Ophelia

Death

"I have to go, Ophelia," Bucky told her.

They were shivering in the water. The sun had been rising when they entered, and now it was setting. The flicker of red happened again, and that was when Bucky knew that this wasn't what it seemed. He was never able to trust his own mind, but now he had to go with his gut feeling. This was a blatant lie, a horrible play on his emotions. How it was so, Bucky didn't know, but he knew that he had to leave this place.

"No," Ophelia replied shaking her head. "Why would we leave this place?"

"It's not real, O," Bucky stepped back from her. "You're not real."

"Bucky, what are you talking about?" Ophelia stepped back, shivering now.

Bucky shook his head, waving his arm over his head, "All of this is in my head. You're just in my head. He is in my head."

"The Winter Soldier?" she asked.

"Thanos."

Ophelia cocked her head to the side. "Who is Thanos?"

Bucky began to walk away, unable to look at her anymore, because he knew if he looked into those sad eyes he wouldn't be able to walk away. He would remain in this world forever, forgetting reality existed outside of this place, he wanted to get lost in her and never think about anything else in the world. But he had something to do, he had people to save -people who were alive.

"You're not alive," he muttered to himself.

"Bucky!" Ophelia screamed from behind him. "Bucky, please!"

Her sobs made him stop, a quiver in his step, like the water turned solid and he could no longer push forward. His hand balled into a fist, he muttered to himself to keep going, to not turn back.

"Bucky, you can't leave me!" She cried through heavy sobs that raked through her body and his. "Please... you're all I have." 

She used his own words against him.

Bucky lowered his head, a quiver coming from his lips. "That's where you're wrong, O."

"Please Bucky.... Don't do this."

"Goodbye, O," he said, not looking back but looking up at the sky when he said, "I love you."

Her scream was enough to rip him in half, and suddenly, he felt as though he had been.

***

Laying on his back in Wakanda, but not near the lake where him and Ophelia lived for year, Bucky realized what had happened. Rolling onto his stomach, tears slipping from his eyes and landing in the upturned dirt, he got to his feet and looked at the carnage all around them. He spotted Steve and stumbled over to him. Something was wrong, something didn't feel right.

He felt sick, and it wasn't because he left O.

"Steve?" he said as he approached him, still trying to figure out what was real and what was in his head. Suddenly he felt something disappear, a part of him. No, all of him. Like dust in the wind, like the became nothing more than ash. His body caved in on itself, and he stumbled to the ground, his eyes locked on Steve who had nothing but pure shock on his face. There was no time for words to be exchanged, but his look said it all.

They lost.