Invisible String

this is me trying

He would be happy with Peggy hd knew that. But he could be happier with Bucky.

"Cute." Said Nat.

Steve flushed and rolled his eyes.

"Stop."

"Never. You would be happy with her Steve."

Steve nodded.

"But I think I could be happier with him."

Nat grinned.

"I see Peggy and Tony have did my job for me. Finally. I thought you were never going to realise you were in love with him."

Steve turned to her as moments of he and Peggy's fairytale happy ending played in the background.

"You knew? When?!"

Nat shook her head as she munched on her popcorn.

"Everyone knew besides you. Uhhhhh where to start. When you went rogue vigilante and become a social and political pariah to save his brainwashed ass twice? You gave up your shield for him twice. He's always been the most important thing to you Steve. You just forgot. And even with the Hydra brainwashing...you were one of the only good things that stayed. You're like his totem."

Steve hesitated taking it all in. Every word was true. He'd been so blind to his own feelings.

"Why didn't anyone say anything? A totem?"

Nat shrugged.

"There's some things you have to realise on your own. Yeah like you know in the movie Inception? The item they all have that is the only thing that helps them know what's real and what's not? That's you for him. You've always been real to him. Constant."

"But-"

"Shhhhhhh the main feature is starting."

It had a different style from the movie with Peggy. That one was glossy and in soft focus. It looked perfect. This one was grainy, old and a little shaky it looked like it was being filmed on a handheld camera. It was like a home video.

He looked happy. The shot was out of focus and the bright sunlight was getting in his eyes. He smiled at whoever was holding the camera and he lit up. His eyes, his face. He pushed them back and he noticed the gold band on his finger remained. He was still married and he thought he knew who that was. The man who was holding the camera.

It was so intimate and warm. So different from the first. Steve was sitting on the decking outside a beautiful house in the middle of the wilderness. It was peaceful. He blew steam off the mug he was holding. The camera zoomed in and he bashfully rolled his eyes and covered his face.

"Go away."

"No. You're so pretty. I can't help it."

Bucky.

Steve's blush deepened on screen and in the theatre.

"Ewwww. I thought you were better than this Barnes." Said Nat as she stuck her fingers down her throat miming throwing up.

Steve was about to defend him when he became distracted by the sound of paws on wooden flooring.

A dog bounded into shot and Steve saw Bucky's fingers ruffling his fur. His throat tightened with pride as he saw the gold band on his finger. He wanted that. More than he knew it was possible to want anything. The dog was a mutt and had shaggy brown and white fur. A rescue probably. He and Bucky had plenty of love and time to give. They could adopt. Dogs...or kids.

Steve shook his head at his thoughts. Too fast. Way too fast. Although in reality it had been almost a century. But time had a strange way of ebbing and flowing.