The escapee - Marvel

Chapter 41 - "She was a pretty everything"

It had been about an hour since Helen had left them and in that time neither Steve nor Natasha had left the medbay. Wanda had been down to see both teenagers, check they were okay and bring all three adults some water but other than that there had been no other visitors. 

Wanda had said she would inform the team of the situation so they would not be disturbed any further and she promised to come back if they needed her which Natasha was thankful for. 

Since then Natasha had taken a seat at Seven's bedside, reaching out and grasping her smaller hand as she sat. Neither had seen Tony since they arrived and they had just assumed he was sitting with Peter. 

Steve stood leaning against one of the many cabinets that held medical supplies and watched Natasha as she fought to keep her eyes open, every so often they would close but then she would force them back open.

"Natasha you can sleep," Steve said softly so he didn't startle her. 

"What? I'm not tired" She protested and Steve just raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly at her persistence.

"I'm here, I'll wake you if anything changes" He reassured her, meeting her wary look. "I promise" He added and she nodded.

"Come sit?" She asked weakly and he obliged, grabbing another chair and placing it down next to her own, accepting her hand when she offered it to him to hold.

"Sleep now" He instructed kindly.

"Thank you Steve, you know how much I appreciate you right?" She looked at him thoroughly and he fought back a grin.

"I think you're exhausted. I think you would never normally be so open otherwise." He answered not unkindly.

"Maybe so, but it's still true. You're the second best thing to happen to me since my defection to SHIELD." 

Steve allowed himself to smile, he knew that she would never normally say how she really felt. Natasha guarded her feelings always which he knew and understood, she had been hurt by the world and people in it many times in her life. He cherished her words nonetheless and squeezed her hand.

"You're the best thing to happen to me since your defection to SHIELD." He wished it could be like this always, open and effortless, but he also knew that loving Natasha came with many difficulties, one being that sometimes you had to pry her feelings from her guarded heart. Something inside him was telling him that it was worth it and he definitely believed that. He was sure he was going to stick around to see it through if she would let him. 

He watched affectionately as she dozed off, she was a pretty sleeper. He wasn't surprised, she was a pretty everything. 

They sat like that for some time, Natasha sleeping with her hand in Steve's and Seven laying with her hand in her mother's. 

Eventually their peaceful moment was interrupted when Pepper burst through the medbay doors. Natasha immediately was awake and alert, scanning the room for any danger. She dropped her hand from Seven's and reached to her belt for her gun but stopping when she realized who it was. 

Pepper stopped immediately when she took in the scene, Natasha with one hand on her gun and the other in Steve's and Steve who was barely awake, grasping onto Natasha's hand as if it was his lifeline. He blinked slowly as he adjusted to the sudden movement. 

To Steve's surprise, Natasha didn't drop his hand when Pepper's gaze rested on their intertwined fingers, she only seemed to grasp it tighter in gentle reassurance.