On The Run) Romanogers

Part 2

Steve. P.O.V.

We needed money, and usually we wouldn't divert to such desperate measures, but we were flat broke. Hell, we didn't even have enough money for groceries, we were eating the cans that Nat stored in this safehouse when she first got it, and we were even starting to run low on those. We also needed to move, but that was another thing that required money.

Natasha had gone out to find a quick mission for us, something that wasn't too morally gray and something that would get us enough money to get out of here and to her next safe house. I felt a bit badly that we were draining all her safe houses, but she continually reassured us that that was what they were for. She had been out for an hour, which always made me nervous, we weren't in a good area and things could always go wrong. We were also being hunted by 117 countries and their respective agencies and S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, which added another thing for all of us to worry about. I knew that she could handle anything that came up and there wasn't a real reason to worry, but I always worried a bit about her. I didn't like to acknowledge my feelings towards her, but I figured my anxiety about her safety had something to do with it.

One more hour passed, "guys, I think we need to go out there and find her," I broke the silence.

"Steve, she's fine, she knows the area well enough and I don't think people are just handing out money, she's got to dig a little deeper to find a job," Sam reminded me. He had said something similar when I complained about how long she had been gone an hour ago.

"Sam. she's been gone to hours with no contact, I'm just a bit worried," I pushed back.

"The only way she has to contact us is on that burner phone," Bucky pointed to the one that lived on the kitchen counter and was always plugged in (on one occasion, I had tried to unplug it to charge the computer, which caused Natasha to yell at me about being, "an idiot who doesn't know the first thing about being on the run.") The phone was only for emergencies, only to be called if one of us got made and they could call to warn the others of us to run, another reason we tried to only have one of us out at one time. "Do you really want her to call on the burner?"

"No," I answered like a scolded child, but he did have a point. If she called that phone, it would mean that she had been caught and she wanted us to get out of here. I started to think that I wouldn't run if she called, I would probably run to get her out. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wouldn't be able to leave if I knew she was in any form of danger.

I grabbed my coat off the rack, "Steve, don't do it," Sam scolded.

"Steve, he's right, not worth it," Bucky backed him up.

"Well, I can't just sit here like you can," I threw my hand in the air, I knew the last part of my sentence was a bit rude and uncalled for, but I was stressed so it just slipped out.

"You can all relax," I heard Natasha's voice, coming from the trapdoor. I put my coat back and went to unlock it, but Bucky was already there doing so. He gave me a look that seemed to call me out on being so worried about her, I suddenly got worried that he was catching onto my feelings, which was the last thing I needed.

He gave her a hand when to help her down the jump, which I wanted her to refuse, but she took it. I was worried that my jealousy was going to keep rearing its head like this, it was not a helpful emotion in any way.

"Alright, I've got us a job," she announced.

"Who are we murdering?" Bucky asked, "Do I need to grab my sniper rifle?"

"Why do you assume I got us a hit?" She asked, sounding offended, she was joking, but I could tell that the comment stung her a bit.

"Because we're in a crappy area of town, seems likely," Bucky defended his assumption.