angel cake ♡ tom holland/sebastian stan/chris evans oneshots

Cigarettes // Steve Rogers

   Talia's fingers were deft but shaky as she plucked a cigarette from the almost empty pack from her bag that she'd forgotten about but thanked herself for finding now. She didn't habitually smoke but when she got stressed, she chain-smoked until she had some vague idea of a solution for whatever problem had made her start smoking again in the first place. A habit she'd picked up from her father that she couldn't seem to shake no matter how hard she tried, her friends lectured her constantly for allowing a higher possibility for lung cancer to manifest itself as a good idea in her mind, but she didn't let it get to her. It seemed to be the only way she could fully clear her head.

   A slow breeze drifted across the miserable landscape before Talia, a thick sheet of dust lifting to swirl around her ankles like water, biting the skin and snapping ash off the end of her cigarette. She exhaled long and tired, smoky breath curling away from her pursed lips dramatically. Behind her, she could hear the clatter of a desk being overturned, and then some screams, some shots fired, some more furniture flipped over. She flicked her cigarette neatly and brought it back to her mouth, inhaling and absently watching the end glow orange. A lull in noise showed the bust was over, but there would be a while until she could safely leave, so she slowly pressed her back to the wall behind her and slid down it, crouching and lighting another cigarette while she stubbed the first out with the front of her sandal. 

   The door beside her opened, and she shuffled away a little, looking up to see the face of whoever it was. With any luck it would be Amy-Lynn, and she'd give her a ride home so she wouldn't have to get the bus, then the train. But it was not - it was a man dressed in what appeared to be a superhero costume. Talia allowed herself a moment of confusion, then blinked it away and stood, tapping ash onto the ground nonchalantly. The man looked over. He had really nice eyes - serious, but trustworthy, and an insanely pretty shade of acidic blue.

   "Ma'am." The man said cautiously, nodding his head and closing the door behind him. She could see his muscles tense, as though in preparation.

   "Sir." She returned uncertainly, but still with a smile. She paused, then raised the cigarette.

   "I don't recommend hanging around here, it's not safe for civilians right now. Why are you here anyway?"

   Talia stubbed the cigarette out on the wall beside her, then folded her arms over her chest. "I used to work here. I just got fucking- fired. I just got fired."

   "And you worked here doing what?" The man asked, brows furrowing a little. Talia bit her lip for a moment, then decided that truth would likely be the best option.

   "I am- was, I was the assistant financial manager. I'm aware that people shouldn't deal drugs or take them or anything, but I can't keep a job as it is, I thought that as long as it kept me with enough money to live it was good enough. I don't take the drugs or really do anything with them or anything like that, I just decide how much to charge and stuff... Please don't arrest me or anything." She asked, quietening her voice a little with the final plea. 

   The man smiled slightly, and there was some relief in it.

   "Don't worry, I won't. We were here for some stuff to do with mutations caused by the drugs. We aren't really in the business of arresting assistant financial managers for no reason anyway."

   Talia smiled back at him with relief, then went to get a cigarette from the pack again. She looked at the final one in there - a little crooked, but there all the same - and wordlessly offered it to the man. He paused, then took it with a nod. She lit hers quickly, then closed the gap between them to cup her hand over the end and light his.

   "Mind if I ask your name?" The man asked. Talia turned her head, then smiled and exhaled the smoke.

   "It's Talia. Nice to meet you, Mr Rogers."

~~~~~

was considering extending this

but then i realised:

no

but i think i'll make another Part of this when i'm completely outta steve ideas lmao

speaking of:

requests?

please?

aLSO-

my friend kindlyneeks has a bucky oneshot book out!!

it's a lot better than mine!!

read it!!

i had a new idea for a novel!!

it's like rosemary's baby and i'm just really psyched about it i don't have ideas like this very often

and so now off i go to read in the bath (no it is Not bad to read it the bath it's great i love it an awful lot)

before i go -

thank you all so much for being so patient with me when i Just Don't Post for a long time for no reason

y'all are my world:)

all love

viv x