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thirty-six

PART FOUR - AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

   The steel blue of Bucky Barnes' eyes became visible as he slowly opened them, making the kids that surrounded him run away and out of the room, laughs echoing from them as they fled. I smiled to myself, quickly rising from my chair and moving to sit on the bed beside him.

   "Raven," he breathed out, a relieved tone filling his voice; a voice I missed more than anything. My eyes watered slightly as he sat up, pure happiness taking me over. "Don't cry," he grinned, a breathy laugh leaving his lips.

   My arms moved to wrap around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "I missed you so much," I let out, closing my eyes and letting out an alleviated sigh. His arm tightened around my waist, his head resting into my shoulder. "Are you okay?" My words were muffled slightly, the fabric of his shirt prohibiting a proper pronunciation.

"I'm okay," he confirmed. "How long has it been?"

   "Five months," I responded, not daring to let go of the embrace I held around him. His hand rubbed my back as his face nuzzled into my neck farther, closing any space that was previously between us. "You're back," I said, realization setting in. "You're actually here." I began to choke up a bit as a few tears fell down my cheeks.

His chest vibrated with a chuckle. "What did I say about crying?"

• • •

"Shuri! I said not to show him that! I look ridiculous in that dress." I cross my arms over my chest as a blush tries to creep its way onto my face.

"I'm sorry, but he has the same appreciation for technological advancements as I do! And this, in a way, is technology! And it's amazing to watch," she persisted, continuing to show Bucky the footage she'd gotten of me leaving and arriving back on Earth. "And there's the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Have you read Jane Foster's reports on it? She's done a fairly good job so far."

"I-I don't really know who that is," he chuckled nervously. "But I did like the dress, it was pretty."

• • •

   I stood in front of the mirror, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear before my eyes caught Bucky's figure leaning against the doorway.

My brown eyes caught his blue ones, causing me to involuntary let a smile cover my face. Words couldn't describe how happy I was that he was here with me. It was like I could relax again . . . I felt at home.

He grinned as he leaned off the doorway and walked up behind me. Placing his hand on my waist, his eyes didn't leave mine in the mirror for even a second. He rested his chin on my shoulder as a piece of hair fell down and brushed against his forehead. It reminded me of the pictures I'd seen of him in the forties.

James placed a delicate kiss on my shoulder. "Hi," he murmured against my skin, causing me to giggle lightly. "It feels like I haven't kissed you in years." I raised an eyebrow at the statement. If it felt like years for him, it felt like an eternity for me.

I turned to face him, letting my hands press onto his chest before trailing up around his neck as he pulled me into a soft kiss. My fingers tugged at the hair on the nape of his neck, earning a chuckle from him. I smiled as I leaned my head to the right and kissed him once more. Our actions seemed familiar, but were invigorating nonetheless. It seemed that I could never get enough of him.

We both pulled away after a moment, resting our foreheads against each other's. I bit the inside of my cheek as I glanced up at him, only to find that he was already looking at me. I laughed a bit, quickly pressing another short kiss to his lips before placing my hand in his.

"I have something for you." I gently tugged on his hand and led him into our room before letting go to rummage through the drawer I'd put the gift in. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but I wanted to get you something." I produced a black box from the drawer and set it on the bed. I gestured for him to open it as I sat down.

   Inside the box was a chained, gold bracelet. He took it out and held it in his palm, a small smile on his face.

   "Do you like it?" I asked quietly, gauging his reaction.

   He didn't hesitate to nod. "Of course. Can—can you put it on?" He held it out to me along with his wrist. I pressed the minuscule clasp and rotated it before placing it around his wrist and reattaching it. Once I'd done so, an aura of gold began to glow from it for a moment. "Woah, what was that?"

   "I put an enchantment on it, my friend taught me how. You didn't think I'd give some plain bracelet, did you?" I smiled at him as I crossed my legs and scooted a bit closer. "If you're ever in pain or need to calm down, touch it. It's just in case I'm not there to help you."

   "You're actually sweet when you wanna be," he remarked with a grin, making me shove his shoulder playfully. "This is really nice, Raven." He pressed a small kiss to my temple. "I still wanna see the dress, though."