Everly || Steve Rogers

72. Five Years Later

Steve had taken over Sam's meetings at the VA, which Everly hoped would be good for him. However, it only seemed to dig up the pain of the past; something they'd worked so hard to leave behind. He didn't seem himself since he'd started attending them, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't drag the real Steve back to the surface.

She jolted awake when a scream echoed through her ears. Her tired eyes grew wide and she threw the sheets aside, bursting through the bedroom door into the darkness of the living room. Her heart sunk when she saw Steve laying on the couch, his face scrunched up despite his sleeping state.

"Bucky!" He shouted, flinching as his arms shot out defensively before him. Everly sadly started toward him and hesitated before reaching a hand out.

"Steve." She whispered, trying her best to remain calm as she gently touched his shoulder. Within a split second, his hand latched onto her arm and she winced, jumping when he sat up straight and his eyes flew open. "It's okay! It's me!" She explained. His breathing only grew heavier as his gaze flicked between her brown eyes and he released his grip on her arm.

"Sorry." He sighed, running both hands through his hair as he struggled for a breath. Panic swam in the blue of his wide eyes as they explored the surrounding darkness. Everly lowered herself onto the couch beside him and rested a hand on either side of his face, turning his head to meet her gaze.

"Steve, you need to breathe." Her heart ached at the sight of the man before her.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, his chest heaving.

"It's fine. Look at me." She hurried, trying to the best of her ability to mask her own fear. He shook his head lightly and she turned him to face her once more. "Focus on me." His frantic eyes met hers and she managed the smallest of smiles. "Hi." He drew in a deep breath and she nodded. "Just breathe."

~~~

Everly absentmindedly swirled the drink in her glass before quickly downing it, cringing when it burned its way down the back of her throat. She set the shot glass atop the bar once more and sent the bartender a knowing look.

"You might want to slow down." He rose his eyebrows questioningly, though it was clear he didn't actually care. He seemed more impressed than anything.

"Probably." Everly shrugged as he slid her another drink. "Not going to."

"Where are you putting all this stuff?" He chuckled amusedly, leaning against the bar.

"I have no soul, so it frees up a bit of space in there." She groaned, knocking back another shot.

His eyes flicked to something just behind her and he cleared his throat awkwardly before walking away. She peeked over her shoulder and huffed when a tall blond figure stepped up beside her. She remained silent and returned her gaze to the glass bottles lining the wall across the bar. Steve looked at her sadly and rested his palms against the countertop. She couldn't help herself as she began to laugh and peered down at her hands. His face scrunched up in confusion and he cocked his head aside questioningly.

"It took 75 years, but you finally showed up." She giggled. His expression softened and his eyes wandered the dimly-lit building, people dancing and stumbling all about. She turned to face him. "I did wait for you." She added, her tone briefly growing serious.

"Everly, I-"

"But that's not your fault." She mumbled, waving him off before he could finish. "I just wanted so badly to believe you were alive." She broke out into laughter once more. "And you were." His frown deepened.

"You're drunk?" He asked in disbelief. Everly's brow knitted together and she glanced down at the empty glass sitting before her.

"Uh... Yes." She nodded slowly.

"How?" He pressed, his eyes locked onto her own.

"That's what happens when you drink too much happy juice." She returned, tossing the bartender a wad of cash before heading toward the door.

She shivered when the cool breeze nipped at her nose, her breaths forming in frozen clouds before her. Steve hurried after his friend who stumbled a few steps, groaning in annoyance as she kicked off her heels and continued walking. He scooped up her shoes and fell into stride beside her.

"That's not supposed to happen." He continued, his voice laced with concern. Everly stopped abruptly and he nearly ran into her as she spun around to face him.

"Lot's of things aren't supposed to happen." Steve huffed and his expression changed to one that she couldn't quite read. "Don't look at me with that tone of voice." She frowned, starting down the sidewalk once more. His gaze wandered the empty streets before he stepped forward, sweeping off her feet. Everly's eyes widened in surprise and she swatted his arm. "I am 105 years old and fully capable of walking!" She exclaimed.

"Not tonight."

~~~

"So... I, uh, went on a date the other day." One of the men in the circle began. Everly listened from where she stood leaned up against the doorframe, occasionally catching Steve's gaze. The humming of old lights rang softly through her ears and the majority of the chairs in the room had been stacked atop the tables. The entire atmosphere of the familiar VA building felt eerie now that it was void of people. "It's the first time in five years. You know? I'm sitting there at dinner. I didn't even know what to talk about." He finished, peeking over at Steve sitting behind him.

"What did you talk about?" Steve asked. The man shook his head.

"Eh, same old crap. You know, how things have changed. My job, his job. How much we miss the Mets." The man's expression fell and he grew silent for a few seconds. "And then things got quiet... then he cried as they were serving the salads."

"What about you?" Another of the men asked.

"I cried just before dessert." Everly huffed and her gaze fell to her shoes. "But I'm seeing him again tomorrow, so..."

"That's great." Steve nodded. "You did the hardest part. You took the jump. You didn't know where you were gonna come down. And that's it. That's those little brave baby steps we gotta take to try and become whole again, try and find purpose." He paused and Everly frowned, peeking up from her shoes to see him staring back at her. "I went in the ice in '45, right after I met who I thought was the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later." He shrugged and a lump settled in her throat. "You gotta move on." His expression faltered and her frown only deepened. "Otherwise you may never find out what's waiting on the other side." He managed a smile. "The world is in our hands. It's left to us, guys. And we gotta do something with it. Otherwise... Thanos should've killed all of us."

A/N

These next few chapters got all jumbled up and though I'm trying to fix it, they won't stay where I move them. So, I'm really sorry if they end up getting published that way! I'll try my best to fix it if that is the case.