Guardian Angel | Steve Rogers

13

"Arden?" Bucky mumbled. 

Steve quickly turned around, putting his hand against Arden's throat, pushing her against the wall. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Bucky tried to advise his friend. 

"How does he know you? Who are you, really?" Steve angrily asked, squeezing his hand around her throat, but she wasn't as panicked as Sam and Steve thought she would be. 

"Steve." Sam pleaded near them, trying to pull him off of her. 

"I let the first time slide, now you're just pissing me off." Arden said through her teeth, putting her hand against his on her throat, prying his fingers off of her with ease. 

Steve took a few steps back, along with Sam, the both of them surprised at her strength, and that she was able to without struggle. 

"How did you-" Sam pointed at her, then at Steve. 

"My real name is Arden Ottinsdottir. Daughter of Odin, princess of Asgard." Arden truthfully introduced herself for once. 

"Asgard. As in Thor? You're Thor's sister?" Sam was shocked. 

She nodded, rubbing her neck before she released Bucky from the machine holding him down. 

"I'm Thor's older sister. He doesn't know, no one knows. Besides a handful of people. People including James." Arden explained. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Sam added, holding his hand up, needing a recap. 

"My mother sent me to Earth when I was born, I was raised by a friend of hers, and when she died, I took matters into my own hands and lived my own life." Arden continued. 

"That still doesn't explain how Bucky knows you." Steve commented, crossing his arms. 

"When they were experimenting on me, Arden was there. Posing as a HYDRA scientist, but really she was there to try to save me. Things went wrong, and she got out, I didn't." Bucky explained, glancing up at her and she had the most apologetic eyes, but she knew where they stood. 

"As much as you want to hear me explain my life story, we have other matters more important." Arden mentioned, pointing at Bucky. 

"So who were they? The other soldiers?" Steve asked Bucky, not putting his eyes on Arden again. 

"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. That was before the serum." Bucky answered. 

"They all turn out like you?" Sam sarcastically asked. 

"The doctor. Could he control them?" Steve asked. 

"Enough. With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They could take a whole country down in one night, you'd never see them coming." Bucky expressed. 

"This would be a lot easier a week ago." Sam whispered to Steve and Arden. 

"If we even called Tony-"

"Like he'd believe us." Arden cut Steve off. 

"Who knows if the Accords would let him help." Sam added.

"We're on our own." Arden sighed. 

"We?" Steve scolded her.

"Now is not the time to act like a child." Arden fired at him.

"I know a guy." Sam mentioned, sighing. 

"I have to go back. They're going to gather up a team of their own." Arden informed them.

She looked back at Bucky one more time, giving him a small nod, which he reciprocated, and walked out. 

"Arden." Steve called after her.

She stopped in her tracks, turning around to him. 

"Will you fight?" He asked. 

"I can't. And if I do, I can't use my powers, Steve. No one can know who I really am." She pleaded.

"We'll talk later." She reassured him, and he pursed his lips, allowing her to leave again. 

When she made it back to the building, Natasha was waiting for her, pacing around. 

"Where the hell have you been? He knows you left." Natasha scolded her. 

"I'm here now. Where is he?" She asked back. 

"Queens." Natasha answered. 

"The kid." Arden whispered, dropping her face into her hands. 

"What kid?" Natasha asked. 

"Nothing. What now?" Arden replied, rubbing her temples. 

"We're going to get the prince." Natasha answered. 

"Technically, he's the king now." Arden corrected her. 

"Let's go." Natasha ordered, walking out of the room.

"I can't." Arden denied, and Natasha turned around. 

Natasha raised a brow at her, and it was like she could read Arden's mind. 

"Arden, if you do this, they will hunt you down." Natasha advised her. 

"I know." She replied, and Natasha nodded, leaving her to find T'Challa. 

Instead, Arden stole back Sam and Steve's gear, taking a car to meet them under a bridge pretty far away. Looking in the rear view mirror, she saw them pull up in a small car. She laughed, watching Steve be the only one getting out of the car. 

"I gotta teach you to find a good get away car." Arden greeted him.

"It's low profile." He defended, looking back at the small bug of a car.

"Yeah, three big guys in a clown car, that's low profile." She teased him, opening the trunk, revealing their gear. 

"I owe you." Steve mentioned, and she smirked looking back at the car, waving at Sam and Bucky. 

"Call it even. You know for keeping my real identity from you." Arden compromised. 

"Is your identity the only thing you're keeping from me?" He asked, shutting the trunk. 

"No, but that's the fun of it. It'll keep you wanting more." She flirted, smirking at him. 

"They're gonna come looking for you." He mentioned.

"Looking forward to it." She joked. 

"Thank you, Arden." He smiled, taking a step towards her.

He put his hand around the back of her head, while hers snaked around his neck in one swift motion, kissing her. He slowly pulled back, the both of them chuckling and smiling. 

"Sorry, that was-"

"Late? Yeah." Arden finished for him and he laughed, scratching the back of his neck. 

"I didn't know if you wanted me to or not, or if you were even interested." Steve explained himself. 

"You've grown on me." She patted his shoulder. 

He laughed, and they both looked back at the car, Sam and Bucky smirking, nodding at them. Steve shook his head while Arden flicked the both of them off.

"You sure you want miss out on the fight?" Steve repeated. 

"I love a fight, but it wouldn't be fair." She teased, leaning against the car door. 

"Still don't know what all you can do." 

"Maybe if you find me, you can find out." She smirked, brushing her hand on his cheek. 

"Bye, Cap." She added. 

"I hope I'll see you again." He commented. 

"I know." She smirked, shutting her door.