Steve's Diary

April 4, 2014

Dear Diary,

This past weekend, Romanoff called me and told me I was needed in Washington D.C. though, she refused to tell me anything about why. I suppose that's because it's confidential, but, I kinda thought we were friends... whatever.

—————

Every day this week I've been exercising in the mornings to prepare for a potential mission announcement, though, this hasn't happened yet and I've been here almost 6 days. No matter, today I figured I'd spice things up a bit... that is, by running laps around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool until the sun is fully up.

I started when it was almost fully dark out. The sky was a dark blue, purples and pinks and reds swirling around as the stars almost blinked out of sight entirely, the sun rising out in the distance behind the Lincoln Memorial itself.

It was beautiful out, God; it's just unfortunate that no one else is up this early- shit, wait... there is someone ahead of me. I'd better warn them that I'm here.

I came up on the side of him, running a lot faster, respectively, "on your left," I said, out of breath.

He looked at me briefly and continued on, just as I did.

As I made my way around again, I saw him up ahead of me. As I caught up, again I said "on your left."

"Uh huh, on my left, got it," he replied as I ran past him all over again.

And this was a theme, I suppose. Every lap I made, I was sure to make him aware that I was there, just to be sure he didn't move front of me or get startled by my presence.

On one of my last laps I could tell he sensed me on my way, as he spoke before even I had the chance to. "Don't say it- don't you say it!"

"On your left," I said, anyway.

"Come on!" he yelled after me, but I continued on.

Later, as I saw him sitting beneath a tree in full sunlight, I called out. "Need a medic?" I asked.

He laughed. "I need a new set of lungs," he replied, not realizing the irony of that statement in its entirety. "Dude, you just ran like, 13 miles in 30 minutes."

"I guess I got a late start," I replied, making fun of my former, pre-serum self.

"Really?" he chuckled. "You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap," he looked away for a second. "Did you just take it? I assume you just took it," he continued, mocking my speed.

I noticed his shirt, the fact that he was part of the United States Forces but I couldn't tell which sector. "What unit you with?" I asked, pointing.

"58th Pararescue," he replied. "But now I'm working down at the VA." He extended his hand to me, I took it and helped him up. "Sam Wilson."

"Steve Rogers."

"I kinda put that together," he said, panting. "Must've freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing."

I sighed. "It takes some getting used to," I answered honestly, my hands on my hips. "It's good to meet you, Sam," I continued, making my way towards the sidewalk.

"It's your bed, right?" he asked, pushing us both back into conversation.

"What's that?"

"Your bed, it's too soft," he repeated. "When I was over there, I'd sleep on the ground, use rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like-"

"Lying on a marshmallow," I cut him off, completing his thought. "Feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor." He smiled at me. "How long?"

"Two tours," he clarified. "You must miss the good old days, huh?"

"Well, things aren't so bad," I said. "Food's a lot better- we used to boil everything... No polio's good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot, tryna catch up."

"Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack," he started. "Everything you missed, jammed into one album."

"I'll put it on the list," I pulled my notepad from my pocket and wrote it down verbatim next to the others: Trouble Man (Soundtrack).

Just then, my handy dandy new cellular phone started ringing, good. It's not like I just learned how to work it, or anything...

I pulled it from my other pocket and read a text I'd received from Nat:

MISSION ALERT.
EXTRACTION IMMINENT.
MEET AT THE CURB. :)

I then checked the time, too: 6:39am. "Alright, Sam, duty calls," I relayed to him. "Thanks for the run," I reached out and shook his hand, giving him a playful look. "If that's what you wanna call running."

"Oh, that's how it is?" he chuckled.

"Ohh that's how it is," I smiled.

He laughed. "Okay... anytime you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know."

I spun around as I walked away. "I'll keep it in mind," I replied as Natasha pulled up behind me.

"Yeah," he called back.

"Hey, fellas," she announced, rolling her window down with this look on her face, like usual. "Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

I approached the car. "That's hilarious," I commented, referring to another one of her jokes about how damn old I am. I mean, really, it's actually been constant at this point.

I opened the door and got in. "How you doin'?" Sam asked her.

"Hey," she replied with a head nod. Honestly, modern conversation still throws me sometimes.

"Can't run everywhere," I told him, referring to the fact that he was quite literally drooling over the car we were in at the moment.

"No, you can't," he agreed, smiling.

With that, I rolled up the window and Nat was off, driving us wherever the Hell we were off to.

—————

As for that damned list I've been going through like a mad man, here it is:

I Love Lucy (Television)
Moon Landing
Berlin Wall (Up + Down)
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Disco
Thai Food
Star Wars/Trek
Nirvana (Band)
Rocky (Rocky II?)
Trouble Man (Soundtrack)

I suppose I'll be needing it for future reference and there's no place better to keep it than in my very own diary, right?

~ Steve Rogers