even heroes have the right to bleed.

Laurel nodded her head, watching him as he spoke. "Just please hurry," she said, somewhat beginning to realize that she sounded a bit needy and whiny, though Peter didn't seem to mind. She watched every one of his movements as he walked away from her. For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt like if he got too far away from her, the man that had grabbed her would find his way back to her and take her again.

---

When Katie started talking, Steve pulled away instantly, embarrassed with his face red and unable to meet her eyes. He could tell that she was getting aggravated with him, which he should have expected. He'd probably stepped into some bubble she had that he wasn't included in. He ran his fingers through his hair as he turned his head towards the road, watching for the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just assumed."

Peter nodded his head, heading over to the closest officer that he could find. He asked if they could leave, pretending to be the concerned boyfriend that just wanted to get her out of there. It worked, the officer telling him that she'd been questioned and that they could leave. He hurried back to Laurel, offering her a small smile. "Let's get out of here," he said, standing in front of her with his hand held out to help her out of the back of the ambulance. "They're letting us leave."

---

Katie shook her head, suddenly wishing that she'd worded that better. "Steve, no, it's - " She cut herself off, struggling to figure out how to phrase herself. "I'm - I'm not used to having people get close to me," she said after a couple of seconds, deciding to tell the truth. "It's not you, okay? It's just me," she said, looking up at him. She felt bad for making him stop, but she didn't know how else to phrase it. She'd never been comfortable with people being that close to her.

Laurel let out a sigh of relief when Peter returned and announced that they could go. She was just ready to get out of there and back home where she could just relax. "I just live a block away," she said, pointing in the direction of her parents' home. "And thank you again for doing this. You have no idea how much it means to me."

---

"It's okay, I get it," he said, nodding his head with his hands held up. "I've been there, Katie, trust me." And he wasn't lying. After all he'd been through, he sometimes found it hard to get close to people, but at one point he had realized that avoiding people wasn't making the danger go away. All it was doing was making him cold and unhappy.

Peter nodded his head, starting to lead her in the direction that she'd pointed. "It's fine, Laurel," he said with a smile, avoiding the gaze of the officers. The last thing that he needed was for them to stop him, even though he was already given the go ahead to leave. "You don't have to thank me, I just want to make sure that you're alright. You uh, you seemed pretty freaked out back there."

---

Katie sighed softly, still feeling bad. She frowned when he said that, confusion riddling her expression. "You've been there? Like, after you woke up?" She questioned, furrowing her brow. She really couldn't imagine him pushing people away like she did. That seemed so unlike Steve that she couldn't picture it at all. She hadn't known him when he first woke up, instead being assigned to him after the Avengers Initiative had defeated Loki.

Laurel nodded her head softly, taking quick steps so they could get to her house sooner. "Yeah, I just needed to get out of there," she paused, looking over at Peter. He was a paramedic so he'd probably seen a lot of crazy things, but she didn't know to what extent. "Have you ver had anything like this happen to you?" It was probably a stupid question because not many people had, but it felt relevant to her.

---

"Yeah, I - it was a rough time. Everyone that I loved had either been dead for years or was in the process of dying." He paused, running his hand through his hair. "There was a woman that I loved once, and I held her hand while she was on her death bed, twice as old as when I knew her. It was tough." Those years were some of the worst of Steve's life, and it took him a long time to really get over it.

Peter kept pace with her easily, his long legs matching her strides without a problem. "I can understand that," he said, letting out a humorless chuckle under his breath. He carved a hand through his hair, adjusting his glasses for a second. He wasn't used to wearing them. "Uh, yeah I have. More times than I'd like to remember, really," he said softly, shaking his head. She had no idea just how many times this had happened to him.

---

Katie kept her eyes on the ground, finding it hard to actually look at him while he spoke. She wasn't used to anyone being so open about their pain. SHIELD was a mishmash of people, but most had one thing in common - lack of family. Whether it was by choice or not, most didn't talk about it. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, having no idea what else to say to him. Comfort wasn't her strong suit.

"I didn't realize the life of a paramedic was so dangerous," Laurel said, though she was secretly thankful that someone else understood at least a little bit of what she was going through. It made her feel a lot less alone. They showed up at her house after a quick walk, and she quickly unlocked the door with her key, happy to be home.

---

"It's okay, Katie. It's not your fault," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "It gets easier everyday, and now I've found new people to love. It makes it all worth it in the end." And it did, because even though Steve had lost everyone from when he was just Steve, he knew they wouldn't want him to spend eternity mourning them, and he'd found people that gave him new reason to live. People like the ones that he'd met at S.H.I.E.LD.

Peter gave a noncommittal shrug, realizing that it wouldn't make much sense for a paramedic to go through all of that. He kept quiet though, figuring that he would just let her think whatever she'd like instead of him digging himself an even bigger hole. He paused behind her , waiting for her to unlock the door. "So this is where you live?" He questioned, struggling to find something for them to talk about.

---

Katie mustered up a small smile to give him in return, although she found it hard to believe that he was so well adjusted. She wasn't sure if anyone could be that okay. Or at least, able to act that okay. She ran a hand through her hair, shifting her leg a little, wincing at the movement. "You really think that?" She asked him, looking up at him. She glanced over, hearing a car pull up. "That's us."

Laurel nodded her head as they walked inside, flipping on the light while she tossed her keys on the catch all table in the corner. "This is it," she said as she looked at him, waiting for him to close and lock the door just in case someone had followed them home or something. "Do you want to put on a movie?" She asked, unsure of what to do and noticing how uncomfortable he looked. "I'm sorry for pressuring you into this," she said with a shake of her head.

---

"Trust me, Katie, there is always something out there that makes life worth living," he said as the car pulled up, turning his head to the street. He turned back to Katie with his head tilted to the side. "Do you need help or do you have it?" If she hadn't just pushed him away, Steve would have helped her to the car without even asking, but he didn't want to cross any boundaries again.

Peter stepped inside, glancing around as he took it all in. He really wasn't sure what to do. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, feeling quite awkward. "Uh, yeah, sure," he said, shooting her a quick grin. He shook his head, her feeling guilty the last thing that he wanted. "No, it's fine. I wouldn't want you to be alone anyway. That's the last thing that you need right now."

---

Katie paused, looking over to him with a raised brow. She didn't bother responding, finding it hard to figure out what she would even say to that. The only thing that made everything worth it for her was SHIELD, but she wasn't sure if that's what he was talking about. "I - Help would be nice. Thank you," she said softly, offering him a small smile of thanks. She trusted Steve, she really did. He was one of the few people that she did trust.

"If you're sure," Laurel said, really hoping she wasn't making Peter too uncomfortable. She could imagine how odd it would be to be in some strange girl's home when you just met her. "I hope you're in the mood for something funny," Laurel said as she moved over to the DVD player and put in a copy of a new Adam Sandler movie her father had just bought. She didn't think she could watch anything but a comedy right now.

---

Steve slowly walked over to her side, wrapping one hand around her hip while he took ahold of her nearest hand and guided her forward. "Just lean against me," he said softly as he took a few steps, careful to make sure Katie could keep up.

Peter looked over to her, letting himself grin at her. "I'm positive," he said. "I just barely know you, you know? Once we get to know each other a little, it'll be fine," he said. He walked over to the couch, practically letting himself fall down onto it. The events of the day were getting to him, and he felt tired, more tired since he was powerless. "Funny movies are the best."

---

Katie couldn't help but tense when he wrapped a hand around her hip. After a couple of seconds, though, she paused, allowing him to fully help her. She leaned against him, her arm wrapping around his waist to help keep her balance. "Okay," she murmured, stepping with him. "Are you okay? You can handle this, right?" She asked, suddenly remembering that he wasn't one hundred percent either.

"You swear you don't have anywhere else you need to be?" She asked as she moved over to the opposite end of the sofa. He looked exhausted with the way he plopped onto her couch, and she couldn't help but think she felt the exact same way. The attack had left her feeling absolutely drained, though she was so terrified that she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep again.

---

"I'm fine, Katie, I swear." He paused, questioning it a bit himself as he helped her into the car. "When I got my powers, I started working out a lot. I think I still have residual muscle left over from that, but nothing like what I had before." It was the only explanation that Steve could come up with, but he was sure that when they got back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, they'd be able to come up with more answers.

Peter shook his head, offering her a small smile. "Nope. In the summer I'm not taking any classes, and I'm on break from my job for awhile," he said. That was a partial truth. He wasn't sure how long this whole 'no powers' thing was going to last, so he figured he'd be on break. He looked over to her, frowning at how she looked. "You tired?" He asked her, concerned.

---

Katie frowned at him, shaking her head. "Steve, don't overestimate yourself," she murmured, gripping his waist tightly as he helped her into the car. She settled back into the seat, letting out a sigh as she let her eyes drift shut for a couple of seconds. She reached into her pocket for her phone, dialing up Agent Fury. "Fury, I - Yes, I know that I - No, it's - Would you stop interrupting me, please? There's something wrong with Rogers. We'll have to run tests immediately."

"I'm glad I'm not keeping you from anything then," she said as she settled further into the couch and kicking her feet up just a little. "Very tired," she said with a nod of her head. She remembered him saying that she shouldn't sleep if she had a concussion, but she didn't think she'd be able to anyway with how nervous she was feeling.

---

At the sound of Agent Fury's voice, Steve let out a sigh. Being a part of S.H.I.E.LD. was the only thing he had known for years, and now he didn't know if that was going to be taken away from him like everything else was. They wouldn't have any use for a superhero that had lost his superpowers. He hoped the ride back would be short, because he just wanted to get these tests over with.

Peter nodded his head, letting himself sit back against the couch, forcing himself to relax. "You could probably sleep if you wanted to. I'm positive that you don't have a concussion," he told her, offering her a small smile. He was definitely sure that she was just in shock. She would have showed more symptoms if she had a concussion. "Sleep might help you feel better," he added, watching her closely.

---

"No, I'm fine," Katie said, responding to Fury's question about how she was. "Never been - Well, my ankle's a little - Rogers is more important than me getting my ankle checked out. It'll get done," she said, avoiding Steve's gaze. "Alright, we'll be there," she said, listening for a moment more before hanging up. She finally looked over to Steve, sighing softly. "Fury wants you doing tests as soon as we get there."

Laurel did want to sleep, but she didn't know if she'd be able to with the fear that someone could break into her house at any moment. She looked over at Peter who had done an excellent job of making her feel safer, and bit her lip with caution. "Do you think I could - would you mind if I -" She paused, taking a deep breath, before she pointed at his shoulder. "Would it be okay if I rested my head on you?" She asked, not wanting to overstep any boundaries but knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep without him.

---

"I thought he'd say something like that," Steve said, putting his head in his hands. He would never admit it, but he was nervous about what was to come. Not knowing whether he could go back to being Captain America or if he'd just be Steve Rogers forever. "But you're ankle checked out to," he said as he looked over at her. "I won't let them touch me until I at least know you're walking over to the hospital wing."

Peter kept his eyes on the television screen, only looking away to glance to Laurel. He had a pretty good feeling that she wasn't as alright as she was acting. Not that he blamed her. It took a long time to get over something like this, and he hardly expected her to be alright just a little over an hour after everything had happened. "What? Oh yeah, sure," he said, shifting slightly so it'd be easier for her to lay down. "It's fine, Laurel."

---

Katie sat back against her seat, letting her eyes drift shut for a couple of seconds before she cracked them open again, looking over to Steve with a sigh. "My ankle can wait. They'll want me sticking around for your tests since I was the one that examined the DNA and whatever their coding was. You get the tests done, and then I'll get my ankle checked out," she told him, giving him a pointed look. "And that's not up for negotiation."

Laurel hoped she wasn't freaking Peter out, but she scooted closer to him on the sofa until she was right next to him, tucked underneath his arm with her head resting on her chest. She couldn't believe how comfortable he was to way with, and despite how anxious she was feeling, she felt more and more tired by the second. "Is this weird?" She asked, looking up at him slowly.

---

Steve knew better than to argue with Katie because she did have a point. Whatever was happening to Steve could be part of some bigger scheme that threatened to jeopardize S.H.I.E.L.D. and especially the Avengers Initiative. "You'll sit then," Steve said, looking at her with his lips pressed together. "You'll sit the entire time."

Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulder almost immediately, tucking her into his side as he forced himself to relax against the couch. Oddly enough, it felt natural to have her there against him. "Not really," he said, cracking a smile as he looked down at her. "You're fine, okay? Just sleep," he said softly, not wanting her to feel like she had to stay up because he was there.

---

Katie stared at him, smirking faintly. "Or stand, probably. There won't be much room in the labs for me to sit," she said easily, knowing that he'd probably argue with that. "Steve, my ankle comes second to whatever they did to you, okay? I've dealt with much worse injuries for a much longer time. I can handle a little sprained ankle for a couple of hours. You're more important right now."