a high horse.
"You're the one who thinks she's god gift to humanity."
That hit her, because there was a time where she had thought that; however, that was before the Iron Man Suit. That was before she met the Avengers. That was before everything. Was he saying that she had been lying to herself? Had she not really changed? "You're the one who goes around, rubbing it into people's faces that you're a Stark," she stated, trying to come up with something. Really all her statement did was insult her.
"I'm not a shamed of who I am unlike you."
That hit home, more than she would have liked, though she shouldn't have been surprised. He always knew how to hurt her with his words. "Shut it," she demanded, as she pushed him into a table.
"Grow up," he stated as he caught himself. However, everything on the table went flying.
"Why-" She couldn't finish her sentence as there was water, dripping off the table. There had been a glass of a water on the table, and it had tipped over when she shoved Howard into it.
"Toni?" Howard asked, his anger disappearing. He had noticed her eyes widen at the sight of the water.
Toni couldn't see anything besides the dripping water that was haunting her, mocking her. It sent her back to the time in the torture room. It brought her back to that fear and pain. It brought that feeling of dread, and she couldn't shake it.
"Toni!" She heard him yell her name, but the water held her.
The air left her lung, and chills went up her spine. She tried to take short breaths to catch her breath, but nothing she did worked. She felt a panic attack coming on and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Toni," he called again, and this time, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders and shook. "You aren't there. You're here with me in the lab. You're safe," He said it slowly.
None of that made sense. She wasn't safe; she wasn't safe anywhere. That dripping sound just wouldn't go away, and it kept her mind locked in that pain.
"Toni," he yelled. He shook her a little harder. "He doesn't have you. He won't hurt you again, Toni."
He had that parent voice again, but this time, he sounded like a protective parent that wouldn't let anything happen to her, and she believed him. Shaking her head, she focused on him and she was able to relax enough that she could breathe.
"There you go."
Her brain snapped again, when she realized what was going on and whose arms she was in. She couldn't let him be the one to comfort her, and also, she did not need anyone to comfort her. She was not a child. "Let go," she stated as she pushed him away.
"Toni."
She looked at him for a second before she bolted out of the room.
*O*O*
Toni didn't know what or how to deal with what was going on in her head. Shaking her head, she glanced up from her spot at a lab table to her father, who was doing something with something. She hadn't spoken to him since that day in the lab, but she knew he was watching her like she was about to break. It annoyed her, but she didn't want to say anything as she wanted to avoid what had happened in the lab from repeating.
Her device was a few feet from her, but she still hadn't had the chance to test it with the hydra core as Howard wouldn't let her near it. He had been careful and had made it impossible for her to steal it, like he knew what her plan was. She didn't like that he was able to read her like he had.
She picked up her head, hearing something. Deciding it was none of her concern, she turned back to her stupid device, which just teased her. It made her life a living hell. It was like it had a mind of its own, and its life goal was to make her go crazy. "Stupid-"
There were the voices again, but this time, they were louder. Rogers? Sassy Pants? She thought to herself. Why was they fighting? No, she didn't feel joyous at this.
"Peggy, that's not what you thought it was." Rogers stated as Peggy and he burst into the room.
Of course. She thought, listening to them fighting about their 'relationship.' When did they get into a relationship? She kind of felt bad for Peggy, because that was one relationship that wouldn't last.
"I don't think anything, Captain. Not one thing. You always wanted to be soldier and now you are. Just like all the rest," Peggy said as they walked pass her.
"Well, what about you and Stark? How do I know you two haven't been...fonduing?"
Toni almost choked twice on that one sentence. One: did he just say fonduing? Two, did he just infer that Peggy and her father had this thing? The first one was funny, but the second wasn't. She didn't like that idea at all. Was her mother right? Did her father cheat? She wouldn't put it pass him.
"You still don't know a bloody thing about women!" Peggy stated as she stormed away. Rogers just let her do so.
Toni laughed at that, drawing the Captain's attention. That was one thing that never changed about him; he never knew how to talk to a woman.
"You find that funny, Sark?" Rogers asked.
Ouch, Toni thought. She got the last name. "I find a lot of things funny," she stated as she pushed her device away and stood up.
"Just stay out of it."
She so did not like his tone. She didn't understand why he was acting like this; it wasn't just because he was Captain Ass. It was like he was really mad at her, which annoyed her. He needed to get over 'this' thing. "Fine," she stated as he walked away. She followed him of course.
Howard was waiting for Rogers by the shields. "I got a few things for you," he stated as he patted the table. He smiled and stated, "And by the way, fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend."
"Really? I didn't think…" Rogers stated.
Toni's eye brow raised. "I think you're special."
The Cap turned back to her and narrowed his eyes. "I-"
Howard jumped in. "The moment you think you know what's goin' on in a woman's head, it's the moment your goose is well and truly cooked. Me, I concentrate on work. Which at the moment is about making sure you and your men do not get killed."
Toni snorted as he kept trying to get her to talk to him, so she didn't know how focus he was. "You focus? Yea, right."
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Rogers asked as he turned back to her. His eyes flashed to her bruise which had turned into a darker shade of purple and blue, a sign it was healing.
"Why don't you go rest?" She replied. "Maybe, your dream self is better at talking to the ladies."
Rogers turned to her. "Maybe, your dream self has matters."
"Maybe, your dream self isn't an asshole."
"I'm not an asshole."
"If the shoes fit, wear it, Captain Asshole," Toni stated.
"You-" The Super Soldier started.
"Enough," Howard interrupted with an annoyed look on his face. "Let's get back to the task at hand." He took a deep breath. "Carbon polymer. Should withstand your average German bayonet. Although, Hydra's not going to attack you with a pocket knife."
"They would be stupid if they did, though I wouldn't put it pass Hydra solders," she muttered as she looked away with her arms folded across her chest. Why was she here? Maybe, she should work on her damn device, though it would be useless without a Hydra core, which her father won't let her near it.
Howard picked up the damaged shield that Rogers had been using. "I hear you're uh...kinda attached?"
"It's handier than you might think," The Captain responded. He glanced toward Toni, who was blowing her hair out of her face.
"I took the liberty of coming up with some options," Howard stated, eyeing him. He motioned to the table behind him, which had a few shields on it. Each was more different than the last.
Toni turned back, looking at the shields. Though she wasn't a fan of the shield, she knew it had its pros; however, she knew Rogers wouldn't pick any of those ugly shields. They were all too fancy for him.
"This one's fun. She's been fitted with electrical relays. It'll allow you to…" Howard started.
"Why must it be a she?" Toni protested. "Why can't you use a different pronoun? Why are you being sexist to shields? What did they ever do to you?"
"Because-"
Howard wasn't able to finish as Rogers cut him off. "What about this one?" He asked as he noticed a shield under the table. It was a perfectly round shield, which was simple compared to the rest of them.
"No! No! That's just a prototype." Howard crossed to him in a hurry as if to take it from him.
"What's it made of?" Rogers asked as he stepped away from Howard.
"Vibranium. It's stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent."
"How come it's not a standard issue?" He moved the shield in different angles, testing it.
Howard watched for a second before answering. "That's the rarest metal on earth. What you're holding there is all we've got."
Toni snorted. "And the U.S. is too cheap for that." Both Howard and Rogers both turned and glared. "What?" She stated, trying to play innocent. She put on a big smile.
"Stop playing innocent, Sark," Peggy stated as she returned. "It doesn't suit you."
"Everything suits me," she stated with a wink. "You want to test?" She teased.
Peggy looked at her for a second before turning to Howard. "You quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business?"
"So no fun," Toni responded when she was ignored. She hated to be ignored.
"What do you think?" the Captain asked, not responding to Toni who was now sporting a playful frown.
What Peggy did next completely surprised everyone including Toni who never expected that behavior from Peggy. She picked up a gun and shot at Rogers, who quickly held up the shield to protect himself. The bullets dinged as they hit the floor. "What the holy shit fuck, Sassy?" Toni stated in shock. Did Peggy just shot at her boy toy?
Peggy glanced at her. "Yes. I think it works," was her only response as she walked away.
"And people thought I'm crazy," Toni said when Sassy was out of ear shot.
"You are crazy," Howard countered as he turned to Rogers who stood there in shook.
"At least, I never shot at someone," she stated. "Well on my own team," she added. Howard glanced at her before turning to the motionless Captain.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that Rogers spoke. "I had some ideas about the uniform," he stated slowly, handing something to Howard.
"Stealing the USA Flag doesn't count," Toni stated as she stared at the paper.
Rogers turned to her. "Sometimes the world needs a symbol," he stated. "I guess you wouldn't understand." He glared at her for a few seconds before turning away.
Toni watched him as he walked away. Sure, she knew she was being an asshole, but it wasn't all her. She couldn't stand this fighting between them. She missed hanging out with him. She missed being able to talk to him or even trying to hook him up with someone. She could be having so much fun trying to get Peggy and him together, even if he didn't like it. That would make it funnier.
"Go after him."
She jumped at Howard's voice as she forgot for a second that he was there. "Why would I go after him?" she asked.
"You don't have to go after him," he stated as he picked up the round shield.
She turned to Howard and glared. He was not allowed to give her advice on anything, and she definitely did not want to talk about her non-relationship with the giant Shrimp. It wasn't any of his business, even if Howard was right. They needed to hash out whatever was going on between them, because if they didn't it, they would have the exact same relationship that they had in the future, and she didn't have the energy for that. "I know."
"Then do it."
"You don't know everything!" she yelled as she took the wrench out of her pocket and threw it at him.
Howard raised the shield to block it. The wrenched dinged loudly as it made contact and fell to the ground. "What is with you and throwing things at me?" he asked.
Toni glanced at him and smirked as she darted away to find Rogers.
*O*O*
It took Toni a few minutes to catch up, as even Rogers' slow walk was a speed walk. Also, as her body was still sore, she had a difficult time running or jogging. She kept tripping over her own feet. She was only to catch him because some officer had stopped to speak with him. "Rogers," she called when she got within a few feet from him.
Still speaking with the officer, he only glanced at her for a second. The officer nodded and stepped away a few seconds later. Rogers glanced at Toni again before he stepped away as well. "God, damn it, Steve," she yelled, switching to his first name. "Stop."
Hearing his first name, he froze and glanced back. "Toni," he muttered. He didn't move; he just watched her run to him. He stepped forward as he noticed her stumble.
"I want to talk," she stated, ignoring the looks from the other officers in the hallway. She felt herself falter again, but this time, she was unable to stop herself and she fell forward. She put her arms out, ready to brace herself, but she found herself in a pair of arms. Toni glanced up at her savior and smiled as innocently as she could. "My hero."
Rogers helped her to her feet. "What do you want to talk about, Sark?" he asked as he stepped back.
"Not Sark," she responded. She hated that goddamn name and if someone called her that name one more time, she was going to snap.
"Okay, Toni," he stated. His voice sounded strain.
She smiled at the sound of her name on his lips. "In here," she demanded as she looked around. People were looking at them. As she didn't want to have this conversion in public, she pushed open a door a few feet from her. She glanced around the room quickly to make sure it was free, and to her luck, it was empty. "Get in," she ordered as she pulled Rogers in. She didn't expect to pull him as easy as she did, since he could've easily fought her off.
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked again as he stepped through the doorway.
"Hold on," she said as she stepped to the door and closed it. She caught a few people eyeing her, though she should have expected that. It probably didn't look too innocent.
He turned to her. "Okay. So what?"
Toni took a deep breath as to gather her strength; however, his dress uniform wasn't helping. He looked so much better in this than he did in the USA flag. Don't get Toni wrong. She was patriotic, but she would not go running around wearing a flag. "Why are you so mad at me?" she asked.
He glanced at her before eyeing the door. "If you don't know, then there's no point," he stated as he stepped toward the door.
Seeing where he was heading, she jumped in front of him. "Not the whole, 'if you don't know, then there's no point' argument. We need to get this out." She stated. "Now spill."
Rogers looked at her before turning away and staring at the wall. He stayed like that for a few minutes before he turned back. "Where did you go that night of the expo?" he asked, stepping to her. "You disappeared with no good bye."
She could tell how pissed he was, but his anger just set off her anger. "You act like I owed you anything. A thank you maybe, but nothing else."
"Okay, then." He paused. "I guess there's nothing to speak about," he said, stepping closer to her. "Just move out of the away." He reached for the doorknob, but Toni put her weight completely against the door as if to stop him.
"That isn't what I mean," she interjected quickly. Her small frame wouldn't stop him as he could pick her up and move her with ease.
"Then what?" He gazed over her face, stopping at the bruise. It was such an eye catching injury. "I don't have time to play games. Why did you leave?"
Toni ran her hand through her messy hair, which she had to urge to rip out. "I was arrested and put in a cell for god knows how long," she explained as she looked up at him. "I would've said goodbye if I could've." She paused. "I'm sorry about that." She paused. "You should feel honored as I don't say sorry ever."
He stated at her for a few seconds unable to answer. "Why?" he asked.
She took a deep breath. "It's a long story, but that's why I'm here with Stark," she answered. It felt so weird way to refer to her father by Stark.
"I don't understand."
"I'm here, because that's the only way Salty would let me go," she explained. She couldn't tell him the full truth, but she hoped that would work. "I disliked that I left you like that. I'm truly sorry." She gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes that she could muster.
"Salty?" he asked.
"My nickname for the Colonel," she stated.
"Phillips left you in a cell? For what?" he asked annoyed. However, he wasn't annoyed at her which she could tell. It was redirected at the Colonel. "No phone calls or letters?"
"No," she answered. Seeing his face, Toni added, "I did try to break into Stark Industries." She hadn't moved from the door.
"Why?" he stated
She waved it off. "Not important."
"Toni."
"Steve," she responded with a smile. "It's fine."
"Okay, but-"
Her eye twitched. "Enough Steve." She narrowed her eyes at him as he gazed her over again.
"Okay," he stated with a smile.
"So we're good now?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Yay," she cheered as she gave him a jumping hug. She wrapped her arms round him and buried her face in his uniform. She didn't care about her no hugging rule, and she didn't care that she was hugging the Captain, who was an asshole by definition. She was hugging her Shrimp, and who cared about the rules, when he wrapped his arms around her? "Bigger than I remember, Steve." She laughed.
"That's what everyone's telling me," he responded with a chuckle.
Her eye twitched. "…So you're hurting me now." She wiggled in his arms.
"Sorry. Sometimes I don't know my own strength," he stated, letting go of her as if she was burning him. "Maybe, you should rest." He was looking at her as if she was going to break.
"Okay, we can stop that," she stated. "I may be a woman, but I'm not going break." She narrowed her eyes. "I will pound you if you don't stop." She waved her fist at him. "Trust me. I will!"
He sighed. "Just as I remember. I will try, though that bruise on your face makes it difficult."
"Well, then don't look at it, and good." She stated at him for a few seconds before she turned to the door. "Now, let's go. I don't want anyone to think we're fonduing," she joked.
"…What?" he asked. His face was a bright red. "T-they wouldn't think that. Why w-would they think that?"
Toni laughed at him. "Hey, are you insulting me now?" She asked. She loved how red he got. "Am I not good enough for you? Do you not find me attractive? Can I beat you?" She shook her fist at him.
"No, Toni! That isn't it. You're b-"
She chuckled again. "I was playing," she stated with her tongue out. "Besides, I know you only have eyes for Agent Sassy Pants." She elbowed him. She still had no idea why they liked each other, which annoyed her, but she would help him get some. He needed some. Maybe, that would help him relax; plus, she loved how red he got.
"There's nothing going on between us," he stated all too quickly.
Toni couldn't help but let out another laugh. "You're too cute for your own good, Cap. C'mon," she stated as she opened the door. "We can discuss a nickname for Barnes. He's jealous that I hadn't given him one, but I can't think of one. I know you call him Bucky, which is a story that I want to hear, but I want a new one. I just can't think of one."
"Do I have a nickname?" he asked as he followed her out of the room.
"Um," she muttered, trying to sound innocent. She doubted he would like either nickname; Shrimp really wasn't anything to be proud of. And Captain Asshole wasn't exactly nice. "You don't need to know." She put on a smile and skipped away.
"I want to know," he said as he chased after her. She remained a few feet in front of him, and it wasn't because she was faster than he. He could catch her at any second, but the chase was fun. "You have to tell me."
"No, I don't," She teased.
The end for now. :)
Author note: I was trying a think of a nickname for Barnes for Toni to give him, but I can't really think of one. The nicknames for Phillips, Peggy, Rogers, or Schmidt aren't all that special, but I can't think of one for him. Any of ideas?
Anyhow, let me know how you think. :)