𝗀 𝗁 𝗈 𝗌 𝗍 | | 𝗌 𝗍 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗋 𝗈 𝗀 𝖾 𝗋 𝗌

𝗇 𝗂 𝗇 𝖾 𝗍 𝗒 － 𝖾 𝗂 𝗀 𝗁 𝗍

✩ 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦, 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗒𝗅𝗇, 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗒𝗈𝗋𝗄 ✩

"PLEASE BE CAREFUL." MARTA WINCED as she watched Steve and Bucky play baseball with Steven. The plastic ball Steven was hitting had some power when struck by a super-soldier toddler. She was more worried about the breakables around the house than she was about any of the culprits who were engaging in the game. Steve tossed the ball, and Steven struck it right to the mantle, knocking down a few pictures. Marta just sighed in defeat.

        "Big crash, Mama!" Steven said as Bucky went to inspect the damage, coming away with broken picture frames.

        Steve and Bucky were quiet. Marta pointed to the door, and they nodded. "Alright, buddy let's go play in the garage." Steve said, picking up the toddler as Bucky grabbed the bat and ball, the three ducking out of the house quickly after apologizing.

        The twins were sleeping in their bassinets, so Marta replaced the frames, tossing the old ones out. They had already eaten dinner, and Bucky and Steve were trying to wear Steven out so he would go to bed easier and stay asleep for longer. He was adamant on defying sleep these days. "Lesson learned, baseball stays in the garage." Steve said when the three came back inside.

        Marta nodded in success, typing up some government reports. She knew of a group called the Flag Smashers, and because they continued to make headway, she was potentially being sent out to try to gain intel on their missions. Steve changed the twins and settled them back in their bassinets, Bucky playing with Steven. The two turned on the television as Marta took Steven upstairs to get him ready for bed. She had bathed him and put him in fresh pajamas, about to get him a cup of milk and tuck him in when she heard a shout. "Honey, can you come down here, please?" Steve asked, and Marta was confused.

        She walked down into the living room, Steven on her hip. Marta froze behind the couch when she saw what was on the news. "Unrest, in the wake of recent events, has left us vulnerable. Every day Americans feel it. While we love heroes who put their lives on the line to defend Earth, we also need a hero to defend this country. We need a real person who embodies America's greatest values. We need someone to inspire us again, someone who can be a symbol for all of us. So, on behalf of the Department of Defense and our Commander-in-Chief, it is with great honor that we announce here today that the United States of America has a new hero. Join me in welcoming your new Captain America."

        At the last sentence, Marta could've died. Then they marched a man out, who wore a uniform like Steve's, carrying Steve's shield. And she lost her mind. "How can they just make a new Captain America? Are they gonna make a new Ironman next?" Marta asked as soon as the broadcast ended.

        Steve was broken-hearted, but Bucky and Marta were just angry. "Daddy, that's your shield. Why does he have it?" Steven asked, confused. He had grown up knowing the shield that stood for hope and justice belonged to his father.

        "It's not mine anymore, buddy," Steve said dejectedly. Marta and Bucky had been going on about the injustices of the shield being taken from retirement for a while, but Steve had barely said a word, only speaking to tell Marta not to call Sam and yell at him. "It's time to move on." Steve stood and took Steven into his arms, sulking upstairs to put the toddler to bed.

        "This isn't fair." Bucky said once Steve was gone, and Marta agreed with him completely. For the government to just take the shield away from the museum without a warning at the very least made Marta's blood boil. But Steve didn't want to discuss it, so they didn't.

        Over the next few days, when John Walker, the new Captain America, was being interviewed, Steve started to get on board with Marta and Bucky's frustration. They sat in the living room and watched the broadcast, Bucky holding Steven, Marta holding Sarah and Steve holding Winnie. Every time she saw the imposter holding her husband's shield, Marta's heart broke a little bit more. He was signing autographs while a band played for him and cheerleaders cheered for him. Steve never did things like that. It wasn't who he was, who Captain America was.