「 Father’s Day 」
Father’s Day.
The day had always been a little different for Steve. He had never had a father in the traditional sense. Instead, his mother, Sarah, had been mother and father to him. She was the one who had taught him right from wrong. She was the one who gave him courage and hope of a better life. She was the one who taught him how to be a man.
But even so, when Steve was young, he and Sarah would celebrate Father’s Day. Every year on the day, she would make her late husband’s favorite meal, take Steve to visit his grave, and tell her son all her favorite stories about his father. She told tales of chivalry, courage, and honor and her face always lit up in adoration. Steve could always tell that she had loved his father greatly.
He has fond memories of these times, even though he now knows the truth.
The routine had remained the same up until the year of Steve’s 16th birthday. Now that Bucky was in the picture, he was always around the Rogers household. Which meant that Bucky knew a lot about the two of them and their little family. And as it turns out, he knew something that Steve didn’t.
The truth came out the day before Father’s Day as they sat on the steps outside of Steve’s house.
— 1933 —
“So,” Bucky said. “You doin’ anything tomorrow?”
Steve shrugged. “Same as every year. Church in the morning. Help Ma cook after. Then we go visit my dad and come home.”
“You go visit your dad?”
“Yeah, at the cemetery.”
There was a silence as Bucky hesitated. “You still visit him?”
“Yeah, ‘course. Why?”
The brunet shrugged and shook his head. “Dunno. I just thought… Nevermind.”
“You thought what?” The blond’s brow furrowed as he looked at his best friend.
Again, Bucky hesitated.
“Buck,” Steve said. “/C’mon/. What is it?”
“I’m not s’posed to say, Stevie. Your ma made me promise not to tell.”
“Promise not to tell what?”
Bucky took a deep breath and stared at his shoes, then exhaled slowly.
“Your dad wasn’t one of the good guys.”
“What?” Steve looked at Bucky in confusion as Bucky practically shrank where he sat.
“I mean he wasn’t good to your ma.” Bucky’s voice was softer now, almost a whisper. “He drank too much. Got real mean. He’d hit her.”
Steve frowned and leaned back and away from Bucky so that he could see the boy better. “What’re you talkin’ about? Who told you that?”
“I overheard Sarah talkin’ to your neighbor. Mrs. Kelly was askin’ why she still takes you to see your dad’s grave every year when he was so bad to her. After, I asked her if it was true, and she said it was.”
At this, Steve turned his gaze toward his own shoes and felt the world around him darkening. “She lied to me.”
“No, Stevie.” Bucky shook his head. “She said she felt bad that you didn’t have a dad. She wanted you to have one. That you deserved to have a dad. She made me promise not to tell you, so just—don’t let on that you know, okay?”
Steve was quiet. He didn’t answer Bucky for a few minutes. But when he spoke again, he said, “I have an idea. But I’m gonna need your help.”
Bucky looked at Steve with a soft gaze, then nodded. “What d’you need me to do?”
The next day, after church, the boys enlisted Mrs. Kelly’s help in distracting Sarah for the afternoon. She said it was an emergency which absolutely required Sarah’s help in resolving, so the boys had the house to themselves. They spent the afternoon recreating Sarah’s favorite dish and tidying up the little house.
So, when Sarah returned home, they greeted her eagerly.
“Boys?” She gave them a wry smile as she hung up her shawl on the hook by the door. “What’s all this?”
“Take a seat, Ma,” Steve said with a grin. “Dinner’s all ready.”
“You /cooked/?” She raised her brows at the boys. “Both of you?”
“Mhm, we made your favorite.”
Steve brought the main dish to the table as Bucky pulled out the chair for Sarah to sit.
“Thank you,” she replied with a chuckle. “It smells wonderful.”
Once the boys were seated, they prayed together and began to eat. When the meal was finished, Sarah wiped her mouth on a napkin, then sat back in her seat and smiled at the boys.
“So, are you two going to tell me what this is all about?”
Bucky shot Steve a look, then raised his brow as well.
Steve looked back at Bucky, then nodded as he turned to his mother.
“Well,” he said. “I know every year you make Dad’s favorite meal and then we go to visit him, but I thought we could do somethin’ different this year.”
“Why’s that?”
Steve hesitated and looked at Bucky, who nodded in encouragement.
“‘Cause I /know/, Ma. I know about Dad. How he was with you.”
“You do?” The woman looked to her son’s best friend, who seemed to shrink in his seat once again.
“Yeah. Don’t be mad at Buck, Ma. I forced it outta him.” The blond rose from his chair and stood beside his mother. He took her hand as he continued. “You don’t need to feel bad that Dad’s not around. And you don’t need to keep up some lie to make me happy. I /am/ happy. You’re all the parent I need.”
The woman’s face was blank for a few moments before it was flooded with emotion. Her eyes welled up as she pulled her son into a hug. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should’ve have been honest with you about your father.”
“It’s okay, Ma. I love you.”
“I love you too, my darling boy.”
— 2017 —
A lot has changed since that day in 1933. But, in particular, now Steve has a daughter of his own. She was created by HYDRA, unbeknownst to him, but he rescued her from them and found out the truth. Now, she’s practically his entire world.
After having spent the day with her, he leaves her in the care of his friends for about an hour before heading out to the cemetery where Sarah is buried. On the way, he picks up a bouquet of flowers to lay before her headstone.
Once the flowers are arranged, he takes a step back and draws in a deep breath.
“Hi, Ma. I know it’s been a while. You know how it is. Never any rest these days.” A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “Things are good though. The team’s doin’ well. Tony and I are great. But I think the biggest thing I’ve got to tell you is about my daughter.” He pauses and smiles down at his hands. “Her name is Sarah, after you. She’s eight, but I just met her. HYDRA created her from my DNA. She was so scared when I got her outta that place, but she’s doin’ better now. She’s so happy and bright.”
He lets out a soft chuckle as he runs a hand over his face. “I wish you could meet her. I wish you could meet all of ‘em. We’ve got a big family now. I think you’d like ‘em.” He pauses a moment, then lets out a sigh. “Anyway. I miss you a lot, Ma. It’s Father’s Day again, and I’ve just been thinkin’ about all the Father’s Days we had and it’s just… it wasn’t enough.” Again, he stops to run a hand over his eyes, then he sniffles and takes a deep breath. “So yeah. I miss you. I’ll come by and visit you again real soon.”
The whole way home, he’s quiet and lost in thoughts about his mother. It’s only when he returns home to the tower that he’s drawn out of those thoughts.
“Daddy!” The little girl called out and waved from her seat at the table, where various crayons are spread out before her. “I made you a card!” She hopped down from her chair and approached Steve, picture in hand.
Steve scooped the girl up and chuckled as he kissed her cheek. “Oh yeah? Lemme see it.” He accepted the paper from his daughter and grinned at the sight. She’d drawn him, herself, and their dog all with ice cream cones. “Is that Dodger eatin’ ice cream?”
“Mhm!” The blonde nodded proudly.
“Aw, well, it’s very good! Thank you, sweetheart.”
Little Sarah hugged her father and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”
A wide grin spread across the man’s lips as he nodded at her. “I love you too, princess.”
