we will be the stars

A chuckle resonated from the back of his throat. Again came the mental images of a dog version of himself. Though he quickly pushed those aside and offered a small smile. “Most of that is the Super Soldier Serum, I can’t claim most of the strengths for my own, but I appreciate that thought. And since there’s none left we can’t exactly test it out on any canines to see if they might not be smarter than me after an injection.”

He let out a laugh at her comment on Chewie. “An alien cat? I can only imagine the scratches I would receive on trying to ‘rescue’ her, then. Perhaps I’ll let the little old lady with flight powers do that then. You’d have better luck getting her down.”

He smiled at her posture and barely managed to grab his ball cap when she hoisted him up and into the midnight sky. The trip this time was far shorter than their excursion to Coney Island, but the view was as impressive. He didn’t think he’d ever get over the beauty of his city from the sky. And envied Carol a touch for her ability to see this as often as she’d like. Steve thought it might be the only skill he wished Dr. Erskine had been able to add in. 

They landed only a few minutes later and he took in the sight of the cityscape from Lady Liberty. It took his breath away. He supposed that most people wouldn’t get as caught up in the emotions of it as he did. He had only been up here one time before… a very long time ago, and it was the only time he had ever made it up because of how sick he was and how hard it had been to climb the stairs. It was a sight he never forgot. 

He forced his eyes away from the incredible view as she called after him. “A water is fine,” he replied, his voice slightly thick. “This place is… wow… I just-” He cut off, eyes wandering back to the skyline. He took one last look before pulling himself away from the deck and following her inside. It was certainly a lot different from the last time he’d seen it. In fact, if he hadn’t had the original so ingrained in his memory, he wouldn’t have been able to picture her apartment as anything less. He nodded as he scanned the visible areas of her home. “Your home is great, Carol. Thank you for allowing me over.”

Carol didn’t bother to suppress the snort of laughter at his continued protests. “Deflect all you like, but that serum didn’t create something from nothing. It had to have something to work with, and that was all you. Is all you. Serum or not, you’re damned impressive, Rogers.” She grinned widely at him. “I’d say I’m the same way, but I guess I was already a badass before the Psyche-Magnitron incident. It was the icing on the cake.”

She eyed her compatriot as he took in the view, clearly quite moved. “It’s something else. If you’d told me I’d be living here one day, I’d’ve laughed you out of the city. Hell of a set of circumstances that led me here. Rent is killer, though.”

He followed a step or two behind, letting Carol have some distance, he wasn’t ignorant enough to think she wanted him there. He could tell she didn’t want to be with him. Normally he would have backed off. Steve may be socially awkward, but he didn’t want to force himself on anyone like this. However, Carol having a little too much to drink, and having so much on her plate gave him the peace of mind to change his usual responses for once. Sometimes, he supposed, one friend needs to push a little to help the other.

“No, no, no,” he said, a little more emphatically than he’d meant to. He paused and licked his lips a little, trying to employ all his strategic intelligence to formulate exactly how to express what he hoped Carol would get from his intrusion and interference with her evening. When he finally had it he gave a quick, decisive nod and began: “I’m not trying to get you back to headquarters, I’m not trying to make you do paperwork. Me coming out tonight is make sure you are ok. Because, well… you’re not. You’ve been taking on more and more responsibilities instead of delegating them. Again, this is why I’m here. You don’t need to take on every task, every bit of paperwork, and all this responsibility on your own. And you certainly don’t need to hold in your frustration with everything and bottle it up. You are an incredible woman, Carol, strong, capable, fierce, a commanding force to be reckoned with, but even you have your limits emotionally, and I’m concerned that you are about to cross them or have already. That’s why I’m here. To help you back over the edge.”

Carol skidded to a stop, pivoting to face Steve. She could feel the irritation showing through on her face, and it rang clear in her voice when she spoke. “I know you’re not trying to get me to go back to work, Steve. I’m just being practical, here. If I’m not gonna hold down the barstool I was on, I might as well go take some weight off my desk.” She cut herself off, breaking eye contact to look at the ground for a moment, collecting herself with a few breaths. When she looked back up, the irritation had been firmly tamped down, and she looked much calmer. “Steve, seriously. I’m fine. I know my limits, and I’m not there yet.” Frustratingly, a lot of what Steve was saying made sense. Dammit. “If it’ll shut you up, I’ll start trying to delegate more. You can even take some of it, if you want to.”

The urge to hit something was steadily growing alongside her frustration with the situation. Maybe she should take up his offer for a sparring session. She cocked her head, giving him the first genuine smile she’d had all evening, small though it was. “On second thought, maybe we’ll do the ice cream to-go. If I’m not allowed to do paperwork either, sparring might be a good outlet.”

Pietro couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Carol, not bothering to conceal his dislike for her questioning. Despite her casual tone, the speedster still assumed it was going to lead to the kind of questioning he really didn’t want to go through. “Does it matter? You aren’t my mother,” he huffed, crossing his arms. 

“Am I not allowed a day off? Or my own opinion on who is or isn’t worth my time? …or do I have to be a good boy and do as I’m told huh?” he wasn’t entirely sure why he’d so suddenly jumped to being rude, but suspected it had something to do with his general dislike of most authority figures. It wasn’t like he disliked Carol herself, in fact he actually quite liked her…at least compared to most of the other Avengers who he didn’t quite get along with. 

There was little Carol could do to keep herself from raising an eyebrow, presumably making her look supremely unimpressed. “Mother? God, I hope not. Friend, if you’ll let me be. Leader of the Avengers, yes, for now at least. I’ve gotta be accountable for everything we do. Or don’t do. I’m not trying to bust your ass here, Pietro. I’m trying to understand.”

There was a lot Steve could say to disagree with her on options, but he chose to stay silent that time. She was irritated with him, the bartender, and life in general, if he guessed it right, and adding to that with a discussion on options wasn’t the best- well… option. C’mon, Steve, you’ve got to do better than this. He was nearly convinced it would come to nothing when she pushed back from the bar and headed for the door. 

He carefully and deliberately kept the smirk from his face that she’d gone along with his idea so easily. Or maybe it was more that she just didn’t feel like dealing with an overly stubborn old man who wore spandex half the time. Whatever it was, at least she was making progress… progressively getting further away from the bottle. He rose from his seat and met her at the door. “It’s five blocks down, towards your apartment, actually. We can eat at the parlor, or if you want, go back to your place with the ice cream. I don’t get the impression you’d want to head back to headquarters this evening.”

Without another word, Carol set off in the correct direction for the parlor. To be honest, she wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention to what Steve was saying, too busy steaming over his interruption of her plans. Not that they had been much, just drinking and then (hopefully) sleep. Now that that wasn’t happening, she might as well just go along with Steve’s ‘alternative.’ Who knew, maybe she would take him up on that sparring offer as well; he was one of the few people around who could keep up with her.

When her mind caught up with what he’d been saying, she huffed another sigh. “Wasn’t planning to, but maybe I should. If I’m not gonna have the night I’d planned, I might as well get some administrative crap done. Let’s just eat at the parlor, I guess.”

“I’m not sure, I’ve met a few really smart ones over the years,” he replied calmly, careful to keep the smirk off his face. Sarcasm was still a lost art form for him, but he was trying to work on his humor. Especially as he’d be mocked by Tony if he didn’t. Then again, he’d probably be mocked by Tony for trying as well. “I’ve even thought about getting a dog, but I’m concerned he’d be smarter than me.”

Another laugh, Steve found himself quite enjoying the sound of it. He chuckled along with her at her description of Tony. She wasn’t wrong. Steve wasn’t sure he’d met anyone so capable of getting out of paperwork the way Tony was. In previous years that would only have irritated Steve, but now he found himself wondering how exactly the billionaire did it.

“A duck suit?” He shot a side ways glance, one brow raised in perplexity. He had to admit, the verbal description created a rather amusing image, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing the mental clone of himself in a duck suit… saving a kitten our of a tree… “Are you going to be the little old lady asking for the kitten?” He asked teasingly. He was getting better at communicating with others, women especially, or at least he thought he was. Hopefully she wouldn’t be insulted. He didn’t think she would be, but jokes were never his strong suit. Duck suits were apparently more his ‘thing’.

Apparently he was funnier than he thought. What with the laugh that escaped Carol. His face broke into a huge grin at the sound. A little confidence booster, even if she didn’t know it. “I’m sure you didn’t,” he replied dryly, not entirely believing her. Well, he did, but he wanted to keep the joke going a little more. If only for her to laugh again. She needed more of that. “Straight shot this time, just let me purchase a bandana and some googles for the next flight. This way I’ll be prepared for the next bug you try to feed me.”

She grinned at Steve, appreciating his humor even as she protested. “I dunno, I don’t think I would go that far. I doubt a dog could calculate angles and strategies like you do. And you’re better behaved than the grand majority of dogs I’ve met. For whatever that’s worth.”

“I don’t know where that came from. First thing that came to mind, I guess. Trying to push the absurdity of the situation.” Carol snorted a laugh at the thought of her as the ‘little old lady’ in the scenario. “If I was, do you think you’d be up to saving Chewie? You do realize she’s an alien, right? She doesn’t go anywhere she doesn’t want to be.”

She crossed her arms, considering his expression with a serious one of her own. Finally she broke, grinning at him once more. “Deal. Hold onto your hat, Cap.” She took off, maneuvering behind him and lifting him into the air as she had before.

“Mmhmm,” he nodded, not bothering to hide his doubtful expression. She was trying to hide whatever was going on, and he wasn’t sure whether to push or hold back. Her reaction to the bartender and even to him told him plenty. He knew she wouldn’t outright tell him what was going on, but how far to push was the question. She sounded like she was trying to appear altogether. But he knew that wasn’t true. Though how he should call her on it was another question. At least she admitted there was something. 

“I may not be leading the Avengers anymore, and under you in a few respects, but I’m a lot older, and usually a lot wiser.” He smirked for good measure. “Drinking may help you drown it all away for a time, but it isn’t going to help you in the long run. That’s what a good punching bag or sparring buddy, and a late night of venting and ice cream is for. I know of a good place up the street that sells gallons of the best flavors I’ve had this century. The best one I had before was bought out and several decades later is home to an acupuncturist.” He rambled on in the hopes that she’d cheer up a bit. Even if it didn’t work, he was far too stubborn to give up easily in this.

Carol gave him a withering look. "Well, whether it would help or not, it looks like that's not an option for me anymore." She glanced at the door the bartender had vanished through, then heaved a heavy sigh and shoved herself back from the bar. "Looks like I'm having ice cream. Whoopee."

More than anything, Carol was just irritated that Cap had interrupted her evening. It wasn't as though she didn't know her limits, and she had planned on going right to the edge of them. As it was, she was now going to go and eat at some ice cream parlor with the man who was practically the icon of wholesome American values. Not exactly the same thing. She glanced over her shoulder as she shoved her way through the door. "So which way is this place?"

Steve shook his head and smiled. “If you say so. Though I don’t think it’s very fair that you’re asking a centenarian to unlearn his vocabulary. I didn’t think you could teach an old dog new tricks.”

His eyes drifted out ahead of him, though his mind was elsewhere. “One of these days I’ll be all caught up with paperwork, but I’m suspecting it’ll be when I’m celebrating my 200th birthday. By then I’ll be old enough to retire.” 

He smiled at her laugh, it was nice to see her relaxed. Lately she’d been taking too much on herself, she’d say she was fine, but he couldn’t help but wonder when she’d hit her breaking point. And trying to take items off her plate only worked so well for a time. Sam’s death had hit everyone pretty hard, but his responsibilities fell on her adding to her already full load. Steve only hoped she’d realize that he was stepping up to assist her and that she’d share her load, if for no other reason than to give herself a chance to get above water. “I’ll take care of the supply order, you’ve got enough things to deal with.” He said softly. 

He was enthused by the idea of going to her apartment. Both because of the venue and the ability to get to know Carol more. In her home she’d be far more relaxed. The thought of home gave him a tinge of regret. He still hadn’t found that himself. He was quick to disguise his momentary sadness and offered a laugh at her reminder of before. “If I didn’t know any better, Carol Danvers, I’d say you tried to steer me into the path of the oncoming bug. I’m nearly convinced you’ll attempt to do so again. And don’t think your smile fools me. I’m catching on to your tricks. Old as I am.”

Carol quirked an eyebrow at her companion with a smirk. “Sure you can. As long as the dog has enough intelligence and you’re patient and firm enough, any dog can learn a new trick, old or young. Unless you’re saying you’re not as smart as a dog…

She let loose another very genuine laugh at his quip. "Pretty sure no one is ever done with paperwork, unless you’re Tony. Then you ignore it until someone more responsible does it.” Her tone was extremely light; Tony was a good friend to her, so they were accustomed to teasing one another. “As for ‘after you retire…’ I’m pretty damn sure you’re never gonna retire. At least, not in the traditional sense. You’re the kind of man who will never stand by when something bad is happening. And like I said before, you’re synonymous with Captain America at this point. You could be helping a damn kitten out of a tree in a duck suit, people would still say they’d seen Captain America perform a daring rescue.”

A small smile flitted across her face, and she shot him a glance, recognizing the offer for what it was. “Thanks. I’d appreciate that. Didn’t really see just how much work this job was. Don’t think anyone really does, not until they’re standing there doing it.”

“Yes, Ma-… yup, I heard you got the place,” he nodded, catching his lips between his teeth in frustration with himself. At least he’d caught it. He was going to have to be more careful. He had meant it with no disrespect, rather the opposite, and had gotten so accustomed to using the term that he knew he’d have to make an effort to keep an ear out for it. 

“I’ve got nothing planned, not this late anyway,” Steve shrugged, liking the idea of seeing the view from atop Lady Liberty. It was one of his favorite landmarks anyway. Being able to see from it’s highest levels sounded like a plan to him. “Well, besides avoiding more paperwork and putting in another order of punching bags for the gym. I thought I went through them quickly… some of the trainees are downright brutal to them.”

Carol shot Steve a smile at his slip, patting him amiably on the shoulder. "You'll get there." She understood the struggle it could be to drop words from your vocabulary, so as long as he was trying, she wouldn't give him a hard time. Probably.

Steve really seemed to be enthused by the idea of visiting her apartment, so she nodded decisively. "Then my place it is. Can't say I wouldn't mind dodging my own paperwork." She laughed outright at his comment, tossing her hair lightly. "I'm not too easy on them, myself. I tend to punch right through them. But you're right, maybe I should up our monthly bulk order. Some of the people we've got coming around these days really shred them."

Freezing when he heard his name, it took Pietro a moment to recall the voice. It had been a while, but it was definitely Carol. He rolled his eyes before turning to face her. Of all the times she had to show up, it happened to be one that made him look bad. 

“That’d be me,” he smirked. “Long time no see hey? I see you chased the guy off.” He wasn’t surprised at that, but he figured it was a better conversation point than the weather, even if it ended up as a discussion about his lack of action. The speedster figured he could deal with that, as long as it didn’t turn into an Xavier-esque scolding. 

“Where’ve you been then? Space? Alternate dimension?“ he asked jokingly, brushing his silver hair away from his face.

Carol only narrowly avoided heaving a sigh at the mutant’s quips. They were an obvious attempt to deflect her attention, but she was in a good enough mood that she played along for the moment. “It was the hair that gave it away.”

The phone call from the bartender hadn’t been too much of a surprise. Steve knew Carol to have an episode like this once in a great while. He’d asked the bartender of her favorite bar to call Steve when Carol had reached a point of seemingly no return, just to talk her down from whatever emotional turmoil she was in.

He slid onto the stool beside her, watching her for several moments. Steve wasn’t sure what was going on, but whatever it was had to have been building for awhile to get to this point. He waited it out, patiently remaining quiet until she noticed him. He figured she wouldn’t be all that surprised to see him, and hoped she’d take the visit for what it was: one friend, trying to help the other.

He leaned an elbow on the bar and tilted his head. When at last she looked over at him, he gave a subtle nod. “Alright, Danvers,” he began in a calm, gentle tone. “What’s bothering you so much?”

Carol only spared Steve the time for a scowl before she had turned to the bartender, at whom she leveled a glare strong enough that the poor kid muttered something about a chore he needed to do in the back and scurried away. She sighed, turned back to her newly-arrived friend, scowled at him again for good measure, then shook her head, sitting back from the bar.

“Nothing I really want to trouble anyone else with. Just came here for a couple drinks before I headed back to my place for the night. Didn’t want to stay in headquarters this time. Besides, Chewy needs to see me more often.” She forced some casualness into her voice, though she doubted it would genuinely convince the super soldier. Still, Steve was polite enough that he just might let the matter drop. She could hope, anyway.

Steve stopped walking and held up his hands in mock surrender. “I yield, you win, I’ll never call you Ma’am again.” He didn’t like Spangles as a nickname, but could deal with it if need be. It just reminded him of his days in the war bond office, days he didn’t miss even if he did the days after.

He listened to her intently, not wanting to agree necessarily, but understanding her point. He was no longer just the nobody from Brooklyn. Steve Rogers had become almost if not completely synonymous with Captain America, even before he took back his title, before their internal war, before Wakanda, Sokovia, or the battle of New York. He supposed he had become something of legend during those 70 years in the ice. That idea made him blush slightly as well. He always did manage to blush more easily around Carol. A fact he never could quite get used to. 

“So when are you going to show me that fancy apartment of yours?” He asked, shifting the subject from it’s previous point. “I hear you have one of the best views in the city.”

Carol suppressed a wince when Steve abruptly caved. She hadn’t meant to hit a nerve, but apparently she had. Still she wasn't going to argue with the results, so she simply let the subject drop.

Steve smiled and shook his head. “I suppose you’re right. But I’m not sure I can retire Ma’am just yet.” He shot her a sly grin as they walked. “Not when it gets that sort of reaction out of you.”

He laughed at her questions, but found himself turning slightly pink at the reminder all the same. “Offend? No, surprise and shock, yes. And uh..” He blushed a bit more, ducking his head to hide some of it. “I may have seen a few pin ups during my time in the service. They weren’t mine, but the other guys, well….” He shrugged helplessly and sighed. “I guess when you put it like that, I shouldn’t have a problem with it. But every once and awhile, I just want to be Steve Rogers, the nobody from Brooklyn. Just to be able to go out and not be swarmed. I don’t know.”

His laughter rang out at her response to his challenge. He knew she’d go for it, he just hadn’t expected the vehemence. That was part of what made Carol Danvers so much fun; her unpredictability.

Carol responded to Steve's quip with an exaggerated eyeroll. "Maybe I should ask Tony for advice on what to call you. I think I heard him use 'Spangles' once."

The more Steve blushed, the harder it was for Carol not to burst into laughter, but somehow she managed to keep it together. "I can understand the desire to just be who you were, but you can't. Like it or not, Captain America has become so intertwined with 'Steve Rogers, the nobody from Brooklyn' that the two halves have become you. Yeah, you're still the same guy you were back then, with a few..." attractive, very attractive, "additions, but Captain America is also you. That means you're not a nobody anymore. And you won't be again, not without retiring completely and going to live off-the-grid in Tibet or something. Even then, you might still get asked for autographs from time to time."

“Help me!”

She had already stopped a couple armed robberies from escalating when she spotted a woman whose purse was being stolen. Talk about your petty crime, but a person in need was a person in need. Within seconds, she'd come to a firm landing directly in front of the would-be thief, and the young man had stumbled to a stop, eyes huge at the abrupt appearance of an Avenger. Carol stuck out her hand, beckoning with her fingers.

"Look, kid. Hand it over, and I might not drag you to the police station." The man hesitated for several moments, eyes darting from Carol to the small crowd of onlookers and back. After some consideration, he slowly reached out and hooked the handles of the purse over Carol's outstretched hand. She accepted it, letting the arm fall back to her side. The man didn't exactly look like a career criminal, more like someone who had committed an act of desperation. "Am I gonna hear about you doing something like this again?" He shook his head fervently, looking terrified. She nodded, satisfied. "Good. There are other ways to get help with the things you need, you know. Contact me if you need help finding the resources. Go on, get out of here."

As the man scurried off, Carol handed over the purse to its owner. She was just about to take off again, when she recognized a face nearby.