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Bucky gripped the wheel. “Listen, I’m driving as fast as I can –”
“It’s four in the morning and our flight is in five hours. You don’t have to drive fast, Buck.”
“Well if Sam would kindly refrain from backseat-driving I think I’d be a little more relaxed.”
“Telling you that you forgot to put your blinker on while changing lanes at an alarming speed isn’t backseat driving .”
***
Cap Quartet
8:41 AM
Steve: Boarding the plane! :)
Steve: [sent an image]
Nat: why is sam sitting in between you two 💀
Sam: They insisted that it didn’t matter if they sat with each other or not.
Sam: And they’re holding hands across my lap.
Steve: You can hold hands too if you really want
Bucky: boarding the plane
Nat: yes steve already said that lmao
Steve: It takes him longer since he has to type with one hand
Steve: Because
Steve: Metal arm and whatnot
Sam: It’s gonna be a fun six hours
Sam: Best part is, I can’t even take a nap because I have a literal super soldier on either side of me.
Bucky: :)
Steve: :)
Nat: yup glad i’m missing out on this. have fun. ❤️❤️
***
“I thought we all agreed on wearing Brooklyn Dodgers gear,” Bucky glowered.
Sam pulled an oversized jersey over his t-shirt. “No, you two agreed to that. I will be wearing a Mookie Betts jersey because, unlike some of us, I’m not a hundred year old man.”
Steve laughed as Bucky jammed a Brooklyn Dodgers hat onto his head defiantly, refusing to break eye contact with Sam.
***
“Well, it is a nice stadium,” Steve commented honestly, using his hand as a shield from the unrelenting sun as he stared at the towering palm trees, clear blue skies, and painted murals of various Dodgers through the years.
Bucky folded his arms. “Yeah, maybe, but if they dialed down the Los Angeles thing– I mean, it’s like California has become the only part of the team’s personality– ”
Sam snorted and took out his card to pay for their food and drinks. “Dude, Brooklyn has become the only part of your personality.”
***
“Dodger Dogs?” Steve repeated, grinning as he pulled back the foil. They’d finally found their seats (a few rows back from first base).
“Funny, right? I guess that’s what they call hot dogs here.”
“Well at least it’s not a Los Angeles Dog – ”
“ Bucky. ”
***
“ Up next, batting for our Los Angeles Dodgers: number 16, Willllll Smith!”
The crowd whooped as the theme song from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air rang through the stadium ( “Now this is a story all about how…” ).
Sam grinned and turned to Steve and Bucky. “It’s funny because–”
“I know.”
“--there’s also an actor named Will Smith, and he had a TV show–”
“I know. ”
***
Take me out to the ballgame,
Take me out with the crowds,
Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack,
I don’t care if I ever go back
For it’s root, root, root for the DODGERS!
If they don’t win it’s a shame–
For it’s
One!
Two!
Three strikes, you’re out,
At the old
Ball
Game!
***
“I’m just saying,” Bucky started, “seeing as you two are both literal Avengers, you have resources, and I’m sure that Stark could just buy out the Dodgers and bring ‘em back to Brooklyn–”
“I’m not asking Tony Stark to buy out the Dodgers.”
“Coward.”
***
The woman sitting in front of them turned around. “Hey, are you–?”
“Steve Rogers? Yeah. He is.” Bucky jumped in.
She smiled, unfazed. “My girlfriend is a huge fan. What are you guys doing out in LA? Here to see Shohei bat in person? Freeman get another grand slam? Hoping to stop and talk with Dave Roberts?”
Steve and Bucky blinked.
“They refused to learn anything about the current players,” Sam coughed eventually. “Because living in a perpetual state of denial is something they do best.”
“It’s not a state of denial – if you had visited Ebbets Field in 1941, you’d be just as stubborn.”
“I really, really doubt it.”
***
Steve returned to his seat, practically glowing.
“What? Successful bathroom trip?”
“I mean– shut up. No, someone just stopped me on the way back. He wanted to get a picture, since his shirt was a print of the shield but in pink, purple, and blue–”
“Oh. Like. Bisexual flag. Gotcha.” Bucky nodded. “Captain America will never pass up an opportunity to advocate for the gays.”
“As far as I’m concerned,” Sam began quoting, grinning stupidly, “that’s America’s bisexual ass.”
***
Steve started laughing immediately. “ Buck. Look up. We’re on the Kiss Cam.”
Alarmed, Bucky turned his head towards the nearest jumbotron. Sure enough, Bucky and Steve’s faces were lit up on every screen in the stadium, their cross between elated and confused expressions surrounded by cartoon hearts and the words Kiss Cam in pink bubble letters.
The stadium was in an uproar, cheering and wolf-whistling to no end.
“We’re about to make some fangirl’s day,” Bucky muttered, grinning as he put a hand on the back of Steve’s neck and leaned forward, closing the distance between them.
The crowd’s joyful cries and eager applause doubled, because Steve Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes were making out on the Dodger Stadium jumbotron.
***
“Get that ball outta here– get outta here– getoutgetoutgetoutcomeongetout– OH!” Steve, Bucky, Sam, and 37 thousand other Dodger fans jumped to their feet as the ball sailed into the stands: a two-run home run, courtesy of Max Muncy (only referred to as ‘number 13’ by Steve and Bucky).
“You know, I think you’re starting to forget how to hold a grudge,” Sam commented over the fans’ loud celebration.
“When the Dodgers are beating the Giants 7 to 1 in the eighth inning,” Steve replied, left arm around Bucky and right fist still raised in the air, “you forget about grudges.”
***
Rollin’ down the Imperial Highway
Big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north
And we were born to ride
Roll down the window, put up the top
Crank up the Beach Boys, baby,
Don’t let the music stop
We’re gonna ride it til we
Just can’t ride it no more
From the South Bay
To the Valley
From the West Side
To the East Side
Everybody’s very happy
‘Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day–
I love L.A.
(We love it!)
I love L.A.
(We love it!)
We love it!
As the traditional Dodgers victory song kept playing (and slightly tipsy fans continued to sing along), Bucky turned to Sam and said, “Yeah, but I think I liked Brooklyn a little better–”
“Shut up, man. Just enjoy it.”
***
“ We’ll now invite fans to come out onto the field to watch the fireworks– ”
“ Onto the field, they said?” Steve asked, looking at Bucky and failing to mask his excitement.
“Yeah. Sometimes they’ll do that for Friday nights. Did I not tell you guys when I got the tickets?”
“Not a word,” Bucky replied, already racing down the stadium stairs with Steve not far behind him.
***
Plenty of poorly-taken selfies of being on the field did, in fact, end up on the Cap Quartet group chat. Along with several even worse quality videos of fireworks that would probably never be watched again.
It was the thought that counted.
“I want to get one of those customized jerseys, you know, but specifically a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey with Barnes on the back and the number 17–”
Sam snorted. “That would be pretty confusing, considering the Dodgers have an Austin Barnes, the number 17 belongs to Shohei Ohtani, and they’ve been in California since ‘58.”
“I don’t care if it’s confusing, I’d wear it out in public regardless, it’s for me– ”
“Yeah, and I could get one that said Rogers, 18–”
“See, Steve understands–”
***
Sam: They’re currently scheming to get CUSTOM MATCHING BROOKLYN DODGERS JERSEYS.
Nat: let them.
***
“So,” Sam asked the next day. “Did you enjoy Los Angeles against your better judgement?”
“Yes,” Bucky finally relented, sounding put-out. “It was, unfortunately, fun.”
“Still want me to double check if Tony can somehow buy them out and move the Dodgers back to Brooklyn?” Steve asked, smirking brazenly.
“I mean… I wouldn’t say no to it…”