Work Text:
Despite the Avengers usually spending most of their free time between mission Upstate in their compound, either resting or training, they do like to go out and about from time to time. Although given their celebrity status as superheroes, they canʼt do so with as much freedom as they would like, which would only be granted by anonymity. Unless, of course, they go out incognito.
One of those days is today. A fine Saturday afternoon in New York City finds Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and Blake Summers taking a stroll through Central Park, trying to keep as much of a low profile as possible. They are visiting the immense park under the premise of showing the young lady around since she had never been there before. That came as no surprise to the men considering that her upbringing and most of her life comprised being held captive in an underwater secret facility that belonged to an organization recently disbanded which tortured and did experiments on her to turn her into a human weapon of mass destruction.
Yet while they walk around the park, showing Blake all the cool features the area has to offer, Steve and Buck also take the chance to reminisce about some fond memories from their adolescence. Particularly, they recall one day they spent at the very same park as well.
They had gone to spend the afternoon walking around, eating hotdogs, and looking for ladies to pick up on dates. Bucky was optimistic that they would get lucky, while Steve was already preparing himself for the inevitable rejection of his courtship. After all, some women back then saw his scrawny frame as not good enough to be boyfriend material.
Nevertheless, they did have a great time together, walking around and joking about some things they saw at the park.
Nowadays, it’s not much different for the two best friends, except for the added company of their two fellow Avengers teammates. And although at first Steve suggested that Buck should go alone with Blake –to make it a date between them–, the Sergeant asked for chaperoning since he still felt apprehensive about being in public, given his reputation as the former Winter Soldier.
The Captain ended up agreeing, asking Wilson to tag along so he wouldn’t be an awkward third wheel in case the couple decided to go on a more romantic and private walk of their own. If that ended up happening, at least Rogers wouldn’t be left hanging on his own, but would rather have someone to keep him company while he waited for the couple’s return.
On his part, Sam accepted after being bribed with the promise of a hotdog and some cotton candy.
So, the four of them can be currently found walking one of the many paved paths that run beneath the tall trees, Bucky and Steve in the middle, with Sam at one end to Rogers’ right and Blake at the opposite, her right hand intertwined with Barnes’ left one.
She prefers to hold his metal hand as much as possible, knowing the positive reinforcement the gesture gives him.
“We devoured those hotdogs in seconds; we were so hungry after walking around all day,” Steve recalls before chuckling a little.
He just finished retelling the events of that day they spent at the park, decades ago, letting Wilson and Summers in on some bits from his shared past with the Sergeant.
“You ate so fast that you almost choked to death with all that bread trying to go down,” Bucky points out, smiling at the fond memory. “I had to slap your back a couple of times and you ended up getting ketchup on your white shirt. That definitely killed our chances of getting dates that day.”
“Yeah, and your mom later yelled at me for staining my shirt, while you laughed like the jerk you were and still are,” comes the Captain’s playful jab as he elbows Bucky in the ribs.
The Sarge lets out a soft “ouch“ and grabs his right side before punching his best friend on the shoulder. The interaction garners a laugh from Sam and a curious look from Blake, who’s still doing her best at grasping the meaning behind all kinds of words and actions, consequence of growing up in a lab and being treated more as an object than a human being.
“Sounds like you two had lots of fun back then,” Sam chips in, smirking.
He would be lying if he said that he doesn’t get reminded of what his friendship with Riley, his wingman, was like when he looks at Steve and Bucky sometimes. Yet despite the pain that the loss of his friend still causes him, he’s finding ways to cope with the grief through his growing bond with the two other men.
“Well, those were simpler times,” Steve comments wistfully, looking up at the threes before he looks around their little group. “But now can be fun too, right?”
“I’m having fun,” Blake says, talking for the first time in a while. “Wasn’t that what we were supposed to do?”
The young woman is confused, not understanding entirely that Rogers’ question meant to be mostly rhetorical. Thankfully for her, Barnes comes to the rescue and assures her that it’s all good.
“I guess so,” Bucky replies, shrugging yet smiling down at his girlfriend –who’s a head and some shorter than him– as he squeezes her hand. “Glad to know you’re having a good time, doll.”
Blake looks up at him and smiles broadly, loving the endearment he uses to call her. She’s also quite happy to see him happy, as well as to be able to take a walk through the park with her boyfriend and her friends.
She’ll never take those kinds of things for granted. And neither will Bucky.
Speaking of which, though…
Their little outing has been going perfectly so far for the little group of “undercover” heroes, who are enjoying their anonymity as much as they can without calling attention to themselves. That is until a little girl spots the merry bunch and waddles over to where they are, waiting in line at a cotton candy cart, and starts tugging on Bucky’s right sleeve.
When the man looks down to see on what his jacket got caught, he notices the girl looking up at him with big amber eyes and an even bigger smile that’s missing a couple of milk teeth.
As the girl lets go of the Sarge’s clothes, she proudly presents him with her other hand, a prosthetic one, and whatever question Bucky was about to utter (something along the lines of “what’s wrong?”, “how can I help you?”, or “are you lost?”) dies on his tongue. The sight of the little artificial hand, the expression of pure awe and admiration, and the lack of concern shown by the kid catches the veteran completely off guard, stunning him into silence.
“I just wanted to say that you are my hero,” the little girl mumbles shyly, fidgeting with her hands and looking away from the flabbergasted man.
On the other hand, Buck doesn’t even know how to react to the whole thing; he’s only aware of his heart melting inside his ribcage. And while the rest of the Avengers –who became aware of the situation after they heard the girl talking– wait for him to say something, Barnes’ mind, for the first time in a long time, is absolutely blank and devoid of anything except the feeling and awareness of acceptance.
However, it’s not the same kind of acceptance he has felt from Steve, Blake, and the others. This time around it’s different as it not only comes from a stranger but a child at that. Someone who for the most part can’t even comprehend what he went through and could so easily be terrified of him because of it.
And at the same time, he’s overcome by the feeling of self-acceptance. Although still not as strong as he would like, it’s quite the progress for him, a stepping stone in his healing journey.
“Thank you,” Bucky manages to whisper with teary eyes.
He’s choking up on those two words as the realization of the meaning the girl’s own words carry hits him harder than a punch from the Hulk. Yet despite the pain that always comes with the reminder of his tragic story, he’s smiling from ear to ear thanks to the relief he feels at knowing not every stranger sees him as a monster.
Also, the encouraging squeeze that he got from Blake’s hand, still intertwined with his own metal one, helped him get the words out.
Knowing that there are people –who aren’t his friends, his teammates– that don’t even personally know him yet still look up to him, is something that he never even dreamed he could be worthy enough to experience. So, he truly is thankful for that little girl’s appreciation.
While the interaction was taking place, the child’s parents approached the group, initially out of concern for their daughter interacting with a bunch of strangers. Although, when they recognize the group of people as being members of the Avengers, they feel reassured and relieved.
Even Sam, Steve, and Blake are observing the wholesome situation unfold with a mixture of surprise and delight at seeing their friend and partner get recognized as the hero he really is and no longer as the monster he was forced to be.
In the end, that little girl is the cherry on top of a wonderful day.