Office Hours, Saturday

[screwyoumarvel]

Anyone looking for Steve would find a sign on his door redirecting them to the art classroom, where he'd pinned up some of the pieces the students had done so far, so their guests could see their work. Tony's blobs of color work was even represented, even if his lack of artistic skill did give Steve almost physical pain. How could someone who was

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[doyoufondue]

Oh, Steve. You had 40's all over your office now. Just learn to deal with it.

"Still alive, I take it."

[screwyoumarvel]

"That would seem to be the case," Steve said. "I take it--" his voice caught. "I take it Peggy is here for you?" Since when the hell was Peggy friends with Howard Stark? Maybe it had happened after he was frozen. Or, again, different universes.

[doyoufondue]

Since Howard Stark was awesome. And filled the void of 'No Nick Fury in the 40s' to form SHIELD.

"And Dugan if he's stopped by to make sure I haven't completely lost it."

[screwyoumarvel]

"Peggy and Dum Dum," Steve said, his voice flat and almost disbelieving. Then he sighed and said, "Bucky's around here somewhere. It's like old home week." Only way more awkward and painful.

[doyoufondue]

"...Barnes?" Howard was just going to stare for a moment. "Where you're from must be awfully different."

[screwyoumarvel]

"Maybe not as different as you might think," Steve said cryptically. He thought about telling Howard about Bucky, thought...maybe he could save him, at least. Or it might not even be true in Howard's dimension and wind up provoking a war with the Soviet Union. Who the hell knew. "The whole situation is very complicated."

[doyoufondue]

You and your cryptic future knowledge.

Howard shot him a look. "How complicated?" Considering everything that had happened so far...

[screwyoumarvel]

"Decades and international relations complicated," Steve said. "As far as you're concerned, for your universe...it's better to just think of us both as dead." He felt ill, like he was condemning Bucky, but...he just couldn't know. He prayed he was doing the right thing. None of it showed in his face, though. He looked a little sad, but mostly calm.

[doyoufondue]

"Business as usual after the war," Howard replied. "I'll let Dugan know not to get his hopes up then."

[screwyoumarvel]

"Yes, I'm sure that'll go over really well," Steve said dryly.

[doyoufondue]

"It will if I get him drunk first."

Try denying that, Steve. Go on, try.

[screwyoumarvel]

"Anything goes over well if you get him drunk first."

Not dirty.

[doyoufondue]

And no one needed to know that about the Howling Commandos.

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to keep up."

[screwyoumarvel]

Steve could drink the entire bar. Not that he would want to. "I wouldn't try," he pointed out. "Bar bets with total suckers during the war notwithstanding," he amended.

[doyoufondue]

"They got you to do that?" Oh god, that was too wonderful.

[screwyoumarvel]

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Steve said with a shrug. "I was a lot younger then. The world was different, you know, before we knew just how bad it was going to get."