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They were being followed.
Sam and Steve were back in DC and despite not wanting to enter the devil’s anus that was Wal-Mart, they needed some things and it was closer than Home Depot, so they reluctantly braved the hellhole of a store.
Sam was pushing the cart while Steve grabbed some things for the backyard, which they were remodeling. It was in aisle three he noticed their tail. It wasn’t anything new for Sam to be followed around a store, but this particular tag-along was kind of hard to miss as the five 10-year-old girls holding hands and following them looked like something off a college diversity pamphlet.
The girl to the right end of their chain was pale skinned with vibrant red hair streaked with an odd shade of pink, silver freckles littering her face and eyes that were an unnaturally bright pink color. All the physical anomalies made her status as a mutant obvious. The girl next to her had deep sepia skin and her hair was cornrowed artfully into a ponytail, kind of like how his mom used to do for Sarah. In the middle was a shorter Korean girl with her hair in a buzzcut and glitter on her face. Sam wondered if she was sick or if that was a choice. Holding her hand was a Latina girl with full bangs brushing her forehead and at the left end was a Middle Eastern girl wearing a hijab. All the girls were wearing matching Avengers hoodies and kept looking at them and giggling.
“We got company,” Sam said as Steve looked critically between two lanterns.
“Hmm?” Sam looked pointedly at the girls before looking back at Steve.
“Gonna invite your fans over,” Sam asked.
“You know, you’re a superhero too. They could be here for you.”
Sam rolled his eyes at that.
“Yeah, right.”
“Alright, ten bucks says they are.”
“Really?”
“Unless you’re chicken,” Steve said with a smirk. Sam rolled his eyes. This man could be such a little shit sometimes, but he still loved him.
“Fine, you’re on.”
Sam and Steve looked over to the girls and smiled encouragingly at them. They talked amongst themselves a moment before they began skipping over, their hands still linked. Sam was just waiting for them to shout ‘Captain’ and bum-rush Steve, so he was not prepared to suddenly be surrounded by the girls who immediately wrapped around him and started hugging his legs shouting ‘Falcon’. He looked up at Steve with bewilderment, but he just smirked and mimed ‘I won’ before taking a step back.
“Uh, hi girls.” He couldn’t even decipher what the girls said as they all talked at once, but one voice did rise above the din.
“Sun, where on earth are you?”
The Korean girl looked back.
“Mom! Come meet the Falcon.”
A Korean woman came around the corner then.
“Get off that man! What are you doing,” she said, rushing over to detach the girls from him.
“He’s a stranger. Are you kidding me?”
“No, he’s not. He’s the Falcon.”
The woman looked up at him, then tilted her head before her face turned up in recognition.
“Oh my gosh. This is insane,” she said before she started laughing.
“You’re telling me,” Sam mumbled.
“I’m Soo-Jin. This is Madeleine.” The mutant girl waved enthusiastically.
“Crystal.” The dark-skinned girl smiled sheepishly.
“My daughter, Sun.” The girl still seemed a little starstruck and just stared at him.
“Daniela.” The Latina girl shuffled a little closer to him, looking for all the world like she was ready to jump on him and hug him.
“And this is Frieda.” The Middle Eastern girl looked torn between staring at him and at Steve.
“The girls, they absolutely love you. Show him your shirts.”
All the girls unzipped their hoodies revealing Falcon T-shirts underneath. Sam didn’t even know he had T-shirts. He looked over to Steve.
“Tony,” he mouthed. Sam repressed an eyeroll. Of course, Tony would. He looked back at the woman and there were now tears gathering in her eyes. Sam became alarmed.
“Are you okay,” he asked, bewildered.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… Sun recently went into remission from leukemia and the only time we ever saw her animated and smiling was when she talked about you.”
The girl with the buzzcut, Sun, now began to blush.
“Mom...” she whined.
“Wow, I’m really glad I could help,” Sam said, smiling down at the girls who smiled back.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you mind giving them a few autographs? Maybe some photos?” Soo-Jin asked.
“Of course, I don’t mind at all.”
Sam went about giving autographs to Madeleine, Crystal, Sun, Daniela and Frieda and took about ten pictures with them. He even got Steve to take some pictures with Frieda and the other girls didn’t pass up the opportunity to take pictures with Captain America either.
“Thank you so much. We won’t take any more of your time,” Soo-Jin said as she began herding the kids, but Sun hung back.
“So... on Saturday we’re having a barbeque to celebrate my six-month mark in remission. I’m not saying you have to come or anything, but I’m also not saying I won’t save a couple burgers for you and for you too, Captain,” she said, nervously biting her lip and rocking side to side. Sam looked to Steve and he gave him that look he did when he was leaving a decision up to Sam.
“Make it three burgers for this guy, he’s got a really big appetite, and you got yourself a deal missy.”
Sun smiled brightly at him, living up to her name before putting her hand out to shake his. She made to run away but he called to her.
“You know, you fought a battle harder than I’ve ever fought and won. You’re the strongest hero out of any of us.” Sun blushed and smiled even wider.
“Thank you,” she said sheepishly before running off.
He watched as the group disappeared before turning to Steve who was smiling at him. Sam stayed still as he slowly came closer before pressing his lips softly to his.
“Guess you’re not the only hero in this relationship.”
“I never was.”
Steve kissed him once more before moving away back to the lanterns.
“Oh, and you owe me ten bucks.”
“I think there should be a deduction there. Frieda seemed more interested in you than me.”
“I think it was the other way around, but I will take the payment in orgasms later on.”
Sam blushed a little before rolling his eyes.
“Greedy. I have things to do tomorrow.”
“Not before 12 at least.”
He rolled his eyes again before looking away. He wasn’t sure what the feeling rising in his chest was. He didn’t want to say pride, but that was the closest word he could think of.
He was proud of himself. He was proud he was able to make a difference in the life of a little girl at the lowest point in her short life and he wanted to continue doing so. He wondered if he’d be able to get the other Avengers to come to the barbeque. He should be able to get ahold of Tony and Natasha at least. Nat could probably get to Clint and Tony to Bruce, Steve could get to Thor. It’d be a nice surprise for Sun at least.
Sometimes doing what they did was a thankless job but sometimes, times like this, he remembered why it was all worth it and he knew he’d do it all over again.