The Night We Met | Steve / Bucky

seven - looking too closely

Pain.

That's all Katherine felt was pain. As Wanda pressed her fingers into her temple, Katherine felt her whole mind explode. She felt pain.

It wasn't easy raising two young children so Maria Stark relied on the butler Edwin Jarvis to keep the young Starks entertained but the pair managed to find most of their own fun. Despite most of their fun ending in a fight between them, Tony coming out on top most of the time for the simple fact that he was two years older and stronger than the younger Katherine. 

There was a local playground that the young Starks played in most Saturday afternoons, Edwin accompanying the children as they played on the jungle gym, the swings, sea saw and monkey bars. They were quite athletic children. While Katherine swung across the monkey bars, she noticed Tony entangled with several older children. There were three older boys from the grade above Tony, poking him in the chest and eventually pushing him down. 

Katherine dropped down from the monkey bars and ran to where Tony was, "Hey." The young girl shouted out, pushing the leader of the trio, "Leave my brother alone."

The leader giggled at Katherine, "Wow Stark, you have to get your little sister to fight for you."

Katherine didn't hesitate. She grabbed the arm of the leader and bit down hard, causing the child to scream and run away. She looked to the other two and kicked them in their stomachs and pushed them to the ground. The pair getting up and running away crying. Katherine turned to Tony, smiling but Tony looked embarrassed, "I didn't need you to do that." The young boy sighed sheepishly

Katherine furrowed her brows to her older brother, "That was awesome." She giggled.  

*

Katherine sat in the packed auditorium in between her parents. "Tony Stark." Bellowed through the auditorium. Katherine looked on in pride as she watched Tony strut across the stage, collecting his scroll in his gap and gown. Tony glanced to the crowd spotting Katherine's bright eyes and pointing at her, raising his fist in the air and waving it with pride - she was his biggest supporter. Katherine kissed the tips of her fingers and blew them to her brother on the stage of the MIT auditorium. 

*

Katherine stormed through the front door, slamming the door shut. Her parents were out so she had nothing to fear by slamming doors and stomping up the stairs. She threw herself into her room, sobbing, slamming the door behind her. She sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands - her hands catching all of her tears. 

Her door creaked open, frightening her. Katherine snapped her head up to see her brother peeking his head in. Once noticing his sisters tears, Tony entered the room, his eyes filling with concern, "Kat," Tony sighed kneeling in front of her and placing his hands on her knees, "What happened?"

Katherine sighed, looking down to Tony, shaking her head and fiddling with her thumbs. "It's Robert."

"What did he do?" Tony's tone changed from concerned to anger really quickly, "Kat, what did he do?"

Katherine sniffled, the words getting stuck in her throat, "He cheated on me." Tony didn't say a word. He slowly got to his feet and kissed Katherine on the head and left the room, "Tony!" Katherine called, "Where are you going?"

Later that evening, Katherine had retired to the sofa in the living room with a book she had been reading. Some romance novel that now turned her stomach but it wasn't like Katherine to give up on anything despite how much it hurt her, she continued reading. Love was overrated anyways.