Never Separated

Nine

The soccer ball slammed into the pole and Steve saw the car crash into his boyfriend. The jeers of his teammates brought him back to reality and he ran down the green, as fast as he could go, then he saw himself sprinting after Bucky, they were headed towards the road --

He kicked the ball hard into the goal and it sank into the net. Panting, he jogged over to the sidelines where Tony, T'Challa and Peter sat talking. As Steve joined them, T'Challa joined the game, and Steve collapsed onto the grass.

His arms were beginning to heal, and he hadn't seen Bucky for two days. It was Monday, now -- the start of a new week. After that, it was back to school, and that Friday, a spring dance to kickstart the new term.

Steve was trying not to think about it. Or anything in particular, really.

"Hey, Cap," Peter said, and Steve looked at him as he took a drink from his water bottle. "I made a friend recently, d'you think we could add another player?"

"Don't see why not," he replied. Peter brightened and nodded, glancing at the field once more.

"Great! Her name's Carol, she's super cool," he said excitedly. Tony grinned at him.

"Kid's been keen on this idea for a while," he explained. "She's an old soul, like you."

"Ah, I might take a break from this for a while anyway, got a few things I need to go over," he mused, looking at his bandaged hands. Tony watched him quietly as Peter finished his water.

"She's actually a captain too," he said. "She could take over for a while."

"Cap's gettin' replaced?" Sam tagged Peter in as he jogged over, out of breath. Steve waved a hand and sighed, staring up at the sky.

"Maybe."

"It's not concrete," Tony added. "New girl, Carol."

"Ah. Danvers. Yeah, she babysits for Riley sometimes," Sam added with a grin.

"Riley's a dad?"

"Nah, dude's got like five cats," he explained.

As they chatted, Steve couldn't help but think about Bucky. With a small sigh, he collapsed back onto the grass and laid his arms over his eyes, blocking them from the sun.

"What am I gonna do?" he murmured, blinking up at the clouds.

"About what?"

He flinched at the sudden voice and rolled over to see Peter sitting there again. Steve shook his head and followed the clouds with his eyes.

"Oh, I just... have a lot on my plate right now," he explained. Peter laid down beside him, hands folded over his chest.

"Y'know a saying my aunt told me? 'How do you eat an elephant?' Well, the answer is 'one piece at a time'." He shrugged. "You just need to find what piece you're starting with."

Steve considered this, and finally nodded slowly.

"You're right."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, kid," Steve breathed as he stood up and ran off the field. Peter watched him go.

"I'm only, like, two years younger than you!" He tsked. "So... not a kid." He nudged a chunk of dirt with his shoe. "He's already gone. I'm talking to air."

"C'mon, Pete!" Tony yelled. "We need you!"

Shaking his head, Peter scrambled to his feet and ran back into the game.

////

Why couldn't a hospital be anywhere nearby?