A notch forms between her brows. It holds confusion, concern and a dash of frustration, though not really at him, just at the whole situation and how it continues to throw curveballs at her that she doesn't understand and/or sting. His response stings and she has no idea what it's supposed to mean.
"What, you wanna hear mine first?" She can tell there's something unpleasant swirling in his head, so instead of waiting for a response to that, she dives in. "Well, I grew up in Brooklyn, my father was in the military, I met y- Steve when I was around nine. My dad always wanted one of his kids to serve in the Army, and as you noticed, I'm a woman, so that wasn't going to be easy. I became a nurse practitioner and joined the Army Nursing Corps, then America joined the Allies in the war and I went to Europe. While I was gone, Steve became a super soldier, and..."
She briefly trails off in her summary, and then starts on a slightly new train of thought, "Well, the Steve Rogers I know grew up skinnier than a fence post and saw the doctor on average around fifteen times a year... but inside he was a bigger man than most." Might as well tell him her Steve's story too, since his reply to her question about himself could be interpreted that way too. She also thinks that it will yield better results in getting to know this Steve. Maybe.
"Wasn't perfect, though. Stubborn as hell, and closed off in a lot of ways. And he had the frustrating habit of fighting bullies who were always bigger than him. Like one of those tiny stray mutts that wandered around the neighborhood in Brooklyn all the time during the depression. They always had a bone to pick with someone, but at least he had specific targets for his righteous, pint-sized fury."
She smiles a bit to herself, then straightens her back in a bit of a stretch, letting out a breath and settling back to normal. "Then he let a German scientist test that super soldier serum on him, and after that... everyone finally saw the hero he always was." It seems like that should be the end, and it kind of was, but she adds on as an afterthought: "You know, since he was bigger and could actually win his fights."
She looks over at him a a couple moments after finishing, observing his reaction, searching for... something.
no subject
"What, you wanna hear mine first?" She can tell there's something unpleasant swirling in his head, so instead of waiting for a response to that, she dives in. "Well, I grew up in Brooklyn, my father was in the military, I met y- Steve when I was around nine. My dad always wanted one of his kids to serve in the Army, and as you noticed, I'm a woman, so that wasn't going to be easy. I became a nurse practitioner and joined the Army Nursing Corps, then America joined the Allies in the war and I went to Europe. While I was gone, Steve became a super soldier, and..."
She briefly trails off in her summary, and then starts on a slightly new train of thought, "Well, the Steve Rogers I know grew up skinnier than a fence post and saw the doctor on average around fifteen times a year... but inside he was a bigger man than most." Might as well tell him her Steve's story too, since his reply to her question about himself could be interpreted that way too. She also thinks that it will yield better results in getting to know this Steve. Maybe.
"Wasn't perfect, though. Stubborn as hell, and closed off in a lot of ways. And he had the frustrating habit of fighting bullies who were always bigger than him. Like one of those tiny stray mutts that wandered around the neighborhood in Brooklyn all the time during the depression. They always had a bone to pick with someone, but at least he had specific targets for his righteous, pint-sized fury."
She smiles a bit to herself, then straightens her back in a bit of a stretch, letting out a breath and settling back to normal. "Then he let a German scientist test that super soldier serum on him, and after that... everyone finally saw the hero he always was." It seems like that should be the end, and it kind of was, but she adds on as an afterthought: "You know, since he was bigger and could actually win his fights."
She looks over at him a a couple moments after finishing, observing his reaction, searching for... something.