bucky comes out of stasis and chooses to leave the others. a statue for Cap in Brooklyn is built.
It was August 10th when the statue officially opened. It was at a park not far from their old— and Bucky's current— home.
Bucky moved into the place they replaced with their old house. They kept the design of the place to honour Steve and Bucky so he felt right at home when he had first moved in.
Bucky wasn't home that night, though, he was instead at the ceremony for Steve. They built him a golden statue that said a quote that he had said and he wouldn't miss this for the world.
He later learned it said "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." Bucky had cried while reading it.
Still to this day, one year later, Bucky crying when he visits the statue wasn't uncommon. Everyone around had picked up on who he was, people had accepted that he isn't the Winter Soldier, and he already had his court cases.
Those were already two years ago, the first time he saw Steve and the last after choosing to leave everyone behind. He cried after leaving the courtroom, too. He knew he wasn't going to see Steve again, simply because Bucky wasn't ready. Steve swore he respected it, but he still looked broken whenever he watched Bucky leave.
The others had been seeing a change in Steve in the beginning, too. He said he was okay with Bucky leaving him. That he wanted what was best for him.
Natasha knew that he didn't want that, though. Steve felt cruel and selfish for it. He wanted Bucky to himself. He wanted nothing more than to hold him and squeeze him and never let him go, even more so than when Bucky went off to war. When Bucky went to war he didn't know how bad it would be. Now he's had Bucky taken away from him multiple times and it got worse each time.
First for war. It wasn't too bad because he was constantly distracted, but whenever he did think it was about Bucky.
Second time was when he fell. He had thought nothing could be worse than having his best friend and the love of his life die in front of his eyes. How wrong he was.
The third time was when he actually had Bucky in front of him. Sure, he was there physically, but it wasn't his Bucky. This was something else entirely, and seeing that hurt more than seeing him die. It was like the world was mocking him. Bucky wasn't dead but he was so dead at the same time. He feared while being feared. He destroyed while being destroyed. It was terrible, but still, it managed to get worse.
Steve thought he finally got Bucky back. He pulled him out of the water, saved his life, even. But then he went off the grid. Steve feared for the man day in day out. He was either back at Hydra, homeless, or dead, and none of those things were ideal. He spent two years non-stop worrying about him until suddenly Bucky and Steve were in a house fighting people.
Then Bucky left. Left Steve for stasis and then himself. Bucky wasn't being selfish at all, though. Steve was, in his mind. Steve thought he was selfish for wanting Bucky, even after all of this. He isn't though.
Now it's years later and Steve let Bucky walk away two years ago and sure, it hurt like hell, but he finally let himself want him. He never had, and that was the problem. In the 40's and now. He always denied himself the longing for Bucky. Now he didn't though. He let himself feel pain, and need, and longing, and love for Bucky.
Bucky had only now felt the pain of losing Steve Rogers. He knew his last thought when dying was of Steve and all prior to that were as well. Then he was taken and needed to be wiped periodically just to keep Steve out of his damaged and deranged mind.
After over seventy years, they still couldn't. It almost seemed the more they did it, the sooner he remembered. He'd become unstable and dangerous. Terrifying and fearful. He'd become human. He felt things until they ripped it from him again.
Then he got away and managed to get to Romania, a language he was already fluent in. He lived on the streets for a little while before he began couch hoping in the homes of people who'd come to make sure he was okay and fed daily. Even when struggling to survive on the streets, though, he thought of the man. His mission. His friend. His Steve.
He soon went back to him, though. He went and stayed with him for a short while before being put back under, fixed, and then he went on his way.
This statue was all of Steve he had left.
Now he remembered. Now he knew what he was missing out on. Now he was missing Steve more than he ever had, but still, two years ago, he walked away from him. He was scared.
He looked back at Steve one last time before running, because if he didn't run out he would have run into Steve's arms and hugged him until the sad look on his face went away. He remembered everything by then. He didn't have the statue then.
Now he had the statue, though, and here he stood, crying in front of it. He ran his fingers over the words on the front and let another tear escape. The nice old lady who always came to feed the birds came to console Bucky.
She did this a lot, remembered him from when she was a little girl. She was kind and smiled at him before he was proven innocent. She was just there for him. She put a slightly shaky hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "I think you have some company, darling." She said looking somewhere off behind him. Bucky looked at her confused. She just pointed behind him.
When he turned he just looked at her. "How long have you been here, Natalia?" He said, taking a step forward. "I watch you quite often, James, and please, call me Natasha." She responded. He nodded. "When you call me Bucky." He retaliated, trying to make it light hearted.
She laughed going along with it before suddenly it became serious again. "Go see him, James. You miss him. I've watched you do this for about a month now." Bucky ignored the fact she's been stalking him and just sighed. "He's better off without me." He finally said after a long silence. He was still crying so the old lady, Mrs. Cal he called her, handed him a tissue. He thanked her, offering her a smile in return.
"He isn't. Even if he was, you aren't better without him. This isn't healthy, James. Come with me?" Natasha asked and Bucky hesitated. He could see Steve again. He could look at the real him and not just some golden statue. He'll have flesh, and bones, and warmth instead of hard, cold, metal.
But he also has to think of Steve. Leaving Steve means less drama, danger, and possible threat. Staying away means he could keep protecting him from a distance like he does sometimes. Being close means he could fight with him. Being close means hugs. Being close means he could be there for him. With him like he promised.
And so he said yes.
PART TWO?? yes?? no?? i probably will either way, IM DOING IT OKAY I'LL POST THIS RN AND START WORKING ON PART TWO. IF YOU READ THIS SOON AFTER I POST I'LL BE WRITING IT WHILE YOU READ THIS.
