!advice: listen to scott street by phoebe bridgers during this chapter!

tw: sad feelings 🥲

↳ come back to me

"remember, you have to rerun the stones to the exact moment you got 'em or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities" bruce told steve

"don't worry, bruce. clip all the branches"

"you know, i tried" bruce said "when i had the gauntlet, the stones, i really tried to bring her back. i miss her, man"

"we know that" said evi

"i miss her too" added steve

"you know if you want, i can come with you" sam said while they worked towards the small replica of the time machine

"you're a good man, sam" steve said "this one's on me, though"

"don't do anything stupid, until i come back"

"how could i? you're taking all the stupid with you"

steve hugged bucky, and went on to talk to evi, who was now standing next to the platform

"hey, steve" she said, while tears were beginning to form in her eyes

"hey, baby" steve whipped a tear "why are you crying, sweetheart? i'll only be gone for a few seconds"

"it's okay" she muttered "i-i" she breathed, not being able to put into words was she was trying to say

"i'm so proud of you, nana. look at you!" steve exclaimed "you're so grown up now, you go to a great school and soon to college, you have a boyfriend now, which i'm still adjusting too, i promise" steve laughed "i'm just kidding, peters great. he's good for you"

"thank you steve" evi laughed under tears "you know how much that means to me.. i love you" she cried "and you're my- you're my dad, okay?"

"oh nana" steve hugged her

"but- but you don't belong to me" she cried "not anymore"

"what are you taking about, sweetheart?"

he seemed to be utterly confused by her behavior

"i want you to know this- i-i need you to know this" she breathed "i thought about this a long time. and i'm ready. you were there for me, you've done everything for me, you've been everything for me, now i have to do the same for you"

"nana? what are you saying?"

"i'm saying that i" she sighed and breathed in once again, so her crying wouldn't cut her off and she could say clearly what she was trying to tell him "i'm letting you go, dad"

"no, nana, you don't, because i'm not leaving"

"you have to, i saw how you looked at her back at the military basement. i'm not taking that away from you. i can't take that away from you. i can't keep you from where you actually belong. i love you and when you love someone you do what's best for them. i'm thinking this is what's best for you"

"i'm not going anywhere. you're not keeping me from anything, you're all i have, you're my one and only"

"you could have so much more than just me, we both know that. i'm not angry. i'm at peace with that decision. i'm not asking you to stay, i'm asking you to go"

they were both fully crying now.

"i want this for you, more than i have ever wanted anything for myself"

"nana" he cried "i can't"

"yes you can" she smiled "you always wanted to and now you will, because i'm giving you free, i'm doing what's right and letting you go, dad, because i love you more than anything in this world. i want you to get back what you lost before we met." the tears were streaming down their faces "just don't forget me, please"

"i could never forget you, baby"

steve hugged her harder than he had hugged her ever before.

"we'll see each other again"

"yes we will, nana"

"i love you, dad"

"i love you too, my babygirl. you were the best thing i accomplished"

"come back" she smiled through her tears

"always" he kissed her head and stepped onto the platform

"you ready, cap?" asked bruce, while steve nodded at him

"alright, we'll met you back here okay?"

"you bet" steve's helmet closed

"going quantum, three, two, one"

steve disappeared and with him all the time they would've had.

"and returning in five, four, three, two, one"

nothing happened and evi became panicked.

"where is he?" asked sam calmly

"where the fuck is he, bruce?" evi was a little less calm

"i don't know, okay" bruce answered "he blew right by his time stamp. he should be here"

"can you do something at least?" evi asked while walking towards the green man

"working on it, don't worry"

"i worry when i want to"

"she's right, just get him back" said sam

"i'm trying"

"get him the hell back"

"hey i said im trying"

"well, it seems like you're not trying enough" evi added

"sam, evi" bucky interjected and they stepped up beside him

they walked towards the wooden bench, which was standing in front of a lake and a man was sitting on it, his back turned to them.

"go ahead" said bucky and sam walked forward, while evi stopped moving all completely

"it's alright" bucky told her "it's just steve, isn't it?"

"it always was" evi smiled "thank you, i should give him time. i knew about it"

"you did?"

"i told him to do it"

"what? you just told him to leave?"

"no" evi shook her head, still smiling at the man next to her "i told him to come back"

———

"how was it?" evi asked some time later when she was sitting next to steve

"thank you" steve took her hand "you know i would've never asked this of you"

"i know" she smiled "but it was still right to do it, wasn't it?"

"i missed you"

"you're back, that's everything i need, and to know that it was worth it"

"i think it was" steve smiled "i have something for you" he took a little key out of his pocket

"a storage key?" asked evi confused

"there's something you have to see, once the time comes"

"how will i find it?"

"sam knows where it is, so you'll just have to ask him. i love you, my little nana"

"i love you too, dad"

"i like this" steve smiled

"what?" evi laughed

"the dad-thing. you can keep doing that if you want to"

"i'm not planning on stopping"

"good, me neither"

*