Red Star ✴️ Bucky Barnes X Reader

28: The End of Civil War

It took a month to manage the legal nightmare that was a foreign power successfully infiltrating the most secure prison managed by the U.S. Navy. Once the smoke cleared, everyone came out with a sort of deal with the Secretary of State.

Wanda returned to the Avengers campus with Vision to live out her days as an asylum seeker in the United States. Tony was working with her to get her full American citizenship and discuss the possible personhood of Vision with the United States Senate.

Clint also stayed state-side, agreeing not to continue superhero work if it meant he could live a quiet life with his wife and children on his farm. As part of this deal, the government put a tracker around his neck so he could not "come out of retirement" again.

Scott Lang was under a similar deal, leaving to join his daughter in San Francisco. He would serve two years of house arrest for his "crime."

Though Sam Wilson had the option to go home to his family in Louisiana, he decided to stick by Steve's side and join the stealth force acting under the light jurisdiction of Wakanda, much to Thaddeus Ross' chagrin.

And where is Bowman and The Winter Soldier?

They returned to Wakanda, but had much different plans from the rest on returning to superhero work. Bucky and Bowman were on the balcony outside of Shuri's workshop. The duo sat on the railing, staring at the early start of the sunset.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive." Bucky responded. "It'll do me some good to go back under, at least until they figure out how to fix this mess of a brain."

He tried to laugh, poking his finger at the temple of his skull with a funny face. The light of his smile didn't meet his eyes. His tone quickly turned more serious.

"It'd do you some good too."

"No."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean no." She quipped back. "I get that you're worried about the brainwashing, but I refuse to be frozen again."

"So you're going to risk your sanity on missions? What if your brainwashing gets triggered again?"

"I'm not going on missions." She quipped back.

Bucky stopped.

"Then what are you going to do?"

She paused, pondering. Her mind wandered for a moment to the plethora of choices that waited ahead of her. Choices. Decisions she got to make. It was a scary kind of freedom.

"To be honest?" She sighed, a genuine smile creeping onto her lips. "I don't know..."

Their eyes stared listlessly at the horizon.

"...And I like it."

Bucky smiled, his eyes never leaving the horizon. They didn't need to. Her smile was just as bright as the sun, he could feel the warmth radiate on the right side of his face.

"I never got to say thank you..."

At that, he turned to look at her. Bowman's eyes remained transfixed on the sunset. Sensing his confusion, she continued.

"...For keeping your promise."

Bucky nodded, his gaze slowly returning to the sunset. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't have the heart to tell her that her actions were why he wanted to go under the ice again. Not thinking about it made that decision easier.

"I... I'm sorry about what I said. I know this sounds like bullshit, but you're probably the only person that actually understands I didn't mean to--"