Time Unchanging

Chapter 101

Bucky's flashback of the day he bonded with Loki and Eva.

They had been working together for about three and a half months, taking down any HYDRA agents they had found and Nat's allies. They had been suggesting that they perform the bond for a while but Bucky was hesitant about it. Sure, having siblings again was appealing, but he didn't know how it would affect him. Seeing Eva, she was almost back to the woman he had grown up with, and Loki had certainly mellowed out compared to the stories he had been told. But the job had to come first, so he always shot it down. However, the more he thought about it, the more appealing it became.

"So, who's the target?" Bucky asked, trying to get the subject out of his head.

"A low-level legal secretary by day," Loki replied.

Then, Eva finished, "HYDRA informant by night." She looked at the file. "She was also... intimate with Winter."

Bucky had gotten comfortable with the twins and told him of his past. They hadn't hesitated to comfort him. He didn't say everything, just as the pair hadn't told him or the Avengers all that they had been put through, but it was an understanding they all shared.

"Great," Bucky said, drinking his whiskey. "So, we need to be extra vigilant or-"

Loki interrupted, "Or you bond with us and we bond with you..."

The god gave a thumbs up. After everything, the only thought in Bucky's mind was, They're already my siblings.

"Sure," the one-armed man said without hesitation, "let's do it."

The acceptance surprised the twins, enough for Loki to ask, "No more fighting us?"

Bucky smiled. "Not this time."

Just as Loki had with Eva, they each cut their hands. It was different since there were three of them, and they were all willing. Instead, they each let the drops mingle together in an Asgardian herb mixture. Sure, all the plants could be found fresh in almost any store, but the preparation and incantation were done by Loki in the language of Asgard. Once done, they each had a pinch of the herbs placed on the cut where a glow emerged until the slices on their palms were healed. Truth be told, Bucky didn't feel any different, but they didn't have time for all of that. They needed to go get the informant.

Loki and Eva were taking care of her little guards when Bucky chased the woman down, saying over comms, "I got eyes on the target and I'm in pursuit!"

A sudden wave of fear from Eva and Loki hit him when he turned a corner. His stride never faltered, but he could feel what they felt. And they sensed a trap. It was the only warning he had. He grabbed the woman with his flesh hand and used the metal one to catch the dagger aimed at his head.

"I got her!" he called out, even as he thought, What was that?

Loki and Eva ran in and took out the guards as Bucky put handcuffs on the target. Everyone had been either tranquilized or knocked out apart from the woman. A new wave of emotion hit him. Relief that Bucky was safe. Other emotions from the pair hit him. He kept his composure, not wanting to give the target any ammo to use against them. Once all the guards and the woman were loaded onto a SHIELD convoy and out of sight, Bucky sat down on the ground. He broke down, overwhelmed by it all.

Loki knelt beside him, his hand on his shoulder as he said, "It's okay, brother."

Eva hugged him from the other side and added, "We're here, Bubba."

He wrapped his arms around them and hugged them both to him, trying to get his emotions back under control.