Blue || Bucky Barnes

38. Marvelous

"Thank you." Loki says to Steve.
Leia then walks with him further down the hallway to another door.
"Here you go." Steve says quietly.

Leia walks into the room and looks around. It's plain and simple. A bed and some other furniture. They'd traveled from Wakanda to the Avengers Facility in New York where they stay based.
"Thank you." Leia's voice is so quiet as her bottom lip begins to quiver.
"Hey..." Steve notices her demeanor and pulls her shoulders into a hug. "You're okay."

Leia wraps her arms around her best friend, hugging his waist as she quietly cries. Steve eventually lets her go when he feels her shoulders settle.
"My room's right down the hall if you need me okay?" He says and Leia nods wiping her cheeks. Steve offers her a small smile but it doesn't reach his eyes. He leaves the room and when he's out of her sight wipes the stray tear from his cheek. He tries to act strong for her because he knows what Bucky means to her, but he's breaking. He knows he's gone for good this time that's what hurts the most.

Leia shuts the curtains blocking out the dark night sky. She finds a pair of shorts and a shirt in the drawer and changes out of her suit. Leia crawls into bed hoping she'll wake up in her hut back in Wakanda before all the madness occurred.

-

"Leia?" She watches Bucky before her. There's scrapes, gashes, stab and bullet wounds covering his entire body as he lays in a pool of blood.
"Bucky!" She screams trying to use her hands but they're bound across her body like she's wearing an invisible strait-jacket. Her feet cemented in their place too, unable to move. She watches him struggle until he starts to fade away into dust. And he's gone.

"Aaahh! Ah!!!" Leia screams sitting up in bed. She's drenched in sweat and her cheeks are soaked in tears.
Feet thud down the corridor and Steve hurries into her room. "Hey, hey..." He grabs her hands gently making his presence known.
"Bucky..." She sobs and Steve puts his arms around her shoulders.
"I know... I know." Steve strokes her hair softly.

Leia cries into his chest and Steve lets a few tears roll over his waterline. "Shhh, it's alright." He says.
"B-but it's not." She whimpers trying to control herself.
"I know... Shhh." He hushes, just holding her in a tight, friendly embrace.
Eventually Leia's excessive crying tires her out so much so that she practically passes out in Steve's arms. He lies her head back on the pillow gently. Steve looks down at his friend and she looks completely broken. After a second glance he leaves the room, returning to his own.

-

"Guys, check this out." Nat walks into the room. She holds a small device in her hands. Bruce jumps to his feet while Steve and Rhodey watch.
"What is it?" Bruce asks.
"I don't know, some sort of pager." Nat holds it between her fingers.
"Well where'd it come from?" Steve asks.
"Some guy retrieved it from the wreckage in Atlanta, claimed it looked like our equipment. I think it's Fury's." Nat explains.
"Let me have a look." Bruce says taking it from her. He twirls the device between his fingers having a look to try and decipher its purpose.
Steve and Rhodey both stand up looking too.

And suddenly the device goes inert, shutting down.
"What'd you do?" Steve asks.
"I don't know." Bruce says.
"Well it was clearly sending a message and now it's broke." Rhodey says.
"Turn it back on." Nat says.
"I think the battery's dead."
"Bruce..." Nat's voice is slightly disappointed.
"Okay let's see, if we bypass the battery maybe the signal can still be sent." Bruce walks away and starts to meddle with some machinery.

"There... All good." Bruce comes out of the room and looks through the glass with the others. The signal is back on.

-

Nat and Steve stand in the common room looking at the holographic screens that portray the global deaths following Thanos' snap. The numbers rise rapidly, surpassing 3.2 billion.
"This is a nightmare." Steve says.
"I've had better nightmares." Nat comments.