Out Of Time

hundred twenty

When Bucky woke up, it took him a minute to realize what was happening. Once he realized that him and Y/N were cuddled close with his arm slung over her waist, he knew he should move. But he didn't right away. He had always imagined this, back before his fall from the train. Bucky had imagined waking up with Y/N in his arms... well, now arm... so many times and it was finally here. But he didn't want to push.

He could tell there was still something she was hiding, something that was weighing her down that she had yet to talk about. So he would wait, until the time was right. He would wait however long it took to make Y/N his again. Because she was worth it.

~~~

Y/N woke up to an empty bed. She wasn't all that surprised. She had basically forced Bucky to sleep in the same bad as her. For comfort. At least that's what she kept telling herself. She wasn't in the right mind set for a relationship. Even the thought of one made her feel bad. Pushing herself to sit up, Bucky walked into the room.

"Morning, sleepy head," he greeted. "You sleep okay?"

"Much better," she replied. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

Y/N laughed as she got out of bed. "You really shouldn't say that, I just might show up here every night."

"I wouldn't mind that," Bucky thought, and she heard it. She pushed it away, ignoring it.

"I think I'm going to head back to the palace," she stated, standing up. "Thanks again for letting me intrude."

"You could never intrude."

The two made eye contact. They silently studied each other.

"I... I should go..." Y/N whispered, not actually making a move to go.

"You really don't have to," he replied quietly. He tentatively took a step forward. "You could stay. I could make breakfast. We could sit under our tree and talk."

"Our tree?"

"Sorry, it just-"

"No. That's okay..." A small smile formed on her face. "I like it."

"Really?"

He stepped closer and when she didn't make a move to leave, he took another step. He was now toe to toe with Y/N, looking at her with those eyes she fell in love with all those years ago. Bucky took a leap of faith, bringing his hand up to brush his fingers against her cheek. Y/N took a sharp inhale but still made no move to go.

"You were the first memories that came back," he whispered, hand still against her cheek. "I still don't have everything. But I have you."

Y/N met his gaze, eyes tearing up. "Bucky... I..." Her head shook slightly. "I'm not the same person."

"Neither am I."

"Bucky, I..." She swallowed. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

And then she slipped through an open portal behind her. Leaving Bucky standing in his bedroom, hand still up where her cheek once was.

~~~

Y/N spent the whole day locked away in her room. She cried, screamed, threw things, and tried to reach out to the Soul Stone. She didn't know what was happening anymore, what she was going to do, how she could continue to live like this. To live without making a choice, live with hurting those she cared about. Live with the knowledge of a painful future looming over her.

She was exhausted by the time night was upon Wakanda. But she also couldn't sleep. Her mind was spinning, turning with everything that was weighing her down. With tears slowly slipping down her face, Y/N appeared outside Bucky's small house. She looked around to see him standing beneath the large tree near his house. Their tree. He was leaning against it, looking away from her at the large moon. Y/N quietly came up behind him.