I Thought You Were Different: Part 5

Planning

                   

After everyone had found their way home and back to the compound for the night, it was a fast lights-out with the level of exhaustion that they were all feeling.  Even Bruce and Thor, who hadn't even been at the hospital, were tired just from the stress of waiting for updates that weren't coming in fast enough.  The building went into darkness as rooms closed down almost simultaneously, with the exception of one at the very back of the complex, where sleep seemed to be an unattainable goal.

"I get Steve as my best man.  I've known him the longest."

"You've also known dirt longer than I have, so pile some of that up next to you instead."

"Sam," Bucky groaned, rubbing the fatigue from his eyes with a heavy hand, "look, I know that you took over best buddy duties while I was gone-"

"You make it sound like I was nothing more than a stand-in for you."

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"Well it sure as hell sounds like it," Sam answered back, now fully upset, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and not even so much as a hint of letting this go in his expression.  The two men stood silently for a moment, watching for the other to continue, only to find that neither of them knew what to say that wouldn't just piss them off even more, and that they really were in no shape to have this argument.  "Alright, listen," Sam finally gave in, "let's just call it a night and we can try this again tomorrow.  We're both too damn tired for this."

"Yeah," Bucky sighed, dropping his stance, "that sounds like a good idea.  I'm out of witty comebacks anyway."

Both of them turned away, with Bucky retreating to the bathroom to clean up while Sam turned down the bed and jumped in with a loud breath of relief at the weight being taken from him.  The mattress dipped and squeaked and the bedframe rattled under the jolt, leaving Sam lying motionless as he waited for the inevitable complaint from the room below.

"You can breathe," Bucky peeked his head through the doorway, "they're staying overnight at the hospital, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!  That's right!"  Sam looked back at Bucky with a sudden energy surge and a glimmer of mischief in his eye that wasn't missed at all, and not received the way he had hoped.

"No."

"Man, come on!" Sam whined.  "How often is it that we don't have to worry about the old couple below us bitching about being too loud up here?"

Bucky scoffed and turned back into the bathroom, hurrying to spit the last bit of toothpaste into the sink and to take a quick wipe over his face before returning, his head already shaking in both disbelief and denial of what was being asked of him.  "Weren't you the one who said that we were too tired?"

"For arguing, yeah."

It was one of Sam's best gifts, those eyes looking back at him with a pleading and playfulness that Bucky could never refuse.  All he could do was shake his head at the turn of events and the knowledge that for the rest of his life, he would be giving in to this guy and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop himself.  "Alright, but on one condition."

"Name it," Sam answered immediately.

"I get Steve as best man...hey, hold on!  You should have (Y/N) stand up for you!  You two are almost as inseparable as Steve and I are anyway."

"I was going to.  I just like to get you all worked up."

"You're such an ass," Bucky snapped, pushing Sam away with a hit to his chest.  "You were okay starting an argument that you knew you were going to give in to anyway?  That's just mean."

"Yeah, well the end result is still the same.  We're both getting what we want."

"Pfft, that's a risky little game, Wilson."  Bucky turned away and flopped himself back onto his pillow, staring at the ceiling as he thought about the day that was coming up and how much work they still had to do.  It was obvious that Sam wasn't thinking about that at all, and Bucky decided to draw this out as long as he could as a little bit of karma for the guy.  "Why is this so much work?  We should just take off for Vegas or something.  Hell of a lot easier."

"Like anyone would let us get away with that," Sam scoffed, dropping onto his pillow too.  "I don't know how (Y/N) did this twice.  We should have her take over the planning since she actually has a clue about what she's doing.  Her weddings turned out perfect.  Well," he paused with a grin curling at the corner of his mouth, "except for everyone almost dying at the first one."

Bucky wondered if you really would help them, taking Sam's suggestion seriously when it may have been said as a joke.  The two of them were completely inept at this kind of stuff, and if they both asked really nicely, there could be a chance.  "That's a great idea, Sam.  You ask her."

"Really?"

"Totally.  It makes the most sense to have her plan our wedding.  (Y/N) always gets what she wants."

~~~

"You were against this too!  From the very start!" Steve practically yelled from across your hospital room.  He was trying to get as much distance from you as he could, failing at keeping his anger in check.  "How do you think this is okay now?"

"Could you maybe not scream at me and have a civilized discussion about this?  Remember where we are."

Steve looked around the room as if it were the first time seeing his surroundings, his mind coming back into focus beyond the waves of red that had overtaken it.  Never in a million years would he have expected those words to pass through your lips, and to have them become a reality and find your voice only made him angrier that he had so completely misjudged you.  "(Y/N)," he began a bit more quietly, "think about what you're asking me to do.  They're fourteen-years-old.  They can just barely control the powers they have, and that's only thanks to Strange-"

"He's the one who said that they might help to save the world, do you remember that?" you interrupted, standing from your bed and taking slow steps towards him.  "There are threats out there that they can help to stop.  Things that we don't even know yet.  But beyond that, Steve...even if they had nothing to do with the team, you and I both know that just by virtue of who they are, they're at risk.  We've seen that.  Training them will make them ready to protect themselves when we aren't there to do it for them.  The day will come when we're gone and isn't it our job to teach them this?"

"Tell me, who's idea was this?"

"Does that matter?"

"(Y/N)," he answered, his tone feeling threatening and dark, "you know that it does.  Be honest with me.  Who?"

"Tony feels like there's something coming-"

"Yep, called it," Steve huffed, crossing his arms tightly and turning away, "it's always you two.  So, it is about having them ready to fight, isn't it?  This isn't about protecting themselves at all.  How are you okay with this?  These are our kids, (Y/N)."

"Hey, don't' turn away.  Look at me," you replied, feeling your own anger beginning to find its way to your voice and waiting for him to do as told.  "I was telling you the truth.  If Dad's right, and if there's something coming, it may not be a matter of letting them fight; they might have to just to survive, and we would be failing them if we didn't do this to give them a chance.  You know that I'm right."

Steve's mind was racing once again, his thoughts having left the idea of his children training with him and the dangers that even that would provide, but now he was overcome with fear of what it was that Tony was predicting.  If he had to make his kids into fighters just to have the chance to survive, what in the hell was coming?

"Steve, I'll do it if you don't."

He took a long, shaking breath, dropping the tension from his muscles so he could reach out for you to cling to; it was always a secure place for him, with you in his arms when he was feeling this way, and when he couldn't find the ground beneath him.  There was no one in the world that he trusted more than you, and if you believed this to be right, and this strongly, then he had to believe it too. 

"No," he finally spoke again, his lips pressed to your hair, "we'll do it together."