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( nine. agent klein )

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Remember when she said that she assumed Becca must probably be just suspicious as everyone else is?

She was right.

Rebecca Barnes was pissed off right now.

"How could you even miss telling me that you could fight like that?"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"No, it's not okay."

Well, dang it. She needed to fix this as soon as now. "I just thought it was going to scare you off. You already freaked out the day you saw me wearing an 'odd' choice of clothing and I didn't know how to tell you that without worrying you even more. I'm sorry, really."

She sighed, staying silent for a moment. Thankfully, the edge of her lips finally curved upwards, "Guess I'm going to have to tell Ellie that perhaps her princess isn't exactly the princess she has in mind after all?"

Natasha chuckled. "No, I guess not."

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Their flight to London was on the same day as well. After she had her things packed, she met with Howard and Peggy by the field and got into their plane. By the way, Howard was right of the idea of her getting promoted. She was no longer Nurse Klein, now, she was addressed as Agent Klein. And it kind of has a nice ring to it, she thought.

Peggy, however, well... "Where on earth did you learn to fight like that?"

When they finally got seated on the plane, she didn't waste any time getting down to her interrogation.

"Training." She answered simply.

"And who trained you, exactly? Certainly not the SSR."

Natasha sighed but didn't answer her question.

"Any other interesting abilities you'd like to surprise us with, Agent Klein?" Peggy raised an eyebrow warily and the way she addressed her was more leaning towards mockery than properly.

Alright, she was starting to get on her nerves.

Howard stepped in before it could get any worse. "Peggy,"

"What? Aren't you the least bit suspicious? First, she's a nurse then the next thing we know she's running across Brooklyn with a bloody gun on her hand and managed to beat the crap of—not only one—but two HYDRA agents?"

"It's strange yes, but we got a lot of other things to worry about, Agent Carter. Besides, she didn't hurt anyone."

Peggy was still glaring at her, "Yet." And she walked away to get seated somewhere else.

He sighed, taking the seat across from her. "Sorry about that. She's... you know how she is."

"I'm surprised she hasn't ripped my hair out or something. I'd be a lot more guarded if I was her." And it was true, she definitely understood why Peggy is acting the way she is, but she wasn't going to lie to say that it didn't bother her when she really means no harm. "Although, I'd more likely keep it to myself."

"She'll warm up to you."

"Eh, it's fine."

Howard took a sip from his champagne glass, then looked up at her through the rim, "She likes him you know, that's probably why."

Natasha knows who exactly he's talking about. "Well, she's got no reason to worry about it because he's going to end up falling for her too anyway. As if it isn't already happening." For some reason, her tongue tasted a slight bitterness the way the words hung out of her mouth.

He noticed it too. "You don't sound too happy."

"Whatever."

"Don't you think you're—"

"No."

"—in denial?"

"Cut it out, Stark. I don't care about him. Or them. Or what they do." Her tone was curt and closed. 

She just couldn't think that way because there was no way it was going to happen. She wasn't going to let it. She doesn't care about Steve that way, not in the way that Peggy does, no. 

Right?

She sighed deeply, shutting her eyes in exhaustion. "I just want to go back."

"You will."

She opened her eyes and lift her wrist to look at the remaining time of hers.

78%
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Alright, so, she had been officially stuck here in 1943 for about two weeks now. And still, there was no sign of Tony Stark showing up.

That bastard.

Oh, and it had been three days since her promotion to being Agent Klein.

And it also had been three days since she last saw Steve. She hasn't heard from him yet personally, but she had heard the news that apparently the 'promotion' the Senator was talking about was him being promoted to Captain America.

Only, in an entirely different picture.

Captain America in this time was not a real hero, nor a fighter, nor a soldier.

He was a chorus girl. A chorus girl that spends his time dancing, singing, and acting as if he was the embodiment of true valor and patriotism expressing his support for his country. His job was to sell war bonds that would be then shipped off to the soldiers actually out there fighting in this war.

And lord, how she cringed every time she saw a poster of Captain America on the newspapers and magazines lying around everywhere.

She didn't think it was this bad when he told her the story of how he actually became Captain America.

God, Steve deserved better than this.

Meanwhile, since she was officially recognized by the SSR as Agent Klein now, it also meant that she needed to up her game. She was spending her days training with Agent Carter, and every single time they did she could easily tell she only half-meant it whenever she told her that she wouldn't actually hurt her.

Not that she was making a big deal out of it because she always had the upper hand over her (only making her more pissed off at her) but it was clear to her that she was still on her bad side.

Finally, one day, she couldn't handle it anymore when Peggy was purposely nagging on her to fire her shots and won't proceed to the next training even if she fired every single target on the fucking board accurately.

She just lost her cool and completely lashed out at her. "What the hell is wrong with you, Agent?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" she fumed. "God, I know you hate me. You don't have to pretend that you like me because I know you're still doubtful of me and I completely understand that, but still, I try to be rational enough to not let that get in the way of our work because I respect you as an agent. The least you can do is respect me too, maybe not as a person, but at least as an agent. As a co-worker."

Peggy looked taken aback and didn't say anything after.

She stormed out that room and slammed the door shut, hearing the satisfying bang echoed through the hall.

Later that night, she was actually getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it up and was surprised to see Peggy standing at the other side. "Agent Klein, do you have a minute?"

It took her a second to respond with a nod. She stepped out of her room, locked the door and followed Peggy outside. The moon shone brightly above them, contrasting the night sky. The cool breeze pierced through her skin like knives and she had to rub her arms so she wouldn't shiver.

"I'm not fond of secrets." She heard Peggy say. "Maybe that was the reason why I was so... off towards you."

She looked at her. "I'm not holding it against you. You had every right to be suspicious of me and I accepted that. I just couldn't stand it getting in the way of work."

"I know, and it was wrong of me to do. I just always had an issue with learning to trust people, shutting them out before I could even get betrayed. I'm sorry I doubted you."

But she understands where she was coming from completely, and that after hearing her reasons made her the one ashamed of her rising hate towards the brunette agent.

"I'm sorry too."

Peggy smiled. "It's fine."

A click went off at the back of her mind. For some reason, as she was hearing those words from Peggy, her mind drifted back to Steve. She was like a counterpart of him, sharing the reasons that she was sure he would say to if he was in her position.

She could see why she and Steve were the perfect fit.

And her heart somewhat sunk.

Silence fell over them. 

Peggy looked completely at peace with the way she looked up at the sky, the moonlight tracing her features lightly. She was really beautiful, no doubt, and she couldn't help but feel a tad envious of her.

"You like him, don't you?"

She looked at her, bemusedly. "What?"

"Steve." The name set off a flicker of emotions in the brunette's eyes and Natasha tried hard to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "You like him, don't you?"

Surprise crossed her features, a rosy color splashing onto the pools of her cheeks when her face suddenly broke into a warm smile.

She knows she should be happy. Happy for her. For Steve. For them. But no matter how hard she tries to find the feeling of jumping in joy, to try and grin, and tell her she should be glad because Steve feels the same way about her. But no matter what she thinks or does, she just couldn't find the face to be genuinely positive about it.

"That's... great." She forced a smile, even though her voice was already faltering.

What she didn't expect was for the question to be thrown back at her.

"Do you?" Her eyes widened. She asked her, not threateningly, but just wanting to know too, "I mean, I can't say I've also noticed you look at him the other day we were in the medical ward."

She covered her emotions with a chuckle, sounding a bit strained, "Peggy, I barely even know the guy."

"Well, knowing him is a thing that comes along with the process of falling for him."

"What?"

"You said you hardly know him? By the time you do, it would be probably too late to back out from it. That's just the kind of man he is."

And she finally picked up on it. "Are you indirectly suggesting that I'm going to have feelings for Steve?"

Peggy raised an eyebrow at her, "Don't you already?"

That stopped her for a second, and she stiffened, feeling her heartbeat getting faster and faster,  almost beating out of her chest. Her mouth went limp as she struggled to find the words caught up in her throat. "N-No!" She forced it out. "Of course not."

It was the right thing to say.

But she wasn't entirely sure if it's what she wanted to say.

Her having feelings for Steve? It couldn't be. It's ridiculous. And he was Peggy's to begin with, not hers.

Peggy looked mildly stunned by her outburst, but eventually let out a soft laugh, "Then I guess I have your blessing to know that it's okay to feel this certain way towards him?"

"Why would you need my blessing? Of course, it's okay. You don't have to worry about me. I don't think of Steve that way. No."

The words couldn't sound any more wrong than it is as soon as it left her mouth.

Her mind was saying something—

—but her heart was saying another.

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I think someone's in denial... don't you guys think so too?

*ehem* Nat *ehem*