Heart of the Ocean

Chapter 6

Steve and Bucky swam leisurely to the reef where they had agreed to meet with their friends, even taking the time to hunt a little. Although they didn't like being away from y/n, they reveled in being back in the water. By the time they reach their meetup spot Sam and Natasha are already there, tossing a kelp ball between them.

Natasha had a tail as vibrant as her red hair, the only difference is her tail had had flecks of gold interspersed between the red, while Sam's tail was blue-gray with flecks of green. Both of them smiled widely upon seeing the pair approaching and went to meet them, exchanging hugs before going back to their game, now with two more players.

It felt good to catch up. Especially since they hadn't seen their old pod mates since Nat had given birth to an adorable little boy two years ago.

Steve and Bucky were smiling and laughing the way they always did, but Natasha, ever observant, could see that they weren't the same and called them out on it. "Alright, what's going on? You look as if half your hearts aren't here," she says as they perch on some soft moss covering coral.

"We found our mate," Bucky says simply as if it's obvious.

"That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you guys! Where are they?" Sam asks, eager to meet his friends' mate.

"She's at home," Bucky says evasively, refusing to meet his friends' eyes.

"She's a human, isn't she?" Nat asks, her eyes narrowed slightly as she calculates all the differences in Bucky and Steve, right down to how they seem more tanned than when she last saw them.

"So what if she is?" Steve bites out defensively, flashing his teeth, they may not be as sharp as Bucky's but they could still do some damage.

"Hey, we aren't judging you. As long as she makes you happy then we're happy for you," Sam jumps in quickly to diffuse the swiftly mounting tension between the group. "So, what's her name?" he asks with a mischievous grin and eyebrow wiggle.

Steve and Bucky visibly melt at the thought of their girl, even if she didn't know she is. "Her name is y/n, and she is...amazing," Bucky sighs out as he and Steve proceed to talk about y/n and her work with marine life.

The light in the reef fades as the sun sets above the waves. Steve and Bucky make plans to meet up with Sam and Nat again soon, promising to bring y/n along to meet them before setting off back to y/n's island. They decide to make a quick stop at an old shipwreck to pick up a few gifts for their girl.

They had just decided on a small treasure chest when a sense of dread crept up their spines. They knew immediately that something was wrong and set off as fast as they could toward home.

When they reached the dock they saw the bottom level of the house was illuminated and straining their ears they could make out a faint scream that was undoubtedly y/n. They turned to their human forms as fast as they could before taking off to the house.

Y/N stood frozen as Brock slowly advanced, pulling a handgun from inside his coat. "You were supposed to go down with the boat, I made sure of that! How the hell did you survive?! It doesn't matter, you won't live to see the next sunrise," Brock sneers nastily as he pulls off the safety.

The click it makes jolts y/n back to reality and she ducks just in time for the bullet to hit the wall where her head had been moments before. She lets out a scream, running from the room and slamming the door behind her. She makes a beeline for her bedroom, thinking of the gun she kept in the safe.

Halfway up the stairs, Brock catches up by grabbing her by the ankle. He drags her back down and tosses her across the room, her head cracking against the metal and glass coffee table. She is disoriented enough that she does not notice Brock approaching until he is crouched in front of her, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to look him in the eye.

"You know, this could all have been avoided if only you had accepted Pierce's offer. Maybe we could have worked out, if only you weren't such a stubborn bitch with a morality complex," he heaves a sigh, shaking his head as if she had disappointed him. "Oh well, you can't have everything in life. Any last words before I put a bullet in your brain?"

"Go to hell," she spits in his face.

Before he can react, a dark shape hurtles over the couch behind y/n and tackles Brock to the floor. It's Bucky, his eyes gone pitch-black and baring his razor-sharp teeth. Steve runs to her side, a feral expression she had never seen adorning his face as he plants himself in front of her.

"WHA-", whatever Brock was going to say is silenced into a soft gurgling noise before his body drops to the ground. Once they are sure he is dead Steve and Bucky round on y/n, their eyes back to normal, as they envelop her in a warm hug while she sobs into their necks.

The passage of time is meaningless to them. They only know that their girl falls asleep as the sky outside begins to lighten in preparation of a new day. They gently pick her up and carry her to her bed, tucking her under the covers between them. They can deal with the body later, right now the only thing they care about is taking care of their mate.