Nothing but trouble

I pinky promise

The sound of the elevator's ding announcing Steve and Tony's arrival had everyone turning to look at them. Heart shattered already, any pieces left intact crumbled to dust when he saw the brief moment of hesitation and look of fear and uncertainty in his best friend's face. Only when Tony encouraged Steve to come with him with a firm hand on his shoulder did he start the long walk towards them. Bucky could see that the closer he got the worse off they could see Steve really was by what happened. How haggard, beat down and just completely defeated he was by how careworn he looked. You could see by the dark bruise-like half circles under his haunted eyes that Steve was wrecked. Buck knew he was blaming himself, but not for a second did he. They all knew the risks of their job going in with eyes wide open. But this was one of them in that room. His girl...

After an excruciating hour of confusion about why the comms stopped working a SHIELD agent finally got through to relay the worst news they could ever get. Kat was dead. While he absolutely felt anger and pure fucking rage at the fact that Katherine was no longer apart of this world, he could never blame Steve or the other agents that were there with her. She had sacrificed herself to protect Steve, the other agents and dozens of civilians from being gunned down in the street by a bunch of heartless bastards. He was both proud of her and beyond devastated that she took it upon herself to use herself as a human shield. He wished she could hear him telling her how pissed off he was at her and if she was still alive how he'd never allow her to do something so reckless ever again.

From the moment Mathew's twin intuition kicked in, until Steve stepped off the quinjet with Katherine in his arms, Bucky had felt a kaleidoscope of emotions. Fear, anxiety, despair, disbelief, pain, anger, grief. None of it except relief and sadness had he directed towards his friend. Breaking away from the small group he walked right up to Steve who stopped the second he turned to fully face him. Bucky watched as he brace himself as if waiting for his fists to start flying. Without a doubt he just knew Steve wouldn't have defended himself should he choose to do it. Surprising him, Bucky wrapped the other man in a tight hug. Just being grateful that he wasn't also laying on a table cold and lifeless right next to Katherine. Steve was his brother and no matter what he didn't want to lose him in any way.

Although the same couldn't be said when it came to Mathew or Loki. As far as Bucky was aware they were angry and were directing that anger at the man who had been Katherine's partner. Even though they knew there was nothing Steve could have done but die himself they settled their grief squarely on his shoulders. Grief didn't always make sense. You couldn't take your anger out on the dead so he was the next best thing. In the hours before and since they'd come home there had been a few loud discussions about who was to blame and what people wanted to do to the people responsible. But Travers and the men responsible for Kat's death were all dead. In her very last act she'd killed them to stop them from taking any other lives. It's why when they stepped back he pulled his friend off to the side while Tony went over to talk to Matt and Loki.

Seeing the anger on the other men's faces Steve half turned to avoid their accusing eyes. Keeping a comforting hand on his upper back, Bucky looked at him with compassion. With his shoulders hunched in, Steve spoke in hushed tones as if he spoke any louder he'd break down. "I swear there wasn't anything I could do. I tried to get the bleeding to stop, but there wasn't anything I could do-"

Tightening his grip with a light squeeze, he sighed as he took a half step back. "We know, Steve. Thomas and Charlie filled us in on what happened. We got the mission reports just after you came home-" He started to explain when Tony's loud voice had everyone looking over at him, Mathew and Loki.

"You heard everything Barclay and Fletcher told us. It's not his fault! You know it and I know it." He pointed from the man sitting to the other standing before turning his gaze down to lock on Matt's. "I even let you read the report from the five agents assigned to their team. That report included the witness reports you shouldn't have had access to. Do you need to see the surveillance footage to see exactly what happened to get it?! Cause if that's what you need I had FRIDAY gather every image and video that caught every second right up to the moment Steve took her body to the hospital." Every single person froze in place.