The Night We Met | Steve / Bucky

forty-eight - kiss me

Katherine lugged a suitcase behind her, stopping at the door of the Compound, a moving truck parked out front with Tony's expensive car parked behind it. Katherine let out a sigh, turning behind her coming face to face with Pepper, "You're too kind." Pepper smiled as a man emerged from the moving truck, taking the suitcase and placed it in the back of the truck. 

Katherine smiled to her, "Well that seems to be everything."

Pepper nodded, "Why don't you come with us?" 

Katherine quickly shook her head, "No way. I've imposed on your relationship for too long." She let out a giggle but was hurting on the inside. Katherine believed she was hiding it very well.

Pepper reached out and tucked loose strands of hair behind Katherine's ear, gently grabbing her chin, "We will have a room made up for you so you better come and visit." 

"Of course I will." 

"Right, let's get this show on the road." Tony spoke coming up behind the pair. Pepper returned her hands by her side, looking to Tony with glee. "You better come visit."

"I've already gotten the speech from Pepper."

Tony beamed to his younger sister, "I'll be checking in non-stop." He approached Katherine, holding out his arms. 

Katherine smiled wrapping her arms around her brother and holding on tightly, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, kiddo." Katherine pulled from the hug first, "It's not too late to change your mind." Tony couldn't wait to live his life with Pepper with no suit, no enemies, no trying to save the world - a normal life. But at the same time, he didn't want to say goodbye to Katherine. He half-hoped Katherine would pack a bag and come with him but he knew she wouldn't.

Katherine laughed, "No way. You two need to live like a normal couple. Now go, you don't want to be getting there late."

Katherine hugged Tony and Pepper one last time before the pair climbed into Tony's car and made their way to their new life - to their cabin. Both retired. 

-

Katherine sat on the kitchen island, her legs dangling. The only light was the setting sun streaming through the large windows surrounding the room. Katherine clasped a bottled beer in her hand, sipping it thoroughly. It was peaceful in the kitchen - too peaceful. Thor never returned to the Compound, leaving Natasha, Steve, Rhodey, Bruce, Rocket and Katherine - with Bruce making plans to move out on his own shortly. The team was falling a part, there was no purpose for them anymore, no reason for them to remain together. 

Katherine sat in thought - thinking of Tony in his new home, what is her purpose, the loss of her friends. It was consuming her mind. "Stuck in thought?" A voice rang in her ears pulling her from her trance. 

Katherine looked to the entrance. Natasha entered, approaching the countertops behind Katherine. "Yeah." She sighed taking a sip from the bottle. 

Natasha pulled a mug from one of the top cabinets and placed in on the counter in front of her. She pressed down on the coffee machine, the rumbling echoing throughout the room. "How is Tony settling in?" She asked, taking milk from the refrigerator and a spoon from the top drawer. 

Katherine continued to face forward with her back to Natasha, taking another sip. She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I haven't spoken to him." 

The rumbling of the machine stopped - Natasha adding in her necessary ingredients (milk, creamer and a dash of sugar). "I'm glad he decided to move on." Natasha spoke, stirring her spoon, swirling her beverage around the mug.