Three's A Crowd

Sixty Seven | Bad, Blood, and Bold

⚠️ Spoilers to Captain America: Civil War ⚠️

London.

Steve's been to London a few times before, reminiscing back to the time when (y/n) spoke the world of it, with how much she wanted to visit, reading all the books on its history and its geography, the elegance it possessed, her mannerisms brought back two decades back as she listened to stories Peggy shared once they became friends, fast friends, chatting as if they weren't in a military camp and in their homes having afternoon tea.

Her absence bothered him more than he'd want to admit out loud.

The cathedral is packed with mourners, family, friends, admirers of her story. The choir is singing, echoes of vibrato and baritone bouncing off the high ceilings of the gorgeous paintings of angels and saints. Steve is one of six pallbearers carrying a shiny, mocha coffin draped with the Union Jack and adorned with a single bouquet of white flowers. He carries it on his shoulder with ease, but the heaviness of heart made it more difficult to walk it down the aisle, blue eyes are evidently red and puffy.

As he sets her down the altar, his eyes catch the burning candle by a framed photograph of Peggy in a military uniform, engraved in a metal plate reads Margaret 'Peggy' Carter.

Steve sits besides Sam in a mahogany pew at the front, looking down at his hands, unable to meet anyone's eyes as the ceremony had started, a member of her family called up on the podium of the church. He didn't want to show any more vulnerability than he already has, the little whispers bubbling up a deep frustration and anger at the bottom of his stomach, muffled along with the clicks of heels that echoed again, stopping just a few seconds after. Sam's deep brown eyes flicker to the man besides him, just looking down at his lap as if it were the most interesting thing in the world right now, taking it in him to nudge the blond a little bit. He looks up to see Sharon, who glances at Steve for a moment before taking a breath.

"Margaret Carter was known to most as the first founder of SHIELD... but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy." she started, straightening her back. "She had... she had this photograph in her office, standing next to JFK, and as a kid, that was pretty cool. Having an aunt like Aunt Peg, those stories of adventuring around after the World War, having another aunt-like figure in the business who I've never met until recently, still going at it... it was so much to live up to..." she chuckles sadly. "And as hard as it was to know I would never be able to live and be like Aunt Peggy, she was enough to inspire what I have become. They gave me that experience and that push and somehow... that meant everything to me. It's why I never told anyone we were related."

Sam's eyebrows furrow down a little as he glances at Steve, silently asking him if he knew. The blond takes in a surprised breath, looking away for a second, willing himself to look back at Sharon in respect.

"I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. How she managed to bring forth women and empower them enough to run. And she said; compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move... it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in they eye and say, 'no. you move'."

It struck everything in her to do what had to be done as long as she knew she do something about it.

After the ceremony, Steve is seen standing alone at the aisle, the pews of the church empty, still dressed in the black tux he had just bought. Everyone had either already left or was out in the hotel nearby where they would hold a small gathering in memory of Peggy. Natasha, who had dropped by to pay her respects, walked to him, heels clicking on the tile floor as it echoes throughout the whole church. Steve notices she's here, but doesn't look up as she stands before him.