142

“Steve,” you say, because at this point code names matter less than getting his attention, “listen, when I say go, you’re gonna put your head down and run with me, okay?”

“Okay,” he mumbles, and he’s clearly still not completely with it, but there’s no time to think about it, so you give him a countdown, three, two, one, go! and the two of you duck and cover and run.

It’s probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever done in your life. It’s almost definitely the stupidest thing Steve’s ever done in his life (until you remember some of his war stories, and then you think maybe this is pretty tame in comparison). But it works, somehow it works, and you and Steve are running (well, you’re running; he’s mostly being dragged) toward the extraction point, free and clear, and as you get close, your teammates meet you and someone slips around Steve’s other side to help you support him.