Well, all I really have to say is that real life sucks… and so does college, tbh. I honestly haven't relaxed as much as I have these past three weeks since I left lol If any of my readers are currently in college or have been through college, you all understand.
Disclaimer: I don't own, nor will I EVER own, anything Stan Lee or MARVEL-related. I only own the plot and dialogue. If I did, I would be living it up on the West Coast (not really, but I would definitely be lying on a towel under an umbrella with my sunglasses, the newest horror book and an iPhone blasting my Spotify playlist on a beach in Santa Monica).
As per usual, NO FLAMES. Only CONSTRUCTIVE CRITCISM.
The wind blew through the willow trees at a slow pace and it was raining intermitted. The once-crystalline sky was overcast with heavy, gray clouds and Tony Stark couldn't help but think, Good. Mother Nature knows something precious was taken from this world.
Peggy Carter had died on a Wednesday, losing her fight against heart failure as she passed away during her afternoon nap. All that woman had seen and done had taken its toll on her physical well-being, especially her heart, and Tony thought that she had just kept fighting long enough to see Steve Rogers again.
Tony's grandmother was devoted to God, as He had gotten her through some difficult times – World War II, losing her one true love due to circumstances (and Steve's patriotism and protective nature), finding out she was pregnant with said one true love's child and then losing that child years later in a car crash. Tony truly believed Peggy had prayed for life long enough to see her super-solider one last time and tell him of his legacy. It was almost – almost – enough for Tony to actually think about going to church for the first time since his parents passed.
He looked to his right, only to find his – ew – grandfather standing at ease, staring hard at the grave as if willing Peggy to burst out of the coffin declaring the entire thing a joke and laughing at the shocked expressions on the faces of the collected mourners. It seemed like something his grandmother would do and if not for the multiple tests to check if she had really passed from heart failure, it's something Tony would have anticipated at her funeral.
After Peggy, who had signed a gag order, was then advised to live in near-isolation and disappeared from public view, surfaced to see Steve, enough noise was made to capture media attention. Soon, the whole story was leaked.
Tony had to set up an entirely new alarm system in her apartment because reporters and paparazzi camped outside of her building. Honestly, it was perfect for public consumption as their story, though incredibly private, could warm even the coldest of hearts. However, the extra publicity caused some formerly-hidden facts to emerge, including the formation of the SSR and Tony's lineage, which made protecting Peggy incredibly important.
Steve, who made Peggy's safety a personal priority, kept in constant communication with her. So, when she didn't answer her phone one morning, he immediately slipped into panic mode. Steve tried to get a hold of Peggy through her landline and then through her landlord. When neither was successful, he went over to check on her to make sure she hadn't been attacked. It wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities, because the recent attack on New York (where SHIELD had been revealed to the unsuspecting public) had made public the existence of these secret agents and the stuff with Steve and Tony had revealed Peggy's former status as one of the former.
It turned out Peggy had passed away in her sleep during the course of the night… and the team watched as Captain America bottled up his emotions, refused to talk to anyone and locked himself in his 40s-style gym with almost 100 punching bags, packages of white athletic tape and at least 20 bottles of Scotch. Tony grieved by immersing himself in building new inventions while also drinking bottles of Scotch. Like grandfather, like grandson.
When they surfaced three days later, both grandfather and grandson had to plan the funeral of the woman they both loved in different ways. Because Peggy was a founding member of SHIELD and important to two different members of the Avengers team, the organization volunteered to pay for the entire thing.
While Tony and Steve planned the funeral, the rest of the Avengers marveled at the amount of arguing that took place between the relatives. Both men had differing opinions on everything – military send-off or no? Stars and stripes or the Union Jack? Close friends and family or open it up to SHIELD? Christian or Protestant? – and they regularly broke out in fist-fights. It seemed Peggy was the only one who could keep the two of them calm and without her, their glue, her boys were doomed tear each other apart.
Looking back, Tony felt guilty. They weren't honoring Peggy's memory by fighting each other like they did. She must have known she was going to die, or else she wouldn't have revealed them as family. Instead, she probably wanted to make sure they could lean on each other in her absence and help each other move on.
After the first fistful of dirt was thrown into the grave and people began to move back to their cars, Tony spoke only loud enough that Steve could hear him.
"I'm sorry." Tony looked down in shame and sadness. "I don't want to fight."
Silence.
"I'm sorry, as well." Tony could hear the misery in Steve's voice and he knew the older (?) man was close to releasing pent-up tears. Tony could relate. "We were terrible to each other this past week. She wanted us to know each other so we could lean on each other when she was gone and we didn't honor her wishes by fighting – both physically and vocally."
Tony picked his head up to look at the grave, a hole in the earth which now housed another of his family. He breathed in deeply, the cold, crisp air burning his nose and drying out his lips. The grass crunched underneath his feet as he walked towards Steve, who was standing on the other side of the grave. Steve copied Tony's movements, and both men met at the foot of the grave – just opposite the shiny, marble headstone.
Steve sucked in his cheeks and breathed in. "We've never gotten along, and Peggy was the only one who could manage to make us play nice. We can't tear each other apart now that she's not here to keep us together."
Tony agreed. "She believed in us like she believed in God. Wholeheartedly. It's going to take time to learn how to be friends because we really don't like each other." A laugh.
The corners of Steve's mouth quirked up slightly. "Have a little faith, Stark. You're not nearly as bad as you used to be."
Both men smiled at each other and then, giving one last look at Peggy, they turned towards the waiting cars.
Kind of short, I know. However, I've been working on this for a while and I really wanted to focus on how Tony and Steve's reconciliation (in my own universe) stems from Peggy's death. The title, "Abbi fede" translates to 'have a little faith' in Italian. I think I wanted this story to be more about the fact that Tony and Steve are going to have to learn how to be a family / be related after Peggy - the glue that held them together and kept them from tearing each other to pieces - is gone.
Again, let me know what you think! NO FLAMES, only CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. :) I solemnly swear not to disappear again. I don't like not finishing things I start, and this is the first summer that I can *somewhat* relax (haven't been on campus since I started).