Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 3

What Makes You Happy? (Part 4) (Sam Wilson x reader)

"Well, the hotels weren't exactly five-star."

You looked to Sam, standing on the other side of Vision as the two of you held him up, watching Bruce and Nat and their extremely awkward reunion in the middle of the Avengers compound. It was a building that you had never expected to be standing in again after you had helped Steve break his team from the Raft, and when Natasha had joined you, you thought for sure she had come to turn you all in. It was a wonderful surprise to find that she had better plans, and the way things were going now it was for the best that you had as many of the team as possible gathered together in one place. With the exception of Tony and Peter, you were almost ready to face the mystery that was coming to end the universe as you knew it.

"Come on, Viz, let's get you to the couch," you offered, but he gently waved you away.

"No, there's no time for rest. We need to plan for what's to come." As he and Wanda moved to stand together on the far side of the room, with Steve, Nat, Bruce, and Rhodey on the other, you and Sam took the opportunity for the rare moment to yourselves, stepping aside and into the nearby kitchen.

"What do you think's gonna happen?" you asked him, your eyes darting towards the group before back to him. "I don't see how Vision can survive this. If they take the stone-"

"We'll figure it out," Sam answered flatly, but he wouldn't meet your gaze. "Banner will figure it out. He has to."

"Sam, I believe in Bruce just as much as anyone else, but this is beyond his area of expertise, don't you think? We have no idea where Tony is. What do any of us know about this stuff?"

"Just trying to keep a little optimism, that's all."

"I know you are," you sighed heavily, "I'm sorry. It's just that I've forgotten what optimism feels like. Hell, I've forgotten what a good shower feels like, now that we're back here and I miss our old room."

"I'm sure we have a few minutes to sneak away?" he smiled coyly. "No one will notice."

"Steve will, don't fool yourself."

Sam furrowed his brow in thought, looking over your shoulder to where the Captain was deep in conversation with Vision. "He looks tied up in whatever they're talking about. I say we make a run for it and take our chances."

Turning back, you considered the option as you watched Steve, his hands firmly on his hips as he listened to Vision and Bruce continue on about their options, if there even were any. It didn't look to be a conversation that was to be over any time soon, and you decided that maybe Sam was right; this was your opportunity. However, unlike your husband, sneaking around wasn't in your choice of methods.

"Cap?"

"Yeah, (Y/N)? You have an idea?" he answered eagerly.

"I sure do," you smiled widely, taking Sam's hand, "my husband and I are unavailable for the next thirty minutes. We're taking advantage of five-star when we see it." With that, the two of you walked away, and you had expected Sam to give Steve an apologetic look or at least a shrug of inability to say no, but he gave nothing of the sort. All that he offered the Captain was a hasty salute and complete disregard for any argument that he could try to find before the two of you were out of his sights.

~~~

It was unbelievable what a hot shower and a towel that wasn't threadbare could do for morale. You almost dared to feel like yourself for a few glorious minutes, but you didn't want to risk losing yourself there when it wasn't reality anymore. The deep ache still filled your every muscle, but the burn within them had faded some. You still had your share of bruises from a fight only days before, and a neatly stitched gash in your left leg was healing surprisingly nicely given the fact that Steve hadn't needed to do any for a few years now.