The Captain's Husband

19. Departure (Steve)

Thanks to Bucky, Clint, and Sam, we were able to take back our ship and stop Thanos' invaders. The only thing we have left to worry about is getting Tony and the other Avengers back to Earth since their deployment is officially up. It'll be quiet and boring without them, but Bucky and I are ready to take full control of our ship and our soldiers.

We have a job to do.

Our ship is the galaxy's first line of defense against Thanos. We have to be prepared to launch soldiers into battle at any given moment under any given circumstance.

I look to Bucky as we walk up to the command center platform, saying softly, "Sergeant."

He smiles, "Captain."

Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Wanda, Vision, Peter, Thor, Clint, and Sam are standing in a line waiting for us.

"Your departure from the ship is soon," I tell them. "It's been a pleasure having you on my ship. Thank you for what you've done."

Tony nods and smiles, "Anytime, Cap. If you need us, don't hesitate to call. And if it's an emergency, remember that you have a button on the control panel in every room of the ship that will activate the distress beacon. Once the beacon is activated, you will have exactly thirty-six minutes until we arrive."

"That's incredible," I tell him.

"It's the best we have," he says.

Nat runs forward to Bucky and me, and as she hugs us to her, she says, "Stay safe, please."

Natasha, honey.

Bucky tucks a lock of her curls behind her ear as we let go of her, and he says, "We will. Don't you worry about us, Momma Spider."

She hugs him tight one last time, saying through tears, "Take care of each other."

She's grown quite attached to us since Bucky and I got married. She's like a big sister, hell, even a mom, to us both.

I put a hand on her shoulder as Bucky presses a kiss to the top of her head, saying softly, "We'll be okay, Natasha."

She lets go of Bucky and turns to me, hugging me so tight that my spine cracks.

Lord.

"Don't you dare let anything hurt either of you, Steve," she tells me.

I hug her tight, resting my cheek on top of her head as I rub her back, saying, "I promise, Nat. You can count on it."

At this point, the others step forward to tell us goodbye and wish us well. Hopefully, by this time next year, Thanos will be obliterated, and we'll be on our way home. Tony is going to lead from the Earth, and Bucky and I are going to lead from our ship in space. We're going to end this, and save our universe.

I press a kiss to the top of a Natasha's head, hoping that I can ease away some of her anxiety.

We're going to be okay, Momma Spider.

You can count on it.

Tony shakes Bucky's hand, saying something about keeping me in line, which gets everyone to laugh, and then he turns around and hugs him - surprising us all.

I never thought I'd see the day.

Natasha finally lets me go and steps aside to wait for the others as they go through the motions.

Tony then comes over to me and gives me a warm hug before tossing a brand-new tennis ball to Brookie.

Wanda hugs Bucky, kisses my cheek, and then kisses Brookie's nose. I smile. Wanda's finally come out of the last bits of her shell, and it's all because of Brookie's love.

Sam hugs Bucky, hugs me, and scratches Brookie behind her ears. I know he's going to miss having a running partner that's willing to go his pace.

Brookie never left him behind.

Thor hugs Bucky and picks him up off the ground, fist-bumps and hugs me, and pats Brookie's head. He's still unsure of Brookie, but I can tell he's warmed up to her. He's a fan of her fetching abilities, especially when it comes to Mjolnir.

Bruce high-fives Bucky, shakes my hand, and ruffles Brookie's fur around her neck. He's going to have to find a new lab dog to talk to while he's running experiments, and he's feeling a tad bitter.

Brookie's presence calmed him.

She helped him relax.

Vision shakes Bucky's hand, shakes my hand, and then presses a kiss to Brookie's nose. He's grown quite fond of her, and earlier, he even mentioned that he's going to miss curling up with her by the window and reading to her each afternoon. I told him that he'll be able to do that again soon enough.

Clint hugs Bucky, hugs me, and hugs Brookie - even giving her a belly rub. He appreciates her being near, especially in such a stressful environment, because she's able to calm anyone, and because she can get the job done when needed.

I look at my friends, my teammates...my family...and my heart starts to hurt. The farewells are a bit melancholic, and I'm sure we'll all be fine, but it's still sad.

We won't be a unified team again until Thanos attacks, or worse.