Letters

Stuffy June Day

"Come on!" She shouted gleefully as they raced toward the waters edge.

"You know I can't run as fast as you!" A voice whined behind her as he tore off his shirt and kicked off his shoes. "Willow! Wait up!" Steve complained. Willow just gave another gleeful shout and dived head first off the dock and into the lake. The water rippled and settled then nothing. She didn't come back up.

Steve came to a screeching halt at the end of the dock. He looked down at the water nervously. "Willow.." He called out waiting for her to resurface. Bubbles rose up slowly. Steve began to panic "Willow!" Steve shouted again. Suddenly something shot out of the water and grabbed Steve's hand. "Whoa!" He shouted. Caught off balance, Steve fell into the lake on his back. Willow laughed pushing out and swimming away from him so he wouldn't have a chance to dunk her head under the water. Steve emerged hair dripping, spewing out mouthfuls of the insect, algae filled water. "Why'd you do that?" Steve whined shivering from the sudden rush of cold air.

"Because I knew it would be funny." Willow teased splashing him.

"Oh come on Willow!" Steve said, shivering in the cold water, barely keeping his head up.

"Live a little Rogers!" Willow said happily putting one arm out behind her and then the other in a backstroke.

"Wait up!" He called out not wanting to be left behind. Not that Willow would ever leave him behind but Steve always feared that she would. He carried the fear with him until adulthood.

"Swim faster!" She replied laughing as she disappeared under the water.

"Uh oh." Steve murmured. He's known Willow long enough to know what she was doing. She was going to pull him under. "Willow!" Steve complained. "Please don't!" He called out. Spinning around and around, Steve tried to swim away from his original spot, he was never as fast as Willow though and seconds later he felt hands grip his right ankle. He gasped for air and she pulled him under.

Opening his eyes Steve looked on in wonder at Willow. Her hair flew around her in the water making her look like some sort of sea goddess. She was laughing too. The bubbles floating up around her, then she kicked up, grabbing his hand and pulled them both back to the surface. Laughing, Willow pushed her wet hair out of her face. "I hate when you do that." Steve grumbled crossing his arms over his chest.

"No you don't." She replied waving him away with a smile.

"But I do." He insisted. Willow rolled her blue eyes and swam closer to Steve.

"Quit being a baby." She said kissing his cheek in the way that small kids do to their best friend.

"I am not a baby!" Steve shouted as Willow swam away from him laughing. Steve touched the spot where she had kissed him. It was a small gesture really, but it meant a lot to Steve and unknown to him, but it meant a lot to Willow too.

"Come on Steve!" Willow shouted at him from the shore. "Before we catch cold! Or before our mother's find out!" She shouted at him, shivering in her wet clothes and grabbing her shoes. Steve nodded and swam slowly back toward the banks. Willow was wringing out her wet hair as he stepped onto shore. Steve pushed his hair off of his forehead as Willow handed him his shoes.

"Thanks." Steve said with a smile.

"Of course! Now come on. Bucky's probably wondering where we've run off to this time." She took off, her wet hair flying out behind her.

"Wait!" Steve called out again pulling on his shoes. Willow only laughed and increased her speed. They raced out of the small wooded area, the last one left in their small town, and hit the streets of Brooklyn full speed.

"I'll race you!" Willow shouted behind her.

"But that's not fair! You got a head start and you know I can't run as fast as you!" Steve shouted back in dismay.

"Well you gotta learn if you're to keep up with me!" Willow shouted back with a laugh. Steve groaned and ran as fast as he possibly could. He only ever got a few steps behind her. Willow always won. Willow threw herself through the front door of Steve's house shouting, "I've won again! Mrs. Rogers write that down." She said gleefully pointing at the pencil marked scoreboard on a five inch wall that jutted out by the doorway. Mrs. Rogers walked in, her shoulder length blonde hair bouncing and a pretty pink smile on her face.

"What is that now?" Mrs. Rogers asked as she picked up a nearby pencil.

"Fifty to none." Willow sang out. Mrs. Rogers can't help but smile.

"I think you like wining more than you let on. Oh there's my little boy now." Mrs. Rogers said as Steve slid into the doorway, chest heaving and pale as a sheet. "Are you okay sweetheart?" Mrs. Rogers asks in slight concern as Steve begins to turn red in the face.

"Steve.." Willow asks stepping toward him, her victory far from her mind. It is then that Steve collapses and Willow is there to catch him. Mrs. and Mr. Rogers rush him to the hospital with the kids in the backseat. Willow holds his hand the whole ride there.

Asthma attack. That's what the Doctor said.

"He's lucky to be alive." The Doctor explained. Willow cried. She blamed herself. His parents were understanding but she wouldn't listen. She had put him up to it, and it was then, that stuffy June day, in a hospital room that Steve Rogers fell in love with Willow while she cried over something as trivial as an asthma attack.