We'll Meet Again...I Know When || Bucky Barnes x Reader

23 || Hollie Jolly

'Home' used to be in your modest Washington DC apartment which had been a fair distance between work and family. Back then, you valued having your own peaceful space to relax in with no idiot coworkers or relative disputes to disturb you. Being alone was comfortable then because you didn't know any better, but now you do.

'Home' doesn't feel like home anymore. Whenever you close your eyes and try to remember that time you last lived in an apartment, you just can't seem to see past your days with Bucky. You no longer think about waking up in a soft bed or grabbing something quick to eat before work. You think about waking up on that old mattress on the floor where you could simply roll over and see Bucky already wide awake brewing coffee in the kitchen. You'd spend whole mornings together - whole days really - while enjoying a life that somehow felt more domestic on the run with him than anything else you've ever experienced before. You became so accustomed to each other's presence which felt so...normal and right...you long to feel that again.

Of course, such internal thoughts are never spoken aloud. You don't want to upset your family, especially not when they were so thrilled to see you again. Understandably, they had many questions about your apparent 'new husband' since you had so suddenly dropped the announcement on them two years ago that you'd be moving to Costa Rica with said mystery man whom they've never met. Fortunately, it was pretty easy to explain that all away with another 'white lie', telling them that you were actually on a top secret mission for work the entire time. They were all breathing sighs of relief, somehow more pleased by the idea that their child might've been on a dangerous spy mission than an impulsive honeymoon.

You stayed with family for a while to catch up, having missed them as much as they've missed you, but it eventually came time to move onward with your life. Although they were sad to hear you'd be moving once again, they were overjoyed to learn you haven't gone far, at least compared to your last 'adventure'.

You currently live in Upstate New York which is considerably closer than Romania (or Costa Rica as you'll let them call it). You don't just live in any rundown apartment or small house, either - you live at the new Avengers Compound. Really, it's an excellent fit. You're close to both your families - past and current - with the former believing that you're working directly for the Avengers which is a better outcome than them finding out you're technically a felon now under house arrest (little details they don't need to become aware of).

You have Tony to thank for receiving only a simple slap-on-the-wrist instead of actual prison time for your crimes. He cleared things up with Ross, arguing in your defense that you 'betrayed' Captain America and the Winter Soldier to help him instead, thus you shouldn't be punished as severely. After lots of debate and nail-biting, it was finally decided that your sentence would be lightened much to your relief: house arrest under the watchful eyes of the Avengers; you haven't complained.

Living at the compound has been strange and, as you feared, the atmosphere was quite tense in the beginning, not that you could blame anyone. Your former status as an enemy definitely made those first few weeks hostile, however overtime, you've managed to earn the trust of everyone else which may or may not have had to do with your new status as Tony Stark's reincarnated aunt.

...Yeaaah, you were a fool to believe that would stay a secret so long as your nephew was in on it. Apparently, Tony can't keep his mouth shut if it were to save his life, but if anything, you should just be grateful it's only those living at the compound who he told and not the entire world (yet).

No one believed it at first. Even once they realized it wasn't some elaborate joke you were both playing on them, it still took some time to get accustomed to, after all, even if you believe in the idea of reincarnation, it isn't every day that you meet someone who's perfectly able to recall the events of their past life.