That's Not What I Meant

{that's not what i meant and you know it}

"I can't have her on my team, Natasha," Steve said in a hushed tone.

You hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but then you made out the Captain's voice. You would have shrugged it off and moved on if you hadn't pieced together that he was, in fact, talking about you. After that, you couldn't help but listen in.

"She's more than qualified," Natasha stated. You felt a pang in your chest that your friend would have your back.

"It compromises things..."

There was a pause before she responded, you could hear the tell tale signs of her gearing up. "What exactly do you want me to do here?"

You could picture his jaw set and his arms crossed over his chest when he replied. "I feel like I have to watch her every move. I can't do my job when she's..."

"We are fifteen minutes out from our next mission," she pushed back, cutting him off. "If you want her reassigned, do it yourself."

You didn't wait for his response. You weren't about to give him the satisfaction of backing down, instead grabbing the rest of your gear and making your presence known. Natasha gave no tells that they had been speaking about you, leaving you unsure whether it was her years of training or simple disinterest.

Steve had shifted though, taking a deep breath and averting his eyes, his cheeks burning with what you could only assume was guilt.

Good, you thought. You moved past them in silence, letting your shoulder bump his a little too hard as you squeezed past him to take your seat on the Quinjet. You buckled up in silence, grateful when Tony and Thor boarded, both personalities large enough to stamp out the awkward tension.

You weren't sure what you had done to get on Captain America's bad side. In fact, up until recently things had been going well with him, finding yourself in sync both on and off the field. Which is why it had been such a shock when he began to ice you out a few weeks ago. The sudden rejection and distance he had placed between you felt like emotional whiplash.

Still, you pushed forward. You had a job to do, and you weren't about to let anything (or anyone) interfere with that.

*****

"Anyone have eyes on Rip?" Steve called over the comms, using the nickname you couldn't seem to shake after Tony had started it in reference to Ellen Ripley and a weekend of Alien movies.

You crouched low, hidden from sight from the men below as you tried to repair your comm and check in. It seemed it was damaged in the fight so you could hear but not respond.

"She was headed toward the south entrance last I saw, Cap," Hawkeye replied, another arrow flying loose as he continued to fight.

"I'll scan the building," Stark flew, dodging a few bullets before blasting the source. He spun, taking a sharp turn. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., scan for Rip's location."

Your comm began to cut in and out, static filling your ear until you were met with silence - your comm officially offline. You knew it wouldn't be long until Stark's A.I. picked up on your location, so backup was only minutes away. You glanced down at the facility below you, counting seven Hydra agents. You could take them - maybe not without taking some hits, but you could handle it. You clocked each of their locations, and when you saw an agent begin starting a launch sequence you knew you couldn't wait.

You dropped down, legs wrapping around the closest agents shoulders, the impact enough to knock his gun, and you used the momentum to roll, flipping him hard and knocking him out. You grabbed the gun, shooting two more agents quickly, before dismantling the clip and springing yourself back onto your feet. You hit the ground running, sprinting across the room toward your next victim, dodging left as he aimed and fired. You leaped, using your right foot to richochet off the wall and dropping a fist onto the gunman, the force knocking him out cold.