marvel one-shots

Ghosts of us

The war was over. Gamora was gone. Natasha was gone. Tony was gone. But everyone who was snapped had come back, so it's worth it. Right?

The compound was quiet. No TV playing. No music coming from Peters room. No fighting to be heard from the gym. Clint wasn't climbing through the vents. The lights were off, no one was home. It didn't feel like home anymore. Dust had gathered on the surfaces and cobwebs had taken over every corner of each room. It was a ghost town.

-

Bucky stood, leaning on a tree, watching Steve sketching by the lake. He had come back after returning the stones. He came back to his best friend, his Bucky. He knew he was meant to be wherever Bucky was, till the end of the line. No matter how much he loved Peggy back in the war, Bucky would always be his best friend, his lifeline, and he needed Bucky more than he wanted to go back and live the life he could have had., because no matter how much life had thrown at him since coming out of the ice, he had Bucky and Bucky had him. But were they still the people they used to be? Full of life and passion, a will to fight for their lives and the lives of others? Or are they ghosts of what they once were? Barely hanging on to reality and sinking deeper into darkness that consumes everyone, eventually?

Bucky walked over and sat next to Steve. Neither of them said a word, they embraced the quiet and listened to the sound of the wind over the lake. Steve continued to sketch the lake in front of him. The water, the plants, the trees. He felt Bucky's' presence and was glad for the company. Once he finished the basic sketch, he added the outline of Natasha and Tony standing together on the lake, facing away so you couldn't see their faces. Steve allowed a few silent tears to leave his eyes as he remembered his friends and what they'd left behind. With a small sigh he closed his sketch book and put it on the grass next to him. Turning to look at Bucky, he gave a small smile. Bucky returned the smile and lightly punched Steve's arm as a friendly gesture.

Steve shuffled closer to Bucky and rested his head on Bucky's shoulder, closing his eyes briefly. The two of them sat there for a while, looking out over the lake, knowing that Peter was helping Pepper with Morgan, and Sam was with Clint somewhere probably helping people, knowing Bruce was with Thor at new Asguard helping Valkyrie settle in to being Queen. They knew their friends, their family, were safe.

The chirping of the birds connected them back to reality as the sun began to set over the lake. It gave a gorgeous glow in the water. Pinks, Purples, Oranges, Reds. Colours that reminded them of their fallen friends. The ones watching them from above, willing them to go on and keep being the hero's they've always been. 

After a while of silence between the two, Steve spoke up in a slightly hoarse voice, a sense of pain slipping through into his tone.

"Do you ever think about how we aren't who we used to be? Maybe we're just two ghosts, standing in place of you and me, going through life trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat? A passion for life?"

Bucky inhaled sharply before exhaling with a small, watery chuckle.

"Yeah pal. Sure does feel that way these days. We aren't the same kids who joined the army anymore" Bucky rest his head atop Steve's, which was still resting on his shoulder.

Steve smiled slightly at the small comfort.

"Kinda feels like every fight is one step forward and three steps back." Steve sighed again

"Yeah. But we'll always have each other. Till the end of the line."