There was nothing Steve could do but put the plane in the water. He wasn't a pilot and even crashing properly would be difficult, but landing this thing safely would be impossible. He must be doing something right though, with how bad the plane was rumbling and groaning. Steve could barely hear anything over the thundering sound of the engine, but he clung to her voice. Peggy was begging him to find a way, but didn't she know he couldn't save anyone, let alone himself? Just ask Bucky.

Steve couldn't find the words to reassure her, no false platitudes she could take with her after the fact to help her rest easy at night knowing she'd helped ease him into his grave. He didn't know how, but he knew something was waiting for him that wasn't what any of them were expecting. He was torn between wanting these moments to last forever and wanting them over quickly. Steve was scared and alone and he just didn't know what to do.

But then Peggy's voice changed. The words were still the same at first, but the tone was different. Someone was trying to coax him back, but how did he follow their direction? He was stuck here, wasn't he? The chair beneath him rumbled again, but it wasn't cold like he'd remembered it being. But it wasn't supposed to be cold. He hadn't gone into the ice yet. Steve was actually really warm.

"Steve, wake up."

He was awake, but not for much longer. Why would not-Peggy be wasting his last words on something with no meaning? Shouldn't he be hearing something about how brave he was or how much they'd miss him?

"It's Natasha and we're in Stark Tower. Open your eyes for me okay?"

And just like that, he crashed. Steve's eyes snapped open to immediately be faced with an eyeful of Natasha Romanoff. He sucked in a sharp breath, trying to get his bearings back. There was a terrible grunting rumble in his ear and his body shook with it.

"What-"

"Just a little dream, but you're okay now," Natasha soothed, brushing a strand of his sweaty hair back.

"I can still feel it," Steve mumbled, not fully convinced he wasn't still trapped in the nightmare. "The plane is shaking."

"The only thing that's shaking is Thor," Natasha assured him, tipping his chin so his eyes could focus on what he was on top of. Steve's face was pressed against Thor's chest, and the god in question was snoring in an unearthly way. Surprisingly, even after the nightmare he'd just had, Steve had the urge to laugh.

"I think he influenced my dream," Steve murmured, curling his lips up into a half smile. He wasn't feeling the gut wrenching pain and panic he usually did after a nightmare. He actually felt like he wanted to go back to sleep.

"Maybe we should move somewhere with a bit less action?" Natasha suggested, helping him sit up and rest against the back of the couch. She sat down next to him, guiding his head down to rest in her lap. She manipulated his body so his legs were resting over Thor's and Steve was facing her stomach. He couldn't even be bothered to feel awkward, because he was just so comfortable.

Steve sighed as he felt her adjust the blanket back over his body. Thor had curled around his legs by this point and was using his calves as a pillow. Natasha started scratching at his scalp again and he moaned at the feeling. He actually wanted to resist the pull of sleep now, but not because he was scared. It was because he wanted to stay in this moment forever.

"Your whole shtick is getting in and out of tight spaces. How did you get stuck under the coffee table?" Tony hissed.

"I don't know, I did it in my sleep," Clint grumbled. "Just clear it off before I stand up and chuck everything onto the floor!"

"Right, then you can tell Pepper how you broke her tea set," Tony snapped, carefully clinking the ceramic cups.

Steve nestled his face further into his pillow, not willing to open his eyes yet. The team could deal with whatever issues they had amongst themselves. He wrapped his arms around his blanket, pulling it closer to his chest.

But then his pillow started laughing. And his blanket felt kind of boney. Steve opened his eyes, seeing nothing but Natasha's stomach, which was pressed against his nose.

"Oh my gosh!" Steve gasped, jerking his head back. He was so embarrassed. How long had he been rubbing his face on her body like a weird cat?

"Nice work guys, you woke him up," Natasha chastised, resuming her earlier brushing of his hair.

"What time is it?" Steve mumbled, the events of the previous night slowly becoming clearer as his brain caught up with him.

"A little before noon," Natasha grinned. Steve rolled off the couch in shock, stepping back a bit from everyone. He had to have heard her wrong, because that would've meant he slept for around 12 hours. He never slept that long. But if it was true, what did that mean for him? Steve had long past given up hope of ever having a healthy relationship with sleep. Now it seemed like endless possibilities were opened up.

"I don't- I don't know what to say," Steve whispered, pressing a hand to his mouth. Why did he always feel like he was a second away from sobbing?

"I cried like a baby the first time I slept through the night after the battle," Clint commented from the floor. And the combination of his calm honesty mixed with the ridiculous sight of him wedged under a table shook out a laugh and some tears from Steve. He brushed the moisture from his cheeks as he smiled, looking around at the group he was with. Steve had always thought they were a perfect unit without him, but there was space for him too. They all had their own issues but Steve's wouldn't bring them down like he feared.

"I don't know how I could ever repay you all for everything you've done for me," Steve said, making eye contact with everyone. They all returned his gaze except for Tony, who glanced away quickly. They still needed to talk about everything, but Steve was hesitant to ruin how well things were going right now.

"You don't have to. There is no owing when you're helping someone you care about. We're just happy you're letting us," Natasha said, stepping forward to set her hand on his shoulder. Steve pulled her into a hug, not resisting his impulse.

"Finally!" Thor boomed, wrapping Steve up from behind.

"Aww, no fair!" Clint whined, finally slithering out from his spot under the table and leaping at Natasha's back, pulling a reluctant Bruce along with him. Tony stood back, watching the scene with a fond look on his face. Steve knew he still didn't feel welcome after everything, and that broke Steve's heart. It didn't mean as much if not everyone was happy.

"Get in here, Stark," Natasha sighed, extricating one of her arms to wave him into the group hug. Tony didn't hesitate to join in, coming in at Steve's side and throwing his arms around as many of them as he could. Steve tipped his head to bump against Tony's, relishing in the security of all of them being here and safe. If he could convince them all to stay just like this forever, he would.

Bruce was the first one to start squirming, because if there was anyone who was least likely to want to be touched, it was him. He gave Steve's arm one last pat before he stepped back, collecting up the dishes from last night.

"I'm gonna head down to my lab. Are we still on for today, Steve?" Bruce asked.

"No wait, I have cinnamon rolls in the oven!" Tony said, popping his head up to grin at everyone.

"Isn't that a lot of sugar for this time of day?" Steve asked.

"Says the guy who plied us with candy last night," Tony scoffed.

"It was just a little. And no one forced you to eat any," Steve argued, rolling his eyes.

"Just like I'm not forcing any of you to eat any cinnamon rolls. Rolls that just so happen to be from that little bakery down the street. You know the ones, with the gooey filling and two different kinds of frosting," Tony said casually, grinning when Clint's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh, you glorious bastard," Clint moaned, sprinting to the kitchen.

"Are they really that good?" Steve asked, ducking his head down to get the answer from Natasha.

"They're not the worst," Natasha admitted, and that was pretty much a glowing review from her.

"I guess a few won't be too terrible," Steve accepted, finally leaving the pile. Thor didn't let him go far though, keeping one arm wrapped around his shoulder. Steve mirrored the gesture, throwing his arm around Thor's waist. The man might've been a stress inducing pillow last night, but he wasn't so bad during the waking hours.

They found Clint in the kitchen, drooling over the pans he'd taken out of the oven. Steve had to admit, the cinnamon rolls did look good. The filling was bubbling up from the cracks and the smell was like heaven. Tony grabbed a spatula and started serving them to everyone, pointing them to two tubs of frosting sitting on the side. Steve took two, smearing each with a different topping.

"So what's the verdict?" Tony asked after he'd taken big bites of each of them.

"I think I like the yellowish one better," Steve said through his full mouth.

"Cream cheese frosting. Noted," Tony grinned, taking a bite of his own treat. Steve smiled, sneaking another smear onto his overloaded bun. Steve Rogers liked peppers on his pizza and cream cheese frosting.

"I'm heading down to my lab for real this time," Bruce said, finishing off his small roll. "Steve?"

"I've gotta go change, but I'll meet you in about half an hour?" Steve suggested. Bruce nodded, waving to everyone as he left the room.

"Are we still training today?" Thor asked, tearing apart handfuls of dough with his teeth.

"How about after I'm finished with Bruce? Give us time to digest," Steve offered.

"What about our experiment?" Natasha questioned, nudging his side a little.

"I didn't forget. How does later this afternoon sound?" Steve proposed.

"Alright," Natasha sighed, shooting him a grin.

"I thought we'd all try out the new gift today," Tony pouted, swirling his finger around in his frosting.

"Tonight would be good for that, I think," Steve recommended. Tony flashed him a smile.

"Don't forget we didn't make plans and I have nothing to contribute to this conversation," Clint piped up, shrugging his shoulders. Steve snorted, sending him a shrug back. It wasn't like he planned on having so much to do, everything just kind of slid into place that way. And instead of feeling overwhelmed by it, it just felt nice. Before, he'd had to pump himself up at even the idea of running into someone in the tower. Now he was actively planning to see all of them and he didn't feel like he had to mentally prepare for it.

If days like these were what he had to look forward to, maybe living in this time wouldn't be so bad after all.