Steve knelt in front of his mother's grave, next to his father's. Flowers had already been placed at both, some fresh, some wilting.
He closed his eyes, cradling his single white rose in his big hands. He never knew his father, but his mother…he remembered his mother. Cherished his memory of thin, firm hands cradling his fevered face, lovingly patching him up when he got into scrapes, gesturing wildly in a fury after he got into yet another fight.
He sat back on his heels, his ankles flat against the ground, his head bowed and his breath shuddering in almost-sobs.
The cemetery was peaceful. Sunny. He didn't know how long he knelt there silently, finally letting himself break down for all that he had lost in the company of the memory of his beloved mother.
Someone made a small noise, bringing him out of his reverie. There was a man, possibly late twenties, and his son, who might have been five. One hand was holding a bouquet of calalilies. The other tilted in an Army-regulation salute.
Steve firmed his jaw. Some stranger did not deserve to have a sobbing Captain America on his hands.
The man relaxed after a moment, making sure that the sentiment carried. He plucked one of the lilies from the bouquet, knelt almost uncomfortably close, and laid it at Steve's knees.
"Thank you for your service," he said, his accent distinctly French.
By the time Steve managed to master his vocal chords, the man and his son were gone.
Steve carefully picked up the flower. He took a deep breath.
He didn't feel better. Didn't feel lighter. Being a superhero hadn't gotten easier. His survivor's guilt hadn't magically vanished.
But he suddenly found that he could breathe. One man's kindness allowed him the ability to carry it a bit better.
He rested his right hand on his mother's stone.
"I'll see you sometime, Ma."
I'm not normally one for writing sad things, but this popped up while I was reading a story and I had to write it.
(I meant to have this up last Sunday, but last Sunday went down the rabbit hole and got sucked into the Tardis for some wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey fun. Oops.)
Toodles!
-Ruby