I

Within the midst of another undercover mission, Steve and Natasha had emerged from the battle alive but scathed and what had begun as a warm sunny day had quickly dissolved into darkness, with the wind whipping the sheets of rain into sporadic and violent movements that jabbed at the two Avengers. Moving as steadily as they could through alleyways, amongst the dark shadows, the two of them sought shelter that was devoid of any company and was inconspicuous enough to not arouse an investigation by their assailants. Steve's eyes patrolled the streets vigorously, his bright azure orbs a stark contrast to the dull surroundings they inhabited, he held his injuries well, the super serum already doing its job, however Natasha struggled to continue walking in an unaffected manner. Glancing back at her his features contorted into a vision of worry, before his eyes laid upon a small derelict shop, hidden well by graffiti and boarded up tightly, right now it would have to do. As they came to halt Natasha slumped against him slightly, her leg giving way at the sudden stop, his arm instinctively wrapped around her waist holding her close to him in a protective manner. Her voice came out in choked breathes, as she worked through the pain, trying to subdue it and battle against it,

"Steve... We need to get further out of town." Shuffling himself and his injured comrade further back into the shadows, he hushed back, his tone ravaged with urgency,

"Nat you can barely walk, plus you're shaking from the cold, if we don't get you somewhere safe and warm your condition could get worse. We don't need that right now." Within those beautiful azure eyes of his Natasha could see that beneath the alert, defiant and calculating guise of the Captain he was extremely worried about her. Not wanting to give in to her body's cry for rest, but convinced by his argument that if she got worse they'd be getting nowhere fast and that could be the end of them both. Glancing at the location of his choice, she finally conceded with a slight nod and a breathy reply,

"Okay... let's go." With his arm supporting her, they travelled swiftly and discreetly amongst the shadows making their way along the street and to their proposed shelter. Both studied their surroundings meticulously checking for any bystanders or threats, before thanking the poor weather for preventing any onlookers who could sell them out. Reaching the door Steve managed to kick it in easily whilst still holding Natasha close to his side, before using his free hand to rip free the ailing boards used in a pathetic attempt to bar the doorway. Striding into the shop, Steve pulled the door tight behind him; all the while Natasha scanned the small room. Apart from the pile of post and numerous fliers that laid in the doorway, there was nothing much in the room bar some rubbish which indicated that someone else had also sought shelter, however they were now long gone. Staring into the dark corners she found no occupiers or threats and so stated plainly,

"Clear." With those words she felt the tension in Steve's body release slightly, clearly relieved to finally be somewhere relatively safe for the time being, and so turning to face her fully he lowered her to the floor so she could sit up with her back against the wall. Once he did so he strode over to the window, pulling back the ageing grotty curtains slightly he allowed some natural light into the room, allowing him a better look at his injured companion. Whilst he did this Natasha hiked her dress up to reveal her hastily bandaged thigh, adorned with a homemade tourniquet, before gently pulling back the bandage to reveal a wound that had clotted well and despite the discomfort she knew that to remove the bullet now could cause her to lose a whole lot more blood. She didn't have time to bleed out, and to become a burden was the last thing she wanted to be. Steve was now crouched in front of her looking at her injured thigh also, concern caused his brow to furrow and a slight grimace contorted his lips before he hushed,

"Nat, that looks bad... we need to get you medical help as soon as possible." Natasha shook her head readily in refusal before placing the bandage back over the wound and glancing back up at him her reply rich with her usual wit,

"Believe me I've had worse. I'm a big girl I can handle it." It was then that she winced slightly, for once at her own voice, and not at the relentless pain that throbbed from her thigh. She sounded breathless and husky, as if the wound had sucked every ounce of energy she had possessed but worse of all she could hear her teeth chattering together, clacking incessantly to remind her of how cold she actually was. Now she had finally stopped moving her body responded readily to the cold temperature she had plummeted to, her dress was soaked and clung to her, whilst water droplets trickled rapidly from her sodden tresses tracing glistening channels across her alabaster skin. Steve's expression had further fallen into one of great concern and worry, as he too noticed her evident shivering, and quickly pulled off the hooded zip up jumper he had donned that day,

"Nat you're freezing, here wear this." Pulling it from his arms he wrapped it over her shoulders, allowing her to glide her arms into it herself, knowing that his pandering would agitate her more than aid her. As she slid her arms into the garment, her skin tingled delightfully at the warmth that exuded from the jumper, despite its damp condition, and all at once she felt slightly jealous of Steve's super soldier physiological capabilities. However now wearing his jumper, she felt considerably better already, as she wrapped her arms across her waist pulling the material tighter around her, glancing up at him she felt her lips pull into a smirk as she quipped,

"Thanks... I hope you're not expecting this back anytime soon." A soft chuckle rumbled eloquently from Steve's lips as he stood up fully, before he raked his fingers through his drenched hair. Little did he know that this would be the start of a longstanding habit of the red headed spy, one that would be both equally endearing and bothersome.