Till the End of Time {Bucky Barnes}

chapter eight

I let out a small sigh as debated on whether or not I wanted to put my phone on the charger to see what kinds of worried text messages there were from Steve. I know he had to have been freaking out or he still is freaking out because he can't find me. When I let this phone have power again, he would be able to track it, and I was kind of enjoying being able to be off the grid for a while and it sounds selfish, but I get to be with Bucky before Steve. I ran my fingers through my hair as I stared at my reflection in the black screen knowing I needed to let Steve have some kind of relief that I was at least alive, but like I said, I was having fun, I was stress-free.

"Are you okay?"

"Uhm, yeah, yeah," I twisted around as I saw Bucky standing in the doorway having just taken a shower. He had been standing there drying out his hair having been shirtless. I examined his body then stopping at where the flesh connects to his metal arm and seeing the maze of scars there. I pursed my lips together as I could only imagine him being in pain for the last seventy years.

"I don't know if you remember but I was going to marry you, and I still kind of remember little quirks like when you're lying to me," he chuckled a little as he went back into the room and then came back out with a shirt over his body. He came over to me and caressed my cheek as he looked deep into my dull blue eyes. "And you're worried."

"It's been seventy years, Buck and you've been brainwashed more times than can be comprehended."

"When you love someone, no matter what happens, you never forget them," he gave a soft smile as I turned my head away as I felt the familiar sting of threatening tears. I let out a shaky breath as I pulled away from his hand and got up making my way toward the window as I crossed my arms looking out at it. I could feel his emotion change as he thought he was being sweet Bucky, which he was, it's just I had other things on my mind. He knew that, even after everything he could read me like an open book. "Li — Elizabeth?" He began then cleared his throat and went with my full name. I winced at the sound of my full name, but before I could say anything or do anything he placed a hand on my shoulder and twisted me around. "What's going through that head?"

I kept quiet as I stared into his steel blue eyes as I looked deep into them, seeing the damage he had hiding under them. He stared into my eyes expectantly as I searched his face as if I needed to take this moment to memorize everything that was there. All of the new features, the new facial hair, the new length of hair framing his face. My hand slowly reached toward his cheek as I felt the stubble on my palm, something that I didn't feel on him before. He gave a crooked smile as he leaned into my palm and his flesh hand lightly clung to my forearm as he looked deep into my own dull blue eyes. Part of me felt like I needed to stand here and hold him, as if this was actually an extremely detailed dream that I would wake up from at any moment. The other part was so relieved that he was back to being my Bucky and that he was still alive. The next part wanted to attack his lips and take back what was mine.

My eyes moved from his steel blue eyes down his face to his thin pink lips resting there. I took a shaky breath as I felt myself wanting to inch closer — also completely forgetting about Steve being worried. I felt the space between us getting smaller, and I wanted so desperately for him to be the one to complete the small space. I felt like if I did it, it would be weird or inconsiderate, but I missed him so much. God, I missed him so much. His body, his stare, those lips. I wet my lips as my eyes slowly went back to his blue eyes, feeling the tension rising between us. As my eyes went to his, his eyes had been moving up from my own lips as I saw a want there in his eyes. His flesh hand moved from my forearm to my cheek as his thumb rested on my bottom lip, moving across it lightly. My eyes fluttered lightly as I wanted nothing more than for that crash of euphoria from his lips. I had gone 70 years without him.