"I told you, you needed an upgrade, Rocket." Arden complained on the phone, walking into Tony's old lab at the compound.
Stopping in her tracks when she spotted Steve sitting in a chair, standing up quickly when she walked in.
"I gotta go. Call me if you need anything else." Arden hung up the phone.
"Steve, hi." Arden greeted him, tucking her phone in her back pocket.
"Sorry, Nat told me the lab would be the best place to find you." He replied, crossing his arms. Arden shook her head, unsure whether or not to walk closer to him or not.
"Yeah, I kinda took over Tony's lab." Arden confirmed and he chuckled, looking around at the changes and her new projects.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting long." She apologized, leaning against one of the tables.
"I tried calling you." Steve mentioned, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, I've been out of reach. On a different planet and all." She teases, and it finally grants her a smile from him.
"Nat told me Rocket needed your help on something."
"Surprised he even asked for help. He's stubborn." Arden added, walking around to him, taking a seat in front of the computer, dropping her bag.
"What can I do for you, Steve?" She asked, turning around to face him again.
He took a deep breath, crossing his arms. "Can we talk?"
"Should we go somewhere more comfortable than computer chairs?" Arden joked, and he smiled, nodding, leading them both out into the common area.
They both took a seat on the couch, opposite ends, facing each other, only a couple feet away from each other.
"I'm sorry." They both apologized in unison.
Laughing at the mockery, awkwardly smiling at each other.
"Oh man, where should we start?" Arden sighed, resting her elbow on the back of the couch.
"Maybe what Tony said. We start there." Steve suggested.
She nodded, taking a deep breath before reminiscing the thoughts from all those years ago.
"I worked for Howard for years. Assisting him on his projects, even the secretive ones like making you a shield, and fighting HYDRA. That's how I met Peggy, and that's how I met you." Arden started, Steve confused and surprised, but she continued.
"Howard sent me to the camp where you trained. Peggy and I bonded over our annoyance of Howard, and she asked for my opinion on the soldiers for the experiment. I helped her pick you. The little soldier who was brave enough to jump on top of a fake grenade to protect men he didn't even know."
"How did you- were you there?"
She chuckled, nodding her head. "Watching from a distance."
He smirked, rubbing his beard which distracted Arden. Not being able to be close to him in months, she found him more attractive than ever with his grown out stubble.
"Why didn't I ever see you around?"
"That's because it's polite to only have eyes for one woman at a time, and your eyes were occupied by Peggy." Arden smirked.
"So you two were friends?" He asked, fidgeting with his fingers, not completely sure he wanted to know the answer.
"The best of friends, actually." She smiled to herself. "She called me after you went down in the ice. I stayed with her, helped her get through it, and she was the first person I ever told my secret to."
"The day of the experiment..." Steve remembered, turning towards Arden more. "I remember meeting a blonde that Howard introduced me to."
"So you do remember me." She chuckled.
"You looked like a completely different person." He commented, his hand grazing her arm as he moved his hand towards the back of the couch. They glanced at each other, but broke eye contact quick as if it didn't happen.
"I was. I've lived many lives, different looks, names, lies." She sighed.
"And now?"
"Now I finally get to be me."
"And who is that?" He asks.
"Hopefully a good friend, a loving sister and the strongest witch alive." She smirks, and he chuckles.
"Is this what your natural hair is like?" He brings up, looking at her nearly black hair.
She pulls a strand of her hair in front of her, looking down at it and nodding.
"I have to admit, the brown is more fitting." He teases.
"Since we're admitting stuff. I like the beard." She compliments, pointing at his chin.
"Yeah, I kind of like it too." Steve smiles, rubbing his beard.
"Since you're being honest and all. I have a question I've been dying to ask. For years now, acutally." He clears his throat.
"Okay..." She hesitated, sitting straight up.
"What are your powers exactly?" Steve nervously asks, and she purses her lips from amusement.
"Um, pretty similar to my brother's. Strength, stamina, speed, I can fly, fly in space without an oxygen mask, I'm pretty good at any weapon, I know all the languages, energy detection, psychokinesis, and the whole witch thing." She answers, counting her abilities on her fingers. Her answer surprises him, she could tell by the way he raises his eyebrows.
"Sounds like the description of a goddess." He jokes.
"And princess." She reminds him.
"Can't forget princess." He plays along.
They both smile at each other, until Steve is quick to look away, shifting on the couch.
"Friends?" He blurts out.
Her eyebrows raise quickly, clearing her throat from what she couldn't decide was surprise or disappointment.
"I just can't jump into whatever we were, or started. I'm sorry." He tried to reason.
"Yeah, of course. Friends." She answers, giving him a fake, weak smile.
"You're back." Nat's voice startles them both, dropping her bags by the stairs. Saving them both from further awkward conversation.
"Yeah, not that long ago." Arden answered, moving her eyes from Steve.
Nat notices the tension between the two, pursing her lips. "Sorry, was I interrupting?"
"No, we're finished here." Steve answered dryly.
"We're friends." She added, smiling at Nat fakely, turning to her completely so that only she could see.
"I'm gonna go home. Wash off the stench of space off." Arden gets up, wiping herself off.
"Guess I'll see you around." Steve mentions, smiling at her weakly.
Arden pats Nat's shoulder as she walks past, grabbing her bag from the lab before heading back to her place. Nat takes a seat next to Steve, raising a brow at him with a smirk, but he rolls his eyes.
"Why do I have a feeling that didn't go as well as I hoped?" Nat sighed.
"What are you talking about? We're friends." Steve answered, and she glared at him.
She rolled her eyes before smacking Steve on the arm, making him wince.
"What was that for?" He complained, rubbing his arm.
"You talk my ear off about that girl, spending your time growing that ridiculous beard, moping around just to be just friends with her?" Nat argued.
"What's wrong with that? It's a start, we're friends." Steve countered.
"You're telling me you're going to be just friends with the girl you're in love with?" Nat laughed hysterically.
"I never said I was in love with her." Steve shook his head.
"You idiot. It's written all over your face. You fell in love with her the minute you saw her. I saw it in your eyes, you wouldn't take your eyes off of her." Nat spit out, pushing herself off the couch.
"Where are you going?"
"To see my friend, whose heart you probably just broke into a million pieces." She answered, walking away without looking at him.