Chapter Text
It was with a sigh of relief and undeniable annoyance that Sam steps into the crisp D.C. air. It was still early in the day, maybe just past noon, but both his mind and body were so exhausted he would have believed it was close to midnight. He had been up for 3 days straight now, and come to think of it he had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the day before he left. Usually the pure adrenaline from a mission would make him forget his newfound bouts of insomnia, but this mission was not like his others. He woke up to a phone call from James Rhodes and things just escalated from there. Before he knew it he was picked up in a jet and flying halfway around the planet just to get into a shoot-out with an army of Hydra soldiers. They held their own but a wayward rocket going off destroyed a part of the city and trapped their team for hours before helped arrive. The destruction of the city triggered international outrage that only got worse when news broke that the high-level Hydra officials they were aiming to arrest escaped. From the moment they touched down in the United States they were dealing with reporter after reporter in between meetings getting yelled at by various officials. The press conference was basically open season and Sam himself had taken almost all of the heat.
In some ways, he knew it was going to be like this. Despite having taken over the Captain America title for months now, he was still considered a ‘new guy’ on the national superhero scene. To the American media, he was this random kid Isaiah Bradley found on the streets of Harlem and made his successor as he stepped into retirement. They hadn’t trusted him from the start and blamed him and his lack of experience for the mission’s failure. Luckily Rhodes and Ororo Munroe had his back throughout this entire ordeal.
He wasn’t used to this. To the distrust and out of pocket accusations coming out of passive aggressive television hosts all over the country. His neighborhood had always been supportive from the moment he started running with Captain America. Soon his name started flowing through all of New York but rarely outside of that. He still had his day job at the V.A. and with every major battle in the city there were more and more veterans seeking help with their PTSD. And his loyalty to the people in his community came first, which Cap understood.
But now Sam’s centerstage and he’s not really sure how to feel about that.
Shoving his hands deeper in his pockets he declined the offered car service deciding to walk home. He needed the time to come down off his mission high and exercise usually helped with that. There’s no way he could job in his current state so instead he walked at a slow and steady pace avoiding crowds and cutting through the streets of D.C..
His feet moved while his mind raced and eventually he stopped paying attention to where he was. He only looked up when the sounds of children yelling filled the air. The park before him was small, but pretty. The magnolia blossoms swaying in the wind as children ran around the open field was soothing to Sam. The noise reminded him of his own neighborhood, and that small connection to home was what he needed right now.
Sam sits on a nearby bench and watches the parks inhibits move around the space. There was a family of four walking slowly around the grounds chatting, a teenager sitting with 2 pouty children, 2 men jogging, an elderly couple sitting side-by-side not speaking but holding each other close, and a group of children playing tag football under the careful watch of 4 older women. It was nice. A reminder of normal everyday life that he’s long since forgotten. He stays there for awhile watching as everyone but the elderly couple and the children with their guardians leave and new people come in and out. He stays until the sound of cameras flashing and politician’s doubletalk is replaced by loud laughter and joyful screeching. He’s actually being to relax for the first time in months until the sound of small feet running gets louder and louder. Then he sees a blonde blur running past his bench and collapsing near a tree.
Sam’s on his feet calling for Redwing before he even knows it. He runs to the little girl’s aid and crouches down to where they’re eye level. “Hey, are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“No, not okay,” she wheezes back. She’s got her knees pulled up into her chest and her head resting on them facing downward as she spoke, “If I don’t get some water I think I might actually die.”
“Are you running from somewhere?” Millions of scenarios race through his mind as his eyes look for any injuries or signs of a struggle. Redwing caws in the air as Sam’s body gears up for a fight. “Are you running from someone?”
“Not running hiding.” The girl looks up at Redwing’s call and a pair of baby blue eyes lock onto Sam. She gasped and shoots up so fast Sam nearly jumps back in surprise. “Oh-OH!! You’re Captain America aren’t you?!”
“Yeah I am so if your in some kind of trouble-“
“No no its nothing like that.” She shakes her head hard sending lose hair clips tumbling to the floor. With a hand she brushes back her curly blonde bangs and stares wide-eyed up at Sam. “I’m just hiding from my dad.”
“Your dad?”
“Yeah we’re playing hide and go seek.”
With that Sam lets out a huge breath. His relaxes his muscles and chuckles under his breath. Of course, it’s just a girl playing in a park with her father. Calm down Sam. He refocuses on the girl before him and turns on the charm. He reaches out his hand with a wide smile, “I’m guessing your hiding?”
She takes the offered hand but doesn’t let up after she’s standing. Instead she shakes their hands hard up and down, “Yep, nice to meet ya Mr. Captain America. I’m Ellon.”
Sam gives her a genuine smile. “Nice to meet you too Ellon.” He points up to the sky, “Redwing says hi too.” And on cue Red squawks while circling the sky. Ellon grins and cups her mouth to propel her voice, “Nice to meet you Redwing!”
Redwing caws and does some tricks making the girl laugh. Sam smiles, really smiles. He can tell Ellon was a high energy kid, despite seemingly being out of breath only a few moments ago she was now bouncing in place looking like she wanted to take off after Redwing. He kind of wishes he could bounce back like that too.
“You know, my dad is going to be so jealous I met you. He thinks you’re his biggest fan but he’s not. I’m your biggest fan, but I told him he could be your second biggest fan.”
A father and daughter bickering over him really was an amusing thought. Especially if it was this little girl, he could imagine she’d be a stubborn one. “Well you can both be my biggest fan.”
“No, we can’t! There can only be 1 #1! That’s why I always win when we play games.” She gasped and looked behind her. “Oh uh, I still need to hide.”
“Well I don’t see anyone coming.”
“Yeah but my dad is really fast. And he cheats!” She looks around for hiding spots but seemingly comes up empty. Instead she turns back to Sam pouting.
It may not be life and death, but I can still help her. Unfortunately, the size of the park left them without many options. The only thing that caught Sam’s eyes was an oak tree a few feet away. Walking over to it, Sam eyed the tree carefully rasping his knuckles against it. Ellon followed him over and caught on to what he was planning.
“This is perfect! You can fly so you can take me to the very top!”
“I dunno, it looks strong enough but we need to make sure it can hold you.”
Ellon scrutinized the tree with him, “It will hold, I can tell. Me and my dad go tree climbing a lot.” She pouts at him again, and when that doesn’t get a reaction, she pulls out a full puppy dog face complete with a quivering lip and big baby blue eyes. Sam knows when he’s beaten.
Ellon claps happily as he puts his jet pack on. He puts on his Darlene Wilson voice when instructing her to keep still as he lifts them into the air. Those few moments when his feet lifts off the ground and he’s weightless is still as amazing as the first time he flew. Ellon whoops as their in the air and Sam whoops back. He places her on a branch that’s hidden from sight on the ground but that’s not too high up either. When he reaches the ground again, Ellon pretends to zip her lips shut and Sam does the same thing back. He de-suits and hides his jet pack behind the oak tree. Then he sits at the bottom of it and waits.