4.4 | Trigger ✓

01 | один

" – at three-thirty," Sam finished, before glaring at Steve. "See? There's nothing left for me to say, man. You took it all."

Steve rolled his eyes again, which didn't surprise her. She did it a lot around Sam too, given that they were colleagues when he wasn't busy, well, Avenging.

Dakota let out a quiet breath and looked up at Sam, shifting uneasily on her feet. "Your three thirty session's for war veterans. You know I'm not good at that."

"You underestimate yourself. I've seen you in counselling sessions before. You're good at what you do. Just listen to them. That's all they need – someone who wants to listen."

"It would really help us if you could," Steve added. "Sam wouldn't have to leave if it wasn't for a code-red situation."

She let out a sigh and relented. How could one refuse when Captain America asked for a favour anyway? "Alright."

"Thanks, kid," Sam pulled her into a one-armed hug that always reminded her of something an older brother did to his little sister. Not that she had a brother to begin with but it was – comforting, Dakota supposed. Sam grinned and fell a step back. "I'll see you when I see you."

"Stay safe."

Steve shook her hand again and the two bade her goodbye before they left. Dakota turned back to the room when she heard Sam's voice echo down the hallway.

"You think he's good to go?"

"T'challa fixed an arm," Steve returned. "They've got good technology in Wakanda. Better than Stark's, even."

Dakota puzzled over their words, before she realised it was none of her business. She shrugged and stepped back into the room.

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A quiet knock sounded in the middle of the night. She ignored it at first, and tried to go back to sleep. But the knocks continued. Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of bed, pulled on a robe and went to the door.

Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson were the last people she expected to see when she looked through the peephole.

She hastily opened the door and waved them in. "What happened to you boys?"

Steve's lips twitched. "Boys?"

"When she calls you that, you're friend-zoned," quipped Sam, even as he set his backpack down on the floor, along with some contraption that looked a lot like folded wings. "You know there's going to be an apocalypse when a woman friend-zones Captain America."

Steve blinked. "Friend-zone?"

"Twenty-first century lingo for teenagers. Add it to that list of things you should know, but will probably never be able to catch up with."

As entertained as she was by their banter, Dakota couldn't help but feel a little alarmed, especially when she saw Steve haul in a huge, black canvas bag into the house, before shutting the door. "What's going on?"

Steve and Sam exchanged a glance. "I'll secure the perimeter," said Steve at last. "You can do the explaining."

"Oh, take the fun explanations and leave the boring ones to me," Sam shot over his shoulder as Steve stepped out of the house. Dakota could still hear Steve's amused chuckle as he shut the door behind him. Once they were alone, Sam settled down tiredly on the couch before peering up at Dakota. "We've had a rough day."

"No, really?" She smiled and went to get the first-aid box. This wasn't the first time she'd seen him all bruised and bloodied, but this was definitely the first time he'd come to her place after a mission. "Do you want some coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee, thanks. And one for Steve too," Sam returned, as he started to treat his injuries. "Listen, Dot, we're in a fix and need your help."

"I figured," she acknowledged, and went to boil a pot of water. "You need a place to lay low?"

"See, this is why I sometimes think that you're secretly an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I mean, apart from the fact that you'd probably blow off your own head if you held a gun in your hands."

"Your concern about my potential method of death is touching, but do get to the point."

"Alright." Sam left the medicine and started to rummage through the fridge. "So we were in Wakanda today, and – "

"Pizza, second shelf from the bottom."

" – sweet." Sam eagerly reached for the box and pulled it out, setting it down on the counter. "Anyway, there was some sort of emergency in Wakanda. I'd like to tell you the details but...well, it's better if you don't know, for safety reasons. Long story short – Wakanda was raided, Steve and I went to rescue something, and now we need to hide it here."

Dakota blinked. She hadn't even a clue where Wakanda was. But, well, hiding things didn't seem like too much of a ridiculous request. She could probably loosen one of the floorboards or something. "Question," she said, at length, turning on the coffee maker to make a fresh batch of coffee. "Will I be in danger? I won't get ambushed by Wakandans or anything, right?"

"Oh, no, you're good," Sam assured her. He was entirely focused on the conversation but his eyes, however, were fixated on the pizza in the microwave. "Steve and I will have you covered. We'll be camping out at your place for a couple of days – if you don't mind – and once we find another safehouse, we'll be out of here as soon as we can."

A couple of days, two Avengers, one precious item. It didn't seem so bad. It'd probably even be safer than usual. Dakota eased back against the counter and shrugged. "Sure, I guess. You can hide out here for a few days."

"Great." Sam gave her an approving grin and swiftly headed out of the kitchen, kneeling down beside the huge bag that Steve had lugged in. "Now I'd like to show you what we saved from Wakanda."

Dakota followed him and watched as he struggled with the knot on the bag. It was bound tight; made of porous material. She knelt down beside him. "Here, let me."

"No, I've got it." Sam kept it out of her reach. He pulled out a knife from the side of his boot, then dragged it through the material. "Here we go," he said cheerfully and tugged the bag aside. She gasped and fell back in horror.

Because inside the bag lay a man in a half-frozen state, his eyes shut and completely unconscious.

Dakota stared wide-eyed at the man, struggling to catch her breath and recover from her shock. Forget every and any surprise she'd ever witnessed in her life. This took the icing off the cake. She'd worry about the irony later, because yeah, this man was sure as hell iced.

Sam simply reached out a hand to pull her upright, his laughter amused in the stunned silence. "Not everyday that you fall for a guy you just met, huh?"