Timeless Love

Campfire Nights 🏕️

Warnings: mentions of war, bickering, teasing, sarcastic remarks

Word Count: 2,7k

June 1934

It's the first really hot summer day in Brooklyn and the others decided to head down to the lake for the weekend to go camping. They have been going there for a few years now and it's become a tradition.

It's a very secluded lake, far away from the buzzing city but still close enough for them to reach it in a couple of minutes.

It's a flat lawn, so perfect for tents but the lake is surrounded by trees and they can gather enough logs to make a fire once the sun is setting and it starts to get colder.

Usually, the girls always share a tent and the boys share the other one. But for this year, y/n wanted to share a tent with Steve. Leaving Mary and Bucky forced to sleep in the same tent.

And she's been dreading it.

Y/n and Steve are quick with putting up their sleep place for the weekend and Steve moves on to stack the branches Bucky was kind enough to collect. Anything to get away from Mary and her bossy attitude.

He glances up, his blue eyes catching the last rays of the sun, then turns to Y/N, who was busy unrolling their shared bedroll inside the tent.

"Do you need any help, Y/N?" Steve asks, his voice gentle as always.

Y/N looks up and smiles, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm almost done. But you could light the fire. It's getting chilly."

Steve nods, already reaching for the matches in his pocket. As he crouched down by the firepit, he couldn't help but smile to himself. This was perfect. The two of them, out in nature, far from the city's noise. Just the kind of peaceful escape they both needed.

And Bucky and Mary.

Meanwhile, Bucky and Mary are busy setting up their tent, though 'busy' might have been a generous term. They had been at it for almost an hour, and the tent was still half-collapsed.

"Why do I have to hold the pole?" Bucky complains, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he struggles to keep the tent upright. "You're the one who's supposed to be good at this!"

Mary shoots him a glare, her hands on her hips. "I am good at this, you big oaf! It's just that you're hopelessly incompetent. I've never seen someone so bad at following simple instructions."

Bucky rolls his eyes, though there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. "I'll have you know I have set up plenty of tents in my life before. This is just faulty equipment."

Mary scoffs, grabbing the other end of the tent pole. "Faulty equipment, my foot. You just have two left hands!"

Steve, overhearing the exchange, couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Do you two need a hand, or are you enjoying yourselves too much?"

Bucky grins over at Steve, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, we're having a blast. Right, Clarke?"

Mary shoots Bucky a sidelong glance but doesn't respond, too busy trying to fix the tent. "We'll manage," she mutters and swats Bucky's hand away who wants to help her with the pole.

Y/N comes out of the tent just as Steve struck a match and lit the fire. She walks over to Steve, leaning into his side as they both watch the flames catch and grow. The fire crackles, and a comforting warmth spread through the campsite.

"You think they'll ever get that tent up?" Y/N asks, nodding towards Bucky and Mary, who are still arguing over the proper way to secure the tent stakes.