A constant beeping rang through your ears. It was pleasant, steady. You felt calm and at peace, something you hadn't felt all week. Your limbs felt relaxed and rejuvenated instead of weak and heavy just moments ago. At least, it felt like just moments ago. Your eyes fluttered open, easing yourself back into the world. A stark white ceiling and fluorescent lights hovered over you. You caught movement out of the side of your eye and turned your head to the left. Leaves from trees blew in the wind just outside the window. Rays of sunlight streamed through the rectangular glass. Birds chirped faintly in the background. You sighed in content.
You weren't sure how you got where you were now. Your memory was hazy at best. You remembered the overwhelming feeling of relief when Steve found you and rescued you from the clutches of HYDRA. After he found you in that small white room, your limbs too weak to stand, he carried you through the seemingly never ending warehouse. You heard alarms blare and men yell throughout the dimly lit building. Bullets ricocheted off his shield as you made your escape, both of you clinging to each other tighter and tighter.
You remember making it to the Quinjet, Clint's concerned but smiling face greeted you from the pilot seat. Steve laid you down on a stretcher that was close to the cockpit of the jet. You heard him say something to Clint before he turned his attention back to you. Unfortunately, this was where things started to get fuzzy. You knew Steve talked to you, asked you questions, comforted you, but you couldn't remember any of the specifics. The last thing you clearly remembered was Steve repeatedly calling out your name before everything went black once again.
You looked out at the rest of the room and saw Steve slumped over at your right side. He sat in a chair that was pulled up right next to the side of the bed. His arms were folded on top of the bed and his head rested on top of them. He somehow looked both peaceful and stressed at the same time. His eyelashes laid perfectly on his cheeks. His mouth was slightly open, his breathing slow and steady. His eyebrows were slightly creased, which gave way to the unease he was so obviously feeling. The corners of your mouth turned up slightly. You were glad he was sleeping. You swore that man never seemed to sleep enough. It also warmed your heart that he was here with you, waiting for you to wake up. But you couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt. Guilt for causing him worry, stress, and inevitably adding to the already too heavy burden he carried on his shoulders.
You let out a heavy sigh. You reached out and ran your fingers through the short tuffs of his tousled blonde hair. He shifted under your touch and you pulled your hand away. His eyes opened slowly, squinting while he regained his surroundings. Suddenly he shot up and looked at you with wide eyes.
"Y/N," he said breathlessly, his voice groggy.
"Hi, Steve," you said softly with a smile.
"H-how are-how are you feeling?" he asked quickly, his words still foggy with sleep. He blinked a few times to rid the sleep from his eyes.
"Good, actually. I don't know what kind of drugs you have me on, but," you looked over to the IV in your left arm and then back to Steve, "they're working." Steve let out a breathy laugh.
"That's good to hear," he said as he reached for your hand and gave it a squeeze.
"How long have you been waiting here?" you asked, curiosity getting the best of you. You sincerely hoped you had only been out for a couple hours and not days. You didn't want to imagine Steve sitting here endlessly, his worry only growing more and more as each day passed.
"Not too long," he answered. A typical Steve response.
"How long is not too long?" you quirked a brow, a smile playing on your lips.
"Uhh," he looked at the clock that was on the wall near the front of the room and then back at you, "48 hours maybe?" he said with a sheepish smile. Your eyes widened.
"You haven't left this room in 48 hours?"
"Well, I-"
"Hey," you placed your hand on top of his on the bed, "I'm not mad at you. I, umm, thank you. Thank you for watching over me, for being here," you squeezed his hand and smiled. He smiled back at you. You both sat there in silence, watching the leaves dance out the window.
"What happened?" you asked quietly, breaking the silence. You heard Steve let out a shaky sigh. You looked over to him and he looked back at you with guilt and shame in his eyes.
"A lot went wrong," he said, looking down at the ground. "A lot that shouldn't have, a lot that was preventable. And I," he paused and looked back at you, "I-I shouldn't have let this happen. I'm so sorry, Y/N."
"Steve, it's okay. This wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was. I was the one watching the back door, the very door he took you through and escaped out of. I should've done more. I should've paid more attention. More attention to what was happening outside the restaurant. More attention to you. You didn't even want to go through with this in the first place."
"I never said that," you stated.
"You didn't have to," his blue eyes bore into yours. "And," he looked down, running a hand through his hair, "and I shouldn't have let you go."
"Steve, please. This was my choice. All that matters now is that I'm here now. And that's because of you."
"Because of me? Because of me," his voice lowered to a whisper, "HYDRA hurt you."
"Because of you, you were able to find me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had that tracking necklace. Who knows how long it would've taken you to find me without that. Because of you, I'm safe. Because of you, I'm home. And I can't thank you enough for that." He smiled and nodded, but you could tell he wasn't fully convinced. You knew he still blamed himself for what happened and there was no way you could change his mind. He was stubborn, so incredibly stubborn. But you hoped telling him it wasn't his fault would ease some of the guilt he felt.
If you were being honest, you felt guilty, too. You hadn't been truthful or straightforward with him about the whole mission to begin with. You knew he saw right through you. He always did. But just because you knew he knew the truth didn't mean you still didn't feel bad about not telling him. You knew if you didn't tell him the truth, you would regret it for a long time.
"You know," you spoke up, "you were right, I didn't want to go through with all of this. At least not at first. But as time went on and I heard how much you guys prepared for this, I knew I would be okay.
"But, maybe I didn't tell you how I really felt about the date, because, I don't know. I guess I-I wanted to prove myself in some way? Prove that I have your back just as much as you all have mine. Prove that I was strong enough, that I was worthy enough." Steve furrowed his brows in confusion at your confession.
"Y/N, you don't have to prove anything-"
"I know, but," you paused, "I should've been honest with you like you were honest with me. You told me you were worried and I just-I knew that. I knew you would blame yourself if anything bad happened to me. You always put so much blame on yourself. You're so damn hard on yourself and it hurts me to see you put yourself through all of that. But it hurts so much more knowing that I caused that. That I caused you to worry, to make your burden so much heavier," you said as tears started to well up in your eyes. "I never ever wanted to cause you pain, but I did and I'm so incredibly sorry," you croaked.
Steve reached over the railing of the bed and engulfed you in a hug, one arm wrapping around your torso and the other cradling your head bringing you closer to him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close, your tears threatening to fall at any second.
"It's okay," he murmured in your ear. "You didn't hurt me," he said with such reassurance. You loosened the grip around his neck and pushed him back slightly, your hands resting on his biceps, so you could see his face. The sincerity his eyes made you feel better. You felt that maybe, just maybe, he was starting to take the blame off of himself.
You let go of his arms and he sat back down in his chair, scooting it even closer to the edge of the bed than before.
"You know," you started. He looked at you attentively. "I keep thinking back to when I was in that warehouse. I could've given up. I could've given him what he wanted and maybe not all of this would've happened. But I couldn't. I just couldn't let down the people I love. I had to stay strong for the team. I had to stay strong for you." You weren't exactly sure why you were saying what you were saying. You wanted to be honest with him. You wanted him to know how much he meant to you, but you couldn't confess to him yet. The moment just didn't feel right.
Steve smiled, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again before shifting in his seat. "Y/N, there's something I've been meaning to tell-"
"Hey kid," Tony announced at the door, cutting Steve off, "I'm glad to see you're awake. How're you feeling?" He asked as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Better," you smiled.
"Good, good," he said as he walked to the left side of your bed, squeezing your left shoulder. "Really though, I'm glad you're awake. Maybe now this guy," he nodded towards Steve, "will finally get some sleep. He's starting to look like a glorified zombie."
"I have been sleeping," Steve corrected. "You just haven't been around to see it."
"It's true," you nodded. "He was passed out cold when I woke up."
"If I woke up to that, I think I'd just go right back to sleep." You rolled your eyes, trying to hold back a laugh. You were glad Tony was in good spirits.
"I actually came in here, because I wanted to debrief you both first before debriefing the others. It only seemed fair," he said, pulling a chair from against the wall closer towards you bed and sitting down.
"That's fine," you agreed and Steve nodded.
"First things first, and I think you'll appreciate this, we have Will in custody."
"Really?" you asked with wide eyes. Tony nodded. You sighed with relief.
"We've got to work a few things out with the government and what not, but he won't be able to come near you ever again," Tony gave you a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, Tony."
"Of course," he said as he pat your hand. He pulled a tablet out of his jacket pocket and swiped across the screen. "I'm going to jot some things down that you tell me and then I'll get that information compiled and sent along its merry way."
"Okay," you nodded.
"Alright, so to get a rough idea of what we're working with here, how much do you remember? You have been out for a couple days."
"I remember everything up until Steve brought me to the Quinet," you answered. You looked ahead, you eyes absentmindedly scanning the room in concentration. "I remember…Clint was there. Wait," you paused and looked at Tony, "why was Clint there? Wasn't he away on another mission?" He nodded.
"Once word got out that you got captured, it was all hands on deck. Everyone wanted to help," he replied. "Natasha and Wanda gave me hell."
"I bet they did," you chuckled. "They know I'm okay, right?" you asked. He nodded. "Okay, good."
"They're still giving me hell, though."
"It's good for you," you winked. He let out a stifled laugh.
"So, what can you tell me about Will?" Tony asked.
"He knew me," you said barely above a whisper. Steve furrowed his brows. "H-he said he called Stark Industries multiple times in the past. God, I feel so stupid. If I realized that, none of this would've happened."
"Y/N, there was no way for you to know that," Steve assured.
"I know," you sighed. "It's just-I felt something was off the minute I sat down at that table with him. But," you paused, "I knew I had to stay. I would've been so upset with myself if I gave up on an opportunity to help all of you and ultimately the world. I just couldn't bring myself to back out."
"I know," Steve smiled and squeezed your hand.
"Will said he knew you when we brought him in. We looked into it, ran the phone numbers he used, and it actually led to other HYDRA locations. We wouldn't have found that if it weren't for you, Y/N," Tony added.
"Well, I'm glad I was of some use."
"You actually helped us a lot," Steve spoke. "That warehouse was where HYDRA has been storing a majority of their weaponry. We were able to confiscate all their weapons and keep them locked up and out of enemy hands."
"We also were able to detain all the HYDRA agents at that location," Tony added. "With the information from the phone numbers we ran and the information we'll be able to get out of the agents, I think we'll definitely be able to make strides to take HYDRA out."
"Wow," you muttered, surprised that despite everything that happened, things worked out for the team in the end.
You heard a ping from Tony's tablet and looked over to him.
"Oh, good," he perked up. "Looks like Natasha was finally able to hack into the warehouse's security system. We should be able to see the footage of everything that happened."
"God, I do not want to watch that," you grimaced. The thought of watching everything that happened to you made your stomach turn. You were glad you were able to help, but you sincerely wanted to forget that it happened altogether.
"We won't make you do that, don't worry," he assured. "We'll have some of the team watch it to see if we missed anything important. And," he paused, "that way you don't have to relive what happened. If you want, we can just use the footage as your debriefing instead of having you retell it all." You smiled at his thoughtfulness.
"Yeah, let's do that," you affirmed.
"Okay, sounds good," he said as he stood up and started walking towards the door. "I'll leave you two to it."
"Oh, and Tony?" you called out. He turned and looked at you over his shoulder. "The next time we do this, pick somewhere a little less expensive. Your fancy taste is a deadass giveaway."
"So, you're saying there's a next time?" he quirked a brow, a smile playing on his lips. You rolled your eyes and shook your head, watching him open the door and leave with a smile still on his face.
"Will there really be a next time?" Steve asked with amusement on his face.
"To be honest, Steve? I don't know," you shrugged. "Maybe."
"Speaking of being honest," he paused, looking down at the floor then back at you, "you said I was honest with you, but I wasn't. Not fully. I was worried that something might go wrong. But I was more worried about you. So much. But I was afraid to tell you the truth. Afraid that things would change between us. That you would despise me if you knew how I really felt. And," he paused, "I was so afraid that I would lose you and then I did," he said barely above a whisper. "Losing you made me realize just how stupid I was for not telling you sooner," he rubbed the back of his neck. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat.
You knew what that meant. He had done that so many times before around you. You knew what he was about to say. Or at least, you hoped you knew what he was about to say. It could go one of two ways: he could confess his true feelings for you, feelings that Natasha and Wanda and everyone else on the team believed were there. Feelings that you secretly hoped were there, too. Or he could tell you how much you meant to him as a sister or a friend. You desperately hoped it wasn't the latter.
"For not telling me what?" you asked, anticipation building in your stomach.
"For not telling you how much I care about you. For not telling you how much you mean to me. For not telling you how much I love you." You sat there in shock. Your eyes grew wide and your mouth was agape. He said it. He actually said it. He loved you.
"Steve, I-I," you muttered, unable to form a coherent sentence due to your brain still trying to process what he just said. You felt warm and tingly inside and out. You felt excited, and happy, and relieved.
"And if…if you don't feel the same way, that's okay-"
"Steve," you cut in, trying to break him from his nervous rambling.
"I understand if you don't, but-"
"Steve."
"But I just had to tell you, because I-"
"Steve!" you exclaimed. He paused suddenly, his eyes wide and his face flushed. He looked at you anxiously and expectantly.
"I love you, too," you smiled. Relief washed over his face and he smiled back at you, his grin growing bigger and bigger as each second passed.
You both looked at each other, neither of your gazes wavering. You felt the atmosphere in the room shift. Suddenly, it was just you and Steve. There were no birds chirping outside, no machines beeping, and no other distractions. Just you and him.
Steve leaned in closer, his eyes flickering from your eyes down to your lips, then back up again. Your heartbeat quickened. You found yourself leaning closer to him and tilting your head as if by instinct. You both moved closer and closer until you were mere inches apart. You felt his hot breath against your lips and closed your eyes. You felt Steve cup your left cheek and pull you closer, finally closing the distance between you two. His lips were soft and gentle against yours. They moved perfectly in sync with yours, despite never touching before. It was everything you hoped for and more. You pulled apart, both breathless. You opened your eyes and looked up at Steve. He smiled down at you.
You frowned as you saw a figure walking down the hallway towards your room. Steve followed your gaze and sat back down in his chair.
"He has terrible timing," you commented.
"Yeah," he laughed, "he really does."
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Tony greeted with a smirk.
"You? Interrupting? Never," you replied.
"I'm going to ignore the sass and continue about my conversation. There's one thing I forgot to mention when I was here earlier."
"Oh?" you raised a brow.
"I still haven't deleted your Tinder account."
"Oh no," you mumbled.
"And you've gotten a few more matches I think you should look at."
"Tony, no," you groaned.
"I really think you should take a look," he said as he held out a phone to you. You shook your head. "No, really, look at this," he urged.
"Fine," you grumbled, grabbing the phone from his hand. You looked down and the person on the screen was none other than Steve himself. You couldn't help but let out a laugh. You applauded Tony in your mind, not to his face of course, for trying to act as your wingman. You turned the phone to Steve and showed him the screen. He furrowed his brows in confusion, the corners of his lips turned slightly upward.
"Tony, I never-" Steve started.
"Nuh-uh, I don't want to hear it, Grandpa. I thought you two oblivious lovers could use a little help."
"I appreciate the effort, Tony, but," you looked to Steve, both smiling at each other, "we prefer to meet people the old fashion way."