[oom: Sallie Reynolds

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve is, on the whole, a good-natured fellow. He lives by a simple principle: Treat everyone with kindness, and love those who love you. It always seemed to him that once he found someone to care about, all the rest would fall into place.

Matters with Orpheus seem like they should be simple--they like each other, they're attracted to each other--but Orpheus won't even hold his hand.

If Bucky were around, Steve would ask him for advice. (Not that he knows how he'd explain about the Bar to Bucky, anyway. When the war's over and Bucky's home, then Steve plans to bring him here.) Neither of them are good correspondents and the letters they exchange are few, and Steve couldn't put in the details about Orpheus into a letter, anyway.

Steve lies on a rock by the lake, his jacket folded under his head, and stares at the sky. No answers there, either.

Comments

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie doesn't presume that she is actually being successful at the moment in sneaking up on Steve, but when she leans over above his head to peer down at him, it's a fun image in her head anyway.

"No flyin' pigs today, son. What're you doin' out here?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

He looks up at her and smiles. "Good morning, Sallie.

"I'm...contemplating. It seemed like a good place for it. Fewer distractions than inside."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Contemplating pretty hard if it's got you laid flat on your back."

Sallie steps back just in order to sit down somewhere to Steve's left.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"That part was voluntary. What's a better position for contemplation?" He props himself on his elbow.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Nothin' I suppose. Just giving you grief."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

He chuckles. "Well, all right, then."

He starts to speak a few times, but doesn't.

[realmrsreynolds]

"...I know you talked to Mike about somethin' you were worried on," Sallie offers, an attempt to be helpful.

"I don't know about what though."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Yeah, I did. One of your security people has been after a friend of mine, but I think it's over now. I asked Mike about who to talk to if it started up again."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Excuse me? After someone? Who? Why wasn't I told earlier?"

Bar?

I only do so much?

During the exchange, Sallie is sort of looking off into middle space, as though she's talking to someone just behind Steve's shoulder.

Back to Steve: "Who."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Teja the Goth," says Steve with a sigh. "But like I said, I think it's over.

"Somebody told Teja something about my friend Orpheus in confidence, Teja threatened Orpheus about using his music to influence people, I guess, which Orpheus says he didn't do. And if the guy is who I think it is, it was all a big misunderstanding on Teja's part.

"It feels like abuse of authority to me. Gets my hackles up, especially since Orpheus is really...great," he finishes quietly.

[realmrsreynolds]

"...That's why no one told me," Sallie breathes. "Teja 'n I get on pretty well usually. I'll need to talk to 'im about this if I see him."

Which...probably won't happen. But maybe!

After that thought process, though: "And who's Orpheus now?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"He's a musician. From Greek mythology. The greatest musician to ever live, in the stories, and from what I've heard of his music, I believe it."

[realmrsreynolds]

"So 'great' like...mythologically-speaking then."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve is quiet a moment.

"Great like I...think I could fall for him."

He glances at Sallie and swallows hard, braced for repulsion or worse.

[realmrsreynolds]

"You are the most adorable -- " and whatever the rest of the sentence should have been in English is actually a string of babytalk-pitched Mandarin.

"What's he look like? Is he a soldier too or only a musician? Have you two started goin' steady yet?"

...When Sallie's doing well romantically, everyone else should be too. It's a rule.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

[OOC: OMG I LOVE THIS.]

Steve blinks at her, then starts to smile. She's not disgusted by two men together.

He loves Milliways.

"He's beautiful," he says. "He's got the most amazing hands. He's not a soldier, he's just a musician, but the music he makes is incredible. It's so evocative and pure.

"We, um, have been spending a lot of time together."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Sounds perfect! Does he stay here? Are you goin' to his world at all?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"He can go to his world. He doesn't very often. He's never asked me to come with him."

He pauses a moment. "We're not...that's what I've been contemplating, you see. We're not together. Exactly."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Why the rutting hell not? You obviously are smitten by the guy. He ain't ugly; you're sure as hell ain't ugly, so what?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve laughs. "No, he isn't ugly. I'll show you some pictures I drew of him--you'll see for yourself.

"He had a wife who died. I think he doesn't want to love anybody again.

"I have no idea how this is supposed to go. I've never been with anybody like this--I've never been with anybody." He glances at her again--yes, he's saying exactly what it sounds like. "So when I try to do what feels right, just being gentle and sweet with him, it's not what he wants.

"He doesn't even like to hold my hand."

[realmrsreynolds]

"I only ever been with one man in my life that found any interest in holding my hand, Steve. We might be in the minority in likin' that."

But that doesn't negate the other bits.

"What does he say he wants?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"He ... hasn't. Exactly. He says he wants me for the same reason he wants anybody -- because I'm beautiful."

Said with a slightly embarrassed look. He's still getting comfortable in his new body.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Which. You know. Okay, that's great and all.

"Don't pin all your hopes 'n dreams on some guy who ain't about anything but what you look like."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I don't know if I even have any hopes and dreams to pin," Steve says, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I can't exactly bring him home and set up house with him. Guys like me -- guys who get caught -- dishonorable discharge is the best we can hope for."

He's quiet a moment.

"But the other night...we were messing around a bit, and he usually looks amused by the whole thing, but the other night he looked at me after like he never has before. Like it wasn't funny anymore. Like it was something better."

He sighs. "I'm probably reading too much into it."

[realmrsreynolds]

He's so young, Sallie thinks to herself.

"Nothin' wrong with hopin' - and that's what you are doing is hopin', whether you think you are or not.

"Also, your where and when's kind o' pathetic with folks and love, isn't it."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"It doesn't seem too accommodating to human nature, no."

[realmrsreynolds]

"So what are you actually hopin' for? Got to have a destination if you're looking to set a course."

She did learn some things from her son after all.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I really don't know," Steve says. "All my life I've been told you get married and have a family of your own. That's what a man does, be a good husband and provider.

"But how do you do that with another man, who's from another universe and from the future?"

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie shrugs. "I'm seeing my gentleman friend now who up til about four months ago was a mutant rat. Folk make it work, if they want it to.

"But he has to want it to, too."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I guess that's what it comes down to. I don't know what he wants aside from the physical stuff. Which is great," he adds. "I enjoy it a lot.

"But I know it's not everything."

[realmrsreynolds]

"So.

"You thought about not rollin' in the hay til you get an answer, or what?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I don't want to stop," Steve says quietly.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Not forever."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"But if I get an answer and it's not the one I want, it would have to be forever. With him, anyway."

A beat.

"I can't imagine feeling this way about anyone else."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Then it sort o' already sounds like you're done with contemplations to me."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

He looks at her a moment, confused, and then quietly and a bit bashfully smiles. "Yeah. I guess I am."

[realmrsreynolds]

Seemingly out of nowhere, Sallie slaps Steve on the shoulder - with surprising amounts of force given for how little she is in comparison. (Not that it does anything to Steve, but that's neither here nor there.)

"Happy for you." Even if this man sounds like kind of an idiot. "Have good times."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Yes, ma'am," says Steve. " Thank you. I'm sure we will."