Wildfire (Steve Rogers AU)

4

"Where the fuck have you been?" Steve asked Johnny as he walked into the kitchen to wash up for lunch and saw his brother with their mother.

"Enjoying life, which is more than can be said for you". Johnny fired back as Sarah now jumped in between her eldest sizing up to him.

"Alright you two, quit it".

Steve glared at him. "You better not have opened a tab at Dugan's again, otherwise I'm gonna drag that ass of yours out to the corral and string you up".

"Steve! Enough!" Sarah ordered. Sometimes it could get a hairy and threats would be thrown about, but never had the brothers hurt one another before. 

The elder Rogers backed off and went to wash his hands, muttering to himself as he did. "I want you out there training up Aspen, he's still not making any progress. Even Sam's tried and he can tame any horse".

"Aspen? He could kill me with a kick!" Johnny exclaimed. "I don't know why you're even still bothering to try and do so. He doesn't wanna be tamed, just let him free".

"Well I'm gonna keep trying. Can't just give up and you haven't even tried with him yet. I just wanna see how he takes to you". He wasn't about to give up trying to train the horse. He didn't quit for nothing. 

"You just wanna see me flat on my ass". Johnny replied with a mumble. 

Steve smirked as he sat down and began to eat. "That's always satisfying in my book".

Sarah sighed, "boys, really?"

"Sorry Ma". Johnny replied and finished his food. "You taken Colt to see Clint yet?" He asked his brother who shook his head. "Want me to?"

Steve's brow raised. "Would save me a trip, I've got some things wrap up here".

Pushing back his chair, Johnny announced that he'd take him, Steve chucking him a pouch of money to pay for the new shoe that Clint would need to replace. Once his brother was gone he signed. "That halo of his sure is getting real rusty lately".

Sarah sat herself down and began to finish her needle work that she had started a couple of days before, "he's like your dad was".

"Chip off the old block"

"He's right in some respects though, you need to stop worrying about this place and actually have some fun once in a while - and drinking at Dugan's doesn't count. When your dad said to take care of this place he didn't mean you should live and breathe it. He wanted you to settle, to have a family".

"I've got my family. It's you and Johnny - hell even Bucky if we wanna get technical". He chuckled as she threw him a lopsided smile.

"And what about when I'm gone? I'm not gonna be around forever. I wanna at least know you're settled and have some kids running around by the time I leave this Earth".

Steve sat back and folded his arms. "Pretty sure Johnny's probably got a couple running around already that we don't know about".

"I wouldn't put it past him" Sarah shook her head and carried on sewing. "But there are some nice girls in town, don't think I don't notice them staring at you when we head out there. They're just dying for you to look their way".

"And when I find one to do so then I will tell you". He told her, "but for now? This place is my priority- not a wife".

Sarah said no more, but she hoped that sooner rather than later, her son would change his priorities and put himself first for once. He'd literally taken to heart what her husband had asked of him on his deathbed.

Once Steve was finished he cleaned his plate and headed back out to work, Johnny returning from Barton's blacksmiths a short time later.

"All fixed up and good as new". He patted the horses head and then dismounted.

"Help me with this feed will you?" He said as Johnny put the horse back into the corral and came over to lift the sacks of feed and put them in the barn. "I'm sorry I was hard on you earlier, Mom was worried about you though".

Johnny shrugged it off, "she shouldn't be, I'm still here".

"Yeah, until one day you won't be, ever since that incident with Rumlow she's been scared to her wits end for you".

"It was taken care of".

"Yeah, by me...what if I hadn't have been here Johnny? She would've been alone and you'd have wound up at the undertaker with a bullet in you".

Johnny hauled a sack onto another. "I'm sorry".

"Just try not to piss anyone else off, I'm not always gonna be around to bail you out, and Sam and Bucky? They won't either".

"I'll try and do better". Johnny replied, "but only if you loosen up. Anyone here would think dad was back". He knew this would hit a nerve.

Steve turned to him. "I'm not like dad".

"When you're all superior you are...like Ma always says, a wife would do the trick, might even see you smile more".

"I smile".

"No you don't. You ain't smiled properly since you took over from dad".

Steve took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, the heat blazing down on over the grasslands that surrounded the ranch and Graystone. "Because it's me who's got the responsibility of keeping this place going!"

The younger sibling stood there for a moment. "Doesn't mean to say you have to give up having a life for it", and then went to get another sack from the cart.