The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 41: The Comparison
[INFO]Title: The Corrupt and the Pure
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: The Avengers & Captain America (MCU)
Timeline: post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Genre: Drama, action, hurt/comfort
Rating: MA / FRAO
Characters: Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man). Also: Bruce Banner (Hulk), James “Bucky” Barnes (Winter Soldier), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), J.A.R.V.I.S., James “Rhodey” Rhodes (War Machine), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Thor, Sam Wilson (Falcon)
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Summary: When the Steve Rogers from an alternate universe appears in the middle of the Avengers Tower, two worlds are about to collide: one where Captain America became the tool of HYDRA and fell into a relationship with the hero Iron Man - and one where Tony and Steve are tentatively getting along. The latter are forced to reconsider their relationship when the Commander kidnaps Tony to replace his dead lover.
Complete.
Written for: A story commissioned by Susanne (ChickenHax @ AO3 / starkred @ Tumblr).
Warnings: Rape/non-con, major character death (alternate universe), graphic canonical violence, M/M sexual content, language.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 41: The Comparison
Bruce surveyed the scene as he stepped off the ramp of the Quinjet that had swiftly replaced the destroyed one. Across the clearing, Tony’s armor was helping Rhodey out of his mangled one, Natasha had headed out to check on Sam, and Thor was slowly making it towards the aircraft, soaking wet, streaked in mud and blood, the hammer’s strap in a loose grasp and appearing almost too heavy for him to carry.
On the other side of the pond, Steve and Tony sat on a bench together, and in the center of it all lay the still body of the Commander.
Bruce swallowed. They had agreed the Hulk would be the last resort, and it seemed it had been a close call. Sure, Bucky had been in reserve, and Clint and Natasha would have stepped in and done their best, but it would have been up to the Hulk to put the Commander down if all that wasn’t enough.
Steve had handled it, though - with a rather permanent solution.
It had always been an option, of course, whether they liked it or not, but Bruce had considered it a complication of sorts that the Commander was another Steve Rogers, no matter how altered.
Some things couldn’t be forgiven, though…
Rhodey was stone-faced as he passed Bruce, halting just as he was about to step onto the ramp, eyes moving towards Tony and Steve.
“Give them a moment,” Bruce said, supposing that was the best plan of action.
“It is over,” Thor murmured as he reached them, steps shuffling. He looked weary to the bone.
“Yeah,” Rhodey agreed, voice strained. “About time.”
Thor nodded and moved to board the Quinjet, prompting Rhodey to follow him inside. They were still getting settled when Clint came walking out, taking in the scenery. His sharp gaze lingered on the fallen man.
The armors were moving towards the Quinjet, Tony’s red-and-gold suit carrying War Machine’s limp form rather effortlessly. Clint and Bruce got out of the way, remaining by the ramp while Natasha pulled Sam to his feet and headed towards them. Sam was moving mostly on his own, so Bruce didn’t worry too much, instead keeping his attention on Tony and Steve.
“Should we do something about the body?” Clint asked at length.
Natasha and Sam, who had just reached them, looked out towards the Commander’s fallen form as well.
“Can’t just leave him lying there,” Sam stated. He made a move to step towards the body, but swayed rather dangerously, and Natasha promptly stepped forward to catch up with him.
“Someone else can deal with that,” she said. “You need to be checked for a concussion or a cracked skull.”
Sam didn’t argue, and Natasha led him up the ramp to join the others.
Bruce hesitated, seeing as he might be able to help with the diagnosis, but J.A.R.V.I.S. was also present and perfectly capable of running the equipment, especially while the AI was in charge of Tony’s suit. He opted to stay where he was, waiting for a reaction from their two remaining teammates. After all, it didn’t seem right to touch the body before they gave the green light.
As if bothered by the sudden crowd of people within the Quinjet, Bucky came walking out, halting at the top of the ramp. He could look around from there, yet remain mostly out of sight. He seemed to prefer blending into the shadows, and after the things he had been made do over the last several decades, Bruce didn’t blame him. It was best to give him his space.
In the distance, police sirens blared, then died down again. So far, no one had attempted to approach the scene, but that wouldn’t last forever.
The sound seemed to prompt Steve into action: he sat up, back ramrod straight, then looked around as if taking in the scene for the first time. Tony also shifted beside him and then stood up, appearing ready to move things along. Steve followed his lead, and together they walked away from the bench.
They passed the body as they headed towards the Quinjet, and Steve stopped, hand reaching out, yet at the last moment he seemed to loathe reclaiming his shield from where it still stood embedded in the Commander’s body. Tony halted beside him, watching silently, and eventually Steve chose to walk on, leaving the shield for the time being.
Clint nodded in greeting as the two finally reached the Quinjet. “Everyone in one piece?” he asked - then grimaced. “No pun intended,” he added, gesturing towards the Commander’s body which, frankly, was still in one piece, although barely.
“We should head back to the Tower,” Bruce said, keeping his tone as nonthreatening as possible; Steve still looked a bit queasy, and Bruce had never seen him like this in the aftermath of a battle.
“Any ideas on what we’ll do with him - and the extra shield?” Clint asked, nodding towards the Commander.
“And the Tesseract,” Tony mused.
“The Tesseract is no longer a concern,” J.A.R.V.I.S. cut in, the armor stepping out to the top of the ramp. All of them looked up at it expectantly - except for Bucky, who simply moved away a couple steps, keeping his distance as if he were suspecting everyone to turn on him next.
“What do you mean?” Tony asked, frowning.
“It is difficult to be sure, but approximately four minutes ago, there was a power surge that overloaded most of the Tower’s systems. They are rebooting, and from what I can tell, the Tesseract is gone.”
“Stolen?” Bruce asked.
“Gone the way it came, I would assume,” the AI replied. “The preliminary readings suggest a similar event.”
“Keep an eye on it, and lock down the Tower until we get there,” Tony ordered. “We can’t risk it falling into the hands of someone else…” He trailed off, turning to look at the Commander again. “Is it too far-fetched to imagine that when he died, the Tesseract’s tether to this world was cut?”
“If his command was what brought it here, then it is possible,” Bruce cautiously agreed. “We know the Tesseract acts as a doorway between two spaces, and it cut into our world upon his request.”
“His desire to find me,” Tony murmured, words barely audible. There was something haunted, suddenly, in the way he was looking at the Commander’s body.
“Sir, perhaps it would be best if you go join the others while I help the team with clean-up,” J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested.
“No,” Tony refused. “I’m seeing this through.”
“We can’t leave him here,” Steve said, speaking up so suddenly it startled Bruce. “We can’t… let anyone have him,” he went on. “I know how badly S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to test me in the beginning, and getting their hands on a perfect copy…”
“As much as I wouldn’t mind the idea of someone cutting him into tiny pieces, I agree,” Clint stated.
“All he ever wanted was to recapture what he had,” Tony said, sounding like he wasn’t quite following the conversation.
“He was willing to kill all of us to get it,” Steve retorted, rather sharply, then seemed to regret saying it out loud in the next second, his expression almost apologetic. “I know there were other options,” he went on more tentatively.
“No,” Tony shook his head. “For him, there weren’t. Kill or be killed. If he couldn’t have me, it wasn’t worth it.” He looked at Steve. “I didn’t magically change my mind about being his…” He chose not to say what, exactly. “But I did see a glimpse, no matter how distorted and tiny, of the man he still wanted to be,” he finished.
“Doesn’t mean he’s not better off dead,” Bucky muttered.
Tony nodded slowly, expressing that he agreed - even though his facial expression was much more complex. Maybe he regretted that it had come to this. After all, the Commander had been Captain America, once upon a time…
“J, there’s a tarp in one of the compartments,” Tony spoke up an instant later, tone shifting towards efficient and matter-of-fact. “Let’s get the body wrapped up and ready for transport.”
Steve made a tiny nod even though Tony hadn’t spoken to him and walked back over to the body, this time seizing the shield without hesitation and yanking it out. He didn’t attach it to his back or arm, however, holding his legendary weapon at his side as if it carried a disease.
Tony’s armor had moved back inside the Quinjet, soon returning with a tarp in its hands, just as ordered. Without taking it, Tony moved out towards the body, the armor following him. Clint took a step to join them, but Bruce stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Prep the Quinjet for take-off and make sure everyone’s okay,” he said, knowing that Clint’s bandaged wrist might not take kindly to the strain of moving a body. “I’ll go help Tony and Steve.”
Clint frowned but did as he was told.
Bucky kept watching from the shadows at the top of the ramp, eyes rapt on the action. He didn’t volunteer to help, but he didn’t go sit down, either.
Steve wasn’t doing much other than standing off to the side, either, and Bruce hurried to aid Tony. The Iron Man armor was more than enough to move the body around, but Tony seemed adamant that he be allowed to partake in it, and Bruce felt like he had to help, even if it was moral support rather than actual help.
It was noticeable that Tony was done looking at the body at length, J.A.R.V.I.S. making quick work of covering up the Commander’s upper body with the tarp.
When Steve finally moved, it was to retrieve the Commander’s shield. He looked like he felt he should help more, but didn’t quite seem able to bring himself that far.
Once the body was wrapped up, it only took Tony’s armor to carry it into the Quinjet, and the rest of them followed. Clint had the aircraft ready to go, closing the ramp once they were on board and firing up the engines. Everyone took a seat, the body laid out and strapped to one of the tables designed to treat the injured - or worse, for carrying casualties back home.
No one spoke, most people either nursing injuries or deep in their own thoughts. Bruce monitored the situation, the way he had grown used to over the years, fearing anything that might trigger the Hulk. That was how he spotted Steve glancing towards Tony - who in turn was staring at the wrapped-up body on the table, a distant expression on his face.
Avengers Tower,
Manhattan, New York City, NY
Back at the Tower, the team divided into three parts: Steve and Thor headed out to clean up, forgoing medical examinations despite their obvious injuries, whereas Rhodey and Sam voluntarily accepted to be checked out. Tony disappeared with his armor and the Commander’s body, and Steve tried not to think about that.
Incidentally, it was hard to think of anything else, and once he had showered and changed into fresh clothing - and tossed his bloody shield into the shower for a later cleaning - he headed out to find Tony.
He could have looked for a long time, but he decided to ask J.A.R.V.I.S. for directions, just in case the AI would volunteer the information, and was given instructions on where to find Tony.
Steve wasn’t certain whether to call it surprise when he found the other man in a small room where the temperature had been lowered, and which could hardly be called anything but a ‘morgue’. Steve hadn’t known they had one, but it made sense, if one cared to think about it.
The Commander was laid out on a table at the center of the room, the tarp hanging off the sides, and Tony seemed frozen in place, staring at the body.
“Do you wish he weren’t dead?” Steve asked before he could help himself.
Tony jumped, obviously not having realized Steve was there, and looked over his shoulder at him. His eyes lingered on his throat, and Steve couldn’t help swallowing under the scrutiny.
“I feel like I didn’t do enough,” Tony finally replied.
“He was beyond everyone’s help,” Steve countered, stepping further inside the room. The chill was already crawling deeper into his flesh, and he had no idea how long Tony had stood here, staring at the corpse of a man who had kidnapped and abused him.
“Maybe,” Tony said - not sounding like he believed it.
“You kept telling me he wasn’t my responsibility,” Steve pressed. “He wasn’t yours, either.”
“It’s not that simple,” Tony snapped, beginning to shiver all of a sudden. Steve wanted to drag him out of this room and close the door permanently behind them, but he had a feeling they weren’t done just yet.
“Then explain it to me,” Steve requested, trying to make his tone less hostile.
Tony shook his head, once, as if it were an involuntary spasm of muscles - then sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. He did not, however, shift to remove himself from the room. “He was broken, perhaps beyond salvation, but he was just trying to reconnect with the man he thought could save him.” He looked at Steve. “He was trying to connect with me. I felt it, even when I rejected the rest of it, and it feels like I wasn’t able to focus on what really mattered.”
“Don’t feel sorry for him,” Steve ordered. “He could have come after you in so many different ways, but I think he ended up choosing the only way he knew by heart: violence.”
Tony couldn’t deny that, and with a final look at the Commander, he moved to wrap the tarp back around the body, hiding it from view. Steve waited until he exited the room before following. When he closed the door, he expected it to feel good, but just like after delivering that deadly blow, he simply felt hollowed out on the inside.
to be continued…
Story info
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: The Avengers & Captain America (MCU)
Timeline: post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Genre: Drama, action, hurt/comfort
Rating: MA / FRAO
Characters: Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man). Also: Bruce Banner (Hulk), James “Bucky” Barnes (Winter Soldier), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), J.A.R.V.I.S., James “Rhodey” Rhodes (War Machine), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Thor, Sam Wilson (Falcon)
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Summary: When the Steve Rogers from an alternate universe appears in the middle of the Avengers Tower, two worlds are about to collide: one where Captain America became the tool of HYDRA and fell into a relationship with the hero Iron Man - and one where Tony and Steve are tentatively getting along. The latter are forced to reconsider their relationship when the Commander kidnaps Tony to replace his dead lover.
Complete.
Written for: A story commissioned by Susanne (ChickenHax @ AO3 / starkred @ Tumblr).
Warnings: Rape/non-con, major character death (alternate universe), graphic canonical violence, M/M sexual content, language.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 41: The Comparison
Bruce surveyed the scene as he stepped off the ramp of the Quinjet that had swiftly replaced the destroyed one. Across the clearing, Tony’s armor was helping Rhodey out of his mangled one, Natasha had headed out to check on Sam, and Thor was slowly making it towards the aircraft, soaking wet, streaked in mud and blood, the hammer’s strap in a loose grasp and appearing almost too heavy for him to carry.
On the other side of the pond, Steve and Tony sat on a bench together, and in the center of it all lay the still body of the Commander.
Bruce swallowed. They had agreed the Hulk would be the last resort, and it seemed it had been a close call. Sure, Bucky had been in reserve, and Clint and Natasha would have stepped in and done their best, but it would have been up to the Hulk to put the Commander down if all that wasn’t enough.
Steve had handled it, though - with a rather permanent solution.
It had always been an option, of course, whether they liked it or not, but Bruce had considered it a complication of sorts that the Commander was another Steve Rogers, no matter how altered.
Some things couldn’t be forgiven, though…
Rhodey was stone-faced as he passed Bruce, halting just as he was about to step onto the ramp, eyes moving towards Tony and Steve.
“Give them a moment,” Bruce said, supposing that was the best plan of action.
“It is over,” Thor murmured as he reached them, steps shuffling. He looked weary to the bone.
“Yeah,” Rhodey agreed, voice strained. “About time.”
Thor nodded and moved to board the Quinjet, prompting Rhodey to follow him inside. They were still getting settled when Clint came walking out, taking in the scenery. His sharp gaze lingered on the fallen man.
The armors were moving towards the Quinjet, Tony’s red-and-gold suit carrying War Machine’s limp form rather effortlessly. Clint and Bruce got out of the way, remaining by the ramp while Natasha pulled Sam to his feet and headed towards them. Sam was moving mostly on his own, so Bruce didn’t worry too much, instead keeping his attention on Tony and Steve.
“Should we do something about the body?” Clint asked at length.
Natasha and Sam, who had just reached them, looked out towards the Commander’s fallen form as well.
“Can’t just leave him lying there,” Sam stated. He made a move to step towards the body, but swayed rather dangerously, and Natasha promptly stepped forward to catch up with him.
“Someone else can deal with that,” she said. “You need to be checked for a concussion or a cracked skull.”
Sam didn’t argue, and Natasha led him up the ramp to join the others.
Bruce hesitated, seeing as he might be able to help with the diagnosis, but J.A.R.V.I.S. was also present and perfectly capable of running the equipment, especially while the AI was in charge of Tony’s suit. He opted to stay where he was, waiting for a reaction from their two remaining teammates. After all, it didn’t seem right to touch the body before they gave the green light.
As if bothered by the sudden crowd of people within the Quinjet, Bucky came walking out, halting at the top of the ramp. He could look around from there, yet remain mostly out of sight. He seemed to prefer blending into the shadows, and after the things he had been made do over the last several decades, Bruce didn’t blame him. It was best to give him his space.
In the distance, police sirens blared, then died down again. So far, no one had attempted to approach the scene, but that wouldn’t last forever.
The sound seemed to prompt Steve into action: he sat up, back ramrod straight, then looked around as if taking in the scene for the first time. Tony also shifted beside him and then stood up, appearing ready to move things along. Steve followed his lead, and together they walked away from the bench.
They passed the body as they headed towards the Quinjet, and Steve stopped, hand reaching out, yet at the last moment he seemed to loathe reclaiming his shield from where it still stood embedded in the Commander’s body. Tony halted beside him, watching silently, and eventually Steve chose to walk on, leaving the shield for the time being.
Clint nodded in greeting as the two finally reached the Quinjet. “Everyone in one piece?” he asked - then grimaced. “No pun intended,” he added, gesturing towards the Commander’s body which, frankly, was still in one piece, although barely.
“We should head back to the Tower,” Bruce said, keeping his tone as nonthreatening as possible; Steve still looked a bit queasy, and Bruce had never seen him like this in the aftermath of a battle.
“Any ideas on what we’ll do with him - and the extra shield?” Clint asked, nodding towards the Commander.
“And the Tesseract,” Tony mused.
“The Tesseract is no longer a concern,” J.A.R.V.I.S. cut in, the armor stepping out to the top of the ramp. All of them looked up at it expectantly - except for Bucky, who simply moved away a couple steps, keeping his distance as if he were suspecting everyone to turn on him next.
“What do you mean?” Tony asked, frowning.
“It is difficult to be sure, but approximately four minutes ago, there was a power surge that overloaded most of the Tower’s systems. They are rebooting, and from what I can tell, the Tesseract is gone.”
“Stolen?” Bruce asked.
“Gone the way it came, I would assume,” the AI replied. “The preliminary readings suggest a similar event.”
“Keep an eye on it, and lock down the Tower until we get there,” Tony ordered. “We can’t risk it falling into the hands of someone else…” He trailed off, turning to look at the Commander again. “Is it too far-fetched to imagine that when he died, the Tesseract’s tether to this world was cut?”
“If his command was what brought it here, then it is possible,” Bruce cautiously agreed. “We know the Tesseract acts as a doorway between two spaces, and it cut into our world upon his request.”
“His desire to find me,” Tony murmured, words barely audible. There was something haunted, suddenly, in the way he was looking at the Commander’s body.
“Sir, perhaps it would be best if you go join the others while I help the team with clean-up,” J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested.
“No,” Tony refused. “I’m seeing this through.”
“We can’t leave him here,” Steve said, speaking up so suddenly it startled Bruce. “We can’t… let anyone have him,” he went on. “I know how badly S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to test me in the beginning, and getting their hands on a perfect copy…”
“As much as I wouldn’t mind the idea of someone cutting him into tiny pieces, I agree,” Clint stated.
“All he ever wanted was to recapture what he had,” Tony said, sounding like he wasn’t quite following the conversation.
“He was willing to kill all of us to get it,” Steve retorted, rather sharply, then seemed to regret saying it out loud in the next second, his expression almost apologetic. “I know there were other options,” he went on more tentatively.
“No,” Tony shook his head. “For him, there weren’t. Kill or be killed. If he couldn’t have me, it wasn’t worth it.” He looked at Steve. “I didn’t magically change my mind about being his…” He chose not to say what, exactly. “But I did see a glimpse, no matter how distorted and tiny, of the man he still wanted to be,” he finished.
“Doesn’t mean he’s not better off dead,” Bucky muttered.
Tony nodded slowly, expressing that he agreed - even though his facial expression was much more complex. Maybe he regretted that it had come to this. After all, the Commander had been Captain America, once upon a time…
“J, there’s a tarp in one of the compartments,” Tony spoke up an instant later, tone shifting towards efficient and matter-of-fact. “Let’s get the body wrapped up and ready for transport.”
Steve made a tiny nod even though Tony hadn’t spoken to him and walked back over to the body, this time seizing the shield without hesitation and yanking it out. He didn’t attach it to his back or arm, however, holding his legendary weapon at his side as if it carried a disease.
Tony’s armor had moved back inside the Quinjet, soon returning with a tarp in its hands, just as ordered. Without taking it, Tony moved out towards the body, the armor following him. Clint took a step to join them, but Bruce stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Prep the Quinjet for take-off and make sure everyone’s okay,” he said, knowing that Clint’s bandaged wrist might not take kindly to the strain of moving a body. “I’ll go help Tony and Steve.”
Clint frowned but did as he was told.
Bucky kept watching from the shadows at the top of the ramp, eyes rapt on the action. He didn’t volunteer to help, but he didn’t go sit down, either.
Steve wasn’t doing much other than standing off to the side, either, and Bruce hurried to aid Tony. The Iron Man armor was more than enough to move the body around, but Tony seemed adamant that he be allowed to partake in it, and Bruce felt like he had to help, even if it was moral support rather than actual help.
It was noticeable that Tony was done looking at the body at length, J.A.R.V.I.S. making quick work of covering up the Commander’s upper body with the tarp.
When Steve finally moved, it was to retrieve the Commander’s shield. He looked like he felt he should help more, but didn’t quite seem able to bring himself that far.
Once the body was wrapped up, it only took Tony’s armor to carry it into the Quinjet, and the rest of them followed. Clint had the aircraft ready to go, closing the ramp once they were on board and firing up the engines. Everyone took a seat, the body laid out and strapped to one of the tables designed to treat the injured - or worse, for carrying casualties back home.
No one spoke, most people either nursing injuries or deep in their own thoughts. Bruce monitored the situation, the way he had grown used to over the years, fearing anything that might trigger the Hulk. That was how he spotted Steve glancing towards Tony - who in turn was staring at the wrapped-up body on the table, a distant expression on his face.
Avengers Tower,
Manhattan, New York City, NY
Back at the Tower, the team divided into three parts: Steve and Thor headed out to clean up, forgoing medical examinations despite their obvious injuries, whereas Rhodey and Sam voluntarily accepted to be checked out. Tony disappeared with his armor and the Commander’s body, and Steve tried not to think about that.
Incidentally, it was hard to think of anything else, and once he had showered and changed into fresh clothing - and tossed his bloody shield into the shower for a later cleaning - he headed out to find Tony.
He could have looked for a long time, but he decided to ask J.A.R.V.I.S. for directions, just in case the AI would volunteer the information, and was given instructions on where to find Tony.
Steve wasn’t certain whether to call it surprise when he found the other man in a small room where the temperature had been lowered, and which could hardly be called anything but a ‘morgue’. Steve hadn’t known they had one, but it made sense, if one cared to think about it.
The Commander was laid out on a table at the center of the room, the tarp hanging off the sides, and Tony seemed frozen in place, staring at the body.
“Do you wish he weren’t dead?” Steve asked before he could help himself.
Tony jumped, obviously not having realized Steve was there, and looked over his shoulder at him. His eyes lingered on his throat, and Steve couldn’t help swallowing under the scrutiny.
“I feel like I didn’t do enough,” Tony finally replied.
“He was beyond everyone’s help,” Steve countered, stepping further inside the room. The chill was already crawling deeper into his flesh, and he had no idea how long Tony had stood here, staring at the corpse of a man who had kidnapped and abused him.
“Maybe,” Tony said - not sounding like he believed it.
“You kept telling me he wasn’t my responsibility,” Steve pressed. “He wasn’t yours, either.”
“It’s not that simple,” Tony snapped, beginning to shiver all of a sudden. Steve wanted to drag him out of this room and close the door permanently behind them, but he had a feeling they weren’t done just yet.
“Then explain it to me,” Steve requested, trying to make his tone less hostile.
Tony shook his head, once, as if it were an involuntary spasm of muscles - then sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. He did not, however, shift to remove himself from the room. “He was broken, perhaps beyond salvation, but he was just trying to reconnect with the man he thought could save him.” He looked at Steve. “He was trying to connect with me. I felt it, even when I rejected the rest of it, and it feels like I wasn’t able to focus on what really mattered.”
“Don’t feel sorry for him,” Steve ordered. “He could have come after you in so many different ways, but I think he ended up choosing the only way he knew by heart: violence.”
Tony couldn’t deny that, and with a final look at the Commander, he moved to wrap the tarp back around the body, hiding it from view. Steve waited until he exited the room before following. When he closed the door, he expected it to feel good, but just like after delivering that deadly blow, he simply felt hollowed out on the inside.
to be continued…
Story info