Chapter Text
A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world.
That's what the Smithsonian saw Captain America as. Steve Rogers, known by none other than Captain America, who saved the world and stopped HYDRA back during World War II. Everything was a lot to take in even after being under the ice for so long.
So Steve decided it would be nice to take his mind off of things. Entering the Smithsonian in a plain white shirt, a blue jacket with a blue cap, it was nothing too flashy but enough to make him blend in at least. It wasn’t anything special at all but it was clothing he enjoyed to wear. He listened to the footage that was all around the room, watching people's reactions, how everyone was so amazed. It was… A lot to take in even after all the times he’d been here.
Then he came up to one part. A certain section about his old friend. Sergeant James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes. His best friend, he doesn’t think anyone could replace him, he knew that nobody could replace his best friend back in Brooklyn. But even if he found someone else, they would never be like Bucky, they wouldn’t ever be like Bucky.
Part of Steve hated the fact that Barnes was no longer here. He thought that he would be able to move on but he simply could not. He had been reading the writings on the glass, looking and admiring the pictures, even watching the footage all about Bucky that was close by.
It took him so long to tether himself back to reality that he didn’t notice a certain figure next to him, a shorter female with pink hair. Certainly it wasn’t natural, her hair color at least, but she smiled and stood beside him. He looked over to her and heard her speak up. “Do you miss him?” She gently turned to look up at him. “I can only imagine you do.”
To be completely honest he wasn’t fully sure how to respond. He simply stared for a moment, the only thing that really stood out was the pink hair she had. He was used to people dying their hair by now but he hadn’t seen… Pink. “It’s… Well I do.” He finally spoke up after stuttering over his words, turning away from her and back to the display of Bucky.
“Even after all this time. Sometimes you feel like you could have done better. Should have done better. You know?” The girl spoke up once again, Steve was unsure how to respond. He came here to try and relax his mind but now he’s thinking about all of this and talking to someone he doesn’t even know. Part of him wanted to leave but deep down a part of him was interested in this woman.
He hesitated to respond for a bit. But then eventually he looked back. “Yeah. It’s exactly that.” Part of his voice stuttered over his words, again everything was so unsure and he didn’t expect to be wound up in this situation he was currently in. Coming to the Smithsonian was supposed to help him relax, not think about everything else some more.
The two of them stood in silence, unsure if the other was going to speak up but then the pink-haired woman broke the silence, holding her hand out. “Veronica.” She smiled as she looked at him, introducing herself. Steve didn’t hesitate to shake her hand. “Steve.” He replied with a small nod. “I assumed.” She chuckled as the two of them separated their hands to stand side by side with each other once again.
Obviously she knew who he was if she was asking those sorts of questions to him. Though Steve didn’t expect to be recognised here, was his ‘disguise’ really that bad? Although now that he thought about it, she didn’t rat him out that he was here. Just kept silent and quiet about it, it was something he could appreciate, even if it didn’t feel like a big thing to her, it was a big thing to him.
On the other hand, Veronica didn’t expect to run into someone like Steve Rogers today, but part of her was glad to. Her day wasn’t the best, mostly just small things going wrong and they all began to stack and stack, so she decided to take her daily trip to the Smithsonian to take her mind off of things. So perhaps they were both here for the same reason, a distraction, and they both found it.
Veronica didn’t want to pry any more, but part of her didn’t want to leave. Part of her wanted to stay, to get to know him, but that part of her that wanted to stay was because this was the Captain America that she was talking to at the moment. “Is everything still on your mind?” She spoke up after a couple moments of silence. Watching the footage and listening to it as it was laid in front of them.
Once again, Steve had no idea how to respond as he was never put into this situation before. “Well, yeah. I guess you could say that. It was a lot to go through, you know? But we did it and the people are free.” Veronica smiled at his answer and nodded, she expected that sort of answer from someone like Rogers, from Captain America. It was the perfect response to the question that she had just asked, she didn’t expect anything different from him.
“That’s what I expected.” Veronica smiled for a moment when Steve looked over. “You expected an answer like that?” He responded instantly without hesitation. “I did.” She looked back at Steve with a small chuckle escaping her lips. “You’re Captain America. You’re a hero for a reason, are you not?” Steve nodded to himself as Veronica looked away back to the memorial of Bucky. Reading everything all over again like she had done many times before.
Silence filled the two of them, either of them unsure what to say but neither of them wanted to leave this moment. “Yeah. The serum made me Captain America.” Veronica giggled to herself as she heard those words come from his lips. Did he really just say that about the serum? “The serum never made you who you are, Steve.” Veronica spoke up as she looked back at Steve. “It was just a tool to help you get there quicker.” She explained her point of view about the serum and what it did to him.
“That’s true.” He responded after thinking for a few moments, she wasn’t wrong when he really thought about it. His mind was still trailing over Bucky and the memorial that the two of them were looking at, re-reading it again and again, rewatching the footage as it repeated itself. Watching it while listening to Veronica felt completely different than when he would usually come here. “Serum or not, you are Captain America. I hope you know that. Shield or no shield either. That shield never made you Captain America, it was a symbol to tell people who you are.”
Steve nodded slightly, agreeing with her, though his mind was tracing somewhere else at the moment so he wasn’t fully focused on their conversation. “Yeah…” He muttered once again with a soft chuckle on his lips. “I know.” He spoke once again, the soft mutter escaping his lips as he turned over to Veronica, the two of them looked at each other. This time he took in her looks. Her blue eyes, soft skin, small pale lips. Though he wasn’t fully concentrating on her looks in a romantic sense. Just what she looked like incase he saw her again in the future.
“Would you… Want to keep looking around?” Veronica suggested after a few moments of silence, looking away from him, placing her hands in front of her as she fidgeted nervously while waiting for a response. Though once again silence filled the both of them and just as Veronica was about to take a step away, Steve gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “That sounds nice. To do this with someone else for a change rather than myself.”
She had to admit, the hand on her shoulder almost made her flinch, but she looked back and chuckled softly with a smile. “That sounds nice. Lead the way.” She spoke before the two of them were walking silently side by side, not paying attention to the people around them as it was always so busy during this time of day.
As they entered a certain area, the two of them took a seat as the video on the screen played. “That was a difficult winter.” The woman on the screen had begun to speak. She looked elegant, beautiful and absolutely pretty. Veronica read the words, she recognised her as Agent Peggy Carter. Veronica knew this video by heart. She smiled softly.
“A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve, Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months.” Veronica muttered along quietly as she sat beside Steve. Though he didn’t notice her at first, it took a moment to notice that Veronica was muttering along, as if she knew everything about this, as if she’s been here so many times she memorised it.
Steve didn’t say anything though, he thought it wasn’t the time. “He saved over 1,000 men.” Peggy spoke on the screen. “Including the man who would become my husband, as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life.” Veronica noticed something from the corner of her eye, a small compass-like trinket.
As she watched Steve open the compass to see a photo of Peggy she smiled at him. “I’m sorry.” She spoke sympathetically. “I can only imagine what it’s like to lose her.” But that's the thing, Steve technically hasn’t lost her, Peggy was still alive. He needed to go see her. Someone still owed him a dance after all.
“She is my everything.” Steve spoke up as he stood from his seat, Veronica following suit as the two of them began to leave the Smithsonian. “I can only imagine, Steve. I’m so sorry.” She spoke, trying to keep up with him. She could tell that he was upset. Maybe she should leave him be… Perhaps this is where they needed to end things for now.
Just as the two of them got to the entrance of the Smithsonian, they stood outside. In an instant, Veronica reached out to gently grasp Steve’s arm. Just then, he turned to face her, looking down as he put away the locket of Peggy. “Steve.” Veronica began to speak. “You’re a good person. Don’t forget that. Okay?” She smiled once again, trying to bring him a sense of comfort. “She would be proud of the person you have become.”
Steve knew that she was right. Peggy was everything to him, she would be proud of him. He knew that she would be. Peggy and him were inseparable at times, back in 1945 and during Steve's time in the military. “I know. Thank you.” He spoke with a soft chuckle, gently pulling away from her grasp as Veronica let go. “I’ll see you around?” He spoke up once again as Veronica pulled out a phone.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. Do you want my number?” She asked, knowing that she would probably never get the chance to ask again. “Sure.” Steve responded as he pulled out his own phone and the two of them exchanged numbers. “Maybe we’ll see each other again someday.” Veronica spoke up once again with a soft chuckle as she put away her phone, saving the contact as ‘Steve Rogers.’ Most people would probably be fangirling right now, but Veronica was treating him like a normal person. That’s probably all he wanted after all.
With a soft chuckle escaping his lips as Steve put away his phone he looked back over at Veronica. “That sounds nice, Veronica.” He said her name… It made Veronica smile to hear it come from Steve. Even if it was something said often, for it to come from Steve means… Something else. She couldn’t explain it but it was nice to hear.
“I better get going.” She smiled at him as the two of them shook hands for a departure. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Steve.” Veronica spoke one last time as she waved him off.
She sat at the Smithsonian alone as she watched Steve walk away.