𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒~ 𝐵.𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠

THRITY ONE

We'd been scouring every bit of information that had been released since the fall of shield to try and get rid of any remaining hydra bases and find the sceptre so far we hadn't had much luck. "Great work out there frosty, I really appreciate almost becoming an icicle." Tony remarks as we get back to the tower, "no one told you to get in my way." I shrug watching him huff in disbelief. "That's enough from the two of you." Steve says walking past the two of us as Tony opens his mouth to argue back, "no!" Steve says sternly making the two of us huff at each other, before turning away.

"You guys are such children." Natasha muses amusement very clear on her face. "Well if the snow queen here payed more attention to what she was shooting ice at." I scoff, "don't try and pin this on me, you should've been paying attention on where you were flying." Tony rolls his eyes in the most exaggerated way. "Don't encourage them Romanoff." Steve groans as Nat tries to hide her smile. "Sorry stark but I've gotta side with burns." Clint says making me smile and hold my hand out for a high five. "You know what Barton no one asked you." Clint shrugs as Bruce sighs to himself, "can we not just drop it?" He asks us pleadingly his head hurting from our argument on the way home. "I mean I'm willing to but Tony's being unnecessarily stubborn."

"You're just saying that because you know that I'm right." Tony continues making everyone else groan, "both of you apologise to each other." Steve says making the two of us roll our eyes, "now." I meet Tony's gaze, "sorry." I murmur making him grin, "I accept your apology." He smirks before he turns like he's about to leave, "you have to apologise too." I call out after him, "uh no I don't." He says walking off his tone annoyingly smug.

• • •

"Bucky?" I call out into the house, on our days off I would come back and visit Bucky to make sure that he was ok, "Bucky?" I call out again into the silence. I make my way to the kitchen to find a small note on the table. I lift it up and feel slightly sad at what I read, Bucky had left he thanked me for everything I had done but he was gone, he said he didn't want to leave me but he knew I had to work. The two of us had agreed that it wasn't the best option to stay in the US if he was meant to be hiding but we were supposed to go together. I sigh and crumple the paper into ball, it was ok, I'd find him again, I'd help the team find the sceptre and then I would live in hiding with Bucky.

• • •

"Where were you?" Tony asks as I make my way back to the tower, "enjoying my day off." I shrug, moving over to the kitchen to get some snacks, "did you want something?" I ask Tony who had followed me, "I actually have something for you." My eyebrows furrow, "you do?" He nods and gestures for me to follow him. "I uh found this box in some of my dads things, I've been through it before but I just remembered these are your things." He says pulling said box out and sliding it over to me. "Oh." I look down and see it's labeled Rosie with a heart. I lift the lid gently to find the first award I had ever won, "oh wow." I laugh slightly as I lift it, this felt like such a long time ago but I remember it perfectly.

I sift through the box to find a ton of newspaper articles of Howard and I or just me and my achievements, I can't believe he kept them all. "He looked really happy with you." Tony hums making me look up.

I glance back down at the picture in my hands of the two of us laughing, I felt like I was always laughing when I was with Howard. "After you left so did his smile." I frown at Tony, I couldn't imagine a miserable Howard he was always so happy, always making jokes. "I'm sorry." He shakes his head as if to say not to be.

"Oh my-" my voice catches in my throat as I pull out a small black box. "What?" Tony asks coming to stand beside me. He lets out a gasp of his own, in the box was a beautiful engagement ring there was a speech he had prepared stored with it. "It's nicer than the one he gave to my mom." He shrugs making me feel bad, "I-I didn't know." I say as we continue to stare at the ring. "Would you have said yes?" I meet Tony's gaze and nod, "yes." He sits down, "did you love him?" I look to Tony surprised not expecting that question. "Yes, I did."

"Then why did you leave him?" I close the box and put it back, "I got scared, I wasn't ageing and I didn't want to stay and watch my friends die, and I didn't want him to be stuck with me, he deserved better." I tell him, "he never got over you." I look down, "he didn't love my mother, not as much as he loved you." I feel guilty. "I never wanted to hurt him." I tell him in a small voice, "it's not your fault." He tells me reassuringly but it feels like it is.

"I can't take this." I say closing the lid and pushing all the stuff back towards Tony, "it's your stuff." I shake my head, "he wanted you to have it." He replies pushing it back. "I can't." It feels wrong, "well I don't want it so either you take it or I'll toss it." He tells me adamantly I curl my fingers around the box with a small smile, "at least take the ring." He shakes his head, "he bought it for you." He tells me, "He didn't give it to me because I left him, I don't deserve it." He shrugs, "well he loved you and he'd want you to have it." What would I even do with it?

"Tony." He shakes his head, "Rosalie." He mimics making me smile, "thank you."

• • •

"So you and Howard?" Steve asks after entering my room and seeing what I was looking at, "yes we fondued." I smirk watching him roll his eyes with a laugh as he pushes me. "It's..." I look at him, "weird?" I supply, "different." I nod and close the box, "he was going to propose." I murmur making Steve's eyes widen, "you guys were serious?" I nod, "I feel guilty though, I think he loved me more than I loved him." I admit what had been weighing me down. "You don't know that." He tried to assure me but the fact that Tony told me he never got over me tells me otherwise. I thought of him obviously, but I let him go pretty easily. 

"So any progress with Bucky?" Steve's face falls and he shakes his head, "not yet." I looked at the sadness on his face and I felt sick, but it's not like I could tell him where Bucky was because I actually didn't even know.