Author's Note: This has also been posted on my Tumblr account; let-winter-go, as a reader insert fiction.
"I can't even begin to list all of the reasons of why this is wrong," Tony sighed in frustration, massaging his temples preparing for the headache that was inevitable at this point. An hour ago Steve, Mr. Self Righteous, showed up at his door looking for advice concerning Tony's sister and Bucky's wife. And here they were an hour later still not coming to terms with how to deal with the predicament that Steve had managed to put himself in.
"Don't think I know that, Tony. It's just, I don't know what to do anymore. Watching her in this sort of denial is killing me. She's not happy, it's clear. Don't you think this is what he would want, for her to be happy," Steve pleaded, trying to reason with the man behind the desk. It was no mystery that the two had never really seen eye to eye, and the other man was really only nice to him for Chloe's sake, but he just had to see where Steve was coming from, right?
"You're right, she's not happy, but that doesn't mean you telling her this will make her happy. In fact, she's more likely to reject you in the state that she's in." Tony really was trying to be patient with the man, but with each passing minute that was growing increasingly more difficult.
"How do you know that, huh? You think because you're her brother that you automatically know everything about her," Steve countered.
"And you do," Tony shot back.
"No, but I'd like to think I know her a little bit better. I mean for fuck's sake we've dated in the past. Two years to be exact," he said, holding up two fingers for further emphasis.
"And that's exactly where it should stay, Rogers. In the past." With a sigh Tony pinched the bridge of his nose muttering under his breath 'I am not drunk enough for this'. When he realized that Steve wasn't going to say anything else at the moment. Obviously feeling like he'd made his point, Tony continued, "look, I get it, you love her, or at least you think you still do. But that aside, you have to remember that she's still married to your best friend at the end of the day. Gone or not, she still loves and she still has hope that he'll return one day. Give her time to grieve and she'll come to terms with the loss on her own time."
"It's been six months, Tony. How much longer does she need to realize that Bucky is gone and he's never coming back?"
"However long it takes," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets before looking past Steve to the door, "hey sis, how are you holding up today?"
The instant those words came out of Tony's mouth all color drained from Steve's face. Then as if in slow motion he turned around eyes going wide as he saw the very person they had been talking about in the doorway of Tony's office. Her posture was closed off as she looked at him with hurt. As he went to say something, she was gone. Running off to fuck knows where all because of him.
"How long had she been standing there, Stark," Steve seethed, as he turned a glare to the other man who merely held up his hands in defense.
"Only for that last part I assume. At least, that's when I saw her."
With a sigh Steve turned and ran after her calling out her name, but she just kept running. Thankfully he'd always been much faster than her and easily caught up to her. Though, once he grabbed her arm he immediately regretted it as she turned a tear stained glare in his direction.
"What," she spat.
"Listen, I-I'm sorry, Chloe," he stammered.
"Sorry for what, Steven? Sorry because you were caught? He was your friend. Your brother. You always said till the end of the line. What changed?" At this point her tone went from angry to hurt trying to understand why he had given up hope so easily.
"You have to understand something, Chloe. This is the end of the line and I-we can't stand to see you like this anymore. You're in denial, but we can get you help. Let us help you, Chloe." Oh she did not like that at all, and he could see it in the way her eyes lit up with rage as she ripped her arm from his grasp.
"I don't want, nor need your help, Rogers." With that she turned on her heel and stormed off. This time he didn't follow. This time he let her go.
It was some time later she found herself back in her room at the computer. Ever since she'd lost Bucky, Tony insisted that she move back home so that she wasn't alone. Of course being the one with all the money he had plenty of room for her and she quickly settled back into her old room, from before moving in with Bucky.
On the screen in front of her was their last conversation. She knew it was unhealthy to do this to herself. To pick at the scab and just watch it blood over and over. But she didn't know what else to do. A part of her knew he was gone and that she should move on, but there was still that small sliver of hope that just barely kept her going these last six months. Sometimes she would even put on all the videos from over the years on automatic play mode and just fall asleep to his voice, his laugh, his groans of ecstasy during their times of fun. And as she stared into those beautiful eyes a small part of her knew that he was alive somewhere, but that part was slowly dying, just like she was.
A knock at her door had her turning it off as she sniffled and wiped at a few stray tears. Looking to her door she saw Tony poke his head in, "may I come in?" Not trusting her voice she merely nodded her head as she swiveled her chair around to face him as he sat at the foot of the bed.
After a long pause of him just looking around awkwardly, though she knew he was bad at emotions, he finally spoke up, "how are you holding up kid?" To which she snorted as she wiped away a couple of stray tears.
"Tony, I haven't been a kid in years," she chuckled, shaking her head.
"I know, but you're still my little sister. Come here," he said, whispering the last part as he held his arms open for her. Slowly she rose from the chair before plopping down ungracefully next to him on the bed as he pulled her into his side.
"He really does care about you, Chloe."
"He's really gone, isn't he," she said, completely ignoring Tony's last statement as she now gazed up at him with pleading eyes.
"I'm afraid so, kid." It really had been hard watching his baby sister fall apart. She'd loved that man with every fiber of her being and he had made her the happiest woman in the world. In truth Tony had been jealous of their relationship. Wishing even for a moment that he had a love as strong as theirs, but that was not meant to be. Now as he looked at his baby sister he watched as she slowly came to terms with the truth.
"It's time to move on, isn't it?" To which he just nodded in response to her question. And then, she cried. She cried because she'd never know what it was like to raise a family with him. She cried for herself and for the friends and family he'd left behind. She cried for the future that had been ripped away from them so carelessly. And she cried just to cry, vowing that this would be the last time she would ever feel this week. After this moment she would strong for herself and for Bucky. She had to be. She had two lives to live for now, and she was going to live them to the fullest.
He had never felt like a shittier friend than he did then. After having left the Stark home he found himself in the same place where his mom had been buried some ten years prior. It wasn't unusual for him to come here and just talk to her if he felt like he had no one else to talk to.
"I want to have hope that he's ok. I really do, but it's been so long already. And not telling her how I feel is killing me slowly. But Tony's right, ma. He's actually right for once. She's completely devoted to Bucky. That lucky bastard. He's dead and he still gets all the ladies," he chuckled, shaking his head. Before he could continue his phone began to ring. "Hey man, what's up?
"It's Bucky," Sam said, on the other end causing Steve to freeze the moment he heard that name. "But you're not gonna like it," he added grimly.
