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All was quiet as Bucky laid hidden, waiting. He knew they were out there somewhere just like he knew his partner was stuck behind the tree on the far side of the battlefield. He looked around but couldn’t detect the enemy anywhere. She was running low on ammunition so Bucky knew he had to get her to him. He took a deep breath, readying his weapon before he waved her to come towards him. He would offer her cover just in case the enemy showed their faces.
She looked around, before a look of fierce determination spread across her face and she bravely started running, only for the two invaders to strike. One jumped out of a tree and the other ran from behind the henhouse firing at her. She squealed, holding her hands over her face trying to protect herself as she kept moving towards Bucky, who was aiming his gun at the bigger foe, firing away.
He in his effort to get the scoundrel forgot to pay attention to his young ally who herself forgot to pay attention to where she was running slipped over a rock and landed on her butt with a thump. Bucky’s attention was instantly aimed at her and the larger bandit stopped his assault too. That was when a foreign agent entered the field, reaching Bucky’s young alley before he could, but that didn’t stop the smallest attacker from his assault.
“Jaime stop for a minute. You’re sister fell,” Steve scolded his son, who instantly lowered his gun with a pout.
“Sorry, Daddy.”
Sarah didn’t feel all that happy about her dad’s valiant efforts to save her. Instead of thanking him or clinging to him for comfort as Steve had expected the six-year-old stubbornly pushed her dad’s arm away as she got back on her feet with a frown on her small face.
“Daddy, you’re ruining the game!” she protested, much to Sam and Bucky’s amusement. Steve, however, didn’t give up that easily, checking his daughter for nonexistent injuries.
“Daddyyyyy, I’m fine! Uncle Bucky!” she whined hoping to get saved from her dad’s inspection.
“Steve. She’s good,” Bucky chuckled, knowing it wouldn’t help but at least he stayed on Sarah’s good side this way.
“What, my girl gets shot and I can’t be worried?” Steve asked, tickling her sides as she wiggled to get loose from his grip.
“Not when he is late for dinner reservations with his wife he can’t,” your voice sounded across the garden and Steve stood up straight with a shit-I’m-busted look on his face. Sarah took the opportunity to flee to safety behind Bucky, who fought to stifle his laughter.
Sam, who now had four- year-old Jaime resting on his hip, wasn’t as courteous. His laughter earned a glare from you as you ushered Steve back towards the house.
“You two aren’t helping,” you reprimanded your husband’s two best friends, knowing they were as much a lost cause as he was, but it couldn’t hurt, right?
“Hey we ain’t babysitting him,” Sam retorted, making you roll your eyes, fighting to hold back a smile. Truth was, you loved the two knuckleheads as much as Steve did and they were amazing with your kids.
“I was just saying goodbye,” Steve defended himself as you guided him through the porch door and back into the house.
“Sure you were. Ready to go now?” you asked in your third attempt to get him out the door and to dinner. First, he had needed to check in with Tony, to make sure all was quiet. Secondly, he was unsure if the baby monitor in Samantha’s room, he had checked four times while getting ready had been on or not. Then he had disappeared into the garden to say goodbye to the kids, which he had done before the phone call to Tony you might add.
“Erhm…” Steve turned around to face you, “So I just realized… that I’ve been shot.”
It was only then you realized his entire left side of his suit was soaking wet.
“Steve…” you sighed, starting to lose hope, you’d ever get your date night with him tonight. Steve instantly reacted to the somberness in your tone though, running his hands up and down your arms in comfort.
“I’m sorry. I’ll change. I’ll be quick,” he promised, leaning in to press a tender kiss to your lips and you couldn’t help but smile as you pushed him back.
“Don’t get me wet too then, you dork. Hurry,” you ordered and Steve smiled at you.
“Yes ma’am,” he answered, rushing up the stairs, two steps at a time. He was hopeless sometimes, but you loved him. You didn’t want him any other way no matter how frustrating getting out the door since you had kids could be sometimes. He was away enough. You understood his reluctance to leave them, but the two of you needed time alone together too.
Just as you started to regain hope you’d get a night like that tonight, Sammy’s screams tore through the air.
“I got her,” Steve called from your bedroom, making you groan and yell back as you headed towards the stairs.
“Just get dressed Steve. I’ll take her,” you yelled back before a metal hand closed gently around your arm, holding you back.
“That’s my job,” he smiled, kissing your cheek as he passed starting to climb the stairs. You sighed and smiled in relief, that this was one less set back you had to struggle through to get Steve out the door.
“Can you make him hurry too while you’re up there?” you requested before Bucky got too far, making him laugh and turn his head halfway up the stairs.
“Sorry doll. I relinquished custody of Steve the day you married him,” Bucky joked, before continuing his journey towards the nursery.
“I heard that,” Steve grumbled from inside the bedroom, making you smile. It was Bucky’s answer however that caused the laughter to bubble in your chest.
“I know. Now get your ass in the car before I take your wife to dinner for you,” Bucky warned and Steve appeared on the stairs, grumbling about the threat.
You wrapped your arms around his neck as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, smiling up at him, loving the way his hands instinctively found your waist.
“I’m starving enough to let Bucky buy me dinner but we’re going dancing and I need the right partner for that so you better be ready now Rogers,” you teased, and Steve’s smile instantly appeared on his face before he leaned down to give you a searing kiss.
“Let’s go,” he answered just as Sam appeared in the living room with a kid on each arm.
“About damn time. I didn’t order pizza enough for you two too,” he teased as the kids cheered and you pulled Steve towards the door before he could go find another important task to take care off. The rest of the night was just for the two of you. Tomorrow Steve could go back to being an amazing dad and protector of the earth. Tonight his only job was to be your husband and you knew he would ace it as soon as you got him through the door.