[ 1943 ]

📍BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
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Breathe, (Y/N). Breathe.

She didn't know how long she had been staring at the window for, but she was sure that anyone else would say it was a long time and declare her as odd. It's not like you could blame her, who wouldn't be nervous for a friend when they're about to be part of an experiment? Part of her rational self reassured her that Doctor Erskine knew what he was doing, and that everything will follow smoothly. She just wished the rest of her body thought that same way.

Peggy was sat beside her in the car, being driven by a cadet to keep an eye on the road. Every now and then the children on the street had to interrupt their games to move to the side and let the car pass, and (Y/N) found herself smiling at them since they reminded her of her childhood.

"I know this neighborhood," Steve spoke up for the first time in the entire ride to the city. He also was a nervous wreck, but he knew how to hide it.

"I got beat up in that alley," he pointed to the one they had just passed by. (Y/N) turned to face him with her lips pressed in a thin line because she had held a cloth against his bruised face each time that happened. ". . .And that parking lot. And behind that diner."

He lowered his head to stare at his hands, since the last location wasn't part of (Y/N)'s knowledge. She kept her eyes on him, trying to find the appropriate words to say, yet nothing came out.

"Did you have something against running away?" Peggy was the one to respond. At her question, (Y/N) had to hide a snort behind her closed lips.

"You start running, they'll never let you stop," Steve speaks up. "You stand up, you push back. They can't say no forever, right?"

"I know a little of what that's like, to have every door shut in your face."

"I guess I just don't know why you'd want to join the Army if you were a beautiful dame," Steve instantly realized the bad choice of words and stuttered to correct himself. "Or a — a woman. An agent. Not a dame. You are beautiful, but — "

(Y/N) was finding this conversation quite amusing, and she made the mental note to tell all about it to Bucky in one of her future letters. She was sure he'd have a loud laugh.

Peggy's eyes set on (Y/N). "Is he always like this?"

"That's part of his charm."

The brunette hummed in reply before facing Steve again. "You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?"

"Aside from (Y/N), I think this is the longest conversation I've had with one," Steve replied with a smile threatening to come out. (Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows together at that sentence. "Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on."

"You must have danced."

"Well, asking a woman to dance always seemed so terrifying," he continued, avoiding both of the women's eyes. "And the past few years, it just didn't seem to matter that much. I figured I'd wait."

"For what?"

"The right partner."

(Y/N) was able to see the not-so-subtle way Peggy grinned bashfully at Steve's words, and she couldn't help but grin knowingly at this. When (Y/N) caught her eye, she raised a questioning eyebrow, to which Peggy responded with an eye roll of her own and stared forward.

She didn't want to pry, especially with Steve in the car with them, though she wanted to know more. Peggy sensed the woman's stare on her side, so she had no other option but to shift in her spot and face her without giving Steve that much of a cold shoulder. In simple words, Peggy mouthed, 'I see why you recommended him'.

(Y/N) grinned once again, and then fixed her eyes on the road. The soldier driving them slowed on the car's speed and parked on the sidewalk, trying not to draw that much attention. Peggy and (Y/N) both exited the car with Steve trailing behind, who didn't seem to understand what they were doing in this certain place.

"This way," (Y/N) called his attention and followed after Peggy, who had taken the lead.

Steve stared at the sign of the small shop they were heading to, the words 'Brooklyn Antiques' being announced in big, white letters.

"What are we doing here?"

"Follow me."

Peggy opened the door of the shop, which caused a small doorbell to ring along. (Y/N) pushed the door even wider to let Steve inside before her, and closed it right after to assure they were secure. As if she was summoned by the bell, an elderly woman stepped out of the back door of the shop with an innocent smile.

"Wonderful weather this morning, isn't it?" she asked with her eyes set on the women.

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella."

Satisfied with Peggy's answer, she smiled and moved toward the counter to subtlety press a buzzing button. With that being said, the trio were allowed to pass through the back door — or curtain — which was quiet and mostly stacked with old parchment paper and books.

Steve still didn't know what they were doing here, and a part of (Y/N) found it quite amusing. They paused by the book shelves, and with the same buzzing sound, the book shelves opened into two separate secret doors. The doors were fully opened and this allowed (Y/N) to continue on her path to their destination, hearing how the doors closed behind her once all three of them stepped inside the secret lab.

Peggy and (Y/N) took the lead on the walk through the hallway, allowing Steve to stay close behind. The receptionist stopped what she was doing to stare at the blond, as well as the passing soldiers and guards of the place. When they reached the end of the hall, two more guards opened the doors for them to pass through, and this allowed all three of them to step into the balcony of the lab.

The sound of the doors opening alerted every scientist working on the lower level of the lab, stopping what they were doing to stare at Steve, including Doctor Erskine. The sight of the capsule placed in the middle of the room and all the stares made Steve advert his eyes at (Y/N), who was only allowed to give him a short smile before walking down the stairs. Peggy, on the other hand, turned the other way and met the rest of the audience in the booth.

Doctor Erskine met them in the center of the room, and extended a hand forward for Steve to shake. "Good morning."

A flash went off, which alerted the pair. He looked back at the man with an annoyed expression. "Please, not now."

The man excused himself and left up the steps. Steve, on the other hand, stared at the opened capsule in front of him with firm eyes.

"Are you ready?"

Steve responded with a nod.

"Good," Dr. Erskine nodded. "Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat."

Steve did as told, starting with removing his small hat from his head and handing it to the nurse beside him. Once he had taken off what Dr. Erskine had told him, he climbed and laid on his back in the capsule.

"Comfortable?"

"It's a little big," he smiled and Dr. Erskine chuckled at his words. "You save me any of that schnapps?"

"Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time," he said embarrassed before he raised his voice into a higher volume for everyone else to hear. "Mr. Stark, how are your levels?"

Howard came at the call of his name, not before he flashed a wink at (Y/N) that made her roll her eyes. Even though it was quick, the action made Steve frown in confusion. "Levels at 100%."

"Good."

"We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready as we'll ever be."

The scientists adjusted the straps on Steve's torso to secure him to the capsule, and (Y/N) couldn't help but feel the knot in her stomach tighten.

"Agent Dewitt," Dr. Erskine called her name calmly, tapping her shoulder. "Don't you think you would be more comfortable with Agent Carter in the booth?"

(Y/N) jumped when she realized she wasn't supposed to be there for that long. She flashed the doctor an embarrassed smile as she walked backwards. "Yes, sorry."

She knew it would be unprofessional to hug him, so instead, before she was too far, she looked back to stare at Steve one last time, muttering a, "Good luck."

She joined Peggy in the booth along with her boss Colonel Phillips and Senator Brandt, who was invited to see the experiment by the colonel along with many other familiar and unfamiliar faces. Peggy must've noticed the slight discomfort in (Y/N)'s face, since she placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. What she was about to say in reassurance was cut short by Dr. Erskine causing noise into the public announcer.

"Do you hear me? Is this on?" once sure everyone's eyes were on him and they were on their seats, he continued. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace."

The scientists moved a machine with the serum closer to the capsule as Dr. Erskine explained the process. The nurses grabbed the vials and placed them on their respective spot on the machine before backing away. "We begin with a series of microinjections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays."

"Serum infusion beginning in five," Dr. Erskine counted down, and (Y/N) felt herself sinking into her seat. "Four. . .three. . .two. . .one."

The blue serum disappeared from the vials as it was injected into Steve's arms, and even from far away (Y/N) could see him wince.

"Now, Mr. Stark."

Howard pulled down a lever, which activated the capsule. This caused it to lift itself up and close from the sides to the middle, shutting him out of everyone's sight. The scientists secured the final tubes onto the capsule as Dr. Erskine moved to tap on the surface. Whatever incoherent phrase that Steve said to the doctor to confirm his well-being, it was enough to make him hid a smile.

"We will proceed."

Howard turned on a switch before placing protective sunglasses over his eyes. A low rumbling was heard even from the booth, and it was visible how Howard began to slowly turn to the left the wheel that controlled the percentage of Vita-Rays.

"That's 10%," he announced, and the glow from the rays started to dazzle; so much that the other nurses and scientists had their glasses on, except Erskine. "20%. . .30. That's 40%."

"Vital signs are normal."

"That's 50%," Howard kept counting. "60. 70 — "

Steve's loud scream interrupted the count, and the sound made (Y/N)'s heart stop. This is exactly what she feared. To hell with professionalism, she thought. This was her friend, and the thought of something happening to him was sickening to think about. Without paying attention to Peggy's call, (Y/N) ran out of the booth.

"Steven!"

(Y/N) grabbed a hold of the railing from the balcony, panicked. "Shut it down! Shut it down!"

Dr. Erskine snapped his head to Howard with urgency. "Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark! Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!"

"No!" Steve shouted through the commotion. "Don't! I can do this!"

Leave it to Steve to be a stubborn mule even if his life was on the line. (Y/N) was about to debate, though she was sure he would jump to defend himself even in the position he was in. Howard, hesitantly, followed the order and moved toward the wheel to amplify the rays. Howard, so help me God, if he dies — (Y/N) wanted to yell.

"80. 90," the rays got brighter, that it was hard to look toward the capsule. "That's 100%."

The power was too much that the machines around the entire lab started to crackle, making everyone jump in alert. Then, the light coming from inside the capsule died out, and the machine started to power down all by itself. There was no sound coming from inside it, and (Y/N) feared the worst. She felt like throwing up.

"Mr. Stark?" Dr. Erskine called, somehow hesitantly, afraid to see the result.

The capsule opened up, and everyone's eyes widened at the result. It was still Steve, but at the same time. . .it wasn't? He was much taller, fitting perfectly inside the capsule, which was something he wasn't able to do just a few minutes ago. His slim, skinny figure was gone, and it was replaced by a lean, muscled one. She really did her best not to stare in respect for her friend, but she couldn't help it.

Dr. Erskine reached to grab him by the arm, waking him up from his unconscious state and helping him down with Howard's help.

"I did it," Steve panted coherently.

"Yeah, yeah. I think we did it."

"You actually did it."

(Y/N) pushed through the crowds of men all piling up to see Steve's transformed self, and it was odd to be the one looking up to meet his eyes. This was something she might need to get used to from now on. When the blond caught her gaze, he did his best to smile in the same old cheeky way he used to, as if there weren't anyone else around watching.

"Did you get shorter?" he spoke up first.

"I think you got taller," (Y/N) offered a smile.

"I know, I just wanted to hear you say it."

(Y/N) almost smacked him in the arm. There was that infuriating smugness he reserved when it was only the three of them, and even though it annoyed her, she was happy to hear it. Just a few seconds ago she thought he was going to die, so having him be like his old self was calming in some way.

"I don't like that you're taller than me," she shook her head in disapproval. Then, she transformed into a much serious and worried tone. "How are you feeling?"

Steve blinked a few times, and (Y/N) instantly knew what he was referring to, yet he looked somehow embarrassed to say it out loud. She nodded in understanding, and a nurse besides her held out a white t-shirt for him to wear, and she took it from her and helped Steve out since he looked overwhelmed.

Peggy reached (Y/N)'s side, and she smiled warmly at Steve, which made him advert his eyes. Senator Brandt was shaking Dr. Erskine's hand not that far from them, yet (Y/N) stopped hearing the doctor's voice, which made her look away from her friends and see for herself.

In that exact moment, an explosion went off from the inside of the booth, startling everyone. The glass shards from the booth's windows fell on the crowd like droplets of water, which made everyone drop down to the floor. Between the chaos, Dr. Erskine stood up and pointed toward a man.

"Stop him!"

The unfamiliar man managed to grab the last vial of the serum before pulling out his gun and shooting Erskine in cold blood. One of the nurses screamed at the sound of the gunshots, and (Y/N) rapidly reached for the gun hidden underneath her skirt before running after him.

He climbed up the stairs and shot one of the guards, and tried to shoot (Y/N) once he heard she was behind him, but she was able to dodge in time. Meanwhile, Peggy was quick enough to shoot him from below and hit him in the shoulder, though this didn't slow him down. (Y/N) didn't waste time and shot him too, and she wasn't able to see what damage it had done since he had already bolted down the hallway.

(Y/N) ran through the hall where she came from, trying to ignore the unconscious bodies shot on the floor on her way out. Ruckus was heard from the outside of the shop, and (Y/N) made her way toward the door after hearing the series of gunshots coming from the sidewalk.

(Y/N) was able to spot the back of the man's head from where she stood, preparing her aim. She heard the sound of Peggy's heels clicking against the sidewalk's cobblestones as she checked the pulse of the fallen undercover agents on the floor, and before she could press on the trigger, the car behind her exploded into a world of flames.

(Y/N) turned her attention back on the getaway car, pulling the trigger and successfully shooting at the driver. Without driver, this would slow him down. However, the man got out and stole a taxi cab before he did a full turn with the intend of crashing into her as she kept firing.

Her training allowed her not to flinch as the car got closer and closer to her, but just as it was about to make contact with her, (Y/N) was rolled down to the side of the street. She immediately stood up from Steve's grip, frustrated that the man got away.

"He was mine!" she yelled at him.

"Sorry!" he apologized without looking back at her, running after the car with the full speed he now had.

Peggy made her way over to (Y/N), her gun held tightly in one of her hands. Her eyes were staring forward at Steve's disappearing form, yet her next words were directed at the woman beside her.

"You're right. He is stubborn."

"Oh, you have no idea."

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When Steve returned, he came bearing bad news. The spy had consumed a cyanide pill before he was questioned even further, though his last words were, 'Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail Hydra'. It was obvious that the mention of that organization caused the mood to shift in the base, especially Colonel Phillips's.

Now, Steve was sat on an examination table as a nurse removed the needle she had used to collect his blood. Several vials were filled with the red liquid, and somehow that didn't bother Steve enough to make him remove his gaze from the floor.

"Think you got enough?" he asked, readjusting his sleeve.

"Any hope of reproducing the program is locked in your genetic code," Peggy was the one to explain, a file in her hand. "But without Dr. Erskine, it would take years."

"He deserved more than this."

"Even if it worked only once, he'd be proud it was you," (Y/N) reassured him. Steve didn't respond to that, and instead stayed silent.

Far away from the lab, Senator Brandt's voice was heard through the base. "Colonel Phillips, my committee is demanding answers."

He was trailing behind the colonel in angry steps, his assistant not far behind. Meanwhile, due to the commotion, (Y/N) and Peggy were forced to join the men downstairs.

"Great, Why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?" Colonel Phillips snapped. He turned to Howard, who was analyzing the submarine the spy was going to use to escape. "What have we got here?"

"Speaking modestly, I'm the best mechanical engineer in this country," Howard said. "But I don't know what's inside this thing or how it works. We're not even close to this technology."

"Then who is?"

"Hydra," Colonel Phillips responded. "I'm sure you've been reading our briefings."

"I'm on a number of committees, Colonel."

As the three stepped down from the lab, (Y/N) made their presence known to the group. "Hydra is the Nazi deep-science division."

"It is led by Johann Schmidt," Peggy continued. "But he has much bigger ambitions."

"Hydra is basically a cult," Colonel Phillips explained with his eyes set on the senator. "They worship Schmidt. They think he's invincible."

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"

"I spoke to the President this morning," the Colonel turned his back on him and moved away. "As of today, the SSR is being retasked."

(Y/N) tilted her head in question at what he meant. "Colonel, what — "

He stopped right in front of her and Peggy, eyes firm reserved for when he gives orders. "We are taking the fight to Hydra. Pack your bags, Agents. You, too, Stark."

"We're flying to London tonight."

(Y/N) nodded at the order, though she felt Steve's eyes burn to her back, as if he wanted a place in that too. And now, he could.

"Sir?" he called after the Colonel. "If you're going after Schmidt, I want in."

"You're an experiment. You're going to Alamogordo."

"The serum worked."

"I asked for an army and all I got was you," he lowered his voice a tone deeper. "You are not enough."

With that being said, he turned around and left
the room. (Y/N) avoided eye contact with him and instead focused on thanking the agent that brought her bag to her. Senator Brandt was still in the room, and he used the opportunity to jump in front of Steve to catch his attention.

"With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point," the Senator said. "I've seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country's seen it. Paper."

His assistant rushed to his side with the cover of today's paper, which was Steve holding onto the car door to protect himself from the bullets.

"The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands," he told him. "You don't take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you wanna serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?"

"Sir, that's all I want."

"Then, congratulations. You just got promoted."

hi! long time no see. this was a long chapter. anyways, even though it will be implied that peggy and steve did have feelings for each other, it isn't going to be the main focus here. i wanted to show more of steve and y/n's friendship since we have a short time with it, and i wanted that to be the main point.

-see you soon, bex