Infatuation One Shots | Bucky Barnes

Catherine Got Blipped

A/N: This is going to cause pain and I love it. A reader requested that Catherine gets blipped instead of Bucky. The whole pregnancy thing doesn't exist in this AU. It would be too confusing. There will be a few parts. Enjoy!

She was standing right there seconds ago. Maybe two feet away from him. She had blood beginning to dry running down her face. Her hair that had once been pulled up was plastered to her skin from the sweat. Dirt and blood from the aliens caked her favorite boots. She was running to check on him. To make sure he was okay. Just as she reached out, her arm was turning into dust. And then all of her was gone.

Bucky's heart pounded so hard against his rib cage that he was scared it may burst through his skin and kill him. He knew his mind was fully functional yet, but he knew what he saw. Catherine had disappeared into thin air. He wanted to scream in fury. He wanted to punch the tree that he was leaning against for support. He wouldn't though. His eyes locked with Steve's who shared the same confusion and anguish.

Steve's shoulders were slumped forward as if he had been carrying the weight of the world. Like Catherine, blood stuck to his face. To Bucky, he looked like the kid from Brooklyn he grew up. Not Captain America. Steve wanted to reach out and clasp his best friend's shoulder. He wanted to offer him any sort of comfort, but it wouldn't help. He just lost his wife.

The silence seemed deafening. No one said a word. All you could hear was the gentle rustling of the trees occasionally. No one moved. They just looked at each other. It was Natasha who decided that it was time for them to leave hours later. Bucky didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay in his safe haven. He wanted to stay in his small hut that he shared with Catherine so many times. He wanted to walk in there and see her mischievous smile that she always bore.

He wanted to feel her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He wanted to bury his face into her hair. He wanted to hear her giggle when she played with the children from the villages. He wanted to sit between her legs on the floor and let her fingers braid his hair. He hated it, but she found enjoyment from it. It was taking all the strength he had not to fall down to his knees. A scream was bubbling in his stomach, threatening to spill, but he wouldn't let it.

Everyone else had begun to make their way to the quinjet. Bucky, however, stayed put. He didn't belong there. He didn't belong anywhere. He didn't even know what would happen if he stepped foot in American soil. Once a war hero he was now branded a cold hearted killer. He heard footsteps and looked over from the horizon to see Steve standing there.

"Why her?" Bucky's voice crackled.

"I-I don't know, Buck." Steve said not quite meeting his eyes. "You coming?"

"I don't want to." His words were sharp.

"I know."

Bucky drew in a deep breath. "Tony. What am I going to tell him? His sister is dead?"

"Tony..." Steve trailed off. "We don't know if Tony survived. If he did, I'll talk to him."

"He probably hates you just as much as he hates me." Bucky stated the painfully obvious.

"Probably. There's nothing here for you, Bucky. Not anymore. At least back at the compound we can continue to help you. We can share a room just like we did growing up." Steve was trying to make him feel better, but he knew it wouldn't work.

He was right. As much as his words hurt, Steve was right. There was nothing in Wakanda for him. Only memories. At least at the compound he had Steve. He didn't utter a word as he brushed past Steve and walked towards the jet. Inside he kept his distance from everyone. Not that anyone cared in the moment who he was and what he was capable of, but he needed to be alone. He needed to process.