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" Oh look, America's hero is here
to save the day, how exciting!"

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"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the Lemurian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago," Rumlow briefs.

"Any demands?" Steve asks.

"Billion and a half," Rumlow answers. 

"Why so steep?"

"Because it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s," Rumlow's face lines with worry knowing his wife is one of the SHIELD members on there.

Steve's face turns even more serious. "So it's not off-course. It's trespassing," He sums up, turning to Natasha.

"I'm sure they have a good reason," She says flatly, turning to him with an eye roll.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor," Steve snips.

"Relax. It's not that complicated," Natasha brushes off with a smile.

"How many pirates?" Steve looks back to Rumlow.

"25," He says, clicking on the screen. "Top mercs led by this guy," He pulls up a profile, "Georges Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."

"Hostages?"

"Oh, mostly techs. One officer, Jasper Sitwell. They're in the galley," Rumlow pulls up Sitwell's profile before adding, "And my wife, Agent Fox. Engineer," He sighs.

"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve thinks out loud as Rumlow pulls up Juniper's profile. Steve stares at it for a moment, recognizing her from a couple of very brief encounters they've had, before clearing his throat. "All right, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweet aft, find the hostages, get them to the life-pods, get them out. Let's move," He orders, taking over.

"S.T.R.I.K.E., you heard the Cap. Gear up," Rumlow reinforces.

"Secure channel seven," Steve instructs into his wrist piece, heading over to Natasha.

"Seven secure," She tells him. "So you do anything fun Saturday night?" She makes conversation.

"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so, no, not really," He smiles while putting in his earpiece. Natasha chuckles. "You?"

"Girls night," She smirks, "With June."

"Rumlow's wife?" Steve gathers, "You two close?"

"Who wants to know?" Natasha smirks.

"Coming up on the drop zone, Cap," The pilot interrupts, cuing Steve through the radio.

Steve pushes the button to open the plane.

"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'd probably say yes," Natasha says playfully, changing the subject.

"That's why I don't ask," Steve clips his helmet. Natasha smiles to herself, gathering just what she needs.

"Too shy, or too scared?" She teases.

"Too busy!" Steve calls back, placing his shield on his back before jumping out of the plane.

"Was he wearing a parachute?" One of the S.T.R.I.K.E men asks Rumlow.

"No," Rumlow lets out a chuckle, "No, he wasn't."

Steve lands on the boat, immediately sneaking up behind a guard, and takes him out quietly. He runs up to two more, throwing his shield at one of them, baseball slides to catch it, and comes up swinging it at the other guard, then bounces it off of him. He secures it on his back once again before he takes off running across the boat, knocking out another guy with a high kick before dropping down to kick the legs out of one that starts rubbing towards him. A third guy tries to hit Steve with a gun, but he grabs the man's arm, flips him over, and punches his arm before he rotates into a spinning heel kick taking out the one that was back on their feet.

He continues running across the ship, knocking another guy off the ledge as he goes. He dives into a somersault, pops back up, and punches another one.

"Hey!" A guy makes his way up from below deck. Steve kicks him hard in the chest, sending him flying.

The one he had just punched pulls out a knife but Steve easily blocks his swipes before grabbing his arm and taking him down. The one that had just been kicked goes to reach for the fire alarm until Steve throws the knife from other guy, landing it perfectly in the man's hand just as it hovers over the alarm. He screams in pain as Steve does a roundhouse kick, and knocks him out.

Steve jumps over a rail, drops down, and starts kicking and swinging his shield, knocking men left and right. A few aerial combat moves later and they're all down.

A man comes up behind Steve, cocking a gun. "Don't move!" He shouts in French.

Rumlow shoots, taking the guy out as he floats down with his parachute, finally landing on the boat.

"Thanks," Steve turns to him.

"Yeah. You seemed pretty helpless without me," Rumlow jokes as he unstraps himself.

The rest of S.T.R.I.K.E. and Natasha start to land one by one.

"So is there anyone you are interested in, Rogers?" Natasha goes right back to her game as she catches up to him.

"Secure the engine room, then find me a date," Steve orders.

"I'm multitasking," She says, swinging over the ledge.

⍟ Juniper's POV ⍟

"Get off of me!" I huff, pulling out of the slimy French guys' grasp as he takes me to the back of the boat that's being stalled because I messed around with the engine a couple hours ago. Of course when he asked who here is an engineer everyone turned to me. Assholes.

"Would you rather have a bullet in your head," He says close to my ear. I am 5 seconds away from headbutting this bastard and swinging him over my shoulder to break his arm.

He shoves me into the control room and locks the door.

⍟

Steve swiftly climbs up a ways before shooting a small device onto the glass so he can hear inside the control room.

"I don't like waiting," A man speaks in French. "Call Durand," He orders before turning to Juniper. "Hurry it up sweetheart," He goes to smack her ass.

She grabs his hand. "Do not touch the merchandise. Or I'll make sure this ship sinks like the Titanic," She snaps back to him in French.

"I want this ship ready to move when the ransom comes," The man demands.

One of the guards picks up the phone, "Try the engines."

Below deck, the man on the other side of the phone nods at his orders before hanging up and turning around, coming face to face with Natasha.

"Hey sailor," She smirks.

⍟

At another part of the boat, one of the guards bangs on a door. "Hey! Find Batroc. If I don't hear anything in two minutes I start killing them!" He shouts in French.

"I'll find him," The one on the other side of the door assures. As he turns around Rumlow shocks him in the forehead, knocking him out, and quickly grabs him before he can fall to the floor and make noise.

The guard that gave the order pauses for a moment before calling out, "Two minutes!"

The S.T.R.I.K.E. member with Rumlow starts setting up a device on their side of the door to blow it down as Rumlow stands in position with his gun ready as many other S.T.R.I.K.E. members quietly tiptoe down the side of the boat.

Meanwhile, Steve waits back as he watches the control room from afar as he listens in intently.

"Radio silence from S.H.I.E.L.D. Batroc..."

"Targets acquired," One of S.T.R.I.K.E. whispers through his intercom piece to Rumlow.

"S.T.R.I.K.E. in position," Rumlow relays to Steve.

"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve checks on the redhead. "Status, Natasha," He repeats after a moment.

"Hang on!" She yells, not so quietly sneaking up on one of the men anymore.

She jumps on his back and shocks him in the neck, sending them to the floor, then she rolls off. Another guy comes from around the corner but she blocks his chop and breaks his wrist to knock the gun out of his hand, then kicks him in the side before dropping down and kicks him out from under his feet.

She does a spinning heel kick as she rises up to another guard that appears with a gun. He wraps his arms around her so she elbows him before grabbing the back of his neck and launches her legs up in the air, then flips him over her shoulder.

She swiftly jumps back to her feet. "Engine room secure," She grabs a crowbar and swings it at the guy that's at her feet, trying to raise back up.

⍟

"Time's almost up sweetheart," The man leans over to Juniper. "One of your fellow hostage friends is gonna pay."

⍟

"On my mark," Steve says, "Three...two... one..." The S.T.R.I.K.E members start shooting through the glass taking out the pirates as the device on the door goes off and Rumlow steps in shooting one down.

"I told you, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't negotiate," Sitwell smarts off as the body falls to the ground.

"Where's Juniper?" Rumlow frantically scans the room. "Where's my wife!"

⍟

"Hello?" The guard in the control room tries the phone. "The line just went dead," He says to the one that's been harassing Juniper. "I've lost contact with them- Ahh!"

June snaps her head up as something comes crashing through the window. Steve swings himself inside.

"Agent Fox," He looks towards the dark-haired woman gaping at him before the man kicks him back.

"Oh look, America's hero is here to save the day, how exciting! So they sent their little pet to save me?Should I be relieved or insulted?" She starts spouting off. Steve stares at her taken aback by this kind of reaction as the man starts to take off. "Well don't just stand there! Go!" She points.

"I-I," Steve falls over his words as she grabs his shield out of the cabinet it lodged into.

"I'm fine. I'm doing my mission, go!" She throws his shield to him and he takes off, confused by her words 'I'm doing my mission'.

⍟

"Where the hell is my wife, Sitwell!" Brock picks Sitwell up by his tie.

"She-she's in the control room!" He stampers. "They took her!"

Brock jaw tightens.

"Rumlow, we gotta move," The S.T.R.I.K.E. member with him grabs his shoulder. Rumlow swallows his anger before nodding and S.T.R.I.K.E. starts untying the hostages before they move out. "That's Cap's area, he'll get her," He tries to assure his leader.

"Hostages en-route to extraction," Rumlow radios.

"Agent Fox is secure in the control room," Steve quickly calls through his earpiece as he hurries to track down the pirate.

Rumlow stops. "Take the hostages to extraction point," He turns back. "Move now!"

"Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, Cap," One of S.T.R.I.K.E. informs. "Hostiles are still in play."

"Natasha, Batroc's on the move," Steve breathes heavily. "Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha." He pauses, brows furrowing at no response when Batroc comes out of nowhere, kicking Steve's shield, sending him flying backward.

⍟

"Juniper!" Rumlow calls out as he rounds the corner, stepping through the broken down doorway. "Juniper, baby," He sighs with relief as June comes into sight. She snaps her head away from the deck to her husband. He rushes over and pulls her into him.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," She rushes out, rubbing his arm for reassurance.

"God, I was so scared," He says before jerking her back, keeping a tight grip on her shoulders. "Why the hell were you on this ship?!" He raises his voice, eyes blazing with anger.

June tenses up, locking her jaw. "I had orders just like you."

"Bullshit! Your dad said you weren't gonna go on any more missions," He squeezes harder.

She grits her teeth. "Brock let go."

"Who sent you on this mission?"

"Brock-"

"Answer me!"

"It was Fury!" She yells, shoving out of his arms. "I was just doing my job, same as you." She looks at him with a pointed expression before rubbing her shoulder causing Brock to snap out of it.

"Oh, oh baby, I'm sorry," He takes a step forward and she takes a step back. "Ju-Juniper, I'm sorry. I was just scared, okay? I was so scared when you weren't with the others, okay? I'm sorry." June just stares at him, having heard it all before. "Please, I'm sorry."

She shakes her head and starts walking out. "We have to go."

"No, wait," He grabs her forearm. She snaps around with a glare and he releases. "Not until I know you're not mad at me."

"Brock, there's people waiting for us."

"And they can wait," He insists. "I need to know you know it was an accident," He bores into her with a pleading, pathetic look. "You understand that, right?"

She sighs. She knows she wasn't supposed to be here. And that she too would be scared out of her mind if he was taken as a hostage. Right? He was just scared and thrown off guard and didn't mean anything by it. Right?

She nods after a moment with a tight-lipped smile, "Right." But she was getting tired of telling herself that to make up for when he did it.

Brock grins. "Right. I love you." He pecks her on the lips.

"Love you too," She mumbles.

⍟

Steve crashes through a door with Batroc, finishing with a punch to knock him out.

"Well, this is awkward," Natasha speaks up.

He turns to find her hunched over one of the keyboards. "What are you doing?" He makes it back to his feet.

"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into," She answers nonchalantly.

"Rumlow needed your help, so did Agent Fox," Steve snaps at her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Agent Fox is more than capable," Natasha voices, paying more attention to her task than Steve.

"You're saving S.H.I.E.L.D. intel," Steve gathers as he walks up behind her.

"Whatever I can get my hands on," She says, glancing up at him annoyed.

"Our mission is to rescue hostages," Steve firmly reminds her.

"No, that's your mission," Natasha emphasizes, giving him deja vu to what June told him a few minutes ago. Steve feels lost and irritated to be out of the loop.

Natasha pulls out the flashdrive. "And you've done it beautifully," She smirks.

He grabs her hand that's holding the drive. "You just jeopardized this whole operation."

"I think that's overstating things," Natasha disputes.

Before they can argue anymore Batroc jumps up and throws a bomb at them. Steve bats it away with his shield before grabbing Natasha and hurrying them out, breaking through the window just as it explodes.

They both take a minute to catch their breaths as they relax against the wall.

"Okay. That one's on me," Natasha breathes.

"You're damn right," Steve grumbles, standing abruptly as shards and debris fall off his body, and he storms out.

Natasha sighs with another eyeroll, wishing she had June's mission instead.

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

Author's Note:

Hello lovely readers <3

Happy Valentines Day & Happy Juniper Day since it's the 14 hahaha, thought it was the perfect day to publish

So what'd y'all think about Steve & June's interaction ;)

Also, what're y'all thoughts on her & Runlow'a marriage...

Feel free to comment!! I love reading y'all's reactions & knowing your thoughts 🫶🏼