"catching stars" - 1x1.

[lavender moon]

Luka whimpered and paced the room, upset by the fact that his human was having nightmares. It happened on the regular. When they were in the apartment she rarely slept. Especially when she had first escaped. She was terrified of closing her eyes and opening them again only to be back in a cell. The thought terrified her. Camp was a horrific place and she’d do anything to stay away from it, even the dream version of it. The girl was shivering as well. The cold, however, was not the cause of this. See, because she could manipulate fire and ice, she didn’t feel or the cold unless she was specifically trying to feel those two things. No, she was shivering and shaking because she was traveling through the time right after the experiment that gave her her powers. In Camp they would test their experiments by trying to force their powers to show. They would fight with the campers, giving the expirment no weapon to fight back with in hopes that their powers would then show. Those nights were easily the worst nights she’d ever spent in Camp. That night specifically she froze one person to death and trapped the other in a fiery blaze. Though those people did go after her first, their screams still haunted her sleep. It was the first time she’d ever used her powers before, and though she had killed before by using weapons, that time was different. She had been basically forced to use her powers to harm someone. That wasn’t the life she wanted to lead. However, then, she didn’t have a choice. To them, she was part of a machine. Just a weapon to be used to get information and kill. Everything was pitch black now. She was back in her damp, dark cell, watching the people pass her door without emotion. She had been erased again. See, their system was flawed there. You can never make a person fully forget. Your memories are always there, in your mind. They just fade them, but those memories can become clear again. They may be misty looking back on them, but you’ve never forgotten. However, Camp didn’t care to destroy the memories. As long as their agents were able to become absolutely emotionless, free of compassion and character, then that was fine with them. So, 30176 watched the people pass, waiting for her next assignment when she heard something above her. “Charity....” it whispered. “Charity...” it repeated this eight times before gently shaking her. Charity woke with a start, shooting straight up and ready to fight. She drew a knife from her belt around her waist and immediately put it at Steve’s throat. She was breathing heavily and sweating. Her eyes were wide, her right flickering the colors of flame, her left becoming an icy blue, like the water of Antarctica. After a few moments she came out of her rush and tried to beginning breathing regularly. “S-Sorry....” She said to Steve, dropping the knife before breaking down. Luka knee exactly what to do know. He leapt onto the couch and nudged his way between her arms, laying down and licking the tears off her face. His tail wagged sadly. The dog hated seeing his human like this but, unfortunately, she was like this often. It seemed like whenever she slept she was trapped in her own world. At least this time he didn’t have to wait for her to wake herself, Steve did a great job of doing that. Charity buried her head in her loyal companions soft fur. He snuggled closer to her and laid his head on her shoulder, trying to get her to relax. At least she wasn’t sobbing. She was only silently crying this time. There were a few times when it’d been really bad and she just sobbed for what seemed like hours. The only sound this time was her breathing and small sniffles, accompanied by Luka’s whimpers.

[ethium]

he wasn't exactly surprised when she came at him with a knife. It wasn't an uncommon experience for
his own friends to come at him with a weapon when startled from a nightmare. "it's alright." he spoke
softly his gaze watching her for a moment, stopping himself from reaching out and comforting her.
They didn't know each other well enough for her to be nearly comfortable with him this close. It was
instinctual by now, with the majority of the people he spent time with dealing with nightmares and
the like. He watched as luka attempted to comfort the girl and couldn't keep the soft, smile from
reaching his lips. How badly he wanted to encase the innocent girl in a bear hug. She had gone through
far too much for her age, though he didn't know her full story he knew enough to realize that she
deserved a better life than the one that had been given to her. "there's nothing to be sorry for." he stated
his gaze softening. "you can't help the life they gave you.." he then exhaled and stood, feeling the sudden
need to get out of the home. To give her space to sob if she needed to. "I should go check on the animals,
get their feed out and prep for morning. If you need me, i'll be in the barn." he gave her a small smile as
he turned snatching his coat off the side table. "here boys." he quietly called to prince and henry as he
left the farm home, shutting the door quietly as he trekked out into the night air. He inhaled deeply and
let his eyes watch the stars for a moment, the light breeze tickling his forehead and nose messing lightly
with his blonde hair. He crouched down and absentmindedly stroked prince watching the stars as they flashed
brilliantly in the silent country air. In the city he had been captivated by the lights, the sounds. So much
so that they distracted him from the beauty that was just above him. The silence was welcoming, he hardly
wanted to leave it. Like the moment could last forever. With a small smile steve stood and strode towards the
barn, the animals were put away but that didn't mean he couldn't prepare for morning, it would be busy and he'd
need to ride into town on samuel. With samuel on his mind he let his gaze find the loyal stallion and he felt
himself stride over reaching out and stroking the brilliant beast's velvet muzzle. He was a gentle horse but
strong all the same, adopted when he was merely a colt by the old woman. He had lived here all his life, and
had grown accustomed to steve as a second owner. With the grandmother gone, it was only steve who had
the stallion's loyalty.

[477 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

Her breathing eventually slowed down after Steve left. She hadn’t started sobbing but she had come close to do so. Still, she hadn’t. Luka stayed by her side the entire time though. He liked her tears away and she loosened her grip on the dog. She stood shakily and took a few deep breaths. She just needed some water. She went into the cute little kitchen and made herself a glass of ice water. She took a sip from the cold glass, the liquid soothing her and rehydrating her. She finally decided to go outside. It had been a long, long, long time since she had seen the night sky. The last time she had seen the stars was when she and rose had escaped. The city lights of New York were so bright that the night sky was brightened out. The young woman sighed deeply and opened the back door to let Luka out ahead of her. Luka wouldn’t get lost. That was one thing Charity knew for sure. He always found his way back to her. No matter where they were. The dog ran out into the field, jumping through the long grasses and rolling in meadows of flowers and the like. Luka was clearly enjoying the change of scenery. Dawn then made her way out into the meadow. She sighed as the gentle night breeze ruffled her hair. There was a quiet chirping of crickets. The noise was welcomed by her. It beat the honking horns of cars and yelling New Yorkers any day. The soft grass brushed her skin and she fell onto her back, laying on the grass and looking up at the stars that dotted the sky. She took a few moments to just appreciate it. This was one of the many, many things normal people took for granted. After being looked in a cell for her entire life, she appreciated everything nature had to offer. The smell of grass, the sight of trees, the feeling of rain and the noise of it against roofs, and the sunrise and sunsets were all little things some people hated, but she loved. She took in a long, deep breath before closing her eyes. Meanwhile, Luka has gone into the barn and nudged his head against Rodger’s hand. The dog’s tongue looked happily now that his owner wasn’t crying and was probably off relaxing somewhere. The dog pulled on Steve’s sleeve, wanting attention.

[ethium]

as rogers stroked the stallions muzzle he felt a wet nose against his muzzle and smiled as he noticed
luka vying for his attention. "hey boy, i'm guessing this means charity is feeling better?" he grinned as
he knelt down leaving samuel to do as he pleased. He stroked the fluffy german shepherd making sure
to rub behind his ears. "well lets go find her shall we? she can't be far off, your here after all and i doubt
you'd ever wander far from her side." he stood then and strode out of the barn letting his gaze scan the
dark fields and listen to the swaying breeze, the musical crickets in the distance flashing for his attention.
He watched as luka bounded off, sending a sharp bark in his direction that drew his attention. He then
continued to bound off, presumably in the direction of charity and so rogers bounded after him, his strides
long and easily catching up the canine until they were striding side by side as if a match made in heaven.
Finally his eyes caught on the figure of a girl standing in the field behind the back door. "hey," he spoke in
greeting, though he didn't want to disrupt her peaceful moment. He didn't want to startle her either, she
had been through a rough day and a spook at the midnight hour wouldn't help anyone. He brought himself
to a stop beside her surveying the land she had chosen to view. "It's beautiful at this hour right? I forgot
what I was missing out on when I lived in the city." because technically he lived here now.. he sighed and
ran a hand through his hair before abruptly sitting down. "feels like forever since i've had a quiet moment,
life in the city isn't all it's cracked up to be." he added, as luka ran circles around charity before bounding
off into the night. "how'd you come across him?" rogers asked nodding at the slowly disappearing form of
the giant male german shepherd.

[340 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

The girl opened her eyes, her grey eyes having to adjust to the light being provided by the moon and stars. She looked to him, smiling slightly at Luka bounding through the grass. The dog was obviously happy to be somewhere with real grass and trees and the like. “I’ll admit, the change of scenery is nice. I’ve never been around grass so long. Or heard music like that.” She told him referring to the crickets. “The stars are nice to see too. I’ve only been able to see them a few times.” She admitted, looking up and admiring them for a few moments, her eyes reflecting the galaxy for a moment. The question suddenly registered in her brain. Her story and Luka’s went way back. It actually went further back then she knew herself, but those memories had since been erased by Camp. “I can’t remember all of it.” She admitted, looking a bit dazed and confused as she tired to track it back to the first meeting. “I know he had been in camp with me. Or at least that he was bred and raised there. They expirmented on animals to see if they could match them with agents to make them more powerful.” She told him, pausing for a long moment. She felt deeply for all of the animals still trapped in Camp as much as she did for the people stuck there. It hurt to think about and she was hit with another wave of hurt and pain, though she covered it up wel. Years of training had hardened her. Camp had tried to make her into part of a machine. They had succeeded to a point. She was certainly having to learn how to be a person. She huffed quietly before continuing. “I know we were together when I escaped. He was a large help when it came to taking out guards. He’s extremely strong and fast. If you caught him you would wish you hadn’t.” She said, smiling at the thought of him protecting her and her doing the same for him. “He more so found me and we just stuck together. When I was on the run and making my way through the star would take turns sleeping. Neither of us could sleep while the other was. We would get worried about waking up back in a cell or the other getting hurt.” She told him. “That’s all I can really tell you. The rest is too misty for me to understand. It’s all erased or faded.” She sighed, sitting down in the gras and picking up a flower.

[ethium]

rogers listened to her story dutifully, nodding encouragingly when appropriate. Though he didn't want to push
her, he couldn't keep the fact that he was curious how she got here. If she told him more of her story perhaps
he could figure out why SHIELD was so interested in her, and why they had treated him and the girl poorly when
it came to her being uncooperative. They clearly needed her for something, so much so that they were willing
to disrespect the 100 year old WWII veteran and throw him out. Yes, he had been scolded by a superior big deal
but it was a bigger deal when he had simply spoken up. and rogers didn't take bullies lightly, they knew that much.
so why risk turning rogers to the girl's side? why risk him destroying SHIELD property and running when he had done
so clearly in the past. Everything had been documented and yet they followed down the same path. As she finished
rogers scratched the back of his neck anxiously, his new thought process bringing up fight or flight memories, dozens
upon dozens of things he wanted to bury, and thought he had buried long ago. "sounds like you two are quite a team,
and he's certainly one loyal companion. Your lucky to have one another." he smiled as he turned his gaze skyward his
cerulean eyes watching the glittering sky. There was no words at that moment that could describe what rogers felt
as he watched the flashing country sky. The glittering galaxy's far away, the shooting stars and the bright balls of light
that reflected only the brightest of beauty on earth. He exhaled into the night air, feeling suddenly grounded. Steve
watched as she sat down beside him and picked up a flower, picking at it. The wind toying with her brunette locks he
admired her almost goddess like appearance in the moonlight. Instead of that troubled girl he saw back in the house
he now saw an almost peaceful young woman, who wanted nothing but peace for the rest of her life. Steve felt awkward
in that moment for he had never seen her beauty before, nor had he really paid attention the the details of her face.
He could single out a few fading scars that were likely from her life before the present, but most importantly he saw
the face of an intelligent woman who deserved her freedom. Who had not only fought for it, but had paid the price of it.
He finally turned his gaze away watching the swaying tall grasses and focusing in on the musical serenade around them,
crickets were always beautiful to listen and watch. Their voices always crying, they knew how to stand out. How to sing.
There had been a time where steve had wanted to sing as loud as a cricket, to raise his voice to the wind without a care
of the consequences, but that was a long time ago. And it seems the price of raising your voice and letting it be heard
were stricter than back then, dare he say worse. The government, even your fellow people were always telling you to shut
up, to be quiet and fit in. Stop standing out and be normal, what was so wrong with abnormal anyway? It's not wrong until
you make it wrong. Be yourself, some scream only to drown in the flow of disappointed looks and scowls of her fellow people.
Rogers sighed and picked at the grass for a moment, letting his mind wander to places he had suppressed not a week ago.
He was at peace here in the country side, well as at peace as a previous soldier could be while on the run from SHIELD.

[628 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

Charity sighed deeply. It wasn’t an annoyed or frustrated sigh, unlike usually, but a calm sigh. The night air blew through the grass and the young woman finally let go of the flower and laid back in the grass. The grass folded under her and she laid flat on her back, her hands resting on her stomach. Luka was still bouncing around in the grass. Charity could easily see where he was as there were dents in the grass and rustling every time he moved. He had clearly let his guard down, which was a good sign to Dawn. He was beginning to relax for the first time in his life and so was she. There was much to worry about. And with Rodger’s protecting her, along with Luka and her own powers, there weren’t many people who would dare to fight them. Still, Charity hadn’t completely relaxed. Her past and the current events in her life wouldn’t allow that. The huffed a bit as she stared up at the sky before pulling herself up to her side and looking at Rodgers. For a moment she said nothing, not wanting to interrupt the silence, but then she spoke. “Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if only one thing changed. For example, if you hadn’t enlisted?” She asked. It was something that she thought about a lot. What would her life be like if she had never been sold off? Or if her father hadn’t left? She wouldn’t have Luka, or her powers, but would her life be better? After all, she wouldn’t be on the run from SHEILD, she’d be able to sleep at night, she’d never have to worry about being caught by the agencey... would she have found love at this point? Would rose still be alive? What would her name be? The questions haunted her day and night. If only this hadn’t happened or this had maybe her life would be better. Of course she appreciated being relatively free. And of course she loved Luka and she was beginning to love the farm and having a friend to talk to, but still.... the thought had always been there, trapped in her mind, and now seemed like the perfect time to let it escape.

[ethium]

steve felt his breath catch at her question. "every day." he muttered turning his gaze to his fingers which were now entwined with the grass beside him. He picked at the plant without remorse as his brain stuttered through memories. Of lives he thought he might have had, had he never joined the fight in the first place. First he knew he'd regret it. he'd likely be bullied for the rest of his life.. bucky would have left, having enlisted anyway. He'd be alone and everyone would be capable of picking on small, scrawny rogers. Alleyway's would be littered with his blood or torn belongings. Worst of all bucky would have been declared MIA. No one would rescue him from HYDRA. He'd be left to their torture with no one to save him. Steve bit his lip. "Honestly i feel like my life would have sucked if I hadn't had enlisted. It did before I enlisted, so why should it change?" he muttered, mostly to himself but partially in answer to her question. Then again, Bucky might have died back then, and have been saved from all the terrible things he did under HYDRA's modern rule now. Rogers never would have met peggy, HYDRA likely would have bombed new york or something eventually. If he hadn't had enlisted life would have been hell. At least he could account himself for that, he saved people. Him and the help of others. Though rogers wouldn't give himself that much credit, he had saved people sure, had been an icon and a symbol of hope through the rough times. But he definitely didn't have a lasting impact on america. He was just another soldier in the war effort, despite the super serum and the colorful costume. He had fought, just as everyone else. He wouldn't give himself any more credit than was due, if anyone America itself was to be praised. Rogers sighed and let his gaze wander to the canine pacing through the grass, sometimes suddenly shoving his head up above the grass. Presumably to check in on Charity who had since gone silent. "sorry. I guess- Things would have worked differently had I not enlisted." he offered hesitantly, his brain still swimming with unexplored ideas.

[lavender moon]

She listened to his as he talked. Her eyes didn’t follow her ears though. She kept her gaze on Luka, who would appear from the grass every now and again to check on the two and make sure he wasn’t forgotten. And then he would disappear into the long, green grass again. She could almost hear him thinking. When he said ‘everyday’ her eyes did move over to him for a moment. Maybe they were more alike then she thought. She watched him, studying him for a few moments before looking back into the field and eventually up to the sky. She closed her eyes, but she was still listening. She was always listening. It was another side-effect of being an agent and a prisoner. You were never truly resting. Your sleep was always light in case you were attacked in the night. You always had to be ready to go. Unfortunately, the habit was hard to beat. It was also something Charity didn’t want to beat. Not yet anyways. It was still helpful to her. Just in case the skeletons in her closest came back to life or the people from SHEILD tracked her down... When he apologized she sat up and looked at him. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” She told him, brushing her wavy brown hair from her eyes. She focused on Steve for a moment more as she wondered whether she truly wanted to know the answer to her next question. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she asked, “why did you decide to help me?” She asked. “It’s not that I’m not grateful...” She clarified. “It’s just... you’re risking a lot. Your job, your safety... and all for a stranger. I mean... you bought a house in the middle of no where... so, if you’re comfortable answering... why?” She asked. Yes, part of the reason she asked was curiosity. However, she mostly asked because she needed to know, her entire life she had been used only as a weapon. Her mother had sold her off to a camp for a few hundred dollars. The two people who were supposed to raise her or at least protect her had done anything but that, and they had created her. So why did this strange care? Why would he risk so much for her when they had just met? It didn’t make sense...

[ethium]

The captain listened to her and paused, thinking on her question for a moment. "in truth, i don't really know." he inhaled deeply his brows furrowed in concentration and gaze focused on some far off place, as if he focused hard enough he could find that answer written out plainly in the distance. "-but i think it might have had something to do with my supervisor. the one you were brought to see straight away, and the one who dismissed me." he never did trust nor like her. She had been strict and snobby, frequently butting into personal affairs and crossing lines at every turn. Rogers huffed. "spite might have driven some of my actions, but guilt was another. I had brought you into the situation, had told you things would be alright. Only for my own words to be used against me, and for what i promised you to be snapped under her heel. It would have crushed me, even if it had been slowly. It would have destroyed me to know that you were in SHIELD custody for purposes i didn't understand, and you weren't being given rights I had promised you in order to take you in. I suppose in a way I lied to you, cheated you into coming with me only for that to ripped away. I ruined that trust between us, even if it was for a moment. You were a stranger to me, in many ways you still are. But i owe you a debt that i needed to repay." he paused for a moment glancing over at charity with his cobalt eyes transfixed on the mysterious girl beside him who had flipped his life and world upside down and backwards. "besides that lady was a bully. and i have a history of not tolerating people higher than me anyway. It was due time i rebelled a little." at that he chuckled, though there was joy there, there was also pain. He was sad, though it wasn't because he left his job, or the fact that he was on the run. It was because this moment reminded him of bucky. In too many ways did it remind him of his on-the-run pal. Who was confused and alone. Rogers ran a hand over his face as the reality of the situation at hand came crashing in on the captain. He was on the run, from SHIELD. once again. it seemed like he was always running from something, it didn't matter what. He was always running.