New Avenger (A Steve Rogers love story)

What Is Going On?

We went to Steve's apartment building after the museum, Peggy, Sam and dinner. It was late and we were tired.

The air was misty from fresh rain, the streets filled with puddles. I inhaled deeply. The air still smelled of rain and I loved it. The night sky was covered by rain clouds still drifting apart. The street lights were on, lighting up the sidewalk and road.

Steve parked his motorcycle and turned it off, then we got off and headed inside.

Steve's neighbor, Kate, stepped out of her apartment, a laundry basket in one arm, her phone in between her shoulder and ear as she used her free arm to pull her door shut.

"Hi." Kate whispered as we passed her to Steve's door, smiling and waving. "I got to go, though. Okay. Bye." Steve turned toward his neighbor. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac." She tossed her phone into the laundry basket. "Yeah."

"Hey, if you want..." Steve began. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the doorframe. "If you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement." Steve smiled.

"Oh, yeah? What's it cost?"

"A cup of coffee?"

She laughed and looked down, pressing her lips together. "Thank you, but I already have a load in downstairs, and you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished a rotation in the infectious disease ward, so..."

"Well, I'll keep my distance." Steve replied.

"Hopefully, not too far." Kate said as she turned toward the stairs.

My head perked up as I could hear 40's music coming from Steve's apartment. 

Steve fumbled with his keys, clearly disappointed that Kate had turned him down. He couldn't hear the music coming from inside yet, but I could.

Kate turned toward us again. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on." She pointed to Steve's door.

"Oh. Right. Thank you." Steve replied.

"Yeah." She smiled and walked down the stairs.

As soon as she was out of sight, Steve turned his ear toward the door. "Someone's in there." I whispered. 

"How do you know?" Steve asked.

"Believe it or not, my senses are better than yours."

Steve and I went back outside the building and climbed up to one of his windows, Steve helping me up most of the time. We crawled through and quietly made our way toward the music. The whole apartment was dark, the only light coming from the street lamps through the windows.

Steve picked his shield up off the ground and slid his arm through the straps. I didn't have any weapons on me, but I did have my life time of training. I stretched my hands, readying them for a fight.

I stayed behind Steve as we got to the corner. Steve poked his head around the corner to see who or what it was. He relaxed and leaned against the wall, then turned to me. "It's Fury." Steve whispered.

I nodded and relaxed my hands, putting them down by my sides. I walked out from behind Steve and stood with my arms folded in front of my chest. Fury was laying back in a chair in the dark corner of the room, next to Steve's old record player.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said.

Nick grunted as he sat up. "You really think I'd need one?" He leaned forward, holding his arm. "My wife kicked me out."

"I didn't know you were married." Steve replied.

I stood there, observing. I noticed that Nick wasn't acting like his usual self, and I could sense that he was in pain, that something serious had happened and that something was wrong.