Just a Little Time

Epilogue

Steve did everything he could to protect his little family but it wasn't always easy. When SHIELD self destructed and Nick Fury ended up in his apartment bleeding all over the place he thought he'd sent Dick to stay with his honorary big brother Terry until things settled down. He found Dick running around plotting to rescue Nick Fury and helping set up SHIELD Mark 2, the Hydra free edition. The kid had been in on the plot to fake the Director's death. Terry was a terrible babysitter. He was an enabler from way back. He kept upgrading Dick's gear.

When Tony went a little too hard core megalomanic trying to save the world from itself with the Ultron program. Steve remembered two main things.

Dick crying and crying because Jarvis was being sacrificed and Vision hugging him. "I am not Jarvis but Jarvis is part of me. Dick now I really can be your friend."

He also remembered Dick somehow ending up on that stupid flying falling rock. It took him six weeks to get Dick home after Dick convinced Thor that Petra would get better if he accelerated fast enough because he was a speedster connected to the speed force just like the Flash (a comic book character Thor) and the rainbow bridge went absolutely the fastest. Dick had removed the bullets, stitched the damage so Petra could heal?

So,.. Dick ended up stuck in Asgard. He insisted Petra was alive and healing but too weak to travel. Thor said nothing one way or another when they next heard from him. The Avengers kind of figured Thor couldn't bear to contradict the little guy.

After Sokovia, Dick... Well Steve could only say Dick was amazing. While the Avengers were tearing each other apart he was building bridges. He befriended the Wakandan prince who would be king talking to him about loss, responsibility and the terrible things that happened when you put yourself out there and faced the worse the world had to offer.

He followed them to Siberia in secret not engaging in combat but acting as a silent witness then sitting with Tony helping him build a electromagnet to act as a temporary replacement for the arc reactor while they waited for help.

Tony watched as Dick disappeared and realized that the Sokovia accords were never the remotest possibility for the Captain. The accords would make a victim of Dick for sure. He was cute with his hair grown back and so earnest softly explaining that standing by a best friend, passionately loving your family and doing your best to make laws you believed in were good things. He didn't see any bad guys but for the mind controlled ones which he didn't think were supposed to count so he wasn't fighting today.

Tony silently promised himself to never ever use Dick to get to Steve.

They went into hiding. Dick thought it was fun. It involved a lot of camping.

Sitting by a campfire Steve ruffled Dick's hair. "As long as you're with me Sport, it's all good. Home is anywhere you are."

Dick gave him a hug. "Yeah but hugs would be less scratchy if you'd shave the beard. I don't like it."

Steve had aged barely a day since he'd been enhanced by the super serum. Dick aged less every day. He'd grow up eventually but neither of them had to be alone.

Fin