Malrick had thought the story would end with Steve reclaiming Peggy while the older Captain Arica quietly slipped away into the background. Read full story at novel★fire
But what happened next almost made him lose his balance.
After a passionate night that had been seventy years overdue, Steve once again beca conflicted—this ti over Peggy's family.
When he awoke from that long-delayed dream, he wrestled with the decision countless tis before finally choosing to let go.
But Peggy disagreed.
She believed she owed Steve, that she needed to make up for the harm and the years stolen from them. Her two children with the older Steve Rogers were now well over thirty, both married and living their own lives. There was little connection left between them and their mother, aning Peggy could start fresh without tearing anyone's life apart.
(Wtf... lol)
And so, back and forth they went, until Steve found himself unable to walk away.
The older Steve was no better. He should have returned to his own tiline the mont the truth ca out. But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to leave Peggy. After all, she had been the love of his life for decades. Even just being able to see her a few more tis felt like a gift.
Where this strange love-triangle would eventually lead, no one could say.
Tony Stark, however, found the whole thing amusing. The Avengers now had three Super Soldier agents at once—and front-row seats to a live-action soap opera. From a tactical and entertainnt standpoint, it was a win-win.
Weeks later, when Malrick heard about the situation, he paused for a few seconds and finally sighed. "Burning Winter" seed to bloom in every season.
He wasn't surprised, though. Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers were like a perfectly matched plug and socket—once both were present, they could never quite disconnect. But when one was missing, either could still find a way to connect elsewhere.
It was like in What If…?—every Steve Captain Carter encountered across the Multiverse made her heart beat faster and made her consider staying. To Peggy, it was enough that the man was Steve. Whether he was her Steve mattered far less.
Steve was no different. His feelings for Peggy ran deep, but she wasn't his only possibility. In the main tiline, he had even developed a romantic spark with her niece, Sharon Carter, after Peggy's funeral. Both of them, it seed, had a forward-looking view of love.
This was Steve Rogers' private business, and Malrick had no intention of judging it. He simply had Yelena record it quietly. If the parties agreed, "Captain Arica: Burning Winter" could easily beco a smash hit—audiences loved drama wrapped in a heroic smile.
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In the grand sche of things, the Captain Arica–Carter love saga was just a small detour in their daily lives.
The next morning, after Malrick dropped Sherry off at school, he accompanied Tony back to Kamar-Taj.
Tony was there to ask questions about Thanos.
Malrick was there to help Wong and Mordo finalize their plans for the new magic academy and the Fantastic Beasts breeding farm.
Evening had already fallen in Kamar-Taj. As they walked through the grounds, passing sorcerers greeted Malrick with respectful nods.
He and Tony headed toward the library.
"Are you sure Thanos isn't a problem? He's really just a piece of cake like you keep saying?" Tony pressed again.
"Absolutely," Malrick replied. "By the way, how many tis have you asked that since we got here this morning?"
"Thanos' strength is about the sa as Carol's. Even if you sent Pepper in right now, she could take him down," Malrick continued, then added with a grin, "Of course, you definitely couldn't. If you run into danger, you might want to hide behind Pepper."
"Impossible! Look at this armor," Tony declared proudly, tapping his chest. "Mark 11, nano-armor. Can synthesize Vibranium laser cannons on demand—strong enough to shatter small asteroids! Pepper couldn't even keep up with its speed!"
Malrick shot him a sidelong glance. "She's probably just humoring you. What's your top speed, Mach 300? Mach 400?"
Tony's confident smirk faltered. "…Mach 27."
"Twenty-seven?" Malrick repeated, as if the number was too small to process. He clapped Tony on the shoulder. "Slow can be cute, Tony."
Malrick walked on, chuckling.
Tony caught up with a scowl. "It's experintal! There's room for improvent!"
"Besides," Tony added, "in Old Cap's tiline, even Carol couldn't beat Thanos. Why would Pepper stand a chance?"
"Because their Thanos had the Infinity Stones," Malrick replied, opening his palm to reveal two glowing stones—one green, one blue. "And ours doesn't. I've got two of them right here. He's not getting these easily."
"I've also sent the Super Skrulls to hunt down the rest and deal with Thanos, so you can relax."
Tony arched a brow. "The nearly thousand green-skinned people? They're going after Thanos? …Why do I suddenly think they're adorable?"
"Oh, as adorable as your slow little armor?"
"Shut up—it'll be faster than you one day!"
The two continued their banter until they reached the library, where Wong and Mordo were waiting alongside Bruce Banner and his girlfriend, Betty Ross.
With the Sorcerer Supre's permission, Banner had brought Betty to help with the Fantastic Beasts project. A trained biologist, Betty had taken a deep interest in the creatures and even resigned from her professor position at Culver University to stay at Kamar-Taj. They had transitioned from a scientist couple to a magic couple—seemingly happier than Strange and Christine ever were.
"Sorcerer Supre!" the four greeted, performing the traditional sorcerer's salute.
Almost imdiately, Wong and Banner hurried over to Malrick.
"You're finally here," Banner said urgently. "The spatial fluctuations in my suitcase are getting worse!"
Malrick took the suitcase and opened it. "True, the Undetectable Extension Charm is starting to fade. But you can repair it yourself, right?"
The Extension Charm could enlarge space, but it wasn't permanent—the magic weakened over ti. Banner had ntioned the issue two weeks earlier, before the Skrulls departed.
"My charms aren't on Newt's level," Banner admitted. "I can't keep such a large space stable. I'll have to move them to another location quickly."
"When I create the Small World, we can keep them there," Malrick suggested.
"Small World? Can't you just reinforce the charm on the suitcase?" Wong asked, looking unusually distressed.
"What's wrong with you?" Malrick asked. "You look like soone stole your secret stash."
"They did!" Wong exclaid, outraged. "All the precious tals in my money box under the bed—gone! Banner's Niffler took them!"
Malrick turned to Banner.
Banner gave a sheepish smile. "When the suitcase space beca unstable, I worried it might harm the beasts when it collapsed. So I left it open… and, well, the Niffler is… very active."
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