Breathless, Celeste pulled away from the captain slowly, a blush creeping along her cheeks. “I . . . I’m so sorry,” she muttered, looking down at the ground, ashamed at her lack of self control. “I should do better. I should BE better . . . I’m your student and that was unprofessional, I need to . . . Need to . . .”

“Do you truthfully regret it, Celeste?” Steve asked gently, still holding her in a gentle, though less intimate embrace.

“I . . .” She paused for a moment, looking up at him. “No . . .” She murmured quietly, shaking her head. “It made me happy . . .”

“I’m glad,” Steve told her, kissing her temple kindly before pulling away from her, almost reluctantly.

“What about you?” Lithium asked quickly as he began to turn away. “Did it make you happy, Captain?” Her heart beat a bit faster as her worry kicked in that Steve hadn’t enjoyed it the way she had.

Steve paused for a moment as he looked back at her, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he glanced out at the waters. “It did, ‘Leste . . . It was . . . Nice . . . And while I’m not used to it entirely, it was something I enjoyed . . . Is that just how it is these days? A quick, intense kiss?”

“I, um . . . What do you mean, Steve?” Lithium questioned, looking around, a bit nervously. Had she done something wrong when she’d kissed him?

“I just . . . I like it . . . It’s just not entirely what I’m used to . . . Normally, at least from my era, it was different . . . Back then, it went a little slower unless there was a lot of pent up emotion that went into it . . .”

“I don’t understand, Steve . . .” Lithium told him, almost ashamed that she didn’t quite process what he was saying properly.

A small smile slid across his face and he turned to face her again. “Maybe I should just show you what I mean, ‘Leste . . . Is that all right . . . ?”

“I-I, um, I . . . Yes . . .” Lithium stammered, flustered that Steve was actually, of all things, asking her permission to kiss her. And even in a thousand years, she couldn’t envision herself saying no to him.

Steve nodded, setting down the card in the grass, tossing down his sweater to keep it from blowing away. The weather was more than warm enough, but he’d taken it with on the suspicion that he’d be out well into the night. Stepping closer to her, Steve brushed Lithium’s hair from her face slowly, just locking his eyes into hers, the clash of light blues gentle and slow. Lithium was tempted to look away, she wanted to out of instinct to show her submission, but another part of her never wanted to look away from him.

“Steve,” she murmured quietly, a small shiver slipping up her spine, even though she wasn’t cold. He smiled as one of his hands dropped down to her waist, the other cupping the side of her face, his thumb brushing gently against her cheek as he pulled her close. Slowly, Steve came closer, inching his lips ever nearer to hers, pausing a fractional centimeter before they would’ve made contact, Lithium’s eyes fluttering between open and closed in the anticipation. She could feel his breath against her skin as he waited, a smile creeping against his lips, his eyes open just enough so that he could guide them together, so that he could watch her expression.

After nearly five seconds of being tantalizingly close, he brought their lips close enough to touch, gently pressing his to hers, his hand cradling her jaw, the other splaying out across her waist. It was a sweet, innocent kiss. Both mouths stayed closed. After a few slow moments, he pulled himself away from her again. “That’s just something else, isn’t it . . . ?” He asked with a smile.

Slowly, Lithium nodded her approval. “I um, yeah . . .”

~~~

Within the hour, the pair was back at the hotel, in Lithium’s room. “So what’s the surprise?” Steve asked as he glanced around the room, the darkness of it a bit puzzling, at least until Lithium started walking back towards him and she flicked on the lights.

The cake rested in her arms and she smiled at him. “Happy Birthday, Captain. I wanted to make it special. And nothing says special like a fancy cake!”

Steve smiled slowly as he examined the frosted top of the cake. “Thank you, ‘Leste . . . That really means a lot to me. To think that you would go through all that trouble, just to make something for me. You’ve really made today special.”

Lithium flushed at his words. “I, oh, well, I don’t know about that, I mean, it was nothing. My mom taught me to bake before she passed and she helped me learn to decorate cakes. It didn’t take too much effort, I mean, I just really like baking, anyway. So, it’s really no big deal, and-.”

“‘Leste,” Steve interrupted gently, watching her as she rambled. Lithium paused, blinking as she stopped, looking at him. “It’s the thought that counts. And stop rambling. We don’t need you to be sad today. Not when you helped make me celebrate again for the first time in a while.”

Lithium paused, her blush deepening. “Oh. I, um. Yeah. Okay.”

“So are we going to eat this beautiful thing or not?” He asked. “I’m sure Sam would love a slice. The man has a major sweet tooth.”

~~~

It was hours later and miles away when Lithium and the captain were at their destination. “Are you sure this is okay?” She asked for the fifth time tonight. “I mean, Sam didn’t think it would be okay, and I just want to make sure that it is okay because I don’t want to screw this up, Captain. I want it to be good in every way, and if this will screw it up, then we can go, promise. I just want it to be a good day in general, and-.”

“‘Leste,” Steve warned again, smiling, his tone humorous. “Relax. It’s okay. Just take it easy. I promise you I will be fine with a few fireworks.”

She nodded, sitting down in the grass. They’d jogged out here for the most part, and the remote area would be perfect to see the fireworks that were being set off in a nearby town. Lithium had noticed them the other night and had scouted the area to find a place for their actual 4th of July show. This would be the best vantage point from the area.

It took a while before they saw any sign of lights in the sky, and Lithium began to get worried that maybe they weren’t doing a show tonight. It didn’t make sense, but if something had gone wrong?

She slapped a mosquito that had landed on her arm, at least the twentieth tonight, and she bit her lip, nervous. Maybe they’d only done one show. Maybe they’d wasted their time. Closing her eyes tightly, Lithium dearly hoped she was wrong on that accord. She wanted to have the show tonight. To give Steve something to remember. Something that she was certain had likely accompanied his birthday for much of his childhood.

The explosion caught her attention first, and Lithium opened her eyes to see sparks of light fizzling out on the horizon. A weak smile spread across her face. There was a show tonight after all, and they had a great spot to watch from. An isolated hilltop facing the origin launching with few trees and buildings to obstruct their view out in the country.

It took a while for things to really get started, but knowing that the show was indeed occurring tonight made it a bit easier to wait. Lithium shivered a bit, and Steve draped an arm around her. Her sweater was bulky and loose, but didn’t do enough to keep her warm in the chilled night air. The bits of sweat from their miniature workout getting here didn’t help to maintain her body temperature.

But having Steve this close, having him give concern and to care enough to pull her against him helped. It was better than being alone, and his body heat permeated her clothes, comforting her a bit. Truthfully, the gesture was completely innocent. Other than holding her, Steve made no advances. He didn’t attempt to kiss her or do anything of the sort. He was a gentleman at heart and didn’t wish to make her uncomfortable in any way.

And in all honesty, Lithium appreciated it. Very much. His gentle touch was a stark contrast to the sternness she’d grown accustomed to with Hydra. She felt safe with him.

Before long, the true show began, and fireworks began lighting up the sky, one after another, their colors varying in every possible way from red to blue, crossing the entire spectrum. The shapes changed from the typical firework splashes to stars, hearts, and for a rare few tonight, the emblem of the Captain’s shield.

The show was marvelous, but it wasn’t until near the end, when Lithium saw a red star clashing against the white of plain firework that she realized something she’d forgotten entirely.

Or rather, who she’d forgotten.

She hadn’t seen or heard from Bucky in days.

Recalling that caused her heart to skip a few beats, but she couldn’t let on in front of the captain. She would seek out the assassin first thing tomorrow, but today she was here for Steve. He deserved to have a happy birthday, and she was determined to help with that in any ways she could. Even if Bucky’s absence made her panic a bit on the inside.