He never questioned the orders he got.
He never questioned their "upgrades" and the need to "fix" his body.
He couldn't really remember if it was always that way. He just remembered that it was always the same vicious cycle. He slept — in coldness and darkness — and then he woke up to a new world, new technology, and new faces...but always under the same rule of thumb. Listen to the orders and execute them. And his track record was spotless.
Listen, execute, then sleep again.
This time, he'd been awake for a while. He wanted to believe this was the longest he stayed out of the cold and darkness and he was grateful for it. Yes, it was possible to feel the slightest gratitude that he wasn't subjected to one of the methods of torture. HYDRA wasn't known for its leniency with torment.
In all his time awake, he remembered each and every single one of his orders and it was easy as to why he would remember them all. Nine out of ten times the orders were the same: assassination. So when he was tasked with one order that was very different from all the others, he paid extra attention. Silently, of course.
He remembered the target vividly.
She was young in comparison to most of the other targets he was tasked with. And the reason he really remembered her is because the order was not to kill her but to watch her. Apparently, HYDRA made the mistake of trying to kill her a few times before he was assigned to her. Now that they had all the information they needed, the order was to "be a shadow." Just sit, watch the target and report back. No interaction, no interference. Just watch. So he did just that.
He watched her go to and from the same building. She lived with another agent and when that other agent wasn't around, the girl moved through the New York streets like a brand new tourist. He caught her visiting some older woman and a young boy on occasions. All in all, she seemed pretty average. There wasn't much to report back except that she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., which they already knew, and that sometimes she would meet with a CIA agent.
Then, there were rare moments where he would watch her sit in the park and stare out at nothing in particular. She sat by herself, without her agent friends, and without anyone else. Her young face seemed laced with a deep torment. If he had to describe it, she seemed like she was trapped. She watched everyone at the park go to and from, buy nonsense snacks, laugh with their friends, and she just sat there. On her own. She did that for hours. And then just like that, she would take a deep breath then put on a smile when she got up and walked away. She was resigned. Tormented, trapped, and resigned. He recognized those feelings all too well because they were exactly what he learned to live with ages ago.
Sometimes she was based overseas, sometimes down South, sometimes right in New York. It never made sense. She didn't make sense. She wasn't in a high power role, she didn't have any money and she didn't have any connections. For a long time, he didn't understand why she was of HYDRA's interest...until he saw the blue flame in her eyes. He learned that she had special powers, not like her agent friend born with them, but instead powers that had been given to her. He never got an explanation about what those powers were but it had to be what made the woman valuable in HYDRA's mind. What was also strange is how much they doddled in just...taking her. There was no mistake that HYDRA wanted her and yet all they ordered him to do was watch her. It didn't make any sense. It wouldn't be the first nor the last that they kidnapped someone for their skills. So it all just went back to the same question: what was so special about her?
To this day, he still didn't understand.
~ 0 ~
What Sam heard was beyond his wildest dreams. He told Chloe that he would listen to anything she had to say, and he did. He just never imagined what he would hear from someone who looked so normal.
They sat at a coffee house together, two cups in front of them but barely touched. Sam couldn't think about drinking anything right now. He was just so flabbergasted by what he heard. Chloe continuously gauged his reactions to know when to stop talking. She couldn't believe she was doing it in the first place and yet it felt so natural speaking to Sam. He was funny and charismatic but most of all easygoing. His shocked expressions were funny, to say the least. Sometimes she forgot that not everybody was entwined with S.H.I.E.L.D. and its respective branches. Sam was from a whole different kind of world.
"You gonna lock me up in the psych ward now?" She asked as a joke but Sam saw right through it. 'Do you think I'm insane?' is what she was really asking.
"I think we should lock whoever came up with that piece in your head," Sam replied. "I'm impressed that you've been carrying it for that long without cracking."
"Ooh...sometimes I have," Chloe admitted.
"When you're alone, right?" Sam eyed her until she gave herself up with a small smile. "Yeah, that's usually what people tend to do. They think it's a way to avoid troubling others. I thought you lived with Steve, right? He seems like the kind of guy you could talk to."
Chloe nodded. "Oh yeah, but I tend not to. Steve's got other things going on and I'm not going to add 'crazy alien hivemind' to the list. Plus, I love him but these are aliens we're talking about. He's still acclimating to our world."
"Mm, gonna agree to that," Sam said, recalling the last conversation he had with Steve. "Is there no one else you could talk to?"
Chloe sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, my best friend Seren."
"Oh, I've met her," Sam said, easily remembering the ginger woman. "She works for S.H.I.E.L.D. too, right?"
"Yes, although she's been on an overseas mission for 2 years. She's always been there for me, taught me everything I know..."
"Then what's the problem?"
"That is the problem, Sam." Chloe leaned forward on the table, willing Sam with one sharp look to understand her. "Seren's taken care of me ever since I ran away from home. I don't want her to feel like she has to continue babying me. Plus..." Chloe ducked her head, unable to bring herself to say the hard truth about S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Chloe?" Sam waited for her to finish.
"I...I know some things...things that would really hurt Seren," Chloe said, and Sam got the gist that was all he would be getting. Chloe knew better than to talk these things out loud. There were eyes and ears everywhere and she wasn't going to risk bringing someone innocent like Sam into this. It's why she kept quiet about everything happening with her lately. Steve was so focused on S.H.I.E.L.D. and Seren, Seren on the Initiative, that Chloe didn't want to add extra stress to either one of them. Because once she told them the truth about S.H.I.E.L.D., they could become targets too. She'd spent years being a silent target, she was used to it by now.
Half an hour later, the two walked out of the coffee house and said goodbye. Sam made her promise that if she decided she needed to say something else, she would call him. Chloe agreed.
She walked down the block on her own, intending on heading back to the hotel room until Seren called her. She hoped that whatever happened last night, Seren and Steve were able to work out their oh-so obvious feelings for each other.
The Shadow is here...
Chloe stopped in her tracks. Her eyes flickered from one passing stranger to the next.
The Shadow is here.
She looked back and saw nothing but a crowded street.
They're coming now.
Chloe swallowed hard and continued to walk. "Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone," she recited under her breath. She had no idea what the hell a ghost was but she had a suspicion that it had to do with her long-term problem. You shouldn't have told Sam anything. They could've heard. She had half a mind to call Sam now just to make sure nothing had happened to him yet.
She almost jumped when she felt her phone buzz. She quickly took it out and saw Steve's name on the screen. She relaxed instantly. Here we go. She took the call and smirked. "Well hello there. On a scale from 1 to 10, how angry are you?"
"Chloe—"
"Oh, and did you finally make your move?"
"Chloe listen," Steve's voice was unusually hard, and strained.
Chloe felt that easiness slowly fade from her again. "Steve, what is it?"
"S-something's happened."
Chloe gulped. It can't be Sam. Steve doesn't have his number. It can't be Natasha, she's at the hotel. Chloe felt like her entire world was about to spin. "What happened?"
"It's Seren. I-I don't know what happened but...but she's in the hospital. She's not well, Chloe. She was poisoned."
Chloe's eyes widened.
The Ghost is here. They are coming.
Chloe rubbed hard circles over her chest, feeling like right now her lungs were about to collapse. She listened to Steve and the directions of the hospital. She promised she would be there quick and with Natasha. When she hung up, she sprinted down the block.
~ 0 ~
Cyanide.
Seren was poisoned with cyanide.
Even when Steve was looking at her unconscious body in the hospital room, he couldn't finish wrapping his head around such an idea. Of all the people to hurt, why would someone want to hurt her?
"The doctors confirmed it," Sharon — once Kate to him — returned to the room shortly after debriefing the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. of the situation.
At another moment, Steve would pick up the pending argument with her for lying about who she was. For now, he would only be thankful she'd been around and listened to him when he screamed her name for help. With Sharon's assistance, they were able to bring Seren to the right hospital.
Being half alien wasn't something every hospital was equipped to handle and Steve wasn't going to risk Seren's health even more by letting a petty disagreement with Sharon (S.H.I.E.L.D.) get in the way.
"Kate—Sharon, I don't understand how this happened." Steve pulled himself from the chair he set beside Seren's bed. "She didn't...we were just having breakfast and—"
"These days, cyanide could be injected into anything," Sharon explained to him. She too was confused given that she'd just seen Seren maybe an hour before Steve called her over. "There was a substantial amount in her system. Anyone else would've died shortly after ingesting it. Her being half Celessian is what saved her."
"Saved?" Steve glanced back to Seren. She'd been unconscious for hours now, giving no signs of life except for the constant beeping of the machine next to her. He hated the air mask over her face but right now, it was delivering the air her lungs couldn't deliver on their own.
"I know it doesn't seem like it but she will pull through," Sharon said for his sake. He'd been rendered weak at the sight of Seren losing air. She doubted Agent Soul had informed anyone of this budding relationship which was why Sharon asked Steve to let her handle it while he looked after Seren. "The mask is temporary but within hours she'll be able to breathe normally again. Her Celessian side is metabolizing the Cyanide as we speak."
Steve heard her clearly. He knew she wouldn't lie about this but it was hard to believe it when he was looking at Seren right now. One moment they'd been talking about planning a date together and the next...she was fighting to breathe. "I want to know who did this," he said, his tone dark enough to startle Sharon. He stood up, easily towering her and with threatening eyes spoke again. "I want to know who did this to her. Who, when, and why."
"I-I wouldn't be able to tell you—"
"Someone did this to her and I want to find them!" Steve practically yelled and didn't seem phased at how Sharon flinched. "And when I do, they're going to wish they'd poison me instead."
Sharon nodded. "Okay," she motioned him to calm down (and took one cautious step back). "But you yelling at me, in her—" she nodded towards Seren, "—room isn't going to do that. Give me some time, I'll find out more. You can trust me." Steve's expression said the opposite which was fair. Yesterday she'd been nothing more than his neighbor and now she presented herself as Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Service. It was hard to gain his trust right now.
"Does Fury know?" he asked.
"Yes, I just finished debriefing him. He's treating this as a direct attack towards S.H.I.E.L.D. Rest assured, we will find out who it was."
"...thank you." He returned to his chair where he would remain until Seren came-to. He had nothing else to say to her and Sharon understood. She quietly backtracked until she reached the door and left the room.
Steve barely let a breath out when the door opened again and in came Chloe and Natasha. Chloe was in tears as she ran to Seren's bedside. Natasha, more cool and collected, went straight to Steve for some answers.
"What the hell happened!? Who did this!? Rogers, you better tell me who did this—"
"No one knows," Steve muttered, eyes glued on Seren. He had already looked away once and she ended up here. He couldn't risk doing the same thing.
"She was poisoned," Natasha said tartly. "How the hell did someone manage to poison her? And with Cyanide!? Of all the things to poison her with, cyanide was a weak decision."
"Weak?" Steve said incredulously. "She couldn't breathe, Natasha! She screamed and cried but because she couldn't breathe, it was all warped and completely horrific!" He would never be able to get rid of that moment from his brain. He had been helpless and he had just sworn to Seren that he'd be right with her in everything.
"I didn't mean it like that," Natasha said, crossing her arms. "Cyanide is deadly to humans, but not to Celessians. Most of the time, they can metabolize our common poisons. To really hurt Seren, they would have to synthesize something."
Chloe listened silently with tears in her eyes. She held her breath knowing that Natasha was absolutely right. Cyanide kills humans unless they are treated quickly. Chloe gulped. This time, the voice was absolutely right.
"I'm afraid to ask how the hell you guys would know that, Natasha..." Steve knew it just had to with another of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stupid exams performed on Seren.
"Walk us through it," Natasha practically commanded him. She grabbed the other chair in the room and pulled it up to his side. She forced him to look at her and motioned him to start. "What exactly happened?"
"Nothing," Steve shrugged. "We went out for breakfast, had cinnamon rolls there then we brought some back to my place. I ate them too."
Natasha listened attentively, nodding her head. "Did she eat something before that? After? Something you didn't?"
"I don't know, she had a few samples."
"Poisoning her in a bakery seems too far-out," Chloe looked back at the two. "Too public. Maybe somebody offered her a sample outside?"
Natasha shook her head. "Seren's not stupid enough to take a sample from a stranger. No, this was done with planning. We're not supposed to figure out who it was. Rogers, think about it, did she eat anything else?"
Steve sighed. "No, not that I know of. I mean, she had one of Chloe's chocolates but that was it." Chloe's eyes widened. She pulled her hand from Seren's arm and stepped back.
"Chocolates?" Natasha raised an eyebrow at him then quickly glanced at Chloe. "What chocolates?"
"Uh, I...I got some chocolates yesterday from an admirer…" Chloe trailed off once she saw Natasha getting up from her seat, "But it can't be those! I had them too!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! And look at me?" Chloe gestured to herself. "I'm fine. It had to be something from the bakery."
Natasha's gaze lingered on Chloe but she ultimately agreed. "Yeah, I'll go check the bakery. God help them if they're responsible for this."
Chloe moved around the bed when Natasha was gone. "She'll be fine, Steve. Seren's gone through a lot, trust me. She'll get through this one." She spared her best friend one more look before leaving as well. She left in quite a hurry once she was out of the room.
~ 0 ~
There was no time to waste for Chloe as she sped right through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s floors. She burst into Fury's office, something she was yelled over. She ignored it, of course, prioritizing Seren above everything. "It was for me!" she yelled.
"What—?"
"The Cyanide poisoning was for me! They were trying to poison me, not Seren!" Chloe was frantic as she explained the story behind the chocolates she received the previous night. "They were left by an admirer, supposedly — that's what the note said. I-I'm usually vigilant about this kind of stuff but we were in a S.H.I.E.L.D. event with the Council. I didn't think I needed to watch over my shoulder there too! I gave the chocolates to Seren to take and Steve said she had some this morning! It was the chocolates — the Cyanide was in the chocolates. It was meant for me!"
A long minute passed where Fury watched Chloe practically unravel the more reality set on her shoulders. She reminded him of when she first stepped in his office to discuss a similar event. Young, helpless, and clueless. They'd come a long way since then but the fact that one of her closest friend's had been attacked in her place was sending her back.
"Agent Winters, we concluded a long time ago that they were no longer trying to kill you," he said, bringing his hands together on his desk. "Cyanide is lethal—"
"Yes but not if treated quickly!" Chloe argued frantically. "And that must have been the plan! I eat the chocolates at the event and then get brought to a hospital where I-I don't know, I might have been kidnapped or something! Don't you see? They're not trying to kill me, but they almost killed Seren and that is where I draw the line, Fury! I've been running from these people for years now and it's not getting any better. Seren got hurt because I couldn't see it!"
Fury raised an eyebrow at her. "See it?"
With a sigh, Chloe nodded. "I think I may be acquiring some low-level seer abilities. I've been seeing flashes of the future—short range—and it comes true. I didn't see this, though! The one time it would've been great to!"
"Need I remind you that it was you who decided to stick around to hang out with Rogers," Fury said.
"Because Steve needed help after Seren left! I-I don't know, I thought..." Chloe sighed, "They had just stopped trying to attack me that I...I thought maybe...maybe they just gave up. Plus, even then, I was with Steve. Captain America. Nobody in their right mind would try anything if he was around."
"Unfortunately, that didn't work so well with Agent Soul," Fury retorted. "It's too late now anyways. You just need to keep calm, Winters—"
Chloe slammed her hands on the desk. "I can't keep calm when they're so frikin close this time! Look where Seren is! I-I have to leave again! I've stayed too long here!"
"I don't think this is a matter that can be fixed by just shipping you off somewhere again," Fury said, leaning back in his seat.
Chloe almost pulled a double-take at him. Was he acting crazy on purpose? "Why not?" she frowned. "We've been doing this for years! Ever since we realized there were fucking moles in this place!"
"Shhh," Fury pointed a finger at her. "I told you we can't say things like that!"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE!" Chloe screamed with a face stained of tears. "You told me that I couldn't say anything to Seren or Natasha or Clint about this stuff because it was too dangerous but look at where we are now, Fury? Seren — S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prized agent — is in the fucking hospital because one of these moles got their targets mixed up! I agreed with everything you said — going on solo missions halfway across the world, adhering to the spontaneous moving, leaving behind my family, but it doesn't matter if the only woman I consider my sister is hurt. I don't deserve any of this but most of all, Seren doesn't deserve this." She wiped the tears off her face with the backs of her hands. "And I just lied to Steve's face about the chocolates. He's furious right now and God help everyone who had something to do with all this."
~ 0 ~
As much as Steve worried how Seren would react, he asked Chloe to call Atria. From there, they would get ahold of Seren's parents. Steve really didn't imagine meeting Seren's parents soon and much less under these circumstances. He stayed with Seren all day, not wanting to miss any update from the doctors. When he saw Atria, he straightened in his chair but then he saw a younger couple and immediately knew who they were. He recognized them from a few pictures Seren had when he helped her pack up for London.
"How is she, Captain?" Atria asked right away, foregoing the polite greetings.
"Stable," Steve replied, glancing at Seren. "Cyanide isn't lethal to, uh, Celessians, I've heard."
"It's not, but it's still very worrisome," said Seren's mother, Liana. She moved past them both and went straight to Seren's bedside. "Oh my girl, what have they done to you?" She seemed unsure whether or not to touch Seren for fear of hurting her.
It seemed like only Brooks Soul remembered the fact they had not properly met yet and as such introduced himself and shook hands with Steve. "Thank you for bringing our daughter here."
"Of course," Steve said, feeling a tad awkward...a tad.
"What happened?" Atria demanded the answers.
"Nobody knows. One moment, she was fine and then the next...she couldn't breathe." Steve said, clearing his throat. He would leave any impertinent details out of the story for now. Seren had never mentioned what she would do in regards to them and being open about it with her family. He wouldn't take that decision away from her.
"Cyanide poisoning," Atria shook her head. "In all my years at S.H.I.E.L.D., no one's ever been that bold enough to poison a special agent like this."
"Should we congratulate them for their courage then, mother?" Liana sent her mother a cold glare. She had decided to take Seren's hand and clutched it like it her life on the line.
"That's not what I meant—" Atria started but Liana scoffed, clearly not interested in hearing the actual intention of her words.
Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't in any kind of mood to tolerate an argument between them right now. Thankfully, Seren's father was on the same page as he was.
"This is hardly the moment to argue," he went up to Seren's other side and took her hand in his. "And this is not the way she should wake up."
"She hasn't woken up at all today, Brooks, didn't you hear?" Liana said coldly. "She was poisoned."
"And thankfully, our daughter is very special," Brooks smiled down at Seren. "She's metabolizing the cyanide as we speak. She's going to get better. It's just...going to take some time." And yet, as he repeated those words over and over to himself, Steve felt no better.
"Hey," Natasha came in and stopped at the sight of the Soul family in the room. She was surprised, having not been clued in on that.
"Agent Romanoff," Atria called. Natasha raised her head in respect for the woman. "I trust you were looking for the culprit?"
"Of course." Her eyes flickered over to Steve, silently asking him to come out for a moment. Any other moment, Steve would have refused to leave the room but Seren would be just fine with her family.
"Excuse us," he promptly said as he left with Natasha. They stayed right next to the door, however, in case anything happened.
"I vetted that bakery like there was no tomorrow and I didn't find anything," Natasha spoke in a hushed tone. "They're all perfectly normal—perfectly boring—employees."
"No, there's gotta be something there," Steve said. Whatever poisoned Seren had to have come from the bakery. "And the samples?"
Natasha nodded her head. "Just two. S.H.I.E.L.D. collected them for exams. The agent posted at your apartment is picking up the cinnamon rolls you were having."
"But they weren't—"
"It's just precaution," Natasha said quickly. "We need to exhaust every possibility until we find the right one."
Steve nodded. "Yeah. Thank you, Natasha."
"Course," Natasha said then, with a slight smirk, she added, "She was my friend before she was your girlfriend. I'd do anything to help her out."
Steve rolled his eyes. He should've expected a comment like that sooner.
"Maybe you should go out for a bit," Natasha suggested. "Seren's family is probably going to stay the night anyways. You should rest."
"If I'm not going to be here then I'm going to be out there," he pointed, "looking for whoever the hell dared to do this."
Natasha was just about to say 'fine' when they both heard a noise coming from Seren's room. Steve groaned.
"What?" Natasha looked at him.
"Those people — if they're arguing in her room, I'm going to..." Steve turned back and hurried to Seren's room. Natasha quickly followed him and when they rushed inside, they found Seren had woken up.
And she was not happy.
Natasha scrunched her face, knowing exactly what would be happening. "Ooh, she's not going to like this..."
Seren caught sight of where she was and the oxygen mask on her face and panicked. She moved to rip the mask and needles off her, leading Brooks and Liana to try and hold her down. It was an effort between the two to keep her arms down, though Liana seemed to have a better grip on her. Seren whimpered and groaned, putting all of her strength to get up from the bed.
"Oh no, no, Seren! Don't do that!" Liana yelled at her, forcing Seren's arm and head down.
"NO!" Seren's scream was muffled but it was still very clear what she wanted. She was strong even when her body was recovering from a poison attack. She fought against her parents to yank everything off.
"Seren, you need to stop!" Brooks exclaimed.
Atria was at the foot of Seren's bed, trying to keep her from kicking off the covers. "Seren Soul, stop this right now!" She was more adamant in her order but it did no good to stop her granddaughter.
"We're going to have to call the doctors for a sedative," Natasha told Steve as they watched Seren get even more aggressive. Right now, it didn't matter that she was fighting her own family. She was chalked up on meds, confused as hell, and in the place she feared most.
Seren's eyes widened with renewed fear when she saw the needles prodding the back of her hand. It was her IV pump. "OFF! GE— OFF!" She whipped her head side to side, resorting to try and shake off the mask.
"Seren, enough!" Liana pressed her fingers along the edges of the mask.
"We need to sedate her — now," Atria told Steve and Natasha, motioning them to move.
Steve knew that would just make it even worse. She would wake up again and do the same thing. He hurried to Seren's bedside, unapologetically pushing Liana to the side. "Seren!" He called to her and grabbed her arms, keeping them at her side. She froze for a second when she heard his voice. Her eyes locked with his and for a moment, the only noise was that of the machines and her own heavy breathing. "Seren, sweetheart, everything's okay. I know you're confused, I know it's scary being here but you need to leave the mask and the IV pumps alone."
"Mm, no—" Her eyes teared up.
"I know, I know," Steve nodded at her. "You hate it, I'm sorry." Seren curled a hand around Steve's wrist and just as her mother was about to reprimand her again — assuming Seren would want to fight him as well — Steve took her hand from his wrist and held it with his own hand. "It's okay," he told her, kissing the back of her hand. She squeezed his hand so hard that if he didn't have his own special strength, she would have broken his bones for sure. It broke Steve's heart; she was truly living her worst nightmare.
Seren swallowed hard and tried to calm herself down. She was in a hospital, surrounded by doctors and medical tools but...she was...she wasn't alone. She had to remember that and maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't burst into sobs.
"Seren," Steve called when he saw tears rolling down from her eyes. "Listen to me, you're going to be okay. The mask will come off by tomorrow morning—"
She whimpered again. Morning?!
"You were poisoned, my little star soul," Atria said, gently nudging Seren's foot. "Cyanide isn't lethal to Celessians but since you're half, your body still needs to metabolize it."
"We're going to be right here with you," Liana said, offering her daughter a big smile. "And I'm sure Captain Rogers wouldn't mind sticking around for a bit…" She glanced at Steve with gratefulness. It didn't go over her head how easily he managed to calm her daughter down.
So much for being discreet, Steve sighed to himself. Still, looking down at Seren he couldn't be bothered by it. "You're going to be okay, trust me."
Seren nodded. She trusted him with her life. It just didn't mean she would be completely calm during her stay. Now that she was awake, Seren refused to be put under again. She didn't want to sleep. She wanted to be awake to make sure that no doctor or nurse touched her. She was a fidgety mess. She kept looking at the beeping machines and the tubes. What was worse is that she kept trying to talk. The oxygen mask muffled a good part of her words.
"Can I just have a word with her?" Steve finally decided it was time to give Seren a break from all the people in her room. He too would eventually have to leave when the nurses reached their last nerve with them. Seren had refused to let go of his hand; she hadn't even stopped squeezing it.
"Please, you shouldn't tell her anything," Liana warned Steve as her husband and Atria started telling Seren they'd be out for a moment. "She doesn't need to know."
"You don't think she should know someone tried killing her?" Natasha cut in before Steve could say anything. Unlike him, she had a clear expression of disdain for the idea. "I think that's something she should know, you know...to be on guard?"
Liana's face morphed into irritation. "She's already tempted death too much. Shouldn't she rest?"
"That's exactly what she'll be doing, Mrs. Soul," Steve assured her. Liana seemed to believe him more which was what allowed her to leave more calmly. "We'll be back in a moment, Seren."
Seren nodded. Her eyes followed her mother until she walked out of the room. As soon as Liana was gone, she yanked the oxygen mask off her, not giving Steve nor Natasha the second they needed to react and stop her. "I hate this place!"
"Seren, put that back on," Natasha rolled her eyes and moved up to Seren's side. "You may be half alien but you still need to breathe."
"I don't like it!" Seren's nose crinkled as Natasha moved the oxygen mask back over her face. "Get it — get me out of here!"
"We might have to tape it down, which I am okay doing..." Natasha smirked at Steve who rolled his eyes at her.
He replaced her by Seren's bedside and grabbed a seat. "Seren, I know you hate this place. Trust me, I get it, I really do but you need to leave that mask alone." She all but pouted under the mask.
"Hey!" Chloe hurried into the room. "I saw Seren's family and I thought something happened!"
Seren pulled her mask off again. "I think the worst has already happened!"
"Seren Soul!" Steve reached for the mask only to have her move it to her other side.
"I need to know what happened to me and I..." Seren had to stop for a breath, "I know that all..."
"Seren, please..." Steve would get on his knees if it meant she would listen and do as he said.
Seren mustered up all her strength to say what she needed to before she really had to put the mask back on. "You know more than you're saying. Please tell me what's really going on." The request was directly for Steve because he was the only one who wouldn't lie to her. They shared too much to start lying now. "Please."
Steve sighed. Her soft eyes pleading him to speak the truth were something he wasn't going to be able to stand again, ever. He reached for the mask on her other side and helped her put it over her face again. "You were poisoned with cyanide but we're not sure where it came from. We think it's an attack on S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe towards your work to expand the Initiative."
"I already went back to the bakery to retrace your steps," Natasha said, folding her arms over her chest. "And someone else retraced them in the apartment. Seren, what did you eat this morning? Everything counts."
Seren thought for a few minutes. Her mind was fuzzy from all the medication and the long hours she was out. Still, if she was remembering correctly, the list of what she ate wasn't that big. She pulled the mask from her enough to be able to speak. "Cinnamon rolls. Steve and I…we went out..." She felt terrible ending their wonderful morning with this mess. She would much rather be back in his apartment, eating cinnamon rolls with him.
Steve reached for her free hand beside her. "Anything else? I know you had a few samples from the bakery?"
Seren shook her head. "Just the...the seasonal pastries but...maybe just two? I just wanted to spend time with you." She smiled sadly at him.
Steve matched her smile with his own. He'd want nothing more than to have more moments like their breakfast date. "Are you sure you didn't try anything else? Something I didn't see?"
"Well...the only other things I can think of is the chocolates that Chloe gave me," Seren's eyes flickered to Chloe standing behind Steve's chair.
As soon as the eyes went to her, Chloe stiffened. "C-can't be," she said. "Why would an admirer want to...to hurt me? I haven't done anything special..."
Natasha stared at the young woman suspiciously. "What kind of chocolates were they again?"
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know! I barely looked at them!"
"But you gave them to Seren!"
"Because she loves chocolates and I just — I wanted her to have something sweet with this one!" Chloe flapped a hand towards Steve.
"Well obviously, it could have been laced with something," argued Natasha.
"No!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Please don't yell," Seren closed her eyes. Her head was far too fuzzy to handle yelling right now.
"Stop," Steve warned both Chloe and Natasha. He'd move them out of the room if he had to. He did, however, noticed Chloe's pale complexion. She was fidgety too. That was the first time he ever saw her be fidgety.
Chloe couldn't take their gazes and hurriedly left the room.
Seren tried sitting up to call for her. "Chloe—!" But her air cut off abruptly, sending her into a fit of gasps.
"I'll go," Natasha said quickly then hurried after Chloe.
"Seren! Put the mask back on!" Steve did it himself before she had time to refuse him. "Natasha will make sure Chloe's fine."
"But—"
"Trust me, please." Steve wasn't sure if he was prepared to fight her over the oxygen mask but he did know that one way or another, the mask was staying on. "Lay back down please." With a sigh that fogged the oxygen mask, Seren laid down. "Thank you." Steve took her hand again and held it tight. "Do you feel okay? Do you need anything?"
"To get...out of here," Seren frowned at the fog on her mask. Each of her words added a new layer of fog.
"Soon, I promise. The oxygen mask comes off tomorrow morning and then afterwards you might even get to go home."
"Might?" Seren frowned. She pulled the mask down enough for her to speak clearly. "Lovey, you know I'm terrified of this place. I cannot stay here the whole night. Please don't make me."
"I'm sorry. I'd take your place if I could."
"Then you'd be dead," Seren pointed out with a frown.
"Well," Steve swayed his head, "You never know. My healing could kick in and I'd be just fine."
"No."
Steve cracked a smile at her. "Then we are at a stalemate, darling. You need to keep the mask on and you need to stay here."
"But—"
"You were poisoned, Seren. You really scared me back there. You couldn't breathe and I-I couldn't do anything for you." Steve gripped Seren's hand in his and brought it close to his lips. "I couldn't help you. I never want to see that happen again."
Once again, Seren pulled her mask up to speak better. "Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault, Steve. I've made a lot of enemies. Anybody could've done this."
Steve didn't care about the technicalities, just about what he saw. He had been so useless when she needed him the most. "Sharon was the one who knew who to call and where to take you. Not me. It's ironic; I hated her when you told me who she was but in the end, she's the one who helped save your life. I'm supposed to be the one you can trust your life to but I didn't deliver. I didn't know what to do. I wouldn't blame you if you told me to leave."
If there was ever a moment that she wished she could get up from the ruddy hospital bed, it was now. Seren shifted to get closer to him and eventually her movements got his attention.
"Seren, don't mo—"
"I want to be close to you because right now I'm so scared," Seren admitted, swallowing a thick lump in her throat. "I am terrified of this place but knowing that you're here right now makes me feel a thousand times safer. I only trust you."
"You shouldn't," Steve said, rubbing her hand with his. "Maybe I should post Natasha here. Nobody gets through her."
"Mm," Seren smiled at the thought. "While I do trust her, it doesn't compare to what I feel for you, lovey. Please don't blame yourself. I'd feel awful if you did. And you don't want me to feel even worse right?"
Steve couldn't help his chuckle when she flashed him her best smile. Of course after he secured the mask on her again. "Course not," he told her. "All you need to worry about is getting better. Your family's going to be here with you while I work with Natasha to figure out where this poison came from." He suddenly felt his hand being squeezed.
"Please don't go," she said through her mask. Everything she said was true. She couldn't stand being in the hospital and the only reason she wasn't fighting to get off the bed was because Steve was right next to her. "Please."
Steve couldn't bear to tell her no with this request. He didn't want to leave either. "I thought...maybe you'd want to be with your parents? Your grandmother?"
Seren's brows furrowed. That wasn't the expression of somebody who wanted to spend time with her family. Steve half smiled at her.
"I think your mother has super hearing, right?" He asked and he saw a blip of a smile on her face. "Right. Let's keep it nice then."
"Fight...too much..." Seren frowned at the fog on her mask.
"Yeah, I...I got that..." Steve nodded, "But they are your parents and at the end of the day, they're worried about you. We all are. Even Rebeca and your new team are collaborating with us."
"Thanks..." Seren took in a breath and shifted in bed.
Steve noticed the slow of her blinking. He watched her for a bit and realized she was getting tired. She'd been speaking way too much for someone whose oxygen levels were low. "You can rest, Seren." He felt her stiffen through their interlocked hands. Fear crept in her eyes when she looked at him again and he knew exactly why. "I won't leave, I promise. I might have to at some point tomorrow but not through the night." Her grip on his hand loosened for a moment. "It's okay, sweetheart. You've been brave enough. Let me take care of you now. I swear I'll do it right this time."
Seren nodded slowly. "Kay…" She was already half gone by that point that she didn't even feel when Steve kissed her forehead.
Steve held her hand while she slept and watched her with the utmost attentiveness.
A/N:
The ploooot is coming :D. p.s. I know I'm biased but i think seren and steve are so soft! I think out of the three marvel ocs and their partners in this universe, seren and steve are by far that softy couple.
P.S. As always, I have an AO3/Wattpad account under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow :)