I come up hard but that's okay

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

'Cause trouble man don't get in my way

The shield is found in the river by a salvage team. The man who finds it knows it should go right back to the Captain, but he can't help himself--he takes a picture of himself holding it, and snapchats it to his family and friends with the caption, "I believe in the shield."

It's reblogged hundreds of times. Then thousands. People start adding their own pictures, with homemade shields or Captain America memorabilia, captioning them things like "I still believe in the shield" and "I stand with the Captain."

The shield itself ends up at the Smithsonian, at the Captain America & the Howling Commandos exhibit. There's a note attached: "Please make sure this gets back to the Captain."

It does, of course. Of course it does.


Don't care about trouble, sugar, I'm moving down the line



In his hospital bed, Steve hears music.

Comments

[golden_lyre]

"Yeah," Orpheus says, brow furrowed, thinking of the man in Milliways.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"He was experimented on. Zola must have had a version of the supersoldier formula that he gave to Bucky, and when they found him--" He pauses, swallows, goes on, "when they found him after he fell from the train, they must have experimented on him more. Brainwashed him. Done worse thing to him.

"But they couldn't make him forget me entirely. I fell into the Potomac and he pulled me out."

[golden_lyre]

"I see," Orpheus says, his frown deepening.

"He pulled you out?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I saw the metal of his arm as I was going down."

He pauses and licks his lips.

"Could you get me some water? I should probably start at the beginning and it's a long tale to tell."

[golden_lyre]

"Yeah, of course," Orpheus says immediately, kicking himself for not getting some for him already. He pours a cup and checks the straw, moving closer to hold it to Steve's lips.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve has a sip, swallows it, and says, "It all started with the Lumarian Star."

He tells Orpheus everything he knows. Admits when he doesn't know anything, because there are gaps that will be filled once he's out of the hospital, but he knows enough to tell the important parts.

Again and again the story returns to the Winter Soldier, to Bucky.

Steve's eyes well up more than once.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus holds Steve's hand in his as he speaks, nodding and frowning and occasionally lifting Steve's hand to his lips or reaching up to brush his fingers along Steve's temple.

When Steve is finished, Orpheus says, carefully, "He was in the bar."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve sits up a little more. "What happened?"

[golden_lyre]

He shakes his head. "Nothing much. He threatened. Security intervened, and he went on his way."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"That's not as bad as I was afraid it would be," Steve says quietly. He touches Orpheus's face again.

[golden_lyre]

"It could have been worse," Orpheus answers, looking Steve over a moment.

"Much worse."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve says, "Three gunshot wounds, multiple stab wounds, stitches in my face, multiple broken bones, and I nearly drowned.

"So, yeah. Glad he went on his way."

He inhales.

"I'm still going to look for him."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus' frown deepens again.

"Steve..."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Orpheus," Steve counters. "He's Bucky. I don't know where he is and I don't know what lie they have him believing, but I still have to find him and I have to bring him home. He's suffered enough. I just want to bring him home."

[golden_lyre]

"He's Bucky," Orpheus repeats. "And he did this to you."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Under orders. I can forgive that."

[golden_lyre]

"It's not about your forgiveness, Steve. You are not invincible! Surely this proves that."

He shakes his head, holding tighter to Steve's hand.

"And what am I supposed to do while you go off looking?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I'll be back on my feet in a few days. That's more than most people with a gut wound could do."

He traces Orpheus's wrist with his thumb.

"Would you wait for me?"

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus looks down at their hands.

"Would you ask me to?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve swallows hard and pulls his hand away from Orpheus's.

"Would you only wait if I asked you to?"

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus sighs and scrubs a hand through his hair.

"No," he says quietly, looking down at his feet. "No, I'll always wait for you."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Thank you," Steve says quietly. There's still some pain in his smile.



[ooc: Bedtime.]

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus can't even quite bring himself to smile.

"And you'll always need me to, won't you?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Always."

He adds, "I bet we both could fit in this bed, if that sounds like something you'd like to do."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus shakes his head, ignoring the offer for now. "That wasn't my blessing," he says, exasperation coloring his tone without the mellowing effect of fondness.

"I will always wait for you, but I will never be content to. I will never be anything but miserable."