This fanfic is really long (although I wrote it in one sitting) but I didn’t want to split it up, so here it is, all in one post! Oh, the humor, oh, the feels… Let me know what you think! And check out the newly updated Novella page – I’ve finished covers for several of my stories!
“Come on, Steve. You’re always so serious. You need this,” Natasha urged. “It’ll help you lighten up.”
Steve frowned. “But really, an amusement park? Why not somewhere more fun?”
Natasha shrugged. “Well, all of us are going. And I can’t think of anywhere more fun than an amusement park.”
Steve continued to protest, but eventually the other Avengers sided with Natasha, and there was no way he could resist all of them. He agreed. Clint and Thor both whooped and raced down the hall to gather everything they’d need. Before long, they were all shoved into a spare SHIELD van and were en route to the amusement park.
Steve gazed out the window as they drove up to the front gate of the amusement park, noticing the signs for the day’s special attractions, ranging from different games to a water ski demo. Clint stood up through the sunroof, shielding his eyes with his hand as he looked around. “Ah!” he cried triumphantly. “The first ride is the Ferris wheel!”
Tony shoved Clint’s leg, nearly making him topple over. “No way. Do you see the Raptor? That is the first ride.”
Clint growled. “How could I not see that dumb roller coaster?”
Natasha pulled the car up to the admissions booth. “How many?” the man asked.
She snorted. “Six adults. Unless you’re going by actions, then we’ve got a couple of kids in here.”
“FUNNEL CAKES!” Clint yelled from the sunroof. The admissions guy looked up at him and then nodded in agreement with Natasha. She rolled her eyes.
They drove through the huge parking lot trying to find a space. With Clint’s help from the sunroof, they were able to find one fairly close. People were flooding the place.
Natasha didn’t let anyone leave the car until she verified that their cell phones were on and she could track them with her own phone. “Have fun, Captain,” she called as she and Clint raced to the Ferris wheel. Steve stood there, feeling lost and not knowing where to go. Thor came up and stood next to him as Banner wandered off to find a quiet place to watch the commotion.
“I do not know where to begin, either,” Thor said, frowning.
Tony stepped between them, grabbing their arms. “Come on, we can go ride the Raptor. You guys will enjoy that.”
Tony dragged them through the maze of rides, games, and concession stands. Somehow they ended up with nachos and drinks on the way to the rollercoaster. Steve found that the nachos didn’t taste quite as bad as they looked. Suddenly, Thor stuck his arm out and stopped them. “Look,” he said, pointing.
Steve and Tony glanced to where he was pointing. A man held a giant hammer with a long handle. An amusement park employee stood next to him, pointing to the tall, lit-up board. The man stepped up to a big button and swung the hammer down. The board lit up halfway and the man sighed in disappointment.
“Yeah, it just a stupid hammer strength game meant to waste your money,” Tony grumbled, looking disgruntled. Steve figured that he’d tried the game before and lost.
He glanced back at Thor and paused. There was a gleam in the Asgardian’s eyes. “Uh, Thor…” Steve began.
“Do not worry, I will not break it,” Thor announced as he headed over to the booth.
Ten minutes later, they were once again on their way to the Raptor, now with a giant stuffed panda in tow. “What are we going to do with this dumb thing?” Tony growled, trying to see around the bear. Thor had elected him to carry it.
“Do not insult my bear,” Thor said, happily sipping his drink.
Tony rolled his eyes, looking disgusted. Steve shot him a warning look and he kept his mouth closed.
It didn’t take them much longer to reach the Raptor. Steve gazed up at the ride as they got in line. Thor insisted on the panda occupying the seat next to him. He apparently didn’t trust the “mortal’s flimsy safe lockers” to keep his prize safe. Tony rolled his eyes yet again. “Which means you’ll be stuck with me,” he said to Steve. He grinned. “I didn’t exactly want to sit next to Thor anyway. He’d probably be yelling in excitement and whack me in the face, and I’d prefer to stay conscious during the ride.”
Steve gave him a smile as they took their places on the ride. Tony sat down next to him and pulled down the bar across their chests. “I had to pay for the bear to ride,” Tony grumbled. Steve gripped the bar tightly. This thing was a lot more open than the rides he was used to. Thor sat down in front of them, resituating the panda before pulling down the bar. Steve could see that he kept a tight hold on the stuffed animal, just in case. Steve could hardly see around the bear’s giant head.
The ride started to move, and Steve couldn’t help but grip the bar tighter. The roller coaster cars started to climb upward, and Thor pointed down at something below. “Look!” he yelled.
Tony rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to him. It’s best not to look down.” He glanced sideways at Steve.
“I’ve been on a roller coaster before,” Steve told him. And ziplined onto the back of a train.
After ages of climbing, they reached the peak. There was a pause, and then the cars raced down. The color drained from Steve’s face at the sickening feeling of falling…
“Right now I’m in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice.” He opened his compass with the picture of her and set it on the plane’s controls as he started to make the plane go down.
“Peggy…”
“I’m here.”
“I’m gonna need a rain check on that dance.”
She gave a choking half-sob. “All right. A week next Saturday at The Stork Club.”
“You’ve got it.”
“Eight o’clock on the dot. Don’t you dare be late. Understood?”
The ground drew nearer. “You know, I still don’t know how to dance.”
“I’ll show you how. Just be there.”
“We’ll have the band play something slow. I’d hate to step on your…”
———
“Captain?” Tony shook the other man, worry building up. Steve was clenching the bar on the roller coaster car, staring straight ahead, his eyes glazed. A terrified look was frozen on his face. Tony shook the super soldier again. “Rogers!”
Thor stepped out of the car in front of them, holding the panda. “What is wrong?”
Tony moaned and ran ah and through his hair. “I don’t know for sure. I shouldn’t have made him come.”
Thor looked to the impatient waiting people. “We should move him.”
They managed to peel his fingers off the bar and drag him to a nearby bench. “What shall we do?” Thor asked, setting the panda down next to Steve.
Tony frowned down at Steve. “You text the others, I’ll get some water and see if I can get him to snap out of it.” Thor nodded and pulled out his phone.
———
Natasha glared at a grubby-looking man who got too close to her stash. She was guarding the prizes she and Clint had won while Clint rode the bumper cars. Needless to say their time in the shooting gallery had been well spent.
She had a good view of the bumper cars from her position. She needed to remind Clint to take it easy. He’d already give two people whiplash, and one of them was an adorable little girl.
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out. A text from Thor. She frowned and opened it.
Distress! Trouble, by large metal hill. Come immediately!
Natasha frowned and waved in Clint’s direction. He caught her eye and managed to get out before the round was over. “What’s up?” he asked. She showed him the text and he checked his own phone. “He sent it to me, too. So he finally figured out how to send texts to multiple people.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “What do you think he meant by ‘large metal hill’?” She scanned the surrounding area.
“The Ferris wheel?” Clint joked.
She elbowed him. “Help me carry the prizes. We’re heading to the roller coaster.”
———
Tony paced next to the bench, occasionally glancing over at Steve. The younger – older? – man still had a terrified, glazed expression. It worried him, but he didn’t know what to do. Thor had sat down on the bench, sound asleep with a smile, one arm around the motionless captain and the other around the stupid stuffed panda. The panda’s staring eyes taunted him with the same glazed look as Steve had.
“Tony?”
He turned to see Natasha and Clint approaching, each with an armful of stuffed animals and who knew what else. They stopped next to him and set them down. “What’s going on?” Natasha asked, surveying the scene. She frowned. “Did you text us with Thor’s phone? Is this a joke?”
Tony opened his mouth but was interrupted by Bruce joining them. “What’s up? Wait, he’s asleep. Tony, did you—”
Tony threw his hands up in the air. “I didn’t do it. At least, I didn’t send the text. I mean, it’s my fault, I guess, but – ugh…” He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. Why was he so frazzled? It was just Steve, after all. Steve, whom he argued with and insulted and teased. Why did he care so much?
Natasha’s frown deepened, and she grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Tony. What. Is. Wrong?”
Tony ground his teeth. He would not show weakness, would not break down. Not here. Not now. He nodded to the bench. “Steve. He’s… zoned out. Has been ever since the roller coaster.”
Bruce and Clint hurried over to Steve, waking up Thor in the process. Natasha gave Tony a murderous glare. “What kind of idiot are you? Didn’t you think that a roller coaster might be a trigger?” She stormed over to the bench. Tony felt insuppressible guilt rising in his chest. It was his fault, after all. Why had he been so dumb? His shoulders slumped as he turned and walked away.
———
Steve’s eyes began to focus more as the others talked to him encouragingly. Finally he blinked and gazed around. He groaned and rubbed his forehead as he caught sight of the roller coaster and remembered. “I think I should stay off roller coasters for a while.”
Natasha smiled and stood up. “He’ll be fine. What happened?”
Steve closed his eyes. “I-I guess going down that fast reminded me of… you know”
No one spoke for a second, just letting the silence hang awkwardly before Thor reached over and patted Steve’s knee. “I do not know about all of you, but I believe I have had enough excitement for today.”
Bruce nodded. “We should head back to the tower.”
Steve looked around and then frowned. “But where’s Stark?”
Natasha grimaced. “I may or may not have told him off. He’s probably being his usual grumpy self and waiting for us in the van.”
Tony wasn’t at the van. Natasha tried to call him, and the sound of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man nearly burst their eardrums. They quickly found Tony’s cell phone stuffed into the glove box.
Natasha groaned and rested her head on the steering wheel. “Maybe I was too hard on him.”
Steve opened his door. “I’ll be back in a minute.” No one questioned him or protested ash he hurried back into the park.
———
Funny how he knew Tony better than the others. He found him in the stands of the water ski demo that was going on, right where Steve had thought he would be. The billionaire was staring but not seeing, and he certainly didn’t hear Steve coming. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Steve sat down next to him.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Steve said quietly, staring out at the water skiers.
Tony shrugged it off. “No one said it was.”
Steve turned towards Tony, his gaze piercing him through. “Apparently Nat did. I blame myself for things a lot. The tired look on my mom’s face, her death, the death of innocents during the war. But, in the end, it’s not always my fault – it’s just a passing of life. Something that has to – needs to – happen.”
Tony turned to face him, the faintest of smiles tickling his face. “Thanks.”
Steve slapped his knee and stood up. “Ready to head back to meet with the others?”
Tony shrugged. “If we must. I’d sure like a—” Steve sighed. “—snowcone, though,” Tony finished.
Steve smiled. “I think we just might be able to arrange that. We should get ones for the others, too.”
Tony laughed. “Hey, it’s my treat, and you’re the only one who gave me a pick-me-up. They skipped the counseling session, they go without snowcones.” And the two of them laughed as they headed towards the snowcone stand.
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