Chapter 14
“Wake up.”
A hand shakes Steve awake. Steve bolts upright and leaps from his makeshift bed on Clark’s couch. He scans the room. It’s empty save for Clark.
“Sorry, I just figured you wouldn’t want to be late for work. Bagel?”
Steve nibbles on his bagel as they walk to work. Clark is glowing with his usual good health, giving no indications that the kryptonite had any lasting effect on him.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” Clark starts before they’re even halfway to work.
“About?” Steve asks neutrally.
“About doing this more often.” Clark says.
“Doing what? Inviting me to sleep on your couch or inhaling kryptonite?”
“Hilarious,” Clark says, “I didn’t think sarcasm was around back in your day.”
“Please, my generation invented it. We needed something to keep us entertained between battles.” Steve says finishing his bagel.
“I meant teaming up.” Clark says. Steve purposely does not look at Clark. He doesn’t need to, to know that Clark is giving him the same look he gives Lois when he wants to lead on the byline.
“I’m retired.” Steve says.
“Oh yes, you looked very retired the other night when you were bashing Neo-Nazis with your shield.”
“That’s different. I come out of retirement for Nazis.” Steve says waving him off.
“Listen we don’t know how many kryptonite weapons Greks put out there. What if the police don’t get all of them?” Clark asks. Steve glances over. Clark is frowning and looking away. He’s hiding it well, but Steve can tell, Clark is scared. The Kryptonite gas rattled him.
“Ok.” Steve says, “you think you’re going into something kryptonite or something you can’t handle, call me. But for day to day stuff, I think Superman can handle it without the Captain.”
Clark nods, “Thank you.”
They walk in companionable silence through the crowded noisy streets until Clark says, “I give you a month.”
“Excuse me?” Steve asks.
“Until you’re back out there, getting involved in situations that contain neither Nazis nor kryptonite.” Clark says. Steve raises an eyebrow.
“I saw you out there. You are not the sit on the sidelines and let things pass you by type of guy.” Clark says knowingly, “One of these days you’re going to stumble across a mugging or something and I won’t be around and you’ll throw yourself into the fight.”
Steve snorts, but doesn’t disagree. This world had Superman and Batman and possibly more heroes waiting to be discovered, but nobody, not even Superman, could be everywhere at once. And like he told Tony long ago, when he sees a situation pointed south he can’t ignore it. So he will enjoy this break, enjoy watching as Superman saves the day, while it lasts. He might even last the whole month, but sooner or later Steve will be back out there fighting the good fight.
Steve expects that with the Neo-Nazi scandal wrapping up and he and Clark no longer making headlines that The Captain would fade away as yesterday’s news. He is shocked when only a few days after the first trials for the Neo-Nazis began a certain article dominates the front page of The Metropolis Star. The title, Oh Captain, My Captain, makes no secret as to what the article will be about, nor does the blurry picture of himself mid throw of his shield. He checks the author, just to confirm that Clark isn’t behind it.
It questions Steve’s sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance before baselessly speculating that Steve was a marine who infiltrated the organization and exposed them on behalf of the government. Steve rolls his eyes.
“A marine?” Steve asks, “I could tolerate everything else, but a marine?”
“That’s the Metropolis Star for you,” Clark shrugs, “you wouldn’t get such shoddy reporting from the Daily Planet.”
“I would hope not.”
“If The Captain wanted to give an interview, maybe set the record straight, the Daily Planet would be happy to write a counter article.” Clark says innocently.
“And why would The Captain do that? I’m pretty sure he’s lying low and hoping that public interest in him fades.” Steve says shoving the paper away and turning back to his drawing. Perry wants him finished with it by noon and he hasn’t even started coloring.
“Oh that’s not happening.” Clark says.
“What?” Steve asks glancing up.
“The public interest, it’s not fading. If anything, his mysterious disappearance has only made it grow.” Clark says far too cheerfully.
“You’re joking.” Steve says flatly.
“Nope, Metropolis just really loves their heroes.”
“They have a hero. You’d think Superman would be enough for the city.” Steve says.
“There’s room in Metropolis for two.” Clark says, and then dropping his voice, adds, “After all New York City had a full team.”
“Yeah and a full team was apparently too much.” Steve says. The playful grin slips off Clark’s face. He leans against the desk and watches as people walk by. Steve ignores him and continues working on his drawing.
“It’s not a bad thing. People just want to welcome him.” Clark finally says, not turning to look at Steve, “Metropolis isn’t like New York City. The people wouldn’t turn on him.”
“It’s not the people I worry about, it’s the government.” Steve says.
Clark shrugs, “I’m pretty sure if the government is going to go after anybody it’s the flying alien with heat vision. The Captain doesn’t have any…baggage with this government.”
Steve sets down his pencil, “You really want an interview.”
“Nah, not really. Lois is better at direct interviews than I am. I just want you to get proper credit for what you did.” Clark says.
“I didn’t do it for the credit.”
“Obviously not,” Clark says, “but you didn’t do it for the government either.”
Steve plays with his pencil. Clark isn’t wrong. He got involved because it was the right thing to do, not because Uncle Sam demanded it. He’s done marching to that particular tune and he wants to make that point very clear in case certain people in the government start getting ideas.
“Besides, I’ve heard around town that you have quite the growing fan base,” Clark adds with a grin, “I’m sure they would love it.”
“I don’t need a fan base.” Steve says, “Last time I had one it ended up with Captain America comic books and trading cards.”
Clark’s eyes go wide, “Captain America trading cards? I want some of those.”
“Funny. I didn’t have a say in their creation.” Steve says, “anyway I have to get back to work before Perry has my head.”
“Alright, just think about what I said.”
“I will,” Steve promises. And he does. He does more than just think; he dwells on it. He plays scenarios over and over again in his mind. What would he even say? He can’t just give the whole truth, but he also can’t lie. He wants people to know that everything he does he does on his own accord. He wants people to trust him, that when they see his shield flying they know he’s here to help and not to harm. But, he’s done the press circuit before, both during the forties and modern day. At best it’s uncomfortable, at worst they twist everything you say to fit their narrative and it becomes a waste of time. As he thinks he reads. He reads Lois’s first article on Superman and follows it up by reading all her articles on Superman. Then he switches to other papers and reads their articles on Superman, as well as any statement a government official has ever given regarding Superman. That completed, he reads the Metropolis Star’s article on himself, followed by the other articles on himself. Most from respectable papers, but an uncomfortable amount coming from trashy tabloids next to articles regarding bigfoot and aliens that aren’t Superman. It’s a little concerning that these tabloids have gotten closer to the truth of his origin than anybody else. Finally, after much brooding on Jimmy’s couch to the poor boy’s confusion, Steve makes his decision.
Early the next morning Steve slips out of Jimmy’s apartment, clutching his shield for the first time in almost a month. From an alley he watches Lois Lane leave her apartment, coffee in hand. He waits patiently as she locks up and then stops to talk to her neighbor and then runs back inside for her notes on her latest piece, before she finally walks past.
“Miss Lane?” Steve calls. Lois turns around and then almost spills her coffee.
“Captain! You’re here,” Her notebook is out of her purse and in her hand faster than Steve can blink.
“Yeah, Superman said you were the person to talk to…if I wanted to tell my story.”
Lois preens, “Well I was the first person to interview Superman when he first showed up in Metropolis.”
“Yes, I went back and read it. It’s very good.” Steve says, “I was hoping you’d be able to do the same for me. I’ve noticed that certain rumors are starting to spread and I want to put a stop to them.”
“So you’ve read the Metropolis Star, I see.” Lois says.
“Them among others.” Steve says, “So can you help me.”
Lois eyes him thoughtfully, “If you’ve read my work you know I don’t write puff pieces. I write the truth.”
Steve smiles, “that’s fine by me. I might not be able to give you all the details, but nothing I saw will be a lie.”
They schedule a lunch meeting in an out of the way café where nobody will look twice at Steve’s costume. Steve spends the rest of the morning trying not to stare at the clock. If Clark weren’t there kicking his chair every time he passed, Steve’s sure he never would have gotten any work done. Lois leaves at a quarter to noon. Steve leaves a few minutes later.
Lois is there ordering her lunch as he approaches. The waitress hardly looks up from her pad, just asking what his order will be before marching off to the kitchen.
“So Captain, captain of what?” Lois starts with barely a greeting.
“Captain…well, some knew me as Captain America a long time ago, but I prefer just Captain now.” Steve says. Lois smiles, it’s sharp. The smile of a reporter that knows she’s got a good story. Steve drinks his water and settles in for a long afternoon.
Steve has met with his share of reporters, all starving for a good story. All too often at the expense of the truth. Lois isn’t like that. Oh, she’s hungry alright, she pounces with each question, but she never lets the thought of a good story stop her from getting the truth. Steve gives her an abridged version of his life. He talks about the Super Soldier program and the war. He mentions the ice and though Lois looks like she wants to ask more about that she stops herself at the look on Steve’s face, moving briskly on to her next question. Steve appreciates it; there are things he’d prefer not to dwell on. Most reporters back home hadn’t cared what he wanted. They wanted to hear about the ice. Did he remember any of it? How had it felt as he slowly froze, conscious until the end? Those questions got a no comment and a quickly ended interview.
Steve talks about the Avengers and about the government. He wavers about talking about the Accords before deciding that if he was going to defend these people they deserve to know the whole truth.
When he finishes he’s exhausted and even Lois seems to slump a little more in her seat.
“So, do you believe me?” He asks.
“A few years ago I might not have, but I regularly interview a space alien so I guess an interdimensional traveler from World War Two isn’t that hard to swallow.”
“And you’ll publish my story?” Steve asks.
“Look for it in tomorrow’s newspaper.” Lois says standing. She looks at him and then fishes a card out of her purse, “and if you ever want to do a follow up interview, call me. People are going to eat this story up.”
The next morning Steve gets into work early, snagging a paper on his way in. His story isn’t front page news and Steve sighs in relief at small blessings. He settles in to read. He’s known since he first started working at The Planet that Lois Lane was an exemplarily reporter. Sharp, she cuts through any fluff, and gets straight to the heart of the story. And now, reading his own story, he finds that Lois did not disappoint. He doesn’t come across as an invader from a foreign world, rejected by his home and here to cause trouble. Nor does come across as the next Superman. He’s just a man who wants to do some good in the world the best way he knows how. He puts the paper down, satisfied, and picks up his pencil, ready to start his day.