To The Sun [3] Endgame

Twenty Four

Twenty Four:

The mood had shifted as soon as Peter walked out the door. When they had returned, Carol kept cracking jokes about their little gathering on the roof while stuffing her face with pizza. Steve said nothing as he made sure his mouth was too full to say anything, and Hazel just kept trying to change the subject onto other things.

Hazel also didn't believe at the moment that Bucky Barnes deserved to play the 'I am your father' card on her right about now.

"So." Carol tossed a piece of pizza crust onto the box, leaning backwards on her chair with an amused look in her eyes. "How was it?"

"How was what?" Hazel asked nicely, snatching the forgotten crust from the box and nibbling on one end.

"Your first kiss." The women grinned, "How was it?"

Hazel scoffed, "That wasn't my first kiss."

"What's that now?" Bucky leaned forward, crossing his arms.

"Ok, fine. It was. But who cares."

"I do." His eyebrows scrunched.

Steve coughed awkwardly, "Peter is a nice guy, and I'm sure he really likes her since he did kiss her—" he paused leaning closer to Hazel, whispering oddly, "He was the one who kissed you, right? You didn't—" When Hazel shook her yes, Steve sat up again and plastered an overly large smile on his face as he looked at his friend. "Since he did decided to kiss her, he must really like her."

"What if— What if I don't agree." Bucky asked, looking right at her.

"Agree with what?"

"You and that boy."

Hazel rolled her eyes, "We're not anything, ok? It was just a kiss!"

"It's fine, Hazel." Steve looked over at her, "Why don't you get cleaned up and go to bed? It's getting pretty late."

Hazel stood up, glaring at Bucky from across the table. "Why does it matter to you if we were? I thought you two knew each other."

"And who gave you dance lessons?" She had asked.

"Peter Quill. But I didn't take those, he kind of sucks." He grinned, "But your dad of all people taught me."

Bucky's eyes flickered before he glanced at the ground, and that's when she knew that they did know each other and maybe he didn't mind Peter. He was just deciding to be a dick about it, and unfortunately Hazel was getting angry.

"Why does it matter to you?" Hazel asked again, tapping her foot on the ground. She must've looked ridiculous, but she figured the attitude change came back when she herself went back to 16.

"Buck." Steve warned, knowing what he was about to say, and knowing she wouldn't like it.

"Because I'm your father." He said, sounding unsure at first until he repeated it with a more stern voice causing her laugh.

"No you are not!" She glared at him, emotions that she had been burying since she found out who she was seemed to bubble up. "You don't get to come out of nowhere again and act like you're my dad! Even before the snap, when we met and I tried so hard to get to know you so we could have a good relationship. I thought I did, but you're not the one from all of Steve's stories, you're a completely different person—"

"That's enough." Bucky said watching her.

"Enough of what? You cannot tell me what to do—"

"Yes, I can." He stood up, "Because I am your father."

"You wanna know who I saw like a father? Who I loved like one?" Hazel challenged, trying not to cry. She really didn't want to, not in front of them. She felt like a child again, and she hated it. "Tony Stark and your best damn friend Steve Rogers! They were always there, whenever I needed something or someone they were there—"

"Hazel." Steve was next to her, a hand on her arm. "Calm down, it's ok."

She wasn't listening, but couldn't stop even as Bucky seemed to shrink in his chair, regretting ever picking at fight. He looked lost and broken, but she knew that was a face he wore often.

"It's been a lucky few days for you, Barnes." Hazel sneered, "Because Tony Stark is fucking dead and it looks like a spot just opened up."

"Hazel!" Steve looked down at her, making her go silent. "He is trying his best. This is all new for him, alright? He doesn't know what to do, and it is gonna be hard to learn but he's a good guy."

"A good guy? Why the hell did he kill my mother than, huh?"

But she knew why, it was the reason he had killed so many others. Even including Tony Stark's parents as well.

The room seemed to fall completely silent, Carol had stopped rocking in her chair and the air seemed to still. Steve looked at his friend with sad eyes, "You killed...?"

Bucky said nothing.

"He was brainwashed by Hydra, Hazel. It wasn't him." Steve told her, "It's not him."

Her eyes stung, seeing the image of the night go down in her head so clearly. "Then why did he approach her in the middle of the street with a hidden gun? She looked so excited to see him, and he pulled the gun out and shot her right between the eyes!"

They were all staring at him now, nobody knowing what to say.

"I don't care if it wasn't him, Steve. Because it was, in most ways it was. He found her that night and pulled the trigger with his own fingers, that part was him."

Hazel made herself walk away, she rushed to her room and closed the door silently, her breathing hitching.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry." She mumbled shaking her hands, "Not today."

She could still hear their voices from the kitchen when she was in her room, and Hazel leaned against the door with her ear pressed to it.

"She's never going to forgive me, Steve."

"She has too, you're her dad."

Hazel closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

"You know I'm not worth all this." Bucky sighed, "I can never be a good dad— or even a person, not with what I've done."

"It wasn't you—"

"It was. They put those commands in my head and I followed them. When I gave up fighting, that was the day all the things they made me do was me."

Hazel pushed herself away from the door, guilt settling within. She stepped towards the bed to see two black pieces of clothing laid out with black flats. She picked them up slowly, seeing a cropped fitted shirt with a high wasted skirt. A small piece of paper fluttered to the ground and she dropped the clothing and bent to pick it up, seeing her name scrolled out with messy handwriting.

To Hazel,

This was your moms, I thought you would like to have it. I thought you could wear it tomorrow.

P.S. Don't ask me how I got it.

Buck— No, wait.
Dad :)

Hazel stared at it, grabbing the skirt and bunching it up in her hands as she looked to the door where the voices had stopped.

And when the tears came, Hazel didn't bother trying to stop them.