Bucky didn’t have much time to grab a cup of coffee on his way to the station, but he thought it would lead to a good day after the events had gone through earlier that month. It was his first day working at the radio station, WLTW, and it was also the start of his ‘new’ life. This month had forced him to get out of his now ex-boyfriends house, Brock, and explore all the possibilities Brooklyn had, which was a house in Park-Slope, courtesy of his mother and father because they were happy for him to be finally free from his monster of a partner.
He took the subway, riding the F train until Manhattan, where his new job was situated. It seemed long, and although it was, it was his dream job that paid better than half the nanny jobs he looked at. (Yes, nanny jobs, Bucky Barnes who did two tours in the army, seriously considered this.)
His new job was as a disc jockey, playing music and even having his segment during the day. The station gave him creative freedom in whatever he played, and Bucky, having a strange connection to eras he did not live in, wanted to spice up 21st-century radio by playing strictly thirties and forties hits. His attraction to the time stemmed from his late mother and father, whom both had an affliction to it. Bucky can still clearly remember sneaking downstairs in their farmhouse in Indiana to see his parents slow dancing in the dimly lit kitchen, only the oven light illuminating their faces, both aged with crow's feet and smile lines. They moved to Brooklyn in the late nineties when Bucky was a young child and Rebecca was just born, but the memories of their original house nevertheless run rampant in his mind when he wants to remember his parents. Even though they have both passed by now, he holds this and so many other recollections close to him in honor.
Bucky got to the station in record time, only one minute before he was supposed to be there. He settled into the chair in his little corner and began, already having the ‘lay of the land’ due to his boss showing him around during the interview process. He played with the switches and knobs until his curated playlist of songs started to come in through the speakers. After the first song is over, he gets ready to introduce himself to all the five listeners hearing, saying,
“Good morning! This is Bucky Barnes coming from WLTW.” He cringed a little at himself for sounding so formal, but continuing with, “I hope you all will be okay with me as your host now, hopefully I can do you guys justice even if I didn’t live through the decade unlike the last host”, he softly giggled toward the end of the sentence to show he didn’t mean any malice to the old host, but also to show he could be personable and funny, dammit. Rebecca always ratted on him for his cold attitude and colder stare, especially after he came from the army, but with no one in front of him and the societal pressure subtracted from the equation, he was a great conversationalist.
“If you have questions, comments, and untold grudges you want to share because I live for drama that is not mine, please send it to the station's number and I’ll get back with my unsolicited opinions!” Bucky muted his mic and let the next song play, happy with how his first on-air experience went. He hoped that whoever was listening was enjoying it also, always loving the way music connected people who do not know each other. He looked at the time and saw it was quarter past eight am, leaned back, and enjoyed the coffee he rushed for.
STEVE
Steve turned up the radio he had in the kitchen, almost too stunned to continue cooking his breakfast after hearing what he thought was the most beautiful voice this era had to offer. After waking up under false pretenses and fighting both aliens and a huge purple person that looked too much like a phallic object in his eyes in the span of eleven years takes a toll on a person. After the battle and the retirement of his shield and name to Sam, the new Captain America (who deserved it more than anyone and he will fight anyone who disagrees), Steve bought a brownstone house in Brooklyn Heights, living off the billions of dollars in back pay Natasha so lovely fought with him to get, who also conveniently lives only a few blocks away with her sister Yelena.
Back in the present, Steve sat with his slightly burned eggs and turkey bacon, continuing to listen to the only station in New York that is worth his time. In an ever-changing world, only a few connections to the past still exist, like some of the architecture in the financial district, the noise that never stops, and the radio station that plays songs Steve grew up on and danced to with his mother on the nights she got off her shifts at the hospital. Also losing his parents over time, Steve had decided to only remember one of his parents, which was hard when you have an eidetic memory. His father, an alcoholic that spent his time in unemployment abusing him and his mother, was distant and not worth remembering in Steve's eyes. Both parents immigrated from Ireland to give their son a better life, and even though Sarah tried to build him up, somehow his father found a way to tear him down the second he stepped through their home. Through this, Steve still lived every day like it was his last, probably because back then it could’ve been with the way his health was. Now, with the serum in his veins and his old life a distant reminder, simple joys are what he lives for.
The music seems to seep into every corner of his house, the sound of the radio traveling throughout every room and filling it with both nostalgia and tranquility. He puts away his dishes from this morning and starts to move to the living room to relax in his armchair and read a book Sam recommended.
A knock stopped him halfway, making him go to the door and look through the peephole. He opens it after seeing Natasha holding what looks like to be baked goods from a café down the road.
“Good to see dinosaurs still roam the earth, Rogers”, she said after bypassing him and going towards his kitchen.
“Good to see manners are still being used in this century”, Steve replied in a dry, yet friendly tone. Over the years, he and his now neighbor have grown together to have almost a sibling-like relationship, sharing days and dinners with Yelena and whoever else is in town.
“I mean this honestly Steve, have you ever considered listening to something that was made within the past hundred years?” Natasha started to pull some plates down to put Danishes on for her and Steve while also making herself a cup of coffee. Steve sat on one of his island chairs across from her, responding with a shake of the head and saying, “Well if this century made something worth listening to, then maybe.”
As if the radio could pick up on their conversation, a voice came through the speaker. “Hey guys, thank you, and welcome for tuning into WLTW.” Natasha noticed the way Steve seemed to pause eating his pastry to listen to the host speaking. A delicate smile settled easily on his face as it continued.
“I hope everyone is doing okay this Monday and I hope the nurses at the retirement homes are also treating you all well”, the listeners can hear the laugh he made, obviously knowing his audience, “I'm kidding, I'm kidding! There's at least one of you five that has to be near my age, right? Well, if not, I hope you all enjoy the next few songs I have coming up, and if you are feeling up to it, there's always the number with this segment's own extension you can contact me with! This is Bucky with the latest hits…from the forties”, he laughed again with a hit of embarrassment but allowed the next song to play. Steve sat still throughout the entire dialogue looking at his plate with the same smile he had at the beginning of Bucky’s speech. Natasha thinks that his cheeks must hurt by now but is more intrigued by the way that this is the first time she had seen Steve so…soft. It gave her relief that he had that emotion after all he’s been through.
“Maybe you should contact him and give him peace of mind he's not the only person that doesn’t need a cane”, Natasha says in a quiet voice, not wanting to disturb the peace Bucky had given. Steve seemed to have come down from the cloud he was on, pondering what Natasha said. He stands up and picks up his and her plate, but he doesn’t recall the activity of eating his and thought Natasha was still standing. She seemed to have moved right next to him, enjoying the silence. When he gets to the sink and puts the plates in the dishwasher, he quietly says, as if it’s a secret, “Yeah, maybe I should.”