“Welcome home, Mr. Surr,” Nick Fury leisurely sat on my sofa while staring at me with his creepy one eye, “We need to talk.”

 

“What do you want to talk about? You came to me about my novel again? I’m telling you, I don’t need your advice,” I brushed past the one-eyed spy to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. “Anything you want to drink? I have, let me see, just water and tea,” I offered. “Tea, please,” Nick Fury replied. “Tea it is. So, what do you want to talk about?” I asked. “About you, Mr. Surr. I want to know more about you. Who are you?” Nick Fury asked. “Me? I am Abin Aman Surr, an accidental time-traveler that somehow ended up here,” I took two teabags from the shelve and put them into boiling water in the cups.

 

“Who are you really?”

 

“Hmm? What do you mean?” I placed the tea cups on the table, “I already answered you, right? Oh, if by any chance you mean how I am able to escape the detection of your SHIELD agents or gadgets, well, your agents are just bad, and your devices are faulty,” I winked at Fury before sipping my tea. Nick Fury stared at me with one eye for a minute before chuckling, “Fine, I won’t pry in your business. I want to know one thing.” I raised my eyebrows, “What is it?”

 

“I want to know if I can trust you or not,” Nick Fury said, his expression darkened with trepidation, fear, and caution.

 

 

===

 

Triskelion, SHIELD

 

Captain America walked angrily toward Fury, “You can’t just stop yourself from lying, didn’t you?”

 

“I didn’t lie. Agent Romanoff has a different mission than you,” said Fury, leaning into his favorite chair

 

“Which you didn’t feel obliged to share.”

“I’m not obliged to do anything.”

“Those hostages could’ve died, Nick.”

“I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn’t happen” Fury turns around, looking Steve right in the eye

“Soldiers trust each other; we don’t.”

 

“Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.”

(A/N: You know you lost an eye to a cat, right?)

 

Fury paused. “Look, I didn’t want you doing anything you weren’t comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything. Hell, if Coulson is still alive, I would’ve sent them together.” Steve inhaled. “Look, I can’t lead a mission when the people I’m leading have missions of their own”

 

Fury calmly replied, “It’s called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all.”

 

“Except you” Steve points at Fury, smiling sarcastically

 

Fury inhaled, looked down, and said, “You were wrong about me. I do share. I’m nice like that.” Fury led Steve to an elevator

 

“Insight bay,” Fury said to the V.I

“Captain Rogers does not have clearance….”

“Override clearance, Fury, Nicholas J.”

“Confirmed”

 

The elevator descended to a secret floor. Steve observed outside the glass elevator. “What in the….” Steve muttered; he did not expect a fleet of Helicarriers were being worked on below the Triskellion.

 

“This is Project Insight” Fury spread his arms.

 

===

 

“Hello, you have reached the phone of Mr. Stark. If you have anything urgent, please report to my security advisor or to the CEO. Thank you”

 

“Come on, Tony…. Why don’t you ever answer your phone? This is urgent,” I slightly bit my finger. “Don’t tell me I have to go out? Tch, but I don’t want to…. It’s hot out there.”

 

Creak

Boom

 

My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a pissed person banging the door closed.

 

“What’s up, Steve? Why the long face?” I greeted the pissed-off Steve Rogers

“Surr. Sorry, sometimes I forget that I’m not living alone” Steve shook his head

“Uh huh, considering you’re barely home.”

“Yeah, point taken,” Steve let out a wry chuckle.

 

 

I sat up on my sofa, “Is it about work? I know Fury can be an ass sometimes,” I joked. “Yeah, it’s about him. He’s always doing as he pleases. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but yesterday, I went on a mission with Nat and STRIKE team. Guess what happened? Fury had a secret assignment for Natasha. Because of that, people could’ve died, Surr. Sometimes I wonder why I still endure all of this,” Steve said while leaning on a wall.

 

“But they didn’t, right?”

“They?” Steve raised his eyebrow.

“The people. The people did not die, right?” I reiterated. “No, they did not,” Steve replied. “Then all is good,” I leaned back on the sofa. “How can you be so chill about it, Surr? It’s human lives we’re talking about here,” Steve said, annoyed. “Then Fury did a good job sending you and other competent operatives, right? You finished your assignment while Nat finished her,” I shrugged.

 

“Wha—”

 

“Look, I know you’re angry since Fury was and still is a secretive, manipulative, and deceiving son of a bitch, but that’s who he is. His job demanded him to do that. Try imagining yourself being the head of an international super spy agency, and maybe you’ll understand why Nick Fury had to be like that. Deep down, I think he’s a good guy. Heck, he even gave me a nobody, a place to live, a second life.”

 

Steve hung his head low, “Hmm, maybe you’re right. Doesn’t change the fact the way he does things still pissed me off.”

“Hahaha, I’ll toast to that,” I laughed heartily. “So, what happened earlier?”

“Fury showed me one of his pet projects,” Steve said.

“Let me guess, Project Insight?”

“How did you… Never mind, it’s Fury. Of course, I’m the last one he shared it with,” Steve scoffed.

“What, jealous?” I teased. “He came by last night; told me this was going to happen.”

“Really? You two must be close,” Steve said sarcastically.

“Now, you sound like a jealous boyfriend,” I joked.

 

 

“Haha…. What else did he tell you?” Steve asked.

“Just checking in on me. Do you know Fury found out about my novel? And he even had the audacity to offer me advice. The nerve of the guy.” Steve couldn’t help to laugh. “Hahahaha, that must’ve been quite the experience.” I chuckled, “Yes, it is.”

 

Noticing that Steve still hung his head low, I sighed. Standing up, I tidied up my clothes.

 

“Hey Steve, would you want to visit the museum with me?” I asked.

“Museum? What museum?”

“Oh, you’re going to love it, trust me,” I smirked. “Oh,  and wear a cap” I chucked a cap at Cap. I stood before the doorknob, “Are you going to keep sulking on the corner like that, or will you accompany your friend to the museum?”

 

===

 

“Surr, you son of a bitch” Steve swore at me, looking at the museum full of his accolades.

“Ooh, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Haha, Payback is a bitch indeed,” I grinned happily.

“Why are we here?”

“First, it was payback for introducing me to the Avengers without my knowledge. Second, oh, I don’t know, to cheer you up?” I shrugged. Steve observed the museum, “I don’t know, Surr. I don’t think I can enter,” he bit his lips. I patted him on the back, “Come on, don’t disappoint your friend like this,” I pulled Steve’s massive arm, “Let’s go in. Maybe we could find some embarrassing fact about you.”

 

I basically forced Steve inside the Captain America Museum. Once inside, I pushed Steve into a crowd of people before disappearing from there.

 

===

 

“So, did you have fun looking at all of your accolades?” I teased with a smirk. Steve glared hatefully at me before heaving a sigh, “Thanks for bringing me here, Surr.”

 

“Hmm? What for?”

 

“Coming here and looking at all of this, I wondered if our sacrifice was worth it. If what we were fighting for back then was worth all this pain,” Steve muttered. “And? Is it worth it?” I asked. Steve’s lips curled up, “Yes, yes it is.”

 

“Good,” I nodded with a smile. “Hey, Surr. Will you accompany me somewhere today?” Steve asked. “Hmm, sure. We are already outside; let’s just get this over with,” I replied.

 

“Good”

 

“Where are we going?” I asked.

 

“To the only comrade, I have left.”

 

After that, Steve led me to Peggy Carter’s house. “This is….” I muttered. “It’s Peggy’s house,” Steve said with a smile. “Is it okay, though?” I asked. “It’s fine. I want to introduce you to her. A friend, someone who is like me,” Steve replied.

 

“Okay.”

 

Inside, I found Peggy Carter’s house was full of SHIELD agents. They were rather subtle in their outfits, disguising themselves as housekeepers and maids. “It’s here,” Steve took a deep breath before opening the door. “Hey Peggy,” Steve greeted, sitting on a chair beside the bed-ridden Peggy Carter. “Oh, hello, Steve. You came again,” the old Peggy Carter said with a smile. “You remember me?” Steve asked, surprised. “Of course, I remember you. I may be old, but I’m not senile yet,” Peggy Carter said with a smug smile.

 

Then, Peggy and Steve begin to talk about their life. “This is my friend, Surr. Like me, he is someone that does not belong here,” Steve said. “Hello, ma’am. I am Abin Aman Surr, but you can call me Surr,” I introduced myself. “Hmm,” Peggy did not say anything as she used her eyes to observe me closely. Then, she let out a bright smile, “Hello, nice to meet you. I am Peggy Carter. Please take care of Steve as he can be a handful sometimes.” I chuckled, “That’s my intention, ma’am.” Peggy nodded, “Good.” Then, Peggy turned to Steve as she squinted her eyes, “Now, what is wrong with you?”

 

“That obvious, huh?” Steve smiled wryly. “Don’t forget I knew you the longest,” Peggy said. After that, Steve proceeded to tell Peggy about his struggles. At this, I smiled, seeing the legendary couple before me. I turned away from the couple and gave them some privacy. After a while, I heard Peggy’s illness flared up again as she quickly forgot about Steve and cried hysterically seeing the love of her life in front of her. Steve quickly comforted the retired agent before leaving the room and the house with me.

 

“That was hard,” I said.

“She’s gone through a lot,” Steve sighed

“A wise and strong woman.”

“She is.”

“I guess it’s true what they said. Behind every great man, there is an even greater woman,” I commented, “Now, where to, friend?”

 

I spent the entire day hanging out with Steve. We went to an arcade and then to the comic books store, where Steve got recognized. The store became chaotic shortly after as I laughed my ass off seeing Steve get swamped by many fanboys and fangirls.

 

“That was tiring,” Steve heaved a sigh. “Aren’t you glad to have been surrounded by many beautiful men and women earlier? Be honest, which one of those men and women are your favorite?” I joked. “Fuck off,” Steve swore. “Whoa, did not expect to hear Captain America swear twice in one day,” I chuckled.

 

“Tch, shall we go home?” Steve asked.

“Wait, we need to go to Stark first.”

“Why?”

“I need his help with something. That bastard ignored my calls for a while now.”

Steve skeptically looked at me but nodded, “Alright.”

 

The walk to Stark Industries was brief, but we didn’t manage to find Tony. We did manage to meet Pepper, and she handed me a flash drive.

 

“What’s in the flash drive?” Steve asked

“A little surprise for Tony,” I said with a smile.

 

As soon as we arrived at the apartment, a lady spotted us down the corridor holding a basket of dirty clothes while aggressively talking on the phone to her relatives. “Uh, sorry you had to hear that. My aunt sometimes forgot about a lot of things,” she said.

 

“Uh, no, it’s nothing” Steve looked at the young lady in front of him briefly. “You know, if you like, you could use my washing machine.”

 

The lady blushed. “And what’s the price?”

 

“Maybe a cup of coffee?” Steve suggested

 

“Thanks, but I’ll just use the machine below. It has so much of my stuff down there. Besides, you wouldn’t want my stuff touching your machine, trust me,” the blonde-haired girl refused while cracking a joke.

 

“Her loss,” I smirked at Steve. “I mean, your line was pretty good, but….”

Steve dejectedly replied, “Yeah? Let me see if you can do any better.”

“Watch me.”

 

As we arrived in front of our room, Steve looked at me solemnly. “There is someone inside,” Steve informed. “Maybe it’s a burglar,” I said. “Maybe. But be careful nonetheless,” Steve warned. When I opened the door, Steve and I heard a song playing from Steve’s old recorder with Nick Fury slouching on a couch. Steve tried to turn the light on, but I stopped him. “What are you doing here?” I asked

 

“My wife kicked me out. I didn’t have anywhere to crash, and I thought my friends would be fine letting me stay here” Fury typed something on his phone, showing it to us’ SHEILD COMPROMISED.’ I remember this scene. One of many famous scenes from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If memories served me correctly, Steve’s old friend would show himself shortly.

 

Steve raised his head, his eyes darting left and right “Is that who we are? Friends?” he asked carefully

 

“I don’t know, are we?” Fury said before a bullet rammed through the window and shot Fury in the chest. Steve widened his eyes in surprise as he saw Nick Fury fall to the floor. Steve immediately approached the falling Nick Fury. “Don’t trust no one,” Fury said with his dying breath while handing Steve some sort of flash drive. I then saw Sharon barging into the room with a gun in her hands. “What happened here?” Sharon inquired.

 

“Go after the shooter, Cap! I’ll guard Fury!” I shouted at Steve, ignoring Sharon’s question. He woke up from his stupor and quickly chased the shooter by jumping straight from the window.

 

“Hey, don’t ignore me! This is an official SHIELD matter. A civilian should not be involved. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Sharon said.

 

“Agent Sharon Carter, I presume?” I looked toward the young lady.

 

“How do you…?” surprised, Sharron reaches toward her gun and points it at me. “Who are you?”

 

I raised my hands. “Relax, you can trust me,” I said, trying to reassure Peggy Carter’s niece. “You can put the gun down. I know this is suspicious with me knowing your name while Steve doesn’t. I can explain everything.”

 

“Go on” still pointing a gun towards me, Sharron said, “Explain.”

 

“Latter. For now, let’s just say Nick Fury is a mutual acquaintance of myself and Steve.” Still not believing what I said, Sharron prepared to press the trigger. “Okay, okay. Relax, jeez...” I shook my head, “I’ll explain everything but not here. How about you meet me after in a convenience store down the corner?”

 

Sharon scrutinized me with her skeptical eyes before lowering her gun, “Fine,” she said as she holstered her gun begrudgingly. When Sharon’s communicator suddenly rang, I knew it was time for me to leave. I used this chance to slip from Sharon, not forgetting to whisper something in her ear, “Don’t be late. I’ll be waiting.”

 

Meanwhile, Steve was still chasing after the shooter, jumping from one building to the next. ‘Is this guy enhanced?’ Steve thought, ‘Someone managed to replicate dr. Erskine’s formula?’ When he finally got close to the shooter, Steve threw his shield with all his might, but the shooter just caught it like nothing. The shooter threw the shield back at Steve, causing him to buckle down, sliding backward. However, by the time Steve recovered, the shooter was already long gone. “Damn,” Steve kicked the floor, “Definitely an enhanced.”