Chapter 1
Before
"Are you sure you want to do this," You asked Bucky for the thousandth time
"'Course, I do, doll," He smiled at you
"Well, then I'll enlist as well," You said as determination took over you
Bucky's face fell at that comment, "You can't do that," He brushed his thumb against your cheek, "I need you to be here when I get back," He offered, "And make sure Steve doesn't do anything stupid," He laughed and you smiled too
"I'm just saying," You took a deep breath, "Wouldn't it be better if we went together,"
"It's a dangerous world, doll," He began but swatted his hand away
"You're just as human as I am," You looked at him angrily
"I can't live without you but I know you're stronger than me," He whispered
Bucky didn't know about your mutantcy. He was right, however, that you were stronger than him. You had lost many lovers over the course of your long life but you hadn't grown old with Bucky like you had with others
The romance was still young, perhaps, that's why it was so heartbreaking for him to go off to war. His youth wasted on old men's dreams of power
"I'm not ready to let go," You whispered as you felt the tears coming on, "Not yet,"
"Don't worry," Bucky smiled through his watery eyes, "I'll come back to you,"
During
"I'm going to enlist," Steve argued
"What is wrong with you," You groaned, "One of these days, you're going to get caught, Steve," You stared at him, "Or worse, they'll take you in,"
"Men and women are laying down their lives for the country," He didn't back down, "Why can't I do the same,"
"Steve," You sighed, "You know exactly why,"
"I'm still going," He refused to let it go
"Fine," You caved
"I'm telling you, Y/N," He began, "I'm going to enlist! Wait, what," Steve suddenly realized what you'd just said
"But we're both going," You smirked
"Buck's gonna kill both of us if the war doesn't," He couldn't help but laugh
"What the fuck," Bucky gasped when he saw you after Steve rescuing them
"Hey stranger," You hugged him
"How are you here," His smiled turned into a frown, "Why are you here,"
"You told me to not let Steve do anything stupid," You began, "So, I came along,"
"She's the chaperone," Steve exclaimed
"I believe they were having a moment," Peggy whispered harshly as she tugged him way
"Hi," Bucky said softly and you couldn't help but smile
"I thought I lost you," You confessed
"I'm not that easy to lose," Bucky said cheesily as you kissed him fiercely
You poured out your heart into it and for the moment, the world stood still and all that mattered was the fact that he was in your arms and you were in his
"Hey," A small voice woke you up
"You're not supposed to be here," You whispered as Bucky's face came into focus
"Come on," He urged you, "I want to show you something,"
You swung your legs off the bed and lazily followed him out of the barracks
"Is this even safe," You groaned, "I was sleeping and have such a nice drea-," He pulled you close to himself before you could finish his sentence
"I'm sure I could do better, doll," Even in the darkness, his eyes shined
You didn't know whether it was the rush of the war or the fact it was night and anyone could find the two of you but you pushed against Bucky completely and placed a hungry kiss on his lips
The teeth collided harshly and Bucky hissed in pain but you didn't let go and his arms wrapped around your waist, tugging you closer
"I could definitely do better than the dream," He mumbled into your lips and you could help but giggle
You pulled away and looked at Bucky, his face was still out of focus, "I don't want to lose you," You whispered and he promised you again that you wouldn't lose him
"You're not gonna, doll," He assured you many times
"I need you to do something for me," Bucky pulled away as he placed a small box in your hand, "Keep this until I get back,"
He kissed you again and you never opened the box
Things changed
Bucky fell and Steve's plane crashed
You went into hiding as you faked your own death. The power over energy gave you an almost immortal life
Finding a source, you pulled enough into yourself to reverse your age until you were a teenager and began a life elsewhere
It wasn't until a few years later that you gathered the courage to open the small box that Bucky had given you. Inside, a ring stared at you and your heart broke once again.
He was going to ask to marry you but he never got the chance to.
Decades passed, you had gone through life normally but kept the ring on a chain around your neck, lying that it was your grandmother's and you couldn't bear to part with it.
You got old and then you moved away, only reversing your age slightly, never to arouse suspicion but a part of you had died with Bucky.
You would be lying if you said that you remembered everything. You'd lived for centuries but you couldn't recall all of it. Some things were a blur, like your first lover in the 17th century. Some things were clear, like Bucky's laughter that used to echo.
After
When the news broke of Steve being found, your heart couldn't take it
You'd paced around your apartment so much that you'd almost burnt your carpet
You tried to meet him but he was always surrounded by people, his fans and teammates
Apart from that, the world really had changed far too much, it was getting increasingly difficult to find sources of energy to reverse your ageing process
You were pushing 70, Steve could never recognize you like this
Desperate measures called for desperate ways and everything fell into place when the sky tore open and the aliens began to drop like raindrops; their weapons gave you enough strength for you to be restored to your prime and give you enough power to hold store it as well
"Steve," You gasped as you burst into the small shwarma shop
"Y/N," Steve was wide-eyed when he saw you, "What game are you playing now, Loki," He glared at you as the redhead assassin cocked a gun
"No, it's really me," You spoke, "I'm a mutant," You put your hands up
"How do we know you're not lying," Natasha asked as she pointed her gun at you
"Shoot me and you'll know," You smirked and she did
"Nat," Steve gasped but you stood unfazed
"Mutant," You whispered again
"Checks out," Natasha shrugged as she sat back down
You and Steve collapsed in a hug
"I can't believe it's really you," He repeated
"I can't believe you survived," You smiled through the tears
For a moment, everything was perfect
"Bucky," Steve couldn't breathe
"Who the hell is Bucky," The man shot back
Despite the smudged eye makeup, you knew those eyes; you would've known those eyes anywhere
"Is it really him," You whispered into the phone, "I can't believe it's him,"
"I know," Steve sighed, "He didn't even recognize me,"
"What did they do to him," The tears began to fall, "That's not our Bucky, it's not him," You cried