Finally Steve is able to finish the line before anyone else comes up. They move to a small picnic table by the beach and he's hounding food down while the rest watch.

"Your hand has to be killing you." Clint comments, counting the cash Steve had been handed by the over two dozen customers he'd had.

"Not really," Steve says with a nonchalant shrug, taking another bite.

Peggy's eyes go to Tony who just grins.

—

Bucky yawns and looks around. Peggy's sleeping on the couch, her and Pepper's heads close to touching as they both doze. The rest of the group is milling about as the heat of the day has sent them all inside.

"Where's Steve?" He asks, noticing the absence.

"Went to shower." Tony says, working on his computer.

And even though Steve is fine. He's fine. Bucky knows he's fine. Something about hearing Steve's in the bathroom sends a thrill of panic through him. "How long ago?"

Tony glances behind him at the clock on the oven, "I don't know… maybe 20 minutes ago?"

He stands, "I'm going to go check on him."

Tony looks up, "he's fine, Barnes."

"I know." Bucky responds. "I know. Just… I just need to check."

Tony's eyes catch on something else and Bucky turns to see Natasha and Clint looking up at them. Laura's out on the porch on the phone with her mom. And in that moment it's just them four. The four who've witnessed everything. All of it.

And no one stops him when he continues walking.

—-

"Steve?" Bucky asks quietly, as he enters the room. The bathroom door is closed but the light is on. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

Relief at that one word fills him. But he knows Steve will roll his eyes if he says he came to check on him. "Can I use the bathroom?" Bucky asks, "just real quick? If not, I can use a different one."

The door opens and Steve stands there, shirtless and his expression looking off.

Bucky goes on alert immediately, "what's wrong?" Steve takes a deep breath and points, a spot on his skin on his stomach. Bucky furls his brow, "what?"

"It's gone."

"What's gone?"

"The scar."

Bucky blinks, "what scar?"

"The one I got when I was 10 and Mrs. Schmidt kicked me in the back and I hit the edge of a sharp coffee table. I had a scar. Now it's gone." Steve looks sick to his stomach, "it's gone. Why is it gone?"

Bucky looks to where Steve's finger is still pointing, "I don't remember a scar there… You have a lot of scars…"

Steve looks like he's about to panic. He turns, facing the mirror, "everything's changing." His breath is almost ready, like he has asthma again, struggling to suck in air, "What if they disappear?" His wide eyes meet Bucky's in the reflection, "what if I lose them?"

Bucky's eyes trail to Steve's bareback that faces him, The words still very apparent, if a bit stretched from his growth. "Would that be so bad?"

Steve's manic eyes are on his own reflection. "I earned these scars. They're the only tangible sign I have that I even did anything to protect them!" Bucky's own stomach begins to turn at Steve's words, "I couldn't do much—" he grits out, "but I could take the blame." He glares at himself and points to his collarbone, "I got this one protecting Wanda when she accidentally burnt 6 pieces of toast and set off the fire alarm. Mrs. Schmidt asked who did it and I said 'me. It was me' so she wouldn't punish Wanda." Then he points to his ribs where there's a thin line scar, "I got this one when Daniel and I were walking home and he stopped and wanted to watch these bigger boys play basketball and then we were late, and I told Mrs. Schmidt it was me who stopped to watch an artist in a park—" Steve's voice is getting faster, more anxious and worried, listing off story after story of how he 'earned' each scar, "And then—" Steve lifts up his elbow, the biggest burn scar of all, still clearly defined, "this one was for—" he practically gasps out a sob, "for me. This one was for defending myself."

Bucky goes to touch his arm, "Steve—"

"No!" He growls out, spinning and pointing to his back in the mirror, "these are mine. I earned them, every second I spent in that damn dumpster and every moment I was crushed against that factory floor. These proved I did that. These prove I was enough before all this!" He gestures to his new height and body, "if they go away, how can I ever prove that I did what I could? How can I show that I earned—" his voice goes dry, and he motions to his new body again, "—this." Then he's leaning on the sink, the counter supporting his shaking arms, head bowed against his chest, eye pinched closed.

He doesn't know what to say. He knows Steve's wrong. That's the wrong mindset. It's insanity. As if those kids would ever begin to forget what Steve did for them. And as if Steve hadn't earned every drop of the solution Howard and Erskine figured out just for him.

Steve's voice is achingly guilt ridden, "What if I waste it?"

A sound makes both of their heads pop up, Bucky's standing in the bathroom doorway so he turns, looking into the room where Tony, Clint, and Natasha are standing, staring at him with expressions that tell him they've been listening the entire time. He feels something brush past him and he spins, finding Peggy already in the bathroom. She must have been on the other side.

She's ducking under Steve's arm and squeezing herself between him and the counter, her back bent at an odd angle so she can face him. She's wrapping her arms around him, hands splayed on his skin and face pressed into his collarbone. He wraps her in his embrace and shoves his face against her hair, "I'm sorry." He whispers, "I'm really sorry, I thought I'd worked through this. The scar thing freaked me out."

She's shaking her head, "something new has happened." Her voice is oddly calm even though Bucky can see the way her hands almost tremble against him, "like you were told, everything is new, you're always going to be learning and adjusting, this is adjusting."

And Steve for the first time in Bucky's entire time knowing him says, "I'm scared."

"Okay." Peggy says confidentially, "be scared. There's nothing wrong with that." Steve pulls back and frowns at her and she laughs softly, pulling his face down to kiss him quickly before tilting her head and looking at him with love, "there's nothing wrong with being afraid. What you do with it is what matters."

"What else will change?"

Peggy's shoulders shrug, "I don't know, but we're going to find out together. And there's nothing we cannot manage together, correct?"

Steve nods, face solemn, "I know." Then he turns to Bucky and looks at Peggy, "I can hear them."

"Hear who?" Bucky asks, thinking he means the three in the room, listening silently.

"Your heartbeats."

They stare at him, eyes widening. "What?" Peggy breathes out.

"I thought I was hearing things," Steve says softly, "that I was imagining it," he shakes his head, "but I'm not. I can hear them." He points to the room, "and the three of them out there." He blinks, "I'm guessing Tony, Clint, and Natasha?"

Bucky hears them move tp stand behind him.

"I'm sorry, Steve." Tony says immediately, "I don't think my dad or Erskine knew quite the extent of the healing although—" He winces, "we did purposefully include a skin healing factor. I'm sorry, that's…" he sighs, looking guilty, "that's our fault."

"But it's bullshit." Natasha says sharply, "and I hate that you think you have to keep these scars just to earn anything."

"Natasha—" Peggy starts, a warning tone,

"No." Natasha snaps, "no, you weren't there. You didn't see. Steve, you gave everything to those kids. They'd never forget it. Not for a second, and even if they did? It doesn't erase that fact!" She steps forward, past Bucky, "you gave me courage to save myself and Yelena, and—" she huffs, "we've already been over this! You deserve every second that they were able to give you! You dont have to do a single thing more to prove that you earned it. And you didn't earn those scars! You earned a second chance at life! If you kept those scars forever, then fine, but if they heal? You can leave those bastards behind forever. Our love for you and my awe at your bravery and strength at the whole thing won't ever go away." She steps forward and points to the bullet wounds, the slightly sunken in reddish pink skin still one of the more colorful marks on his torso, "you saved a woman's life. You think she needs you to have a scar to prove it?"

"You want my lungs to stay scarred just to prove to you that I quit?" Clint's voice is calm, but his eyes are piercing.

Steve sighs, "that's not the same."

"You want Scott to keep the cigarette burns because it proves he was brave enough to outlast his father's abuse?" Clint's words cut through the room.

Tony looks confused, "I'm sorry, Scott's what?"

"No." Steve grits out, "Okay, okay." He looks at the ground, "I get your point,"

"We're not going to skip over the heartbeat thing." Bucky interjects.

"I heard girls shouting a ⅓ of a mile away in my sleep, Buck." Steve says ruefully, his mood starting to shift, "is it that big of a leap?"

"You're taller." Peggy comments, "I swear, everytime I look at you, you're taller, and—" she looks at his chest and arms, "bigger." She frowns, "stop growing."

Steve laughs, which Bucky knows was her goal, "I can't seem to stop anything."

"You are filling out." Tony comments, his nose wrinkling, "a lot."

Peggy glares at Tony, "stop ogling. He's mine."

The group laughs as Steve turns red.

—

Later that night, Bucky hears Steve sit up. He waits, wondering if Steve is just going to use the bathroom.

"I know you're awake."

There's a beat and then Bucky sits up, "How'd you know?"

"Your breathing and heartbeat are different when you're asleep."

And something about that makes Bucky's skin tingle. His voice is quiet. "That must be really weird."

Steve's voice is a rasp, "yeah."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Steve stands, pushing back the curtains and letting the moonlight in. And in the shadows Steve looks ghostly. Blonde hair and tan skin glowing an eerie blue. He's almost as tall as Bucky now.

"I think I know what I need to do."

The switch makes Bucky tilt his head, "do what?"

Steve turns, the moonlight illuminating one side of his face and shadowing the other. "I think I'm going to enlist."

Bucky blinks, then he makes a strange noise in his throat, he's shoving back the covers, "what? Wait, what?"

Steve's calm, "I'm going to enlist."

Bucky's shaking his head, "enlist? In Art school?" He's hoping, praying—

"The army. Or some branch—"

"Steve, what the hell are we talking about! You've never mentioned this before, you can't—"

"I can—"

"Steve!" Bucky feels panic rising, "No! You don't want to do that, you want to go to art school. You said you wanted to go to art school!"

"And I still do. But I think I need to do this first—"

"Do what!?"

"Help people—"

"You can do that a thousand ways that don't include going into the military!"

"My dad was in the military."

Did you know that my dad was a war vet?

The echo of words Steve said all those years again, right after the bad night in the hospital where the reporter snuck into his room, reverberates in his mind.

"Okay, but that doesn't mean you have to be."

"And his dad. And his." Steve continues. "I never thought I'd get a chance to enlist. Figured my health would keep me from it." He looks back out over the ocean, "but now I can. I—" he pauses, "I want to."

Bucky feels angry, "what, to prove yourself? To earn your life by getting yourself killed?"

Steve's eyes flick to him, and the most calm and stoic expression resides on his face, "every day I have is a gift. A day I wasn't supposed to have. I have to do something good with it."

"Newsflash, Rogers." Bucky says with a growl, "the military is full of puffed up men with ego and power issues! They're not looking to help people, they're looking to 'protect America's interest by exploiting other countries!'."

Steve grins, "that's my line."

"That's why I said it!" He points at Steve, "So why the hell are you going to join up!"

"Because then I can change it." He says, "I can make it what it's supposed to be. From the inside out."

Bucky chokes out a scoff, "you're just one guy, Steve! You can't change the entire US military!"

And Steve's face goes so intense that Bucky almost feels it like a force pushing him back, "watch me."

—

Natasha yawns as she walks into the kitchen. She grabs a water bottle from the fridge and sees Bucky sitting on the coffee table, staring out the porch's sliding glass doors.

She walks forward, resting a hand on his head, about to ask what's happening when his hand rises and points out the doors.

She follows his direction and looks out, finding Steve and Peggy sitting in the backyard, around the fire pit on the lounge chairs.

"What's going on?" She asks. But then Peggy is standing and gesturing wildly. She stabs a finger at Steve. And he responds with something that makes Peggy stomp her foot and spin in a circle before obviously talking very angrily at him. Her cheeks are colored high and she's crying.

Steve stands, trying to hold her but she shoves at his chest. It doesn't have an effect, but he doesn't try again either.

Natasha sits beside him, "what is going on?"

"Steve's going to enlist." He says in a flat tone, looking dejected, "and he's telling Peggy."

Natasha stands, "he's what!"

"He told me last night."

"But why?"

"Family legacy, patriotic duty." Bucky says flatly, "whatever the hell excuse he's using to hide the fact that he's just trying to prove himself."

She goes to open the back door, to yell at him too but Bucky's hand catches her, "don't." He says quietly, "I already tried. He's not going to budge."

"But—"

"It's Steve—" Bucky says sharply, "he's not. Going. To. Budge."

Her throat goes dry as she looks out. Peggy looks like she's pleading angrily, and Steve is listening to every word, trying to hold her hands that she keeps yanking away. Then she shouts, loud enough for them to hear through the glass, "and those are your only two options!?" Then she's storming away from him heading towards the beach and leaving him standing there looking resigned.

Natasha opens the door then, striding out, "what the hell, Steve. You can't just make a life altering decision like this and not talk to anyone about it first!"

Steve gestures around him, "what does it look like I'm doing! I'm talking!" He gestures to where Peggy left, "or trying. I—" he points to Bucky who she can feel standing behind her, "I don't need anyone's permission. I can't explain it, but this is what I need to do! If you don't understand that, that's on you. But it's not going to stop me."

"What's not going to stop you?" They all turn or look to the porch to see Tony standing there, hair a mess.

"Steve's joining the fucking military!" Bucky grits out, "just like that."

Tony blinks and then blinks again. "Run that by me again?"

Steve groans out loud and then glares at all of them. "In case anyone actually has been listening to me, I'm doing what I feel is right! What I need to do! You're my family, why can't you respect that?"

"That's why we can't!" Natasha shouts, "we just got you back! And you're going to leave us again?"

Those words must sting or be reminiscent of something Peggy said because he looks away.

"That's not the way I see it." He points to Tony, "your dad works for the military."

"Uh, no—" Tony says, making a slicing motion with his hand, "he's a weapons contractor. The military pays him to make weapons. Not to run around getting shot at!"

"If there's something I can do to make the world safer—"

"Be a firefighter!" Tony snaps, "or an art therapy teacher! Or a million other things that can help the world!"

"My dad and two generations before him served." Steve says, his face growing solemn, "I can't explain why I feel the need to continue that legacy. But I do. And I can. So I will."

"It's dangerous! You can't just—"

And Steve growls out in frustration, "I can." He glares at all of them and repeats. "I will."

He walks past all of them into the house.

Natasha feels stunned, frozen in place, Bucky beside her frozen as well.

—-

The whole house is a tensed wire waiting to snap when Clint comes down for breakfast.

"What's wrong?" He asks Pepper, who sits at the counter, a cup of coffee and an iPad in front of her.

She shakes her head and points behind her. Tony's on the phone, talking in hushed whispers and Natasha and Bucky are sitting silently. The TV is on but neither are watching.

"What is happening?" He asks them, "what's going on."

"Well, my dad is pissed." Tony says, throwing his phone onto the couch, "and my mom started crying. So all in all. Fucking fantastic."

"When did this even come up?" Natasha asks, "I'm so lost on how he ended up just deciding this!"

Clint squints, "what?"

"It's been less than two months—" Tony looks around, "he can't just decide this."

"Breaking News—" Bucky quips in annoyance, "it's Steve. Good luck changing his mind."

Clint gestures to the group, feeling very lost, "what is going on?"

"I don't care." Natasha snaps. "Sam won't allow it, and neither will Howard."

"He's legal." Bucky snaps back, "they can't stop him."

"I can have my dad use his contacts." Tony adds, reaching back for his phone, "he can stop Steve from getting accepted—"

"Can somebody fill me in for one fucking second!" Clint shouts, "what the hell is going on?"

"Steve's decided that the best way to utilize his new found skills is to enlist in the military. And he's not allowing anyone else to have a say."

The crisp and cold accent makes all of them turn, Peggy standing there, arms crossed and face sharp like flint.

Clint blinks. "Excuse me?"

And the house descends into chaos as they all start talking at once.

—

Steve walks into the house and right back out the front door. He needs air. He needs to move. To release some of the energy that just sits unbridled under his skin every minute of every day now.

A small park comes into view and he heads towards it, passing families and people out walking their dogs or playing with their kids. He circles the park, following the little path, but it's too short. He's not ready to argue again. So he circles it again, and again.

Then he sees monkey bars that no one is using. So he walks over to them and barely has to jump to reach the first rung. He slowly works his way across, and halfway he can't reach so he has to start swinging. He releases the bar and reaches, grabbing the next rung with his hands and closing his fingers around it.

And it crunches in his palm.

He stares up, looking on in shock as the metal bar is now gripped tightly in his hands and bowing slightly. He drops down, hitting the ground with a thud and looking up. Two hand shaped impressions are crushed into the metal.

Minutes pass as he just stares at it. Then he slowly backs away. It must have been a weak spot. Or rusted metal. Or some other logical explanation for why that happened.

He's sure of it.

—-

Steve walks back into the house and it's too quiet. He sighs and heads to the living room. The whole group is brooding. Except Pepper and Laura who are smiling softly at him. He wonders why he's retained their approval.

"Steve-"

"No." he cuts into Tony's words. "No, I don't want to hear it. I can't be argued out of this. I don't even know how long or in what capacity I'll serve. Hell, I don't even know if they'll accept me. Whatever protective or logical reason you think you have to get me to reconsider can be kept to yourself."

"And if you get killed?" Peggy says hoarsely, her face still angry and eyes red, "what then?"

It's like a punch to the gut. Hurting her hurts him. It's like a hand is crushing his heart

But he can't explain it. He has to do this. Last night as he laid in bed unable to even think about sleeping, it had settled on him like a weight. This was what he had to do.

So he takes a deep breath and looks at her steadily, "I have every intention of coming back home. But…" his throat gets a bit rough, "if I die, then I'll die knowing I was blessed with the extra time I was given. I'll die loving the most amazing person, and having been the luckiest guy on earth. The family, friends, and-" his throat gets tight, "you." Peggy's face gets pinched, "I had all of you."

Tony's voice is sharp, "you get thrown in a dumpster to die and you call yourself the luckiest guy in the world?" Pepper gasps and smacks Tony's arm hard.

Clint's voice is equally steely, "you and I describe luck very differently."

The tension in the air is thick as Steve processes their words, knowing they come from a place of hurt, confusion. "I was dead." he states simply, "now I'm not. I'd describe that as lucky."

"How long are you going to push that luck hoping it doesn't run out?" Natasha asks with a glare.

"This isn't a game." Steve says through gritted teeth, "this is my life."

"EXACTLY!" She snaps back.

"Then I'm going too." All eyes go to Bucky who's standing now, glaring at Steve, "if you're going to enlist then so am I."

It's dead silent for a very long time. The TV, which is muted, the only motion in the room.

And Steve knows this is a challenge. To get him to change his mind. But he can't. That weight is sitting heavily on his chest.

And he knows it's a test because Natasha isn't protesting. Her eyes are wide, but she's silent. Peggy and Clint and Tony are all watching with wary looks. Pepper and Laura are the only ones with stunned expressions. Not realizing the mental war waging.

So Steve, never having known how to back down from a fight, nods stiffly. "Okay."

Sharp disbelieving intakes of breath are all he can hear, their heart rates accelerating wildly.

Bucky's eyes widen and Steve gestures softly, "that's your choice." he emphasizes. "You get to choose that." Then he looks at Peggy, and he holds out a hand, "please hear me out."

She looks like she might decline, but then she breathes out slowly, closing her eyes briefly before she takes his hand and he pulls her towards the front door.

Bucky stands there in shock.

He had expected Steve to fight. To argue with him. To trap Steve in an argument and get him to change his mind.

But Steve hadn't even budged. Now he had to follow through or admit his bluff.

Natasha's hand finds his, "what the hell was that?" She asks softly, when he doesn't answer, her eyes start pleading with his, "you're not serious are you?"

Bucky looks down at her, meeting her gaze, and suddenly his chest constricts and he realizes that he's not sure he won't follow through. "I don't know," he rasps out.

Clint stands at the beach. The wind tugging at his clothes and hair.

"Clint?" He doesn't look back, just extends his hand behind him until hers is nestled safely in it. She stands beside him, "you okay?"

"I've been thinking."

He can feel her looking at him, and she's too smart for her own good, "not you too?"

Clint sighs, "I've been wavering about what the hell I even want to do in general. You remember just a few weeks ago when I was thinking of changing my major, and then 6 weeks before that..." He turns to her, "I think Bucky was bluffing, but I don't have to. I can go, hell, I'm a great shot you know? I've been practicing. Maybe I could be a sniper, watch his back."

Laura's quiet, her face pensive as she looks out over the ocean. "He doesn't need a guardian." She says softly, the wind tearing her voice away, "it's strange to me that you guys can't see that. He's not the guy he was before. Why does someone have to go protect him?"

"Because he's Steve." Clint says bluntly, "he's always attracting trouble."

A chuckle escapes her lips and then a small smile crosse sher face, "that's true." then she looks at Clint, "but he can deal with it now."

"Not everything."

And Laura looks at him with a raised eyebrow, "yes, everything." She gestures to the ocean, "He heard girls crying for help, in his sleep. He dragged them both from the brink of drowning. He took down that guy at the diner? You said he can hear heartbeats? He's strong, and he doesn't tire. He's…" she grins at him, "he's like a superhero." She points to Clint, "don't you get it? I bet that's why he feels like he needs to do this. He doesn't need to be saved. He feels like he needs to save." Her smile grows fond, "imagine how much good Steve could do. Steve." She looks at Clint with a smile, "Steve. The guy who changed your life, and Tony's, and the richest guy's on the planet, and Peter's? And Nat's, and Yelena." She lays her head on his shoulder, "now imagine how much he can change the world with his new health. He's exactly the kind of guy I hope signs up to defend our country."

Clint wrinkles his nose, "what about me?"

Laura laughs, the sound met by other beach goers looking their way, "yeah." She grins, "you too."

Steve isn't sure what comes over him. He half pulls her along, walking so quickly she has to try to keep up. He leads her down the street and to the same park he'd been at before, but he bypasses the playground and pulls her into a grove of trees. The winding path is illuminated with glowing sunlight filtering through the leaves. She has stayed silent, and he can feel the way confusion and some wariness is rolling off her. Then he gets to what he saw earlier on his walk around the park. A beautifully crafted Victorian gazebo. Painted whited and colorful details.

He is thankful there is no one in sight as he pulls her up the few steps. She begins to speak as he turns to face her, but he doesn't let her. Pulling her close and pressing her lips to his. Surprise radiates off her, but she doesn't push back, joining the kiss with equal fervor.

Then in a move bolder than he thought possible of himself, he walks her backwards until she is pressed against one of the wooden railings, pinning her there firmly and not letting her breathe an ounce.

He smiles as her heart rate skyrockets. And he feels the way his own heart races as her body begins to radiate warmth, her skin softening under his fingertips as they hold at her waist.

He dips his head, kissing her jaw and then her neck, and lower until he feels the hollow of her collarbone. He kisses that too and she makes a pleased little sound in her throat that makes his head fuzzy. Her hands find his shirt, skirting her fingers under it to his bare skin and drawing goosebumps. Then he surprises them both again by kissing lower, dangerously close to the top of her bra before he kisses back up her neck and onto her lips, relishing in the way her eyes are closed and her pulse is racing.

Steve breaks the kiss then, pressing his palms against her flushed cheeks, "how dare you doubt me." He admonishes softly, "you think I would do anything to jeopardize a life with you?" He kisses her brow, now able to reach it with ease. Her brown eyes are studying him in wonder, "you are half the reason I want to do my part. I already know you're going to change the world. With or without me. I want to make my mark too. I want to be a guy worth your love—"

"You—"

He pulls her tighter against him, surprising her into silence. He kisses her again fiercely and then ever so slowly his fingers move, hooking her belt loops and holding her in place. "I'm making a promise to you, right here and now. It doesn't matter where I go, what I do. I can feel it—" he releases one of her belt loops and grasps her wrist, sliding it up under his shirt until the flat of her palm rests over his warm skin and steadily beating heart, "I am meant to live a life with you. And I will." Her eyes close and. Her nails scrape gently against his skin.

"How can you be so sure?"

He steps back, feeling the loss of her warmth as he backtracks out of the gazebo and looks around. He sees what he wants, a palm sized rock. He grabs it and turns back to the gazebo where Peggy is standing on the top step, watching him. He stands at the bottom step and holds the rock out to her. She looks confused, reaching out to grab it, but his fingers curl over it, and then, with a deep breath, not even knowing if this will work, but also completely certain that it will, he clenches, crushing the rock between his fingers and palm, shattering it into dust.

Her mouth parts and her breath stutters in surprise. Steve opens his fist and brushes off the dust. Peggy seems too stunned to speak or move, and he again lets his boldness guide him. He walks up one step and that puts him level with her stomach. His middle finger brushes the hem of her shirt, raising it ever so slightly. Then he leans forward, his lips meeting the warmth of her skin.

His own pulse is racing, never having been so brazen in his entire life. But he wants her to know how precious she is to him. Wants her to know he has every intention of coming back to her. To have all of her the way he wants her to have all of him.

Peggy's heart is pounding in her chest and he kisses a little higher, then higher against her bottom rib. He smiles against her skin and pulls back.

"What has gotten into you?" She asks hoarsely, her cheeks aflame.

With ease, he lifts her off the top step and sets her down on the step above his, leveling their heights, "you were so certain I was joining the military to leave you. That I must not have loved you enough to stay." His voice gets deeper and he shakes his head in mock displeasure, "I had to ensure you knew how wrong you were."

"By seducing me in a public park?"

Steve's head gets thrown back in a laugh, "I didn't have too many options."

"I still don't like it."

And then Steve puts his full trust in her hands. "If you ask me to stay… I will."

Her face screws up as if that's the one thing she wishes he hadn't said. There's a long pause as she stares at him, studying his face. Then she reaches down and grabs one of his hands. She studies the palm, changing the subject "what about this? You're… crushing rocks?"

He shrugs, "just another aspect of the change I guess." He shakes his head, "don't tell the others."

She frowns at him but doesn't fight. He spins her around, pulling her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. Sinking his nose against her neck breathing her in. His fingers trail on the sensitive skin of her stomach, making goosebumps appear everywhere. "I've been thinking."

Peggy's eyes are closed, distracted by his touch, "hmm?"

"Being enlisted means they help pay for college."

She blinks her eyes open, "you've got money."

"True." He nods, "but I like having it in the bank. Howard's helping me invest most of it anyways." He grabs her hand and walks her down the steps back along the pathway, "I want to marry you."

She stops, eyebrows furrowing, "this had better not be a propo-"

"No!" He laughs, "no, I'm not— I just—" he huffs out a laugh, "I'm making a promise. A statement of fact," he turns and stops her in her tracks, "I will come back. I will marry you. I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman on this planet." Then he's kissing her again and his hand supports her neck, while the other grips at her waist.

She's breathless when they separate. And he sees her face soften with acceptance, "you better."

—-

Bucky hears the front door open and the group turns, waiting. He hears the stairs creak and He hears Steve's footsteps head up the stairs. Peggy's lighter footsteps approach the family room.

He lets out a choked sound of surprise, as does the rest of the group as she appears. Her lips are pink and obviously swollen. Her shirt looks disheveled and— Bucky's min fritzes, there's definitely a hickey half visible.

"What the literally hell is happening—" tony chokes out, staring at Peggy like he's scandalized, "what the fuck did you two just do!?"

Peggy looks confused, turning to catch her reflection in the TV. Her cheeks flame and she glares at them, "nothing of the sort, get your mind out of the gutter." Then she pauses and he watches her run a hand through her hair, smoothing it out. Then she tugs at her clothes, straightening them, she grabs the remote and turns of the volume on the tv loud. Then she turns to Tony, "Anthony…" She says quietly, "what else might be enhanced?"

Tony's eyes start widening and he looks too shocked at the question. Bucky wrinkles his nose as Clint pipes up, "don't think that's a question for the general public, Carter."

She blinks, realization crossing her face, she scoffs, "oh screw all of you, that's not what I meant!" Her whisper is harsh, she looks torn for a second before she starts speaking again, quickly, "I think he—" footsteps start on the top of the stairs and she stops, turning the tv back down. Steve appears, looking at ease and not flustered or rumpled at all.

"Can we please go enjoy our last day on the beach?" Steve asks, looking genuinely at them, "please?"

Pepper and Laura jump up immediately, heading to their rooms to get ready and the rest follow slowly except him and Natasha. Bucky feels Steve turn to him. "Bucky?"

The clock ticks for a second before Bucky sighs and stands, looking at Steve straight on, "yeah?"

Bucky watches as Steve's mouth starts to form a word before he pauses and seems to rethink his thought. He swallows and looks out past Bucky to the backyard, "I didn't mean to ruin the trip."

And Bucky's mad enough not to be nice, "yeah, well you did."

He's angry. And he wants Steve to fight back.

But Steve just nods, "yeah… I did…" he looks up, catching Bucky's expression, Steve's face falls, "sorry." Then he's gone and back up the stairs.

Bucky groans and sinks to the couch. Natasha socks him in the arm, "remember when you were a huge jerk and made Steve feel like shit about being friends with Scott? Congratulations. You outdid yourself."

Bucky places his face in his hands and sighs.

—-