Okay…

SO

I was supposed to be done with this AU.

But the nighttime therapy sessions just stuck in my brain like glue so I had to give it a go. These will be shorter. Not really any plot. Just our team (and a few new additions) utilizing Steve's bed. Much to his chagrin and sometimes annoyance but mostly with a soft smile and a happy heart.

Enjoy

—

The mission sucked.

Like.

Really sucked.

Spider-Man had joined them, his first time on a group mission and Steve was excited to meet him, but they hadn't really had time to introduce him fully. Steve still hadn't even seen his face. But he wasn't going to push that, some people wanted anonymity, and he was fine with that, encouraged it even.

But not knowing each other took a turn for the worst, they'd never fought together before (other than fighting against each other) and Steve makes a mistake.

Steve leaps off the side of the building, away from the man he is fighting (an agent of the Hand) twisting in mid-air, knowing that Sam or Tony will catch him. Steve hadn't thought to alert the team. It's a habit, he had heard Sam's wings and knew he was going to be fine.

But Spider-Man doesn't know.

A shout of concern is the last thing he hears in the comms before feeling something attach to his torso. He looks up to see webbing stuck to the torso of his uniform, and Spider-Man bracing to catch him.

Oh shit.

Snap.

His back snaps like a twig from the force of his fall, the weight of his body pulling against the webbing, and Spider-Man's strength.

A choked gasp is all he can manage as his body feels separated in half, hanging from the middle.

A startled yelp comes from above and he feels his body falling.

He's crashing through something, glass he thinks, maybe it's metal. Maybe it's both. He can't really feel anything except from his chest up.

That's…. That's not good, his brain tells him.

It's the last thought he has before he hears the thud of his own body hitting the concrete below.

—

He already knows it's going to be a long haul when his hearing registers more than 5 heartbeats in the room. He hears the monitors pick up his rise in heart rate and the room falls silent.

He finds that he can only open one eye. The other one feels swollen shut.

His throat is dry and quite hoarse and it actually does concern him that he doesn't know how long he's been out.

"Any other injuries?" He rasps, wanting to make sure his team is okay.

"You took the biggest hit." He hears Tony say hesitantly.

He relaxes, "good. That's good."

A voice growls, "No, Steve, that's not good. What the hell!" His one eye aims towards the voice to see Bucky, still grimy and dressed in combat gear.

"I didn't mean it like that." Steve huffs. "How long was I out?"

"Three days."

He feels stunned. His brain reeling with the implications. He hasn't been unconscious that long since… He looks up at Bucky seriously, knowing how much this question will suck, "did… Did I die again?" A small gasp that Steve doesn't recognize is instantly covered up by Tony waving his hands and interrupting the question,

"Oohhhkay." Tony intervenes, "Let's not talk shop!" He starts talking at Steve about the machines he's hooked up to and why but Steve tries to turn his head to locate the gasper. He can't. Bucky's face is a mask and he notices that Natasha and Clint are uncharacteristically quiet. Bruce is standing next to the bed, quiet but not tense. So whoever the other—-

It hits him who it is.

"Spider-Man?"

The room goes silent at his question. Bucky's eyes flip up towards something and flash darkly. Okay… Must be out of his line of sight.

"Is he okay?" Steve asks Tony. Tony nods numbly at him and Steve feels relief that at least he didn't drag him off the roof with him.

"Can you come where I can see you?" Steve guesses, speaking to the corner he can't see. There's a shuffle and the red suit, mask still on, comes into view. Steve tries to lift a hand, but finds he can't move it. He sighs. "Thanks for trying to catch me out there" He says calmly. Bucky makes an angry noise in his throat and Natasha and Clint stiffen. Steve narrows his eyes at them. "Guys, it's not his fault. I should have made my plan known."

"Mr. America, Sir. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you had jumped, I thought that ninja guy had thrown you or kicked you off a-and I just wanted to help, I'm so sorry—"

"Queens." Steve says firmly, cutting him off, "you did great. You tried to help a teammate and it's my fault for not alerting you that Sam was beneath me. When I'm up and running again we'll practice a catch that accounts for my weight and your strength, sound good?"

Even through the mask, Steve can feel guilt radiating off the guy. Spider-Man reaches up, and his hands hesitate only a second before he tugs off his mask, revealing a kid.

A teenager.

Steve notices that Bucky and Clint look surprised and he knows they're seeing him for the first time too.

"I'm Peter." The kid says, eyes on the floor. "I think you can know my name now that I—" he stops and his face scrunches up.

"Nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Steve. And no worries. I've taken some pretty tough hits, and not to downplay your strength but I think I'll be alright."

Another angry noise from Bucky has Steve glancing over at him. "Bucky, play nice and say hello."

Silence.

"Buck."

"Hello, Peter." It's a growl, and it makes Peter wince. But it's a start.

"Hello, Sergeant Barnes, sir."

Steve tries to chuckle and feels that he can't, his throat and chest feeling tight, "Forgive him, Peter, we both suffer from a disease called Mother Hen syndrome. Unfortunately, it's incurable, but it does come in handy sometimes." There's the barest glint of a smile from Peter and Steve relaxes. "If you guys don't mind, I'm feeling tired. Feel free to stay and chat, I'm just gunna close my eyes."

—

He can't move his arms. Or his legs, or anything. He panics, water filling his nose and mouth and he's struggling to breath and he can't seem to just move dammit.

He's gasping for air and none will come, cold water trickles down his back and he cries out, the memory of drowning multiple times throughout his life crushing in on his subconscious all at once, the helplessness, the choking despair.

Why can't he move.

"Steve? Steve, wake up!"

He hears the voice. But the water is still around him and he still can't move.

"What's happening?" A scared voice says.

"I can't move" Steve gasps out, fear and adrenaline spike through him and he hears a heartbeat going wild.

"Calm down, Steve, you're going to give yourself a heart attack!"

"Drowning?" He gasps out.

A beat of silence and then there's multiple hands on him, touching at his face and neck and arms.

"No. Steve, you're not drowning. You're here in the medical ward. Open your eyes, can you? Look at us." Small cool hands touch at his forehead and cup his face. Natasha.

"You're nowhere near water, pal. It's just a dream, wake up, don't make me sing, I'm crap at that." A gentle but cold metal hand grasps his forearm and a warm flesh hand rests against his chest. Bucky.

"Never again." A firm voice says, a hand on top of his head, "Never again." Clint.

He inhales a shaky breath and manages to pry his one good eye open. Dim lights and three worried faces stare at him.

He winces, "sorry, that was a—" he swallows, "a bad one." The hands don't leave and he's grateful for their grounding presence. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Maybe 7 hours."

"Why did you lie?" He asks, staring at Bucky.

Bucky's brow furrows, "what do you mean?"

"You can sing. You've got the serum too."

Realization dawns on Natasha and Clint and they turn their heads comically slowly, mouths hanging open and staring at a stunned Bucky.

"That's—- Steve, so help me, if you weren't lying in a hospital bed, I'd put you in one."

Steve smiles, feeling his heartbeat return to normal. "Where's Tony?"

"Running PR madness. The video footage of you falling and—-" Natasha pauses, her eyes flicking back to the corner, Steve realizes Peter's still in the room. "It's all over social media. You're viral."

Steve wrinkles his nose, "I can't get sick." Clint huffs and starts to explain when he catches Steve's smug smile.

"Punk." Steve laughs, and then pauses, he can laugh again. A small relief, but it counts.

"Why did it go viral?"

Natasha winces and Bucky goes still.

"People are making a lot of speculations, and it doesn't help that the videoer got the whole thing."

Oh…

"So they're saying…?"

"That I shouldn't be an Avenger." The scared voice from before speaks.

"If you're gunna pout then you gotta do it where I can see you, Queens." The other three step back from the bed.

Brown hair and a guilty face comes into view. "Who died and made the news the law?"

Silence.

Steve nods, "exactly. If we let what those ill-informed news reporters say dictate our lives, hell I'd be in prison or shackled to the Accords. So, next time, we practice, we do better, but we never give up just because someone tweets at us."

His eyes light up, "you're on Twitter?"

Steve chuckles, "I think I was given an account, for PR. Never used it though."

"You should." The kid says earnestly, "you'd be good at it."

'You really think so?"

"Yeah, you're really wise and stuff."

Bucky snorts and Steve has to laugh at that. "I don't know about that, but I'd be willing to let you show me how."

Peter lights up.

—-

Sometime in the middle of the night he feels— no, feels isn't the right word, his sensation of touch is still reserved for the chest and up, but he senses someone at his feet.

He opens his eyes to see a small figure at the end and edge of his bed. Brown hair and thin arms rest on the hospital blanket. He searches and sees Bucky in a chair, head tipped back and mouth parted slightly in sleep. He smiles and whistles softly.

Bucky's head raises and he eyes Steve questioning.

"I gotta pee." Steve says with a smile.

Bucky rolls his eyes, stands up, stretches, and helps lift him off the bed, half dragging him to the bathroom. Thankfully, Steve can mostly manage on his own once he's seated in the special rig designed to keep his body upright, but they share a laugh as he hauls him back to the bed. "You should be a nurse." Steve jokes quietly.

"I don't get paid enough for this."

"How much more could you want? You have a home, healthcare, a job? Hell, even me."

Bucky drags him and dumps him rather unceremoniously back onto the bed, but then gently arranges his limbs into a comfortable position.

"Sorry."

Bucky glares at him, "what are you apologizing for."

"Getting hurt again. I know it pisses you off."

Bucky stabs a finger at him, "yeah, it does, but this time it wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't his either." Steve says firmly, nodding at the kid who is now curled up in his chair, head tucked between his arms.

Bucky starts to argue but Steve just shakes his head. "It's my fault for allowing him on the team mission without any practice. The Hand just hit so quickly I figured we'd make it one mission, but… I didn't think it through. I forget the things everyone else knows already, like how heavy we are, how in sync our moves are. I shouldn't have allowed Tony to throw in someone new in when—"

He stops, his brain freezing, "Bucky." His friend looks at him, "where's Sam."

Bucky winces and Steve stiffens. "What?"

He sighs, "I was hoping for better news by the time you realized he wasn't present."

"Bucky, what—"

"After your back snapped he tried to catch you, but you landed on his wing and it sent both of you into a dive. He's uh.. he's in the next room."

Steve wants to strangle Toy, "Stark said no one else got injured!"

"No..." Bucky corrects, "he said you took the biggest hit."

Steve's mouth gapes, "that's bullshit! What happened to him?"

"Concussion, a couple of broken ribs, and a cracked ankle. He's fine. He told me to tell you that he's fine and he'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Steve groans and rolls his head back. "He's going to be fine?"

"Docs say full recovery. He actually ended up landing on you. That's how your face got all beat up. You took his jet pack to the face. Broke his fall."

As annoyed as he is, he relaxes, Sam's going to be fine.

"Get some rest." Bucky orders. He complies.

—

A soft tapping wakes him. He blinks awake and looks as a light at the end of the bed catches his attention.

"Queens?"

A startled huff of air and the light goes off.

"Captain America?"

"Just call me Steve."

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you, does the light bother you?"

"Nah, why are you up, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"… I tried…"

Steve knows that phrase. He's heard it a thousand times by now. It's the 'I tried' everyone of his teammates has written across their face when they walk into his room at night.

"You wanna tell me about it?"

"About what?"

"Whatever's on your mind that's not letting you rest."

Peter sighs, "I just… I know what you said about the news. And I appreciate it. But… I'm supposed to be smart. I've learned about you all my life and I should have known about the weight differentiation, I should have calculated that into how I slung my web at you, where I aimed it, and how much strength and give I should have used. I feel like a stupid little kid. And I—" His voice gets quieter. "I got you hurt because I was stupid."

Steve's head tilts and he takes a deep breath. "You're not stupid, first of all, and everyone makes mistakes. This guy I know? He made the mistake of hiding all his worries and concerns behind a facade. Thought if he didn't talk about the trouble and trauma he'd been through, he could bury it and it would go away. Now that's stupid."

"He's talking about himself." A gravelly sleep filled voice adds from the corner.

"Sergeant Eavesdrop is correct." Steve says with a grin.

Peter looks at them, back and forth, a bit stunned.

"We learned the hard way, don't make the same mistake we did. Talk about what's troubling you, figure out a solution—"

"Or a plan to a solution." Bucky adds helpfully.

Steve nods in agreement, "right, not everything comes right away. Sometimes it takes time, and a lot of effort, but if you stay consistent, it will all work out."

"You really should tweet that." Peter says softly.

Steve laughs, "I'll do that."

Peter's silent for a minute. "There is something that's troubling me."

Steve waits, letting Peter lead the conversation.

"You asked…" He looks nervously at Steve and then back at Bucky, then back down to the phone he's twirling in his hands, "you asked if you'd died. Again. Why— You've… You've died before?" It's not at all the question Steve's expecting and he senses Bucky stiffen, Peter must sense it too because he's immediately scrambling, "I'm so— I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked, I didn't— It's none of my business, I'm sorry—"

"Peter." Steve says, cutting off the rambling, "stop apologizing."

The kid snaps his mouth shut and Bucky grumbles, "you're one to talk."

Steve wishes he could move his damn arms and throw something at him, but he can't so he cuts Bucky a glare.

"I didn't know you were in the room when I said that," Steve admits, "But yes, permanent death is…" he's not sure how to explain it, "we don't really know why other than it's obviously the serum. I… I have died…" he pauses, thinking back, trying to count. "Three times."

"Four." Bucky whispers, Steve snaps his head up, and Bucky's eyes go dark. "Sorry, I've been waiting for a time to tell you, but—" his eyes flick to Peter and Steve realizes they're both still in their gear. 5 days later. Bucky wanted to tell him, but not in front of Peter.

But contrary to Peter's earlier statement of stupidity, he understands Bucky's meaning and his face goes sheet white, "I killed you?"

Steve's voice is only the tiniest bit raw as he replies "only temporarily."

Peter's head falls onto the bed and Steve nods his head at the kid, raising his eyebrow.

Bucky's eyes widen as he understands Steve's request. He shakes his head vehemently 'no' and Steve frowns. He juts his chin towards Peter, and Bucky crosses his arms in defiance.

"Damn it, Bucky. If you don't hug this kid right now, I will find a way to drag myself off this bed and do it myself."

Peter looks up in surprise and Bucky throws his head back in a scoff. But he gets up and without asking hauls the kid into his arms and squeezes him tight. Steve's surprised when Bucky doesn't let go immediately. Peter is in shock at first, but then he shoves his face against Bucky's collar and wraps his arms around him, squeezing back.

Bucky lets out a huff of air, and Steve watches the first grin he's seen in many days spread across his face. "You're strong, kid."

Peter lets go and moves to step back, "sorry".

But Bucky just grins and crushes Peter against him, making the kid laugh.

Steve feels his mouth part in surprise at the affectionate gesture he hasn't seen Bucky bestow on anyone but himself before.

Then Bucky wrinkles his nose. "Kid, you stink."

The muffled "so do you" has both of them laughing and Steve can't help the smile that's currently residing on his face.

"How about you two go get cleaned up, I'm obviously not going anywhere."

Before Bucky can even say anything, Peter's eyes appear from over Bucky's arms and he looks at Steve, "we'll take shifts so that way you're not alone in case you need something." He glances up at Bucky as they step out of the hug, "is that okay, Sergeant Barnes?"

The soft smile that crosses Bucky's face has Steve's throat tight with emotion. "Yeah, kid. That sounds like a great plan to me. And call me Bucky, if you want."

Peter's eyes widen and he nods slowly. "Okay… Bucky."

"You go first, I'll take first watch of Gumby here."

Steve scoffs in indignation but Peter laughs and nods, waving goodbye as exits.

Steve eyes Bucky curiously and Bucky notices, "what?" He snaps.

"Nothin'." Steve says with a knowing grin.

"You bet your ass, it's nothing."

"He grew on you."

"Like mold."

Steve laughs. "Come on, be honest, he's a good kid, you can see it plain as day."

Bucky grows somber. "Reminds me of someone. Some skinny kid who always took on too much."

Steve feels the side of his mouth pull up, "that kid needed a friend too you know."

Bucky groans and scrubs his hand down his face, then his hand freezes, "oh my—" He glares at Steve. "There's two of you." His eyes widen and realization sinks in. "This is my nightmare. Two idiots who I have to watch out for because they're too dumb to run away from a fight! How the hell am I gunna manage two of you?"

Steve just smiles and closes his eyes. "You're doing great so far."

—

A/N -

I literally just ended Memory Serves and I can't believe how I just felt like.. I wanted happy(mostly) snippets of that AU still. So here we are. An place for that to reside.

It's absolutely cannon in my mind that Steve and Bucky would treat Peter like a little brother. they have so much in common and they're just too cute.

If you'd like to see a character or have a suggestion of who might find their way to Steve's room/bed for some late night talks, I'd love to hear your suggestions!