"Oh, this is so boring!"
Somewhere on the Italian front, Thor sighed, feeling restless. He'd been stationed here for months. The fighting had reached a stalemate, with neither side gaining ground. Thor had been deliberately holding back; if he put in any real effort, they'd probably be storming Berlin by now.
Not that he minded avoiding the role of a Yankee war hero. If they'd assigned him to the Pacific front, that might've been another story—he'd gladly show the enemy what the wrath of a god looked like. But the thought of poor Captain America, still parading around as a propaganda tool, made him laugh.
"What's so funny? Whose glory are you stealing now?" Peggy Carter joined him, sitting down with a curious smile.
"Why are you here?" Thor winced. Recently, some of the soldiers had been complaining to the officers about him. Word was that Blake was a "shameless glory-hound" who always managed to make the final kill shot, exploding enemy heads just as they lined up their aim. Privately, they'd even started calling him "Head Dog."
Thor didn't mind. If he could take down an enemy with ease, then why not take the credit, too?
As they talked, two soldiers walked by, laughing and joking. One of them mentioned, "Did you hear? Some circus act is coming to the barracks to perform for us!"
"Bah, forget that! I'd rather see a dozen girls!" his friend replied.
Thor perked up at the mention of a show. "Wait—Steve's here? Come on, let's go cheer him on!"
Peggy laughed, giving him a playful nudge. "Is that any way to treat a friend? You're way too eager to see him struggle."
In this era, entertainers and performers weren't as respected as they'd be in future years. For most of the men here, a good weapon was their idea of entertainment.
…
Onstage, Steve's performance wasn't quite hitting the mark. These battle-hardened soldiers were tough to impress.
Only Thor cheered, pumping his fist and shouting, "Yeah! Great job, Steve!"
Steve glanced at him, his expression darkening. Do I look like a street performer to him? he thought.
Peggy quickly covered Thor's mouth, embarrassed on his behalf.
The soldiers in the crowd were unimpressed, booing and jeering. "Get off the stage! Where are the girls?"
Eggs and fruits started flying toward the stage, and Steve raised his shield instinctively to deflect them. Ironically, his first time using the shield was to protect himself from his own allies' projectiles…
"Hey, sweetheart! Want to give me an autograph?" yelled a soldier, dropping his pants and pointing to his rear.
Steve rolled his eyes and stepped aside, handing the stage over to the cheerleaders, who quickly lifted the crowd's spirits.
…
Later, Thor couldn't resist teasing Steve. "Hey, big star! Heard you're famous everywhere now."
Steve managed a wry smile. "I just roll with it. My last audiences were kids, so I've had to adjust."
"Hang in there. You're America's new hope," Thor said with a grin.
"Yeah, I know. Every time I hit a new state, bond sales go up by ten percent. It's something, at least. Colonel Phillips even wants to keep me in the lab," Steve replied with a sigh.
"Those are your only options?" Thor asked, suddenly serious. "A lab or a stage? You're capable of far more than that."
Steve shrugged. "I've always dreamed of serving my country on the front lines. Now I'm finally here, but… like this."
"What you need is a chance—a real chance to break the rules."
"Maybe, but the higher-ups don't see it that way," Steve replied.
Thor smirked. "If you were one to follow rules, you wouldn't have tried signing up for the army so many times." He paused, his tone turning grave. "I heard something today. The 171st Division had a run-in with Schmidt's forces at Azzano. Two hundred soldiers went out. Less than half made it back… and among those who returned, Bucky wasn't one of them."
"What?!" Steve's face went pale, as though struck by lightning. Without another word, he took off running toward Colonel Phillips's quarters, rain pouring down around him.
Peggy, who'd been listening quietly, spoke up. "Is this the 'chance' you mentioned?"
Thor nodded. "Yes. A hero doesn't belong on a stage. He needs the chance to prove it."
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