Graduated Time [ 00.00 ] - StevexTony AU

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟰𝟰 - 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 ⍟ ⎊

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"Are you ready?" Bruce asked Steve while flipping switches and pushing buttons to ready the time machine from salvaged parts in a nearby glade. The compound was blown to bits after all.

"Sure," Steve replied, sounding cold and absent.

"No, I mean," -Bruce put on a serious tone and looked at Steve- "are you ready? You're going to see him again," he warned.

"I see him every day... this won't be any different."

Bruce gave a heavy sigh, he couldn't begin to imagine what it must've been like for Steve. He didn't even get to say goodbye to Tony.

Then he gave a briefcase with the stones neatly placed in there to Steve.

"You know, if you want, I could come with you," offered Sam, Steve couldn't hide a small grin.

"You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though," he stated.

Bucky had accompanied them as well. He was waiting by the time machine with a solemn look on his face. He'd never seen his best friend like that, so unwilling— if you could call it that. The fire in him had been extinguished the moment Tony drew his last breath, because Tony was that fire; his will to keep going.

Still — Steve smiled at Bucky, put a hand on his shoulder and said "don't do anything stupid 'til I get back."

Bucky scoffed with the same type of smile Steve had and solemnly replied "how can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

Steve volunteered to bring all the stones back to where they came from. He knew that at some point he'd meet Tony, but he'd do anything to see his face again and to hear his voice.

Returning the tesseract to the 40s would be the most difficult, Tony could be present.

When he wasn't, Steve found himself disappointed, deflated almost. Deflated and weak like a balloon. But it turned out that it didn't matter.

All of the people that had been sent back in time to be united with their soulmate, who might've been misplaced, gets to relive some parts of their life together with their passed soulmate. Steve would find that out during this journey to the past.

In third person he saw his and Tony's first meeting.

He watched small Steve approaching Tony, who was turned away from Steve. He also got to see Tony's panicked and flustered expression, something he'd obviously never seen before.