Ｎｏ. Ｙｏｕ Ｍｏｖｅ.

tada?

      if it was something bucky knew like the back of his hand–it was a lack of identity where it mattered most. the world in the grand scale had returned to normal, but in the details some were still nursing the scars thanos left behind. a reminder that scars never truly healed was a piece of him in the form of a darkened vibranium arm, once supplied and maintained by hydra. he was a different man now, often not feeling like a man at all. 

but, some things were engrained in his DNA, such as keeping a watchful eye on steve even if it were at a distance. he made sure he blended in with the surrounding fauna, easing deeper in as steve did. when the other stopped, so did he. when the leaves became the audience to grief, he could feel a gentle autumn wind pass through if it were nature’s way of letting them known it was present. bucky gave it a few minutes of catharsis before he approached, casual in his tone when worry was in his gaze. “you know, some people stay in bed all day to do this.”

           bucky had surprised him, but instead of a jump, it resulted in an unnatural stillness. as if he was expecting some sort of punishment for his grief. it seemed as if, in all this time since the ice, there had not been a single moment that he could truly experience his own grief. there had just been one problem after the next, one more disaster to stop, and each one had piled on more and more loss. what was he supposed to do with it all? ‘ i didn’t want to disturb anyone. ‘ it was the truth, but only half of it. he didn’t want to disturb anyone, and he didn’t want people to see his grief. he was supposed to be the strong one, right? the one they could all depend on in their moments of need?

if  going  under  the  radar  was  the  goal,  there  were  certainly  better  ways  of  going  about  it  than  wearing  a  baseball  cap  with  a  fairly  distinctive  ‘A’  on  the  front.  still,  the  sight  of  it  is  so  incredibly  steve  that  it  brings  a  smile  to  sharon’s  lips,  brown  eyes  softening  as  she  settles  her  gaze  on  him.      ❝    might  as  well  be  wearing  the  stars  and  banners  with  how  conspicuous  you  are  wearing  that  thing,  cap.  trying  to  get  the  attention  from  some  fans,  maybe?    ❞

SHE wasn’t sure what she expected on the other side, but it wasn’t the bright white scenery movies had trained her for. It was nothing, like falling asleep only never to wake up — but she woke up. Maybe she had dreamt all of this horror and now she would wake up to find herself in an older situation, but with Steven standing before her as he looked, this wasn’t a nightmare.

‘ —- Steve? ’ What had he done? How was she here? There were so many questions running through her head but she practically dove for the man wrapping her arms around him. ‘ What happened, are you alright? ’

         his arm, the unbroken one, wrapped around her the moment she was close enough. she was here, she was real. ‘ i’m fine. little banged up, but nothing out of the ordinary. ‘ his head dipped, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, and then just resting there. eyes closed, and he let the warmth from her warm him, too, a reminder that she was really here. 

         ‘ i’m not captain america anymore. ‘ the reminder was flicked into open air, fists paused in their flight toward the punching bag in front of him. the shield had been passed on, and he was doing his best to enjoy retirement. have some sort of life. ‘ you’re looking for sam wilson. ‘

           LAUGHTER OF THE AGES        resides in stilled chest .      raised eyebrow and unspoken question       (       this one really is interesting ,      is he not    ?      )       ❝     don’t worry soldier ,       i promise i won’t steal a bite .     ❞         smile shows teeth ,      head falls to the side .        DELIGHT RESIDES IN DARK EYES   .       ❝     but if you ever find you have a few drops to spare ,      why would you not put a curious mind to rest    ?       all in the name of science ,     of course .      there is no personal gain in it for me .     ❞

         ‘ if i’m being honest, i don’t think he’s dead. ‘ if someone had told him after new york that loki’s daughter would come asking questions and he would offer her coffee? he’d be skeptical at best. but, then again, he wasn’t a big believing in the sins of parents damning the children. ‘ if i were a betting man, i’d put money on him still being out there somewhere. ‘