Chapter 5
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The next day was a somber one. You and Bucky went to pick up, Steve, at the apartment he once shared with the Major, and it took more than a couple knocks before he would answer the front door. When he did, it was with a fake smile that broke your heart more than him crying.
You and your supersoldier came in. It smelt off like the Captain hadn't bothered cleaning up yesterday's breakfast from the kitchen and the entire space looked darker and sadder. That might have been because all the shades were closed.
“I should probably get some light in here huh?" the blond laughed weakly, “Sorry for the mess."
Steve picked some bottles up from over by the couch and slowly opened up the windows. You almost wished he hadn't.
He was still in his same white t-shirt and sweatpants from yesterday and looked like he hadn't slept since then either, instead opting to cry. His knuckles were bruised and scabbed, and his left forearm looked a bit misshapen. Like he had broken it and allowed it to heal improperly.
His laptop had SHIELD footage paused of what looked like him and the Major “getting cozy" in hallway outside Fury's office with her engagement ring making a small flash from time to time, dating four years back. Steve saw you staring and closed his computer with a blank look in his eyes.
He picked it up without a word and started cleaning up some more. You held onto Bucky. He looked down at you with sad eyes.
The morning had been rough for him too as he started to remember the years he knew, Li. Apparently, they were both ex- HYDRA, she even worked with him for ten years when he was the Winter Soldier. When, Bucky, came to live with the Avengers five years ago, unsurprisingly, his first instinct was to punch her out, but that just ended up with him being put on his back by, Steve, before he could even touch her. At first, the Soldier was suspicious of her every move, but after a while of living in close proximity, a few missions where she saved his life, and just seeing how head over heels, Steve, was for her, Bucky, developed a fondness for her.
But at least, Bucky, was talking.
“You okay, doll?"
You snapped out of your thoughts and looked up at your supersoldier. His eyes were filled with concern for both his friends.
“Are you?" you countered.
“'Course, I got you don't I?" Bucky smiled.
He squeezed your hand and looked up at his platonic soul mate through the glassless window in the wall that showed the inside of the kitchen. You started feeling faint and pissed off as, Steve, tried to get a handle on himself before he broke down in front of you two.
“What's he doing? What's he thinking about?" you snapped.
Bucky looked down at you in alarm. You sighed and apologized. He did warn you yesterday how hard being around, Steve, was going to be today.
“Just staring at the mess we made with breakfast yesterday, and he's blocking me out of his head as best he can...Maybe we shouldn't've let him be alone yesterday."
You nodded and leaned against your supersoldier even more, closing your eyes to try and block out Steve's strong negative emotions. The last thing you needed was for you mutation to be involuntarily triggered. You felt one warm and one cool hand on your cheeks.
“Breathe with me, doll," Bucky soothed, “You're still alive okay?"
You followed the sergeant's orders and inhaled as he did, and then did the opposite way. After a minute, you opened your eyes. Bucky smiled expectantly at you and you nodded again into his chest. He held you tight and ran his natural hand over your hair while putting his forehead against yours.
“That's a real cute 'friend' hug, jerk."
“Shut up, punk. I'm just trying to make her feel better."
“Whatever you need to tell yourself."
“Uh huh and what about you, Captain Deflection? You can't just pretend like you're okay! I'm in your head rem-?!"
Steve came out with a mask of a face and headed to his room. Bucky turned to face him with a scowl and, Steve, rounded on him with a look of pure murder, before relaxing and looking at the floor. He started walking away before stopping again and clenched his hands to try to stop shaking.
“J-just let me find some clean clothes," he said quietly, “We did the wash before you guys came over yesterday s-so I-I-I gotta go through her stuff t' find mi-."
The Captain took a deep breath and blinked back tears before quickly disappearing to his bedroom. You heard his sobbing faintly from the living room and turned to Bucky.
“He can't go to my parents' house like this!" you whispered.
“He'll pull it together, doll! He knows missions come first!" Bucky argued back.
“The love of his life, that he just recently remembered exists by the way, just died, James! How would you feel if the most important person in your world was taken from you?!"
Bucky looked intensely into your eyes and he clenched his metal hand. You felt heat rise in your cheeks.
“I'd kill everyone involved..." the Winter Soldier growled.
“There you go!" you exclaimed, “What if he says or does something irrational out of grief?"
“'He' won't."
You and Bucky looked down the hall to see Captain America coming back. His jaw was set and his eyes were still red and puffy, but his hair was combed, and he had on a clean dark blue sweater and black jeans. Steve glared at you.
“I won't insult her memory by falling apart!" he snapped.
You held you hands up in surrender as you felt his anger levels rise and, Bucky, put himself slightly in front of you, daring, Steve, to yell at you more. The Captain sighed and relaxed as he went for his coat. A long strip of paper fluttered out of it. Steve bent down to pick it up and looked at it with a soft smile before standing up. He tucked the paper into his pocket.
“Let's move out."
“Where's your plus one, Rogers? My sis said you were bringing a real firecracker!"
Your brother, Travis, smirked at the supersoldier. He was a huge Captain America nerd and was over the moon when you told him the real deal was coming with you as your wedding gift.
Steve looked down with a dead look in his eye and Travis' smile disappeared as he looked up at you.
“She was in a bad car accident yesterday....she didn't make it," you thought at him.
“Oh my- what should I say?"
“Don't let him get it out on his own time."
“Travis, aren't you going to introduce me?" said an unfamiliar male voice.
Yours, Bucky's, and Steve's breath hitched. From the kitchen living room came the Major but not. Whoever this look alike was, he came up to you three with a look of great anger before switching to a cordial smile and put his arm around your brother.
“Oh, right!" Travis exclaimed, “(Y/N), Captain, Sergeant, this is my fiancee, Daemon."