Tomorrow in the park
Third Person's POV
It was time: for the war criminal, who nearly destroyed the city, and the heroic god to return home. Dr. Selvig took out a capsule to contain the tesseract while tony opened his briefcase which had the glowing, blue cube.
Actually, before Today, Thor and Jack had a conversation regarding how they previously acted to one another. Maybe calling each other out during a war wasn't the greatest first impression.
Jack went first because he did started it and all. "I'm sorry for calling you names and almost getting into a fist fight with you. My size is a touchy subject for me." He rubbed his left elbow in nervousness, but kept his eye contact.
"Well, I apologise for that too. It was rude of me to degrade you and your size. I was frustrated and took it out on you humans. And that is very low of me."
Jack gathered his courage and put his hand out, "Truce?" He said with hope.
"Of course. Jack was it?" Thor happily shook his hand, knowing he can go home with no humans that hated him.
"Yep. Jack Frost. Glad to be in your company, Thor, God of Thunder." He pulled his hand back and did a little bow to show respect to him.
"I can say the same to you, Ice User. Though please restrain yourself from bowing. We are friends now!" Thor placed his hand on Jack's right shoulder, lightly tightened his grip as a sign of friendly gesture, before flashing him an adorable smile.
Jack chuckled at the God– I mean, his friend's attic and replied, "I guess you're right."
"Oh, by the way, thor, do you happened to know anything about Golden Weapons?" Jack suddenly brought up.
"Many. What kind?"
"What about the kind that have weird inscriptions on it?"
"... Do you mind showing me the item?" Thor's tone became serious all of a sudden, which made Jack questioned the change.
"Sure." He went to grab a cloth-covered, staff-like thing from the counter and pulled away the said cloth. The golden arrow shined brightly in his hand as he presented it to The god.
Thor's eyes widened, which worried Jack a bit. "Where did you find it?"
"Uh.. during our fight yesterday, when I was about to get attacked by one of those things, someone shot this arrow at it before leaving the scene. I might've left out some details because it was Clint who told me that. Is something wrong?" Jack asked, and the answer made him questioned things even more.
"Jack, This arrow is of Asgard." Thor looked straight into his eyes, raising the arrow as he spoke. "The words on this are runes used to provide protection and also attack enemies. This type of weapon has been lost in the sands of time for years. I'm surprised that you've encountered someone who knows about this."
Jack was quiet throughout his explanation. He didn't think it was that important. Truth be told, he thought it was just junk or something, not valuable Asgardian Tech. ".... Then what should I do, Thor? I'm not sure if this person is actually a friendly or not. What if they have other plans?"
Thor gave him a serious look, thinking deeply about what to do. ".... If they are willing to protect you knowing they would lose this weapon and possible revealing their identity, they might not be a foe. I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like this person wouldn't harm you, jack."
"If you say so. But I wonder why. What if they're actually one of my fans?" Jack laughed a bit, but he was still unsure.
"If you don't mind, I would like to take this weapon back to Asgard. This is rather valuable to us."
"Sure! I was going to give it to Clint, but you can have it."
"Thanks, jack! Also,............"
The two hit it off afterwards and went to grabbed drinks together to celebrate with the rest of the avengers. Bruce and Clint got drunk pretty quickly, then Tony after 8, Steve after 10, then Natasha on her 19th, leaving Thor and Jack to drink until dawn before they passed out together. Jack fell onto Steve and slept like a log on him while Steve dreamt he was under an actual log because of the weight. They all slept peacefully before waking up with a bad hangover.
Back to the present, Bruce helped to put the cube in the special containment case and sealed it shut. After, dr. Selvig handed it to Thor, who patted his shoulder in gratitude. Everyone circled the two gods as Thor nudged the other handle to his mischievous little brother, Loki. The three assassin were enjoying all of this, especially Clint, with a smirk on their faces.
Loki reluctantly grabbed it and Thor twisted it. A Circle of blue lights surrounded them and took them back to their own world.
Now it was their time to part. Steve and Jack went to tony. After Steve and tony shook hands, jack gave him a hug. Tony smiled at them one more time before getting into his car with Bruce and drove off.
He already said his goodbyes to Clint and Natasha, hugging the life out of them, which they didn't mind. Now it left him with only Steve.
"You won't mind if you drop me off before you go, cap?" He asked. He wore a cap that said 'spy' with a surgical mask, black jeans and a dark blue hoodie that said 'I survived New York'
"Sure thing." Steve turned on his motorcycle and he climbed on. "Ready?"
"Always, capt'"
And off they go. They were driving along the road and passing the battlefield, when suddenly Jack had an idea.
He got close to Steve's ear and asked, "Say, captain, are you busy today?"
"N-No, not really." He sputtered a bit at the close contact.
His eyes lit up at the answer and he quickly asked, "then why don't we go to Luna park at Coney Island?! I heard it's really fun! (Comment if you know what I'm talking about.)"
"Luna park? What's that?" He perked up and looked at his comrade in curiosity.
"It's an amusement park, of course! Full of rides and snacks. I've been meaning to go there for awhile now." He said in a eager tone.
"Well.. I got nothing to do today, so why not?" He turned the hand clutch around and headed to Brooklyn.
"Woohoo! You're the best, Steve!" The albino cheered and hugged him from behind. Then let go and continued cheers of joy, unknown about how flustered the war hero was.
He's so much like her, yet he's not her. What is going on? Steve thought and furrowed his brows in frustration and confusion.
(Disclaimer: Its not made up. It's not mine, either. I just wanted to make sure. Also if I get something wrong about it, please don't hesitate to tell me.)
After riding and talking for awhile, they finally arrived at the amusement park. Steve was somewhat familiar to the new Brooklyn and didn't get lost... Twice.
Jack was thrilled and rushed in after captain parked his motorcycle. Once in, He couldn't help but gawked at the surroundings; rides, food, people laughing and screaming in joy on the more extreme rides. This was something he never got to experience up until now. (due to reasons that will be explain in later books.) And today was surprisingly packed! So many people, so many smiles and the smell of happiness filled the air. He had never been this eager in long time.
However Steve didn't know about jack's reasons and it made him think that he was easy to impress. And for Steve, this whole 'amusement park' thing, was so new to him. As a child, who was born in a warring era, he didn't know of such thing.
"Captain, let's go on that spinning one!" Jack pointed at a ride that was very tall, with a very large wheel on it and people were screaming as it spun.
Steve looked unsure and was about to reject that idea, but he saw the spark in his eyes and the big smile that became visible on his face. Not wanting to see disappear, he puckered up and said, "s-sure why not..." With a little smile to cover his nervousness.
"Great! Let's go!" He grabbed his arm and dragged him to the ticket booth. "Two tickets, please!" The kind lady gave them the needed tickets and they rushed for the line. The sign near that read, 'POWER SURGE'
Steve already knew what was up.
"Today's our lucky day, cap'! It'll be our turn when this one ends." He told him in excitement.
The blond super soldier was starting to regret his decision for a bit, but he didn't want to be a party popper, so... "Yay..."
As soon as he said that, the ride stopped and the previous riders got off. Now it was their turns. Jack happily sat in his seat while Steve gulped loudly and strapped onto his seatbelt.
"Ready, captain?" He asked one last time as it started to lift them up.
"Uh... Yea— AHHH HOLY LORD!" Before he could finish, it spun in circle and turned them upside down.
Jack screamed in joy and happiness, "THIS IS SO AWESOME!!"
And Steve, "AHHHHHHHHH!!!"
After the ride
The ride ended after making people screamed in joy or despair. Captain was in the second category. He was dizzy, a little bit sick and his hair was all over the place.
Jack, on the other hand, looked refreshed and pumped up, ready for another wild ride. He turned to see if he was okay, but Steve was already healed because of the serum.
"I knew you had it in you, cap! Now let's go on that one!" He pointed at another one and it was as horrible as the first one. It was also a bit higher and more crazy.
"I—" he didn't get to finish again and was dragged to the said area. The name of this torture machine was 'THE PHARAOH'S CURSE'
Oh boy...
They got on it after waiting for awhile and Steve was screaming his head off again.
He was panting when they got off and couldn't speak because of how much he screamed on that horrid ride.
Jack finally took notice of his friend's discomfort and offered him a drink he went and brought, and the next entertainment would be more calm and was on the ground.
"You sure? I mean, we can go for something more crazy and exciting. Just let me catch my breathe." He said, after chucking an entire water bottle down.
"No, it's fine, captain. I already had my turns. Now we go for something more of your taste." He offered.
"Well," he looked around and a dark building with flashy lights. "How about that one? Looks harmless."
"Is that what you want? Okie dokie. Let's go." And this time, he didn't push him. Just casually walking and talking.
This one is called, 'THE MIRROR MAZE'
And it was pretty clear to them by the name.
Jack paid for the tickets and they stepped into the maze. The ice user was amazed. The lights and mirrors made you think you could walk through it, which is why he bumped into it a bunch of times.
Captain laughed every time, but he led them out of the maze when jack was getting irritated.
"I hate mazes." He pouted and zipped his smoothy.
They went to the snack bars because jack wanted a drink this time.0
"Now, now. It wasn't that bad." Captain said, trying to cheer him up.
"Easy for you to say. I don't see you wandering around and slamming into any mirrors back there."
Steve laughed a bit at his little tantrum. "Why don't we take a break from the rides and go to the carnival instead? It's pretty near."
"Fine. I don't want to be reminded about it anymore." They got up and walked to the 'near' carnival.
It was on the other side of the amusement park.
"Cap', you said it was close."
"Yeah. It is close." He defended.
"Close as in a few meters away, not a few miles. How did you even see it?" He asked.
"Well, I saw it while we were on 'THE PHARAOH'S CURSE', Out of the corner of my eyes." He gestured his eyes.
"Wow. Really? The super serum is working great in your flavor, I see." Jack nudged him gently.
"I guess you can say that." He grinned sheepishly.
"Don't be so modest, captain. You are, by far, the most reliable man I know. And I met you two days ago." Jack crossed his arms behind his messy head as he praised him, walking behind him.
"I'm flattered, but I don't deserve it." Steven, being ever so modest, refused to accept his comrade's compliment that made him fluttered a bit.
"I bet all the ladies back then were all over you, right? Seeing the big, strong, and handsome Captain America, fighting against Nazis to protect his fair country." He grinned jokingly, not noticing Steve's face dropped a bit.
"You can say that..."
"Step right up and test your strength on the 'HIGH STRIKER'! Say you're strong? Why not prove it to your girl right now?!" The owner yelled out. People were crowding the game, mostly couples.
He looked around the audience before his eyes landing on Steve. "You there! Why don't you give it a try?"
"Me?" Steve pointed at himself. "No. No... I can't..."
"Come on, captain! It's just a game. And besides, there's no way you could lose." Jack encouraged.
"Well... I can give it a go."
"Do it!"
"Okay. Okay. I'll do it." He said and made his way through the crowd, to the owner.
"One try, young man. And try your best because your boyfriend is looking." He whispered the last part and winked at him.
Steve blushed slightly before trying to clarify that Jack was not his lover.
The man laugh heartily and patted his shoulder. "I'm surprised there are still shy, young couples, like you two."
He gave up on trying to explain and grabbed the mallet, stepping back a little.
"Go, Steve!" He heard him cheered from behind.
He glanced back and made eye contact with him, smiling in gratitude, before raising it above his head and hit flat at the middle of the pad. The dinger flew up and hit the bell so loud, it rang and echoed throughout the area. The light went flashing, a sound of victory was blasting out. People looked in aw'ed at the man, who secretly didn't even use half of his power.
Steve handed the mallet back to the jaw dropped owner and returned to his comrade, who was smiling and cheering for his captain.
"Can't, huh?" He repeated playfully.
"I didn't want to show off."
"Well you did and now everyone is trying. Look," Steve looked back and indeed, they were. The men took it as a challenge and tried to do better. It was funny to watch because they were fighting over it. "Once again, Captain America to the rescue, am I right?" He giggled.
"Stop it." He shushed playfully. "Why don't we play something else? Your turn to choose."
"Hmm..." He scanned the area and something from his left caught his attention. "Oh! let's play ring toss!" He unconsciously grabbed his hand and pulled him to the booth.
"One game, please."
The booth owner handed him six rings and tended to his other customers.
"This, Steve, is what I got from Clint, who taught me how to aim." He tossed them all at once and it landed as he planned. Everyone looked in awe, but Steve was mildly impressed.
The owner slowly gave him his prize, which was a stuff puppy. "Impressed? It was only a week of training and I got the hang of it."
"I am a little bit, but not to brag, I can do better."
"Wanna bet, captain?"
"You're on, soldier."
Then they went on to every booth, challenging each other to see who can win the most prizes. And every time, it came to a draw, they would continue until the owner beg them to stop. It was fun for both of them. But it only lasted until the day ended. They ended with a tie, and a lot of plushes and stuffed animal. They ended up giving almost all of it to the children.
But before they left, they went on the Ferris wheel as their last ride.
"Today was fun, wasn't it, captain?" Jack asked and glanced out of the window.
"More fun than I ever had in years."
He chuckled at Steve's response before looking back at him almost in regret. "I never had this kind of fun up until today."
"How come? Didn't your parents ever bring you here?" He raised a brow in surprise.
"My parents.... weren't around when I was young." He spoke softly. He glanced out to admire the fleeting sunset, eyes filled with unreadable emotions.
"Oh... I'm sorry that I asked. I didn't know–" he apologized quickly.
"Don't worry, cap'. It's been so long now that I don't really care for much. My parent's cases are a bit complicated so I've been digging around until SHIELD offered to help."
"Mind elaborating?"
"My mother was killed." Jack stated almost casually, though his eyes betrayed him.
The calm atmosphere immediately dropped. Steve grew quiet while looking apologetic. Nevertheless, Jack continued since there was no point in hiding it.
"My father went missing that night. SHIELD suggested that it might've been him but Mimir told me that it wasn't. It couldn't have been. They loved each other too much than to do that."
"Makes sense to me. Then mind if I ask who this Mimir is?"
"Ah... He might be my only relative." Jack said sheepishly, racking his brain for a better title for his cold manager.
"Might?" Steve asked.
"I don't know for sure, he doesn't say much about himself, much less tell me anything. And if I asked, he would say 'It doesn't matter.' or 'Don't think useless things.' Or something along the line."
"He's quite mysterious."
"Very. But he seems to know quite a bit about my father and mother. I've seen pictures of them hanging on his walls. Still, even if he likes to hide things, I owe him so much. He practically raised me after it happened. He even got me a job in the showbiz world."
"Showbiz?"
"Yeah, it's kinda like my main gig."
"I'm surprised. There's more of you that I don't know about. Maybe you can tell me a bit more about you?" Steve smiled, almost flirtatiously, at him.
Of course, in the face of such handsomeness, jack had to blush a bit. But he won't lose. "Well, buy me dinner first, steve." With a wink at the end.
Now it was Steve's turn to go red. "Since you suggested it, why not?"
"Oh captain, you're so flirty today~ This is a very cute side of you."
"Hey, we're only getting to know each other after all." Flashing another cute smile.
"Since you're so sweet, let's set up a date for dinner then."
They finally reached the bottom and got out of the small trap box. Hand in hand, they walked to the parking lot. Jack was feeling happy again with none of the gloom of his parents lingering in his mind. Steve, however, was nearly having a breakdown in his head after saying all those lines. If back then he didn't calm down, he would've looked like a fool. Thank God for that.
After, Steve gave him a ride back to his place, just as he promised. Jack enjoyed the nice quiet moment they had but Steve had some things in his mind.
Finally they arrived and jack got off. He gave him a wave, though before he could say goodbye, steve interrupted.
"Frostbite, I know it's not my business to say this, but I... I want to tell you that if you need to talk or help with anything, I.. would.. like to help..." Steve grew soft with his words, barely any of it could be heard if it weren't for jack's hearing. All the while, he became red after thinking about what he said.
Good God, this man cannot be any cuter.
Seeing him like this was just adorable. "I'll think about it but I don't know, captain." Jack teased him a bit and he swear he saw steve bending his eyes down like a kicked puppy.
RIP my heart.
This man was going to be the death of him. He was too cute. Then like a good owner, he decided that a peck won't hurt. So he took off his mask and kissed captain's cheek. "Don't look like that, captain. You make my heart hurt, y'know."
Captain just sat there, mesmerized by his face after realizing how familiar he truly was.
Jack thought he scared him silly so he took out the only stuffed toy he kept. "Here, captain, I want you to have this." He handed him the first prized he got from the carnival, his stuffed puppy.
"W-What? You don't need to give me that. It's your first prize. You should keep it." He quickly denied jack's gift.
"C'mon, captain, I want to have it to keep you company. Think of him as Frosty 2.0!" The albino smiled brightly.
That smile almost blinded poor old steve. "W-Well," cough, "if I accept that, then you have to accept mine too." He reached into his jacket and gave him a small stuffed kitten. "Now we're even."
He smiled at his gift and said, "Even Steven!"
"See you later, captain." Making a kissy face just to tease him more.
It succeeded in making him glow red from the last kiss. He grew shy and could only give a small wave as to cover his cute face.
Jack laughed a bit and waved back before finally entering his mansion. The gate closing by itself.
Steve stayed there for a bit, trying to get his cook back. Soon after he started his bike and headed off. The cool breeze ran through his body and it made him remembered the conversation he had with Fury.
"I have questions for you, fury. First, Do you know Agent Jacqueline Silver? And If so, is she alive or dead?" He sat on the side of his bed in his recovery room, leaning his elbows on his knees, eyes looking at nick's adverted ones.
The man's facial expression didn't falter. He knew that he would be asking for her, he was somewhat ready for this, but he still wasn't sure because it wasn't a good news.
Alas, it had to be done. "I'm sorry to inform you this, but... Agent Silver had sadly passed away a year after the war."
Steve didn't need to say anything because his eyes did the job. His pupils shrunk and devastation clouded it. He knew it was a possibility, but his heart was stubborn and won't accept it until it was confronted by the cold-hearted truth.
"W–What was the c-cause?" He sputtered a bit when he asked. Fists clenched tightly, eyes full of tears and a heart broken into pieces.
"She died of a disease. Some say she couldn't handle the lost of her friends, that's why she stopped taking her medication, while others say her family's curse finally went to affect, just like her father. It was a tragedy, really. She was an excellent strategist and a brilliant inventor." Nick grieved with him, trying to emphasized with him a bit.
".... Do you know what her last words were?" He finally asked. Guilt and sorrow flow through him as he took in all of the informations. "You must have recorded it or written it down. I know, because Stark and Peggy would've."
"Captain, I'm not sure if—"
"Answer me!" He abruptly yelled in a demanding manner. His fist slammed into the wall behind him, leaving a huge crack and a loud bang. His eyes full of rage as he shook from all of these emotions rushing inside him like trains.
Nick didn't expect anything less from him. Losing his best friends were tough, especially if he had a special bond with one of them. This was why he considered to let him down easy, but the man sure was making it harder on them both. "They did." He pulled out a tape from his coat and tossed it onto his bed. "This is the last video they ever took. The reason is obvious. There's more tapes about her, but this one... Watch it at your own risk." Then he left the room.
He grabbed the tape and slowly put it in. He knew that this was a horrible idea, he knew he was going to cry his heart out, but it was his best girl's last words. It was a must.
The screen lightened up and started playing. There was Jacqueline, who looked pale and weak. She was extremely skinny, almost to the point where she looked like a skeleton. Her eyes barely opened as her long white hair spread on her bed. Peggy sat on the left of her bed, holding her skinnier hand with a teary face.
Soon Howard joined in and sat next to Peggy. He, too, had tear stains on his face.
It was almost dead silence, only the beeping noise from the machine was heard.
Then Jacqueline spoke up in a weak and quiet tone. "So I guess this is it?" Next, she coughed loudly. "It finally caught on."
"No. Jackie, we can still save you. You just have to hold on." Peggy tried to convince her, but she didn't believe her.
"Peggy... We both know that I'm beyond saving. Maybe now, you won't have to look after a soon-to-be corpse any longer." She let out a hoarse laugh as if it was the funniest thing she ever heard.
"How could you be laughing in this situation?! When you're..." She squeezed Jackie's hand and hiccuped.
"Dying? I already accepted it, my friends, and I think you should too."
"Jackie, don't say such a thing. Please.." Peggy whispered in desperation for it to be a bad dream, but reality was cruel. She knew she was awake. She knew she was talking to her in her last moment. But she knew that she wasn't ready. And neither was Howard, the man who would always wore a smirk and had a façade, but this time he couldn't hide his sadness anymore.
Silence came again, but with the sounds of sniffling and sobs in the mix.
"Peggy?" The sick girl spoke.
"Y-Yes, Jackie?" She stuttered.
"Can you sing me the song? For old times' sake?"
Even without her saying the name, Peggy knew about it. She nodded with a pained smile and took deep breaths to calm her shaking voice. Howard shut his eyes tightly as she began. Both people were breaking faster and faster.
"You're my sunshine; my only sunshine.
Y-you make me h-happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know, D-Dear, how much I-I l-love you.
Ple-Please don't ta-take my s-sunshine away." Peggy finished the lullaby with a choked sob that was in her throat. The man, next to her, began sob too.
"That song never gets... Old.. Does.. It......?" Her voice became quieter and slower.
Then the beeping noise stopped. Peggy and Howard stood up immediately and he left to called the doctors. Meanwhile, Peggy did CPR on her, trying desperately to get her to breath.
"Jackie, wake up. Wake up! Y-You have to! Jacqueline!"
Then the doctor and nurses rushed in to her. One of the nurses accidentally knocked the camera down, but was too preoccupied to pick it up.
All Steve saw next, was just their feet, but all he heard was the cries of Peggy and Howard and the doctor barking order to his nurses. Then it ended.
His emotions went on a rampage. He was crying heavily, breathing rapidly. He remembered how he finally maned up and asked her out. He remembered clearly how she accepted it wholeheartedly before going out. They were supposed to go a date. He was supposed to go dancing with her and she was supposed to teach him how. They had a future together, but it was gone now. It was gone because she was gone.....
"Jackie... I'm so sorry... I'm sorry..."
He didn't know why, but whenever he was with jack, something inside him, yelled out that he was with Jacqueline. It was as if She was still alive and breathing. The smile he gave him, was like the smile she gave him every time. It was too alike to be labeled as a coincidence. He knew that this was crazy and unreal, but.... Maybe, just maybe... Jack was Jacqueline's, his beloved, reincarnation.
Back to jack
After he closed the door, he thought that Robert would be running to greet him or ask for his well being, but no. It was quiet. Too quiet.
He sneaked into the living room and saw nothing. In the kitchen, not a soul. He would shout for him, but one thing that he learned from Natasha and Clint, is to never give out your location. Even when you're in the comfort of your own house.
Now he was inching in the hallway, on guard, silently but quickly, making his way to his butler's room. Once there, he slowly opened the door and pushed it. He stepped in and went to his bed. Something was laying in his bed, which made him believe it was his butler, but he had to make sure. "Robert? Are you asleep?"
No answers. But then, he saw a small, faint red on his bed sheet. Fearing for the worse, he grabbed it and through it to the side.
It made him regret his decision entirely.
"Oh god.." He took a step back, covering his mouth with his shaking hands as he witnessed the scene in front of him.
There was Robert, lying in his bloodstained bed, eyes opened with a horrid expression. Blood was coming out of his throat and his mouth opened.
"No... No.. This can't be.." He tried to stop himself from believing, but he was right in front of him, dead.
While in this state, he didn't notice two arms reaching out to grab him, until it did.
"Gah–! What the–?! Let go of me, yo–!" He stopped mid-sentence and let out a scream of pain as a sharp object was jabbed into him on his neck, but it was muffled by a cloth.
It injected something into it, which made him dizzy and started to lose conscience. The culprit let go of him and dropped him to the floor. Jack mustered up all of the strength he had left, to glance up and try to memorize any clue on who the murderer was.
He saw two men, in black uniform with a symbol of the organization that fury warned him about.
Hydra
[End of epilogue]