*narrator pov*
Sam, Bucky and Zemo were back on Zemo's private jet.
Sam finished up a phone call, trying to find Donya Madani, then he sat down opposite Bucky.
"You okay?" Bucky asked Sam.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure about that?" Sam glanced at Bucky's hand, as we was twisting his ring round his finger. Along with an angered facial expression, he didn't seem fine.
"Yes."
"I think you should call her."
"I think this is none of your business."
"You guys just need to talk."
Conveniently timed, Bucky's phone started buzzing with an incoming call from you.
"That her?" Sam asked.
Bucky watched the phone ring for a second, then quickly declined.
"Seriously?"
"Drop it Sam" Bucky warned, and he moved seats in annoyance.
"Call her back!" Sam yelled after him, but Bucky ignored him.
"Trouble in paradise?" Zemo smirked, walking up to Bucky.
Bucky ignored him too.
"You don't seem to care much that she's gone" Zemo continued.
"That's because she's just gone home. Nothing happened."
"It didn't seem that way. She looked mad."
"Zemo, this is none of your business. But for the record, she's going to get over it."
"How are you so sure?"
"I love her. And I know she feels the same way."
"Hm. I could never imagine someone loving you after what you did" Zemo teased.
Bucky glared at him until Zemo took the hint and left him alone.
Eventually, the jet landed in Latvia, and Zemo led them through the city of Riga.
Bucky ran into Ayo, who had come for Zemo.
"Eight hours, White Wolf. Then we come for him" she said. "And there's one more thing you might want to know."
"Yeah? What's that?" Bucky asked.
"The device..."
"What device?"
"The technology developed in case of emergencies..."
"The one for y/n?"
"Yes. It's being transported today."
"To where?"
"It was requested that we have it on standby. As a precaution."
"What? Who requested that?"
"That is confidential."
"Can you tell me why at least?"
"No."
"You can't just tell me something like that and not explain!"
"Where is y/n?"
"She's at home. Ayo, what happened?"
"I have to go James. Eight hours..." she left Bucky alone in the alleyway.
Bucky immediately pulled out his phone to call you.
He called you twice, but you didn't pick up either time.
He debated whether or not to call you a third time.
In the end, he concluded that you were most likely still mad at him, and would continue to ignore him.
Bucky returned to find the others.
———
8 hours later...
They had found Karli, and lost her again, as they had run into John Walker who obviously fucked things up.
Walker burst into the room where Bucky, Sam and Zemo were.
"All right that's it. Let's go. I'm now ordering you to turn him over" Walker demanded.
"Slow your roll" Sam said, as Zemo got up slowly. "Let's be clear. Shield or no shield, the only thing you're running in here is your mouth. Now I had Karli and you overstepped. He's actually proven himself useful today. We're gonna need all hands on deck for whatever's coming next."
"How do you want the rest of this conversation to go, Sam, huh?" Walker said warningly. "Should I put down the shield? Make it fair?"
Sam scoffed, and Walker put the shield on the ground.
As he stood back up, a spear flew in front of his face.
The Dora Milaje had arrived.
"Even if he is a means to your end..." one said in Wakandan. "Times up."
"Release him to us now" was said in English.
"Hi, John Walker" he introduced himself. "Captain America... well let's uh... put down the pointy sticks and we can talk this through, huh?"
"Hey John, take it easy" Sam said. "You might wanna fight Bucky before you tangle with the Dora Milaje."
"The Dora Milaje don't have jurisdiction here..."
"The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be" Ayo said.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot" John Walker replied, placing his hand on her shoulder.
She stopped him and hit him with her spear.
They began to fight, as Sam, Bucky and Zemo watched.
"We should do something" Sam suggested.
"Looking strong, John" Bucky added, unhelpfully.
"Bucky..."
Bucky sighed and stopped a spear from hitting Walker.
"Ayo, Ayo let's talk about this..." he tried to reason with her, but was unsuccessful.
They fought some more, until Ayo pressed his Vibranium arm, and it fell to the floor.
Bucky looked at her, confused and a little betrayed.
Ayo stood in front of Bucky, staring into his eyes for a moment.
"The device was stolen" she informed plainly.
"What?" Bucky questioned.
"What device?" Sam asked, walking over to them.
"Who took it?" Bucky ignored Sam's question.
"We don't know yet. But she is in danger."
"Who?" Sam persisted.
"Y/n... they developed a device that would stop her from using her powers, just in case anything really bad happened... you're saying someone has stolen it?"
"Yes. The device was made specifically for her so whoever has stolen it is after your girlfriend. You might want to find her..."
"Shit" Bucky muttered. He put his arm back on, as Ayo looked around the room.
"He is gone. Leave it" she said to another woman that was holding the shield. It was handed back to Walker, and the Dora Milaje went to leave.
"Ayo wait..." Bucky called.
"I am sorry, James. I can not help you anymore."
"You're the one that was meant to be keeping the device safe!"
"Until we meet again" she nodded, then walked out the door.
"Fuck!" Bucky exclaimed, as he quickly pulled his phone out his pocket. "Come on doll. Pick up" he pleaded as he called you.
When there was no answer, he grabbed his jacket and stormed out the room.
"Hey where are you going?" Sam called.
But Bucky had already gone.
———
Bucky got on a plane, and headed straight back to your apartment. He swung open the door.
Nothing had changed, he didn't think.
"Y/n?!" Bucky yelled into the empty apartment.
He shortly ran out, after realising you had never come home.
He got in his car, and drove to Peter's.
"Peter!" he banged furiously on the door.
May answered.
"Hi... you're Bucky right?"
"Yeah. Is Peter here?"
"Yeah, hi" Peter appeared beside her.
"Have you seen y/n? Has she spoken to you in the past couple of days?"
Peter gulped nervously.
"Not since I called her. I heard gunshots on the phone. She said she'd call me back but she never did. I hoped she was with you."
"She was. Then."
"Where is she now?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out" Bucky sighed, and walked away from the open door.
"Um, bye" May called.
Bucky left the building and got back in his car. He banged on the wheel in anger, then started driving again.
Sam called him.
"Bucky?"
"Hm?"
"Have you found her?"
"No" Bucky sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "I was at the apartment. It doesn't look like anyone has been there. I went to Peter's. He hasn't seen her either..."
"Bucky you really need to find her."
"Yeah I know that!"
"Karli just called my sister."
"What?"
"Karli threatened Sarah, and the boys."
"You don't think..."
"It's possible. But you need to find her. With what the Dora Milaje said, she's not safe right now."
"I don't know where she could be!"
"Have you tried Stark?"
"No, I'll go there now."
"Okay. I'll call you if there are any updates."
"Bye Sam" Bucky hung up.
He called you first, then Stark after there was no answer.
He drove the car in the direction of the cabin.
"Hello?" Stark finally picked up the phone.
"Stark, please tell me she is with you" Bucky begged.
"Who?" Tony said innocently.
"Y/n! Is she there?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"Tony?"
"...no."
"She's not?"
"No."
Bucky knew he was lying.
He hung up the phone without saying another word.
