homecoming » bucky barnes AU

chapter twenty four

After a few weeks, things seemed to quieten down substantially. Laecie and Bucky spent most of their time together still, going to bars and parties with their friends. Bucky still kept the gardens and Laecie would sit with him and have lunch almost everyday. Wendy had left, leaving Steve to come back to Bucky and apologise. Of course, Bucky wasn't one to hold a grudge (against Steve anyways), so all was forgiven between them, although Bucky kept him at an arms length for the time being. Wanda and Vision were still happily infatuated with one another, and everyone else was pretty much doing the same things they had been doing too.

Laecie felt more relaxed and comfortable now than she had all summer. In this very moment, she sat in her dad's truck in front of a gas station, waiting for James to come back out. Her shoes sat on top of the glove compartment and her knees were tucked into her chest. She swirled a cherry lollipop in her mouth, and gently pulled her black sunglasses down her eyes momentarily to look in the rear view.

Bucky emerged from the store in his shorts and his shirt unbuttoned still from the beach, his sunglasses over his own eyes and his hands full of juice boxes and potato chips. He smiled as he saw her in the small side mirror of the truck, bearing his teeth.

He swung himself into the front seat and threw the items into the back part, pushing his sunnies off his nose and into his hair.
"I have an idea."
He said, exhilarated. Laecie furrowed her brow, smirking haphazardly.

"Okay.."
She said, removing the lollipop from her mouth.

"Let's go on a road trip. Like right now."
He said excitedly, smiling widely at her and placing his hand on her thigh.

Laecie furrowed her brow slightly, staring at him for a moment without moving. He smiled at her still, faltering slightly as he sort of changed his face as if to ask her 'well?'

She averted her stare to the gearstick, still thinking and processing this random idea.

"But I have nothing with me."
She replied. He shut his eyes and excitedly shook his head, his two hands gripping either side of her head. She stared at him again, as if he were crazy.

"We can get some stuff on the way. Cmon, it'll be so much fun. It'll be so sexy, too. Like, running away together."
He said, staring into her eyes pleadingly with that stupid sparkle in them, making Laecie soften.

"Fine. Okay, yes. It'll be fun. Where are we going to go?"
She said, releasing her brow and smiling softly at James as he beamed at her and super enthusiastically kissed all over her face.

She put her lollipop back in her cheek. They set off down a large highway, heading north. He turned up the music loudly and Laecie pulled the window down halfway, allowing her hair to blow back and forth in the car.

Halfway down to wherever, Bucky pulled in to a big supermarket just off the road. As they walked in, they were hit with cool air conditioning, a welcome embrace after sitting in the car for so long.

"Okay, go grab what you need for like four days and meet me back here, okay?"
He said, grabbing and squeezing her hand. Laecie nodded once and smiled, wandering toward the toiletries section.

Back in the car, after checking out, the pair had a few bags between them. Laecie had bought pyjamas and extra clothes for them both, toiletries like deodorant and some mascara, some blankets and some more snacks. Bucky had bought alcohol, cigarettes and new towels that hadn't been covered in sand at the beach.

He wasn't exactly sure where they were going, his plan was just to drive, together, for a while. It was getting dark outside and he could hear Laecie's stomach rumbling.

"Should we pull in to somewhere to get something?"
He asked as they shut the trunk, full of bags.

Laecie smiled, nodding.
"Yes, please, I'm so hungry."
Bucky pulled her over to him, grabbing her and kissing her head.
"Okay."

They drove until they found a small town to pull into, ready to settle for the first place they could find.

They walked in to a small off-road diner and ordered coffee and pancakes. As the waitress took the ticket to the back, Bucky reached over and gently gripped Laecie's hand. He sighed, smiling up at her with a forlorn look behind his face. Laecie furrowed her brow slightly.

"What's wrong?"
She said softly. Bucky chewed on the inside of his lip.

The calendar had been haunting him for the last few weeks. Each day, as he marked them off, it brought him closer and closer to having to go home. He hated the exes that piled up over the days, he hated the time he'd wasted away from Laecie, he hated flicking from one month to the next. He hated that he didn't know what was going to happen.

"I just wish time could just stop, you know?"
He replied gently, his stare focused down on their connected hands, his thumb waving back and forth over the back of Laecie's hand. She chuckled quietly, breathily.

"Well, why?"
She asked, gripping his hand a little tighter, stopping his thumb.

Bucky's eyes looked up at her in one blink, his neutral face curling slightly into a sad smirk.

"This is our last week together, Lace."
He said, looking over to the side again. Laecie looked at him without words for a moment. She sharply inhaled and paused again for a second.

"Well, we should probably make the most of it then."
She whispered, placing her hand on his cheek. Bucky leaned his face into her touch, smiling again, although his chest was heavy. It was, in fact, time to start thinking of goodbye.

"Let's just forget about it for now."
Laecie smiled, picking his face up to look at her. She stroked his cheek a little.
"It'll be alright, my love."
She reassured him.
"Okay."
He said. Their food arrived as they sat up again, and they began to eat in comfortable silence.

-

After another hour or two on the road, they hadn't kept track, Bucky pulled in at a motel, lit up with neon lights. They were somewhere in the Italian midlands at this point.

Laecie was dozing off a little beside Bucky, and he himself felt his eyes grow droopy. He decided it best to pull over. He got out and shut the door behind him after he parked up, rushing over to get the door for Laecie.

He opened her door and she looked up at him with tired yet content eyes. He couldn't help but adore her. He twirled his finger in some of her hair that fell at her shoulder, leaning over and pressing his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him back, slowly and softly.

After a moment, they pulled away, pecking one another to break the kiss. Bucky took off Laecie's seatbelt and she hopped out of the truck. The walked to the reception, hand in hand, side pressed to side.

Quickly, they were given the room key and they grabbed snacks and toiletries from the car. Heading up to the room, the pair dumped the things onto the coffee table and flunked into bed. They were both so exhausted. Bucky slid his arm under Laecie, as she faced him and then wrapped his other arm around her, as if he were protecting her from the world.

She lay tucked into him, his chin on the top of her head, their sleepy breathing the only sound in the room.

"I love you. So much."
He whispered, as he stared to the window that she had her back to. She lay a kiss onto his chest.
"I love you too."

Another minute or so went by.
"I don't know what i'm going to do without you."
He whispered again, still staring out the window, deep in thought.
"Who says we can't make it work?"
Laecie whispered back lazily.

Bucky sighed, looking down now at her beneath him. He smiled softly.
"Maybe."
He replied, full of doubt and a pang of heartbreak in his chest. He relished in this moment, feeling where her body touched his alight, comforted and safe with her. He wanted to etch her into his skin. He never wanted to forget how this felt, with them laying together, her smell, her breath, her shape. He never wanted to forget.

He pulled her a little tighter, finally allowing his brain to stop running and falling into sleep.

-

hello i'm so sorry it's literally been since December since I've updated!
I'm a busy gal.
I hope you liked this chapter, not as long as I'd like but hey I'm a little stuck.
There will be one more chapter and an epilogue after this.
Thank you to all of you guys reading.
I'm working on a darker fanfic with either Sebastian or Bucky, let me know which you'd prefer.
talk soon!!
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