Immortal (Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers x Reader)

4. An Old Friend

2014 (3 years later)

You've been back in New York for a couple weeks. On one of your many phone calls with Peggy she had revealed that she'd fallen ill. She didn't want to tell you as to not worry you, but it'd got to the point that she really needed you back home.

You're on your way to get grocery's when a beat-up range rover speeds past you followed by three police cars. It's all happening so quickly that you can hardly register what is going on, but something tells you that this isn't your average cop on criminal car chase. You swerve out of your lane and immediately begin following the sirens and tyre squeaks. Other cars become obstacles and the three cop cars end up piling up, letting the Range Rover escape. As men climb out the cop cars and pull out their guns to begin shooting, you decide to swerve the pile up, moving across to the left side of the road, meaning you were now driving against oncoming traffic. You keep a close tail on the Range Rover, wondering who they are and why they are on the run. Out of nowhere you see a man standing in the middle of the road, he's tall and built with wide shoulders, he's dressed in all black and holding a machine gun in his hand. His face is masked, only showing his forehead and his long brown hair. You hit the brakes, your car skidding to a halt and making you jerk in your seat. The Rover continues at full speed. As the car nears him, he throws a disk that seems to attach itself to the bottom of the vehicle, he steps out of the way as the disk explodes, sending the car up into the air in a pool of flames. You watched in horror as the car lands on its roof. You get out of your car as you see the masked assassin make his way over to the wreck that he had just created. Inside the now unrecognisable car, you saw who you believed to be Nick Fury, someone who had been trying to track you down for years. You knew him as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D, he had even worked with Peggy when they were both younger. The armed man is nearing him, and you know you need to help. You approach cautiously, preparing yourself for a fight you really don't want to partake in. The man notices you and turns his attack away from Fury to take you down first.
'Oh shit...', you say to yourself as he runs at you, you pick up pace and run towards the fight, not wanting him to take an easy win. You know you don't stand much of a chance, it's been a while since you've been in a situation like this, but you're hoping you can stall him long enough for Fury to get away.

He pummels at full force towards your torso as you jump to avoid his arms, latching yourself onto his shoulders as he swings round. You attack from above while he tries to tear you off of him. It's clear you're struggling against his strength. He reaches up in attempt to grab you again, this time he succeeds. Taking a hold of your hips he rips you from his shoulders, throwing you at least 10 feet. As he does so his mask comes loose and falls to the floor, revealing his identity. You pull yourself onto your feet and look at him, wanting to know who the attacker was. He turns to look back at you, his pale, bearded face showing crystal clear in the daylight. You feel your heart drop as your brain registers who you're looking at.
"....No....Bucky?", you ask, even though there is no doubt in your mind that your old best friend is standing 10 feet in front of you.
"Who the hell is Bucky?", his voice is deep and dark, nothing like you remember. Your emotions overwhelm you; you know you need to leave immediately. You turn and make a run for it back to your car. Without looking back, you get in and start the engine, pausing just for a second before putting your foot down and driving away as quickly as possible. You make one singular check in your wing mirror to make sure you're not being followed before deciding to never look back again.

-MEANWHILE-

Away from and unaware of all the madness happening elsewhere, Steve decides to visit the Smithsonian. Although it's been 3 years since Fury shared his doubts concerning Peggy's truthfulness, Steve still had the conversation circling in his head. 'What if Peggy is hiding something? ' . He wouldn't dwell on it as to not upset Peggy, he wanted her to feel like he trusted her. It also seemed as though Fury had given up on the idea, he no longer brought it up, or put forward conspiracies. However, Steve couldn't forget it, he'd decided it was time to go hunting for answers, if something had happened, if there was more to the story, he wanted to know.

He makes his way through the Smithsonian, stopping every so often to read a displayed chapter about who he was. He sported a disguise, not wanting to draw any attention to his presence. He stops at a section dedicated to both you and Bucky, Steve Rogers' closest pals. His eyes fell on a video recording that is playing on repeat. It features you and Bucky talking and laughing, looking happier than ever. He looks up to read the sign accompanying the film:

' Steve Rogers and James Barnes had been friends since childhood, with Y/N Y/L/N joining them in their late teens, forming the inseparable trio.'

He can feel the dull ache of grief in his heart, he never usually lets himself think on how much he misses the two of you. He would do just about anything to see his best friends once again.

After looking around a short while longer he makes his way into a small room lit up by a large cinema-like screen. The room is lined with benches, and the walls are dark and eery. He finds himself a seat at the back and watches the screen as it shows him an interview from 70 years ago.
"Bucky and Steve were my best friends, they were two of the most amazing people you'd ever meet.", Your voice rings through the oversized speakers. Steve looks down, unable to keep watching.
"Steve saved thousands of men, he really is...was a hero.", This time Peggy's voice sounds loud and clear. "Without him I would've never have met Y/N."
"We're all we have left now," The screen flickers as you look at Peggy and smile softly. Steve looks back up as he starts to feel like an idiot for ever believing Peggy. He knows you never would've left her.

He pulls a small compass out of his pocket and opens it gently. Inside hides a photo of Peggy. He whispers quietly to himself,
"Peggy, where is she?"