And They Kiss
He saw Thanos snapped, and then he’s gone. Even the God of Thunder, that has the last blow on the alien, couldn’t stop him. Steve was there, sharing fearful glances with Thor.
Then Buck felt it, he saw his shoulder starting to disintegrate.
It’s not death that Bucky was afraid of, it was Steve. Only recently they finally see each other, and now he’s gone again. He just hoped that Steve is not one of them, he prayed to God if he’s truly listening, that at least Steve would survive. But if Steve does disintegrate with him, he has one thing he wanted to do.
“Steve?” Bucky called out, and the moment Steve saw what’s happening to Bucky’s body he went over to him.
Steve pulled him into a careful hug, afraid it would break Bucky to pieces, while Bucky holds onto Steve for dear life. He wanted to tell him, dear god he wanted to… so much.
They only hugged for so long, and then they raise their heads from each other’s shoulder, and Bucky looks all over Steve, and notice he didn’t disintegrate. Steve is going to survive, the thought alone made Bucky rejoice even though he’s peeling away.
Bucky smiled, hands cupping Steve’s devastated face, and he opens his mouth, I love you Steve Rogers, but the words stopped right behind his tightly shut teeth. It wouldn’t be fair for Steve, he has to live with that confession, and blame himself for not noticing for all his life even though he didn’t feel the same, Steve is good like that, too compassionate to Bucky for his own good.
“I love you.” The words slipped right between the teeth in a sad breaking whimper.
But it was not from Bucky, it was from Steve.
Bucky felt his heart fell, before smiling ear to ear. He hated the tears in his eyes, it made Steve’s face blurry in his last moments.
The hands on Steve’s face trembles so hard, “I love you too Stevie.”
They both leaned in, touching forehead first, sharing each other’s breath, the last ones from Bucky. Then finally landed their lips on each other, just a sweet lingering touch of the lips. Bucky had only imagined this moment, not in his life that he would think he gets to kiss Steve, let alone being confessed to.
Steve loves him back, he’s never been happier than this moment. It made everything worth it, it’s all… worth it…
They lean away slightly to look at each other one last time, and Bucky smiled like he’s having the time of his life, but Steve frowned, lips trembled as he held back his sobs.
Steve falls to his knee, the ashes raining down on him, falling all around him and to his lap, before finally crying out a loud scream, hands gripping tight the ashes that were his best friend, his love, Bucky Barnes.
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