Naïve
(A/N: This is one of the last ones for the Your Choice imagines. Sorry more or less that it's super long, but I hope it's worth it. P.S. Civil War does not exist.)
Boom.
The punching bag budged.
Twice now.
Anger flushed your systems.
Your ear buds were in, yet you couldn't process the nonsensical music. Instead, blood pulsed through your head, filling your ears.
It was power, exertion. You don't know relief until you have release.
The bag was giving more and more. Soon, you could see busts in the material.
Almost done.
Your fists were lightning. Every strike was harmonious. One after another, you beat the anxiety from your body.
You gave one last punch, filled with energy.
Sure enough, the bag fell from the chains, a rip tearing through it and sand spilling out.
Another one bites the dust.
You took out your earbuds and turned to take a drink.
"I didn't know anyone else could really do that."
You were shocked as you turned to see someone standing in the doorway. They had a large sillouette from the dimmed lights.
"Hey, it's after-hours, buddy. You can come back tomorrow," you called. You didn't need some drunk wandering around your gym.
The man stepped forward and you nearly gasped.
Tall, blond, blue-eyed- he was attractive. And he didn't look drunk.
"Sorry, ma'am. I simply came by because of a friend's recommendation. I didn't see the hours on the door-"
"So you assumed we were open at ten at night?" You let out a small laugh.
"You never know. Er- I never know."
A silence settled between the two of you.
"What did you mean earlier? The 'I didn't know anyone else could really do that'? Is it a normality for you?"
A small smile ghosted his face.
"You should see it sometime."
You hesitated.
Was this stranger offering you a date?
"Well, maybe you can come by tomorrow morning and try. Y'know, when it's open."
He chuckled, taking a step back.
"Sure."
He turned to go back out the door, but he stopped.
A small blush rose to his cheeks as he faced you again.
"I don't think I caught your name."
"That's 'cause I didn't give it. I'm (Y/F/N). You are?"
"Uh, I'm... James. Have a- have a good night."
"You too," you half muttered.
When you heard the door shut, you took another sip of your drink, thinking about the handsome stranger.
•••••
*Later that night at the Avengers Facility*
•••••
"Why'd you use my name? Why couldn't you use a random name, like Chris, or something like that?"
Steve sat opposite of Bucky in one of the lounge's sofas.
"I don't know. I panicked." Steve rubbed his mouth.
"Well, was she hot? I used to go there back in the day. You remember-"
"Yes, Buck, I remember."
"Boy, there used to be some hot dames around there back then. I wonder what ol' Betty's doin' now."
"Probably living a normal life. Now can you stop? What do I do?"
Bucky sighed.
"Are you goin' back?"
"I don't know, yeah?"
"Then, that's it. You go tomorrow, you bust a bag or two, show 'er your moves-" Bucky wiggled his eyebrows.
"-And sweep 'er off 'er feet, the good ol' Captain America way."
"That's the thing, Buck. I don't want to do it the 'Captain America way'. She didn't recognize me. I'd like to actually meet someone who doesn't ask to take a picture with me on sight."
Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve.
"I dunno, Stevie." Bucky sighed, standing up. "Just- just don't get too ahead of yourself." He patted him on the shoulder before he headed to bed.
*The next morning*
•••••
You were late. You were never late. For some strange reason, you didn't wake up to your alarm clock. Instead, you woke up to your neighbor's dog barking non-stop.
You shot out of bed and quickly got ready, hoping your boss wouldn't notice.
Running into the building, you weren't watching where you were going. You ran into someone, being knocked backwards. You stared upwards, only to see the pinnacle of fitness.
"Are you okay?"
Holy-
It was the man from last night.
"Uh, I'm uh, I'm fine."
He held out his hand for you. You quickly took it, trying not to make a scene. You brushed yourself off, trying not to stare at the sweat glistening on James's biceps. That's when you caught the eye of someone. You groaned at the familiar face.
Helen, your superior, came marching up to you. She was a stout woman with fiery red hair and a constant scowl on her face, as if she were always smelling something unpleasant.
"(Y/L/N)!!!"
Oh no.
"You're late. I've told you a million times, this facility is-"
"- the prime of family hospitality and precision. Our policy is: 'We make the workout worth your time.'" You finished her often repeated statement.
"And how are we supposed to make it worth the time if you're not on time?"
"I'm sorry. I'll get to work immediately." You began to walk away.
Helen sneered.
"You better, you little brat."
You froze. James's jaw dropped.
You took a deep breath through your nose, slowly shutting your eyes.
Not today, you can't. Calm down, you have it-
"-Under control," you whispered under your breath.
"What did you say?" Helen growled.
"Nothing. I said nothing," You quickly countered, trying not to grow even more uneasy.
Helen made a small noise of satisfaction.
"That's what I thought. Get to work."
She finally turned away, and you let out a large sigh. You turned to see James staring at you in disbelief.
"We both know you could have taken her down right there," he whispered.
"Who are you to say what I can and can't do?" You responded, dropping your bag on the counter and beginning to go through it.
"I just mean," he came to your side and rested an arm against the desk.
"- you could have showed her not to treat you that way. I saw the way you beat that bag to a pulp last night. That strength- well, it's a force to be reckoned with. I should know."
You frowned as you retrieved your name tag. "For that very same reason, I choose to not show her that strength," you motioned for James to come closer.
"Just so you know, no one here but you knows what I can do. No one. If you don't mind, I'd like to keep it that way."
You turned to see a very sweaty, larger man get off an elliptical, making his way towards the vending machines. You sighed as you headed towards the custodian's closet. James followed you.
"You're a janitor?!" He whisper-yelled.
"I have a job to do. I need you to let me do it."
"But why-"
"Because, it's what I do. Deal with it."
James became silent.
You got out the cleaning spray and a rag and wiped down the elliptical, grimacing at weird smudges here and there.
You glanced to see him still standing there.
"What? What do you want me to say? 'My past is filled with dark secrets and the only way I can be at peace is if I'm a janitor by day and vigilante by night'?"
He broke a grin.
"No."
He was frowning again.
"Let's make a deal," he started.
You turned to him, eyeing him skeptically.
"And what would that be?"
"I don't tell anyone your secret-"
You narrowed your eyes.
"-if you let me teach you how to fight better."
You were shocked. You honestly had not expected that.
"Um, I-I uh... I guess I will. I, uh- think."
James's face visibly brightened.
"So, how about tonight after the gym closes? Can I meet you then?" James asked.
You felt heat rise to your cheeks; you believed the question had a double meaning.
You nodded.
"Great, I'll see you then." He grinned as he walked (with a bit of a jump in his step) back to his prior activity.
You smiled to yourself as you picked up your rag and continued to wipe the elliptical.
•••••
Over the next few weeks, James taught you several different fighting styles, and more points on boxing. Before you knew it, you began to enjoy his lessons more than anything else. Sometimes, if you guys ended early enough, he would take you to the diner around the corner for a burger or shake. That was when you would talk about each other's lives.
James always wanted to hear about you, constantly insisting that only you talk, but he never seemed to want to talk about himself. From what you knew about him: he was a cop, he lived in a small apartment close by that he shared with his best friend, he loved 40's jazz, he had a thing for old diners and classy shoes, and he always opened the door for someone else, no matter what.
For you, he was a pretty nice guy. You may even developed a bit of a crush on him. Still, it weirded you out that his story sometimes didn't seem to add up.
Why didn't you ever see his friend around? Why would he always be skittish when talking about his history, or his job?
Was there something he was hiding?
That was until the one day you decided to finally watch the news. You never did, since you liked to use the question to start conversations. Still, when you turned on the t.v. and saw James's face staring back at yours, it was like it all clicked.
With all the emotions going through your head, it was like a slot machine had landed anger, anger, anger.
You decided to be passive-aggressive and just subtly cancel on your plans to meet that night.
No meeting tonight.
Not even a minute later, you received a reply.
Okay, why not?
You didn't answer for a couple of days. He would try to stop you at work, but you would simply give him the cold shoulder. Whenever you weren't around him, your anger sizzled and burned and grew, but as soon as you saw him, it extinguished. Then you would turn your shoulder and shun him again, resuming the maddening cycle.
Really, it was driving him crazy. Steve couldn't understand why you weren't talking to him. He wanted to see you so bad, but you avoided him like the Black Plague. He was thinking about you all the time now, and it scared him.
He remembers laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as thoughts swam through his head. He could see you vividly; your smile, your booming laugh that made your whole body shake. He smiled at the thought. Your deep eyes and controlling stare that made him feel trapped, yet oddly comfortable. No one else had really made him feel like that. The only person that had made him feel even close to that way was Peggy, and even then he knew her for a fleeting amount of time. You were different. You scared him and pulled him in at the same time. You were spontaneous, unexpected. You challenged his every thought, his every belief. You made him think long and hard about his life and choices.
You made him feel deeply, positively, completely... alive.
And he knew he had to find out and fix whatever stupid thing he had done to get you back.
He had fallen too deep, and you were taking away his oxygen breath by breath.
•••••
You were cleaning the vending machine in the hallway, wiping down the glass in rough movements. Helen had ranted at you again today, and you almost lost control of yourself. You felt a familiar tap on your shoulder. You turned to see Steve, or, sorry, James, standing behind you with a serious expression on his face.
"Look, (Y/N), I don't know what I did, but you haven't spoken to me about anything. Please, whatever it is, I'm sorry." He had a sincere gaze and his voice softened almost to a whisper at the end.
A cold feeling fell through your body and something squeezed in your chest.
"You lied."
He tilted his head forward.
"What?"
"You lied about everything. You lied about who you are, what you do. I barely know the real you, other than Captain America."
You spat the last two words out like poison.
His face fell.
"Why? Why did you lie to me?" Your voice broke. You cringed.
"I didn't want that title or my history to get in the way of your perspective of me. It was so refreshing to meet someone who didn't see me as some type of 'hero', or expect so much from me. You saw me as myself."
"But why did you even keep on seeing me? I'm sure you could have spent your 'precious' time on someone else."
"Because I-"
"What? Because you what?"
"Because I really like you."
He had practically shouted it. He pinched the bridge of his nose and punched the wall. You let out a small scream as his fist went through the plaster.
"What? How can-"
"You know what? Forget it, I'm in love with you."
Your eyes widened.
"I can't stop thinking about you. When we first met, I knew I wanted to see you again. My doubts rise every time I consider coming back, but you suppress all of them; they vanish. I want to see you everyday and I can't help but wonder..."
He was staring off into the distance until his eyes came back to yours. The uncertainty was replaced with something else: purpose.
You stared in shock as he placed both his hands on either side of your head and kissed you. It was slow at first, but he seemed to build up courage. His hands went to the back of your neck and the small of your back. You responded by throwing your hands around his neck.
When you broke for air, he smiled down at you.
"But why me? Why waste all this time trying to win me over? Why chase after me when I've done nothing but ignored you and left you out in the cold?" You looked up to him, feeling guilt in your stomach despite your ecstasy.
"I was just kind of hoping that you'd, y'know.... fall in love with me?"
He glanced down at you with a kid-caught-with-hand-in-the-cookie-jar look.
"Don't be dumb." You laughed as you said it jokingly, pulling him down for another kiss.
_________________________
A/N: Hello my darlings! I have finally (yes, finally) seen CACW, and I am proud to say I loved it. Yes, there are points that I think could have gone better, but I loved it all the same. My love goes out to those who have stayed strong despite my *ahem* absence. You all are incredibly amazing human beings who deserve the world and more.
So long, my beauts!
~Sports_books_1816