"We're doing what?" Bucky was not a fan of the plan, not...at...all...
"You'll be fine. I've done it loads of times..." Anthony said. "...I've done it once, and I had a tiny miscalculation with how much rope I needed, but that's ok! Because we won't need to get to the ground. Just to the rooftops of the tallest buildings."
"Steve, I hate heights..." Bucky whined.
"Don't be such a baby." Steve said.
"Yeah, don't cower like a girl." Carol teased.
"And, if it makes you feel any better..."
"We don't have to land in a handstand?"
"Bucky..."
"...I've checked and triple-checked it from the last time I did it, and it is so secure, I would put Mother Mary herself on it."
"Works for me." Steve trusted this man, but felt like there was more to his story than he was letting on.
"You're coming with us, right?" Carol asked.
"I will be right there with you every step of the way. I'll even go first, so if someone were to fall to their death, it'd be me."
"Don't say that." Steve felt nervous again.
"You've seen me in action. I've always wanted to run away and join the circus."
"Now you can." Carol said.
"Oh, no, sorry, this...is my home. I can't leave..."
"Why, though?" Steve said. "Surely someone else can ring the bells on time-"
"Just make a list of instructions..." Bucky agreed.
"And you can hang with us." Carol smiled. "You can be part of our family."
Family.
Wouldn't that be something. To go out there, and see the world, learning from them, but
WAIT WAIT WAIT You're just going to leave behind your home? Don't you have a family here who risked everything for you? Who saved your life? Who is still trying to guarantee your future? How selfish can you be?
"What's wrong?" Steve saw the rising fear in Anthony's expressions.
"Nothing, I just...I won't...I will make sure you get out of here...I promise. But I can't betray my family."
They all look defeated, slumping their posture ever so slightly.
"I understand...if you've got something good, you gotta hold onto it. Because this world is tough, and you need to support to get through it..." Steve said.
Anthony nodded. "Thank-you, though, for the offer...I'd love to go, but..." Shut-up! Shut-up! Shut-up!
"I get it...it's ok." Carol said. She smiled and took his hand, squeezing it for assurance.
A shock wave went through him. Every time they touched him, it felt...good...strange, but good.
"We're really doing this?" Bucky went back to the problem at hand.
"Unless you're hiding wings under that chip on your shoulder, I'm with Anthony on this." Carol winked at him. "Besides, it'll be fun."
"Famous last words..." Steve recalled literally everything in their life that went wrong after that phrase was said by one of them on any given day.
It is by the grace of God they have survived this long.
"Alright, here we go..." Anthony hopped up on a platform and moved a huge painting to reveal the rest of the rope.
"You've been busy." Steve was impressed. He did all of this in the few hours of sleep we got?
"You should see me when I'm bored." Anthony bragged. "Now, if I may..." He went to each of them, securing them around the waist and the wrists, trying not to make it awkward. Given it was still dark, and they only had a little bit of moonlight, he had to get pretty close to make sure the knots were secure.
"Are you sure they're like, triple-knotted." Bucky cautiously tugged on the rope.
"I promise...you can trust me." Anthony said sincerely. He never forgets that he is a rare breed in every sense of the term, but also for the fact that he is used to heights and stunts such as this, as he incorporated it into his daily routine every day. So as he grew in strength and agility, he also grew in courage...maybe almost considering himself a daredevil. [He would never admit that out loud.]
"Ok, kids...here we go." He stood up on the window, and they were all impressed with how he never missed a beat. He was just as comfortable up there as he would be on the ground floor. "The trick is to not look down. Look straight where you want your feet to go. Watch me first." Grabbing onto the rope attaching them all, he pulled to give one last assurance. "Carol, do you mind giving a tug?"
"We're secure."
"If I die, it's your fault, and I'm going to haunt your ass." Bucky eyed her.
"I'll be dead, too, idiot."
"Guys, let's focus." Steve broke up the party. They still had to be a little quiet, sneaking out and all. "Remember who's down there waiting for us."
"Alright...it's almost three, so we better get moving." Anthony took a deep breath and jumped.
The other three leaned over and watched Anthony scale down the wall with ease.
"Ok...not so bad." Bucky admitted.
"Come on, man. Don't wimp out on me now." Steve's heart was racing, fear or adrenaline, he had no clue. He took a good grip of the rope, winked at them, and jumped.
After a few moments, it was Bucky's turn.
"You'll be fine. Get up there, before I push you."
His eyes almost bugged out. "Quit it."
"Haha come on. You can do this. Like Anthony said. Don't look down."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Bucky timidly crouched on top of the ledge, and climbed down to where he was standing sideways on the wall. He finally took a breath, realizing he was not indeed going to fall. But he walked down, too afraid to jump and lose what little security he was given.
"You alright, man?" Steve whispered.
Bucky bravely held a thumbs up and nodded to Carol for her turn.
With the grace and poise of a dancer, she leaped off and landed silently on the wall.
Slowly, but surely, they all made it to the roof of a bakery, one by one Anthony helping get to the levelness by pulling on the rope a little harder. When they were all out of the ropes, Anthony started to bid them farewell when Steve grabbed his hand.
There was that shock wave again, and his heart was pounding even more than he thought possible.
"Come on..." Steve whispered.