Title: Time and Reason
Author: Perky
Characters: Steve Rogers
Summary: Captain America is a man out of time. He is lost. Set right before the Avengers.
Notes: I was inspired by a deleted scene on The Avengers Blu-Ray. If you haven't seen it, find it on YouTube. It is called, "Marvel's The Avengers and Acura RDX Bonus Deleted Scene." This fic tried to capture the same angst that is in that scene. Enjoy!
Brooklyn never changed. Sure, there might be a few newer buildings around here and there, but Brooklyn was Brooklyn. Well, this part was, anyway.
Steve felt comfortable here. All the buildings were old. Many of them had been here since before he was born, even if he never saw them before he woke up. The light red brick that was used so often was everywhere. He could almost forget... Until he turned a corner near Prospect Park and saw the bright red decorations of a McDonalds advertising their dollar menu and new breakfast items.
He did his best to keep the scowl off his face. He had tried McDonalds once; he didn't think the burger was worth more than a dime. Maybe fifteen cents, if he was being kind.
The price of things these days still bothered him. When he was a kid, a half gallon of milk was less than thirty-five cents. Now he couldn't get one at the corner market for less than two dollars.
He didn't have to worry about money. The people from SHIELD had told him he was owed an awful lot of backpay. But having come of age during a depression, the thought of spending so extravagantly still jarred him.
A lot of things jarred him.
He walked off of Parkside onto a back street again. He was more comfortable away from the most obvious signs of the times.
He slowed down to enjoy the walk. This was a quieter part of the city. Mostly residential buildings and brownstones, but the noises of the city were still present. Steve could hear the subway screech to a halt a few blocks away and cars honking their horns. But most people who lived here were at work, and all their children were at school. So it was quiet.
It was still Brooklyn, but it was not really his Brooklyn anymore.
Ever since he woke up, he'd taken to walking around the city to refamiliarize himself with it. He'd almost gotten lost the first time he did it, but he thankfully didn't need to call in help from SHIELD. He found his way back... After several hours.
Eventually his walk led him out of that sleepy little neighborhood and he headed for the subway. The West End Line had been refurbished from the old steam train service right before he was born. He remembered joking with his friends about how the subway was supposed to be underground, not above it.
That thought, of course, reminded him of Bucky. That wound was still fresh. Even though Bucky had died 65 years before, it only seemed a few short months to Steve.
He saw a small Irish pub on the corner by the stairs up to the raised level platform of the subway and almost wished alcohol could affect him. He sighed and was about to head to the subway when an old man stopped him.
"Do I know you, kid? You look awfully familiar." The voice was craggily and had the accent of someone who had lived in Brooklyn his whole life.
Steve looked at the man. He didn't recognize him, but judging by his age, he very well may have known him back in the war. SHIELD had asked him rather firmly (Steve took it as an order) not to reveal himself as Captain America. Honestly Steve didn't mind. He was happy living in blissful anonymity. It was better than being a relic of a bygone age.
"I don't believe so, sir. I am pretty new to these parts."
The old man harrumphed. "You look familiar. Did your grandfather serve in the war, maybe?"
Steve smiled at the man. He tried not to look sad. "I'm a bit older then I look, sir."
"Your father, then?"
Steve figured he wouldn't get out if this conversation easily and he didn't want to lie to a man he may have served with. You just didn't do that. So, he nodded and said, "My father served in the great war."
"That's World War One, kid. I'm talking about the second great war. What are they teaching you kids these day? I could tell you stories..."
"My mistake, sir," Steve said with a small smile.
Steve was hoping that would be the end of the conversation but was disappointed when the man said, "I don't know why you seem so goddamn familiar to me, kid. But you do, and I never forget a face."
"I don't know what to tell you," Steve said. And he didn't. He thought that maybe he would be something like this man if he had lived out his life normally. An old man, walking around Brooklyn and talking to kids about the war.
The old man was looking at him hard. Suddenly, he smiled slightly and started humming.
Steve didn't recognize it at first, but when he did, his face heated up. It was Star Spangled Man, the song he had gone around the country singing to raise money for the war effort.
The man laughed. "I don't know how this happened, son, but I am glad it did. It's a miracle."
Steve sighed. Maybe to other people it was miraculous, but to him it was not. Almost everyone he knew was dead or dying. Everything was new and strange. "Maybe. But I think of it as a curse most days."
The old man's demeanor changed. "How many people get a second chance? How many good people that you knew didn't? You were as good as dead, but you're not. You're alive. So go on then. Live."
The man was right. He was alive when so many had died. Was he being selfish for living in the past? What had he done since he'd gotten back?
"Look, kid. When I was your age, I was an idiot. You were out winning the goddamn war. The hand dealt to you might seem harsh, but you've got to make the best of it. I won't give you that, 'you're here for a reason,' bullshit. But I'm sure you can find a reason or two if you looked."
Steve looked at the old man and smiled. He nodded his head and held out his hand. "Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you."
The old man took his hand and smiled back. "We met once before, in Italy. But it was great to see you again, Cap. Be well, son."
For the first time since he had woken up, he thought he might just be alright after all. It wouldn't be easy, but maybe, just maybe he could make a life here.
Needless to say, the next day, when Nick Fury paid him a visit and the world needed saving, he was going to do his part. For Bucky and the Commandos, for the old man and for everyone else. He was Captain America, and that's what he did.