July 4th over the rainbow part 1
Steve woke up at dawn on his birthday.
Excited.
He couldn’t remember the last time he felt excited on the morning of his birthday…probably before the war…maybe even before his mother died.
But today there would be an immersive performance of the wizard of oz and he want entirely certain what that would mean, but, he couldn’t wait to find out…and he would be surrounded by friends and …family.
The kids were great. He was uncle Steve and he loved those kids.
He couldn’t wait for summer camp either, but he should probably focus on one good thing at a time.
He liked Don and Charlie. The Eppes brothers were generous with the friendship and Steve was certain he’d always be welcome in their homes.
Ian…Ian made him laugh a little…Ian reminded him a little of the old soldiers, the ones that shook their heads at the existence of captain America when he and the spangle circuit made it to Europe. But also, when he’d pulled his act together and actually fought in the war too…a cross between the two…somehow…in conversation he’d come to know that Ian’s grandfather had fought in World War II, collected recipes and then brought them home to start a bakery in his hometown on Richmond Virginia.
He was a fellow soldier, a sniper, like Bucky…and Steve could have gotten hung up on that, if not for the desserts…a completely different take on the battle of the bulge, but successful if everyone’s very full stomachs were to be believed…Steve chuckled at his own joke as he brushed his teeth and prepared to go for a run.
He started his run.
Cooper.
Cooper was…
He understood why Tony was possessive of Cooper.
Why the Hulk was possessive of Cooper.
Natasha wasn’t overt about it and Clint had only recently met him…but he was pretty sure it was there…
There was something about him.
That first letter he’d sent….before all the postcards from the kids…the one that went on for pages…a proper letter with news from home and the little stories and introductions…like finding a connection that was waiting for you….like the son of your mother’s sister who stayed in Ireland had come to the US and settled down out west….noticed something in the paper about you and reached out…
Hell. cooper was Irish and so was Steve….it could be like that. He didn’t know his mother’s maiden name…that felt weird to him these days when it was something that banking websites thought was a good way to prevent someone from taking your money from you…but…it was probably in the old family bible…which was….probably in storage in a museum’s back room somewhere or…in some private collector’s closet…or moldering in a garbage heap…nope, don’t think that… or a thrift or an antique store…but she was Sarah Rogers to the neighborhood and to her son who defied the odds every time he took another breath.
So maybe…she had a sister who married a Cooper…went out west…and now Steve had family again.
Steve stopped for a moment to process that…and look around…this wasn’t Manhattan so he didn’t have that helpful and inborn sense of direction the street grid had instilled in every New Yorker…he was…
He fumbled in his pockets…shit.
He left his cellphone.
Where…was he…
Wait.
He knew exactly where he was.
The gate opened for him and Cooper was walking up the driveway.
“Good morning, Steven. Did you decide to drop in for breakfast?”
Steve grinned, wide and happy, before toeing the drive a little, sheepish. “Not intentionally?”
Cooper nodded. “C’mon. Eppes loves having an excuse to make waffles and company is a good excuse.”
He walked up the drive with Cooper to have a birthday breakfast with family.
Brianna was excitedly helping Don make waffles when they arrived and he was directed to the bathroom to clean up a bit before breakfast.
He heard Cooper on the phone as he walked back down the hall to the kitchen.
“Don’t worry, Tony. Steve dropped in for breakfast, he will be back with plenty of time for the party. I’m sure he knows he left his phone, but if not I’ll let him know.”
Don was grinning and Steve grinned back. Brianna ran over to give him a hug and he picked her up.
“Happy birthday uncle Steve! We made waffles with sprinkles so that they are special for you!”
“You did? Thank you! I don’t think I’ve ever had waffles with sprinkles.”
Brianna gave him a kiss to the cheek. “They are the best, uncle steve. Especially the ones papa Don makes.”
“I’m sure they are.” Brianna squirmed down to finish setting the table and they sat down for Steve’s birthday breakfast.