𝒑𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒕 || s. rogers & b. barnes

6||; 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆

Come on.

"Three, two, one. Clear!"

"Get me epinephrine!"

Please.

"Pulse?"

"Negative."

You're my only hope.

"What's the time?"

No.

"Roberts," Steve whispers. He's close. Right by her ear. But she can't see him. Can't see. Can't —

"1:03, Doctor."

Please —

"Time of death, 1:03 a.m."

Irina can't help the broken gasp she lets out. Someone's holding her arm, whispering, muttering.

She can't hear.

Can't hear them.

It's all — It's all muffled.

"I want to talk to you about something. A...proposition for your future."

"Last year you showed me just what you could do. And you showed me that you can do it for good. For not only your life, but others lives, too."

"You plan on actually doing anything or just sitting there, Roberts?"

"Detain Loki, and shout at me afterwards."

Harshly, she jerks awake, and away from whoever was holding her. She blinks rapidly, feeling her eyes water from not blinking — or were they already crying?

Her eyes dart to Steve, whose hand is still stretched out, like it'd been holding onto something. Her? His face was set in a grimace, blue eyes watching her warily, but with pity.

"...Roberts," he mutters.

Irina gulps, letting out a tearful noise as she sniffs aggressively, her hand reaching up and feeling her tears. "I —" she chokes out, before wiping away at the water dripping from her eyes. "I can't —"

She turns, retreating from the room.

Steve doesn't call after her.

𓆩*𓆪

Irina manages to find a janitor's closet empty for use on the third floor of the hospital.

There, she proceeds to hide away in the corner to process all that had happened in the past few hours alone.

Fury was shot in her and Steve's apartment.

Why was he there in the first place?

What did he need from them?

No, not them.

He'd given Steve something in his final moments.

He trusted Steve with something.

What was it?

Why hadn't he trusted her?

No, she didn't have room to be mad at him over that.

She hasn't been active with S.H.I.E.L.D. since Loki, two years ago. Fury wouldn't know where she stood in the trustworthy ranks.

The shooter.

The metal arm.

He had a metal arm.

A metal arm.