┌──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐

"𝙊𝙝, 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧."

└────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┘

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

Juniper fiddles with her wedding ring, letting her hair air-dry as Steve steps out of the bathroom. She forces her eyes not to widen at his large arms bugling out of his wife beater. Damn. And to think he was once skin and bones?

She sighs, the weight of the world rests heavy on her chest.

"Are you okay?" Steve asks, leaning against the doorframe.

She nods slowly. "Yeah." Lie. How could her life crumble so quicky within a matter of days?

How could S.H.I.E.L.D. have been a lie?

"You know I remember you." Steve says, moving to sit beside her on the bed. "With Nick."

Juniper smiles knowingly to herself. "The day you woke up?"

"Yeah." Steve nods.

"I told him it was bad idea... To trick you that way." She pauses, shaking her head as a deep chuckle rolls off her chest. "But he doesn't listen to me."

Juniper remembers Steve bursting outside, sprinting, looking around with a tortured, confused expression at all of the billboards and skyscraping buildings. A man out of time.

She was waiting by the car with Nick as he stepped forward to explain everything.

"I can't imagine how that must have felt." She continues, still playing with her ring, as if twisting it over and over again will magically make her feel better, and all her problems fade...

"It's better now." Steve tells her. "I-I have a list." He admits, slightly embarrassed.

June looks up at him. "A list?" The corners of her lips tug up.

"Don't laugh." He shakes his head, lowering it. "It's a list of things I need to catch up on."

"Well," She throws her hands up smally. "Now I must see this list." Juniper muses . "What's on it?"

"Oh, you know, Star Wars- Trek," His brows furrow slightly. "I get those confused. Food, music." He rattles off. "Sam had me add 'Troubleman'."

"Ah, man of taste." She nods in respect. "Well, I'm glad you're getting adjusted."

"I think you helped with that actually." Steve confesses.

Juniper looks at him curiously. "I did? How?"

Steve shakes his head. "Well, I, uh-"

She clicks her tongue playfully. "You better tell me, Steve Rogers." She tilts her gaze.

"It was a couple years ago, before the Avengers." Steve starts, nervous she wouldn't even remember it.

Juniper thinks back. "The boxing incident." It dawns on her instantly.

"Yeah." Steve nods.

Juniper walks in to the small workout space in the lower level, an area where she can train in peace. As she enters, she hears pounding and scoffs irritatedly that someone else was down here.

She rounds the corner with purpose to see who was in her unspoken space to find a man in a dingy white shirt pounding away at the punching bag before giving it one final hit which rips a hole and the bag goes flying.

"Holy shit." Her mouth parts open. The man leans over breathing heavily. "You good?" She asks, approaching slowly behind him. "Hey, are you good?" She tries again, a bit more forcefully this time, causing him to jolt up right and she realizes who she's talking to...

Captain America.

He shakes his head no, grabbing his chest.

"I, uh, I think you're having a panic attack." She says, eyeing him up and down.

Alarm rushes across his face, seeming unfamiliar with the concept.

"It's okay. Just put your hands above your head." Juniper nods slowly, raising her arms up. "See, like this." He follows her lead." Deep breath." She inhales as he does the same. "And out." She slowly releases. "In... out."

After repeating the exercise a couple times Steve swallows. "Um, thank you." He glances behind him at the sand all over the floor. "I'm sorry. It's happened several times.

"I understand." Juniper says, not a hint of judgement laced in her voice.

"How did you know what to do?" He asks, lowering his arms back down.

"I use to get panic attacks, too." She tells him honestly, leaving out why.

Steve dips his head towards her. "I'm-" Her phones rings, breaking up their interaction.

She looks down at the caller. 'Brock'.

"I know who are." She smiles smally. "I gotta take this, sorry."

Steve watches her figure descend, wishing he had gotten her name.

"Surprised you remember that." Juniper breaks up her flashback. "With all your saving-the-day and old age, I figured you'd forget all about that." She muses.

Steve smiles at the memory. "You- uh, you were the first person to just treat me like a normal guy." He admits.

She snorts. "You and normal don't belong in the same sentence. But, I'm sorry you seemed to have froze for nothing." She refers to Hydra, the last of her words bitter on the tongue.

"I just like to know who I'm fighting."

She shakes her head. "I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?"

"Stay so positive all the time, always 'looking on the bright side'." She wishes she could have that mindset for what they just found out about S.H.I.E.L.D- Hydra.

Maybe she should take a page out of his book, notebook.

Steve shrugs. "Gotta keep going."

"Mmm. Well, I don't say this very often." She gives him a serious look. "But thank you. For pulling me out back there."

"Of course." Steve looks at her like there was no existence of a possible other way. "Why wouldn't I?" He gravitates forward slightly, sounding hurt she'd think otherwise.

She presses her lips together. "People surprise you sometimes."

"Yeah, they do." His eyes bore into hers and they seem to instinctively gravitate closer ever so slightly. June's brain falls numb and Steve's chest heaves up and down.

"I made breakfast." Sam enters the room and Juniper jolts in surprise. "Oh, uh sorry." He clears his throat. "You guys eat that sort of thing?" His eyes flash between the two, feeling the suffocation of tension in the room.

Juniper smirks. "I usually only drink tears of joy in the mornings, but breakfast will do."

Sam chuckles. "Oh, I like her."

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hey, heyyy... to the like four people that keep with this book lmao, how y'all doing?! I cannot believe it's already been ONE WEEK since Cap 4 came outtt, whattt!! Also, speaking offf... I enjoyed the HELL out of it!! Overhated I think, y'all should def go see it in theaters!! Show Sam & Mackie support!! My parents both loved it too & praised it the whole way home & the rest of the weekend!!

As I announced in last week's update... I do now have a Sam ficcc (in the drafts lol) & that oc WILL be introduced in this book seriesss!! AND NOWWW... I HAVE ALSO CREATED A JOAQUIN TORRESS FICCC!! AHHH!! I've been wanting to do a book for him ever since fatws came outtt, but after seeing Cap 4 last Saturday... the wheels started turning & the inspo came flowing!! Sooo... THAT OC WILL ALSO BE INTRODUCED IN THIS BOOK SERIESSSS HEHE... And her & Joaquin will be giving Juniper & Steve energy ;) OH I AM SO EXCITEDDD!!!

Anywaysss... hehe, back to this book & Juniper lmao.... what'd y'all think about this chapter?! AND THE JUNIPER & STEVE LOREEE, HELLO?! The actually go back further than y'all thought, huh?! ;) EEKKK, I have had those two scenes planned forever where they cross paths & interact, so I am SO excited that they are finally here for y'all to readdd!!

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE END OF THE CHAPTERRRR... OOO! Also, Sam killed me at the end of this chap & he's already a fan of our girl Juniperrr, they're gonna be such a fun duo to write hehe.

Well, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapterrr!! Please don't be afraid to comment your thoughts, questions, & reactions & until next timeee... mwah!!