Hello! Hope y'all have been well! Thanks for popping by to read my story again! So, fun fact, I called ice water croutons the other day. I couldn't remember the word for ice xD anyways! Enjoy! Disclaimer; I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or their characters, I do own my OC's!
EDIT: Updated some errors. 3
The visitor thundered through the apartment, following the blood until they reached Lorelei.
Steve skidded around the corner, stopping by Lorelei's side with a terrified expression.
Lorelei craned her neck to meet Steve's gaze.
"You're taller."
"And you're bleeding!" Steve exclaimed.
"It's just a scratch. I've had worse." Lorelei tried to joke with a weak smile.
"Don't downplay it. You're bleeding a lot." Steve's voice was shaking.
He crouched down, his hands moving to hover over Lorelei's thigh.
"Don't touch!" Lorelei ordered, "You'll contaminate the field."
"What can I do?" Steve asked, moving his hands away.
"If you're gonna help, you need to wash your hands with soap and water, thoroughly. I have clean towels in the kit. I'm trying to get the forceps around the bullet, but I'm having a hard time with all the blood."
Steve paled at her comment, but turned to wash his hands anyway.
"I thought you were dying." Steve finally spoke, his back turned to Lorelei.
"Yeah, well, I'm kinda hard to kill." Lorelei grunted, scowling when forceps slipped again.
"That doesn't mean you're not human, Lorelei." Steve's voice shook with anger.
"I'm not human anymore." Lorelei snapped, wincing as her hands slipped. "Whatever happened out in space changed my body!"
The blood that oozed out of the wound made everything slippery.
Fuck, what was she doing? And why couldn't she grab the damn bullet?!
Steve, turning to see Lorelei take shallow gasps of air, hurried to crouch down in front of the frighteningly pale woman.
"Hey, hey!" Steve exclaimed, trying to gain the spiraling woman's attention.
His attempts got nowhere as Lorelei's hands began to shake violently.
Steve took away what she was holding, removing the tongs that kept the bleeding wound open, and pressed down hard on Lorelei's bloodied thigh with a clean towel.
Lorelei gasped, the intense pain bringing her back into the moment.
"Focus on me, Lorelei." His words carried an air of authority, something Lorelei desperately needed in that moment. "You need to breathe."
Lorelei took a shaky breath, her gaze locked on Steve's.
"That's it; keep it up." Steve soothed.
Once Lorelei was more grounded, Steve spoke again.
"We need to get the bullet out. Sooner rather than later." Steve said.
Lorelei nodded.
"What do you need me to do?" Steve asked.
"In the hallway closet, there's a flashlight; can you grab it?" Lorelei's voice no longer held a tremor.
"I've got it. Keep pressing down on this for me." Steve ordered.
Lorelei looked down at the towel, forcing herself to remain calm while she pressed down on very bloody rag.
Steve came back, flashlight in hand.
Lorelei dipped her equipment into the alcohol, sterilizing it once again.
"Turn it on and grab that mirror behind you." Lorelei commanded, taking the rag off.
"Angle the mirror so I can see the wound, I'll tell you when."
Steve said nothing as Lorelei ordered him around.
"Shine the flashlight at the wound."
Steve did so.
Lorelei went back to work, grateful for the help.
Lorelei caught a glimpse of metal, prompting Lorelei to plunge the forceps into the wound and firmly grasp the bullet.
In an agonizingly slow process, Lorelei removed the bullet.
The bullet made a disgusting squelch as she pulled it out.
Once she was satisfied that there was no other shrapnel, Lorelei stitched herself back up.
Lorelei dropped everything into the bowl and leaned back in exhaustion while she took in the bloody havoc around them.
"You need to lie down." Steve observed, taking in the alabaster white pallor of Lorelei's skin.
"The blood-" Lorelei started protesting, going to stand.
Lorelei faltered, her legs giving out from under her.
Steve lunged forward and caught her, keeping her from tearing her stitches.
Lorelei's brows shot up in surprise as her gaze went down to her legs.
"I think it would be better for you to lie down." Steve said it with firm but gentle words.
"Yeah, um, I think that would be a good idea," Lorelei admitted, her voice wavering more than she liked.
Steve helped her back down into the chair.
Lorelei's skin was crawling; the sensation of drying blood disgusted her. Her leg itched, alerting her to her healing kicking into overdrive.
"Could I ask a little favor?" Lorelei asked, her gaze on her hands.
"Of course, anything." Steve said.
"Could you get a couple of the towels wet? I just want to clean myself up. The blood isn't really pleasant on the skin." Lorelei said, idly wondering how many more times she would have blood on her hands, both physically and metaphorically.
Steve pressed a wet cloth into Lorelei's hands.
"Oh. Thank you." Lorelei dumbly said.
Lorelei took her time cleaning herself up where she could. Being gentle around the wound, still tender from the hole that had violently been made.
Once Lorelei was sufficiently clean, Steve left her, moving into her room. She could hear him rummaging around in there, but she wasn't quite sure why.
Her questions were answered when he came out holding something in his hands, his cheeks a shade pinker than they had been before.
"I-" Steve cleared his throat. "I got you some clothes. Thought it would help."
"Thank you." Lorelei said.
He tugged a clean chair over, a distance away from the visual massacre surrounding Lorelei.
"Lean on me, try not to put any weight on your leg." Steve said.
With Steve's assistance, Lorelei hobbled over to the chair. He handed her the clothes, cheeks turning pinker.
"I'll ah, turn around. Let me know when you need help." He said, facing away from Lorelei.
Lorelei chuckled, feeling a soft spot for the large, bumbling man in front of her.
Tearing her gaze away from his back, Lorelei changed her clothes, peeling them away like a second skin thanks to the coagulated blood.
The clothes were a pair of loose pants and shirts, one of the first things she learned how to sew.
"I'm all dressed." She said, patting Steve's bicep.
"Right." Steve faced Lorelei.
"Hi." She said, smiling.
"Hey." Steve replied.
In a conscious effort, Steve gently gathered Lorelei into his arms and hugged her.
Lorelei hugged him back, closing her eyes.
The two were at a similar height now, Lorelei's head reaching Steve's shoulder.
"I thought I was losing you, too." Steve's voice rumbled in his chest.
"Too?" Lorelei asked, before remembering Erskine.
"The guy who got me into the project, he uh, he was shot. Didn't make it."
Lorelei closed her eyes in defeat.
"I'm sorry I didn't make it in time."
"You didn't know." Steve sighed.
Lorelei remained silent, hugging Steve tighter.
Liar. You did know. Her mind hissed.
Lorelei pulled back.
"How does it feel? Being taller than me?"
"Odd." Steve chuckled.
"It definitely feels odd." Lorelei agreed.
Steve watched as Lorelei leaned on him for support.
"Steve?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For helping." Lorelei said.
"I should be the one thanking you," Steve said. "You helped save lives by stopping that guy."
"We make a good team, don't we?" Lorelei said, giving him a cheeky grin and taking his hand.
"Yeah, we do." His grip tightened slightly, "and I'm not letting you out of my sight again."
Lorelei chuckled softly.
"I'd like that." She said, feeling a soft sort of warmth radiating from her chest.