𝗀 𝗁 𝗈 𝗌 𝗍 | | 𝗌 𝗍 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗋 𝗈 𝗀 𝖾 𝗋 𝗌

𝗇 𝗂 𝗇 𝖾 𝗍 𝖾 𝖾 𝗇

       

⍟ 𝟣𝟫𝟦𝟦, 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗇, 𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽 ⍟

STEVE'S WORDS ECHOED IN MARTA'S mind as he knelt in front of her, the gorgeous ring in his hand. He was speaking to her, a smile on his face. But Marta couldn't smile. She breathed heavily, feeling tears begin to prick her blue eyes. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't what she planned.

        "Marta?" Steve repeated after he asked the question, noticing the expression on her face. "Marta, what's wrong?" He stood up, fearing that she was sick or injured.

        Marta snapped her eyes up to Steve, her face pale. "I'm fine." She said, feeling Steve hold her arms in concern.

        "Did you hear me?" Steve asked, unsure of what was going on. This wasn't how he imagined the proposal to go. He didn't quite know what was happening.

        Marta slowly shook her head, inhaling and exhaling. "What did you say?" She asked, her eyes trailing down to the ring Steve still held. She grew up seeing it on his mother's finger.

        Steve chuckled, but the circumstances were not amusing in the slighest. "Marta Alice Barnes, will you marry me?" He asked again, hoping that it would sink in this time.

        His words caused a splash in Marta's mind, and she met Steve's blue eyes once more. Her answer didn't surprise her. She knew this would happen. But it surprised Steve. "No."

        Steve's eyes widened, watching in shock as Marta backed away from his grasp slowly. They had stopped dancing long ago. "What?" He asked, and Marta could hear the heartbreak in his voice.

        She dropped his hand completely, a tear slowly spilling down her cheek. "No. I can't marry you, Steve. I'm so sorry, I just can't." Marta said, hands shaking. She didn't know what else to do besides leave Steve standing there.

        His mother's ring had returned to his pocket. Her picture was in his compass that he carried with him everywhere. Steve's heart was glass, and Marta dropped it, its shattered edges encasing her entire being. Marta didn't know what to think. So she walked quickly into the busy main room of the Stork Club, the excited eyes of her family and comrades finding her. But she wasn't happy, and Steve wasn't with her.

        More tears spilled down Marta's cheeks silently as she stood at the bar, her arms supporting her weight. No one knew how to approach Marta, but Bucky was going to try. Before he could reach her, Steve walked slowly into view, hands deep in his pockets as he looked down at the ground while he walked.

        Bucky changed course, walking to his best friend. He put a hand on Steve's shoulder, seeing the tear tracks on his face. "I'm sorry, pal. I really thought she'd say yes," He whispered, and Steve nodded. "You gonna be okay?"

        "I'm gonna take a walk." Steve said quietly, clearly on the verge of a breakdown. The girl he had loved his entire life didn't want to marry him.

        Bucky let him go, because he knew he needed to be alone. Steve walked past Marta, who followed him with her eyes. He didn't even spare her a glance, and she turned back to the bar when he had left, more tears falling down her face. "Can I get a glass of vodka, please?" Marta asked the bartender, who had approached her.

        "Your sister told me how much you've had tonight. I can't. I'm sorry." The bartender said. All of the Howling Commandos, including Rebecca, Peggy, Thomas, Elizabeth and Howard had their eyes trained on the crushed girl.

        Marta wiped her eyes, looking up at the bartender. "I just rejected the love of my life's marriage proposal, and my entire family came to watch it happen." She said, breathing heavily.

        Howard Stark walked over, sitting in the barstool beside Marta. "I got her covered. I'll have whatever she's having." He said, giving a cheesy wink to Marta.

        "Coming right up, Mr. Stark." The bartender said, walking away to prepare the drinks.

        Bucky and Rebecca decided to wait before approaching their sister, telling the Commandos to go back to their conversations. "Thank you." Marta said quietly to Howard when her glass of vodka arrived. Howard instructed the bartender to leave the bottle.

        "Don't thank me. You've been making my job a hell of a lot easier these days. Because of you, I don't have to build explosives." Howard said, raising his drink in a mock toast. Marta sighed, raising her glass and drinking it in one gulp.

        Bucky didn't go over to her until she was five drinks in. Howard had stopped long before her, realizing that Marta was getting very close to being drunk. Rebecca tried to come with him, but he stopped her. "I got it, Becks." He said, nodding at Thomas, who was very concerned for his friend.

        Marta stared into her glass of vodka, swirling it around. Her brother came over to her, gently wrapping his hands around her arms, resting his chin on her shoulder. More tears had begun to fall from Marta's eyes. "I told him no, Buck. I love him, but I told him no. What is wrong with me?" She asked, failing to wipe her eyes as more tears continued.

        Bucky gently shushed her. "You have an alcohol problem, Marta. You know that, right?" He asked, smoothing out his sister's blonde hair.

        She nodded, lip trembling as she continued to breathe unsteadily and heavily. "I know."

        Pressing a kiss to Marta's temple, Marta pushed her drink away from her. "Do you want to back? You ready?" Bucky asked, Rebecca bringing over Marta's jacket.

        Marta nodded, Howard and Bucky helping her to stand as Rebecca put her jacket on her. Marta wasn't ready, she realized that as she watched Steve go. It happens every once in a while. Sometimes you don't know your answer until someone's on one knee, asking you. But with Steve, the answer shouldn't have been 'no'.

        She would've made such a lovely wife, it's a shame Marta was fucked in the head.

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