Another you (Steve x Stark!Reader) 2/3

Once they had devised a plan to take out the two men that were roaming through the Tower – taking in mind that more could be on their way, or were already inside – they made their way out of [Name]’s bedroom. They only stopped to get Steve’s shield from underneath his bed and quickly made their way down again, keeping their eyes and ears open.

         “Remember,” Steve whispered as they hid behind the last piece of cover before the large glass lab above them. “Don’t take them on alone.”

         She nodded, though an annoyed glimmer gloomed in her eyes. “I could take them,” she worded her thoughts.

         “That may be so, but I’d rather have you safe. I’d hate to explain to Tony I got you killed.”

         “You worry too much,” she smiled faintly. “If we’re going to do this together – as a team – you’re going to have to trust me.”

         “Yeah,” the super soldier replied distantly, thinking about all that had happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. “I’ve had a little trouble with trust lately…”

         “Hmm?”

         “Never mind, let’s go!”

         They made their way up the stairs silently, the only sound filling their ears were their own soft footsteps and steady heart beats. In the distance, however, the whispering voices of the two intruders echoed through the lab. Steve signalled the young Stark they were inside and that he had a clear visual of both of them. She nodded, telling him without words she was ready to go in if he was. The super soldier still wasn’t used to seeing Tony’s daughter like this, but the determined and surprisingly patient gaze in her eyes told him she’d done this more times than she led on.

         “Take the right,” he signalled to her once the intruders had turned their backs on them and would be easily surprised if Steve timed their entrance correctly.

         [Name] quickly moved behind him, reaching for the gun on her belt as she approached the tall man that searched through one of the lab’s many cabinets, pulling papers, files and small equipment from their places.

         The men however, were more observant than Steve had assumed and before [Name] was close enough to take the first one out, he turned around, quickly grabbing his gun and aiming for her head. Steve wanted to scream her name and run towards her to protect her, but the man before him turned around as well, swinging his fist towards the super soldier.

         Steve quickly pulled up his shield, feeling the vibrations of the man’s fist hitting the hard vibranium. His eyes quickly shot to [Name], seeing her reflexes were almost as fast as his own. She had dropped to the floor as soon as the man had reached for his gun and had kicked his feet from underneath him, causing him to fall to the ground and shoot at the lights above him. Steve sighed relieved, clenching his hand around his shield and focussing on his own fight.

         He didn’t know how long it took him to get the upper hand, but Steve figured it couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. The man was well-trained and a better fighter than most, but Steve’s strength was still greater and soon the man started panting, leaving gaps in his defence. The fight was over before it had really started. With one last punch the man fell to the floor, unable to push himself back up.

         The young Stark had a little more trouble taking ‘her’ man out – considering he was almost twice her size – but she was doing good and when the man made the mistake of thinking he almost had her, leaving himself almost completely defenceless, she attacked with all her strength. She slammed him into one of the cabinets, shattering the glass and knocking the man unconscious. 

         [Name] panted, wiping the sweat from her brow as Steve lay his hand on her shoulder, telling her without words she’d done good. Together they dragged the unconscious agent towards his colleague and tied them together, preventing their escape.

         “That was easier than I thought it was going to be,” Steve whispered, once he had made sure the ropes were tight enough and the duct tape over their mouths didn’t prevent them from breathing.

         “A little too easy,” [Name] nodded, kicking at their legs to see if they were still unconscious. One of them groaned, but didn’t seem to make any effort of trying to escape. She nodded satisfiedly and got her phone from her pocket, quickly dialling a number as she paced back and forward in her father’s lab. “We have to get them out of here, before the rest comes back.”

         “And how do you suggest we do that?” Steve frowned, letting his gaze pass between the two intruders and [Name]. “Sure, we can stuff them in a closet somewhere, but how do you expect us to clean up the entire Tower? The lab is a mess,” he said, pointing at the broken equipment and furniture. “And your ‘friends’ didn’t exactly clean up after themselves.”

“Don’t worry. I know a guy,” she replied shortly, getting some of Tony’s stuff and putting it back where it belonged. She was silent for a moment, until she turned back around and whispered her own name into the phone. “I need your help,” was all she said before hanging up again.

         “What was that about?” Steve frowned, wondering who the young Stark had called to get them out of this mess… literally.

         “Stuffing them in a closet?” she snorted, shaking her head. “You surprise me, Captain. You really thought we’re going to clean this ourselves? My dad would notice something was wrong immediately. I called a more… proficient way.”

         The super soldier nodded. “This really isn’t the first time, is it?”

         “You don’t want me to answer that question, Steve,” she smiled sadly, “so I won’t.”

         “S.H.I.E.L.D?”

         “I used to be… Fury recruited me himself.”

         He nodded again, not really surprised Nick hadn’t told him anything about recruiting Tony’s daughter, or anything else for that matter. There were a lot more things the old director hadn’t told him. “Then why continue this mission? S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone.”

         “Well, yeah, but Maxim isn’t,” she frowned at his response. “And neither is his father. Just because S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, doesn’t mean I should stop fighting. I thought you of all people would understand.”

         “I do, it’s just… Whose war we fighting? S.H.I.E.L.D.’s, or Hydra’s? I’m not sure if there is a difference… If there ever was.”

         “Hydra would destroy the world if they got the chance, Steve. Maxim’s father works for them. Don’t you see? The fight isn’t over. It has only just begun.”

         “I don’t know. It’s different now…. I’m different. Maybe I don’t deserve these powers anymore,” he sighed, looking down at his hands, remembering the days when everything was different. When he needed Bucky to come to his aid every time he got himself into fight, though he would have never have admitted it at the time. When girls would laugh at him as he walk down the street, instead of screech. When he knew exactly who the enemy was and who he could trust… All of that was gone now and the super soldier couldn’t help but think that a part of him had gone with it.

         “Listen, Steve,” [Name] said seriously, taking a step closer to him, her face covered in a serious frown. “You have always been a fighter. Not because you wanted to, but because you had to. That’s why doctor Erskine chose you; why he gave you these powers. He knew that whatever were to happen, wouldn’t change anything in here,” she said, laying her warm hand against his chest, where his heart was. “S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, yes, but HYDRA is still out there. Are you going to stop fighting now? Just give up and let them win? That’s not like you, Steve. Even I know that.”

         “I’m not the same guy I was then,” Steve sighed, taking her hand in his and pushing it away softly. “To be honest… I don’t even know who I am anymore. Who I’m supposed to be.”

         She smiled sadly, nodding at his word slowly. “I’m probably the last person you should be taking advice from about this, but you’re not supposed to be anyone – or anything, for that matter. Just be yourself. That’s all we can ask of you.”

         A soft laugh escaped Steve’s lips, thinking that was indeed ironic advise coming from the woman who had pretended to be someone she was not for as long as he could remember. It was a miracle she did know who she was.

         So why didn’t he?

         “You’re a lot smarter than you look,” Steve sighed, knowing she was right. Maybe he wasn’t the same person as before he went into the ice, but he had been given these powers for a reason.

         To fight.

         So he might as well do so.

         “I’m going to take that as a compliment,” [Name] laughed. “The ‘cleaning’ crew will be here in half an hour. They should be finished before my dad comes back. I’m going to prepare for when he does. You might want to do the same.”

 

An hour later

The ‘cleaning’ crew worked through the entire main floor, getting rid of all traces of a party and the fight that had taken place later. None of them said a word as Steve watched them with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. It had been a crazy night, though the Captain wondered if it had been such a bad thing. He had thought about it for the past hour and had come to the conclusion that Stark’s daughter was right. About everything. Just because S.H.I.E.LD. was gone, didn’t mean he had to be too. There was still much to be done and the idea of a normal life seemed to become more of a faint dream, than he ever thought it would.

         “The Avengers will be back in a few minutes,” a soft, warm voice spoke to him as the cleaning crew was finishing up, gathering their things to leave the Tower just as it was several hours earlier, before Steve’s friends had left.

         Steve nodded, pushing himself from the wall and looking back at the young woman behind him. Though the brightness and intelligence still remained in her [eye colour] orbs, everything else he had learned about her tonight was gone. Lipstick was smeared over her face and her hair was lowered, fluffed into a big mess. Her short dress once more revealed her long, slim legs and the super soldier swallowed hard, looking at her with different eyes now.

         “It’s… different seeing you like this now,” he muttered, more to himself than to [Name].

         A smile curled her lips as she stumbled closer to him, holding one heel in her hand while the other was still on her foot. Steve had seen her like this a hundred times before. Coming home from one of her ‘late night adventures’, passed out on the couch, or even sneaking into the house early in the morning, gesturing him to keep quiet. It all was different now.

         She was different.

         “I think it’s best if everything that happened tonight stays between us. I don’t want my father, or Pepper, to worry about me.”

         “You would do great in the team…”

         She laughed softly. “Perhaps, but we both know Tony will never let me go on any of the missions.”

         Steve nodded again, knowing she was indeed right. “Promise me then you’ll at least tell me where you’re going; what you’re really doing.”

         “I will. Steve, I–”

         Their conversation was cut short when the sounds of an opening door echoed through the now clean living room. Steve quickly turned his gaze towards the cleaning crew, but they had all disappeared, leaving the Avenger’s Tower as it has always been. An organised mess.

         Steve heard the voices of his friends as they talked about the events of the mission and walked towards the couches, taking their well-deserved rest. The super soldier looked back at [Name], only to find an empty space where she just had been. Confusion frowned his brow, though he had little time to wonder where she had gone as his friends called out to him.

         “What have you been doing all night?” Natasha asked, seating herself on the sofa next to Clint as Steve walked into the room. “I thought you wanted to catch up with some sleep?”

         “I tried,” Steve replied, trying to act like nothing was the matter and nothing had changed since they had gone on their mission, “but you know how those things go…”

         Natasha nodded, though looking at him suspiciously. He had never been a very good liar – to Natasha least of all – and he could only hope she wouldn’t ask about [Name]. Just when the super soldier was sure she was going to, the door to the living room was slammed open, causing everyone to quickly turn their head around, including the Black Widow.

         “Ah!” the young Stark said drunkenly as she entered the room, wobbling on her feet. “A welcoming party. Just for me? How nice of you…”

         Steve couldn’t supress the smile that curled his lips as he watched her clumsily close the door behind her frail looking form. She was a good actress. Maybe even as good as Natasha.

         “Where have you been?” Tony asked his daughter. “It’s five in the morning.”

         “Where have I not been,” she exclaimed, laughing madly. “Don’t worry, dad. I’m fine.”

         “You don’t look fine to me…”

         She shrugged away his concern. “Pff… Says you.”

         “You’re a mess, [Name]. I’ve had a long night,” he rubbed his eyes tiredly. “So, just go to your room and clean yourself up. We’ll talk about this later.”

         “Whatever…” she waved him away, stumbling towards the stair, still only one heel on her feet. She glanced at the Captain shortly as she climbed the stair. The faint outline of a smile curling her lips.

         Steve quickly looked away, feeling Natasha’s watchful eye on his back. Tony seemed oblivious to it all and took in a deep breath, rubbing his eyes again as he walked towards the kitchen, not noticing that the super soldier had followed him to get a drink.

         Tony sighed, shaking his head as he sat himself behind the kitchen counter. “What am I to do with her…” he swallowed hard, talking to no one in particular.

         Steve took a seat next to the tired billionaire, wondering what he should tell his friend to reassure him [Name] would be good on her own; that he didn’t need to worry about her. “She’s young,” he decided to say. “She’ll be fine.”

         “Now you sound like her…”

         Steve laughed softly, thinking that was more true than Tony would ever know. “Has she ever gotten herself into trouble?”

         “Not that I know of… But who knows what she’s up to with her ‘friends’. I worry about her, Cap. That one day she won’t come stumbling through the door.”

         “She’s a lot tougher than she looks, Tony…”

         Tony snorted. “That’s what she wants you to think… Maybe you could talk to her? She doesn’t listen to me and you seem to be the only one that thinks there is still hope for her.”

         “There’s hope for everyone. Even for you. I’ve learned that people are rarely who they say they are.” Steve pushed himself from his seat, leaving the Iron Man to ponder on what he had just said. “I’ll talk to [Name], but maybe you should too. No matter how little it seems she cares about you, she still needs her father.”

         Tony nodded slowly, watching the super soldier walk out of the kitchen and towards his daughter’s bedroom. “What about you?”

         “What do you mean?”

         “If people are rarely who they say they are… Then who are you? Really?”

         Steve smiled, looking at the ground shortly, before answering Tony’s question and walking out of the door. “Honestly,” the super soldier said satisfiedly, “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”

 

Extended ending

Steve softly knocked on [Name]’s door, waiting for her to answer and open up.

         “What?” an annoyed responds followed.

         “It’s me,” he whispered, waiting for her to open the door, probably still dressed in her ‘drunken girl’ outfit. Something he now knew was just a cover – a shell – for the real, strong woman inside.

         Instead she opened the door already having ‘cleaned herself up’ and for a moment Steve didn’t know what to say, looking at the unfamiliar girl before him.

         “Come in,” she smiled as she dried her still wet hair. The heavy make-up had been wiped from her face and the short ‘dress’ had been replaced by a simple blue blouse and jeans. It wasn’t until then the Captain realised how beautiful Stark’s daughter actually was and how mature she could look if she was just herself. “Did my father send you?”

         “Maybe…” Steve smiled back, entering her bedroom and closing the door behind him, just like he had done several hours ago. Being alone with her now in this room felt even more uncomfortable than it had then. “He asked me to talk to you, but we both know that won’t really do any good.”

         She sighed, for a moment grimacing as she looked at the floor. “I will tell him… eventually. Just not now. There are still some lose ends that need to be tied and I can’t do that with my cover blown.”

         “You don’t need to explain yourself to me, [Name]. I understand and I want you to know that I’m here for you… If-If you would need me.”

         “Thank you. That means a lot to me.’”

         “You know, you were really convincing back there… I almost made me think I had imagined it all.”

         She laughed softly, tying her hair into a ponytail. “It’s what I was trained for.”

         “Still, there aren’t many who could pretend to be someone else and don’t lose themselves in the process.”

         “Is that what happened to you?”

         Steve sighed. “Maybe… I don’t know. I’m not a super soldier. I–I mean, I am, but I’m not…” He shook his head, thinking he was blabbering. “You know what I mean?”

         “I do,” she smiled. “People aren’t always defined by their actions. You can be anyone you want.”

         “I think I just want to be me for a while. Not Captain America, or an Avengers. Just me.”

         “I think I’d like that too…”

         Steve nodded, letting a small smile curl his lips. “Thank you for making me realise that… If the others would know who you really are…” he swallowed hard, taking in a deep breath, knowing she didn’t want him to tell anyone about what had happened tonight. Not even her own father. “Anyway, I think I’ll be going. If I stay any longer Tony might get suspicious.”

         The young Stark chuckled, shaking her head. “He’ll probably just think I seduced you.”

         “Wouldn’t that be something…” Steve laughed nervously. “Your dad would kill me.”

         “Don’t be silly. I’ll protect you.”

         Steve nodded. “Good night.”

         “Good night…”

         He turned away from her, walking towards the door, closing his hand around the doorknob, when a nagging feeling nested in the pit of his stomach. “[Name]?” he whispered, slowly turning back around.

         “Yes?” she replied softly, a hint of hope in her voice.

         Steve let his eyes shift over her face, tracing the features he had looked at so often, but only now truly saw. He swallowed hard, walking towards the young woman with quick steps and taking her into his arms before she could mutter another word. He pressed a soft kiss on her lips, feeling her warm hands against his chest.

         For a moment he thought she would push him from her, asking him what the hell he was thinking; that she was Tony’s daughter and that nothing could ever happen between them.

         Instead she took his shirt into her hands and pulled him closer. “Yeah,” she exclaimed softly, blowing out a hot breath. “He’s definitely going to kill you…”

         Steve smiled brushing his lips against hers. “Only if he finds out…”


TO BE CONTINUED...