Till It Bleeds Daylight.

Till It Bleeds Daylight (part 2)

( 3241 words)

He never thought that this job would be easy. He even expected it to have its ups-and-downs like he's experienced in the past few weeks, for him to be frustrated and have set backs. But that doesn't mean he doesn't struggle when those situations do arise.

He's been doing okay, he thinks. Spending days on protective detail and driving higher ups around. He gets invited into the room more often than not - which, given that it's early December now, is a blessing, so he's not spending most of his days standing outside in the cold. It definitely gives him the chance to overhear some useful information - just not about the Winter Soldier. He knows he'll have to change tactics to make good on the promise he made Sam. He just...hasn't figured out a way to do it in a way that doesn't ruin all the hard work he's put in so far.

That's when it happens. He's a little snappy because of a bad night's sleep - thanks to nightmares, but what's new. Maybe he should have taken SHIELD up on some therapy. Maybe Hydra offers some, he thinks, laughing a little.

Anyway, the thing is, he's a little more touchy than normal, maybe a little too quick in how he responds, but that's the day Rumlow holds out his arm just when Steve's about to follow Garrett into a restaurant for a lunch meeting.

"Sorry Wilson," he drawls, not looking sorry in the slightest, "can't let you in there."

"The fuck you can't," he says, regretting it instantly when he meets Rumlow's challenging gaze, one that says " try me ."

"No can do pal. Hope you brought gloves," Rumlow smirks at him before going inside himself, leaving Steve seething in front of a closed door, left out in the cold, both physically and metaphorically, it seems.

He tries to find his calm - this happens, he's not always asked inside - but he also can't help but wonder if this is a bad sign. Did he slip up somehow? No, that can't have been it. He's been careful, and if he did slip up, they wouldn't let him just stand outside the restaurant as a glorified bouncer. No, if that was the case, he'd probably be floating face down in the East River right now.

But as the day continues, he notices that he's being left out more than usual. Garrett still makes small talk, but he looks at Steve funny - funnier than usual, not so much creepy as like he's studying him - and he's gone back to not taking any calls when Steve's around.

It continues the next day too, and Steve starts to get frustrated. What did he do? Is he gonna have to start from scratch? He doesn't get any answers until later that day, and by that time he's feeling so on edge, anything could make him jump, not in the least Rumlow creeping up on him. He's hanging around the office building that Hydra uses as a front, masked as an import-export business. Not the most creative front, Steve thinks. It's basically a big neon sign saying " we're a criminal organisation ". Still, they've gotten away with it so far.

speaks to.

"Sir? I don't think I completely understand how that involves me?" he asks, deciding to just play dumb.

Garrett gives him a considering look, and Steve tries to not show how much this is shaking him a little. "It doesn't. Not really. But you understand that we have to be careful here. I like you, Wilson, but you're new. Unfortunately, that means that when a leak happens, those are the people we look at first."

"I can assure you I-" Steve starts, but Garrett cuts him off with a wave.

"We know. We found the leak, and it's been dealt with. But you've shown that you can be trusted so far, so I felt like we should bring you in on this. Make you aware of what's going on." He gestures for Steve to take a seat, which he does.