To Find Love: Romanogers One-Shots

Just Hug Me

Summary: When a mission goes wrong and Natasha is the only one to remain unharmed, Steve is the only one who can make her feel better.

Everything was going horribly wrong and all Natasha could do was watch from the side. She'd sent a team in to infiltrate the building and kill any enemy agents while she hunted down Tchaikovski, but he'd planned for that. The building blew up a minute after the team had entered and Tchaikovski was long gone in his private jet. Natasha was stuck on the edge of the perimeter, frantically calling for anyone inside to answer her but was getting nothing. The three agents she hadn't sent in had been close enough to the explosion they had burns and other injuries, yet she remained completely unharmed. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"Agent Romanov, Agent Harris is losing blood quickly," one of the other agents said. Natasha tore her eyes from the burning building and back to the three agents she had left. Sure enough, one was bleeding out from where his arm had gone missing.

"Get him to the jet," Natasha instructed. The agent nodded and helped Agent Harris stumble into the forest where the jet waited. Natasha helped the last agent walk then got the jet in the air quickly. Thanks to Tony upgrading SHIELD's tech, they'd reach headquarters in just over an hour.

Natasha spent the entire flight back trying to stop Agent Harris from bleeding out, but it was no use. His heart had stopped five minutes from landing and then they'd had to reroute so they didn't have to fight a headwind while landing. By the time the agents were escorted off the jet, Agent Harris was too far gone to revive. The other two were rushed off the medical while Natasha was left to debrief with Fury.

* * *

Steve was in the middle of reading when he heard his apartment door open. He frowned and glanced towards his shield that was laying across the room. He set down his book and silently stood up, stepping across the room to grab his shield. He wasn't expecting anyone and usually, visitors that came late at night weren't the kind you wanted around anyway.

He had just strapped on his shield when the visitor stepped into the living room. He stopped when he saw Natasha standing in front of him, looking absolutely exhausted. Her hair was slightly damp from the shower she'd taken at SHIELD and she was wearing black leggings under a sweatshirt he was pretty sure was his. He set down his shield and stepped towards her, reaching out to hug her. She practically melted in his arms and hugged him back tightly.

"What happened?" he asked softly. Natasha clutched the back of his shirt and buried her face in his chest and he knew. He'd known she was on a short mission in Canada for three days and that she was taking a team of newer field agents. They weren't fresh recruits, but the highest clearance among them was level two while Natasha's was level nine.

"I killed them all," Natasha whispered. Steve kissed her head and rubbed her back. "It was a trap but I didn't know it until it was too late. Only three survived the initial explosion, but only one..." She didn't finish, but Steve knew.

"Oh, Nat," he sighed. He picked her up gently and carried her over to the recliner he'd been sitting in. She immediately curled up in his lap, becoming much smaller than should be possible. Steve wrapped his arms around her and reached for a nearby blanket to throw over the two of them.

"Some of them had families," Natasha whispered, staring at the opposite wall blankly. Steve kissed her forehead, careful not to hit the cut that had been stitched up.

"You couldn't have known," Steve told her. Natasha sighed and twisted enough she could hug Steve. He adjusted the blanket and pulled the footrest up so they could lean back.

"I shouldn't lead missions," Natasha mumbled a few minutes later. Steve didn't reply, knowing there was nothing he could do to make her feel less guilty. He hugged her tighter and she pressed her face into his shoulder. "Can I stay here tonight?" she asked.

"I wouldn't let you leave if you tried," Steve replied, shifting so he could hold her easier. Not another word was said and eventually, Natasha drifted off to sleep. Steve stayed laying in the recliner for a little while longer before falling asleep himself. A recliner was not the most uncomfortable place to sleep in the world; especially when he had Natasha curled up against him.