Again || Steve Rogers

Seven

When the couple pulled up to the building where Steve's new friend Sam was holding his PTSD meeting for army veterans, Elizabeth was excited to get to know him more. Steve intertwined his hand with Elizabeth's as he smiled softly at her before he proceeded to lead them both into the building. 

It didn't take them very long to find the room. When they did, Steve leaned against the wall and loosely wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's waist, holding her into his side as they listened in to the meeting.

"The thing is, I think it's getting worse. A cop pulled me over last week, he thought I was drunk," the female veteran paused for a moment and breathes in a shaky breath before continuing, "I swerved to miss a plastic bag. I thought it was an IED." 

She gave a slight chuckle after before she looked up at Sam who was leaning forward and resting his arms on the podium in front of him. 

"Some stuff you leave there, other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase or in a little man-purse? It's up to you." Sam offered as condolence. The meeting ended soon after that. Steve and Elizabeth stood off to the side and watched Sam talk to one of the veterans before he made his way over to the pair.

"Look who it is. The running man and his girlfriend." Sam smiled at the two as he stopped in front of them. 

"Fiancée actually." Elizabeth lightly corrected him with a warm smile dancing across her lips. 

"Of course, my bad." Sam chuckled. 

"Caught the last few minutes. It's pretty intense." Steve spoke up and looked around at the lingering veterans. 

"Yeah, brother, we all got the same problems. Guilt, regret." Sam replied, looking at Steve, but Elizabeth recognized the lost look on his face.

"Did you lose someone?" she asks quietly, although she felt like she already knew the answer. 

"My wingman, Riley. Fly in the night mission. A standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, till an RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch." Sam answered sadly, giving the couple a sad smile. 

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth murmured before she gave the man an unsuspecting hug. Sam glanced at Steve over Elizabeth's shoulder. When Steve smiled and shrugged, Sam hesitantly wrapped his arms around Elizabeth's tiny frame, returning the hug. 

"After that, I had really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?" Sam continued after Elizabeth broke their hug.

"But you're happy now, back in the world?" Steve asked, hoping his new friend was feeling alright. Steve completely understood what Sam was feeling; he felt the same way after Bucky fell off the train. He couldn't seem to forgive himself for not being able to help his friend and he always carried that burden with him. Even after seventy years, the feeling still hadn't faded.

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell yeah. You thinking about getting out?" Sam replied before turning the conversation around and firing a question at Steve. 

"No. I don't know. To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did." Steve replied honestly, shrugging. 

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam suggested with a smirk coming across his face as he chuckled. Steve and Elizabeth let out laughs of their own as Sam continued to talk. 

"It's just a great idea off the top of my head. But seriously, you could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?" Sam then asked Steve seriously. Steve considered the question for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. When he finally had an answer, he turned and made eye contact with Elizabeth. He gave her a smile that lit up the room, and for Sam, that was enough of an answer.