The sound of the rubber soles on the bottom of your shoes echoed around you, as they scraped harshly against the once polished hallway, as your body was dragged forward. You were standing in a slouched position, taking any possible step you could forward on your own, but it was futile as the perpetrator who held you captive practically hauled your body forward, as though you were nothing more than a limp corpse. While his thick and tightening arm was strung across your neck, like a boa constrictor wrapping around that of a tree limb. And you could feel as the muscles in his arm tightened, the air you could breathe in becoming lessened. His opposite hand held tightly to a gun that was bruising your temple as he pressed it further into your flesh, the cold metal touch sending a shiver down your spine at the contact. Every inch of your body soared with a heat that made you feel weak. The body heat radiating off of the frightening man who held you hostage, seeping in through the thin cotton material of your shirt, as his body pressed into yours with each passing step he forced you to take in tandem with him. And your hands that gripped to the arm wrapped tightly around your neck, clawing at the searing flesh with your fingernails, felt slippery against his bare flesh as the sweat collected on your palms. Every inch of your body felt burning with fear and adrenaline, but the muzzle of the gun pressed against your skull, was unnervingly the only slight whisper of coolness to touch your skin.

Your chest ached with a pressure so strong, that you were convinced your heart would give out. For you could feel the way it pumped inside of you, pounding against your rib cage like a wild animal begging to be freed. And your lungs burned as the oxygen that traveled to it became scarcer with the passing seconds. But even as you could feel the pain that tightened your entire chest, you felt relatively numb. Shock taking over your mind as you could barely process what was happening to you in that very moment, or how any of it had even begun to begin with. It was as though someone had zapped and completely fried your brain, but somehow your body still went on. For you could feel the cold metal against your skin and the undeniable fear coursing through your veins, but your head felt dead. Like your brain had gone completely black. Tears streamed down your face as you gasped for a breath as the man's arm felt crushing against your windpipe. The salty trails only adding to the searing heat that overwhelmed your body, as you felt the droplets fall upon your hands that grasped to his arm, the mixture of your sweat and tears making the flesh slippery and harder to hold onto. 

The squeaking sound of your shoes scraping against the floor, continued to bounce off of the walls around you. As the thundering impact of his thick combat boots hit the SHEILD hallway with a pressure you swore could rattle the walls. You couldn't see the long winding hallway that lay behind you, all of the ground you had traveled trapped within this assailant's grasp, but you could see the light of an exit glowing up ahead. The tall marble toned white walls of the building towered over you on both sides, but even as the walkway was fairly spacious, you felt confined in a narrow tunnel. And you feared reaching the end. 

When you were able to breathe even the faintest of a fresh breath, the distinct scent of smoke filled your senses. The fire that had encapsulated the building on the lower levels clung to the man's clothing in dark soot and ash, and the rich burning scent made your lungs sting as it wrapped around you as though a second arm. The darkness of the fire was present under your fingernails that dug into his arm, the soot collecting deep under the surface. Reminding you of not only the fear of being trapped in the building that began to burn around you, but the way this menace hauled you out of the fire, only to hold you hostage at gunpoint as he lead you up towards the roof. Bringing you away from the flames... but closer to a danger you feared was worse than the first.

As the glowing light of day illuminated the end of the hallway, growing closer as the door out came into view, a faint sound entered your ears. It was hard to hear over the racing of your heart and the blood rushing in your ears, but you picked it up as a third sound of steps fell into harmony with yours and your captor's. They were powerful, hitting the stained floor with conviction and purpose, but there was something about them that didn't fill you with dread like the man's who held you did. These were loud although stealth like. They were strong and yet didn't make the flooring sound as though it would crumble like stone beneath him. They hit the ground roughly, and yet something about the boots filled your burning chest with a fluttering sense of hope. 

But as the third set of footsteps echoed and filled you with a slight sense of encouragement in your deep level of despair, it must've filled your captor with something completely different. For his own steps stopped suddenly, and you stumbled over your feet at the abrupt pause in movement. There was a deadly silence that hovered above the hallway as though a smoke cloud rising up from the fire, for it held you in heart clambering anticipation and anxiety of what would happen to you next. The only sound you could hear besides the fearful blood racing in your ears, was the heavy exhales of the man who held you closely against him. In fact, as the silence intensified, you felt the arm around your neck suddenly tighten. Causing your body to jerk at the jolt of pain and your nails scraped against his flesh, but nothing could loosen the hold that felt like it was crushing your bones. You knew he could snap your neck in an instant if he wanted to, but he only tightened his hold and pressed the gun further into the side of your skull. 

"You take one step closer, and I'll blow her pretty little brains out." 

It was the first time the man who held you spoke, and the gruff nature in his murderous cold tone caused a chill to settle over your entire body. Goosebumps arising across your flesh as the voice of the man who held your life in his hands blew across your cheek like a whisper of death. 

You were waiting for the arms that held you in your place to turn you both around, to face the person awaiting behind you, but by the way your captor spoke, you knew he was already completely aware of who it was. And there was something about the deep unexplainable flutter in your chest, that told you that you knew exactly who was waiting behind you as well. 

"No one needs to die here."

And with the sound of his voice, you released a breathless gasp through your trembling lips. An exhale of relief throughout your entire body that he was here. He was the reason for the hope that grew in your chest with the sound of his footsteps and he was the reason that you ached for the man who held you to turn you around so you could see him. And when he finally did, his actions slow as he gripped you tighter as he turned in a half circle, your eyes watered at the sight of the man standing feet away from you.

His body stood tall and strong as he looked to his adversary with no sign of fear or self-doubt. The deep navy blue of his stealth suit clinging to his rigid and flexed muscles beneath the material, and you could see the smears across the fabric. The evidence that he had been down in the burning part of the building for longer than you had. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, the right almost covered from view by the vibranium shield that he was ready to aim at a seconds notice. The metal was smudged and dusted with the smoke and the soot of the fire below, but it still glinted faintly as the light behind you now graced over it. And even as his helmet covered the skin of his cheekbones and his entire forehead, his blue eyes shone through the coverage. They looked your way and it was as though the blue was a rolling tide, for it washed a sense of calm over your anxious being. As though he was sending you a message with a single glance that you were going to be okay, that he was going to get you out of this situation. And so, as the man who held you threatened you with a loaded gun and cut off your airway with his crushing weight, you put your faith in Steve Rogers... just as you always had. 

A rumble vibrated against your back, and you could feel the puff of air that accompanied the disturbingly low chuckle escaping past your captor's lips, and felt as the hot air blew through the strands of your hair that had fallen from it's rubber banded hold. It fluttered against your cheek, making you cringe at the close proximity and contact with your flesh that made it crawl in disgust. Steve's face stayed stoic and still as the man who held you in a crushing grasp chuckled briefly at his words, and what seemed to be the mere sight of him. And you could feel your heart racing like a car on a track as you stared at Steve with wide and frightened eyes, as your head began to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen.  

"Captain America," His unnerving spout of deep laughter disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Returning the man's voice to a low rumble, as though a lion beginning to growl at it's prey, within it's shelter in the long grass. Steve's name flowed from his lips as though the words were poison, dripping delicately from the venomous fangs of a conniving serpent. "the almighty man of righteousness, the unconquerable hero. And yet here you stand... with a life hanging in the balance. One step forward, and a single bullet shatters her skull. You aim that shield my way, and I take the life from her body. How's it feel Captain, to know that any way you chose to go today, blood is staining your hands and dying your ledger red."

The snarl in his tone made your nails scrape harder at the flesh coiled around your throat, and you could feel your heels slipping against the flooring as you fought against his hold. Steve's jaw clenched, but he still stood as collected and unbelievably calm as he always did. His eyes looked to the man who's face towered inches above your short frame, but you could see the thunderstorm swirling within the deep blue of his eyes. And you knew it wouldn't be long until the storm was unleashed. 

"She isn't a part of this," Steve spoke calmly, his voice raised but not in tone. "she's an innocent in this war you aim to fight."

Another short and sharp chuckle rumbled against your back, and it fizzled out into the dense air as his voice cut through the thick nature. "You see the death around you Captain. You've lived it yourself and still you chose to believe in this notion that all life can go on. That casualties are simply mistakes that can be rectified, but you're wrong."

Steve's chin lifted a fraction, as though it was his subtle way of puffing out his chest and showing the menace who held you in his grasp, that he wasn't backing down from this fight. That his words were far from the truth, and he was willing to put his life on the line to prove it. 

"You want someone to die?" Steve asked with edge to his voice. "Kill me. Let her go, let her live and take me instead."

You wanted to scream out to him, as your heart ached at the thought of Steve trading his own life for yours. It wasn't a fair trade, and you didn't think you could live with yourself if it was executed. But instead of watching your captor turn his gun on Steve, you felt it bury further into the tender flesh of your temple. The cool metal pounding against your skull, making a gasping and strangled scream bubble up from the back of your throat. 

"You don't think I would love to pull the trigger and send a bullet hurdling through your brain, I would. I've dreamed of it Rogers, but you would still find victory in the end, now wouldn't you? Your brave sacrifice for a helpless damsel, the selfless hero making the ultimate offering." His words made your blood run cold and you whimpered against the painful grip his arm crushed against your neck. "No, you're walking out of here, and so am I. The question... is will she?"

Steve's brows furrowed at the man, and his head tilted every so slightly to the side. "And what about you? You think you can just walk right on out of here?"

You didn't have to see the assailant's face to know he was smirking at Steve's words, you could feel it in the breath that fanned against your skin. It was crooked and slimy and made your body repulse at the very sensation of it. 

"I think I have a pretty good chance considering I'm the only one holding a loaded gun."

You could feel the air in your lungs burning and your head becoming fainter, and through the tightness locked in your throat and the tears burning your vision, you wailed in the only voice you had left. "Steve--" It didn't matter that it was only his name, it felt like a breath to feel his name tumble past your quivering lips, but the faint relief was banished as the man removed the muzzle of the gun for a mere millisecond before slamming it back in place against your skull. Causing a scream of agony to begin to escape you until his arm tightened and cut off the sound and all of the air you had left.

"What's it going to be Captain? Am I leaving with an additional body count or a hostage?"

"I don't think you'll be leaving at all." 

"Is that right?" Another smirk passed over your cheek, but you couldn't feel the hot air as his arm moved to squeeze your throat tighter than you thought was physically possible. Your vision began to blacken at the edges and your lungs screamed for air. As though you were trapped beneath a raging sea, unable to make it to the surface for a single breath. But as his arm seemed to overpower the bones in your body, the bare muscle of his forearm slowly spread up across the edge of your chin. The warm flesh feeling scalding and sticky from your previous fallen tears, but in your last few moments of consciousness, your adrenaline took over. And with the little mobility left in your neck, you leaned downward and sunk your teeth into the stifling skin of your captor. 

A sickening metallic taste overwhelmed your taste buds, as you felt something thicker and hotter than the skin itself flow over your lips. But the impact of your teeth into his flesh was enough for the menace to curse loudly and loosen his hold. The blood that flowed from the mark where your mouth was still intact was enough to knock the man off of his game, for just long enough that you could hear the pinging of vibranium soaring through the air. And suddenly, air rushed into your throbbing lungs as the metal brought the man to the floor. His head hit the ground with an oomph that nearly rattled the walls, and the gun he held so tightly to flew from his hand and skidded across the hallway floor. 

Your back pressed against the cool touch of the marble styled wall, as you allowed your lungs to breathe in the air they so desperately needed and slowly as your senses returned, you could hear the heavy grunting of the two men fighting in the middle of the hallway. Your eyes were blurred with clouds from lack of oxygen and dried up tears, and you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, painting the flesh with a deep crimson that didn't belong to you. But as your sight focused in on Steve wrestling with the man who was throwing back as many punches as Steve was giving, you raced behind the two powerful men. 

It all happened at lightning speed, the entire moment a blur before you. As the faint touch of cool metal met your blood covered hands, and a loud thunderous bang echoed in the hallway as though metal clashed against itself in a chamber. You could feel the sound still radiating in your bones far after it was over, but your body felt numb. Your hands shook as though the metal had somehow electrocuted you, and the gun fell crashing to the floor at your trembling feet. But you couldn't hear a thing. Even the racing of your heart couldn't be heard in your ears that felt as though they were blown off in the bang of the gunshot. 

Steve Rogers knelt breathless over the man who had just sent a fist towards his jaw, before a bullet hurled through his skull. The blood splattering on the wall behind him, and onto the A of his helmet. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slacked as he stood up quickly to look to the side of him. And he looked at you with stunned and concerned eyes, as you stood inches from the wall with your hands out in front of you with the gun fallen to the floor before you. The dead man's blood covered your hands and the edges of your lips that were parted in shock, and he could see the tears cascading down your face like a waterfall but he knew you couldn't control them. They were silent tears as you looked frozen in place, your entire body convulsing. 

"Hey, hey," Steve rushed to your side and wrapped his battered hands around your own. "you alright? Look at me!"  

And ever so slowly, time started up again and reality seeped back into your body and your senses. For you could feel the warmth of his hands wrapped tightly around your own, but it wasn't a heat like the man who held you prior. There was something comforting about Steve's warmth and the way his rushed breath fanned against your face in a panicked tone. His knuckles were torn and burning a bright red hue on his skin, but his hands never felt more safe. His eyes flickered back in forth, wide and with worry that made your heart ache at the sight. But as your tear-filled eyes steadied on the intense gaze of his calming blues, it felt as though they were breathing a breath of calm into your own body. And as Steve spoke softly but with clear intent, sound returned to your cries. And you felt yourself completely collapse forward into Steve's chest, and it didn't take any time for his arms to wrap around you and run his roughed up hands over your hair. Your sobs bounced off of his suit and your tears threatened to pass through the unbreakable barrier of the fabric. But he held you, your convulsing body, loud sobs, flooding tears and all.

"It's okay," Steve whispered as he pressed his lips to the side of your head. The words brushing against the bruises on your temple, from where the gun you fired was digging into your flesh just minutes ago. And the calming tone of his voice settled like a cooling balm over the wound. "you're safe now. You're going to be okay, it's alright. I've got you."

And he was right, as long as you were in his arms, you knew you were safe. You knew you were going to be alright. No matter the damage done, Steve Rogers's embrace seemed to heal it all.

A/N: Wow! Like seriously... wow! I'm kind of in shock over how good this one shot turned out!😍I absolutely loved the idea when I came up with it, and I knew it was going to be a rich action one, something I haven't done much of. But I was so excited about it, and couldn't wait to write it. And now, to sit back and read the final product, my mind is blown. One of those prideful moments where I surprise myself with my own writing capabilities for sure! I'm so so proud of the writing I was able to create for this one, and the entire piece turned out better than I could've even imagined! I hope that you all loved it as much as I love it, and loved writing it!!❤