Leaving The Past Behind ❤️

Poppy

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part
You roll out of bed and down on your knees
And for a moment, you can hardly breathe

-Dreaming With A Broken Heart, John Mayer

♾♾♾♾

Bucky found Steve on the back patio the following morning watching the sun come up. He sat silently next to him as he handed him a cup of coffee. Steve sighed, looking at his oldest friend as he sat silently next to him. "Thank you Buck." He saw Bucky give him a half hearted smile before looking out at the sun. He knew that Bucky was giving him time to talk about whatever it was that was bothering him. But he didn't know what to say. The one woman he had thought about since coming out of the ice didn't want him, she had moved on. Now here he was all alone.

"You're not alone you know. You have me and Sam. And you could have more if you let people in."

Steve chuckled, looking to see Bucky smirking at him, having read his mind, "how do you always know what I'm thinking?"

Bucky shrugged, "because I've known you my entire life? You're my best friend Steve and I'm with you til the end of the line. Even if you aren't."

Steve groaned, "we talked about this before I left. I wanted something for myself. I wanted a life with Peggy."

"I know. So what happened then?"

Steve shrugged, "she was married with a family. She said I should return here back to my own time because that was no longer it."

"Good. Because she's right. This is your time now Steve. There's no point in going to the past. It's time to move on, leave the past behind."

"But there's nothing here for me anymore Buck!"

Bucky sat up as he watched Steve stand up, pacing in front of him angrily, "of course there is. I told you. You still have Sam and me. And you could have more. You've been living your life for everyone else. It's time to live for yourself. Get out of here, meet a girl. Start a family." He stood up, grabbing Steve's arm to make him stand still, "you can still have all that. And you don't have to leave me or anyone else that loves you to do it."

"Okay! I'm sorry. Are you ever going to let go of the fact I was going to leave you?"

Bucky laughed, "I'm not, no."

Steve shook his head as he tried to contain his grin when they heard someone at the front of the house. Steve walked through the house to the front door with Bucky following close behind. He opened the front door to find Nick Fury standing with Maria Hill, and the woman he knew was Yelena and another timid girl with long strawberry blonde hair and big blue green eyes. "What is all this?"

Nick brushed past him, "are you going to let us in?"

Steve rolled his eyes, moving out of the way as he let everyone in the house before closing the door behind them. "What are you doing here?" He looked at the timid girl, her blue green eyes darting all over the place as she inspected the house.

Nick motioned to everyone, "you know Maria and Yelena." He placed his hand on the timid girl's back, pushing her in front of him, making her face both Steve and Bucky, "this is Katerina Papov, one of Dreykov's widows."

Steve saw her flinch at Dreykov's name as he nodded, "okay. What is she doing here?"

"Poppy." She spoke softly as she avoided looking up at Steve.

"What? Speak up girl." Steve shrugged as Bucky hit his arm for being so rude.

"Poppy. I prefer you call me Poppy, sir." She looked up at him briefly to see a look on his face that she couldn't tell was amused or annoyed or both. She blushed as Steve laughed at her.

"What a ridiculous name."

"Steve!" Bucky hit him again as he looked down at the girl that couldn't have been much older than 20. He saw her carrying a bag, offering to take it from her. He set it on the bottom stair as he saw a small smile from her, "don't worry about Steve. He's gotten grumpy in his old age." He grinned as she giggled softly, still looking at the ground.

Nick Fury cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to him as he turned to Steve, "the new Avenger complex isn't ready yet. I was hoping that Poppy could stay here until it is."

Steve groaned, "I don't have the room."

Bucky rolled his eyes, "yes he does. And of course she can stay here. There is another free bedroom upstairs." He grabbed her bag, "come on Poppy, I'll show you where it is." He heard Steve scoff behind him as he led Poppy up the stairs to the bedroom at the end of the hall. "You're right next to me." He opened the door for her, letting her go ahead of him. He placed his hand on her arm as she flinched, moving back away from him, making him put it back down, "I'm right next door and Sam is down the hall, still asleep I think. Don't worry about Steve, his bark is worse than his bite."

Poppy smiled, "thank you Sergeant Barnes. And I'm sorry, about flinching. It isn't you. Just men in general."

Bucky nodded, hearing the soft Russian accent for the first time, "it's fine. You're safe here. And please, call me Bucky. Come on, have you had breakfast?"

Poppy shook her head as she followed Bucky back down the steps.

"She's just a child! You can't be serious!"

"I'm 23." Poppy looked up at Steve as she entered the kitchen where everyone else. He looked angry, that meant Nick told him who she was, who she was supposed to take over for. She sighed, looking back at the ground as she thought of Natasha and tried to fathom how she could ever be a replacement for her. Yelena seemed to know what she was thinking as she came over, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.

"23. A child. Like I said."

"Steve, you agreed to take on a mentor role with new Avengers the way Tony did. You can't replace Tony if you're going to act like a child."

Steve scoffed, "I don't want to replace Tony! Nobody can!" He pointed aggressively at Poppy, "just like nobody can replace Nat!"

Nick sighed, "she's not replacing Nat and you aren't replacing Tony. We are simply trying to move on. You need to do the same."

Steve shook his head as Nick left with Maria and Yelena. He looked up at the timid Poppy standing in the corner of the kitchen about in tears. He scoffed before going into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Bucky went to reach for Poppy but she pulled away, running up to her room as she threw herself onto her bed crying.