(no subject)

[girlwithout]

Rikki really, really misses the gym at Avengers Mansion. She was super-spoiled, she'd admit, having access to state-of-the-art equipment meant for the use of actual superheroes. So of course, anything else she could possibly have access to would probably look like duct tape and baling wire in comparison.

She's pretty sure it's not bias to say that whatever she can rig up in an abandoned house and actual on-the-field practice makes for a pretty shitty gym-substitute. It's kind of a miracle when she finds out there's a gym at Milliways to use. (Is there anything it doesn't have? She's pretty sure she saw something like an obstacle course outside, too.)

Anyway, she figures she's owed a chance to work off a little steam. It's easy to fall into a rhythm so she doesn't have to think too hard, just concentrate on strength and endurance and beating the shit out of a punching bag that never did a thing to her.

Comments

[girlwithout]

"Yeah."

Okay, maybe this wasn't as good an idea. "Should I... go?"

(And jeez, doesn't it sting to be asking Steve that.)

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"No, no, no," Steve says. "Of course not. I should be getting back home, anyway."

[girlwithout]

"Okay," Rikki says, trying not to visibly deflate. "Cool."

Except... it's not. She steps aside to let him head out, but it's not okay, not really.

"It's just... I knew him. You. The Captain America where I'm from."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve looks at her.

"Knew?"

[girlwithout]

"Yeah."

It's hard not to cringe at the unspoken question in there - what happened? She had thought maybe she could talk to him about stuff, but this Steve... doesn't seem like he's really doing too well.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

That's very astute. He's not.

He just nods.

"There seem to be a couple of me out there." He waves a hand in the vague direction of the observation window.

[girlwithout]

"Yeah," she says again, because right now she thinks she's never felt the loss of her Steve so sharply. "A few."

After a moment, she says, "You can go, you know. I just... wanted to say it."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

He nods again and picks up his sweatshirt.

"Hey," he says, stopping on his way out, "if you ever want to hear about Bucky--my Bucky--I've got stories."

[girlwithout]

For the first time since they started talking, Rikki smiles. "Yeah. I'd like that, sometime."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Okay," Steve says. "Sometime."

He nods and smiles a little too, and then leaves the gym.