Into the Ring

Chapter Five-Throwback

"Steve." My weak voice carries and he looks over from the nearly fainting concierge.

"Jo." He sighs in relief and walks over. "Thought maybe you needed-" He stops when he sees my neck and frowns. "What the hell." He breathes.

I swallow. "He got the drop on me." I shrug and reach up to turn my coms off. Steve copies me. Instead of scolding him for showing up, I take his arm and drag him out of the hospital to the alley. The last thing I need is Craig filming this.

"Why didn't you tell the team? Shouldn't you have that looked at?" He asks before I come to a stop in a relatively private place. I lean back against the brick and now he really looks at me. Our eyes meet and his brows furrow. "Are you okay?" My hand lifts and shakily runs through my hair.

"Uh, I don't know," I answer honestly, eyes steady on his worried blue ones. "The kid's fine and all, but it was his father who did it. He just, he came up behind me and started choking me. It just took me back. Back to the plane and...and-"

"Alright, come here. Come here." Steve beckons softly and I immediately step forward and wrap my arms around his waist while his settle around me. Tears pool in my eyes as the panic in my heart tamps down. His hand reaches up and cradles my head gently. "It's over, Jo. I'm here. I'll always be here. Besides," he continues soothingly, "you can take anything anyone throws at you. And you'll always have the team. We've got you, Jo." His grip tightens on me and mine tightens on him before we both release. Gently, he wipes the pad of his thumb across my cheek to pick up a stray tear.

"Thanks, D-Steve." I correct and we slowly walk back to the parking lot. His eyes on me are soft when he speaks again.

"How about tonight we have a...throwback? A throwback night." He cements his word choice when I smile and nod. "Haven't had a movie night in a while. We'll have the works with a bunch of pillows, blankets, coffee, like you like." I look over at him as we reach our bikes.

"That sounds perfect." I approve and mount. We look at each other as our engines roar. Slowly, the memories fade back where they belong.

"Race?" He suggests and takes off. Laughing, I'm quick to follow. We swoop by the site that's now clean thanks to the team, so Steve can pick up Natasha and I can pick up Peter. As soon as Peter sees me, his face morphs to a concerned puppy.

"Jo! Are you alright?" He asks as he slips into the seat with me. His arms wrap around my waist and I melt back into him. At some point, we either need to makeup or I'm going to have to stop letting him ride with me.

"Getting better," I answer just before we take off.

The minute we're back at the facility, Peter is the first to insist Helen look at my neck. While the sentiment is appreciated, it's also annoying. Tony is second and while Natasha, Bucky, Sam, and Steve agree, they're kind enough to stay in the gathering room as I get checked on. Mercy sits sadly outside the glass doors since Helen's allergic. Her expression is killing me.

"I'm fine." I breathe and wince as Helen's hands graze the blooming bruise. Her lips quirk up in amusement.

"Right, because this is normal." Tony waves a hand at me before returning it to rub over his facial hair.

"Well, she is actually fine. Very minimal swelling and both that and the bruises will fade in a little over a week. Her voice will also return to normal within the same time frame." Helen assures Tony and Peter by my side.

"Anything we can do about it?" Peter questions, hands gentle on my sleeve while my hand rests on his knee. Seems crossing the relationship line is alright if one is worried and the other needs comfort. Helen shakes her head.