Chapter 19
Edward wandered around in the yard, his hands stuffed in his pockets, gently kicking at small pebbles with his shoes while he waited for you to come outside. This part of the service, Stark’s recorded message to his wife and daughter, felt far too personal and too intimate for him to be present. After all, he’d never even met the man. No, this moment was for you to be with the people who shared your grief. He could wait. And he would wait, for as long as you needed him to.
Edward wasn’t even aware of the fact that he was being watched. Oswald hadn’t been able to bring himself to go into the funeral yet, either. He was so dreadful at these sorts of things. Of course, there was also the little matter of you not even telling him about Stark’s death. It was Barton, of all people, who had contacted him. In Oswald’s mind, this was the first sign of you slipping away from him. The thought frightened him, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Seeing Edward already hanging around wasn’t making things any better.
Still, he found himself walking up behind him.
“Hello, old friend.”
Edward turned around and actually gave him a smile.
“Hey, Oswald.”
“You look...just as I remember you,” Oswald said, surprised to find himself returning the smile.
“Wish I could say the same. You’ve really let yourself go.”
Oswald felt his temper start to bubble up at that, even though Edward was grinning at him mischievously.
“Well, it has been five years for some of us.”
“It shows, too. At least on you...Y/n, however, still looks as beautiful as the day I left.”
Now, Edward was really getting under Oswald’s skin. He’d forgotten how much he hated hearing him talk about you.
“Speaking of Y/n, what are you doing here?”
“Same thing you are. I’m here for her...and partly for Stark.”
“I didn’t realize you even knew him,” Oswald said.
“I didn’t. But, being there that day...seeing it firsthand...you know I’m not a sentimental guy but...he must have been a hell of a man.”
“Y/n has always been fond of him. This will be difficult for her.”
“More than you know. Romanoff didn’t make it either.”
Oswald let out a deep sigh. He knew the two of you had been like sisters. No wonder he hadn’t heard anything from you.
“Have you...talked to her...since you got back?” Oswald asked hesitantly.
“Not really. It didn’t seem like the best time for it.”
“I suppose not.”
Oswald was trying to figure out the best way to tell Edward about your relationship when Edward asked, “How long after I died did you wait?”
“What?”
“You know what I mean. You always wanted all of the competition out of the way. So, how long did you wait?”
“About a year,” he admitted.
“At least you gave her time to grieve. I’m surprised.”
“Edward, Y/n and I have been together for four wonderful years. She’s in love with me now, not you. It’s going to stay that way. So why don’t you just give up?”
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“She loved me first, Oswald. When she had a choice between me and you, she chose me. She wanted me. I had to be completely, totally, and ‘supposedly’ permanently out of the way for her to even consider you. I’m not going to give up on her. I never will.”
“And I’ll never give her up,” Oswald hissed back at him.
Before their argument could progress further, the door opened and the funeral moved outside for its final part of the service. Both Oswald and Edward stepped back to make additional room for the mourners to pass. They caught sight of you being escorted by Captain Rogers. You were holding onto his arm, drawing from both his physical and emotional strength to make it through.
When it was over, you glanced over to where they still stood. Neither of them were the type to show up because it was the decent thing to do. They were there solely because they cared for you. That thought gave you comfort, even though you didn’t know what to say to them now.
You’d thought reversing the snap would fix everything. And, in a way, it had. So many lives had been restored and so many people had their loved ones back, yourself included. But, you’d still lost Natasha, and Tony. Edward’s return meant you’d have to re-evaluate what he might still mean to you, and what Oswald had meant to you for the past four years. Not to mention what you were going to do now or where you would go from here.
There had originally been seven Avengers. Tony and Natasha were dead. Clint would attempt retirement again and go home to his family. Thor was going to leave Earth with the Guardians to find a new purpose in his life. Who the hell knew what Bruce was going to do now. And Steve...Steve had told you his plans. You were happy for him, truly, but that didn’t mean you wouldn’t miss him.
That only left you.
You were drawn from your thoughts by a strong hand landing on your arm.
“You got a second for me, partner?” Clint asked.
“Always.”
The two of you wandered away from the others and simply stood in silence by the water’s edge.
“You know, I wish there was a way...that I could let her know...that we won. We did it,” Clint choked out after awhile.
“She knows.”
“She did it for us.”
“Yeah, she did. We were three...now we’re two. We’ll just have to make sure to love each other enough for her, too.”
“It won’t be a problem,” he said, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.
In an effort to reign in his emotions, he asked, “So, what are you going to do about them?” It was obvious who he meant.
“I don’t know. Normally, I’d talk to Nat about it.”
“Then talk to me.”
“Everything has changed. I don’t know what to do...about anything.”
“Come to the house for awhile. We’d love to have you. You can figure it all out.”
“Laura might kill you for inviting me. Remember, you abandoned it for five years. I bet it looks like shit.”
He let out the first laugh you’d heard from him in a long time.
“I’ll get her permission first. How does that sound?”
“Better.”
“On one condition...whatever you decide...please don’t ever bring either one of them with you.”
Now, it was your turn to laugh.
“I can’t make any promises. They’ve always done what they wanted. Speaking of promises, I told Cap I’d say bye to him before he takes the stones back. You want to come?”
“Nah, I think I’ll stay here a little bit longer,” he said, staring out over the water.
“Alright, I’ll see you.”
“Yes you will.”
Unless they’d left, which you seriously doubted, you knew you’d have to walk past Edward and Oswald on your way to Steve. Of course, they were still right where you’d left them, which meant you would have to talk to them. It wasn’t going to be easy, but what was? Taking a deep breath, you approached them.
“Hey, thanks for coming. It means a lot.”
“Of course,” Edward said.
“How are you holding up?” Oswald asked. He noticed that you were keeping a lot of distance between yourself and the pair of them.
“Not going to lie, it’s hard. A lot has happened. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I...I can’t go back to Gotham right now. There’s stuff I have to figure out and I can’t do it there. I need time...and...and space...and”
“Patience...understanding,” Edward supplied. “You’ll have it...all that you need. For as long as you need it.”
“Of course you will,” Oswald added, annoyed at the way Edward was getting too involved in this conversation.
“Thank you. I’m really glad you understand...both of you.”
The relief was evident on your face.
“There’s something I’ve got to go deal with,” you said, motioning over your shoulder. “I’ll talk to you...soon.”
They each gave you a small, reassuring smile as you walked away.
Once you gone, Edward said, “I meant it. I’ll wait a lifetime for her if I have to.”
“Have I told you yet that I missed you?” Oswald asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
“No, you haven’t.”
“I have, Edward. I truly have. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to go easy on you, old friend.”
“I’d be disappointed if you did. I suppose we’re at war now...privately...where she can’t see.”
“Yes, we are. Perhaps this is our destiny, Edward, to spend our days fighting over her.”
“You mean as long as we’re both still alive?” Edward said, giving Oswald his most sinister smile.
Returning the gesture, Oswald replied, “Something like that.”
—————
“There you are. I was starting to worry,” Steve said when he saw you.
“Yeah, well, you worry too much,” you said, playfully poking him in the ribs. “You know I wouldn’t let you leave without a hug.”
“A hug?” Bruce said. “He’s going to be right back. He won’t be gone long enough for you to even miss him.”
“I’ll miss him,” you said quietly, giving Steve a knowing look. “And I know he’ll miss me.”
“Yes, I will,” Steve replied, taking you into his strong embrace.
“She better take good care of you, Steve,” you whispered so only he could hear. “You deserve the best.”
“I could say the same thing about you. Do you remember what we talked about?”
“I won’t let you down.”
“You never have.”
Raising your voice to a normal level when he released you, you said, “Take care of yourself, soldier.”
You stepped back to stand beside Bucky as Steve disappeared on the platform.
“He told you what he was doing?” he asked.
“Yeah, he did. I’m supposed to look after you.”
“You know, for me to have spent such a big chunk of my life looking after him, he certainly doesn’t seem to remember any of it.”
You laughed lightly before saying, “He thinks I have a natural talent for seeing the good in someone. He thinks you need that now.”
“Maybe he’s right. Actually, I’m supposed to take care of you, too.”
“What?” Steve certainly hadn’t mentioned that part.
“Something about you needing a team...and a family. I know the Winter Soldier isn’t a great replacement for Captain America, but Bucky Barnes isn’t too bad. He’s willing to try if you are.”
“I don’t think Bucky Barnes is bad at all,” you said. “But, if I ever see Steve again, I’m going to give him a hard time about it.”
“You’re going to get to sooner than you think.”
You followed his gaze to a bench nearby, upon which a gray haired man was sitting. Bucky motioned for Sam to go to him. You watched as the two of them talked, and smiled when the elderly man passed him Cap’s shield.
When Sam returned, he said, “He wants to talk to you.”
“Hey, there, handsome. Mind if I sit down?” you said once you reached him.
“Not at all,” he said with a smile. After you sat down, he added, “She was good to me. I couldn’t have asked for better.”
“That’s wonderful, Steve. It really is.”
After a moment, you said, “I heard that I’m not the only one you’ve been giving orders to. Something about Bucky needing to take care of me.”
“Couldn’t keep his big mouth shut for long, could he?” he said with a chuckle. “I was worried about leaving you. I thought you might feel like you’re all alone. I know the team isn’t the same as it was when we started, but the mission hasn’t changed. And don’t forget, just because some of us aren’t Avengers anymore, it doesn’t mean we’re gone for good. I might be too old to put on the tights, but I’m not planning on leaving again anytime soon.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Cap.”
“Then, I’ll try not to let you down.”
“You never have.”
“Go on,” he said with a smile. “The young men are waiting on you.”
Linking your arm with his, you said, “I think I want to spend a little more time with this old one first.”
When you finally rejoined Sam and Bucky, they asked, “Is he coming?”
“He said he’d catch up. Claims he doesn’t move as fast as he used to.”
Getting between them, you took both of them by the arm and started walking with them back to the cars.
“I’ve been thinking,” you began. “Since I’m the only original Avenger left on the team, I think that means it’s time for me to start making all the decisions around here.”
“Hold on,” Sam said. “I thought the man with the shield gave the orders.”
“Oh is that how it’s going to be? You’ve only had it ten minutes and it’s already going to your head. So seniority doesn’t count for anything?”
“Now, wait a minute,” Bucky said. “If we’re talking seniority, then I am, technically speaking, the oldest.”
“I’m not listening to an old man with freezer burns on his brain,” Sam joked.
“And I’ve ‘technically’ lived two lives. I think that outranks both of you,” you argued.
“No way. Bucky had his weird, emo, way too much smudged eyeliner Winter Soldier phase and you were hanging out with mobsters and bank robbers. I’m the only one with a clean record.”
“Minus the ‘escaped convict from the Raft’ part.”
“Which you were also a part of, missy.”
“Touché.”
“What are you going to do about that anyway?” Sam asked.
“About what?”
“You know what,” he said, giving you a pointed look that clearly said he meant Edward and Oswald.
“Let’s deal with this problem first, and we’ll tackle that one tomorrow.”
“See, she’s already getting bossy,” Bucky said, looking over your head at Sam. “We might as well get used to it.”
“Looks like it. Ah well, it might not be so bad.”
With a grin, you said, “You’re damn right it won’t.”