Happy birthday, old man

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

[ooc: Backdated to July 4th.]

The weird part about having a birthday on a national holiday is that you can never forget that it's happening. No matter where he was in the States, there were parades and fireworks; even in Europe the Howling Commandos always made a big deal of the twin occasions, even if it meant embarrassing Steve.

Especially if it meant embarrassing Steve.

So the weird part about being on the run in Morocco on the Fourth of July is that it's just another day. Steve wakes up in a quiet, mid-grade hotel, gets breakfast at a side-street cafe, and passes some time writing and drawing and watching the city pass by.

(The drawing is Bucky, T'Challa, Shuri, and Sharon -- cartoon versions of them, like T'Challa with panther ears and Sharon as a slinky vixen -- in front of the panther statue in Wakanda's capital.)

When he gets back to his hotel, ready to siesta out of the heat of the day, the door doesn't open to his room.

Milliways. It always makes him smile.

Comments

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve sighs and murmurs, "That's probably for the best."

[nerves_of_ice]

It sure as hell is, he thinks, but out of respect, all he says is, "You're a good man, Steve."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

“What makes you say that?” Steve says, still wry. “Because I’m curious about the fella I almost married?”

He sips his beer, and adds, “To be honest, I pretty much just miss him when the nights are long.”

[nerves_of_ice]

“Because you were too good for him,” he says, bluntly. “And it wasn’t him, and I know Peggy—“

He stops there and takes a long swallow of Scotch.

“There’s someone out there for you, Steve. Believe it. The right someone.”

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve says quietly. He doesn’t quite believe it. Not anymore.

Since they’re on the subject, more or less, he says, “Are you and Sharon doing okay?”

[nerves_of_ice]

“Yes,” he says, and smiles with wry amusement. “She’s back to testing things in the lab with Shuri. I think there’s something being planned about trying a field test of the climbing gear on the Citadel walls, but they don’t talk about it where I can hear.”

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

“I’m glad. I mean, I’m glad the two of you found each other, and I’m glad it’s going well.”

[nerves_of_ice]

“She was pretty stubborn about it.”

Bucky gives him a careful look. “I know we talked about this in Wakanda, but you know I wouldn’t have - if I thought you, and she—“

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve shakes his head and waves a hand in dismissal. “She and I were never — the time was never right. And it would have been strange, anyway, to date one of Peggy’s relatives. Like I was looking for a replacement instead of liking Sharon for herself.”

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods, and leaves it at that.

“Anyway, Wakanda’s been good for her, I think.”

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

“I’m glad. It’s a good place.”

[nerves_of_ice]

“It is. And what Shuri and T’Challa have done for me…”

He breaks off there and just shakes his head, unable to find the words.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve reaches over and squeezes Bucky’s shoulder.

“I know. I feel the same.”

[nerves_of_ice]

He covers Steve’s hand with his for a second and smiles at him. “Yeah.”

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve smiles back. He squeezes Bucky's fingers before he removes his hand.

"Have some more cupcakes," he says. "We're celebrating things being ... pretty good."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Nice to have something like that to celebrate," he agrees, and reaches for another cupcake.