Blue || Bucky Barnes

101. It Wasn't True Love

Wanda left the kitchen not five minutes ago while Leia cleans up the dishes from the small piece of toast she managed to stomach after her rough night. Leaving the tea towel hanging on the oven she wanders downstairs to the training room, glad to see it empty.
Reaching the treadmill she sets about a warmup jog. Her feet move in the familiar and comforting motion. Back in Wakanda, when she went exploring through the mountainous jungle she always found herself running as she ducked beneath the vines and jumped over fallen trees. She gets lost in the vision as the time slips away from her.
The beep of the timer brings her out as she goes over to the control panel and the punching bag slowly drops from the ceiling. She grabs the tape and wraps her hands up slowly but carelessly, taking her frustrations out on the bag before her.
Hours pass, though it's fleeting, as she lays punch after punch against the heavy bags. She hears the familiar sound of stitches stretching until they snap completely and the sand spills from it.
The process continues until four bags lay sprawled across the room. A new one lowers from the ceiling and Leia is readying her stance as the comms crackle.
"Leia I swear to god if you break one more of those you're paying for it. That's the last one til our new shipment next week!!!" Tony's voice fills the room and Leia stands up straight. Her following action is far too immature for her age but she can't help but stick her tongue out to the camera that nests in the corner of the room. She hears a small scoff before the comms click off. It's only now that she realises how exhausted she is.
With a huff, she unwraps her hands, walking back through the compound. A shower would do her well right about now, soothe her. She pushes the slightly ajar door open, tossing the tape on her bed. There's an eer to the air as she walks mindlessly to the closet to fetch some fresh clothes. She slides the door open and is met with a practically blank room. The entire left side of the closet is emptied out, not a trace of Bucky's things to be found. She stands there for a moment with wide eyes seeing her side completely untouched. Her shaky hands reach for the cupboards and find them empty too. Her body acting before her brain she runs out to see Bucky's pillow missing from the bed as well. His nightstand is completely stripped, nothing but the matching lamp they'd picked out together sitting on it.
The emptiness falls upon her and the room suddenly feels foreign and unrecognisable as tears pour from her eyes. She slumps down to the floor, clutching her knees to her chest with her back to the tall bed. Leia fights the sobs that threaten to shake through her body, her hand covering her mouth. A gasp escapes her throat and it's like the flood gates open while the cries leave her lips. There's a tightness in her throat as she tries to keep back the rising bile. She jumps to her feet instinctively pacing while fighting the feeling. Shaking her hands she tries to talk herself down from the growing panic and sickening feeling.

Suddenly a thunderous voice breaks through. "Leia? Leia!" Thor barrels into the room grabbing his friends shoulders, forcing her gaze upon him. "What happened?"
"Everything's gone. It's all gone. He's gone. It's all wrong. It's all my fault. Everything's gone." Leia lurches forward covering her mouth preventatively. Thor quickly guides her to a sit on the unmade bed, stepping back to give her some space. He remains silent until her sobs slowly start to dissipate. Leia can tell he's still there and she looks up to him with red, blotchy eyes.
"I'm sorry. It's just Bucky. It's all gone." She buries her head in her hands the tears threatening to spill once again.
"Hey..." He thinks of ways to soothe her. "Take it from someone who's lived ten times your existence. True love never falters, you mortals just convince yourselves it is gone when tough things happen." Thor consoles. "Trust can be rebuilt, love can be nurtured back to what it once was. Trust me." He thinks of his brother and Aura as he speaks his wise words.
"But what if it wasn't true love?" She almost whimpers.
"Now Leia we all know that is far from the truth." Thor lets a faint smile fall on his cheeks.
Leia looks up at her friend and in that moment he appears more godly than he ever has. "We shall have to wait and see how wise you really are." Her faint smile matches his.