Little Wars ☆ Steve Rogers

15

CW: domestic and sexual violence details, brief, not in-scene

AS THE ADRENALINE depleted, with Bruce having returned and the fires put out, Steve became increasingly fixated on Maisie's hands, which she was using to touch him. She was clinging to his left hand with her left hand, her fingers pressing into his palm. He wished she'd use the other hand so he could hold her back, but that one was busy digging nail marks into his forearm.

She'd moved away when he tried to pick her up again. Instead, she was holding onto him for balance as she limped on the ball of her foot, trying to keep her open cut from touching the ground.

He gave up asking her what happened. She kept insisting she was fine, even when that response didn't logically fit, to questions like how'd you hit your head? or why did you go down that hallway? or why did you stay there on the ground while Hulk crashed down next to you? He thought she must have had a concussion—she was barely alert.

Outside, there were flashing lights, paramedics, and small crowds. He took note of all the team members he could account for. Bruce and Tony were missing. An engineer—the one who'd been calling for help, who Steve had helped out from behind a collapsed wall—was with Sam. Maisie and the engineer seemed to be the only two people in the building other than the team.

Steve was about to move toward an ambulance when Maisie slumped against him, closing the gap she'd created herself, with her cheek now pressed against his shoulder like she was ready to take a nap standing there. She relaxed her grip. Steve held his breath.

"Maisie," he said on the exhale.

She hummed into his arm sleepily. Steve wondered if she was torturing him on purpose. She knew he wanted her.

"Just over here," he said. He tugged her gently forward.

"Where're we goin'?" she mumbled, dragging her face out of his shoulder.

He'd never heard her voice sound like that—exhausted, impatient, and distinctly southern. There was something vulnerable in it. No, she didn't know about the torture. She was just exhausted.

"There are paramedics over here," he said.

"Oh. I'm fine," Maisie said. She straightened and the accent slipped back out. Her grip on him tightened again. "I don't need a doctor. I just need to go home."

"I at least want them to look at your head."

"I'm fine," Maisie said. She broke away from him, let her foot touch the ground completely, and limped in the other direction, away from the paramedics.

Steve followed her.

"You were completely out of it when I found you," he said, reaching out a supportive hand that she ignored. "I think you have a concussion. Are you dizzy?"

"I'm not getting on an ambulance." Maisie hadn't been expecting him to follow her. She thought about Tony following her in his car earlier.

"They won't take you anywhere." Steve said.

"Just drop it," Maisie said. "I don't have a concussion. And I'm not paying $600 for them to tell me that."