Combustion ✦ STEVE ROGERS² [✓]

23 | THE RIGHT MAN FOR YOU

𝙼𝙸𝙰𝙼𝙸, 𝙵𝙻𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙳𝙰
𝟷𝟿𝟿𝟼

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A SMALL GIGGLE ESCAPED SEVEN-YEAR-OLD KATO'S LIPS AS SHE TIPTOED DOWN THE HALL, HEADING TOWARDS THE KITCHEN. Even though it was late (just past two in the morning), she was hungry. But despite the fact that she knew she had to keep quiet, she couldn't help but laugh to herself, knowing that she most likely wouldn't be caught by her mother.

However, as Kato neared the kitchen, she heard voices. Which surprised and confused her; first of all, why was her mother awake? And secondly, who was the other voice? Curious but wary, Kato crept over to the kitchen entryway before pressing the side of her body against the wall and peering around the corner.

As Kato looked into the kitchen, she saw two people. The first was her mother, standing in a very hostile stance. And the other was a short, heavyset man around her mother's age, with short dark hair and a thin graying goatee. Her mother, Alina, looked like she was about to kill the man in front of her, who was standing with his hands up in the air, a defensive look on his face.

"You!" Alina hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

The man patted the air with his hands. "Just calm down, Alina-"

"Don't you tell me to calm down!" Alina snapped angrily. "Instead, you better answer my question!"

"Look, I didn't mean to just barge in here," the man said. "But I had no choice." He glanced away for a moment. "Abigail kicked me out."

Alina was silent for a beat before she huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, good for her. She had every right to kick your sorry ass out. Was it for your drinking or sleeping around?"

The man's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, I-"

"Oh, shut up, Juan," Alina snapped, rolling her eyes. "Don't give me that shit, you absolutely reek of gin."

Kato's eyes went wide as well. Juan was her father's name. But her mother had said her dad had died in a car crash when she was a baby! So did that mean he was alive? And if so, what was he doing here after all this time?

"Alina, please," Juan pleaded. "I just need to crash here for a few days. Surely I have the right-"

"You have absolutely no right!" Alina told him. "In case you forgot, you abandoned us, remember?! You left me to raise our daughter all by myself just to go be with that blonde bitch you now call your wife!"

Juan's eyes narrowed. "Well, in case you forgot, that girl is not our daughter!" he snapped. "She's not yours and she's sure as hell not mine. She's an alien, Alina! You didn't give birth to her, you just found her in some freaky-ass pod behind the house!"

"That's bullshit!" Alina growled. "As far as I'm concerned, Katorina is my daughter, and I love her as much as I would if I had given birth to her!"

"You're clinging to a dream you should have given up a long time ago," Juan retorted. "The doctor said it himself, you're unable to have kids! And now you're filling that little alien's head with lies, making her believe that she's yours!"

"SHE IS MINE!" Alina screamed. Juan fell silent, stunned, and Alina took a deep breath before continuing in a low, shaky voice, "Katorina is my daughter. She always has been and she always will be. And if you can't accept that, then you have no place in either of our lives."

Juan frowned, his jaw ticking. "You're delusional. The best thing for you to do is get rid of that thing now, before she attracts any others. Or worse, her real parents come looking for her."

Alina was silent for a long, tense moment. Then, she spoke, growling out through clenched teeth, "Get out."

Juan blinked. "What are you-"

Lightning-fast, Alina whipped out a shotgun from under the table and pointed it at Juan. "GET OUT!!!" she screamed, advancing towards him with the gun. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!! AND DON'T YOU EVER SHOW YOUR FACE HERE AGAIN!!"

Juan backed up, eyeing the gun worriedly as his hands went up in the air. Then, he spun around and rushed off, darting through the back door without another word. Alina watched him go, the furious look on her face. But then, it abruptly faded as grief seemed to overtake her, and she placed the shotgun on the table before stumbling backwards. Her back hit the counter of the island, and she gripped the smooth marble with her hands as she hung her head, her eyes closing as tears began to fall from her eyes.

Kato took a step out from her hiding place. She was confused by the whole interaction between her parents, but she knew that she hated seeing her mother cry. So she inhaled sharply before saying, "Mama?"

Alina's head snapped up, abruptly stopping her tears as she saw Kato standing there. "Katorina? What are you doing up, mija?"

Wordlessly, Kato rushed over to Alina and wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her mother's dress. Her mother let out a shaky exhale as she hugged Kato back, holding Kato's face close to her.

"Don't cry, Mama," Kato said softly. "It's gonna be okay."

Alina sighed. "I know, mi amor, I know."

The two continued to stand there in silence for a few more moments. Then, Alina released Kato from the embrace before smiling down at her. "Thank you, Katorina," she said. "You have the best hugs."

Kato smiled back. "I know. That's why I gave you one."

Alina smiled even wider, ruffling Kato's short hair. "Well, I appreciate it. It definitely made me feel better."

Kato stayed silent, staring at her mother's face. There was still something on Alina's mind, she could tell. So she cocked her head before asking, "What's wrong, Mama?"

Alina sighed, shaking her head. "I want you to promise me something, mija."

Kato raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that when you grow up, and you fall in love, don't do it because people tell you that you have to, or because you feel you need to," Alina said. "Fall in love with a good man, a kind man. And make sure he's the right man for you."

Kato frowned. "How can I tell if he's the right man for me?"

"He'll treat you right no matter what," Kato's mother told her. "He'll be honest with you, and he'll be completely and utterly devoted to you. And doing anything to hurt him will break your heart right in half."

Kato's frown deepened. There was more to this than her mother was telling. "Did you have someone like that, Mama?"

Alina grinned sadly, letting out a soft laugh. "Always so observant." She then sighed. "I did, once. A long, long time ago."

"Was it Papa?" Kato asked.

Alina was silent for a beat, then sighed again. "Yes and no. But that story is for another time." She smiled down at her daughter. "But can you promise me that you'll do as I ask?"

Kato stared at her mother for a moment. She didn't fully understand what Alina meant, nor what she was asking of her. But Kato could tell how much it meant to her mother. So she nodded before saying, "I promise, Mama."

Alina's grin went wider. "Thank you, mija." She then pulled Kato in for another hug. "Thank you so very much."

Kato pressed her cheek against her mother's stomach, hugging her tightly as Alina stroked Kato's hair. These were the times that Kato cherished the most: just the two of them together, in their own little space, as if the world had slipped away for just a few moments.

"Mama?" Kato asked after several minutes of comfortable silence.

"Yes, mi amor?" Alina replied.

Kato gazed up at her mother. "Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?" Kato asked. "So you don't get scared."

Alina grinned, giving Kato a butterfly kiss and leading the small girl to giggle. "I thought you'd never ask."