[OPEN] apple pie is officially banned from this party, aka Steve Rogers' birthday

[anotheroldsoldier]

who: ANYONE
what: 616 Bucky, Peggy, and 616 Tony throw a birthday party for Steve.
when: July 4th, afternoon into the evening
where: A nice park
warnings: Birthday fun. :v


Steve Rogers, former (and still) Captain America, was born on the Fourth. It was pretty much fated. That said, he deserves a party that has nothing to do with Independence Day, and that's what Bucky, Tony, and Peggy set out to do. They rented a nice little park with some good open, grassy space perfect for a pick-up game of football (American, of course). On one end of the park, in the relative shade of a couple of large trees, they've set up two long tables - one for food, and one to deposit presents for the birthday boy on. The picnic tables already in the park have nice blue tablecloths to eat on. A banner hung between the trees proclaims, "Happy Birthday, Steve!", in blue letters on white.

The decor tries to stay away from Fourth of July colors - there isn't a speck of red, just shades of blue and white, and it's all very put-together and classy looking (thank you, Peggy and Tony). It's the sort of party they thought Steve would want, outdoorsy and casual, just a gathering of friends and whoever else wants to come by to wish the birthday boy a happy one.

Invites
Invitations have mostly been word of mouth and texts sent to people Steve is friends with, nothing too fancy. They just say to drop by and wish Steve a happy birthday, have some food, and spend some time hanging out; Rogers wouldn't want anything fancy anyway. That said, they won't turn anybody away from the barbecue if someone decides to just crash the party, as long the behavior stays respectful.

Food
The food is mostly standard American barbecue fare. Two large grills have been set up near the tables and someone (often Bucky) is usually cooking on them - an array of burgers, hot dogs, steaks, even some ribs and chicken. Side dishes are laid out on the food table, the usual simple things. Here and around the picnic tables are a good place to mingle; there's plenty of food for everyone, and metal tubs full of ice and bottled soft drinks. There isn't much alcohol present at this party, though, just one of the tubs set aside with beers in it.

There's also a massive cake for Steve, with close to a hundred candles dotting its layers - Bucky's idea, payback for the time he couldn't see his own cake for all the candles.

Tossin' the Old Pigskin
They're all (mostly) adults here, so there aren't 'party games' necessarily, but there are a couple of footballs and some frisbees in the grass for anyone who wants to play a game in the lush field. Just be careful if the heavy hitters decide to arrange a game, it could get pretty out of hand.

Comments

[dothelokimotion]

Then how is Midgard any better than Asgard? At least we are not a machine, even if we may lack a vibrant element to our lives.

[aeturnus]

[ That gets him to grin. ]

Point made. Personally-speaking, I feel like a lot of the difference is that people are trying to fight against that and find a place despite it, collecting trinkets and always rushing around to look for something meaningful when everything else is distressingly easy or rote.

[dothelokimotion]

Perhaps.

[ But Loki feels, in this, perhaps Asgard had the right of it. ]

Meaning should come from your actions. Scraps for memories can serve a purpose, but it does not always hold true to the test of time.

[aeturnus]

[ Not like Cain's trying to say Earth is better, just that he prefers it and its relatively strange ways. ]

That's true. Memories fade but actions remain. For some people, impacting their friends or family is enough, other people want to to do bigger and better.

[dothelokimotion]

Deed and song.

[ He shakes his head, feeling faintly nostalgic. ]

I never understood it until much later. Asgard and I never saw eye to eye.

[aeturnus]

[ Which means Loki must be pretty displaced now. He gets the feeling the past tense isn't because that's been resolved, but because he's here now instead, after all. ]

Yeah, some things get taken for granted.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He snorts lightly. ]

Or simply taken.

[aeturnus]

Well, that's a loaded statement.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki sets his plate down abruptly. He must be more unsettled than he thought to say this much. ]

It's not important.

[aeturnus]

[ Cain sees that, takes a breath. ]

Right. Don't stop eating on my account, I promise I'm not going to pry.

[dothelokimotion]

I've taken my fill.

[ Like a bite. That's enough. ]

[aeturnus]

[ Yeah, sure. He's noticed that but he isn't quite at the hovering dad level yet so he keeps from commenting further. ]

Didn't mean to upset the mood. Sorry.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki purses his lips. ]

No. The fault was not yours. I am not good company presently.

[aeturnus]

[ He'll dip his head to cede the blame if Loki is taking it. But... ]

Reticence doesn't make you bad company. Besides, we don't have to talk, we could just... hang out.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He blinks. ]

Hang out?

[aeturnus]

Right. Just be in each others' presence and talk only if something comes up?

[dothelokimotion]

That sounds utterly abnormal.

[aeturnus]

It's actually pretty much the definition.

[dothelokimotion]

[ His lips thin. ]

I suppose it can't hurt.

[ Cain at least will make a decent shield if someone wants to hit him. ]

[aeturnus]

[ Cain is the best meat shield. Squishy but he bounces right back! ]

Exactly. Worth a try.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Excellent. ]

Then we may . . . hang out.