The Captain's Husband

42. Soft (Ana)

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" I smile as I walk down the stairs to the water's edge.

Adam smiles as he turns to me, saying, "It's been a while since I've seen the ocean. I thought that it would be a nice change of pace."

I carefully walk across the rocks to stand beside him, but when I slip and my feet go out from under me, I brace myself for impact.

But the fall and the impact don't come. A strong set of hands have caught mine to hold me steady instead.

"I should have offered you my hand," Adam says as he pulls me back upright.

"It's all right," I tell him. "I've never been too coordinated."

"I find that quite hard to believe since you're a ballerina," he says. "Natasha's trained you well."

"Well, when I'm not paying attention, I'm not coordinated," I smirk.

He hums in understanding, and then he looks out across the ocean. His eyes shine.

We came back to the compound last night when Dad was cleared to come home. Dad's been taking it easy, letting Pops, Dot, Uncle Tony, and Mom do basically everything for him.

It's been a little hectic, but the rest of the team has really come together for Dad and Pops. I mean, everyone is on our floor, waiting on them hand and foot.

Earlier, Uncle Tony set Dad up with a holographic tablet so he could at least read and watch things to keep him from getting too terribly bored. Mom, Dot, and Uncle Viz have made lunch and are currently making dinner for everyone. Uncle Bruce, Uncle Thor, Doctor Strange, and Peter have been working on making everything in the building more accessible to Dad since he's wrapped up in layers of bandages and can't really use his hands and arms for much at the moment.

I sigh as I think about my fathers.

They've been through so much, lived every single moment like it's their last. It's not fair to them to have to continue to fight when they've already given so much. They should be able to have their own happy ending.

"What's wrong?" Adam asks me.

"Dad and Pops should get their happy ending, you know?" I say softly. "They've seen and done so much, and they've lost more than anything they've ever given."

"They really should," he says, nodding. "But apparently it takes time, even if you've already been alive for more than a century."

"I just want them to be happy," I tell him.

"I do too," he says, and then he looks at me. "What do you want for yourself, Ana?"

"I want to help my fathers defeat the monster that killed them years ago," I say softly. "I realize that they're alive and that if it weren't for Thanos, I wouldn't necessarily be here, but I don't think anyone else should have to suffer like my family did."

"What else do you want?" He asks.

"To figure out who I am, why I'm here, and what I'm meant to do," I tell him. "I know why I was created and that I'm meant to be an Avenger, but that's not my identity. I don't even know what my superhero Avenger whatever name is."

"You'll find it in time, Ana," he says softly. "For now, you should concern yourself with your family, your strength, and controlling your powers."

"But, Adam," I say. "It's a part of who I am. Dad is Captain America, Pops is the Winter Soldier, Mom is the Black Widow, Uncle Tony is Iron Man, Dot is the Scarlet Witch, Aunt Lorna is Polaris, Uncle Bruce is the Hulk, Uncle Clint is Hawkeye, and well, everyone else has a name. I don't. I have powers like Dot and Aunt Lorna, but I don't know who I am. I want to help others, keep my family safe...and all I know is that I was created as a legacy, to stand in my fathers' places once they finally retire, or if anything, when they die. I want to live up to their expectations, to bear that shield and their names with honor. I don't know how I could possibly do that if I don't even know my own name. My family, they wear their names like armor. I want the same."

"Just be yourself, Ana," he tells me, carefully tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear before pressing his hand to my face. "That's all you have to do."

My heart skips a beat.

He's so sweet.

I smile as I say, "How do you always know what to say?"

He smiles, "I don't actually. It just happens whenever I'm with you."

I feel heat rush to my cheeks, and I look away from him. He chuckles, slips his fingers under my chin and tilts my head back up.

"I've travelled through space and time, between dimensions and visited planets all across the universe," he says softly, "But I've never met someone like you."

My breath leaves me.

Adam.

He brushes his fingers across my cheek and then he boops my nose, saying softly, "I would like to get to know you better, Miss Rogers-Barnes."

"I'd like to get to know you better too," I tell him, absolutely breathless.

"Ana, honey, it's time for dinner!"

Dad.

He smiles, "You heard him. Dinner time." He offers his hand to me, his smile softening as he goes on. "Let me help you across the rocks. I'd rather you be safe in my hands than safe in another's."

I take his land and lace our fingers together, smiling as I say, "Promise?"

He blushes and grins as he says, "Till the end of the line, Ana."