Steve didn't know what, or rather who to expect as he walked in the direction Tony had pointed. The path seemed to go on forever, and the longer that it did, the less sure Steve was on who would be there. But before he could express those thoughts to Tony, someone interrupted him. "Well I'll be damned, here they are!" Steve placed the voice immediately. He grinned, taking in the sight of Dum Dum Dugan, still wearing his bowler hat. More people rallied around Dugan. Morita, Falsworth, Jones, Pinkerton, Sawyer, and Dernier popped out of the bushed. Soon enough, Steve found himself smothered in a pile of bodies, and Tony was standing to the side, chuckling at the group's antics.
By the time Steve had extracted himself from the group, he found himself face to face with his mother. Steve's mouth dropped in shock, having not seen her since before World War 2. All of a sudden, he wrapped her in a hug, and a wave of nostalgia hit Steve so hard, he almost fell over. But the meet-n-greet wasn't over yet. Opening his eyes, he immediately locked eyes with his wife. There she was, there was Peggy. His Peggy.
She grinned at him, her trademark ruby lips stretched wide across her perfect face. She rushed forward, but before Steve could hug her, his face snapped to the side so hard he had whiplash. She...she had SLAPPED him! Steve reached up to rub his face, and he looked at her in surprise and confusion.
She shrugged, and said "That is for two things; firstly, kissing our niece. Honestly Steve, you should've known better. And secondly, that was also for fucking with my godson. We will be having words later Captain Rodgers!"
Steve was trying to keep up, and could barely say anything, except…"Godson?"
Tony practically slid to hug Peggy from behind, and with a goofy grin, waved his fingers and said "Hi!"
Steve rolled his eyes, unsurprised by Stark's antics. "Of course." Howard and Peggy had remained close throughout their careers after the war, Steve remembered the day she'd come home and told him about how Howard's wife had gone into labor. Steve had stayed pretty far away from Tony, afraid of influencing things and changing the timeline too much, but Peggy had made enough time to visit him as much as possible before Howard and Maria died.
Speaking of Howard, the man had gently pulled Tony off of Peggy, and come into Steve's line of sight. Steve leant forward and shook Howard's hand, noticing how comfortable Tony seemed around his father. It was completely opposite to how Tony had acted when Howard was a subject when they were both...alive, but Steve wasn't going to complain.
Slowly, the group began to shift, and walk towards a house, the lake house Tony had build, Steve realized. Over the course of a few weeks, the lake house had become a congregation point of sorts for the Avengers, and the deceased extended family. Tony led everyone inside, and the Howling Commandos, and Steve's mom settled amongst the couches, while Natasha and Peggy perched on a couple bar stools between the kitchen and the living room. Howard greeted his wife, whom had been in the kitchen, and Steve introduced himself properly to her.
Maria smiled, and caressed Steve's face with her hand. "Thank you, for making my son happy." Steve paused, not knowing what to say, but then movement caught his eye. Tony snuck out of the room, into the adjoining workshop, and being the curious cat he was, Steve followed him.
The workshop had a more rustic feel compared to the one at the Avengers compound, but the pristine chaos of the environment suited it's inhabitant very well. Tony was sat at a small desk, a set of goggles on his head. Steve knocked on the door frame, not wanting to surprise the other man. Tony looked up, surprised to see Steve.
"What are you doing out here? I would've thought that you'd be catching up with everyone." Tony asked, turning around to face Steve. Steve shrugged and said "I wanted to finish our conversation."
Tony adopted a confused look, but Steve continued. "You might've forgiven me for everything that happened, but I still need to apologize." Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Steve cut him off. "You need to accept that what I did to you was wrong. We are different people, and we strive for different things, but after what happened with Rumlow, and the United Nations, I should've listened to you. I should have talked to you, I should've TRUSTED you. You were doing your best in a tight situation, and I sure as hell wasn't making things easier. Adding on to that, I should've told you about Bucky from the beginning, after DC happened. I should've told you about your parents, and I shouldn't have left you in Siberia like that. I almost killed you Tony, and didn't consider your reactions at all. And I am so so sorry, Tony, because you deserved better, and I let you down, consistently."
Tony raised an eyebrow, and when Steve finished, he said "You done?" Steve started, not knowing how to responded. "Good," Tony continued. "My turn."
"Steve, you have a bad habit of taking too much on your shoulders, you know that? What happened in DC, with Barnes, in Africa with Wanda, with me in Siberia, it was not your fault. I'll give you part of the blame since you seem so keen on having some, but part of it is on me too. I should have recognized that your perspective was coming from somewhere, with government oversight ending badly for you most of the time. I should have respected that more, and I should have eased up on pushing the Accords. I knew they weren't perfect, but I was so concerned with getting them in place, I didn't think about what I was signing over. As for the whole situation with Barnes, I get it, I do. I would have done anything for Rhodey. Pepper or Happy too. They are my best friends, and I'm with them to the end of the line, just like you and Barnes. You were protective of him, and he was more than just your friend. He was a lifeline, a link to a past you thought you had lost. You knew him well enough to believe him when he was right. I should've trusted that. I'm sorry too Steve."
Speechless, Steve didn't know what else to do, but hold his arm out for a handshake. Tony roller his eyes, and pulled the Captain in for a hug. For the first time since Peggy's funeral, Steve allowed himself to cry. Tony gripped the blond man closer, not even caring that his shirt was getting damper from his tears.
A few moments later, Steve huffed to a stop, but didn't let go of Tony. Tony stroked the Captain's hair, reminiscent of all the times he had comforted Morgan after a nightmare.
Finally, Steve chuckled, and Tony was startled by the noise. "Jesus," Steve whispered. "I'm a mess."
Tony snorted. "You should've seen me the night of my funeral. I don't think I ever cried that hard."
Steve shifted back suddenly. "Your funeral? How did you know when..."
Tony smiles, and led Steve out of the room. They came before the smart table, and Tony pulled up a screen. A live video feed popped up, and slowly, Steve started to recognize who was there. It was a military funeral, at Arlington National.
"What is this?" Steve asked, confused. Tony, not taking his eyes off the screen, answered. "Tables like these are available in every house here. They allow us to see what's happening real time to our loved ones. They can't see or hear us, and we can't affect their world in any way, but it gives us a chance to see them, know them, as they go on without us. I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, this is your funeral."
There was a large group of officials, and all of the Avengers were there. Sam wore a dress uniform, and Bucky and Wanda stood next to him in formal wear. Steve's children stood next to them, and their youngest child, Natasha, was holding a folded American flag. Fury stood behind her, and Sharon next to him. A casket was being laid into the ground, and a simple headstone was engraved with Steve's name. A round of gunfire fired off, and Steve could see little Morgan flinch as the noise rang out.
Steve put his hand on the engineer's shoulder. "I'm sorry you didn't get more time with her. You deserved it Tony."
Tony reached up and patted his friend's hand, grimacing. "Thanks Cap." His voice cracked as he said it.
Peggy's voice interrupted the silence. "Steve, you might want to stop your mother telling the Commando's all your embarrassing baby stories sooner rather than later."
Steve and Tony glanced at each other, before Tony looked at his godmother. "Wait, I missed that? SARAH, wait on me!" The engineer ran out of the room, trying to catch the end of the stories being regaled to his company.
Peggy smiled at her godson rushed past her, and Steve chuckled at his antics as well. The couple then locked eyes with each other, and she held out her hand, waiting for him to take it and follow her.
Steve started at her for a moment, considering briefly just how lucky he was. They continued out towards the rest of the group, their hands clutched together, and slowly, Steve Rodgers began to be at peace.