When he gets home the note is still on his bed and everyone's still asleep. He smiles and slips under the covers and feels like he could actually be tired for the first time since he woke up.
—
"We never decided on a summer thing." Clint muses, "I mean I know we got distracted—" Steve snorts and he huffs but continues, "but we should do something before we all go back to classes."
Then Natasha's brow furrows, "wait…" she turns to Steve, "what are you doing this fall?"
Eyes turn to him and he laughs, "I'm working on it."
Peggy doesn't seem unsurprised, so they must have been talking, but Clint can tell the rest of them hadn't even thought about it.
"You didn't apply to any colleges?" Bucky's voice is a bit unhappy. But they've all come to know the fact that Steve had truly accepted he was dying. They just hadn't exactly gotten over it yet. It caught them off guard every once and awhile.
"I applied late." Steve admits, looking at each one, "didn't think there was a point of wasting application fees." He shrugs, "I'm too late for all my top choices, and now I'm just thinking I'm going to work the first year and then apply in the early spring."
"My dad could—"
"Tony." Steve says firmly, "I don't want that." He winces, "I am eternally grateful to you both. And I get it, I wouldn't be alive without you two. But I'm now able to do things all by myself. And I want to."
Bucky wrinkles his nose and Tony voices his thoughts, "that's what we're afraid of."
Steve laughs, about to say something when Peter comes scrambling in the room, "Steve! Sam needs you!"
Clint watches as Steve stands, fluid and easily and with no grimace of pain. "I'll be right back." He says with a smile and walks out of the living room.
Tony huffs, "okay I know that was a plot so we could talk about his birthday but now I'm thrown off because his college stuff didn't even cross my mind."
Peggy shifts and lays her head along the back of the couch, "I promise you he's not worried at all. I tried to convince him that he could probably talk to your family but he just…" she smiles, "he's so calm. So relaxed. He's not worried about things and as much as I worry, it makes me realize his entire life has been one stress after another. Now he can relax. And we need to let him." She eyes Tony with a raised eyebrow, "is that understood?"
He huffs, but stays quiet.
"Okay," Clint jumps in, "let's talk birthday. July 4th is Tuesday and then I say we surprise Steve with a trip to Montauk or somewhere cool."
"The beach would be cool." Tony says, "I've been needing some sun."
Natasha rolls her eyes and then pauses, "would Steve mind the beach? That's a lot of shirtless time." They look at Peggy who is grinning.
"I never mind seeing him shirtless." Then she laughs softly and shrugs, "I don't think he minds now either."
"He could always choose to wear like a bro tank or a t-shirt." Bucky adds, "we've talked about the beach before, I think he'd want to go."
"Okay," Tony says, "we have a beach house there and I'll tel my dad we're going to use it, Wednesday to Sunday?"
Before anyone can agree the doorbell rings.
"Natasha!" Sam's voice calls from another room, "can you get that?"
Clint hears her answer the door, "hello— Angie?"
"Is Steve here?"
"Um, yeah—"
"Good! Because what the hell?!"
Clint looks at Bucky who's listening as well, "what's going on?" Natasha asks.
"Maybe you should ask him where he was this morning!"
Peggy's already up out of the room by the time the words process for Clint. He scrambles to his feet, the rest of them following.
Angie's standing there looking huffy. "What's going on?" Peggy asks.
Angie sighs and points at her, "some lowlife came to rob our diner with a knife early this morning and some guy took him out before he could hurt anyone, then left before the police could get there. But the guy started arguing that he was assaulted so the police wanted the footage, which the guy didn't know we had CC tv, and then I watched it and I wanna know why the hell Steve looks taller? But also, and more importantly, what the hell is he tackling peop—" her voice cuts off as she looks behind them. Then they widen, "you are taller!"
Clint turns to see Steve walking towards the front door, his face grows wary, "Angie? What are you doing here?"
She glares at him, "I think you know."
Steve looks at the group, "I didn't damage anything did I?"
She throws up her hands, "no! But they need you for the police report. How are you so tall? It's been like a month."
Her stare is accusatory.
"Tony's dad figured out my growth issue." Steve lies smoothly. "Now I'm growing. What do they need from me?"
"Wait." Tony snaps, "we're not just going to barrel past the 'Steve tackling someone' part!"
Peggy's eyebrows are raising to her hairline. But Steve holds up his hands, "it was not a big deal!"
Angie gapes her mouth open, "what do you mean 'not a big deal'! Last month you could barely walk and now you're running into people, using your body as a battering ram?"
And it clicks for Clint. She's not here being protective of Steve. She's here because she's confused how it's possible. Which makes Clint realize why Steve had counted her as a friend. She hadn't treated him like glass.
"Howard helped me." Steve responds, "he figured out a way for me to be healthier. And I did that."
ANgie's eyes narrow, "why are you lying?"
And Steve sighs, "because the truth is none of your business."
Angie glares at him and then she raises an eyebrow, "but you're okay?"
Steve smiles, "yeah, Ang. I'm doing great."
"Good." Then she takes a deep breath, "then WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BARRELING INTO PEOPLE WITH KNIVES! WHAT DO YOU HAVE? A DEATH WISH!?"
They all blink at her outburst and Clint rethinks his previous statement, maybe she was a bit overprotective.
—
Angie shows them the footage and Steve is wincing the whole time as they gasp at the way he just chucks the napkin holder and then just throws himself at the guy.
"Steven Rogers, that man had a knife." Peggy says very calmly her eyes on the screen and her voice icy.
"He was drunk." Steve says as if that helps. "And I didn't tackle him until the knife was dropped."
Sam groans, "I thought the universe using you as a magnet for trouble would stop."
Steve laughs, "I thought the same thing. But hey, at least now I have the strength to handle it."
And Steve doesn't see the wide eyed worried expressions that statement draws out of the people surrounding him.
—
Steve wakes to the sound of something. His senses prick and he sits up. The darkness used to mean he couldn't see anything, even with his glasses it was hard. Now it feels like he has night vision. He can see the way the lights from the streets reflect off the dust as it floats around and down to the ground.
Almost all the beds have sleeping kids. Peter is clutching the spider robot in his palm.
But Natasha's bed is empty. He lays back down and looks at the clock. It's 5:30 in the morning. She could just be in the bathroom. But as he closes his eyes, he feels that prick again. His ears catching the sounds of multiple people.
Silently, he gets up, and walks out the door. The sound of whispered talking makes him wonder what's happening. He creeps down the stairs and towards the light that's emanating from the kitchen.
He quietly pushes the door open and pauses at the group gathered at the table, slicing what looks like— He smiles, "whatcha doin?"
All 6 people jolt in surprise. Clint and Tony, whose backs are to him, practically gasp.
Peggy stands, "what are you doing? You're supposed to be asleep!"
Steve laughs, "you guys were being loud! I woke up."
Natasha waves a knife that she's using to slice peaches, "we were not being loud!"
Steve shrugs, "I just woke up and could hear something."
"You little sneak." Tony says, a glare on his face, "go back to bed."
Steve steps forward, eyeing the peaches at the pie crust, "what's going on down here?"
Bucky, who was standing at the sink, looks at him and rolls his eyes, "what, we can't celebrate the Fourth of July without being interrogated?"
Steve purses his lips in amusement, but then he shakes his head, "good. I'm glad that's all that this is for. Because I remember specifically telling you guys that I didn't want a birthday party."
Sam huffs and sets down the peach he was slicing, "yeah, cuz they're such good listeners."
The other 6 start to protest at the insinuation.
And Steve just smiles as they argue.
—
Bucky sits comfortably in the beach chair on his roof, Natasha sitting between his legs and humming along to the songs. 5 years later and they still listen to that first playlist they made for Steve back for his first birthday on the roof.
Steve had told them they could listen to whatever, he's happy with whatever. Every year he's told them that. And Clint still clicks the little playlist that says: Rooftop B-day 4 Steve
Moonlight Serenade is playing. It's easily Steve's favorite, they know because he hums it the most. But Bucky won't lie. They've all grown fond of the song. Perfect ambiance as the fireworks burst across the sky.
He looks over. Peggy's sitting in the chair, Steve between her legs and his arms hanging over her knees. She's whispering in his ear and then punctuating whatever she's saying with a kiss to his neck or cheek or behind his ear.
His cheeks are red but he's just smiling like a fool and kissing her back when he gets the chance.
There was a brief moment where Tony had wondered out loud to him that now that Steve was 'fixed' if maybe Peggy wouldn't be so invested. Had Peggy only been drawn to his brokenness?
Bucky shakes his head, somehow she was exactly the same and all the more in love with him. He couldn't figure out how to describe it, it's like she willed Steve into existence for her and wouldn't even let fate take him before she was ready.
His thoughts are interrupted but a full out laugh from Steve and Natasha looks up at him with a smile.
He leans down and places a kiss on her lips. A smile on his own.
—
Tony throws open his door and hops out, "let's go losers, the beach is waiting!"
Bucky laughs, "he's not even here, Sam is taking him to get some last minute stuff."
"Like what?"
Natasha steps out the door, her bag in her hand, "turns out the only swimsuits Steve owns are the ones he has at your house."
Tony blinks, then he laughs, "guess that makes sense."
Natasha looks about, "where's the girls' car?"
Tony gestures behind him, "Pep got stuck behind some moron at a red light, she'll be here in a second."
"Laura?"
"You're swinging by her house as we leave."
Bucky looks around, "where's Clint?"
"He's supposed to be here." Tony shrugs looking at his watch, "he's got a few minutes."
As if summoned, Clint turns the corner, a duffle hanging from his shoulder, "I'm so pumped for this trip!" He shouts when he's in earshot.
They talk and load up the things while they wait. Pepper pulls up, Peggy sitting in the front seat.
"It feels so…" Natasha grins, "weird and grown up. We're all going on a couples trip!"
Pepper laughs as she shoves bags to the side to make room, "I'm just glad I get a vacation, my mom is so on me about my internships I thought she'd never let me go."
"Laura was thinking the same—" Clint huffs as he shoves his bag inside Tony's trunk, "her shadowing hours at the hospital make it hard to get away, but she begged her instructor."
"Man," Bucky says with a laugh, "one day you're figuring out how to get a kid out of a bad home and the next you're working a 9 to 5."
"Everyone's growing up." Tony says and Peggy's voice voice cuts in,
"Everyone gets to grow up."
—-
Steve's eyes widen as they step through the door. And then he feels stupid for being surprised. When Tony had said beach shack…. We'll he hadn't pictured this.
A beautifully crafted Victorian beach house with a wrap around porch and beach front access.
"Geez." Clint says with a pout, "poor little rich boy considers this a shack?"
Tony laughs, "this is half the size of our place in Malibu!"
Pepper pats him on the back, "that's not helping your case, Tony."
He huffs and they all laugh as they start to explore the house.
—
Bucky sets his stuff on his bed, there's tons of room, but he and Steve are sharing a room. Peggy and Natasha are across the hall. He hasn't asked about the other fours sleeping arrangements and he doesn't really want to know.
"This is crazy." He turns to see Steve standing outside the double French doors that lead to the balcony off their room. "Should we be giving the ocean view to the girls?"
Bucky laughs, "they didn't want it, I asked."
Steve turns with his brow furrowed, "how can they not want it?" He gestures to the view, sparkling blue ocean and glinting sunlight.
Bucky laughs, "maybe I should have worded that differently. They don't want it because they want you to have it." Steve starts to protest but Bucky cuts him off, "it's your 19th birthday. Give it a rest will you?"
There's a long pause and then Steve sighs, "makes me feel like I'm still dying. I don't need people doing favors."
And Bucky can understand why he feels that way. But that's not it.
"You're not listening Steve." He says with an amused eyebrow, "did I say 'they gave it to you because you're terminally ill?'" He makes a cutting motion, "no. I said, 'it's your birthday and they want to celebrate that and so they let you have the nice view'." Steve opens his mouth but Bucky sighs, "Steve! Shut up and accept something nice without feeling guilty for once! Geez!"
And maybe Bucky oversteps, because Steve's face sort of drops and he swallows before turning his back to Bucky and looking back over at the ocean, "okay."
He lets out a long sigh and joins Steve out on the balcony. The salty sea air sweeping over his skin, "you spent over 6 years of your life being—" he pauses, even now, after the therapy and the conversations and the fact that Steve is in an amazing home and has perfect health… it still is awkward to say out loud, "— being abused, Steve. That psycho bitch burnt you and beat you and starved you. I know I speak for everyone when I say, we just want to make sure you know you're special. You deserve to be celebrated. You've earned the ocean view." He can see Steve's jaw working and he grits his teeth, "and if you even think of arguing with me I'll fight you."
Steve's head drops and he huffs. "Okay."
But Bucky smiles, "good."
Steve looks up and out to the ocean, his blue eyes reflecting the same shade.
—-
Natasha feels giddy as they all get up the next morning and start making breakfast. Tony makes coffee that most people take a cup of. Peggy and Steve flip pancakes and eggs. She and Bucky cut fruit and Clint and Laura are grabbing the plates and cups, pouring orange juice.
It's so grown up and fun. The music plays and Pepper is humming along as she distributes napkins.
She looks around, and feels like it's a glimpse of the future. Family vacations spent together.
She smiles and pours another glass.
—-
They walk out to the beach. It's not a private one, but the part in front of their house has a spot open that's just the right size.
They set up the beach blankets and the chairs with the big umbrellas. Kids are shrieking about and the smell of someone grilling fills the air.
"Man," Bucky starts, "already this hot this early in the morning? Today will be killer!"
Clint agrees, slipping off his shirt and grabbing Laura's sunscreen bottle and dropping some into his hand.
He looks down to see Laura's hand gripping his thigh. His brow furrows and he looks up in question, but her eyes are somewhere else. He follows her line on sight to Steve.
Clint's eyes widen. Steve's shirt lays in his lap. His scars are on display, but it's strange looking. Because they're sort of stretched. And… Clint's heart beats faster, Steve's… different. He thinks back, when was the last time he saw Steve with his shirt off? Years probably. He's not… full. But compared to Steve's skeleton figure before he looks… healthy. Lean muscles, his growing height and all his scars and marks make Steve seem almost- Clint wants to laugh- hardcore.
Steve must sense the group's quietness because he turns, eyes wondering, "what?"
Peggy's kneeling in front of him grabbing his chin, turning her face towards her, "nothing darling." She kisses him, "you're just beautiful, that's all."
Steve's cheeks start to heat and the group laughs.
—-
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, oooowwwww."
"Stop being such a baby." Pepper chides, hiding a grin as she applies aloe to Tony's shoulders.
"But it hurts."
"Man," Bucky groans, shifting, "how did we all manage to get sunburned on the first day?"
"I didn't." Steve says with a grin, gently rubbing lotion on Peggy's shoulders.
Peggy glares fondly over her shoulder and wrinkles her nose, "I don't even know how that's possible, we applied the same amount." Steve shrugs and places a soft kiss on her neck.
—-
That evening they change and start the short walk to the little town. The sea breeze blows around them and they're all talking and enjoying the company as they walk towards the Main Street. They enter a small restaurant and get seated quickly.
Clint points at Steve, "you have to be starving. We haven't eaten all that much today."
Steve grimaces, "I am, but it would be weird for me to order a lot. I'll just eat some more stuff back at the house."
"Nah," Tony says with a wave towards a server, "order whatever you want."
"How can I help you guys?" The cheerful teenager asks.
They place a large order and sit back and wait.
"I'm going to use the restroom," Peggy announces, "I'll be right back."
"Me too," Laura adds, following her up and to the back.
"So," Pepper leans onto the table and looks at the group, "what's our plan for tomorrow? If the majority of us are too burned for the beach?"
"I say we do some shopping." Clint says leaning back, "promised Melissa I would bring her back a souvenir, and my uncle too."
"Yeah," Natasha says, pointing at Steve, "we're gonna get stuff for the kids too."
Steve's nodding and Laura sips at her water, "I saw the cutest little bookshop." She smiles, "I've seen a lot of cute shops lately. It would be fun to look around."
Some of the appetizers arrive and Steve's about to take a first bite when his head perks up.
Then he's standing and gone before the rest can react. "What was that?" Pepper asks.
—-
Peggy feels the hand before she sees who it belongs to. She whips around and sees the leering grin.
"Hello there, sweetheart."
A man, possibly in his early 30's already quite down the rabbit hole stands there, leaning over her.
"Touch me again and you shall find out how unsweet I can be."
She can feel Laura standing behind her.
The hand reaches for her again, "don't be like that darling, I can show you a good time."
She slaps the hand and glares, "go drink some water you buffoon." She turns to leave and Laura gasps. Peggy's blood boils and she turns around so quickly that her hair whips her face. Laura's backing away, eyes wide. The man's hand is retracting.
Peggy steps forward a fist raising.
And suddenly Steve is there, "what's happening?"
The man's face is smirking, "nothin."
"He grabbed me and then Laura." Peggy says through gritted teeth, and I was about to show him what a poor decision that was."
"Come on now," the man says, puffing his chest and taking another swig of whatever is in his cup, "don't be like that. It's a compliment if I wanna touch you."
Peggy lurches forward, fist connecting with his jaw. His head flings backwards and she feels Steve's arms grasp her waist to steady her.
Laura's watching with wide eyes as the man wipes off his face and growls out, "you whiny little bitch." He reaches to grab her but Steve steps in front.
"Don't you dare touch her." The man glares and shoves Steve's chest. He doesn't budge, "don't you ever talk about a woman like that again."
Peggy's eyes widen as she sees the man start to reel back his fist. She grabs Steve's shirt to pull him backwards, but Steve doesn't move, staring the man down.
Laura's grasping her arm as the fist crouches against Steve's cheek. The man starts to howl, shaking his fist and cursing.
Steve hasn't moved an inch. He's still glaring at the man, "I said," and he points at the man, "don't ever talk about a woman like that again." Then he turns and Peggy blinks at the most ferocious expression on his face. He grabs her hand and pulls her along with him. Laura's still holding her arm and gets dragged along as well.
"What the hell!" Clint breathes, meeting them halfway, "what the hell just happened!"
Peggy's throat makes an angry sound, "some drunk hooligan groped me and Laura! I punched him and then he tried to grab me and Steve stepped in," She pulls Steve to a stop and yanks him to face her, "and he punched you, are you alright?"
There's a small mark on Steve's cheek but other than that, nothing. "I'm fine." He huffs, "but I'd like to rip that guy to shreds," his face softens and he reaches to her, touching her cheek, "are you okay?"
"I'm alright," she smiles, "I'd say you're just a magnet for trouble, but I think I'll excuse this one."
Laura's leading Clint away and they follow after.
the rest of the group look halfway to standing and following after Clint who must have been the quickest, "what's going on?" Tony asks.
She sighs, repeating herself, "just some ruffian. We're all fine."
Bucky turns to Steve, "what was that? You just took off?"
Steve's shoulders are still tense and his eyes flash back to the bar where the altercation happened, he turns to her, "I just heard you threatening him."
He sits and Peggy turns to him, "you heard me? From all the way over here? Through a crowded restaurant?"
Steve blinks, "yeah."
Peggy laughs, pointing at Tony, "your father is a madman."
Tony grins, "you're telling me."
—-
Clint yawns, his jaw cracking as he shifts and settles into the couch deeper.
"We could all go to bed, you know." Natasha suggests.
"You first." Tony teases as Pepper lays asleep in his lap, her head resting on his thigh.
Clint looks up to see Laura asleep, her head tipped back against the couch. He looks to his left to the loveseat where Steve's stretched out, looking almost gangly as his limbs hang off the edges. His head is in Peggy's lap and she's sitting up, brushing her fingers through his hair as he sleeps.
"Imagine." Natasha's voice says quietly, Bucky asleep against her side, "all the vacations, all the family events, all the stuff we get to do together. Just like this."
Clint's smile crosses his face without his permission and he can see Tony grinning as well, "yeah." The guy says, his voice unusually soft, "that will be awesome."
"A lifetime." Peggy adds softly, her eyes staring at Steve's sleeping face so fondly, "together for a lifetime."
The glow of the tv warms the room.
—-
Bucky sits up, a sound waking him up. His adrenaline is crashing as if he heard something break.
He turns towards Steve's bed but it's empty.
"Steve?"
Suddenly Steve's bolting back into the room from the balcony. "They're drowning!" He's gone in a second, the door flashing open and slamming against the wall.
Bucky's sleep hazed brain fires heavily as he stumbles out of bed, the 'who?" Coming out of his mouth long after Steve is gone.
He slides out into the hallway, hitting the wall and then his brain catching up as he makes it down the stairs. He can hear the back doors creaking in the wind. Steve must have left through those.
Bucky runs, crashing through the same doors and stepping across the back porch, practically jumping down the flight of stairs. He looks up, Steve's diving into the water.
Fear and energy burst through him and he puts on more speed. His senses prick behind him and he turns. They must have made a lot of noise because the lights in the house are going on. But he can't focus on that.
It takes almost two minutes but he makes it to the shoreline. He pauses, squinting into the darkness, thankful there's moonlight.
Then he hears it, the weak cry for "help".
He searches, looking intently knowing he can't just go barging into the ocean with no sense of direction. A flash of something is all he registers before he storms into the water, the icy waves cutting at him and giving him full body goosebumps.
He's treading water, his feet off the bottom when Steve appears in front of him, "Bucky!" His voice is firm and unafraid, "here, help me, take this one—"
Suddenly a girl, maybe 13 is being shoved into his arms, shivering and shaking. Bucky clutches the kid's arms. His feet can't reach the sandy bottom so her weight drags them down a bit, he starts treading water faster, using the momentum to keep them afloat. The small teenager clings to him, crying and gasping for breath. Bucky looks up and Steve's gone, a flash of skin as he swims back away from him. "Steve!" Bucky calls, "Steve!"
The crying, shivering child in his arms brings him back to the present. "Okay," he huffs, grabbing her tighter and starting to stride through the water back to the shore, "hold on." The girl just stays silent, her breathing heavy and her heart pounding so loudly that he can feel it. He's pulling her along and just getting to a place his feet can touch when he hears his name.
"Bucky!" He looks up to see multiple people racing towards the beach.
"Here!' He calls, even though he's pretty sure they can see him, "we're here! Call 911!"
He's tired as he drags the girl up and onto her feet when it's shallow enough. Then they're walking, and the girl is trembling and leaning against him. The first one to reach him is Natasha. "Bucky, what happened?" She looks around, "where's Steve?"
Bucky's panting, "he's still out there—"
Clint appears, "what's going on!"
Then Peggy, "where's Steve! Your room was empty!"
Bucky sucks in a deep breath and points towards the ocean, "another kid—"
Peggy's eyes go wide in the moonlight and she's taking off, splashing through the water, "No, wait!" Clint is calling, "it's too dark!"
But she doesn't listen, getting waist deep quickly.
Clint rushes after her and Natasha looks at Bucky, fear in her eyes.
"Here," Bucky pants, "help me with her."
That snaps her too and she helps support the girl until they're out of the water on dry beach. Tony and Pepper and Laura are approaching. "What the hell!" Tony asks, "all I hear is doors crashing and then people shouting!"
Bucky sets the girl down and then falls onto the ground, his pulse racing and heart pounding as the exhaustion and adrenaline fight for dominance. "Steve—" he starts, sucking in another breath, "I woke up to Steve—" he coughs out some water, "running out of the room—"
"STEVE!"
Hit sits up, hearing Peggy's cry.
"Here!" A voice calls out, Steve's voice. Adrenaline wins and he stands back up, seeing a form rise out of the water, holding something in his arms. Peggy's to the left, not having guessed his direction correctly.
He turns to the girl, "stay here." She nods, her head on her knees. They all run forward, reaching Steve as he sets another young girl on the sand.
Clint reaches him first, "is she okay?"
"She swallowed a bunch of water I think—" Steve says, out of breath, "but yeah, I think so."
The girl is shivering and coughing and looks deathly pale in the moonlight.
Clint and Natasha get the girl up and her muscles tremble with exhaustion as they support her over to her friend. They let her sit back down and both girls are just crying and shivering.
"Pep?" Tony offers, "let's go get towels and something to warm them up, huh?" She nods and they're gone.
"Who called 911?" Bucky asks.
"I did." Natasha offers, kneeling before the girls, "they're on their way." She studies the two kids, "what on earth were you two doing out there in the middle of the night?"
Bucky looks back to see Steve, sprawled out on the sand, his chest heaving up and down as he tries to catch his breath. Peggy's there, kneeling beside him and running her fingers through his hair. They're both sopping wet and covered in sand. But Peggy is smiling at him and Steve's grinning back.
"It was a dare." The one Bucky had dragged to shore starts, "everyone's doing it and the boys said we couldn't."
"A dare?" Bucky says sharply, "you almost got yourselves killed out there! You could have drowned!"
The girls start crying again, clutching at each other and Natasha shoots him a look. He sighs and sits down next to her, facing the girls, "you guys really need to be careful. The ocean is no place to prove yourselves. That was such a dangerous thing to do."
Suddenly Steve's beside him, his breath regained and he's looking at the two girls, "are you both alright?"
They're still crying but they're nodding and Steve lets out a big sigh, "good. That's good."
Lights flash and the ambulance arrives along with a deputy.
—
Tony sits there watching as Steve explains what happened and what he did. Peggy looks at Tony and Tony shrugs. Steve had told them that he'd heard the girls crying for help in his sleep. But he was telling the medical personnel that he was on the balcony and heard/saw them in distress.
"Those girls were very lucky to have you there." The EMT says, "we've already pulled one body from the ocean in the past month. There's some dare going around that kids have to swim out to the buoy line at and back at midnight to be considered a 'local' here in town. It's dangerous and we've started patrolling the beaches but we can't be everywhere. So thank you very much."
Steve just nods and scrubs at his still damp hair, "just happy to help."
The girls, now wrapped in blankets, approach Steve and look at him with bashful expressions, "thank you for saving us."
Steve smiles and shakes his head, "you're welcome. Don't ever let a dare goad you into putting your life at risk. Your lives are worth more than what some older kids think of you. Right?" They nod and Steve nods back, "okay good." The EMT leads them away to the ambulance and Steve walks back to the group. He turns to Bucky, "thanks for being there, if you hadn't shown up I probably wouldn't have had time to get back to the other one before she sank."
Bucky shakes his head, "you scared the hell out of me, Steve. Bolting out of the room like that."
Steve huffs out a laugh, "I didn't know what to do, I just ran."
"You flew out of the house." Bucky responds, "you were in the water before I got to the back doors. How the hell did you move so fast?"
Steve shrugs, "I don't know, I just knew I had to get to them quickly."
Peggy pulls Steve into her arms, wrapping him from behind, "I'm going to need the universe to start leaving you alone now."
The group is nodding but Steve looks up and out to the moon, "I don't know. I think this was always what I was meant to do. To help people. Now I'm just capable of actually doing it."
And Bucky really looks. Because here, in the moonlight, Steve doesn't look sick or frail or weak. He doesn't even look skinny or short anymore. He looks like he's ready to take on the world.
And maybe he's right.
—-
Natasha turns on the TV as they all settle into the living room. After coming back from the mayhem on the beach, they had all been too wired to go back to sleep. So those who needed too had showered off the sea water and changed pajamas and now they all were gathered in the living room. Steve is eating Laura's leftovers from the restaurant that she had offered and the rest were just watching the home renovation show quietly.
She feels Bucky's heartbeat against her back where she sits against him. "We've barely been here over a day and we've had two incidents." She says quietly, "he really is a magnet for trouble."
She feels Bucky's shoulders shrug, "maybe. At least now he can handle it."
Her head bobs, "yeah. It's scary actually. His hearing. His eyesight? Howard really went all out."
"Think that was Erksine's part." Bucky yawns, "but yeah, don't think they realized how powerful it would be." Then a pause, "fine by me."
Natasha smiles at the way Peggy hands Steve more food, which he accepts with a tired smile. "Me too."
—-
Steve wakes up starving a few hours later. The sun is starting to lighten the sky even without having crested over the horizon.
He smiles at the group sprawled around the whole living room. Soft breathing from everyone makes him feel content.
He carefully shifts away from Peggy, letting the blanket fall back in place as he stands.
The kitchen is the next room over and he stands, staring into the fridge. While he's hungry for something salty, everything will make too much noise, so he contemplates just doing cereal, but it would take way too many bowls to fill him up.
So, like he did a few days ago, he writes a quick note, grabs his keys and his wallet, and heads out the door.
—-
There's very few people out at the early hour, but the short walk to town is envigorating and he nods or smiles at anyone he passes. A bicyclist passes him and a mom jogging with a stroller as he turns onto the Main Street.
Luckily a cafe is open and he steps inside the bell jingling.
"Welcome to Cuppa's!" Three cheery voices ring out.
He smiles and walks forward looking at the menu.
After a few minutes it's his turn at the register.
"Hi." The girl says, and she smiles at him, "I've never seen you before."
He blinks, then he shrugs and smiles, "I've never been here before."
The girl laughs and she must have something stuck in her eye because she's blinking a lot, "oh, you from outta town?"
"Brooklyn." He says easily, "first time here at the beach."
Her grin gets wider, "well, welcome to Montauk, how long are you staying?"
"Just the week." He answers, "you live here?"
Her eyes blink a few times more and she twirls her hair with her finger, "yeah, I live around here. It's a great place to live."
"Seems like it," Steve adds looking around at the charming shop, "really cool place."
"It is," then she shifts and taps at her screen, "what can I order for you?"
He places a large order and gets an iced chai too.
The girl tilts her head, giving him a searching look, "and a name for the order?"
"Steve." He responds.
"Steve." She repeats with a smile, "suits you."
"Thanks," he says with a duck of his head, "that's nice of you to say."
She rings him up and points him to the end of the counter. He thanks her and stares at the art on the wall until he hears his name. Then he eats quietly at a little table, studying the art on the other wall and enjoying the delicious food.
"Come again!" He hears the girl say.
"Thanks!" He replies as he pushes out the door, "I will!"
The walk back is significantly warmer as the sun has fully crested over the horizon.
When he enters the house he hears movement. Pepper yawns and waves as she walks past to her room.
He sets his keys and wallet on the little table and sips at his chai. He sets it on the kitchen counter and walks into the living room. The tv is on again and most people have moved or woken up, except Bucky.
"You got hungry?"
Peggy's hand finds his and he nods, "yeah sorry. Cereal wasn't going to cut it. I'm surprised you're all mostly awake?"
"Damn sun." Tony groans, shading his eyes, "and all these big glass windows. Makes sleeping impossible."
Steve huffs out a laugh as Natasha throws a pillow into his face.
"We're thinking of going to breakfast after we get ready, would you be okay to eat again?"
"Yeah." Steve responds, "I think I'm going to be hungry all day after last night. So food anytime is good."
"Where'd you go this morning?" Peggy asks leading him to the kitchen.
"Small coffee shop on the main drag, called Cuppa's? It was cute. Good food. I brought a chai back, there might be a sip if you still want it."
"Mmm." She hums, "sounds lovely." Steve reaches into the fridge to grab a water bottle when he hears a scoff. "You're joking."
He turns to see Peggy inspecting the cup, "what is it?"
"Steve," she monotones, "call me. Lorraine."
"Huh?"
Peggy purses her lips in amusement and turns the cup to show the cardboard sleeve has writing on ti. The note and a phone number. "Flirting with the baristas are we?"
Steve feels his cheeks flame, "what! No! I wouldn't!"
Peggy laughs, "calm down, I just teasing you." She looks at the note, "quite forward if I do say so myself."
"She was acting weird." Steve says, feeling guilty of he doesn't know what, "she was blinking a lot and twirling her hair."
Peggy laughs, "I think you mean she was batting her eyelashes at you. Flirting."
He blinks. "Oh."
Peggy lets out a full laugh, "oh you're too much." She grabs him and pulls him down for a kiss, "never change my darling."
—
Bucky laughs as Peggy tells the story of Steve not realizing he was being flirted with.
Steve's face is red, "how'my supposed to know?" His Brooklyn accent getting stronger, "I've never had a girl flirt with me before!"
"I flirted with you!" Peggy laughs.
"You didn't flirt," Steve challenges, "you just straight up told me what you wanted!"
The group breaks out into new rounds of laughter as Peggy tilts her head in thought, "yes, I suppose that's true."
"Come on." Clint gestures, waving them forward, "let's go get food, I'm starving."
Steve laughs, "me too."
—-
Tony watches Pepper and Laura discuss the pros and cons of which awful tourist trap shop shirt they want to get. The buy 2 get 2 free too tempting to pass up.
"Psst."
He looks up to see Clint in the doorway, waving at him.
"What?"
"Come look." Tony yells a quick "be right back" to the girls and follows Clint out the shop. Clint stops him and then points. "Look."
Tony notices the line of people first, then his eyes trail to what's initiating the line.
Steve sits hunched over a sketch pad or something like it. "What's going on?"
Clint laughs, "he was drawing Peggy, and then some mom and her little kid stood behind and asked how much he charged for the caricature. Well, Peggy teased that he was an excellent artist and he charged a very reasonable fee, and Steve went along with it, but then this happened." He gestures to the line that's at least 10 people deep. "And he's already done like 4."
Tony just gawks, in disbelief, "he's doing freelance art right now?!"
Peggy sees the two of them and comes over, she's hiding her smile behind her hand, "I fear I've created a bit of a problem." The two guys laugh as she chuckles and looks to Steve, "he's in deep."
"Well," Clint offers, "we can put someone at the end of the line and say they're the last?"
"Probably a good idea." Peggy responds. Clint salutes and goes to stand behind a few teenagers. Not a minute later a couple walks up and Clint tries to say he's the last in line, but they look disappointed, and they watch as Clint feels so guilty he lets them cut in front of him.
He turns to look at them sheepishly and Tony can't help but laugh out loud.
"I think Steve here just found a day job."
Peggy groans and then digs through her purse, "I'm going to go get him some food and something to drink. I'll be right back. Don't let them overwhelm him!"
Tony waves her off and stares in wonder as Steve hands the little girl her picture and she squeals so loudly in glee that Tony winces. But the mother is handing a wad of cash to Steve who looks flabbergasted at the amount and Tony just laughs and laughs.
—-
Bucky walks up to Tony with Natasha at his side, "what's happening?"
Tony's about to explain the situation when he hears a "Steve!" They all turn to see a blonde girl approach and then peer at the drawing before giggling, "I thought I recognized you! You're an artist?"
Steve's looking at her like she's an alien, but he manages to clear his throat and nod, "uh, yeah—" he goes back to drawing and Bucky can see the tension in his shoulders.
Bucky nudges Tony and mouths, 'must be Lorraine'.
Tony grins like a wildcat and they step closer, listening as the girl is speaking all while Steve looks like he wants to sink into the ground.
"You're a shy one, aren't you?" Lorraine asks, smirking at Steve, "I like that."
Steve leans back, "oh, uh—" and Bucky wants to laugh at how helpless he seems, completely unused to the attention. "I don't think—"
Then, before Bucky can blink, the girl is stepping right in between Steve's legs and grabbing his shirt, "I like to make sure I'm being clear. You didn't call me right away, so maybe I need to be clearer." She leans forward and Bucky hears Tony let out a choked sound as Lorraine kisses Steve, crowding his space making teh crowd in the line chitter with laughter.
"What the hell?"
Steve yanks back at the sound of Peggy's voice and he's standing, pushing back and looking like he's a deer caught in the line.
Peggy steps forward, "what the hell are you doing kissing my boyfriend?"
The blonde girl blinks and then has the gall to laugh, "oh." She points to Steve, "now I get why you didn't call me." She grins, "well, never hurts to try." She smiles, "see you around, Steve."
The crowd is deadly quiet as Peggy turns to Steve slowly, "care to explain?"
Steve's face is abject terror, "I didn't— she just," he looks around, as if begging someone else to explain. "I couldn't—"
"She jumped him." Tony jumps in, "we swear. She was like lightning, bam just there."
"Really," Bucky adds, suddenly feeling like he has to defend Steve from the frighteningly angry look on Peggy's face. "You know Steve, he would never."
"Never." Steve says, finally finding his voice and brain, "never." He grabs Peggy's hand and pulls her toward him, "you really think I'm that type of guy?"
Peggy rolls her eyes and her demeanor shifts, "I suppose not."
"You suppose?"
Peggy huffs and finally smiles, "no. But you've got hands to shove people away, use them."
Steve laughs and then nods, "noted."
He sits back down and picks back up his pad, "next?"
Peggy walks past him back towards the other girls who are sitting on teh stone steps leading up to the fountain. Bucky follows her, and sits behind them.
"What happened?" Laura asks, "we only caught the end."
"Some tramp accosted Steve." Peggy sighs, "and I got protective."
The girls laugh and Natasha nudges her shoulder, "come on, Steve wouldn't even think to look at another girl." Peggy stays oddly silent. And the girls follow suit until Natasha nudges her again, "Carter, what?"
"I've just…" Peggy looks at where Steve is coloring in his current caricature. "I've always seen what was so wonderful about Steve. And I meant what I said. He's handsome to me any which way. I miss him being shorter than me. I miss the sharpness of his jaw. But I also love how soft and healthy he feels now. I love hearing how strong his heart beats and of course the fact that he can lift me is a plus." Bucky blinks. He hadn't even thought about that. He wonders when Steve figured out he could lift Peggy. "But now.." Peggy sighs, "I'm worried that…" She looks at the ground and Bucky witnesses the first time he's ever seen Peggy have an insecurity, "maybe someone else will notice him now. See what I've always seen. What if he only chose me because I was the only one who chose him? What if someone more…" she can't seem to find the word, "comes along? And he is interested?"
And Pepper's voice cuts through the tension, "do you know how stupid you sound right now?" The red head stands and glares at Peggy, "that boy—" she stabs a finger at Steve, "is so head over heels in love with you that sometimes I feel like I'm watching a fairytale! His letter to you was one of the most beautiful things I've ever read—" Bucky blinks again. Peggy let other people read her letter? "He died wanting to love you. And you stuck by his side through everything. He could barely function at the end there and you never left. If he's stupid enough to overlook that, then that's on him." Pepper takes a deep breath and shakes out her hair, it glows in the sunlight, "But I've never seen that boy even blink at another girl. And I have no fear that even if he does get taller or more 'societally' attractive—" Pepper rolls her eyes to accentuate her words, "that he won't even notice! He's literally Steve." She huffs, as if that's an ending argument, "he's Steve."
Peggy's looking at Pepper with a smile and soft eyes, "you're right. It was foolish of me to worry. He's Steve. My Steve." Peggy pauses and then raises her voice just slightly, "Steve, I love you."
And Steve lifts his head up, as if he could hear from all the way over there, which… maybe he could. He's smiling at her, and giving a little wave before going back to work.
—-