Captain America

One of these days being kind to strangers was going to cost Steve, but this was not one of those times. Tony turned out to be a pretty great guy. He didn't judge Steve for being small and didn't seem to think he was weak because of it. He didn't think it was strange for Steve to be in art school either.

It was a chilly October evening, the threadbare apartment letting in the chill even as the radiator clanked and rumbled, trying to fight it. Steve curled up in the corner of the couch, wrapped in layers and blankets with his knees drawn up and sketching. Bucky was out for the evening and had tried to talk Steve into joining him but he wasn't up for it. It was too cold. He was safer inside these days.

"You could've gone with him," Steve said, glancing up briefly to look over at Tony who had stayed home with him.

Okay. Here goes nothing. Marry me.

I can’t do this without you. When I woke up here all I wanted was you by my side. It was the most miserable time of my life trying to adjust here. I made a lot of mistakes. I’ve got you back now and I can’t do this without you. I don’t want to.

If you don’t want to marry me, fine, that’s fine. Just stay with me. Think of this as a promise ring. I promise to always be there for you. Whatever your past, whatever our future I will stand by your side.

So that’s it. That’s all I’ve got.

It was strange waking up to the smells of the city and a radio. No, it wasn't the city, not the city Steve remembered. He growled in his throat and sat up quickly. The room was wrong too. He kept the growl up as a woman entered the room. She didn't smell right.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice dangerously tense. The woman had enough sense to swallow nervously.

"New York in an SSR hospital."

"You're lying to me." Steve slowly rose to his feet, the wolf taking over. "The city smells wrong, you smell wrong. Tell me where I am and where is my mate."

The last thing Steve remembered clearly was clinging to Tony as they crashed into the ice. He went down with his mate and now he couldn't smell him. The bond was still strong. He knew Tony was alive, but he couldn't smell him.

"Sir..."

Steve tossed his head back and howled, trying to tell Tony where he was. He launched himself past the woman and through the wall. He howled against for his mate, racing through the halls trying to find some hint of his scent.

So, my sister is probably having her baby this weekend so the family and I are packing up and driving out to Indianapolis this weekend.

My hotel should have internet access, but who knows how often I'll be there. This is a little notice that I will be in and out for a few days until I'm home again.

This goes for the following muses:

Steve made breakfast.

He was a pretty decent cook, especially when he stayed basic. There was nothing simpler than pancakes, eggs and bacon. He cut up some fruit and got a little lost in the simple task of making food for his troops. He used to make coffee for the Commandos when they were out in the wilderness and while the scene had changed and made him relaxed for a difficult morning.

When breakfast was ready, he asked Jarvis to call everyone to the kitchen. He waited for everyone to trail in and get their food, to settle in with quiet conversation between friends and distance between some others. When there was a noticeable lull, he cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Reasonably I think this team has maybe… a month before we fall apart,” Steve said calmly, looking at his team gathered around the table to share a meal. “Without an emergency, we drift apart and those gaps are only getting wider. Now I am ready, willing and able to fight for this team because we are something special but I can’t do it alone.”

“I’ll admit, I’m used to leading soldiers who followed my orders. The Commandos weren’t like other units in a lot of ways, but when it came down to it, they were soldiers and I was their CO. They listened when I said jump. You all will listen in the field and I am grateful to have earned your respect there. It’s an honor to be trusted that much.”

“It’s here.” Steve tapped the table with a finger. “At home where we have our problems. We are not the family the Commandos were and I made the mistake thinking that enough emergencies would make us one. I want to fix that because this is something I love. When I woke up here, I was lost. I don’t feel lost anymore, not with you all. You’re a different team but you’re my anchor.”

“So, first, I want to lay down what we all want from this team and what we all think this team stands for. We have a cause, we stand for something, so let’s say what that is and fight for it. When we have that, we can move forward and decide the best way to go about making this team work. We’re going to have to fund it, we’re going to have to get jobs to help and hit the media circuit pretty hard. I’ve already planned a press tour. I only promised myself for interviews because I didn’t want to force any of you along but I’m really hoping someone will help me so I don’t make an idiot out of myself.”

He paused, running a hand through his hair. “That’s all I’ve got for you. That’s it. I look around this table and see so much potential. That’s what I want to do, but tell me what you all want to do. What needs to change in your eyes, what needs to be done? If I can do it, I will, I promise you that.”

Malibu at night was a beautiful thing. Steve tipped his head back to look at the stars while Tony drove them along the twisting road that led to his house. They were far enough away from the city that he could make out many of the constellations he used to navigate back during the war. Mapping out the familiar shapes with the wind whipping through his hair and his hand warm on Tony’s over the shifter was the perfect end to their evening out.

Tony had planned most of this, picking the seafood place where they ate, the slightly causal suits they wore and the car they rode in. Steve was impressed by his talents. When he put his mind to it, Tony could whip up a hell of a date. He was surprised there weren’t flowers involved, but smiled at the idea of Tony stressing out over flowers. He knew his lover would too. He always sweated the details, but everything turned out perfectly any way.

Though they had been recognized, no one had bothered them on the date. They had good food, good conversation where Steve spent a lot of time laughing. He really was happy with Tony and it seemed to be a lasting happiness. He couldn’t imagine anything better. Well, he could, but that was just because he didn’t like suits as much as Tony.

When they pulled into the garage, Steve waited for Tony to shut off the engine before he lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles.

“This was really fun.”

Five miles into Kansas Steve’s bike coughed, jerked hard left and then started to putter off. He pulled over to the side of the road with the bike fighting him and shut it off. After stepping off he stared at the engine like he could intuit what was wrong with it. He should have paid more attention when Howard complained about the abuse his put his old bike through.

And he should have probably stayed off that back road in Virginia and avoided that bit of off-roading he did in Illinois. SHIELD made a good bike, but he rode his a little harder than most people. It had felt good though, getting out after all that time he locked himself away from the world. After the fight in New York, saving the world, he had realized just how isolated and closed off he had become. Going across the country on his bike was turning out to be a great was to rediscover the people he fought for and the country he stood for.

Or it had been until his bike broke down. He could pick up his Army duffle and his shield then start walking. He had passed through a town maybe two miles ago. It would be a nice walk but he didn’t want to leave his bike here in the middle of nowhere. He could try to fix it, but he would probably only make it worse before he fixed it, if he fixed it at all.

There was only one thing he could think of. He pulled out his phone and called Tony. There was the usual teasing, of course, but now it made Steve smile fondly and roll his eyes instead of leaving him feeling exasperated. Once the teasing was over Tony promised to come help him so Steve sat backwards on the bike and leaned back against the gas tank to wait.