AMERICA'S POV
"You know, I'm still surprised you like Friends," I say, plopping down on my couch next to Steve with a bowl of popcorn. He throws a blanket over me as I scooch closer to him.
"Why?" He asks, stealing some popcorn. I grab the remote and flip through episodes, trying to find where we left off. This used to be our show back in Washington, my biggest contribution to Steve's modern culture list.
"Because it has references and bad language words," I say nonchalantly, batting my eyelashes at him. "Where were we again? It's been a while."
"The One with Chandler and Monica's Wedding. I forget which season," he answers, "and come on. I can be fun, you know."
"I know, Stevie. Let's watch."
"It's so great to be doing something normal. We don't get that often." He's right. The experience of being a normal couple has been completely lost to us, but it's not like we met in a normal way, either.
"Amen to that." I lay my head on his shoulder and get lost in the episode, watching the group scramble around trying to make the wedding perfect for their friends. Steve takes the remote and pauses it. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking...this is going to be us. Monica and Chandler in this episode, that's us."
I give him a wry smile. "You're gonna think I'm pregnant on the wedding day and freak out? Or is Tony going to marry us in uniform? Either way, I think it'll be fun and exciting."
He chuckles. "No, definitely none of those things. I just mean that we'll be getting married."
"I know." Giddiness enters my voice, something that doesn't happen often. I snuggle further into the blanket. "I can't wait."
"We'll need to start planning it. I have no idea how." He laughs, and I join him. Everything is easy with Steve. I don't need to pretend around him.
"Me either. I don't even remember going to a wedding. For all I know, I've never been to one."
"Well, the last one I went to was in 1939, so I'm sure they're different now."
"Wow. I can't believe I'm marrying a senior citizen."
"Get used to the idea, doll, because I'm not going anywhere." He gives me a kiss, and I find myself leaning in. This is so much better than dinner with the team. I run my fingers through his hair, messing up his perfect locks in the process. His hand cradles my face as he kisses me passionately.
"We could get discounts at breakfast buffets," I say in between kisses. "How romantic. Think of all the money we'll save!"
"Stop making old man jokes and kiss me."
"Okay." Eventually, we stop, leaving me slightly breathless. He's just magnetic.
"Do you want a big or small wedding?" I ask, praying his answer is the same as mine. I hate crowds, and I also don't want anything even close to the nightmare wedding of my vision.
"We don't need anything big. And if it's not big, we can do it sooner. In a few months, if we wanted."
"I'd love that," I sigh, playing with my engagement ring. "I want Pietro to walk me down the aisle."
"I was thinking about Sam as the best man."
"And Nat and Wanda for bridesmaids." I'm still not sure who should be my maid of honor. I'll have to figure that out. "Tony's going to be sore about Sam being the best man."
"He'll get over it," he says, an easygoing smile on his face. "I bet with Tony's help, we could set a date as soon as we wanted."
"Do you want to get married in December?" I ask, thinking about the possibilities whirring through my mind. "Maybe we'd get snow!"
"Whatever makes you happy. That's what, three months from now? I think it's doable."
"That's amazing. We're really getting married!"
"I'll finally be able to call you Mrs. Rogers."
"I like the sound of that," I whisper in his ear.
"You drive me crazy, Mer, you know that?" He puts an arm around me and presses play. I watch the episode with him, but I'm really just imagining us in their places. I close my eyes and picture the dress, the dance, the cake, and Steve's smile. Before I know it, I'm drifting off on his shoulder.
"Again!" My fingers shook as I threw another knife. It missed the target by inches, and I braced myself seconds before a ring-clad hand smacked me across the face. I cowered backward, terrified of my commanding officer. He reeked of car oil and always sneered at me. "You pathetic creature! After everything we've done for you, I can't believe what a failure you might become! Again!"
One thing I learned early on in Hydra was to not speak to superiors unless spoken to. I retrieved the knives withing two seconds and aimed, but my entire body trembled. This was a strange place, with no friendly faces and too many dark hallways. But if there was a home to run to, I had no idea where it was.
A girl appeared in the doorway. Judging by the way she carried herself and the indifferent look on her pale face, she had been here a long time, much longer than I had. Her dark hair hung in a braid down her back, and she looked to be a few years older than me. Not that that meant much. I didn't even know my own age.
Shifting my attention back to the task at hand, I narrowed my concentration and launched the dagger. It pierced the edge of the bullseye, but I was still off by a few inches. And I knew what that meant. Another slap, another welt on my cheek while I tried to act like it didn't hurt. The girl watched all of this quietly, her blue eyes stone cold.
My officer finally noticed the girl in the doorway and beckoned her over with harsh gestures. "Winter, teach her how to properly throw. I have better things to do." She walked over to me slowly, but maybe it wasn't slow at all. Perspective had been playing tricks on me ever since they enhanced my cells, made me the fastest human on the planet. She stooped to pick up a discarded knife and maneuvered it between her fingers until she was comfortable.
"Are you new to this?" She asked, her voice quieter than I expected it to be. I swallowed and nodded, not meeting her eyes. "Your aim isn't bad. You just let go too early. Like this." She flung the knife at the target, hitting a perfect bullseye.
"How long were you watching?" I whispered, amazed at her skill. She seemed so seasoned, so effortless.
"Longer than you think." She held out a hand to shake, and my eyes widened as I got a look at it. Completely metal. She noticed me staring and retracted it, ashamed. "Try again." I nodded and retrieved a dagger on the other side of the large room within seconds. Shock was evident on her pale face, and I felt a blush creeping up my neck.
I concentrated and threw at the last second. My dagger impaled the center of the bullseye. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The girl gave me a thin smile.
"That was good. You should ice your cheek after, you might avoid bruising." She hesitated before voicing another thought. "You're new, aren't you?"
I bit my lip. "I don't know what's going on," I whispered, tears springing to my eyes. "I don't even know who I am."
"What do they call you?" she asked.
"They call me Night Wind." My superhuman abilities awarded me that monicker. Swift enough, they say, to change the world.
"Night Wind," she repeated to herself, almost as if committing my name to memory. "I'm Winter. The Winter Warrior." This time I do shake her hand. On the stairs to the training room, I hear footsteps. She steps forward quickly and hisses in my ear, "don't let them break you."
And then she's gone.
"Mer." I blearily open my eyes to find Steve nudging me. "You okay? You dozed off and missed the rest of the episode."
"Yeah." I close my eyes, committing that face to memory. Winter. I don't want to forget her. She has to be important. "Yeah, I'm fine."
This chapter is an extremely exciting one! I am doing a collaboration with @moviehead_always4 and her book "The Winter Warrior"! It's one of my fanfictions and she is one of my favorite authors on this platform, and I am completely ecstatic and honored to be a part of it. Go read her books to find out more about the Winter Warrior, who is an AMAZING character. I hope you are as excited about this as I am!
Leave your thoughts, love you al!