𝚂𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 • 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜

47 • Goodbyes

"You would have punched an old man in the face, had he still been alive?" Sam cut in, a look of complete disbelief spread across his face.

Steve turned slightly and squinted at his friend. "Yes." He said bluntly, before turning on his heel and walking off to find Millie.

Millie was standing on a small pedestal, surrounded by materials she'd never seen or heard of before, stuff like spandex lining the walls.

Stark had essentially left her alone in the room, told her to stand very still, and then left. Robotic arms worked around her and weird holograms scanned her body, buzzing and clinking around.

Her eyes darted to the door when she heard it creak open, and a pleasant smile etched into her face at the sight of Steve.

"Hey, you." She beemed and she shoved his hands in his pockets, walking closer.

"Hey...what the hell is going on?"

"I have no idea, Tony just told me to stand here."

Steve started looking around, going over to a desk in the corner with the roboti arms hard at work. "Oh, he's making you a suit."

"A what?" Millie's eyes went wide.

"A suit, I guess he thinks you need one." Steve sighed before frowning. "I hope he's not intending on putting you out in the field with us."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

He walked over and looked his sweet girl up and down, eyes tracing over her lingering scars from whatever torture she went through while he wasn't there.

"I think so..."

"Why?"

"Because it's not safe, Millie."

"Life isn't safe Steve. If Tony thinks I can help, I want to!"

"Exactly, Millie. And Tony knows that. We don't even understand your powers completely yet, it...it's just not safe!" Steve slammed his fist down on a nearby table and instantly berated himself. "Fucking stupid, why did I-?"

"Hey..." Millie tried.

"God what's wrong with me?" He grumbled. "When did I get so fucking toxic?"

"Toxic?" Millie's eyes widened. "You think you're toxic?"

He leant up against the table and covered his face with his hand. "I-I think sometimes I am, yeah."

"Where the hell is this coming from, Steve?"

"I don't know..."

"Don't lie to me, Steven."

He peeked a look at Millie just as the scan stopped, the bright blue light that created grid like lighting over her body disappearing and Millie stepped off the pedestal. She looked stern, and Steve couldn't help but give in.

"Ever since getting you back, I've hated being away from you. I haven't told you because I didn't want to seem toxic, but that's exactly what I am. Even today, knowing you were in the same building as me but not with me still stressed me out." He looked down in shame. "I feel this need to keep you close at all times, and keep you safe. I wake up every day in fear that finding you again was some sort of dream, and I'll just be alone again."

"Steve, you being worried about me doesn't make you toxic."

"No, but the anxiety about letting you go does, the inability to think straight when you're not in my sight does. The throwing a first into the drywall, and smashing a table and-and telling you what to do does."