You never let the stars burn out
Just over a year had passed since The Avengers had defeated Thanos. Just over a year had passed since Steve Rogers had inexplicably found a way to save both Natasha and Tony from their would-be deaths by changing just the right moment in the timeline and just over a year had passed since Steve gave up the shield.
When he'd told her that he'd considered for just a moment getting lost to the nostalgia of the past and staying there she'd found it hard to move on and forgive him but no one could blame her; Sharon didn't like to think that she'd been an afterthought, she didn't like to think that she'd been Steve's second choice especially not to her own Aunt; she knew the romanticism of the story that Peggy used to tell her once upon a time but Sharon was one of those people who believed that the past should stay the past.
She knew that Peggy held to a tiny romantic notion and that became a story that she'd told Sharon as a child and a story she regularly told those caring for her in the nursing home after her husbands death because her memory wasn't what it used to be but that was just Peggy; she was a series of fun stories, action, craziness and just the right amount of romance thrown in somewhere along the lines.
She didn't like to think that he'd do that to her or consider just abandoning her like she meant nothing at all but she knew that despite her totally rational anger, Steve had stayed. He'd chosen the life he had here because the part of him that knew that his life was here and that the past should remain so had won out; Sharon's own mantra had seemed to rub off on Steve after all even if it was just her telling him that he should let go of his anger toward Tony for what had happened to Bucky and for making them fugitives. It was in the past.
There was no changing the past and he had to let it go or his future would never be one he was happy with.
He'd chosen to stay with her and with his friends, his family. In going back that one final time Steve had been able to truly say goodbye to who he'd been before everything that had happened to him, before being frozen in the ice, before Captain America, before meeting his friends and those he loved... Before getting Bucky back.
Steve had stayed and moved on with his life and that was a good thing; she could understand wanting the chance to say his proper goodbye. It might've hurt to think that he'd just abandon her and what they'd had but he didn't.
He'd chosen her. He'd stayed because he wanted to stay with her. He'd stayed because he loved her and living those five years with her and his best friends gone had been enough for him to know what he wanted despite that momentary lapse into nostalgia.
Going back was his goodbye but it was never going to be where he'd live his life.
She was thankful for the fact that he'd come back; he belonged here and he knew it, he belonged with his friends, they'd become his family and he belonged here building the life that they'd talked about.
It had taken her a good month or so to get though the negative feelings she had and the insecurities that had been dragged to the surface but she'd been working hard on it and eventually she'd gotten there.
It had taken a few pep talks from Bucky, Natasha, Melinda, Bobbi and just about everyone else but she'd eventually pushed through her fears and accepted what Steve had said to her: he loved her and he wasn't going to throw all of that away for a pull toward the remnants of a past that could never be his home.
They'd been doing so well since then and tonight was a night that would be designed for celebration and Tony Stark knew how to throw one hell of a party.
It was his and Peppers sixth wedding anniversary and he intended to celebrate it with his friends; he intended to celebrate the life that they should've had all along without the losses that they'd endured along the way.
People were here and their little family was back together again against impossible odds and every single one of them was glad for that, there had been so much pain. So much death, so much heartbreak and they were all glad it was over.
They were alive and they were learning to live with what had happened to them and there could be an after because everyone was learning to heal.
Healing was good.
Still, as she sat in her bedroom looking at the dress laid out next to her Sharon released a soft sigh and ran her hands through the loose curls that were tumbled down her back; she scooped them to the side and fixed it there with a beautiful rose pin that Steve had bought her for Christmas and while she knew she should be getting ready for the party she just sat there staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Her hand moved to touch her cheeks then her lips, her chin, nose, eyes... She searched herself for anything that strayed in any way from what she'd known about herself before. Everything else in their world still felt so different she often wondered if there were differences in her herself that she'd failed to notice.
She looked at herself like she was a stranger because she still felt like she was in a lot of ways, since she'd 'died' she'd felt like a wholly different person, an alien creature masquerading around in a body she knew all too well but it didn't feel like it was hers anymore even though she knew it was.
Things were hardly rational when you'd been through what she had though but after a few moments, she gathered herself up with a deep breathe in and stood up scooping the dress off of the bed as she did; this was her, this was her body, her life, her future.
She slipped the dress on and it glided easily down her slender form and pulled up the zipper that rested against her ribs, a smile touched her features at the tattoo that lay there beneath the fabric. She'd gotten it about six or seven weeks after she'd been brought back as a way to reclaim herself and it had worked for a little while, she supposed it'd take time to get through the traumas of the last five years though.
Her dress - a shade of red that matched her lipstick - complimented her body perfectly, hugging the curves and contours of her figure in all of the right ways and she exhaled slowly as she studied herself. She felt a soft air of confidence was over her as she heard the gentle tap against her apartment door to signify that her date for the evening had arrived, with her shoes in her hand she made her way toward the door and opened it with a warm smile.
"Hi," she murmured softly fighting a blush as she watched him study her; he had that adoring, affectionate look in his eyes that always made her heart race. "You're early." It was Steve though, he often was.
"I know I'm sorry," he responded. "I can go wait in the car if you- I mean if you need more time I really don't mind." He was so sweet, he'd been working hard to make it up to her and she appreciated that. It meant more to her than she knew how to explain.
"No, it's okay," she promised. "I'm good. Just need to put on my shoes and we're good."
"Okay," he smiled. "You look really beautiful by the way." This time it was Steve that fought a blush, Sharon found it adorable. It was endearing. He had been through so much and changed so much. He'd become tougher, different than the man she'd known back when she'd been told to watch over him for SHIELD.
He seemed so far away from that man but he was still that sweet guy that she'd met back then underneath all of the things that had changed him over the years.
After she slipped on her shoes she reached up to place one hand against his cheek and a warmth spread through her body that provoked a smile that held so much affection in it that Steve looked peaceful as he leaned into her touch.
"Thank you," she replied. "Y'know we should probably go right? We're gonna end up being late..." They weren't. They weren't supposed to be there for another 25 minutes give or take but still. Steve worried anyway and she didn't want him to end up being stressed.
He nodded. He had an odd sort of look in his eyes that earned him a frown and a questioning look, he just shook his head at her before pulling her into his arms and kissing her.
"We should go," he agreed. She had decided that whatever was going on with him he'd probably talk to her about it later and she was okay with that. Tonight was about them having a good time with their friends, tonight was about continuing the blissful normalcy that they'd managed to achieve over the last year. They'd fought hard for the lives that they had now and each of them had every intention of holding on to it, too.
She sure as hell did.
The Avengers compound was alight with an air of happiness and celebration that had her grin as they stepped into the lounge. Her eyes swept the room and she assessed each person in turn. The first person that came over to them was Pepper who offered them both a hug and told them that she was happy they were here, Tony raised his glass and nodded his head and Sharon laughed. Tony wasn't much of a hugger. He didn't do the sentimental stuff.
Immediately she noted Steve look around the room for his best friend and the moment he found him he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it before he told her that he was going to see how Bucky was holding up, she nodded her head and made her way over to the bar to request a glass of water as she once again looked around the room before she went to sit down.
Almost immediately she was joined by Bobbi Morse who smiled and offered her a toast with a glass of champagne in her hand. Bobbi had never really been one for events like this but since she'd reconciled with Clint she'd made a real effort to find a way to be far more social with his friends. Clint was better than she was, he was far more laid back and he knew these people better than she did.
Bobbi was fun, outgoing and didn't mind having a good time that much was true but this wasn't exactly a normal party.
"Hey there Missy, how're you doing?" Bobbi questioned playfully following Sharon's eye-line to Steve and she chuckled. "You two are adorable honestly. You make such a good couple, he loves you."
Sharon didn't need Bobbi to tell her that though, she nodded her head anyway.
"And I love him," Sharon replied with a content sigh. "Everything just seems so perfect lately. Everyone's so happy. It's nice to see, after everything everyone's been through it's just nice. You and Clint seem to be doing well, Tony and Pepper are celebrating six years of marriage..."
"Barnes and Romanov are dating," Bobbi spoke over the top of her glass as she brought it to her lips. She watched Sharon's eyes widen in surprise and she laughed. "You didn't know that one huh?"
"No, I did not!" Sharon exclaimed, her voice laced with in shock; Morse smirked. "That's uh- Wow. How long has that been going on?"
Naturally Bobbi would know, Natasha was Clint's best friend and Clint didn't keep a damn thing from Bobbi. He was terrible at keeping secrets from her anyway but she wasn't just the woman he loved she was his best friend just like Sharon herself was Steve's, they told each other everything.
It was the way things should be in a relationship but she wondered if Steve knew and if he did why he hadn't mentioned anything.
"Couple weeks?" Bobbi mused. "Barnes is gonna tell Steve tonight. Turns out they had this big thing way back when, he's starting to get more of his memories back. She's been helping him work through stuff and when he figured out stuff about them I guess he asked her if she wanted to try to figure out of there was something still there. They seem happy. Never took Romanov as the relationship type but..."Bobbi took another drink after she spoke before she placed her glass back on the table in front of her.
"So yeah, I guess you're right: Everyone's so happy lately. Katie has a girlfriend now, uh what else is there? OH! May and Coulson. That's a new thing too. There's just this big whole thing, apparently dying for a few years has made people wanna get their crap together and build a life outside of this whole craziness." As Bobbi finished listing off everything she could think of, she looked toward Carter who was clearly trying to process everything.
She breathed out a sigh and shook her head, Sharon Carter looked undeniably confused but she let out a breathy laugh anyway.
"Well, here's to everyone being happy." She lifted her glass in toast. "We've all earned it. It all seems so pedestrian and normal but honestly I love it." After all of the craziness they'd earned that much at the very least. No one knew how long this would last but everyone was finding a way to be happy.
Happy was good.
They'd all earned happy.
"Wanda!" Sharon spoke brightly as she stood up, she bounced toward her and threw her arms around her. "I didn't know you were back yet."
"We got back an hour ago, I wanted to freshen up for the party," Wanda explained, her eyes moved to Bobbi who'd stood up and she threw her arms around the blonde. "It is nice to see you, Bobbi."
Wanda was a bright and happy person since she'd gotten past everything that had happened; life adjusted to its losses and its gains and Steve's meddling with the timeline had saved the man that Wanda loved which meant that she got to have the same second chance that everyone else got and that was good, she deserved that.
Wanda had lost so much, she'd been through so much and she'd fought so hard despite all of that. Wanda Maximoff had earned her happiness tenfold.
The world seemed intent now on giving her her own happiness it just like it was with everyone else and it was good, it was good to see everyone so happy after what they'd all been through; Wanda looked bright, well rested and refreshed and that told her that the vacation that she'd taken had been everything she was hoping it would be.
She'd been at the point where the stress was so overwhelming for her that it was starting to affect her powers and her dreams.
Wanda needed her break.
"I should go and see Pepper and Tony, I'm glad you're both here," Wanda responded with a smile as she waved at the pair of them and walked away.
Bobbi and Sharon exchanged a look before they both laughed and shook their heads.
"She's peppy," Bobbi commented as they both sat down again. "Guess that vacation really did her some good. I know she was having a rough time before they left, Clint said she was really struggling with everything. He'll be glad she's back and she's doing well." Clint had a habit for taking in strays, Bobbi was more than used to it by now.
Hell she expected it at this point.
"So! How are things with you and Rogers? You guys completely good now or?" Bobbi asked the question carefully though. She watched her friends reaction to make sure she was okay; Sharon nodded.
"Yeah, we're good. Things were kinda bumpy at first but we're good. He asked me to move in with him," Sharon replied. "I'm just glad we're getting back to normal or about as normal as things ever are for people like us. So, I guess we're gonna move in together and see how it goes from there."
She wanted it to work, she supposed more than anything it was herself she doubted and not Steve. Bobbi noted her expression and she leaned over to rest her head against Sharon's shoulder.
"Relax kitten it might never happen," she teased lightly. "No but seriously - Rogers loves you, I know the whole shtick made you question that and I understand it but look at us: we're all here. We're exactly where we wanna be. If he didn't wanna be here with you he wouldn't be here. If he didn't love you he wouldn't keep looking over at you with that dorky ass look."
Sharon looked toward Bobbi and smiled, a delicate blush touched her cheeks as she glanced toward Steve, he seemed engrossed in conversation with Bucky which was good. He looked like he was having a good time.
After a moment he noticed her and held up his hand in a small wave and Sharon chewed on her bottom lip as she looked back to Bobbi.
"Okay fine," Sharon conceded. "I know you're right, it's been tough but I know. He wouldn't be here if he didn't wanna be and he wouldn't have asked me to move in if he didn't want to either."
She knew that that was the kind of thing she needed to be holding onto and not all of the hurt and anger that she felt and so she'd been working through it a little at a time and she was better, a hell of a lot better than she had been after she'd found out anyway..
"Focus on the fact that he loves you, focus on the future you guys want to build and let the past be the past. He chose to stay for you. He needed a proper goodbye and he got it. It's good. He's at peace with that part of his life being over and he wants you to be his future. That's what matters." Bobbi sounded calming as she spoke.
"This is our life, Sharon. We've fought long and hard for this so let's just enjoy it. Go move in with your boyfriend. Let life be on our side for once because we literally have no idea what's gonna come a d bite us in the ass next. Look at everyone: all we see is smiling faces from people who've finally found something good so let's just enjoy that," Bobbi offers a small smile as she spoke."We weathered the storm so let's enjoy the calm."
In that moment Sharon Carter had to admit that Bobbi Morse made a whole lot of sense, this was their shot to be really, truly happy and they'd be dumb if they didn't take it.