#sitwell

Steve grunted, pushing against the rubble and looked over to him. Both Natasha and Y/N were unconscious. He quickly pushed everything out of the way, trying to figure out how best to get both of them back to the truck, and quickly.

Y/N was lighter and smaller of the two. He hesitated, and then picked her up, carrying her over his shoulder, before carefully bending down, picking up Nat, trying to cradle her in both arms, while also holding the shield in his other arm.

He saw lights coming from the direction opposite the truck. He quickly turned, running as fast as he could. It was awkward running and he could already feel that the jolting was causing Y/N's body to slip down his shoulder. But he could stop. He couldn't abandon either of them.

His luck came when he felt Natasha struggling in his arms. He immediately put her down, letting her run with him, though she still looked disoriented. He moved Y/N into his arms, cradling her the same way, shoving his shield into Nat's hands instead.

"Start the truck and drive." Steve shouted, yanking open the backseat of the truck and Nat leaped into the front.

Once Nat was on the road, he checked out Y/N. Her breathing seemed nonexistent and he checked for a pulse. Fear lit in him when she didn't respond.

He listened again, this time, hearing her breath hitch in her throat like she was choking.

Choking on what? There had been no water.

How did he save her?

Hesitantly, he went for CPR. Lowering his mouth to hers, he started the drill. He closed his mind against the fact that her lips were softer than Natasha's, pulling back quickly to pump her chest.

Her lips, soft as they were, were almost familiar. They reminded him of his own soulmates lips, although his soulmate had had slightly thicker ones. But they were just as soft.

Suddenly, there was a sharp inhale, and Steve relaxed as Y/N's eyes fluttered open. He held her carefully as she tilted her head, hawking and spitting, until there was a small rock that came up out of her throat. Then she collapsed into a coughing fit, tears streaming down her face.

When she finally came to, she looked up at him from where her head was laying in his lap and mumbled, "When I said I wanted to kiss you, that wasn't exactly how I imagined it."

He smiled just a little.

"I'm curious." Nat said from the front as though Y/N hadn't just recovered from the brink of death. "Tony is your soulmate. You love him, but you want to kiss Steve. Why?"

Y/N blushed a little, coughing again. "I never um- you know- got to practice when I was young. Boys just- weren't interested in me like that. And my parents- I mean you know what they're like Nat. I guess I kind've just wanted to see what it would be like, to have someone that wasn't your soulmate, that wasn't someone who was designed to love you, interested in you. That was all. Sorry if I made it awkward Steve." She sat up, rubbing her throat.

"It's alright." He told her, and he was truthful in that. He felt the same way. No girls or guys ever looked his way. His soulmate was the only person that he ever kissed before he became a super soldier. After he became something spectacular, there was that blond and then there had been Peggy. But he knew how Y/N felt.

Suddenly, feeling bold, Steve touched his fingers under her chin and leaned in to kiss her once more. It was a soft kiss, something Steve had missed very much. Y/N responded easily, before pulling away shyly. "No Steve, you're not a bad kisser at all. But, that will also be the last time I kiss you."

"Understood." He said with a secret smile. Y/N smiled at him, and then soon feel asleep in the back of the car. And he didn't complain when she fell sideways, landing in his lap once more.

"Don't fall in love with her Rogers." Nat warned him from the front, looking at him in the rearview mirror. "Stark will make you eat Iron Man lasers."

"I know." Steve said. "I won't."

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

Steve led you and Nat to a random house in a quiet suburb, knocking on the door of said house.

The door was slid open by a dark skinned African American man. He was taller than you with not a lot of hair and kind brown eyes. He looked worried though, as he looked at the three of you. "Hey, man."

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Nat mumbled.

The mans eyes shifted from her, to Steve, to me, and then back to Steve. Your throat was still killing you from where you'd inhaled rock and almost almost died. Natasha's face was dirty and you could tell by the grit in your hair that you weren't looking much better.

"Not everyone." He said.

You got to see Steve almost naked as he wore a white tank top underneath all of the rest of the clothes. And you supposed he got to see you almost naked since you'd stripped down to your sports bra. You couldn't stay in the clothes that you had since they were ripped and bloody.

Turns out, one of the reason you felt so tired was because you'd never taken care of a piece of glass in your side since the fall. Steve pulled it out now and you winced, but didn't make a noise.

"I'm sorry." Steve mumbled to you.

"You saved my life. Three or four times now. I'm still deep in debt to you." You muttered back, before looking in the mirror, seeing the dirt streaked down your arms. You reached behind you awkwardly, trying to wipe it away.

Steve took it from you, finishing cleaning up the streaks. You did the same for him.

"I should've listened to you." He said suddenly.

"We." Nat said from the other room and you stepped out of the bathroom to look at her.

"When?" You asked, both being cheeky, yet also truly curious.

"In the room. When you were telling us we had to go." Nat muttered. "I guess. . . I figured if I felt there was no danger, then there was none. And it was narcissistic of me, to assume that since I was the better agent, I knew better. Sorry for thinking you're just a kid."

"Oh." You said and then shrugged, "It's a rabbit thing. I've always been good at feeling out whose good or bad and then when to run. I just don't know why I didn't get a bad feeling about Pierce."

Nat looked up at Steve and said, "I owe you."

You snorted. "Join the club."

"It's okay." Steve smiled a little.

"If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, now you be honest with me: would you trust me to do it?"

"I would now. And I'm always honest."

Nat nodded, "Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing."

"Well, I guess I just like to know who I'm fighting."

"I made breakfast," The man named Sam said, walking in. You wondered what it looked like to him, two girls in their sports bras and a guy in his tank top. "If you guys eat that sort of thing."

You giggled, hopping up. "I do for sure. Lead the way."

You followed Sam out to the kitchen, still slightly aware that you were still in a sports bra and leggings.

"Um, here." Sam muttered, darting into a room and coming back out with a black shirt. "Might be a little big. Sorry."

You smiled, putting it over your head. "It's fine. So where's the food I've been promised."

He laughed and I felt that I was slowly warming him up. "Over here."

"So the question is, who at S.H.I.E.L.D. could launch a domestic missile strike?" Nat asked.

"Pierce." You and Steve said at the same time and Steve added, "I'm listening to Y/N from now on, just in case you're wondering."

You laughed and continued to eat the toast that Sam had buttered for you.

"Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." Nat sighed.

"But he's not working alone." Steve said thoughtfully. "Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

"Okay, so who is high up that was on that boat?" You asked. You had heard of the mission, but you hadn't gone on it. And really, all that you heard was that Steve had jumped out of the plane without a parachute on his back. "Oh and if what I heard is true, wear a parachute next time."

"Jasper Sitwell." Nat answered in realization while Steve smirked.

"So, the real question is, how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?" Steve asked.

"The answer is, you don't." Sam said. He slapped a file down in front of Steve.

You reached for another piece of toast, buttering it yourself this time, and started to nibble on it. You wondered if you should risk calling Tony from Sam's house phone. But it definitely wasn't secure enough. You wished the two of you had another method to talk to each other with. But unless you wanted to train carrier pigeons, you were out of luck.

"What's this?" Steve asked.

"Call it a resume." Sam said.

"Is this Bakhmala?" Nat asked, picking up the picture that had been on top of the file. You leaned your chair back to see the picture. It was two people, one of them being Sam. "The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you?"

You wished you knew more about the missions and operations you kept hearing about.

"You didn't say he was a pararescue."

"Is this Riley?" Steve asked.

"Yeah."

"I heard they couldn't bring in choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use? A stealth chute?"

"No." Sam said, picking up the folder and handing it to Steve, "These."

Steve looked down at whatever contents were in the file as you reached for a third piece of toast and finished off your orange juice.

"I thought you said you were a pilot."

"I never said pilot." Sam said with a smile.

"I can't ask you to do this Sam." Steve said, shaking his head. "You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in."

Steve nodded and said, "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

"The last one is at Fort Meade." Sam replied. "Behind three guarded gates and a 12- inch steel wall."

Steve looked at Nat who shrugged. "Shouldn't be a problem."

You snorted.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

You waited, bored, on the roof. To keep yourself occupied, you pictured your moment with Tony when all of this was over. You'd run into his arms and kiss him, that was for sure. You'd sit him down, you'd tell him about Steve because you didn't want a single secret between the two of you. You'd tell him he was giving you CPR, you woke up, boom it was then a kiss.

And you'd also tell him what Zola said about his father. It was only fair that he knew, considering it was his own father and his mother. Maybe Tony would start to dig and find out what happened.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and you saw Sitwell slide across the concrete. Steve came following right after, "Tell me about Zola's algorithm." You pulled out your gun, crossing your legs, and rested the handgun across your top one.

"Never heard of it." Sitwell said, getting to his feet hastily.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" Steve asked.

"I was throwing up. I get seasick."

Sitwell continued to back up, not even noticing that you were there, so when you stood up, putting the gun into his back, he jolted, nearly sending you toppling over the edge except Steve's hand reached out, grabbing your wrist, pulling you forwards.

Steve grabbed the front of Sitwell's clothes and he was smiling, "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style Rogers."

"You're right." Steve said, letting go and actually smoothing his clothes out. "It's hers." And then Natasha stepped forward and gave such a satisfying kick to his chest that you grinned, feeling satisfied.

"Wait. What about that girl from Accounting, Laura. . . "

"Lillian. Lip piercing, right?" Steve said.

"Yeah, she's cute. Soulmate less."

"Yeah. I'm not ready for that. Lip piercings really aren't my thing." Steve said. "To weird."

"Trashy." You piped up.

And then Sam zoomed upwards, dropping Sitwell. You watched his wings in amazement and wondered if you could get Tony to build you something like them.

The four of you approached him and he put his hand out, still on the ground. He was nearly sobbing as he said, "Zola's alogirithim is a program- for choosing- insight's targets."

"What targets?" Steve demanded.

"You! Stark! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school Valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA."

"What?" And you were surprised that Sam was snarling.

"Now, or in the future." Sitwell finished, gasping for breath.

"In the future? How could it know?"

Sitwell laughed and Sam drew closer, looking mutinous even still. "How could it not?" He got to his feet. "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores!"

"Oh good, I took the ACT." You muttered.

"Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?"

"Oh My God. Pierce is going to kill me." Sitwell muttered.

"What then?" Sam demanded at the same time as Steve.

"Then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."

Sam grabbed Sitwell around the throat, "When is this happening?"

Sitwell scratched at Sam's hand and Steve nudged him. Sam let go and drew out a phone, immediately lifting it to his hand and started to pace. You watched him, wondering.

"Stephen?" Sam finally gasped, "Thank God."

Huh. So he'd freaked out because he was soulmated to Stephen Strange.

Whoever that was.

"No, listen-"

Sam looked annoyed and gritted his teeth as he was interrupted. "I know you're at work, but you also know I wouldn't call unless this is impo-"

Sam's nostrils flared. "GOD DAMN IT STEPHEN LISTEN TO ME! I need you to get somewhere safe! Do you understand me? I will explain everything after I see you. And I may have to cancel dinner plans tonight, we'll see."

Another pause, this one quieter.

"I can't tell you. You'll be in to much danger if I do. This is. . . different. I love you." Sam hung up on him, looking worried.

You raised an eyebrow. Sam looked at you. "He's an arrogant, rich, narcissistic, handsome, egotistical, eloquent, workaholic, loyal jackass who I happen to love. I don't know why Zola's algorithm thinks he's dangerous."

You nodded for a moment and then said, "Yeah, he sounds a lot like Tony."

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

Tony picked up the ringing phone, holding a sleeping Everleigh on his hip. "Y/N, what's wrong?"

"Hey." She sounded exhausted, tired, and hurt. He could hear that she was in the car because he could hear the sounds of cars around her. There were also the sounds of people talking around her. "I have to say this quickly."

He stayed quiet.

"There's this program called Zola's algorithm. Basically, it can find find any threats to HYDRA."

"HYDRA, what do they have to do with this?" Tony asked in surprise.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is HYDRA." She answered. "Pierce, Sitwell, they're all part of HYDRA. But the algorithm said Stark was a threat. It didn't give first names though so it could be me or you or it could even be Everleigh. But it also mentioned Bruce. Is he still at the tower?"

"I think so." Tony said, trying to remember. "I think he's down in the lab."

"Good. Please Tony." She whispered. "Stay safe."