You weren't clumsy per se, but you definitely weren't nimble. You had your fair share of missteps, but that was to be expected of someone who didn't have superhuman abilities or fancy technologically advanced suits. By some stroke of luck, you'd never gotten seriously injured on any missions as of yet and you were determined to keep it that way.
You and the rest of the Avengers were currently on what was supposed to be an easy recon mission. Go in, get information, and get out. What you weren't anticipating was a welcoming committee made up of HYDRA henchmen. The others were able to keep the enemies at bay while you and Natasha covertly made your way inside the enemy compound. Once inside, you were surprised to find the compound empty. Each room you passed was barren, save for a few tables and chairs. Since the place appeared empty, you and Natasha agreed to split up to cover more ground faster.
"Everything looking okay in there?" Steve's voice asked in your ear.
"So far, so good," Natasha replied.
"Was it supposed to be empty when we got here?" you questioned.
"It might be empty in there, but I can guarantee you there's a shit-ton of them out here," Tony added.
"Could you run a heat signature when you get the chance?" you asked.
"Will do, kiddo," Tony answered.
"You're the best, Tony," you thanked.
"Hey now, don't let that kind of talk go to his head," Sam scolded lightheartedly.
"Too late," Tony replied. You could practically hear the smirk on his face.
You continued to make your way through the maze of the compound. You reached two double doors at the end of a long hallway and opened them slowly, positioning your gun forward in case of an attack. Inside, you found what you and Natasha had been looking for, the computer room.
"Jackpot," you whispered to yourself in triumph. "Found it, Nat," you spoke into the comms.
"Alright. Headed your way," Natasha answered.
You stuck a USB drive into the computer and began copying files. Seeing as now there wasn't much else for you to do but to wait, you pulled out the black desk chair that was in front of the computer and sat down. You looked at the screen and it flashed that it was at 40% completion.
"I'm about halfway done. You guys still doing okay out there?"
"Define okay," Clint quipped.
"Okay: adverb, in a satisfactory state or of a satisfactory quality," you retorted, a smirk playing on your lips, despite the fact that none of them could see it. You were sure they knew it was there, though.
"Okay, smartass," Clint scoffed.
"You set yourself up for that one, man," Sam commented.
"I hate to interrupt this lovely smackdown, which may I add, Y/N has taken out of my book and I couldn't be more proud, but," Tony paused, "I'm picking up three heat signatures in the building."
"Three?" you asked with a slight panic. You stood up from the chair and walked around the room looking for any signs of another figure.
"Is anyone else in the building besides Y/N and Natasha?" Steve asked. A chorus of 'no's' responded.
You looked back to the computer screen. It was at 90%. You would be out of there any minute now.
"Almost done, 10% left. If there's anyone here I'm sure I can hold them off without-" you were cut off when you received a large blow to the stomach. Your breath left you instantly and you doubled over.
"Y/N, are you okay?" Steve's voice rang through your ear.
You couldn't answer him. You gasped for air, trying to get back any breath you could. You straightened up and looked your attacker in the eye. Even though you were now standing, he towered over you. He was dressed in all black, the HYDRA emblem prominent on his chest, and a mask covered his entire face. He had a large gun in his hand and it was pointed towards you.
"Y/N?" Steve's voice resonated again in your ear, this time with more urgency.
You had a choice to make: answer Steve or maneuver your way out of the line of sight of that gun. You chose the latter. You swiftly ducked and kicked him off his feet. He toppled backwards and lost grip of his gun. It fell to the ground with a loud clunk and slid away from the two of you. You and him looked to the gun then back to each other. Before you could reach his gun, he quickly stood back up and regained his footing, cocking his fists. You did the same. You both stood there for a moment, waiting to see who would strike first. A faint beeping tore your attention away from each other.
You looked to the computer screen and saw that it had finished copying all the files you needed. You were too far to reach the USB drive with ease, but luckily, so was he. You took a step cautiously towards the computer, your fists still raised. The HYDRA agent took a step closer to you, still not willing to throw a punch. You inched towards the computer again. Your eyes flickered from the USB drive back to the agent. You threw a punch at his face and he promptly blocked it. He threw a punch in return and you blocked it.
"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve's voice echoed in your ear through punches.
"There's more in the building now. We're going to need backup," she answered.
You went back and forth throwing punches until you successfully landed a blow. He stumbled backwards and you quickly grabbed the USB drive and shoved it in your pocket.
He came at you with more rage than before, his fist making impact with your face. You staggered a bit, slightly thrown off by the blow. He took advantage of your distracted state and kicked you to in the chest, more powerful than he did when he kicked you in the stomach earlier. You were somehow able to regain your composure and stay upright. You lunged forward and started to twist yourself into a roundhouse kick, but he caught on to what you were doing and kicked you off your feet. Your leg twisted and you fell backwards with a yelp, a sharp pain shooting through your right ankle and your head hitting the ground with a thud. You lay there in a haze unable to move.
You watched as he sauntered over to his gun, picking it up and and turning back to face you. He lifted the gun and aimed it towards you. Suddenly, the familiar sound of metal reverberating off of metal filled the room. In an instant, a whirr of red, white, and blue collided with the agent and he collapsed to the floor.
You sat up with a struggle, your E/C eyes meeting Steve's piercing blue ones.
"Thanks," you breathed.
"Of course," he nodded.
"Sorry for not answering you," you professed. "I was a little busy," you nodded towards the now unconscious HYDRA agent.
"I see that," he let out a chuckle.
"I did get everything, though," you reached in your pocket and pulled out the USB drive, waving it around with a cheeky grin.
"Nice work, Y/N," he said with a smile. "Now let's get out of here," he said, reaching his hands down to you. You grabbed ahold of his hands and he pulled you up to your feet. You winced as you felt a sharp pain in your ankle.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his brows furrowing with concern.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," you answered quickly. You weren't sure what was wrong with your ankle. You hoped it wasn't serious. You didn't want to tell Steve it hurt, because you knew he'd make a big deal about it. You also knew he'd take you off missions for a while and you didn't want to risk that. You worked hard to be a part of this team and you weren't going to let a sore ankle stop you from being a part of the action.
"Are you sure?" he asked again.
"Yeah, I-I just got the wind knocked out of me more than I would've liked. I forgot how much that sucked," you joked, hoping the change the mood. He laughed.
"Hey Cap," Sam's voice cut in, "do you have a location on Y/N?"
"Yeah, what's taking so long, old man?" Tony's voice chimed in before Steve could answer.
"We're on our way out now," he answered. He turned back to you. "Do you think you can make it back to the Quinjet?" he asked. You nodded. "Okay, just let me know if you can't and I can carry you." As tempting as it was to have Steve's solid arms wrapped around you while he carried you through a battlefield, your stubborn nature had to pass.
"I'll be fine," you said with a smile, patting his shoulder. He nodded.
Steve made his way out of the computer room and you followed suit. You sucked in your breath each time your right foot came into contact with the ground. You hoped he couldn't tell. He began to pick up his pace and you tried your best to match it. You noticed the more you ran, the less pain you felt. You sighed in relief.
"You doing okay?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Never been better," you replied. You two continued to weave through the compound until you reached the outside. Once outside, you were surprised to see only a few HYDRA agents left standing. Bucky, Sam, and Tony were teamed up to clear a clean path for you and Steve to make it back safely to the Quinjet.
You were a few feet away from the jet when you felt your ankle twist due to the uneven ground below you and you fell flat on your face. You groaned, not only at the pain from the fall, but also at the searing pain that returned in your ankle. Except this time, it was worse.
Steve noticed you fall and turned around quickly to help you. He reached down and pulled you up, steadying you on your feet. Your face twisted into a grimace, an unmistakable sign that you were in fact in pain.
"Are you okay?" Steve look at you, his eyes tight and worried.
"Yeah, let's go. We need to get out of here," you answered hastily. You weren't going to have this conversation. At least not now on the battlefield. His eyes lingered on you a little longer before he started running to the Quinjet. You followed, tears welling in your eyes from the pain in your ankle. You had to make it back to the jet, then you could deal with your ankle later.
Once you made it into the Quinjet, you plopped down on the first seat available, finally glad you could take the pressure off your ankle. You tilted your head back and closed your eyes. You heard footsteps of the rest of the team board the jet and take their seats. Shortly after, the jet lifted into the air. You couldn't wait to get back to the tower, but time felt like it was moving like molasses. The only thing your mind could focus on was the persistent throbbing in your ankle. You felt someone sit next to you and you opened your eyes to acknowledge them. Much to your pleasure and dismay, it was Steve.
"That was a pretty bad fall, are you sure you're okay?" he asked again for the hundredth time. You nodded. "Positive?" he asked again.
"I'm fine, Steve," you insisted. "Don't worry about it." He looked at you with tight lips, but didn't press further.
"You really biffed it out there today, Y/N. You alright?" Tony asked from the seat across from you.
"Today just isn't my day," you sighed. "But yes, I'm fine." Tony hummed in response, but didn't ask any more questions. You were thankful for that.
The rest of the flight was fairly quiet. Natasha and Clint talked amongst themselves in the cockpit. Sam and Bucky, per usual, pestered Tony about mindless topics. Steve still sat next to you. You both remained quiet, only observing the interactions of the others.
When the Quinjet landed back at the tower, everyone filed out and went their separate ways to recoup from the mission. You decided it would be best if you were the last to leave that way no one would see you struggle to walk on, what you were certain was a sprained if not broken, ankle.
Steve, being the ever so overbearing mother hen that he was, stayed behind and waited for you to leave. You mentally cursed at his wonderful, but also infuriating, caring nature. You stood up slowly, making sure to control your facial expressions and not show a hint of the pain you felt. Steve watched you cautiously before walking up to you.
"Y/N, I really think you should go get that leg checked out," he urged.
"I'm okay, Steve, really," you gave him a small smile. "I think I'm going to turn in early tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright," he nodded. You could hear the skepticism in his voice. "Have a good night."
"You, too," you waved. You walked to your room as quickly as you could. You hoped a long soak in the tub and a good night's sleep would have your right ankle feeling good as new in the morning.
It didn't.