Natasha hated this. She had been stuck in the hospital for the last week with no authorization to do whatsoever. She wondered sometimes if she was allowed to even breathe. But Fury and Clint had been adamant (and Steve too, although he wasn't that harsh on the words as the other two): she wasn't allowed to even get her foot out of bed until the doctors gave the green light.

The last time she had tried to run away, Clint had attached her to the bed with handcuffs. But she had managed to break free with a hairpin and was long gone before Clint came back from his five minutes coffee break. Once Fury had settled two German Shepherds in front of her door, sick of all the times she had ditched bed rest. Since she couldn't walk out through the front door, she had gone for the window. The fact that medical was on the seventh floor didn't change a thing, Natasha still climbed down the side of the building with bandages sticking out of her hospital gown that miraculously the nurses had managed to put on her when she was out. She had made it two floors down, sliding on old metal tubes and clutching the railing. She had stopped on the fifth floor to take a break and the window she had stopped at just happened to give into the room where Fury held a meeting with several SHIELD operatives. She could still remember the look they exchanged as they both couldn't believe what they were seeing.

But this time she had agreed to stay in bed because Steve wanted her to rest. As much as she hated sitting down doing nothing and being out of the field, she listened to him (and also because he intended to force her to attend Stark's Christmas party if she disobeyed, so for once she stayed put).

And now was finally the time to get out. She couldn't wait for Steve to pick her up. The nurses brought her some clothes Clint had prepared for her (he and Steve were the only ones to have a key to her apartment) since Steve had been busy the whole morning, trying to avoid Stark and his phone calls about the Christmas party. So while she waited for him, she dressed up. She had her underwear on when she realized that she wouldn't be able to wear the shoes because of the cast she had on her left foot and calf. She just put the left one back in the bag. And Clint had forgotten her socks.

Steve entered once she was fully clothed and ready for the winter weather outside. She still pestered. He smiled warmly. "What's going on?"

"Clint's stupidity made him forget my socks."

She said that with a shrug of her slender shoulders, signaling that it was no big deal, that the Black Widow wasn't going to get angry for just that and that Steve better let it go. It also implied she was going to make Clint regret his forgetfulness later. Steve kept smiling but didn't say anything. He watched her hop of the bed and limp towards him, refusing to use the crutches. She snaked her arm around his instead and he accepted her weight without complaining.

They walked out of the hospital wing at SHIELD and made their way to the street through the parking lot. Stark tower was at the other side of the city but Natasha insisted they walked so Steve took the bag with her only shoe and walked, ready to catch her if she fell. But before they reached the snowy pavement though, he pointed at her injured foot.

"There's no way I'm letting you walk on that. Hop on my back, since you don't want to call for a taxi."

She shook her head.

"I'm injured Steve, not dying. I can walk a few miles. Cast or not."

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to win this one, he sighed and let go of her arm. Then he knelt on the ground and started taking off his shoe. Natasha questioningly raised her eyebrows but didn't say a thing. Steve undid his shoelaces, took off his shoe then his sock. It was blue with little white stars at the top and a red band. "Really?" she asked and he shrugged, used to all the Captain America jokes. He then carefully and ever so gently took her foot in his hand and proceeded to put his sock on her cast. His sock was too big for her, but the cast was bigger and so it ripped some of the treads on the side but he still put it on, all the way up half her calf.

"You ruined your sock, you know?" she asked, a small smile on her lips.

He shrugged again and put his shoe back on.

"I'd rather ruin my sock than your cast."

He grabbed her arm again and they resumed walking, Natasha now having half of her cast covered with a blue sock with white stars and a red band. "I look so fucking patriotic now," she let out in a low playful tone so he could be the only one to hear her.

He smiled before adding: "I'm still going to carry you when you'll tire."