Devotion

C13: Rain

By the time 2 hours had passed we had covered most of outer Brooklyn. I insisted for us to turn back many times, but Steve was insistent that we didn't. He mostly just stayed quiet and stared at his feet with his hands in his pockets, as I held the umbrella over both of us. The rain was cold, I would know because I made sure most of the umbrella fell over Steve so he wouldn't freeze. My hair was wet and drooped across my face and most of the jacket I was wearing was soaking, but Steve was dry and that's all that mattered.

For the first time in an hour, Steve looked up from the ground and looked over to me. I was in a daze, staring down the road we had already walked down twice today.

"Bucky?"

I snapped out of my trance and glanced down at him. He was smiling.

"Remember that one time we built a giant fort in the front room?"

"Was that when you broke that lamp by the door?" I laughed.

"Yeah, weren't we like 9?" He laughed back.

"Well I would've been 10."

"You just like to hold that age thing over me, huh?"

He looked down at his hands and then stopped to finally turn around.

"Do you want to do it again?"

He caught me off guard a little when he said it.

"Really Steve?"

He shrugged his shoulders and started walking off towards his apartment.

"Not like we have anything else to do."

"I guess that's true." I whispered as I caught up with him. He started stumbling as we picked up the pace to get to his house faster.

********

When we opened the front door, mail was all over the floor and an opened envelope sat on the counter. Sarah had her head on the dinner table with a letter laid out in front of her.

"It's getting late, you skipped lunch, I thought you were never coming back... "

"Sorry Mrs. Rogers." I whispered.

"Nevermind... So how was your walk boys?" She groggily muttered from under her arms.

"Actually really nice." Steve smiled as he looked up when he said it.

"That's good." She whispered sadly.

"Mom... What's wrong?"

She didn't respond. He walked over and picked up the letter, skimming its contents as he walked back over to me.

"Sarah M. Rogers... Being sent to Germany... Aid with the wounded soldiers from war... Wait what? Are they serious? You're leaving?"

My heart dropped as I knew how much it was breaking Steve. His face contorted in a million different ways as his mom sat up across the table. In a matter of seconds the entire mood changed.

"Steve... I'm sorry... I..."

"Mom no! You're not leaving me! They already took one parent from me I'm not letting them take another." He was almost screaming and I knew he couldn't stand it.

"There is nothing we could've done about your father. I'm just going over to help the injured and sick..."

"Yeah but you don't have to go."