Today, some moronic alien species decided to try and take over the world via the Amazon Rainforest. And it just had to be flood season when they were doing it. And obviously the Quinjet had to crash so they had no way of speedily getting home. And why wouldn't the Amazon be the one goddamn place on the whole freaking plant where SHIELD couldn't just barge in and rescue them, they had to follow procedure for once in their lives. And obviously since this army was bigger than the Chitauri Fury thought his precious Avengers were going to need help. And of course 'help' meant 'Maria'. And of course this all had to happen on Maria's one day off in three years.
So here Maria was, up to her knees in muddy water with that bastard Stark floating just above the water in his goddamn waterproof suit nattering about schwarma. Romanoff was sitting on the Hulk's shoulder, gently stroking his hair, the Hulk himself sitting in the 'Y' of a tree across from Barton, who was perched on a branch several hundred meters up. Thor was pacing back and forth, mumbling about fears of the incredibly pregnant Jane going into labour without him there.
And there was Steve. Wonderful Steve, who had thoughtfully brought everyone a box of wet wipes and clean underwear and socks. Maria nearly burst into tears when he handed her the package with her name on it with a reassuring little smile that promised he'd be back once she'd pulled herself together a bit. It was raining like Hurricane Hazel, it was muddier than Belgium in 1915, and they had fewer supplies than a trans-Atlantic slave trade vessel. She'd never been happier to see one person in her whole life. Therefore, what she says next is obviously born out of a combination of fatigue, gratitude, clean underwear (Because nobody likes to sit around in the middle of the night in the Amazon forest in wet underwear and a neoprene suit.), and slight blood loss.
'Captain Rogers, I think I might love you.' She immediately claps her hands over her mouth, unable to stop giggling as he flounders for what to say.
'Uh, thank you ma'am.' She pats him on the cheek because his cheeks are just so goddamn pattable and not for any other reason and collapse into his arms.
She later learns it was more than slight blood loss (Who knew getting stabbed in the leg would cause so much harm?) and that, according to Tony, who is a bigger gossip than Maria's Nonna, held her in his arms as he sat on a tree branch for ten hours because he was afraid she'd fall off, carried her into Medical himself, and then sat with her until he fell asleep and the doctors carted him off to his own bed.
Huh.