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Steve knows that no one, not even Natasha, can be strong all the time.
• • •
Steve Rogers quickly thumbed through the dozens of Project Insight files on the desk. There were piles and piles of files everywhere; on the surrounding desks, the floor around his feet, and even on the shelves behind him. He wasn't even sure where to begin, but Natasha seemed to know. "Look in the drawers, Rogers. Secret files are usually hidden in compartments that are in the back." She said to him as she leaned over the computer above him, disabling the technological alarms that were blaring throughout the building.
He glanced up at her. For a moment, he watched the way her dazzling, emerald eyes looked over the computer screen, her thin fingers typing on the keyboard quickly even though she was pristinely calm. There was something about her that was enrapturing. It wasn't just her beautiful features or her sublime body. It was entirely her, her determination, her refinement, and her bravery.
From the moment he met her, he'd been allured by everything that was Natasha Romanoff. It augmented significantly as time went on, and they'd become partners. He knew her as more than a colleague now; as the woman who took his breath away with one glance and blew his mind with a kiss on an escalator.
"Focus. We have two more minutes!" She snapped at him, perceiving him staring at her. She was a spy, after all. She noticed everything.
Flush rose to his cheeks, and he swiftly began to look through the files again. He pulled apart every drawer, cracking the wood and trying to find any hidden compartment or clues for where one was. The entire mission from Fury was to find these specific papers and verify that Project Insight was entirely abated. This was their only chance to do so after successfully breaking into the government building, and Fury wouldn't be happy if they returned to headquarters empty-handed. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen, he reunited with Natasha after a few, long months without her, and they swiftly began helping Fury and Maria Hill destroy the last burning ashes of Hydra.
This was one of their most important missions to date. They couldn't fail.
"Thirty more seconds," She warned as she glanced at her watch.
The time passed quickly, but he found the papers just in time. The gunshots began exactly thirty seconds later, ricocheting off the walls and whizzing past their heads. He quickly shoved the papers into the bag that was slung over his shoulder and grabbed his shield. Natasha ducked down beside him behind the desk, pressing into his side as he covered them from the bullets. "Could've given me a warning." He shouted over the gunshots that made his ears ring.
She rolled her eyes and pressed closer to him as he wrapped his arm around them, the shield braced in front of them as bullets clangedoff the Vibranium. It wasn't exactly an appropriate situation, but he relished the feeling of her thin frame against his large one. It just felt right despite the fact that people were trying to kill them. It felt right to hold her against him, to protect her like it was his only purpose in life. He knew it was wrong, that she didn't desire him as he longed for her, but he'd always followed his heart, and this time was no different.
