Figures Dancing Gracefully
Listen,
If stars are lit
It means—there is someone who needs it.
It means—someone wants them to be,
That someone deems those specks of spit
Magnificent.
—“Listen” by Vladimir Mayakovsky
Steve came awake slowly.
Ghosts and demons hovered over him.
“C-Captain Rogers?” A hesitant voice asked.
Steve blinked trying to bring the fuzzy figure into focus. “H-Howard?”
The man’s face contorted. “Um, I’m Tony. Howard’s son.”
Steve frowned.
Howard didn’t have a son, especially one almost fully grown.
“Bucky?” Steve croaked.
Tony closed his eyes. “You’ve been asleep for a long time.”
Steve shook his head. “N-No, I died.”
If he was dead, Bucky would be with him.
The crash hadn’t killed him.
He had, had enough time to lie down and pray that he would see Bucky again.
The water hadn’t killed him.
Nor had the ice finished the job.
Steve curled around himself and turned away from Howard’s son. His heart shattered all over again.
Watching Captain America sob like a child, Tony had never felt so helpless. Not knowing what else to do, he hugged the broken soldier before him.
Steve tensed at first before melting into the small touch of affection.
Yasha was exhausted.
The children had only slept for a few hours before waking up in a panic.
Olga and Peyta had screamed and cried for the next few hours before finally falling asleep.
Then the twins had started fighting over their toys which woke up Olga and Peyta again.
Natya had tried her best to calm the little ones.
Yasha had tried to get the twins to stop fighting.
By the time, they had passed two state lines, the kids were exhausted.
Yasha could barely keep his eyes open.
“Daddy, I think it’s safe enough to get a hotel,” Natya said softly.
The motel was even more crowded than usual.
The twins were in the first bed.
Peyta and Olga in the next.
Yasha and Natya were sharing a very uncomfortable cot.
“W-What are we going to do now?” Natya asked.
Yasha didn’t answer because he didn’t know what they were going to do.
They were barely getting by before, but now they had another mouth to feed.
The girls were too little to stay home alone.
But Yasha needed to find work and fast. If they had been able to stay in the last town a little longer, he would have been able to save a bit more money.
Natya’s arms tightened around him. “It’s going to be ok. I promise.”
Yasha kissed the top of her head. “That’s what I’m supposed to tell you.”
“You needed to hear it,” Natya whispered.
“We’ll be ok,” Yasha promised.
***
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