An Untold Legacy (FATWS X Reader)

[5] Temporary Bliss

YN walked quietly next to Sam, the other man having caught up to her a short while ago. They were on their way to a motel, hoping they could catch a few hours of sleep and maybe YN could call Steve, before they revised their tactics.

"Don't punch me for asking, but are you alright? I know that must have been a lot." YN sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Don't shrug me off, YN. I care about you."

"I know," she huffed, sending a small smile Sam's way. "It's annoying." Sam rolled his eyes as YN continued. "I'm okay, Steve gave up, passed the shield onto someone without thinking about the repercussions of it. He lost the title, eventually someone was going to replace him."

"You understand?" Sam gasped, stopping on the road abruptly. "You understand why I couldn't keep the shield?"

"Not completely, but I understand that the title of Captain America isn't just a title, it's a heavy weight of responsibility and belief, it always has been, ever since Steve went into the ice." YN swallowed, licking her lips. "He went to sleep in the 40's, where people of color were still segregated, seated away from the remainder of the population on the train. He didn't get to... grow up in the modern era like I sort of did, he awoke in 2011 and then never stopped fighting. At least I was fished out of HYDRA's ice prison early enough to educate myself before S.H.I.E.L.D found me."

Sam nodded as they resumed their walking, comfortable silence settling between them. Sam could remember being taught about the Roger's siblings in school. Captain America was an emblem of patriarchy, who saved New York by sacrificing himself for the greater good, leaving behind a younger sister. YN was only fifteen when Steve 'died', and the books said she went on a rage induced war path, berating the US military for their records, until one Peggy Carter offered her the chance to carry on the legacy.

YN was twenty when she was injected with the new super soldier serum, allowing her to work beside Peggy as she built her empire, now known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Sam had written a very detailed essay in his history class about the introduction to women in the military, and YN Rogers was center piece in every example he had included.

Sam let out a small laugh at the memory, in disbelief that now, twenty years later, that exact woman was walking next to him, pursed lips and furrowed eyebrows as she watched him.

"What are you thinking about?" YN asked quietly, cocking her head. Sam chuckled again, making YN frown. "What's funny?"

"Just thinking about you," YN raised an eyebrow, feeling her cheeks warm slightly. "Hey, how old are you?" Sam asked, watching YN's mouth open quickly to answer before it snapped shut.

"Like... biologically or chronologically?" She winced, not really liking the subject of their conversation.

"Uh..." Sam shrugged. "Both?"

"Well, technically I'm ninety-four." YN looked to the ground, her cheeks blushing as she admitted her age. "But HYDRA froze me in 1950 when I was twenty-one and I woke in 2009 so, chronologically I'm..."YN frowned, doing the math in her head. "I'm thirty-six."

Sam nodded, his nose crinkling as he watched YN use her fingers to count. "That was a very long answer to a normally simple question." YN chuckled as they approached Bucky, who was leaning against a wall of a motel.

"You asked, Wilson." She winked, causing Sam to smirk as she left his side, moving past Bucky silently and into through the door next to him.

"You alright?" Sam asked the brunette super soldier, watching him glare at the door that closed behind the woman.

"Is she?" Bucky avoided the question, causing Sam to roll his eyes.

"From what I can tell," Sam shrugged. "She's dealing." Nodding, Bucky's shoulders deflated and Sam sighed in response. "C'mon, man, you okay?"