At the Smithsonian

[gifset by

dailyteamcap]

[“He must be a big fan,

he comes every other day.”

by jeremiagoeswoah]

I love this cleverly-written fanfic! Always a pleasure to read it.

The Smithsonian Guard by galerian_ash -- My Summary: Stan, the night security guard at the Smithsonian's Captain America exhibit, helps a homeless man at the behest of Steve Rogers. Author's Summary: Bucky makes a friend. "With apologies to Mr. Lee."

Excerpt:

Stan doesn't get fired.

There is a big fuss about it, naturally, but when Captain American himself phones to explain the situation, things calm down.

So he gets back to working nights and the early hours of the morning. It's what he loves doing, and he's happy that he's still allowed to be there. Happy to experience the solitude and silence of the night, with nothing but the exhibits to keep him company — and happy to see the first rays of sunlight filtering through the big windows, a few specs of dust floating languidly in the light. After that the visitors start to come, whether they're morning persons or just tourists trying to cram as much into their itinerary as possible.

And then, one day, Captain America shows up. He's incognito, wearing jeans and a baseball cap. Stan thinks it best to just pretend he doesn't notice, but the Captain's eyes roam over the place until they finally stop on him.

He walks over to Stan, politely taking off his cap when he's close enough to smile, though his eyes dart nervously around — clearly not wanting to be recognized.

"Hello," he says, "I'm Steve Rogers."

"I know," Stan croaks, before mentally kicking himself. "I mean, hello. It's an honor to meet you, Captain America."

The Captain's smile widens. "Please, call me Steve."

Unable to do much else, and feeling like a starstruck schoolgirl, Stan nods.

"I came to apologize in person. I'm afraid the uniform is in no shape to be on display, ever again."

"Oh, no — it's fine. It was for a good cause, right? Besides, it was yours to begin with."

"Thank you for understanding," the Captain — Steve — says. It looks like he's about to say more, but then his eyes suddenly fasten on something behind Stan. He grows very pale and still, hardly even breathing.

Stan turns to follow his line of vision. They're close by the Captain America section, but it's too early in the day for there to be much of a crowd. It doesn't take much guessing to understand who has caught Steve's attention.

"Aha," he says, feeling an odd swell of pride, "you noticed him! He stood out to me as well, when I first saw him."

"He's been in here before?" Steve asks. He sounds very interested in the answer, but his gaze doesn't stray from the man before them — it doesn't even look like he's blinking.

"He's shown up every day around this time, for... about a week? Right after you stole-" he cuts himself off, horrified.

But Steve doesn't even seem to realize his faux pas. He just keeps on staring. Shrugging, Stan continues. "Like I said, I paid him close attention at first, but he's harmless. He just hangs around this particular exhibit until it starts getting crowded, and then he leaves. Probably homeless, what with the scruffy look and always wearing the same clothes. The admission's free, so a lot people like him come in here to get warm."