It's Always Been You

Chapter 13

Holy shit it's been a long time. I'm sorry for being gone for so long ugh I have poor time-management skills.  Next chapter is smut (;

For those of you who don't read smut, you won't miss any major plot twists or anything, so don't worry about skipping the next chapter (:
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The universe is back in order. That means no more going back to the past and reliving old memories and reopening old scars. It's strange to think that such a big problem is now just... gone, but Steve doesn't want to imagine it coming back either.

Perhaps he does live for the war, or maybe it's for something else entirely. He's unsure of what's to come, but the feeling of Bucky's metal fingers interlacing with his brings him back to reality.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this right now," Sam says.

The team (Steve, Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Parker. Scott and Hope are happily making... memories, while the rest are resting in their respective homes) is sat on the couches of the living room of the Stark Tower and choosing a horror movie to watch for their newly-formed weekend routine.

"We're gonna be fine," Steve says, shrugging. "Right, Buck?"

"Huh?"

"Horror movie tonight?" Steve repeats the question, his hand rubbing Bucky's back. "Or would you prefer a rom-com?"

"Nah, horror's fine," Bucky replies, though something in Steve's gut tells him that something's wrong.

"You sure, Buck?"

"Mhm," he hums in reply, nodding as if he's trying to convince himself. "Let's do it."

Steve knows it from the bottom of his heart that something is odd about Bucky, but decides not to question him until they're alone later on. "Alright, then."

"Can we watch IT: Chapter 2, pretty please?" Peter suggests. "I may or may not have a small crush on Bill."

"Like the clown?" Wanda asks.

At this point, Bucky and Steve stop listening to all the youngster talk, and instead, find comfort in each others' presence.

"Yes, like the clown."

"Bill Skarsgård is kind of a masterpiece," Wanda agrees.

"Okay, moving on from all this Bill talk," Sam says, dragging each word for emphasis, "Cap, y'all ready to do this?"

"Hell yeah. Why, you scared, Wilson?" Bucky replies almost too-cheerfully, and that's when Steve knows that something definitely is up.

***

The movie ends with Wanda and Peter crying, Sam sniffling and wiping snot off of his nose aggressively, and Bucky asleep on Steve's shoulder while Steve's fingers are tangled in Bucky's hair.

"Let's call it a night, yeah?" Steve says lowly, afraid of waking Bucky up. He switches off the TV and places the remote on the coffee table.

"See you guys tomorrow," Peter says, waving as they part ways.

Steve's never been so thankful for the fact that his bedroom is on the same floor as the living room. With a sleepy Bucky on his side, he easily sweeps him off his feet, carrying him bridal-style as if he weighs nothing.

"Mm, Steve," Bucky mumbles. "I can walk," he continues, rubbing his eyes.

"It's alright, I got you," Steve nuzzles his nose in Bucky's hair, placing a soft kiss on his head. "Go back to sleep, jerk."