My Blurry Depiction (Captain America- The First Avenger)

The Unexpected New Beginning

'Today is just gonna be a normal day. No boys, no drama, no bullies. Just go to school, get your graduation over and done with.' I say to myself as I get up from my bed. I had completely forgot that today was my graduation. Of course, I was the only person of my age to be getting a graduation certificate and I had only been studying for a science major for only two years. Epic! 

As I head to the kitchen, I a note sitting on top of an empty bowl.

'I'm sorry. No pancakes today. I'm at a meeting down in New Jersey and I had to leave this morning. I'll see you in probably a week or two. Don't worry about me and have fun at your graduation. I'm sorry I couldn't make it.-Steve'

New Jersey?! What the heck was he doing all the way down there? He was going to miss my graduation too. Oh well, I could always graduate next year anyways. Or the year after. Or the year after that. Though that didn't mean I actually was. 

I grab whatever clothes I have in the cupboard before heading off to the fancy haircut place 2 streets down. As I enter the shop, a gorgeous, model-like lady welcomes me with a smile.

"Danny! Look at YOU! You look dashing! Here for your appointment? Come, come. Take a seat, I'll be right with you shortly." I giggle at my long time friend, Evelyn, as I go to sit down on a barber chair, waiting for my long locks of hair to disappear. 

" Long day ahead?" I turn to the side to find a figure reading the newspaper while drying their hair.

"Yeah. I have a graduation to get to in 2 hours. I'm the only one in my year to graduate so I'm kinda of happy." The person puts the paper down and when I realize who the person is, I hold my chair in shock.

"Don't scream or make a melodramatic scene like you usually do. I'm here to make a request." I look at him curiously. As much as I wanted to yell my head off for being near him, I needed to keep my head cool if I wanted to even look nice for my graduation today.

"Go on." He smirks.

"I want to offer you a spot in an organization called the Strategic Scientific Reserve. We need... well, I need, someone who has the same brains and capabilities as me to help me on a project I'm starting. What do you say?" 

"What is the project about?" He laughs.

"Now I can't tell you anything. It's not allowed near the public eye. If you want to join, good. If you don't want to join that's... not really good." I shift my head to the side.

"And why should I even join you?" Howard folds his paper and puts it on the table beside him.

"BecauseIneedyou" He coughs out as if he's having a seizure.

"Excuse me?" I tease him.

"Because I need you." He says a bit more clearly. Now it was my turn to laugh.

"YOU need ME? YOU need ME? What, are you going to use me again just like the last time-"

"It's nothing like that..." Howard grumbles, realizing his mistake.

"Well I hope it's not because lucky for you, I'm bloody interested." He looks at me as if he had won the Lotto.

"Really?! Oh that's great, Danny. I promise you. No more silly business.-"

"There better not be, Dad , then you and I both know what will happen. I will take your-"

"Danny, let's get this hair of your done and dusted shall we?" Evelyn pulls me back into my chair and clips on the barber's sheet before examining my hair. 

"Just layering right?" I nod.

"I'll pay for her." Howard tells the lady as she examines my hair.

"No it's okay. I don't need-"

"Sara, please write down Danny's cheque for Mr Stark once you are finished with him. Thank you!" Grabbing a fancy pair of scissors, she starts chopping my hair off, little by little, her eyes not leaving this curly bush for even one second. 

"Done! You look great, Danny!" I look at myself to find a whole new person in the mirror. I was finally ready to graduate. 

"Thank you, Evelyn. It looks fabulous. I come up to the front and pay..."

"Oh I've already paid don't worry." Howard walks up to us and holds out a hand for me to hold.

"I'm fine thanks." I get off my chair and exit out of the barber, thanking Evelyn before my exit. 

"Hey wait up!" I reluctantly slow down as Howard comes running behind me.

"Where do you think you're going?" I look at him as if he's an idiot.

"I told you, I'm going to get graduated." I walk a bit faster, causing Howard to pace back a bit.

"You don't have to. You could just start right now. I could call the University and tell them to send the certificate over." I stop in the middle of the busy pathway and turn to face Howard.

"Look, unlike you, I've been waiting for this moment my whole life. To graduate early. To show those bastards who keep on picking on me that even though they have more better looks or if they could beat me on the track field, I could still beat them at their own game. But of course, people with big egos like yours wouldn't understand." Suddenly a fresh tear rims one of my eyes. I quickly wipe it away.

"I'm sorry. It's just- I've been through quite a lot without you and grandma and grandpa supporting me. " I let out a little sniffle. "How are they anyways- granny and gramps?"

Howard's face changes as his body stiffens.

"Dad went a bit mental after you left. He started causing trouble for mother and I. He died a few months ago from excessive alcohol consumption." I look at him shocked.

"This is all my fault..." 

"No, Danny, stop." Howard grabs my wrists and I look up at him, signalling him to let me go. He doesn't.

"I don't know what has gotten into you these past 7 years I've been gone, but it isn't good." He bothered to remember how long I was gone for? "Yeah, I remembered how many years you were gone for because those 7 years were my hardest years." BULLS**T. 

"I'm serious." Never mind.

"I came to you today because I wanted to make amends with you. I wanted our relationship to start over." I stare at him, I mouth opening and closing, speechless at what was going on right now.

"What do you say?" 

Okay, let's take it back a notch. This is the most emotional I have seen Howard, ever. Either he was being genuinely serious or he had something up his sleeve. I guess I had one way of finding out.

"Yeah, fine. But on one condition." Howard motions for me to go on.

"You have to take me to Grandmother. I have some apologizing to do." For the first time ever, Howard's face had stretched into a smile that could light up the whole of New York City. 

"Yeah. I think she might like that." 

That day was what I would call something to learn from. Howard took me to my graduation and I got graduated with my Bachelor Of Science. Throwing my cap in the air was the best feeling ever and being crowded with people I didn't know, asking about Howard and I, was quite... hectic. I quickly grabbed Howard and we escaped the crowd of warm bodies. I went to visit Grandma Irene, the woman I used to call my mother. The person who changed my diapers and brought me up. 

Things got a bit emotional and she ended up forgiving me even though Grandpa Howard Snr's death was my fault. I had dinner and we chatted about our lives, me living with Steve and graduation. Grandma talked about her life after Howard's money rise, living a nice retirement. 

Howard and I decided that it was best to start working on his project, so we caught the first plane to New Jersey for our first orders.