You were going to tell Steve about your ankle. You really were. But you wanted to wait for the right moment. You didn't want to just spring it upon him. That wouldn't be fair. You thought maybe you could slide it into a conversation somehow. You also didn't want anyone else to be around. You wanted to tell Steve and only Steve. You realized that waiting probably wasn't the best idea, because now you had waited too long and you and Steve were both assigned on a small mission together and you still hadn't told him.
But maybe not telling him wasn't so bad after all. You were fortunate enough to have kept off your ankle for most of the week. You continued to do arm workouts with Bucky, and occasionally Sam when he was able to weasel his way out Steve's 'Chicken Leg Workouts', as Steve called them; a running joke you were ecstatic he was going to keep going for as long as possible. Staying off your ankle allowed it to heal from the terrible state it was in previously. Occasionally, the familiar sharp shooting pain would return, but only when you stepped on it a certain way.
You were feeling confident about this mission with Steve. If you were assigned this mission at the beginning of the week, you weren't sure how you would've managed to go, especially being paired with Steve. But with your ankle pretty much back to normal, you no longer felt the need to tell Steve what happened and you didn't feel bad about it. It seemed pointless really. Why bring up something that was no longer an issue?
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Steve spoke up from the seat of the cockpit where he was flying the Quinjet to the small HYDRA base you both were about to infiltrate.
"What has?" you asked from the back of the jet. You gathered the rest of your weapons and gear, checking them over once more before making your way to the cockpit and sitting in the seat next to Steve.
"Just us two, kicking HYDRA ass," he looked over to you with a smile.
You couldn't help but laugh at his choice of words. "Yeah," you smiled back at him, "it has. When was the last time it was just us on a mission?"
"Vegas?"
"Oh," you groaned. "That's right. Tony and I were supposed to go, but thank god you went with me instead."
"You're glad I went instead?" he quirked a brow, a soft smile playing on his lips.
"Of course," you raved. You loved going on missions with Steve. He was always very well put together, so everything usually went smoothly. He was also extremely thoughtful and considerate of you. You two worked well together. You had the type of relationship where you could laugh and make jokes even in the midst of stressful, hectic situations. Every mission you had together, just you and Steve, made you fall for him even more.
"Nothing good ever happens in Vegas by default," you added. "And adding Tony, the man who kind of embodies the entire city and it's lifestyle, to the mix is a recipe for disaster. I mean, can you even imagine going to Vegas with him outside of work? No thank you."
He laughed. "Definitely not something I ever want to experience."
"Hopefully we never have to, but it is Tony we're talking about so," you shrugged and Steve laughed in response.
You sat in comfortable silence for the remainder of the flight, you and Steve making small comments here and there. The flight was short, only about a 45 minute ride. You and Steve were set to infiltrate a tiny HYDRA base in a small town along the coast of Maine. There were supposedly less than 10 agents at that base, so it was supposed to be an easy in-and-out mission. Although it was small, it had information regarding other small bases scattered across the upper northeast.
Steve landed the Quinjet in a wooded area amongst the trees, only a short distance to the base. Once he landed, you gathered your weapons and Steve strapped his shield securely to his left arm before leaving the Quinjet and making your way to the base.
The forested area was quiet. It looked very dense and untouched. You heard the occasional chip from birds intermixed with the rustling you and Steve's feet made. The air felt cool coming off of the coast. The evening sun began to set, causing rays of light to filter between the leaves of the trees. If it weren't for the fact that you were looking for a villainous base full of bodies that only wanted to kill you, you might've enjoyed the calm and peaceful atmosphere.
Steve halted ahead of you, putting his right arm out which stopped you from walking. Just up ahead, you saw the HYDRA base. At first glance, it looked like a run down house in the middle of nowhere. The siding was worn and dirty, pieces of it bent and falling off. A few windows were broken, some missing glass altogether. The roof was slightly sunken in in places. Shingles were missing here and there. It looked like it hadn't been touched in years. If you stumbled upon this building without the information you had, you never would've thought it housed agents for one of the world's deadliest organizations.
"Looks homey," you whispered to Steve. He looked over to you and smiled, rolling his eyes at your comment.
"Follow my lead," he instructed. You nodded, trailing behind Steve as he made his way around the building. He walked quickly to the side of the building and stopped in front of a door, before knocking it open with his shield.
"You sure you didn't want to use the doorbell or something?" you joked in a hushed tone.
"Not really my style," he looked over to you with a smirk.
Steve walked through the now broken doorway and you followed closely behind. A strong musty smell filled your nostrils as soon as you entered. You passed through a dimly lit hallway that lead to the foyer. Light from the setting sun shone through the windows and illuminated the space before you. The walls were old and cracked. Tattered wallpaper with faded, vintage prints covered parts of the walls. The floor was extremely dusty and creaked whenever you and Steve took a step. You wanted to make a joke about the situation, try and lighten the mood. But you couldn't. You felt like you walked straight into a horror film, and you were scared out of your mind. You had never encountered a HYDRA base quite like this before.
There was a stairwell that led upstairs in the middle of the foyer. To the left, there was an open worn down door that did nothing to conceal the steps that lead toward the lower level of the building.
"You take the basement and I'll go upstairs," Steve directed. Your eyes grew wide at his statement. You'd watched enough horror movies to know nothing good ever happens in a basement. Steve saw the concern on your face and spoke again.
"I'm not sure this old floor can hold our weight. If one of us falls through, I'd want it to be me," he explained. You nodded in acknowledgement. Your heart fluttered at his consideration for you. You knew if he fell through, he'd walk it off as if nothing had happened. And if you fell through…well, let's just say you'd have more than an aching ankle to worry about.
"If anything happens down there, you know how to reach me," he gestured towards the black comm in his ear.
"Got it," you nodded.
You looked at him one last time before making your way down the basement steps. You pulled out a flashlight to light up your path. As you made your descent, the old, musty smell started to dissipate. You found that odd, because basements, especially old basements, were notorious for smelling musty. Once you made your way down the stairs, you walked through a long, narrow hallway. You turned the corner and were greeted by shiny, chrome walls and bright fluorescent lights, a stark contrast to the crumbling building that first greeted you.
"What the hell?" you muttered to yourself, taking in your startling surroundings. It looked like HYDRA had some heavy renovating done.
As you continued walking, the chrome walls gradually turned into glass panels that showcased the different rooms behind them. Luckily, all the rooms you had passed so far had been empty of any agents. They did, however, contain a lot of high tech equipment, ranging from giant screens to computers to machines, most of which you had no idea what they were used for.
You continued to walk throughout the space, your footsteps echoing softly around you. You weren't sure what you were supposed to look for now. Your mission briefing instructed you to take out a handful of agents and filter through file cabinets or a stray computer or two to find the information you needed. Now? You had a much bigger problem on your hands.
You decided to find a computer room, like you had on missions in the past. Surely a space this large would have one. You kept wandering for what felt like forever, still not seeing any signs of life. That was undeniably odd. A technologically advanced place that was exceptionally well hidden in the middle of nowhere without a single soul around to use it was definitely a cause for concern. A sick, worried feeling grew in the pit of your stomach.
You turned corner after corner until you finally came across the base's computer room. You opened the glass door and entered the room quickly. You walked towards a computer in the back corner of the room, hoping it would keep you hidden if anyone were to walk by. You pulled out a USB drive, stuck it into the computer, and began copying files like you had done countless times before. You'd think by now HYDRA would've learned to put up better safeguards to your frequent hacking.
You thoughts led to Steve. You found it a little odd that he hadn't checked in with you yet, but maybe time felt like it was passing by faster than it really was. You wondered what the rest of the building looked like. Was the main level just a front to hide the large state-of-the-art space below it or was there something hidden upstairs as well?
You looked around the room and through the glass panels to see if there was anyone else walking around. When you didn't see anyone, you pressed your finger to your ear.
"Steve, have you found anything?" you asked.
"No," he answered after a few seconds. "There's nothing up here anywhere. Looks like we got bamboozled."
"God, you're so old. Who says 'bamboozled' anymore?" you joked.
"I do," he rebutted. You could hear the smile on his lips. "Have you had better luck?" he asked.
"Yeah," you breathed. "We got bamboozled, alright. But not in the way you're thinking."
"Alright," he laughed.
"I'm copying files right now, but when I'm done, I'll try to find you," you explained.
"On my way down there now," he responded.
You looked to the screen, 95% done. A couple seconds later, the screen flashed '100%' and you promptly pulled out the USB drive. Suddenly, a loud, blaring alarm rang throughout the building. Pulling out the USB drive must've triggered the alarm. So HYDRA had learned from your constant hacking after all.
You shoved the USB drive in a secure pocket in your suit and made your way swiftly out of the computer room. You turned a corner, hoping it would lead you back to the rickety, old basement stairs that led you here.
"Y/N, what's your location?" Steve asked, slight urgency in his voice.
"Uhh," you paused, the alarm still echoing in your ears, "I'm not quite sure. It's a maze down here. Are you in the basement?" you asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Have you reached the new edition of the basement yet?"
"The new-oh," he paused "you're right. We did get bamboozled."
"Yep," you laughed. "Just keep going straight until you can make a turn. I'm here somewhere."
"Have you seen any agents?" he inquired.
"Nope," you responded.
"Huh," he hummed. "That's…odd."
"Yeah that's what I-," you stopped dead in your tracks. Standing before you were at least thirty HYDRA agents, their guns pointed at you ready to attack. "Shit," you muttered.
"What?" he asked.
"We've got company," you replied. "Lots of it."
"Take out as many as you can, I'm on my way."
"Roger that."
You made the split decision to turn around and weave your way back through the building, hoping to lose some of the agents in the process. You made a sharp right, then a sharp left, before making another sharp right. You looked behind your shoulder and saw that you had lost some of the agents, now with only ten of them trailing you. You could take down ten. Probably.
You opted for using hand to hand combat, not wanting to shoot off your guns and risk the chance of alerting the twenty other agents of your location. You trudged through the mass of bodies, combining the skills you learned from Steve and Natasha. You dodged as many blows as you could, only coming into contact with their fists a couple of times.
You were down to three agents now. You looked over to your left and saw that one of the agents had their gun pointed towards you, ready to shoot at any second. You swiftly slid out of the reach of the two other agents surrounding you and grabbed a hold of the arm of the agent with the gun. You pulled his arm down and angled it towards the two agents right as he pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced through one of agents and they collapsed to the ground.
You kicked the gun out of the agent's hands, landing on the floor with a loud clang. You quickly swung your right leg towards the agent's head. Your right ankle came in contact with the rock hard helmet the agent was wearing, knocking them out in an instant. Much to your dismay, that familiar shooting pain in your ankle returned, but this time it was much worse. You fell to the ground, knowing you wouldn't be able to stand at all on your ankle now.
The remaining agent caught wind of your now disabled state and took advantage of the situation. He came at you hastily. You scrambled backwards on your hands and feet, dodging his kicks and punches. You reached down to your right thigh to grab the gun out of your holster, but were stopped as a sharp pain grazed across your forearm. You heard a small clatter of metal behind you and saw a knife that the agent had thrown at you, trying to stop you from reaching your gun. You looked down at your arm and saw that the gash wasn't terrible and wouldn't hinder you from continuing to fight.
You sensed someone rushing towards you and you snapped your head up and away from your freshly wounded arm. You tensed as you saw the HYDRA agent barrel towards you, knife in hand. Before you could dodge their attack, he successfully stabbed you in the thigh. You gasped at the sudden pain. He pulled the knife out quickly and stabbed you again with more force. You yelped at the pain. He tried to stab you again, but you forcefully kicked him off of you and onto his back with a loud thud. He lay there motionless and you hoped to God he wouldn't get up anytime soon.
Now that you were free from the ambush of HYDRA agents, you started to feel the throbbing pain in your right leg, stretching from your thigh all the way down to your ankle. You propped yourself up on your elbows and looked down to assess the damage. The recognizable metallic stench of blood filled your nostrils. You looked down and watched as dark crimson liquid seeped out of the two stab wounds, pooling underneath your leg. You had to put pressure on it and fast if you wanted to make it out of here.
You tugged on the fabric of your sleeve, but it wouldn't tear. Damn Tony for making your suit more durable. You looked around you to see if you could use anything to tie around your thigh, but came up empty handed. You had no choice but to apply pressure with your hands. You laced your fingers together and pressed your palms around the wounds, grimacing in pain. You couldn't stand the pain for too long, removing your hands almost instantly.
"Okay, new plan," you whispered to yourself through gritted teeth.
You stood up slowly, biting your lip to keep yourself from crying out. You leaned against the glass panel, putting most of your weight on your left side. You felt dizzy and light headed. White spots flashed in front of your eyes. You hobbled out of the room and into the maze of hallways. You heard the familiar sound of Steve's shield and sighed with relief.
"Steve," you tried to yell, your voice coming out more hoarse and raspy than anything else.
Seconds later you were greeted with wide ocean blue eyes.
"Y/N," he breathed, rushing over towards your limping body. He got up close and examined you, eyes growing wider and wider as he looked over your form. "Oh my go-you're bleeding," he uttered. "We need to get you out of here."
You only nodded in response, too exhausted to say anything.
He picked you up swiftly, bridal style, and carried you out of the building. You clung to him tightly, resting your head on his chest and breathing in his comforting scent.
Once you got back to the Quinjet, Steve set you down on the cushioned row of seats. He rushed over to the cockpit and put the jet in the sky, switching it to autopilot almost immediately. He walked back to you and pulled out a first aid kit. He brought the first aid kit and placed it beside you. He knelt down in front of you and began sifting through the kit. You watched him intently, hoping that would distract you from the numbing pain that was coursing throughout your body.
He pulled out a couple packs of antiseptic wipes, a roll of gauze, and medical tape. He tore open a pack of wipes and looked up to meet your gaze.
"This is going to sting a little," he warned.
"This isn't my first rodeo," you joked, hoping to alleviate some of the tension in the air.
"I know, I know," he let out a little laugh before returning his focus to your wounds. He dabbed the first stab wound lightly and you inhaled sharply at the contact. He continued to clean the wounds, biting his lip in concentration. Once he deemed them clean enough, he rolled the soft gauze around your thigh and secured it tightly with the medical tape.
"Good as new," he smiled up at you. "Well, kind of."
"Thank you," you said quietly.
"You should rest until we get back," he suggested. "Here," he lifted your legs and helped swivel you around so you were now lying flat on your back. He set your legs down and you gritted your teeth, trying to withhold a groan from the pain that shot through your ankle.
He noticed instantly. He looked at your ankle for a moment and then to you.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, his fingers brushing against your ankle delicately.
"I'm fine," you responded. You didn't want to tell him the truth. He had already taken care of two stab wounds. He didn't need to worry about you even more.
"That's not what I'm asking. I know you're 'fine', you're always fine. I need to know if it hurts."
You sat there for a moment meeting his unwavering gaze. You sighed and nodded, admitting defeat.
"Okay," he said quietly and stood up. He rummaged around the jet and came back with an ice pack. He knelt down and placed it cautiously over your ankle. You sighed contently at the cool sensation as it eased the throbbing pain. He stood up again and started to make his way towards the cockpit.
"Steve," you called out.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning back to you.
"Thank you," you smiled.
"Of course," he smiled back softly at you. "Now get some rest. I'll wake you when we get back to the tower," he said before disappearing in the cockpit.
You sighed and closed your eyes. You hoped sleep would overcome you, but you found yourself restless. The guilt of not telling Steve about your ankle earlier started to eat at you. It was your fault you got as badly injured as you did. If you had just told him when he first asked, you wouldn't be where you were now. Would he have taken you off missions for awhile? Yes, but only for a couple of weeks or so. Now? Now you had no idea how long you'd be out of action. Your ankle was much, much worse. You would be out at least a couple of months. And you had no one to blame but your stubborn self.
You were going to tell him as soon as you landed. You couldn't wait again. You were going to tell him the truth, and it was going to suck, no doubt. He wasn't going to take it well, you knew that for a fact. But you had no right to keep this from him any longer. He deserved better.
