Steve remembered ice cream trucks. They had been new-fangled inventions in his time, all shiny and new with their trademark ice cream cone on top and the tinkly little melodies that came from their speakers. Those machines were an absolute delight for many kids from around the block. Steve had never been particularly fond of them, but Bucky had loved them. Steve had fond memories of being dragged by the collar to the side door of one of the pink and white trucks. Bucky would treat him to a vanilla swirl or a hot fudge sundae before the two of them set off on their adventure for the night.
Nowadays, though, ice cream trucks were commodities, found in every suburb in every city in the United States. Steve would notice them as he zipped past on his motorcycle, all while quenching back the bittersweet memories of a time gone by.
The motorcycle had been a gift from Tony, a chance for Steve to re-enter the world on something that was at least vaguely familiar to him. Steve took the bike out almost everyday, re-acquainting himself with a world that had changed dramatically in the time he had been asleep in his icy bed.
The motorcycle was his relief; his escape from the torrent of information that poured itself at him at a hectic rate. Without it, and the help of his friends, he would've drowned in the sea of new-ness and unfamiliarity.
But as time went on and he became more familiar with the suburbs and the inner cities, Steve noticed that this world was not so different from the one he'd left. Kids went to school, businessmen went to work, mothers cared for the children with sternness and love, and life passed on as though through a bleary eyed dream. Despite the technology that consumed the population, he could see the thread of time as it passed from one generation to the next, leaving its mark on even the most obscure and inconvenient places.
Steve saw this for certain the day he happened upon an ice cream truck.
In actuality he more or less ran into the ice cream truck while on his daily ride, but Steve would consider it 'happening upon' for now. At least until the ice cream man calmed down.
"Gosh dammit, you idiot!" the driver stormed out of his pink and white truck, fury raging in his eyes. "Just wait until I get my hands on you!"
Steve raised his hands in surrender and backed away from the shorter man. "Whoa there! I'm sorry, sir, I was just a little distracted."
The man, actually, the boy, Steve could see now, glared up at him through a mess of short brown hair. "Don't sir me, mister!" he shouted up at the Captain. "I'm gonna get to explain this lovely mess to my boss, and you know what's gonna happen then? I'm gonna get fired, that's what's gonna happen. And then this little mess is gonna go on my resume, and my mother's gonna flip her—" the language that followed made Rogers wonder how this young man had gotten the job at all.
The driver collapsed onto the sidewalk and let out a sigh of exasperation, holding his head in his hands. "Thanks a lot, man." He growled up at the Captain. "Now how am I gonna pay for college?"
Steve hesitated for a moment before plopping down beside the youth. "The damage doesn't look too bad, son." He remarked, taking in the dents in the rear of the van. "You've got a sturdy machine there. Now, I have a friend who could fix her right up, if you'd like. No charge." He shrugged and looked off into the distance, a small smile sneaking onto his face.
"Consider it payment for running into you today." He added with a wink.
The young man looked up at him, relief breaking onto his face. Suspicion followed shortly after. 'What's your name?" he asked the Captain.
Steve Rogers grinned at the boy and hoisted himself to his feet.
"After you meet my friend," he said. "You should be able to answer that for yourself."
"Just don't let the world know that Captain America got into a car accident. That doesn't bode well for the reputation at all."
The young man laughed loudly and stood up beside the Captain. "We couldn't have that, now could we?" he chuckled. "I'll take you up on your deal, Captain America. Just make sure she gets done by the end of the day." He made his way to the front of the van and hopped in the driver's seat.
"Just follow my bike and I'll get you were you need to go, son." Steve called to him, remounting his relatively undamaged motorcycle. Tony wasn't going to be pleased to see both the van and his bike damaged, but he would get over it.
"You sure do know how to get on a man's good side, Captain." The youth in the van laughed again. He stuck out his hand as the Captain pulled up beside him.
"The name's Blake Bucky Barnes." His freckled face grinned out the window. "I'm certainly glad you ran into me today."
Steve remained frozen for a second, clasping the youth's hand in his. "Consider it my pleasure." He said after a moment, a soft grin appearing on his face.
The world never really changed, Steve realized as he pulled in front of the ice cream van. Time had a way of making things work themselves out, no matter how many years had gone by.
A/N So I was a little torn about which movie to put this with, Avengers or Captain America. I'm going with Avengers because of the very vague reference to Tony and the underlying assumption that the Avengers all share a residence in this time period (I may be wrong. I probably am wrong. But that's okay.) I haven't written an Avengers fic before, but I adore the movie and characters, so I hope I did this justice. Thank you all!
~Ches