𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍━︎━︎P. Carter ✓︎

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞

CHAPTER FIVE:
A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS

TO SAY EVELYN WAS TRYING not to have a mental breakdown in front of her brother was an understatement. The woman stood against the closed front door, her jaw clenched and her hand tightly interlaced with one another as she brought them up to her lips. Her eyes were closed tightly as she tried to slow down her heartbeat that only seemed to go faster and faster the longer she stood there, thinking about what exactly it was that the officer had just informed her of.

Steve looked at his twin, worry clearly written on his face. He could tell that she was trying not to fall apart, that she was trying so hard not to think too much into it. But that wasn't how Evelyn's mind worked. Her mind always went to the darkest places possible, no matter how hard she tried to keep it from happening. And maybe it's because of their father dying before he ever met his two children, or maybe it was her fear of having to see her brother get beat up so many times without being able to do shit about it. Neither of them knew why this was, but one thing Steven Grant Rogers did know, was that when his sister started to think, she never stopped.

     So, to prevent this from happening, he placed his hands on his siblings shoulder, watching as her jaw relaxed and her hands split apart and away from her mouth. All that was left for her eyes to open, but she couldn't open them. "Eve?"

     The blonde exhaled through her nose. "I'm fine, Steve. Just. . . just give me a minute." She continued to stand there against the door, but her brother never moved from his position as he continued to look at her with worry. He too was worried, he too wanted to break down, but he knew that he had to be strong for his sister. She needed to have a moment of weakness for once, and he was going to let her have it.

     "You're not fine." Steve shook his head. "That's okay. You don't have to be strong all of the time, Eve."

Finally, the female opened her eyes to reveal the gloss that covered them. She looked at her brother, and as she stood there, it dawned on her that there was a possibility that it was only going to be them left. They were going have to take care of each other, for their mother's sake. And that's when she broke down. A single tear slipped from her eye, and then one after another they continued to fall until she broke out into full on sobs. Steve was quick to pull her in for hug was her knees buckled beneath her, sending her to the ground. He held his twin, his heart aching as he listened to her gut wrenching sobs. He didn't see Evelyn cry often, minus the few times she cried at her father's grave, but that was different. Steve hadn't seen Evelyn cry like this ever, and that thought just made him hold onto her tighter.

Evelyn was always smiles and laughs. She didn't cry around other's unless she was caught off guard and didn't really have any choice. Something Steve didn't know was that Bucky had seen her cry way more than Steve ever had, and that was simply for the fact that she didn't like to seem weak in front of her brother. She wanted to be strong. because even though they were twins, due to Steve's medical conditions, and his size which is the cause for him constantly being picked on, she felt the need to not show weakness in front of him. So, as Evelyn sat there in her brother's arms, she felt guilty.

She knew that she shouldn't have felt guilty for crying, but she did. She continued to hug her brother back as he sat there, letting her sob until her throat was dry and nothing else came out of her eyes. He let Evelyn have her moment of weakness, and Evelyn appreciated it more than words could ever put. She sniffled, pulling away and wiping at her red and puffy eyes. She looked at her brother, offering him a sad smile.

     "I'm sorry." She spoke. Steve furrowed his eyebrows.

     "For what?" Steve questioned. "For crying?" Evelyn just nodded her head in response. "Evelyn, you don't have to apologize for crying. You don't do it that often anyways, and sometimes it kind of worries me. I know you don't like to show weakness around me, because you have this need to be strong when you don't have to. Don't apologize for having a moment of weakness, Eve. It's only human."

     Evelyn looked at her brother, meeting his blue eyes as she softly smiled, shaking her head. "I don't deserve you as a brother, you know that?" She gave Steve another hug, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Steve."

     "I love you too, Evie."