Ready Set Breathe (A Steve Rogers Destruction Story)

by BlitheBells

Steve Rogers' destruction story. Sequel to Run. COMPLETED. Second book in the three part 'Run' series. First title is 'Run' and third is 'To Go Unseen'. Also found on AO3 and Wattpad Rated for some violence WARNING Before you begin this story, I would like to warn you that topics like suicide, depression and self-harm are discussed explicitly and at length.

12. 10 Suspicious

10 Suspicious

It wasn't that Sharon hated Bucky. Of course she didn't, she thought to herself. She hadn't even met him, and she knew he'd been brainwashed, mostly because she'd seen Steve defend him on the news and heard the story multiple times, so she simply couldn't hate him. She'd never spoken about it with Steve so directly until then, however, mostly because she knew he'd be offended by her suspicions about his 'friend'.

And that's what Sharon was. She was suspicious. And it was hard to see Steve with horrible bruises on his face, defending to the grave the man who put them there. It seemed foolish to Sharon. He seemed blind. Sharon wanted to protect him, make him realize that this man posed a threat to Steve. She felt like she was watching him burn himself on a stove and then go back again for a second round and it made her angry.

So she found herself keeping an eye on Barnes. She saw him in their complex sometimes, saw Steve wait by the door for him, and she kept on high alert to make sure that if anything was going on in that apartment, she would be the first to know. Because Sharon really didn't want Steve hurt again.

And that, that was another topic on which Sharon had poured much thought lately. She didn't love him, she had decided. That was silly, they'd only been on a few dates, he was still stiff and uncomfortable and he refused to touch her unless he was offering her his arm and she attributed that to the fact that Steve was shy and clearly had a difficult time with people. But Sharon was beginning to feel warmly towards Steve and she wanted to get under his shell. She saw a potential love in Steve because they had some things in common, like determination and a strong will, and he was beautiful and kind and good-hearted. Sharon wanted to know him. In fact, she had even grown up on stories of his valor, from the world, from history textbooks, from her aunt. Knowing Steve now was a thrill, and even as the novelty wore off and she began to see him only for who he really was, she found that she hadn't been let down. He was altruistic, he was trustworthy, he was idealistic. And Sharon didn't know a lot of people like that and all she wanted to do was protect those qualities with all her strength.

So Sharon stayed in that apartment, wary of the man in the complex across the street and protective of the one just a wall away from her. She didn't stay because she loved Steve, she thought. She stayed because she was interested and because she was letting herself become concerned and so far, that was all.