even heroes have the right to bleed.

"It's okay if you need to leave," she said softly, cozying up to him a little bit more as she yawned. She knew he couldn't feasibly stay there with her forever, no matter how much she wanted him to. He had his job as paramedic and probably plenty of other things in his life to tend to. "Just wake me before you go," she finished with another yawn, feeling herself slowly drift off to sleep.

---

"Either you go and find a chair or you'll be sitting on my lap," Steve said to her, locking eyes as he pressed his lips together. "That's an order." He still didn't know if he actually had the authority to order Katie to do anything, but she was his assistant, which meant he did have some power over her, right? Maybe enough to make her sit down for fifteen minutes.

Peter shook his head, settling down into the couch as he held her closer to him, wanting her to feel comfortable. "I'll stay here for awhile," he said softly, letting his head loll back against the back of the couch. Within a couple of minutes he'd fallen asleep, exhausted from his long day. He pulled her closer to him, as he drifted off, his glasses dropping down his nose as he finally slipped into a deep sleep.

---

Katie leaned forward, her lips tilting down into a frown. "An order? An order? Just because you're Captain America does not give you the authority to order me around," she said slowly, looking up at him. "I was assigned to watch over to you, to help you. So when I say that you're going to allow them to continue on with their tests whether or not I am sitting down, that's an order."

When Laurel woke up, Peter's arms were still around her and her head was still resting on his chest. She was thankful that he hadn't left once she'd fallen asleep, which she had been worried about even though he promised he wouldn't. She looked up and found that he'd fallen asleep too. She didn't want to wake him so she tried her best not to move too suddenly.

---

Steve folded his arms across, leaning back in his seat. If she thought he was going to take an order from her, she had another thing coming. He said nothing else to her, just looked out the window until the finally pulled up to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. He got out of the car with a thank you to the driver and not another word to Katie before walking inside and being met with Agent Fury immediately. "Steve," he greeted with a nod of his head before looking back to Katie. "Agent Roth." He paused, motioning towards the hallway behind them. "The others are waiting downstairs. It's happened to everyone."

Peter slept on for awhile, snuggling into the couch, his arm around Laurel loosely. He woke up a little while after she did, blinking blearily as he yawned. He suddenly froze, realizing that someone was laying on him. After a couple of seconds he relaxed, realizing that it was Laurel. His arm tightened around her slightly out of habit, from his time with Gwen.

---

Katie scowled as he leaned back against the seat, refusing to respond to her. If he was going to act like a child, then so was she. She slipped out of the car once they stopped, thanking the driver quietly before walking over to Agent Fury, masking her limp as best as she could. "It was distributed through a gas. I remember most of the coding that they used, and the local force should have the weapon, so we should be able to go through it fairly fast," she said, sneaking a glance over to Steve. "We should probably get going, then," she said, starting down the hall.

"Good morning," Laurel said softly as she felt Peter stirring. She hoped he wouldn't freak out when he realized where he was or who he was with. "Don't worry, we didn't sleep together if that's what you were wondering," she said with a laugh, pulling away from him slowly to look at him with her legs pulled onto the sofa.

---

Steve followed Katie and Agent Fury down a series of padlocked hallways before they ended up in a stainless steel room filled with a bunch of young scientists and their gadgets. The room brought back memories of horrible tests and pain, but Steve tried to ignore it as he watched the scientists work among themselves before asking him to lay down on a steel slab. He laid with his sleeves rolled up as the young men stuck and prodded him with needles until his skin went raw.

"Hey," Peter said softly, his voice low and scratchy as he looked down at her. "Trust me, I know," he said, noting that they were both fully clothed. He shifted away, pulling his arm from around her as he smiled gently. "You feeling any better?" He asked with a yawn, running a hand over his face, just remembering that he'd left his glasses on when he'd fallen asleep.

---

Katie couldn't help but look over to Steve when they entered the lab. She'd read his entire file before they started working together, and was well aware of what they'd put him through. She wasn't entirely sure if what they were doing would be considered arguing, but she put that aside, making a motion for them to stop after awhile. "How about we give him a break, yeah? I need someone to walk me down to med care to check out my ankle," she said, scowling at the scientists until they did what she said.

"A little," she said with a nod of her head. She wasn't feeling as exhausted as she had, but she still felt this trembling inside her like she had this fear that wouldn't go away. "Do you think I'll stop being afraid?" She knew he wasn't a trained psychiatrist, but she thought he had probably seen things like this a few times in his line of work and could share some insight.

---

If Katie hadn't mentioned getting her ankle check out, Steve would have said that he was fine and could keep going all night if they had to, but he knew she wouldn't agree to go to the hospital wing without him, especially not if she could use it as blackmail. The young scientists seemed reluctant to stop what they were doing, but they gave Steve an IV pole to roll with him to get Katie fixed up, and he was sure they'd be running tests while he was gone. Steve said nothing as he walked beside Katie, the two looking like quite the pair with him and his IV and her limping.

"That's good," Peter said quietly, running a hand over his face as he yawned once more. He perked up at her words, shifting so that way he was sitting upright, watching her closely. "I think so, yeah," he said softly, reaching over to grab her hand, wanting to comfort her. "It'll take time, but I promise you that you'll be fine," he told her, wanting her to know that she would be alright.

---

Katie watched as they got Steve fixed up with an IV pole, concern written all over her face. She waited until they were walking before speaking up, hoping to break the silence. "Are you okay? You holding up alright?" She asked, looking up at him. She dropped her gaze, instead focusing on the hall in front of her. She wasn't sure how annoyed he was with her, but she did hope that he was okay. She was concerned about him, even if they were arguing.

Laurel smiled at Peter, happy to have someone there to make her feel better. She had only just met him, but he made her feel incredibly safe. "You think Spiderman's alright too?" She asked, biting her lip as she looked at Peter. "It seemed like those men hurt him. He looked - he looked different when he was leaving."

---

"I'm fine, Katie," he said shortly, slowly dragging his pole beside him as they made the long walk to the hospital wing. He didn't know why someone hadn't gotten a wheelchair or something for her, but there was nothing he could really do without his powers and a needle stuck in his hand.

Peter let out a cough, his eyes widening. "Um, yeah, sure. Spiderman's probably fine, yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well it was this gas that changed the genetic coding, actually. It uh - " he cut himself off, realizing that a paramedic intern probably wouldn't know much about this stuff. "At least, that's what I heard from the cops, you know? I wouldn't actually know anything about what had happened."

---

"Steve, stop," Katie said, reaching towards his IV free arm. She grabbed it, trying to get him to stop. "Just, stop walking, okay? We need to talk." She wasn't sure why he was so upset with her. "Look, we have to work together, and this whole not talking thing is the last thing that we need. So what's going on? Tell me why you're so upset with me." This whole talking about what was going on thing was something that she usually hated, but she needed to talk it out with Steve.

Laurel sighed as she thought about how awful it would be to be a superhero who lost his powers. It'd be like losing a part of yourself - your legs, your hearing, your vision. If Peter was right, that is. It was just speculation at all, but from what little Laurel had seen, it made sense. "I really hope he's okay," she said, pausing to look up at the ceiling then back down at him. "He saved my life, Peter."

---

"It's nothing, Katie, really," he said, looking at her with his lips pressed together as he slowly pulled his arm away from her. As far as he was concerned, they didn't have time to mess around and talk. There were more important matters at hand. "We need to get to the hospital wing to get you checked so I can finish up my tests. Let's keep going."

Peter nodded his head as she spoke, not knowing what to say. He hated lying to anyone, but this just seemed weird, talking about a part of himself to someone. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's always fine, isn't he? I mean, he did come back after those couple of months away, right? He'll be alright." He wasn't sure if he was reassuring Laurel or himself at that moment, but it wasn't doing much - at least for him.

---

Katie sighed as he pulled his arm away from her. "We can talk and keep walking, Rogers," she said, shifting to the use of his last name. "We've got a couple minutes before we get there. So talk. Or do you not like it when I give you orders?" Sarcasm dripped off of her words as she spoke, her frustration coming through loud and clear. She just wanted him to tell her what was going on.

Laurel tapped her fingers on the sofa as she gave him a faint smile, hoping he was right. She didn't know what she'd do if she found out Spiderman had lost his powers and she had done nothing to stop it. "So, when will you have to leave?" Laurel asked, knowing that he had other obligations to take care of, even as much as she didn't want to be alone.

---

"You know, Roth, for us being part of a 'team', you don't really act like it," he said shortly, having nothing else to say to her. Their relationship clearly didn't lend to sharing sessions, and Steve wasn't about to start in the middle of whatever crisis they were going through. He was sick of pulling himself limb from to limb to help Katie only to have her act so unappreciative. If she wanted to be cold, he could be cold too. He didn't have a problem with that. "Let's just get your ankle checked on and get back to the lab."

Peter sat back in his seat, smiling faintly at her. "Um, I'm not quite sure. I have off today." Technically, as of right now, he had off every day, but he couldn't exactly explain that to her. He ran a hand through his hair, using his other to adjust the glasses on his nose. "I'm pretty free, I think. So whenever you want me to, I guess?" He phrased it more as a question, his gaze never leaving hers.

---

"Steve, I - " Katie cut herself off. She didn't know what to say. So she stopped walking and just stared at him, fumbling for something to say. "Steve, I'm sorry." Her voice cracked when she said his name. She bit her lip, ignoring the almost need to wince at the blatant weakness. How was she supposed to explain that in her mind, accepting help was weakness? "I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice stronger this time. "I'm sorry that I didn't thank you for helping me earlier."

"I don't want you to leave," Laurel said a little too quickly if she thought about it. She was probably making herself look insane in front of him and they'd only just met. She had a wonderful way of messing things up. "I mean, you don't have to stay or anything. You're free to leave whenever you want." Pretty soon Peter was probably going to think she was going to lock him in the cellar and handcuff him to the floor.

---

Steve paused for a moment. Stopping with her, he turned to face her and let out a long breath with his eyes closed. He kept them shut for a moment before finally opening them again and looking at her. "It's okay, Katie. That's what we're supposed to do, right? We are assigned to one another, after all." He gave her a soft nod before he began walking again, not much further until they'd reach the hospital wing.

Peter looked over to her, smiling faintly. He was kind of surprised that she'd said that. Most people wouldn't have been so blunt. He didn't mind, though. It was nice to have someone be so honest with him. "How about I stay until you think that you're ready to be by yourself for awhile?" He asked her. "I could give you my cell phone number too, so you could call if you started to feel like you wanted some company again?" He figured that that would be the best way to make sure that she was alright, and he wouldn't be overstepping his bounds.

---

Katie sighed softly, shaking her head. She still felt like he was annoyed with her. And she figured that the only way to get him to understand, even a little, was to tell him the truth. "Even if we weren't assigned to one another, I'd still be concerned," she said quietly. She began walking once more, blatantly avoiding his gaze. "You lost your powers. To me, that's more important than my ankle being sprained. So I didn't appreciate the help only because I thought that you were overreacting, and should have been more concerned about yourself. But thank you, for wanting to help me."

"I'd like that, thank you," Laurel said, smiling happily as she nodded her head. Peter either didn't think she was an axe murderer or he had a kink for that sort of thing. Regardless, she was happy that he was willing to stay with her when she knew he didn't have to. "Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen while you're here," she said, wanting Peter to feel as comfortable as possible because she knew how awkward she could be sometimes.

---

Steve stopped walking a few steps after Katie did, then turned completely around to look at her. Her gaze was on anything but him, so he just focused on her blonde hair instead. "Trust me, Katie, I appreciated the distraction," he said, letting out a long breath as he rubbed his fingers on his forehead. Losing his powers was not something Steve wanted to think about, and Katie worrying too wasn't doing anything to ease his mind. "I'm going to talk to Fury when we get back and see if he can get you assigned to someone else. I think it'll be better for both of us." Steve didn't want Katie worrying about him all the time, and he didn't think he could think properly with her hovering over him. With him all but a normal civilian now, her skills were better suited somewhere else.

["He had a kink for that sort of thing." ]

Peter nodded at her, smiling before he reached into his pocket for his phone. He tossed it to her easily before he let himself settle back into the couch. "Thanks," he said, knowing that he probably wouldn't get anything for awhile. He was still feeling a little sick at the mere thought of losing his powers. He was pretty sure that his appetite wouldn't be returning for at least a couple of hours. He ran a hand over his face, biting back another yawn. It always felt like it took him forever to wake up.

---

Katie bit her lip, a nervous habit that she'd had for as long as she could remember. She finally dragged her gaze up to him when he mentioned her getting reassigned. He wanted her reassigned. He didn't want to work with her anymore. That thought came like a punch to the gut. "You want me reassigned." She knew that she had to separate her emotions from her work, but this was hard. She almost felt betrayed. "Good luck with that," she said, adopting the formal tone that she used with the other agents. "Fury assigned me to watch over you, and with you being helpless, he'll need someone more than ever. But I'll ask him if you want."

[ I could see it]

Laurel quickly put her number into his phone before tossing it to him and resting her hands on her knees while she nibbled on the inside of her cheek. She watched as Peter yawned, still feeling drowsy herself. Having just met Peter mere hours ago, she wasn't sure what to do with him or what to talk about, but she knew she wouldn't be comfortable if he was gone. With a long breath, Laurel leaned forward and placed her head in Peter's lap, kicking her feet up on the sofa as she used him as a pillow. He really was the most comfortable thing on the planet, and she hoped he wouldn't mind.

---

Steve nearly winced when she called him helpless, but he just shook his head at her. "You don't have to ask. I may not be able to lift a car but I'm perfectly capable of asking a simple question." He turned on his heel, grabbed his IV pole and began walking at a much faster pace toward the hospital wing. "Let's go get you checked out now," he said, taking quick steps down the hallway.

[If anyone would have that kink, it could be him. ]

Peter caught the phone, albeit almost dropping it. He wasn't used to actually having to rely on himself to pay attention. Before it was like a small signal in the back of his brain, and that he'd just react on instinct. But now, he actually had to focus. He smirked when she placed her head in his lap, letting a quiet chuckle leave his lips. "Making yourself comfortable?" He questioned, offering her a warm smile.

---

"Fury would be more willing to reassign me if I asked him. And I'm assuming that since you want me out of your hair so bad, you'd make sure that I was assigned to someone else," she said, frowning at him. "I'm fully capable of getting it checked out on my own. The only reason I asked for you to come along was because I saw your face while they were running the tests," she said, dropping her voice so only he could hear. "I thought you could use a break."