The Mimic

99

"I don't need your help, y/n. I'm perfectly fine." 

Y/n just seemed to roll her eyes as Steve continued to complain. "This isn't pleasant for me, I promise. I'm just saving you from embarrassment." She hummed, circling around the big pile of debris in attempt to find the best way to get Steve out. She debated on mimicking super soldier strength, but if Steve couldn't lift it, there'd be no way that she'd be able to. "How did you even end up like this?"

Steve stared up at what remained of the ceiling, a look of annoyance on his face. His leg was in a lot of pain, he just hoped that it wasn't broken. Bone breaks usually healed pretty quickly when it came to super soldiers, it was just inconvenient for Steve. Plus, he knew the team would baby him and force him to let them sign his cast. "I was running to try and find some cover, but a bomb exploded right in front of me. I used my shield to protect myself but the impact still blasted me onto my back, and this stupid thing landed on my leg." He huffed, resting his arm over his eyes. Despite the seriousness of the situation, it was actually quite a funny sight. Steve was acting like a grumpy child, which just made the fact that a play structure was on top of him even more ironic.

Y/n sighed, taking a few steps back from the debris as she crossed her arms over her chest in thought. "Okay, I think I know how to get you out. But you'll have to move away once the structure is lifted, okay?" She commanded, earning a simple nod from Steve. She was surprised he didn't argue back, again. Maybe that leg really was in bad shape. Y/n murmured a few words of motivation to herself as she took a few more steps back, holding her hands out toward the structure. Red orbs of energy begun to appear in her palms, her eyes squinting slightly as she focused on what she had to do. The debris begun to glow a similar colour, causing Steve to quickly let go of it as it begun to raise into the air.

As soon as the structure was high enough in the air, Steve pulled himself across the floor and away from the debris. He was actually pretty proud of y/n for using her powers to lift something so heavy, it just showed how much she'd improved. No nosebleeds anymore, nothing. But, Steve would never admit that. If he admitted that y/n had improved, she'd refuse to turn up to training in the mornings. The proud smile on his face quickly disappeared when he sat up, finally able to get a good look at his leg. "Yeah... That's broken." He murmured, frowning at the sight of the lower half of his leg facing the wrong way.

Y/n set the pile of debris down once Steve had moved, making her way toward him so she could help out. "Oh, gross!" She exclaimed once she caught sight of his leg, quickly turning away. "How're you just staring at it? If that was me I would've passed out by now." Y/n questioned with a slight laugh, a disgusted look still on her face. She could deal with blood and dead bodies, but broken bones was where she drew the line. Something about a limb just facing the wrong way made her feel sick. 

Steve laughed at y/n's reaction, shrugging casually as he stared at his leg. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, but it didn't feel too bad. But, he'd been through things much worse than a broken leg. "It's not that bad!" He chuckled, watching as y/n struggled to look at him. This was probably the first 'nice' interaction that Steve and y/n had shared together since the whole Zemo thing happened. Neither mentioned it, of course, but it was nice to laugh again. 

"Not that bad. Not that bad?! Steve, your leg is facing the wrong way! You look like a broken barbie doll!" Y/n exclaimed dramatically, picking up his shield so she could use it to hide his leg from her vision. "I swear to god, this has been the grossest day ever. My socks are wet with alien guts, your leg is broken, and I had to go into a high school with a bunch of kids that don't wear deodorant." She huffed, holding the shield up to cover her face as she made her way toward Steve. She had to help him up and get him to Bruce, she couldn't just leave him there. "No, I can't. I can't do it." Y/n gagged, backing up from Steve again.

Steve just continued to laugh, laying his head back down on the ground. There was no point in sitting up yet, not if y/n was going to be dramatic for another hour. "It's just going to get worse the long I lay here, y/n." He chimed in, smiling as y/n continued to cover her face. "Come on, if you do it, I'll tell you some embarrassing Bucky stories." Steve offered, raising his eyebrows. He knew that would peak interest. He held his hand out for y/n to take, knowing she had to hoist him up.

Y/n couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the offer. That did sound pretty good. "Fine." She sighed, lowering the shield as she reached her hand out to take Steve's. Y/n mimicked super soldier strength, hoisting him up with a grunt. "I swear to god, if your leg starts swinging around-" She had to cut herself off, gagging slightly at the idea. "I'll drop you back on the ground. You can figure out a way to get out of here on your own." She said seriously, wrapping Steve's arm around her shoulders so he could use her as a crutch. 

Steve chuckled slightly as he listened to y/n. He knew she was being serious about it, which was what made it even funnier. God, he'd missed being friendly with her. She could light up any situation, no matter how dark it was. Maybe that was the reason why Bucky loved her so much. She never let him get too serious with anything. There wasn't a better person for his best friend to love.

The pair eventually found their way outside the building, meeting the rest of the team by Bruce's makeshift setup. Everyone except Bruce was drenched in blue alien guts, all looking like a bunch of drowned rats, and smelling like it too. Bruce almost immediately took Steve off of y/n, moving him inside a medical tent so he could work on his leg. He definitely needed to go to hospital to get that fixed, but Steve was too stubborn to sit in an ambulance straight away. The rest of the team made their way back to the quinjet so they could head back to the compound, all just wanting to get the guts off of themselves. Bruce and Steve would be able to find their own way back after their hospital visit.

Y/n sighed tiredly as she sat down beside Bucky, instinctively leaning her head down to rest it on her shoulder. But, she quickly lifted her head back up. She'd forgotten that he was also covered in blue alien goop. "Ew." She huffed, trying her hardest to wipe the goop off of her face. Bucky chuckled, moving to wrap an arm around her. "What do you mean, 'ew'? Do you not like my new cologne?" He teased, pulling y/n closer to him. Y/n squealed and writhed in disgust as Bucky pulled her closer, pushing on his chest in attempt to escape. "No, stop! You're so slimy!" She complained, but she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. 

Sam and Natasha watched the pair with fond smiles. "Idiots." Sam murmured with a soft chuckle, causing Natasha to laugh and nod in agreement. "Loveable idiots, though." She hummed, just happy to see y/n laughing. It was nice to see the pair smiling, especially after everything they'd been through.