Steve got into a routine of meeting with Dr. Charles every weekday, usually in the late morning. He knew he didn't have to keep it to the same time, per the contract Tony drew up, but it felt weird to keep the doctor hanging like that. And it was nice to be able to mentally prepare, since he knew what was coming. She still let him control the pace of their work, but knew when to push him a little. She also knew when to stop, even when Steve didn't himself. Dr. Charles had stopped one session after twenty minutes when Steve had a full blown panic attack recounting the events with Bucky on the train, telling him stories about her own life as he tried to regain his ability to breathe. That was yesterday and today was Saturday, the start of another team bonding weekend.
Bruce was in charge of most of the planning this week, after the disaster of Tony's movie marathon the weekend before. Those movies had not been about power tools and puzzles in the way Steve had imagined, and while he hadn't enjoyed them, he was fine. Clint on the other hand, who normally loved horror movies, had been triggered into screaming nightmares that night. Apparently his sessions with his own therapist had dredged up some things from his past that hadn't been properly dealt with, and the blood and gore and little puppet that looked like a clown was too much to handle after he fell asleep. Steve, who had fallen asleep on the couch in Clint's living room the first night, had almost thrown up in terror at the sound that woke him, but he tamped down on his own panic to investigate and he'd held Clint for over an hour before Clint had the ability to speak again and tell him what was wrong. Steve and Natasha had spent the rest of the week sleeping with Clint, pressing him between them and soothing away the demons whenever they showed up. And while Steve never liked to see the people he cared about struggling, it was nice to be able to return the favor a bit.
Bruce had promised a weekend of relaxing activities and healthy eating as a way to cleanse away the bad stuff and start the next week with a renewed calm. Steve knew he had his work cut out for him. Bruce let everyone know he was serving breakfast at 10am, so Steve was on his floor getting dressed.
He'd been spending a little more time on his floor this past week, after finding a hobby that he actually started to enjoy. The inspiration had struck him during one of his casual meetups with Frank, after complimenting the other man on his scarf. It was clearly homemade, with its uneven edges and wild colors, but Frank wore it with pride. He said his granddaughter made it for him and it was his favorite thing to wear.
Steve had glanced over the knitting section in his hobby book, but hadn't really considered trying it. It seemed like something for grandmas. But then he thought about the teasing he'd endured for his love of art as a kid and figured it didn't stop him then, why let anything stop him now? Steve still hadn't told anyone about his current endeavor, but he'd gone to a craft store and started that day. He got a few different books and watched different videos he'd found online, and before he knew it, two hours had passed with him alone on his floor. Dr. Charles beamed at him when he told her the news the next day and he felt so much pride after accomplishing such a little thing.
Bruce had weird little bowls set out for everyone when he got to the common floor, with eggs and toast on the side. Tony was eyeing it all warily, as if something was going to jump up and bite him.
"What did you say this was again?" Tony asked, poking at one of the bowls with his fork.
"It's an acai bowl. It's very good for you," Bruce said, digging into his own.
"They are very pretty," Thor commented, admiring his food before devouring it in record time. Steve enjoyed the interesting meal, although he did prefer the more traditional sides that went with it.
"So what's on the agenda?" Tony asked, scooping the last bit of food into his mouth. "Need me to come up with something?" Tony had been a guilt ridden wreck for a few days after the movie thing with Clint, hiding himself away in his lab to give everyone else space. He'd only come out again when Clint went down and forced him to join the others, saying how he was acting was making things worse. They talked things out in private and now were able to joke about it a little, now that things weren't so fresh. Steve was kind of jealous that he and Tony couldn't have done the same thing way back when, but they weren't the same men as they were before. They were mature enough to not let things fester anymore. It was a hard lesson to learn, and they were still working on it, but they were better.
"I've got something set up on my floor when everyone is ready," Bruce said, getting up to take dishes to the sink. Steve got up to help him, not wanting the man who'd set everything up be stuck with the cleanup as well. Out of everyone, Bruce's floor was the one he'd been on the least. Not for any particular reason other than knowing he appreciated his privacy. And the other floors were more decked out in things for everyone to do.
"Thanks for doing all this for everyone," Steve said, piling the dishes in the sink. "I think it will be good to have a purposefully relaxing weekend."
"Well, I am kind of the expert on controlling my emotions," Bruce chuckled, sending him a wink. "At least I try to be."
"For someone who claims to always be angry, I think you do a pretty good job," Steve noted, filling up the sink with water. They washed all the dishes together while casually chatting, Bruce talking about his latest experiment and Steve mentioning his abysmal attempt at making a braided bread loaf. He still wasn't sure how he was able to completely burn parts of it, while the inside was raw dough.
When they were done, they all crammed into the elevator for the short trip to Bruce's floor. Thor was animatedly talking about the new snowsuit Natasha had gotten him, taking up almost half the space. But instead of feeling cramped, it felt cozy. The team all together was when Steve was the happiest.
"Follow me over this way," Bruce instructed, leading them to his living room. There were a bunch of little trees and boxes of sand in the middle of the room.
"You got a bunch of cats and brought us to scoop the litter boxes?" Tony laughed, glancing around to see if he was right.
"I would love a cat. Can I get a cat too?" Thor asked.
"There are no cats," Bruce grumbled, walking over to move everything into separate stations. "These are sand gardens and bonsai trees."
"What are you supposed to do with them?" Steve questioned, ducking down to touch one of the tiny branches.
"You prune the trees into whatever shape you want and you make designs in the sand with the rakes and put rocks around to decorate," Bruce instructed, handing him a little jar of utensils. Steve sat down and got started, with everyone else following his lead. He didn't really know where to start with the tree, so he focused on the sand. It was kind of soothing making the little designs, even though there wasn't much to do.
"Are you really trimming your tree into the shape of your helmet?" Natasha scoffed, looking over at Tony's work.
"What, did you think I'd cut it into the shape of a heart?" Tony snorted, ducking down to check his tree from another angle.
"Why does Thor's look amazing?" Clint groaned, staring at his own decimated tree. Thor's looked perfect, with an intricate spiral design.
"I happen to be good at everything," Thor boasted, tossing his clippings to Clint so he could shove them onto his almost bare trunk.
"Steve, you've barely touched yours," Bruce pointed out.
"I didn't want to ruin it. I figure it grew this way for a reason, right?" Steve said, petting the fluffy top. Just because it might look a little messy to some people, it worked hard to get to this point.
"What the hell?" Clint muttered, giving up on trying to salvage his mess. "Got me feeling bad about a tree."
"Why does Natasha's look sharp? Can you turn everything into a weapon?" Tony asked, shrinking away from the woman. Her tree did look a bit spiky.
"You never know when you might need something to stab someone with," Natasha grinned, running her fingers along one of the tips.
"When trees attack," Tony said seriously, nodding his head in contemplation. "We should totally watch The Happening."
"That doesn't really fit with this week's theme," Bruce dismissed.
"Mark Wahlberg talking to a plastic house plant is funny enough to make even the most depressed person laugh," Tony chuckled, putting the finishing touches on his tree. It really did bear a striking resemblance to Iron Man.
"What's up next?" Clint asked, shoving his tree aside. Steve didn't think it looked too bad, reminding him of the tree from that Christmas show Tony had them all watch a few weeks ago. It may not be showy, but it had heart.
"Now Natasha's going to lead us through a little bit of yoga," Bruce said, standing up and ushering them all into another room. He had mats spread around and started lighting incense that was sitting in different spots.
"Yoga's never really been my style, but I'm digging the vibe in here. It's like sophisticated hippie," Tony commented, rolling his neck in preparation. They each went to their own spots, letting Natasha guide them through a warmup and then some more advanced movements. It wasn't doing much for Steve from an exercise standpoint, but it felt nice to stretch his muscles in ways he didn't usually bother with.
They ended the session in something called child's pose, which turned out to be very relaxing. Maybe even too relaxing, because after a minute or so when Natasha said they were all done, Clint didn't move. Steve almost panicked until he heard the quiet snore rumble out of the man. They all knew how bad his sleep had been, so no one wanted to wake him up. Natasha draped a blanket she found over his back and they all crept out, not wanting to disturb his nap.
"I guess my next activity can wait until later," Bruce said, sitting down on his couch.
"I'll sit with you, in case Clint needs anything," Natasha offered, sinking down next to him.
"I'm going to go find a spot for my tree," Thor said, going off to grab his work of art. Steve grabbed his too, letting the others know he'd be on his floor. He hadn't told them about his doctor setting that alone time goal for him, but they had to notice by this point that something was going on. Especially Tony, since he was usually the one Steve called when he needed something. And the fact that he hadn't borrowed anymore of their random time killing activities in a few days. But they didn't ask, letting him have his privacy.
When Steve got back to his floor, he went right over to his supplies that were tucked into the corner. He was determined not to give up on this hobby, after all the others had been busts. He knew he could do it, he just hadn't found the right instruction video yet. Steve started another project, trying to follow along with the woman exactly. She wasn't making the same thing he was, but he figured the basics were all he needed and he could take it from there.
He got really into it again, focusing on matching her fingers and being careful with his knots. If Steve could get anywhere close to the quality of Frank's granddaughter, he would consider it a success. His current project was proving to be too much for him at his experience level, but he didn't want to give up. Maybe he could just tweak it a bit.
Before he realized it an hour had passed and Bruce was calling everyone up for lunch. Steve shoved everything back into the corner, not realizing one of his previous projects found its way into one of his pockets. He hopped onto the elevator, riding up to the correct floor. He wondered what Bruce had planned for this meal. The healthy options were kind of nice, since they were all still recovering from Clint's Christmas cookie extravaganza.
"Steve, thank goodness you're here!" Tony groaned dramatically, throwing himself into his arms. "Bruce is making us eat salads for lunch." Steve drug him along back to the table, where Bruce was standing with his hands on his hips, looking like an exasperated parent.
"It's a quinoa salad. It's very good for you."
"That's what you said about the acai bowls!"
"And you liked it, remember?"
"I was under duress! I need unhealthy fats and sugars if I'm going to survive," Tony whined, sliding down Steve's legs. His surprise bundle fell out of his pocket and landed in front of Tony before he realized what was going on. "What's this?"
"Nothing!" Steve insisted, bending down and snatching the yarn out of Tony's hand. Of course his outburst turned everyone's attention over to him. And the bright pink color didn't help.
"Didn't look like nothing," Clint said with an evil grin. Steve sighed, knowing being secretive would only make them chomp at the bit more to find out. There was nothing to be ashamed of.
"I started knitting, but I'm not very good at it," Steve admitted, holding the small project on his open palm. "My therapist wanted me to find a hobby, so I've been trying this for a few days."
"Oh, cool. I did needlepoint for a while. Helps with dexterity," Clint shrugged, going back to eyeing the food.
"Really? You all don't think this is weird?" Steve asked, hopeful that his embarrassment was unfounded.
"Do what makes you happy," Tony said, bouncing up from the floor. "So, what is this?" Tony brought his face closer to inspect it.
"It was supposed to be a prototype for a different project. Something to help work on the dimensions, but it came out kind of weird."
"Is it a blanket?"
"It was supposed to be a cape."
"A cape?" Thor asked, perking up from his seat. "You were making me a pink cape?"
"Yeah. After what you said to me in my closet all those weeks ago, I wanted to make you something you wanted but never got. It's not going well unfortunately," Steve said mournfully.
"Are you kidding me? I love it! I know just what to use this for!" Thor boomed, thrusting his hand out.
"Don't you put that hammer through my walls!" Tony shouted. Thor dropped his hand, rolling his eyes in resignation.
"One moment," Thor grumbled, trotting off toward the elevator. Steve stood in confusion, not knowing what Thor would need his hammer for right now. Thor returned a minute later, spinning the hammer like it wasn't a deadly weapon. He set it on the table, taking the pink bundle from Steve's hand and using the loose end strings to tie it around the handle.
"My God, it's a hammer cape," Tony murmured, watching as Thor swung the hammer in the air, the little piece of yarn swaying in the air along with it.
"It's perfect!" Thor declared, dropping the hammer to pull Steve into a hug. "It's everything I could've asked for." Steve felt oddly pleased with himself, returning the hug with vigor. Thor had that same look in his eye that Frank did. It felt really nice to be the cause of that feeling.
They finally sat down to eat lunch, Tony begrudgingly admitting the food was good, much to Bruce's delight. The others were talking about what they wanted Steve to make them, after listening to Thor brag about his homemade gift. Steve was glad Dr. Charles had given him this goal, since he never would've done this without her push. Maybe trying new things and going outside his comfort zone wasn't such a bad idea.