Faint Heart [Steve Rogers]

3. Who You Are

Reigna had been unable to sleep for the past few days. Her mind seemed full of incoherent thoughts. Most of which were her doubting if she really had what it took to be in the team. This then would lead to her groaning in frustration and changing into her typical training gear. Her hands tying her dark brown curls into a pony tail and she'd be off to the training room.

Every kick more powerful than the last and the slightly worn black leather punching bag swings back and forth heavily from the powerful kicks. However, Reigna grew frustrated when she wasn't able swing her leg up as high as she's seen Natasha. She huffs out a groan and gives the bag an underhand punch.

"It's all in the hips." She's startled by the voice that comes from the door. Reigna turns around to find Steve leaning his shoulder against the entrance.

He's wearing a short sleeve grey fitted shirt, the soft fabric constricting against the muscle of his arms. The lower half of his body covered in blue joggers and he's wearing similar Nike black and white sneakers as she is.

Reigna snaps herself out of the entrance and feels the blood begin to rush to her cheeks, feeling more heat radiate from her skin than before. "Hey, Steve."

"Hey," Steve says with a smile then begins to walk in further. He sets his cold water bottle down next to the entrance. "I didn't expect to have fight over the room at 5 a.m."

Reigna grabs ahold of the large bag to completely stop it from swinging. "Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep so I decided to come here. Hopefully tire myself out enough to get a good nap."

"Been there. Ever since I got out of the ice I have some restless nights, but if you keep kicking at the angle I saw you do it from you're going to break a hip." Her small laugh is contagious. Steve picks up one of the spare white bandaging tape that is always kept in the room. He begins to wrap his right hand as he walks over to her. "First, your legs have to be shoulder width apart." He stands next to her and does the same.

"Now, when you kick up make sure your hips turn with you. It has to be in sync for you to get full momentum." Steve demonstrates with ease and Reigna nods, eyes watching his swift movements and replaying them in her head. "Got it?"

"Yeah, I think so." Steve steps back and gestures for her to take a shot. In sync. They have to be in sync, she thinks to herself. Reigna inhales deeply before swinging her right leg up and she could feel her right hip moving in the motion.

"Good! That was well done!" Reigna can't help but smile at his praise.

"Thank yo- um, what are you doing?" Her eyebrows knit together when Steve stands in front of her, legs in a starter lunge position and his fists held up in front of him.

"Attack me." He replies calmly as though he were asking her to hand him the salt.

Reigna laughs nervously while her hand scratches lightly at the back of her neck. "I don't think that'd be a good idea, Cap."

"Oh, come on. It's okay. I don't bite." He teases. Reigna squeaks in surprise when she barely dodges Steve's arm that swung at her head. She doesn't have time to recompose herself from the near heart attack before his other arm begins to swing. This time, Reigna manages to block his swing with her forearm, her hand shoving at his chest and successfully making him stumble back. Steve grins momentarily but he's quick to try and give an underhand blow, but Reigna manages to block that one, too, and the other fist that comes for her face. Her small hands push his arms back down to his side and without thinking, Reigna raises her fist and although he blocks the first one, Reigna's other fist claims its mark and hits Steve square in the nose and has him stumbling back in pain.

"Oh my god!" She exclaims, her hands come up to cover her mouth in shock before she quickly ran over to him. "Oh my god, Steve. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, oh god, are you okay? You're not dying, are you? Please don't because that wouldn't look good on my resume if I ever retire and try to get a job." Steve laughs at her rambling, one hand still holding his nose. The throbbing pain subsides eventually, but her apologies didn't.

"Reigna, Reigna-"

"I'm so sorry. I-"

"Reigna!" He finally manages to get her to stop her from spewing out apologies. "You're okay. It's okay, I know it wasn't your fault. There's no need to apologize, okay?"

"I'm sorry, though. I'm usually not a fighter unless necessary or like the time I got expelled from elementary school because I refused to give my apple to this girl, Amy, and then she punched me so, I took my apple and used it to punch her straight in the face and I may have, kind of broken her nose." Reigna cringes at the memory.

"Well," Steve chuckles. "If you punched anything like that when you were younger, then it's safe to say that Amy must have been in a lot of pain."

Reigna's mouth parts in feigned disbelief and she lightly shoved his shoulder. "Oh, shut up." But suddenly, Reigna's face falls. "It scares me." She whispers.

"What? What are you talking about?" The playful atmosphere became serious and Steve fully turned his body to face her. Reigna sighs and her hands rub from her eyes to her forehead.

"There are days when I think that I can do this, you know? That I might just belong here and that I can do good. But then," Reigna stops to take in a shaky breath. All the while, Steve stares intently at her with a worried look upon his features.

"Then what?" He asks. His soft voice bringing a sort of foreign comfort to her.

"Then, I think back to the first day I got here and how I threw Natasha across the room without even wanting to and it just..." Reigna's voice shakes and she could feel her lip quiver, eyes beginning to water and she wants to drop dead right then and there. "I'm scared that I'll never be like my mother. I'm scared that I'll accidentally hurt someone who doesn't deserve it and if I do, I'm scared that'll haunt me forever."

Steve's eyebrows furrowed and he feels a small pang of pain rush through him. "Hey," he whispers, hands subconsciously cupping her cheeks and it forced her to look at him. "you were trying to defend yourself, that's not on you. This team, we're about saving the world. But that doesn't mean we can save everyone, no matter how hard we try. You have the power to help save someone. It's whether or not you choose to use your powers for good that determine who you are."

Reigna's sniffles and she's comforted by the warmth of the pad of Steve's thumbs that wipe away the tears. She nods and her eyes look up and is met with his blue ones. The realization of just how close they are sets in and she opens her mouth to say something, but it feels as though the words are stuck in her throat. It felt like a moment in one of those Nicholas Sparks movies. Her heart began to race when she could see his eyes glance down to her rosy lips. Oh god, is he going to kiss me? Oh fuck, what do I do? She could feel her own hands reaching up to softly grasp his, her thumbs caressing the ends of his.

"Rogers!" Reigna and Steve are startled by Tony barging in and jump apart. "Fury is asking for y- oh, I'm sorry, love birds. Banner does need you though." Their attempt to try and act nonchalant failing terribly. Reigna clears her throat and rushes to get her water bottle.

"I was just leaving actually." She says, hurriedly making her way to the door. "Tony." She acknowledges him and scowls at him when he laughs and says, "Mrs. Rogers."

"Um, thanks for the uh, training session, Steve." She says and she leaves to go groan into her pillow.

Tony presses his lips together to try and stifle the laugh that oh so badly wants to escape his lips, but he fails. "Oh, this is so going to be fun to spread around."

"Shut it, Stark."