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

[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."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Are you saying you want to come with me? Because I'd rather you did than sat at home and resented me."

[golden_lyre]

"Would you have asked me to come if I hadn't said anything, or would you just have expected me to be happy sitting at home?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve sighs and rubs his eyes. "I don't know. I haven't thought ahead that far. I don't know how or where or what resources I'll have, or how dangerous it will be, or what sort of enemy I'll be facing or who else will be looking for him.

He leans closer to Orpheus, grimacing as the movement pulls on his healing wounds. "What I do know is that I have to find him. I owe him that. If you want to come with me, then come with me. If you don't, then please wait for me to come home."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus sighs as well, moving to perch on the side of the bed, his hand curling around Steve's. "Of course you haven't thought that far ahead. Gods, Steve. Look at yourself. You almost died, and now you're just...running off again, after the man who did this to you, and you....

"You haven't even thought about me, about us. Hasn't even entered your mind."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve opens his mouth to answer, and then shuts it again. Orpheus has a point.

He says quietly, "Let me ask you something, then. If somehow Eurydice came back and you knew she was out there in the world, lost and broken and hunted, wouldn't you drop everything to find her?

"I know it's not quite the same--a best friend isn't as intense a relationship as a wife--but he's still my family. He's all I've got except for you."

[golden_lyre]

"Not quite the same?"

He stands, dropping Steve's hand, fingers scrubbing roughly through his hair. He paces for a moment, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"It's not a fair comparison, but you know what? I wouldn't. I wouldn't drop everything. I wouldn't drop you."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve lies back with a grimace. "I'm not dropping you, Orpheus."

[golden_lyre]

"You were going to. Just run off without me. I'm an afterthought in this situation."

He crosses his arms tightly over his chest. He needs a cigarette or a drink or both.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve runs his fingers over the coverlet. He can't deny it--he's been so focused on the Soldier, on Bucky, that Steve has given little thought to Orpheus aside from being glad he was safe from this mess.

Which turned out to not be quite true, but Steve will ponder that later.

He says quietly, "You're right. I haven't been thinking about you, and I'm sorry.".