"You're telling me that you got Captain America-the War Hero, Steve Rogers-to become best friends with a thirteen-year-old kid? What, is this supposed to slowly introduce him to how irritating Generation Z is? Project Training Wheels or something?"
...
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"What was it like back then?"
Steve's back straightened at the question which rolled off Lizzie's tongue so casually, it felt wrong to react in such a serious way. Her eyes were up toward the sky, laying flat on her back in the grass after they finished their run that afternoon—Steve asked if they could switch their times around for the day and go after she got out of school—and it was safe to say that Sharon's painful version of Taekwondo and Steve's competitive eight mile wore her out to the point of seeing stars. Pardon her if her sensitivity level and aptitude for noticing Steve's reactions were a bit off.
He was leaning against the tree she was currently finding her shade underneath. Although the weather was getting progressively cooler and she'd had to trade out shorts for leggings, the sun still beamed down. Lizzie couldn't help but miss the snow. She hated it, don't get her wrong, but it was home. Her face twisted when she noticed how unusually silent Steve was and craned her neck slightly to look at him over her shoulder. His arms were crossed, a reminiscent look shadowing his features that only let up when he glanced over at her with a soft smile.
"You would've hated it," he said matter-of-factly.
She was offended, narrowing her eyes at him. "Nu-uh. I liked learning about it in history class. It wasn't the twenties but..."
Steve sighed and paused, contemplating whether or not he wanted to dig up the past. The offer was there: he knew that she wouldn't be upset if he ignored the question. He'd done it plenty in the past, but something inside of him clawed at the opportunity given. No one was asking him because they wanted to use it against him. He wasn't being prodded at by fans. It was just her usual curiosity, at the painstaking price of Steve constantly feeling like he should not be putting all of his baggage on the shoulders of a kid.
