Phantom ▷ b. barnes [1] ✔️

xxxi. legend of the phantom

"I swore an oath and with my life I would pay." -- Nightshade, Lumineers

~ ~ ~

"To the Phantom!"

Sam rolled her eyes, raising her mug and clinking it against those of the Commandos. Sitting across from here, Steve stood, raising his own drink.

"Samantha, I should have realized that from the day we met, you'd be a pain in my side." He grinned, eyes dancing. "But I could never ask for a better or more loyal friend. Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!"

"You're all idiots," she said, shaking her head. But she was grinning all the same. "But a damn near perfect team. I believe I owe everyone a round of drinks?"

They all cheered and she pushed herself up, moving over to the counter. Bucky fell beside her, giving her a sideways look. "Better be careful, Smalls, or they'll drain your tab dry. Should've seen the last time Steve gave them unlimited access."

"Oh, trust me," she smirked. "They're all getting cheap beer."

"Dugan might take offense at that."

"Dugan lives on cheap beer. In fact, I'm pretty sure it runs through his veins."

Bucky barked a laugh. "That's fair."

The bartender brought over their drinks, shaking his head at the noise coming from across the room. The poor man looked exhausted.

"So, the Danish Straits." Sam said, gathering up what glasses she could and turning. Bucky grabbed the rest and followed her across the room. "I hear we're gonna be raiding a castle. Why does Schmidt always seem to claim the most iconic buildings?"

"There's supposed to be some sort of Viking Runestone there," he shook his head. "He's obsessed with those types of things. Searching for another Tesseract, I guess."

She pressed her lips together at his words. He was right, Schmidt was obsessed. That'd been all he'd talked about during her capture. How the world was changing, how they had to change with it. Or become relics of the past. 

He'd promised she'd watch the world burn and rise again. All at his side.

Sam suppressed a shudder.

The Commandos cheered even louder as they deposited the drinks. Sam went to sit, only to see Steve had stood. He met her eyes, nodding toward the door.

Brushing her hand against Bucky's, she followed.

Steve stepped into the night, leaning against the doorframe. Sam stopped beside him, tilting her head. "Something wrong, Cap?"

He shook his head, studying her face. "You've come pretty far since training, Sam. You know that, right?"

"Well, it's been a long road."

"And I'm glad to have been at your side along it." A bashful smile tugged across his face and he pulled a package from his coat. Sam's eyes widened.

"Steve? Am I gonna have to punch you?"

"I'm big now," he snorted. "You can try. Come on, it's not gonna explode."

She took it and with a quick glance at his face, tore it open. Her heart skipped a beat. Blinking, she gazed back at him. "Dammit, Steve."

"Howard designed it. Take it out."

She complied, breaths sticking in her throat. For a moment, she could only stare.