The Mimic

140

Running to the park felt like something out of a movie. Y/n and Bucky both had a sinking feeling in their stomachs - it was the exact sensation of dread that a viewer would get when they know something that the main characters don't. But, there was nothing else to do but push on and leave their lives in the hands of fate.

Just as y/n had explained to Bucky, at least six pairs of illusions raced into the park at the same time as the original pair, and it was a mess.

All of the gunmen chasing each pair were now in one area, all firing ruthlessly in attempt to determine who the real ones were. Helicopters illuminated the small area with blinding lights, and the relentless whirring of the blades simply added to the deafening noise around them. However, the scariest element against them were the snipers.

You see, the red lasers that the snipers used to aim their shots didn't work on the illusions. There was nothing solid for the lasers to land on. It was a perfect way to catch the real y/n and Bucky. The snipers were under direct instruction to pull the trigger at any chance that they could get, it didn't matter if it was a headshot or a bullet in the leg, they were authorised to shoot anywhere, and at any time. And with there being so many snipers around, there was a high possibility that several of them could figure out who the real y/n and Bucky were at the same time. All it would take is a split second. A split second and either y/n or Bucky (or both) could be full of holes and taking their final breath.

No pressure.

 Y/n and Bucky were barely a few steps away from the park, and the chaos had already begun. Y/n's grip on Bucky's hand had only seemed to tighten as time went on. She didn't want to let go. She didn't want to let go at all. Splitting up from Bucky felt like a terrible idea. If they were going to get shot, she at least wanted to be by his side when it happened. The last thing that y/n wanted was to turn around and watch her soulmate get shot over and over again. She'd experienced too much death in her life, she couldn't lose Bucky too.

Bucky knew how tense y/n was. He could see it in her eyes. He could feel it too, especially with the bruising grip that she had on his hand, but he wasn't going to mention that. He wasn't even sure what to say to reassure her, he was having the same doubts and stresses. Splitting up from the one person that he swore to protect with his life felt so, so wrong. He would never forgive himself if y/n got shot. He couldn't bear to live in a world without her, and he knew that y/n felt the exact same. But, splitting up gave them a better chance of survival. It was still a slim chance, but it was greater than sticking together.

As they neared closer and closer, Bucky suddenly lifted y/n's hand, pressing feather-like kisses to her knuckles. "It's time to let go, Doll." He hummed, forcing his voice to sound as calm as possible for y/n. It was hard, especially when he too was terrified out of his mind, but if he could do one last thing for y/n, he wanted it to be as nice as possible. "I'll see you on the jet, yeah? Save a seat for me. I don't want to have to walk back to Wakanda."

Y/n couldn't help but laugh a little at the idea of Bucky walking all the way back to Wakanda. God, he was so good at making her smile in terrifying situations. She had no idea what she'd do without him. "Fine, I'll save you a seat, but only if you buy me flowers! I've got a lot of people trying to date me, y'know. You've got to work for it, Fred!" Y/n exclaimed, resorting straight back to playing a character in attempt to distract herself from everything that was going on. Her voice wobbled with every word and tears were obvious in her eyes, but she still tried her best to force a smile.

Fred and Darlene, the classic characters. But this time they were high school sweethearts. It wasn't a bullet-filled park that they were running to, they were simply running to class. They had no cares in the world. The only stressful thing for Fred was the fact that he wanted to sit beside Darlene for the bus ride home. That was it. 

Bucky raised his eyebrows in surprise when y/n mentioned flowers. He had a weak smile plastered across his face, yet they were both very aware that it was an act. It was bittersweet, really. Both of them were sure that this was going to be their last moment together, but neither wanted to admit or accept it. "Deal. You better save me that seat, though! I'm not going out of my way to buy flowers if you're just going to sit with another guy, Darlene." He hummed, glancing away from y/n to see that it was time to split up. His chest felt tight with fear as he squeezed y/n's hand for a final time, continuing to press kisses to each and every knuckle. "I'll see you after class, okay? I love you."

And, just like that, y/n and Bucky let go.

Y/n almost chased after Bucky when he let go. She didn't mean to, it was just ingrained in her brain to follow him everywhere, so having to turn her back on him hurt. It hurt so much.

She raced as fast as she could around the park, running aimlessly in an attempt to blend in with the rest of the illusions. It was terrifying. She had to find an illusion to air up with. But that was easier said than done. She couldn't make it too obvious, and of course physical contact was impossible. This felt more like suicide than an escape plan. All she wanted to do was be in Bucky's arms.

As soon as Bucky realised that he was alone, his fear multiplied around a thousand times. He was completely aware of his surroundings, and it wasn't good. It reminded him of his time in the war. The constant gunshots, the yelling, the running, everything. He was completely vulnerable and alone. It almost felt like one of his nightmares. But this time y/n wasn't there to comfort him. Nobody was. He didn't have time to sit down and calm his breathing, he didn't have time to process his thoughts, he didn't have time for anything except running. His mind had begun to trick him to believing that he was on the battlefield, and there was nothing could do about it.

It was all too much. Bucky was hallucinating, hyperventilating, and not running in a straight line. His thoughts were running faster than his legs. The smell of smoke and chemicals from bombs felt all too real. Hell, his mind had even convinced him that he was in his war uniform. Bucky couldn't do it anymore, he could barely breathe, and everywhere he looked there were hallucinations of dead bodies. He couldn't do it. So he stopped. He stopped right in the middle of the park.

He was struck twice by bullets. One in his shoulder, and one in his leg. But Bucky was too out of it to notice. To him, it was just the pain of being back in the war. He stayed still, warm blood beginning to pour out of the wounds as more and more snipers prepared to shoot. A red laser was pointed right in the middle of his forehead. But, before the trigger was pulled, a voice was heard.

"Bucky!" The voice yelled happily, causing Bucky to turn around to find the source of the noise. It was y/n. She was stood in the distance of the battlefield, wearing a beautiful dress that obvious wasn't suited for a battlefield. She was completely out of place, and if Bucky wasn't so freaked out, he would've realised that it was just another hallucination. "Chase me!" She called out, beginning to sprint off in a random direction.

Hallucinations weren't new for Bucky or y/n. Usually they happened after nightmares, but if something was as triggering as this, it could happen. It was scary to watch, but usually they were able to snap one another out of it before anything bad happened.

He chased the hallucination as if it was really y/n. Luckily, he was actually running alongside one of the illusions, so he was able to escape without getting caught. He raced right out of the park and down one of the many streets out of the city, too numb by fear to notice the bullet wounds. To Bucky, he was chasing his soulmate in a field of flowers. It was perfect.