Army of One ★ Steve Rogers

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Steve opened his eyes after seeing everything that Jane remembered of her past. She had a little trouble showing him the memories at first, as they weren't just being passed along as she did with Hendrik's. She had to untangle them from her mind first. 

He blinked at her for a moment as he tried to wrap his head around it. When he managed to focus on her again, her face was marred with fear and he could see that she was fighting back tears. 

"Hey." He said, concerned, "what's wrong?" taking a step closer.

"You're disappointed in me, aren't you?" She asked.

"Why would I be disappointed in you?" He asked, confused.

"I must have done something terrible to be judged and punished the way I was." She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"None of that matters." He said, putting his hand on her cheek. "That happened so long ago. I know you, you're Jane and that's all that matters to me." His heart ached at the memory of her slowly dying, trapped in the box. 

Jane looked up into his clear blue eyes, her heart feeling like it was ready to burst at his words. 

"What have I done to deserve you?" she whispered. 

Steve pulled her into his arms and she laid her head on his chest. His size didn't allow her to comfortably put her arms around his neck, she was too short, so she wrapped them around his waist and disappeared into his embrace, smiling as he gently planted a kiss in her hair. 

"What happened to you while you were captive?" Steve asked tentatively.

She stepped out of his embrace and searched his eyes. They were brimming with concern. 

"Steve, I'm not sure it's a good idea..." She began. 

"Please?" He interjected.

As much as she didn't want him to know, aware that it would upset him terribly, she knew she'd learned everything about him and felt guilty for wanting to keep anything from him. 

"Promise me you won't do anything rash." She said.

He frowned at her. "I'm not sure if that's a promise I can keep." 

She swallowed and slowly reached up, placing her hand on the nape of his neck. She reached into her mind and let go of the memory of her week as a captive. Steve let out a sharp breath as the memories hit him and took a step back in horror, turning to lean on the kitchen counter with both hands. Horror turned to heartbreak which turned to pure rage and he was struggling to hold it together. 

Jane took a few steps toward him. "Steve?" 

He didn't answer. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Steve?"

He looked up and around, his face was hard with anger and his eyes shone with the promise of tears. 

She didn't know what to say or do to bring him back to her. His eyes darted to the door. She knew what he was thinking. 

"Steve, no." She said desperately. 

Her words only seemed to strengthen his resolve and he turned and started to walk towards the door. 

She broke into a run and reached it a second before he did, putting herself between him and it. "It's not going to change what happened." She said, holding her hands up defensively. 

"He needs to pay for what he did to you." Steve spat through gritted teeth. 

"And he will." She answered, her voice shaking, she'd never seen him this angry before. "Please don't..." she pleaded. "You're not like him... please don't let him make you like him."