We Rise, Only To Fall / Steve Rogers

12

Sitwell

The three of us stood outside of a porch door. Steve knocked gently and the shutters opened to reveal a confused (and sweaty) looking Sam Wilson. 

"Hey, man." He greeted Steve, frowning slightly at the sight of me beaten up, leaning against Steve, and Natasha's dirty face. 

"I'm sorry about this," Steve apologised sincerely. "We need a place to lay low." 

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Nat added.

"Which isn't unusual," I said and Sam suppressed a small smile. 

He looked us up and down for a second. "Not everyone." He said, and moved aside to allow us inside of his home. "Feel free to freshen up," Sam told us before pointing at a door down a small corridor. "Bathroom's just inside that bedroom. Fresh towels in the cupboard."

"Thank you," I nodded at him as Nat headed straight for the bathroom.

Sam bowed his head and looked at me and then Steve, before back to me. "So how come you're limping and cut up and he still looks like a god?" 

Steve brushed off a smile before leaning against the wall nearest the door and peering out of the window to check we weren't followed. I rolled my eyes and nudged Sam. "I see everyone's still keeping up with the tradition to call me out for looking bad. Thanks a bunch  you guys. Remind me why I haven't hit you yet?" I joked. 

Sam laughed. "Because I'm too devilishly charming?" He winked. 

I snorted. "Oh sure. Yeah, you're right. That's it..." The sound of the tap ceasing to run made me turn around. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to wash this face of mine and get it looking all pretty again," I called over my shoulder as I walked into one of Sam's bedrooms as Nat came out, a towel pressed to her face. 

"Good luck with that!" Sam called back and I swiveled as I walked to throw him a rude gesture, earning yet another laugh. 

"You two seem friendly," Nat commented as I pulled off my jacket and dropped it on the floor. It needed throwing away after being torn up by, well, everything. 

"He's a nice guy," I said as I looked into Sam's bathroom mirror, leaving the door open to talk to Nat as I surveyed myself. Standing in a tank top, I could see the cuts and bruises littering my arms and shoulders, my neck still bruised from Rumlow. Dirt, dust and rubble lined my face and body and I quickly ran the hot tap before wasting any more time.

"So is Steve." Nat pulled me from my thoughts with a knowing smirk. I gave her a look through the mirror as I began to wash myself.

"I know what game you're playing, Romanoff," I told her. 

"Game?"

"Getting me to kiss Steve, asking about the kiss afterwards, telling that guy we're getting married." I told her between splashing water on my face.

"That was purely for the mission!" she defended and I laughed. 

"For a master liar, you suck at lying!" I flicked my head back up, body now dirt-free and scratched stinging. Just then Steve appeared at the doorway and looked awkward at our laughing. 

"Uh-may I?" he asked me, indicating into the bathroom and I nodded, grabbing a towel from the open cupboard in the bathroom and joining Nat on the bed as we patted ourselves dry. 

As Steve began to wash himself, Nat and I fell silent, realising how strange it was to be laughing after finding out HYDRA was basically S.H.I.E.L.D. and a computer robot had tried to kill us. Had successfully killed my parents, and Nick Fury. It was almost as if, in those few moments with Nat and Sam, everything was good again. But it wasn't.