Hello all! Thank you so so so much for reviewing! I am so happy and grateful for your feedback! :D
Here's a few things that I forgot to say in the beginning:
* I don't live in Wyoming so I have no idea what it's like there, I'm going off of pictures
* there are some later chapters of abuse but they won't be too graphic
* I don't claim to know how abuse affects people, I'm going off of my imagination so I don't meant to offend anyone!
* there will be absolutely no smut in my story or cussing (in case you were wondering)
* I am in college so after the next 2-3 weeks, updates will become less frequent, much less frequent (sorry, I can be really bad on updating but I'm trying to change that)
* I have no idea how shutters are fixed so again I'm going from my imagination
*I have no idea how motorcycles work so I looked up on the internet what might be wrong
um…I think that's all for now. If there's more, I will let you all know in the next chapter :) Thank you again for all of your reviews! :D
"Are you trying to take my job young man?" Steve turned at Nathan's voice and stood up from his crouching position.
"No sir, just trying to help," Steve replied. Nathan stared at him for a moment, mug of coffee in one hand, and then smiled cheekily.
"Well that you are. You're helping me by doing my job," Nathan chuckled, "Keep up the good work, son." Nathan went back inside, chuckling to himself, and Steve shook his head. He went back to fixing the shutters, smiling to himself. It had been a while since someone had treated him normally. Sure there was S.H.I.E.L.D and all of their agents but even they sometimes treated him like a legend. Steve was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was a legend. A very old legend that didn't look old. When he'd taken the serum, he had no idea that it would keep him young. Steve had asked a S.H.I.E.L.D doctor if he'd ever age but the doctor didn't know. Nobody knew what the serum did. Steve was an experiment. An experiment that was alive and working.
Steve placed the shutters on the window and began screwing them into the side of the window. The shutters were probably as old as the house but were still in good shape. That's something Steve had noticed since waking up. Modern tools and materials broke so easily and nobody fixed them. They just bought new ones or moved onto the next trend. When S.H.I.E.L.D had first given him a phone he had dropped it the next day and the screen had shattered. Natasha had laughed at him and always brought it up when they met. And the fossil joke, that was a pretty regular taunt. Steve didn't mind the taunts but he was frustrated with how lost he felt. So many things were different in this era. The culture, the values, all of them seemed to have changed.
"Why, what do we have here?" Betty asked, hands on her hips, "Not even one full day in my house and your already working."
"Just doing what I can to say thank you," Steve smiled.
"You charmer," Betty laughed, "Breakfast is ready."
"I'll be there in a minute. Just putting the last screw in," Steve replied. Betty walked back into the house and Steve's eyebrows furrowed. Charmer? He hadn't been trying to charm anyone, he was just doing what was right. At least, what was right in my day, Steve thought. He sighed and finished fixing the shutters. Steve stood back, admired his work, and walked inside, satisfied.
"All done?" Charlie asked, placing a plate of eggs and bacon on the table.
"All fixed ma'am," Steve said, sitting down at the table. The food smelled delicious and Steve's stomach growled loudly.
"You're going to have to make more eggs Lotte. Steve's stomach sounds like a black hole," Betty laughed. Steve blushed slightly and Betty laughed more.
"Already made some," Charlie chuckled. She held up a pan of sizzling eggs and Steve smiled gratefully. Conversation stopped as everyone began eating and Charlie munched while cooking the last eggs. The food was just as good as last night, possibly even better. Steve tried to take his time, to look at least a little normal, but he was ravenous. When his plate was empty, not even a minute passed before Charlie scooped the last eggs onto his plate. Steve nodded in thanks and Charlie smiled.
"So, what's the plan for today Steve? You gonna see what's wrong with your bike?" Nathan asked, snapping a newspaper.
"Yes sir. Hopefully it's nothing too serious and I'll be out of your hair shortly."
"Out of our hair? I kind of like having you around, boy."
"Oh hush Nathan. You only like him because he's doing your projects."
"Steve, stop thinking that you're an inconvenience. This is the last time I'm going to say it, you are welcome in our house," Charlie said in a stern but kind voice. She gave him a look and Steve nodded.
"Now you see who really runs this house," Nathan joked. Charlie smirked and smacked Nathan on the arm.
"We've got to be in the diner in five minutes, who's washing today?" Charlie asked. Betty looked at her plate and scraped up a few crumbs while Nathan seemed to be engrossed in his newspaper.
"Guys seriously?" Charlie spun around, hands on her hips.
"I did it yesterday."
"No, I did dear."
"Nathan you know my back is sore in the morning-"
"Your back is always sore but it never stopped you before."
"You guys are such children sometimes. Please can one of you just-"
"I'll do it," Steve piped up. All three heads turned towards him.
"I'm not going to the diner and I want to help," Steve reasoned. Charlie opened her mouth to protest but Steve stopped her, "I insist. Let me do the dishes, I promise I won't break any of them."
"See, Steve will do them. You're so kind!"
"You're the best kid."
"Guys he's not a slave-"
"Come on dear, we're going to be late," Betty sang as she got up from the table. Charlie rolled her eyes and mouthed a "thank you." Steve smiled and nodded, gathering the plates. The family continued to bicker all the way out the front door and Steve chuckled. He'd forgotten what a family acted like. His smile faltered as memories of his family and friends came rushing back. His father messing his hair up. Bucky slinging his arm around his shoulders. His mother's hugs.
Steve sighed and set to work on the dishes to distract his mind. He made sure he was extra careful so he wouldn't break his promise. He washed and dried the dishes, leaving them out. He wasn't sure where to put them and decided that rifling through a stranger's house wasn't the most polite thing to do. He walked to the front, picked up the discarded tools, and brought them back to the shed. He grabbed some new other tools he thought he might need and headed back to the front towards his bike.
Steve started checking everything to figure out why it went dead. He tried to start it but got nothing. Not even a sputter, just silence. Steve checked the battery but it looked good. There was enough gas, so what was it? Steve started checking more of the intricacies of the bike. It's not the connections or the rectifier or the regulator. Could it be the…dang it's the stator, Steve thought. He sat back and rubbed his neck. If the stator was busted he needed to buy a new one. Thanks for the great gift Fury, Steve thought bitterly. He could call for someone to pick him up but Steve banished the thought. He wanted to avoid going back to work until absolutely necessary. He needed some time to himself, to figure things out. Steve looked up and was surprised to see that the sun had moved. It must have been around noon.
"Steve!" Nathan called, "Come in and eat at the diner!" Steve waved back and stood up. He dusted himself off and followed Nathan through the back door of the diner. The diner was bustling and Steve sidestepped as Betty walked past him, trays loaded with food.
"Hey there sweetheart! Go ahead and sit at the counter and I'll get you something to eat," Betty said as she walked away. Steve followed her directions and found an empty seat next to an older man with a faded baseball cap. He had a canvas jacket on with torn jeans. His face was unshaved and he sat with a slouch.
"You're new," the man said gruffly.
"Just came into town yesterday," Steve answered. Steve could feel himself tensing. This man isn't an enemy, stop being paranoid, Steve thought. The man's eyes shifted towards Steve, looking him up and down.
"You staying with Betty and her family?"
"Yes sir. My bike broke down and they offered me a place to stay until it's fixed."
"Speaking of your bike," Betty said as she walked into view with a big plate of food, "Did you figure out what was wrong?"
"The stator's busted so I need to order a new one," Steve replied, "Is there a mechanic in town I could call?"
"Well there's Billy-"
"Out of town," the man interrupted.
"What about Franklin?"
"Studying abroad in Europe."
"Well shoot," Betty said, eyebrow furrowing, "Those are the only mechanics for miles." Steve felt himself slumping. He would have to call S.H.I.E.L.D and ask to be picked up. Or somehow steal away in the night to a nearby town. That sounds desperate, Steve thought wearily. But he really didn't want to call S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Billy'll be back next week," the man spoke up, "You can call him then." Steve's spirits lifted.
"Thank you um-"
"Bentley."
"Thank you Bentley."
"And you are?"
"Steve." Bentley looked at Steve in the eye for the first time and frowned.
"You look familiar…" Bentley trailed off, his eyes boring into Steve's. Here it comes, Steve thought. There goes my normality.
"Bentley, don't be scrutinizing my customers or you won't get your blueberry muffin," Charlie said from the counter. Steve looked up. He hadn't realized she was there. Bentley smirked and looked away from Steve.
"Can't have that now, can we?" Bentley chuckled. Charlie smiled but Steve had a feeling it was forced. She caught his eye and some emotion flashed across her eyes. She broke eye contact and turned around to get the coffee pot. What was that? Steve wondered. She'd stopped Bentley from inquiring further about his name. Could she know? If she did, why hadn't she said anything? No, I don't think she knows who I am quite yet, Steve thought. Steve shook his head of the weird interaction and dug into his food.
After he was done, he watched the diner and the activity. Betty was the main waitress though Charlie would help sometimes. Nathan was the busboy and cleaned up the tables. The diner was small enough that the family of three could run it smoothly. The people didn't seem to mind if they waited a little bit and looked like they were having a good time. Betty knew everyone and interacted with each customer like they were her children or grandchildren, no matter the age.
"So now that you're stuck here for another week, what are you going to do?" Charlie asked, leaning on the counter behind Steve. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail and her apron was splattered with flour. Her eyes shone with curiosity and held a hint of amusement. Steve sighed and shook his head.
"I'm not sure," he said honestly.
"Well, you can stay at our home for as long as you need and if you need something to do, the house is old and needs a lot of fixing," Charlie offered. Steve's mouth quirked in a smile and Charlie smiled back.
"Thank you ma'am. I think I'll take you up on your offer," Steve said.
"Good, then when you're done, you can fix our radio," Charlie pointed to a radio behind the counter, "A little boy was trying to get up on the stool and he pulled the cord, making our poor radio crash to the floor."
"The horror!" Charlie slapped his arm and he laughed.
"I'll do what I can to make it work," Steve said.
"Good man," Charlie smiled. She sauntered back into the kitchen and Steve went back to his food, chuckling.
"Duct tape works wonders," Bentley commented. Steve looked at him and Bentley motioned towards the radio.
"It you just need to hold it together, duct tape will do the job," Bentley said as he stepped off the stool. He set some money on the counter, grabbed a muffin, and walked away. Steve nodded his head and watched him leave. You meet all kinds of people in America, Steve thought. He finished the rest of his lunch and then began fixing the radio. An hour later, the radio was fixed and held together by duct tape.