er... hello again

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

There are doors and then there are Doors.

Steve was not looking for a Door. It wasn't even on his mind. But once he steps through it, his breath catches a little and his eyes well up.

He's been gone a long time.


"Bar," he says as he gets onto a stool, "a chocolate egg cream, please."

Coming right up.

[ooc: A quick explainer.]

Comments

[zerocharliexray]

"Now there's an order I ain't heard in a while," laughs the long-legged blonde sitting nearby.

Zinda's out of uniform today, but she's got a black leather jacket emblazoned with a yellow and black logo hanging over the back of her stool. "Even longer since I found a place that could make it."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve smiles at her. "This is the best place to get them, nowadays. They're out of fashion now.

"Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you."

[zerocharliexray]

He's a strapping fella and no mistake. "Zinda Blake," she says, and offers out her hand to shake. Her grip's as firm as her smile.

"You look kinda familiar. Ever been to Gotham when you aren't hanging around the end of the universe?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Shaking hands wasn't a thing men and women did in his day, but -- changing times.

He shakes her hand, also firmly.

"I've never been, no. I spent most of my time in DC or New York until recently. Home is Europe now. "

[zerocharliexray]

It's funny how living on an island with seven men shift a gal's idea of propriety, that's for sure.

"No kiddin'?"

She's got a cold bottle of beer; she lifts it in a brief toast. "I spent some time in Europe, myself, but, well – "

She laughs again. "It was a while ago. I hope you're there under better circumstances than I was."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"That depends on the circumstances," Steve observes, his smile turning wry. "The first time was war. This time it's ... more covert."

[zerocharliexray]

Her smile mirrors his, turning crooked and rueful. "You too, huh? Hey – "

She looks intently at him for a long second, then slaps her knee in cheery recognition. "Well, butter my butt 'n call me a biscuit. I knew I knew that face! I saw it in a couple pictures. You're Bucky's Steve, right? From the Howlin' Commandos?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"You know Bucky?" That melts what little reserve he has. "Yeah, I'm his Steve."

[zerocharliexray]

"Sure do," she says, grinning to beat the band.

"He's a peach, that Bucky Barnes. Well, heck, Steve Rogers, I feel like I know you already, he talks about you so much."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

That makes Steve beam.

He says, "On the other hand, I don't know you at all. You fought in the war, too?"

[zerocharliexray]

"Sure did."

She tosses him a crisp salute, her smile white and flashing. "Flew with the Blackhawks; independent resistance squadron. Lady Blackhawk, they called me."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I love that. That's really swell. Resistance out of where, France?"

[zerocharliexray]

"A little bit of everywhere. Bart – Blackhawk, that is – he and the boys were chompin' at the bit to fly, but the RAF was all long lines 'n red tape. So they pooled their funds, got some planes, and struck out on their own."

She waves her beer bottle in a lazy gesture. "By the time I joined up, they were headquartered on a lil' island in the Pacific, but we saw action all over the European theater."

[canttrickmeanymore]

Nope. No, he's not quietly freaking out across the bar. Look, it's freaking Captain America, okay? And Peter probably would be way more chill except for Bucky talking about him to the literal American hero. Now he feels like he's gotta live up to something.

Even after Rogers orders the most New York thing ever. That just makes him grin a little.

He is not getting any homework done at ALL.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve never saw Peter's face when they fought in Germany, but there's something about the kid's -- presence? -- that seems familiar.

He says, "Queens?"

[canttrickmeanymore]

He looks up from the book he's been staring blankly at for the last half hour. Gives a wave.

"Hey."

Not a confirmation or denial. Just a greeting. He is still keeping his hero identity separate from his non-hero one. Mostly.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Hey," Steve replies, looking amused.

[canttrickmeanymore]

Now he's wondering if Bucky mentioned him as Spider-Man or as Peter. He realizes he never asked. That's maybe important. Kinda late now though.

"Um - you - uh, you look like you've been here before." That doesn't sound stupid, right?

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"It's been a few years," Steve says, "but yeah, I have."

[canttrickmeanymore]

"Oh, wow. Bucky said kinda the same thing. It's so weird, but so cool too! Like, it shouldn't even really work, but it does and - sorry." He does that.

"I'm Peter." Still not freaking out. Nope. Totally normal over here. (Lies. All the lies. There's definitely a little freaking out.)

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Hi, Peter. I'm Steve Rogers." The kid probably already knows that, since he mentioned Bucky, but Steve is an old-fashioned guy.

"Do you know Bucky from the bar?"

[canttrickmeanymore]

He does know that, though mostly from being alive in the 2000's and going to school where Steve Rogers is in his history book in both the early 20th century part and the early 21st century part. Also, the really silly PSA videos used in school. And that whole Berlin thing.

"I do. I dunno if he's the same Bucky from my timeline, but he seems to sorta be from about the same point in time." Hope you like science Steve!

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Hm..." He's not really a science guy. "So, you might have?"

[canttrickmeanymore]

"Huh? Oh - no, I actually met Bucky. The one that comes here. But we might not be from the same timeline. Like, the same world." He flips to a blank sheet of paper in his notebook and draws two lines. "Like, maybe I'm from this timeline here," he points to one line, "and then Bucky's from this timeline here," he points to the other line, "but the events that happen are really similar, or mostly the same except for some little things here and there - like maybe Mr. Stark in his world has blue eyes instead of brown or something." Way super simplified, but it's the basics.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Oh," Steve says, looking at the paper like it explains Einstein's theory of relativity. "That makes sense. I've met some people here who seem to know a version of me, for instance."

He's mentioned Bucky and Tony now. There's no doubt in Steve's mind -- "You were the kid in Berlin, weren't you? Spider-Man?"