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It had been a grueling few weeks. It had turned out to be at least doubly difficult to return the Infinity stones as it had been to acquire them in the first place. Steve was glad Bucky had convinced him that he should go along as back up. Bucky had managed to get them out of several tight spots across their travels, including one particularly sticky situation they’d found themselves in with a person who went by the Ancient One. Lucky for them, Bucky was a quick thinker and a smooth talker.
They’d both breathed a heavy sigh of relief when the last stone had been replaced at Camp Lehigh. The mission was complete. But there was still one thing Steve knew in his gut, had had to do before he left.
“Buck, I think you should head back,” Steve said, “Tell Bruce I’m right behind you.”
“I ain’t goin’ back without you, Steve. You still need your back up,” Bucky countered, shaking his head resolutely.
“Not for this part, I don’t,” Steve assured him, as he double-checked Bucky’s return date and time. “I’m goin’ a little off-book. Take this with you, please,” he said, offering Bucky the shield.
“ Steve- ”
“Go back. Tell them that we were successful. I will be right behind you. Promise.”
Bucky gave him one doubtful look and a murmur of yeah, you better fuckin’ promise, before his helmet snapped into place and he was gone. Once alone, Steve took off with a purposeful stride toward the research building one more. He followed the exact same path he’d forged before, beyond Pym’s office, past the door placarded with Dir. Margaret Carter , and to the end of the corridor where only one door remained. A solid wood door with a plate reading H. Stark.
His jaw clenched as he pushed past the door. He was grateful that the man wasn’t right there, immediately inside the door. This gave him an opportunity to think over how he would word what it is he wanted to say.
“ What in the hell do you think you’re doing? ”
So his time was up sooner than he’d hoped. “Howard,” he began, turning to the man before him, glasses shielding his eyes and hat drawn low.
“I’m calling security.”
“No, Howard,” Steve said coolly, heading further into the lab before removing his cap and glasses, “You’re not.”
Howard tumbled backward, catching himself on the edge of a desk as his realization and recognition dawned. “Son of a bitch,” he choked out, eyes wide. “They found you-”
“Yeah. Yeah, they did, Pal. Listen. Have a seat,” he said shortly, letting a hand come to rest on Howard’s shoulder as he forced him into a desk chair.
“ Steve Rogers. ” he sputtered out, eyes wide as he stared upward, “how in the hell- ”
Steve shook his head, lips pursed tightly, “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” he pressed on before stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest, “But I’m not here to explain all of that. I’m on a time crunch. I’ve got people waiting on me.”
“What-”
“Stop asking questions,” Steve held a hand up to silence the stunned man, “and answer one for me. How old is that son of yours?”
“How could you possibly know about that?”
“I just do, alright? Now answer the question.”
Howard shook his head, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “He isn’t here yet,” he said, “My wife - Maria - she still has a couple of months to go. I-”
“That’s good,” Steve nodded. Haven’t had the chance to fuck him up yet.
“Listen to what I’m going to say,” Steve continued, “When your son is born...you need to take some time. Be with your family. And,” he swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, “you need to do right by your son. Don’t just...hire a nanny and a tutor and call it a day. Howard, you need to really be there.”
The man’s eyebrows shot high as he went on the offensive. “See here, Rogers-”
“No. You see here, ” he snapped, before taking a step forward and bringing himself down to Howard’s eye level. “Because...in my timeline...fifty years from now your son is a wonderful father...Earth’s greatest defender…a genuinely good man. And it is all in spite of you. Don’t let it be the same in this timeline.”
A stunned silence followed.
“Wh-what do I do?”
“I don’t know, Howard,” Steve sighed, letting out a sigh as he pulled out a chair for himself. “Change diapers. Teach him to read. Teach him to drive. Don’t just pawn him off on your wife or the tutors and your butler. Really be there for him.”
“I want to,” he nodded. And for once, Steve believed him.
“You have to do better than wanting it, ” Steve said, swiping at the tears that had welled up in the corners of his eyes, “You have to really do this. You have to be good to him.”
“I-I will, Steve.”
“Good.” Steve nodded, pushing himself to his feet and taking an instinctual couple of steps back, as his helmet closed over his face, “I’ve got to get back now.”
Howard scrambled to his feet, watching in disbelief as Steve input the date and time. “W-wait, what are you doing? Where are you going?”
“Home, Pal. 2023,” Steve said, with a fond smile, “I told you already. I’ve got people waiting for me to get back.”
“A-and my kid? He’s one of those people?”
“That he is.”
And with that, Steve was gone.