delilah just scoffed and flashed him her middle finger as an apology, it was what he deserved.

slowly but surely, she trekked back inside, not entirely willing to face either of them at the time.

"delilah." his voice was weaker, not as deep, and it trembled more than she would've liked to admit. he was still steve, she thought, but not the one she knew.

"what?"

"i'd like to speak to you."

she shook her head and tried to walk away, "we don't always get what we want, do we?"

"delilah," he tried again, despite his age, the persistency never faded, "please."

"alright, fine. talk."

"i meant privately." he says, quieter this time.

delilah looked to be beyond pissed, "oh, of course. anything for you." and she turned on her heel and walked to her room. steve followed, just much, much slower.

"i'm sorry." was his opener, which made the girl standing across from him want to open her window and jump out.

she just nodded, she wouldn't say it was okay, it wasn't okay.

"why won't you talk to me? you don't even look at me anymore." he was pleading now, years later and all he wanted was for her to just look at him like he mattered, but he had thrown that away when he made his decision.

"this isn't easy for me, steve. it's really fucking hard and you should know because you made it hard. i can't talk to you, i can't look at you, i can't smile at you because it's not good for me."

he interjected, "not good for you?"

"i'm supposed to heal! i can't heal if you're always around. it's the constant reminder of what left me, the constant reminder of what i lost."

"i never wanted to hurt you, delilah, that was never my intention."

she wiped a tear from her eyes and wanted to scream at herself for looking so pitiful, so weak.

"you told me you loved me so why did you go away?"

it was easy to tell he wasn't sure what to say, she had made a valid point.

but every time he looked at her it was just like seeing her for the first time on the streets of brooklyn. her wide smile, shining eyes, and messy hair. but he would never forget the way she assured him of her safety, she could handle herself. and maybe part of that was why he thought he could leave, she could handle herself. as he looked upon the beauty he had left behind he felt the regret and despair crash over him like a raging tsunami.

"i don't belong here. this isn't my time, this isn't me."

"bullshit."

at this point he was grabbing at thin air while trying to find another reason.

"i wanted to do something good. i wasn't going to be the same steve that you knew, it wouldn't be worth it, not for you anyway."

she just pointed a perfectly polished finger at him and shook her head, "fuck you."

"excuse me?"

"fuck you. i hate you." her face didn't wave, not even showing a sliver of weakness.

"you hate me for trying to make a decision that would benefit you? do you even hear me, delilah?"

"i hate you for thinking you knew what was best for me. i didn't want you to go away, i didn't care if you were different. you haven't saved me from anything, you haven't saved me from any sadness. i live with the depression and the pain everyday because of you. i needed you to stay with me, i needed you to hold me, and i needed you to actually treat me like i mattered."

stunned wouldn't do how steve felt much justice. she had made him rethink everything. he'd messed with time and he couldn't undo his wrongdoings.

"delilah, i..." he trailed off and she picked up his sentence because at least delilah knew what she wanted to say.

"...i wouldn't do that to you, steve. you'll never know how much you meant to me... and i guess i didn't know until you left."

"you said you were fine with it! you said you wanted me to be happy!"

she shook her head, "i'm really not fine at all."

"you have to move on, delilah. life is waiting for you to live it."

"you don't get to tell me what i have to do. only i do that, but i can tell you that you have to leave. i don't love you anymore."

"since when?"

delilah's eyes darted around and her tongue was halfway out of her mouth as she was thinking, "now."

he left. slowly and silently as sam and bucky just watched him leave. neither of them objected, the last thing they wanted to do was upset delilah, who had already endured enough trauma and had the power to kill either of them easily.

"you gonna be okay, sunshine?" sam asked nervously, slightly hiding behind the kitchen counter.

delilah nodded confidently, shaking out her whole body. almost as if she was shaking away any traces of steve from her body, she was free.

the men smiled and slowly rose from their hiding spots.

"good." bucky smiled brightly, "he was dimming your glow anyway."

glow [s. rogers]Where stories live. Discover now