The old man stood dumbfounded at the doorway, watching everything unfold.
He saw Peggy spinning in the young man's hand.
He saw the two of them, after finishing their dance, gazing into each other's eyes for a long time, their eyes glowing in the dark.
He saw them draw close to each other—and then ignite with emotion.
He recognized that young man. And that young Peggy Carter—he recognized her too.
But this—this wasn't right.
Wasn't it supposed to be Steve sitting quietly at the bedside, sorrowfully listening to an aged Peggy recount her past life?
So where was that elderly Peggy now?
Could it be… that young man made her young again?
At that moment, the streetlight outside the window flicked on.
The warm yellow light filtered through the glass, slipped through the space between Steve and Peggy as they embraced, and landed on the old man's dazed face.
He had the same eyes as Steve, the same facial features.
Aside from the sagging skin of age, the stooped back, and the more slender frame—he was almost another Steve Rogers.
His emotions were far from calm.
Unconsciously, he took a step forward.
Clack—a quiet sound echoed.
In the room filled only with heavy breathing and the sound of trickling water, the sudden noise was exceptionally clear.
It finally alerted the embracing Steve and Peggy to the presence of the old man.
They turned their heads instinctively and saw the stunned, speechless old man standing there.
"You are...?" Steve felt this elderly man looked extremely familiar.
"Steve!" Peggy covered her mouth and cried out in shock.
She instinctively loosened her embrace around Steve, took a step back, and even reflexively tugged at the wrinkles of her hospital gown.
"What's wrong, Peggy?" Steve noticed the panic in her tone and quickly turned around.
But what he saw was Peggy facing the old man at the doorway, her face wearing an uneasy expression.
"Wait... did she just call him Steve?" Steve muttered and turned to look at the old man in confusion.
He examined him more closely and realized—this man looked almost exactly like him, even had the same name.
Could it be...
"You're... Peggy's husband?" Steve pressed his lips together and stepped to the side, putting some distance between himself and Peggy.
This man... perhaps Peggy had found someone who looked like him to fill the void?
A deep sense of shame surged in Steve's heart.
To be a replacement—was already unfair to this old man. And now, he had once again intruded into Peggy and the old man's life.
Steve suddenly felt a deep sense of regret.
He had been too impulsive—at the sight of Peggy, he had forgotten everything else.
Even though he truly would give up everything for her... Now, however, he had interfered with Peggy's family.
Just as Steve braced himself, expecting the elderly man at the door to explode in rage—The man's time-worn face slowly shook from side to side.
"Let's find somewhere to talk, Peggy... and Steve," the old man said, his voice filled with indescribable sighs.
…
In a high-end apartment in Brooklyn.
Lyon poured himself a glass of cola, suppressing a grin.
From the living room's sound system came a song—a newly composed track titled The Love That Arrives Too Late, freshly created by J.A.R.V.I.S.
The melody was full of ups and downs, emotionally stirring.
It felt like it was narrating a story of love—too late to grasp.
"Oh, that look in Steve's eyes just now—it was like his heart was breaking. Tonight's love story... belongs to Captain America!"
Lyon sat on the sofa, his gaze passing through the layers of buildings, staring off into the distance.
Beside him, Sherry was working on the learning assignment Natasha had given her. She scratched her head, not quite understanding what her big bro was talking about.
…
Half an hour later.
On the other side of Brooklyn, in a retro-style café—
A group of three—two men and one woman, one elderly and two young—sat at a round table in the innermost corner of the café.
They sat facing one another.
Steve sat across from the old man, with Peggy in between them.
"You're saying... you're from the future, and you're another version of me?"
Steve found the explanation he had just heard utterly unbelievable.
If not for the old man's serious expression, and Peggy's matter-of-fact attitude, he would've thought this was some kind of warm-up joke.
"So you traveled back in time to make up for regrets—to fulfill your promise to Peggy and spend the rest of your life with her."
Steve gradually came to accept the insane reality.
Everything that had seemed strange before could now be explained.
Why Peggy had been so calm when they reunited.
Why, during her Alzheimer's relapse, she had such an emotional response upon seeing him again.
It turned out there had already been a future version of Steve.
A future him who had come back, and lived with Peggy for decades in his place.
Though it all felt like a fairy tale, Steve couldn't help but feel a wave of relief.
It was a great relief that Peggy's family hadn't been affected.
After all, it was just himself. And honestly, the idea that he would eventually go back in time and marry Peggy was... pretty exciting.
"So, that means, in the future, I'll be able to travel back in time too, right? How did you do it?" Steve asked, clearly intrigued.
But the old Captain America across from him remained silent.
"The situation... might not be exactly what you think. I may not be a future version of you. I might be... you, from another timeline.. or another universe."
"Sorry, what?" Steve looked confused. "What do you mean, another universe?"
"Steve, are you sure you want to tell him?" Peggy asked, sounding anxious.
The older Captain America nodded firmly. "There are some things I believe the Avengers of this world need to know. The danger they're facing may not be all that different from what I've already gone through."
"Wait—Peggy knew about this too?" Steve felt like he was physically sitting at the table but somehow mentally left out of the conversation between the two of them.
"Call Tony. I'll explain everything to you," said the older Steve seriously.
"Tony? He's involved too?" Steve guessed that maybe this other version of himself had also been sent back by Tony.
Ten minutes later—
A flashy red-and-gold suit of armor landed with a stylish kneel right outside the café.
It was Tony's new suit.
After landing, he spent a few minutes signing autographs amid a flurry of excited gasps, took a few selfies, and finally walked into the café.
Standing before the trio's round table, he tapped his chest lightly, and the suit of armor retreated like a tide, shrinking back into the arc reactor in his chest.
"Carter! And Steve!"
Tony greeted them even before reaching the table.
"So glad you used that bottle of spring water. Let me guess—you're about to start that long-awaited dance, and I get to be the witness?"
He sat down across from Carter, positioned right between the two Steves.
"Look at how stunning Agent Carter is now. But hey, no need to thank me too much."
Tony had a smug "you're welcome" expression on his face as he waved a hand.
"And as for you—are you Carter's 'ex-husband'? Sorry, I get how you must feel, but hey, sometimes love just doesn't play by the rules."
He reached over and patted the older Captain America on the shoulder.
The older Steve looked at him, his sunken eyes filled with nostalgia. "You're still the same, Tony. Though... this version of you is a lot more flippant than the one before that war."
"That war—wait, do we know each other, old pal?" Tony furrowed his brow.
______
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