Brown Eyes

Chapter 21

When your thoughts are confirmed, your heart drops through the floor. Your body goes rigid and you can't bear to look at the smiles on the happy couple's faces. You make eye contact with Vision, who is watching you carefully. You look back at him blankly, but give him a small nod, before taking a step back from Bucky, reaching around him to grab the guitar from the floor, hoping to use putting it back as an excuse to leave the vicinity and hope to sneak away. Steve and Sam are too busy congratulating Tony to notice, and Nat and Wanda are hugging Pepper, with everyone else watching the interactions. Now is the perfect time to go. Bucky grabs your wrist when you try to walk away. His grip isn't hard, but it's firm enough for you to know he isn't going to let go without an explanation. You turn back to look at him, and his eyes search your face, a questioning look in his eyes. For a moment, you give in and let the sorrow show on your face, before tightly packing it back up, but you know Bucky caught it when his grip loosens, allowing you to slip from his grip, slowly moving towards the stage to replace the guitar, and when you look back over your shoulder to see that only Bucky and Vision are watching you, you quickly slip from the room.

You make your way to the bedroom that you share with Peter for when you stay in the Tower, grabbing your jacket and purse off the desk in the corner and leaving a note for Peter that you went home, not wanting to worry him. You go to the bathroom and dab water on your face, letting out a shaky breath.

"Come on, [Y/N], keep it together." You give yourself a hard look and a nod before turning to leave the bathroom, jumping when you see someone blocking the doorway. Bucky does not move, just leans in the doorway, waiting for you to calm down for a second before he stands up straight and takes a step towards you.

"Why'd you run off?" He asks in a quiet voice like he is trying not to scare a wild animal.

"I'm not feeling well. I am going to go home." It isn't technically a lie.

"I don't believe you," he says, taking another step towards you. You hold his gaze but don't say anything, not trusting your voice not to waver. "I think you're hiding something," he says, taking another step towards you, now standing right in front of you, cupping your face with his hands, thumbs rubbing your cheeks under your eyes. You don't answer, instead closing your eyes and leaning into the touch. "You don't have to tell me Doll, but whatever it is, it's eating you up and I don't think you should be alone right now," he states softly, almost a whisper. He draws you closer to him, resting your forehead on his shoulder.

"You should go back to the party," you whisper into his shoulder, simultaneously hoping he goes and wanting him to stay.

"Not a chance." You grab onto his shirt, fisting it in your hands, looking down at them from where your forehead is leaned on his shoulder.

"Take me home," you whisper pleadingly. You can feel him nod and he grabs your hand, pulling you along with him out of the bathroom and towards the door, to the elevator and to the ground floor without anyone else noticing.

As the two of you make it out onto the street, you start to breathe easier, the fresh air helping to calm you down. With Bucky guiding you, you turn your head towards the sky, searching for stars you know you won't be able to see. Bucky watches you from the corner of his eye, still leading you down the street.

"I miss the stars," you offer quietly. He nods and looks up as well. "When I was a kid, my mom would watch the stars for hours."

"I used to be able to see the stars at night in the 40s. No light pollution back then. And when I got shipped off to the front lines, I liked to watch the stars because I knew they were constant. No matter where we were fighting, or who we were fighting, win or lose, the stars would be there." You squeeze his arm to comfort him, and lean your head on his shoulder.