In the Arms of Justice

Epilogue

18 Months Later

"Please tell me this is the last of it," you whined, huffing and puffing while climbing the stairs with a box in your arms. "Whose idea was it to live in a three-story walk-up anyway?"

"Yours," Bucky answered from behind you, a teasing tone in his voice while equally winded.

"Excuse me? I do recall you were there for the whole apartment selection process, so you shoulder at least part of the blame," you fired back jokingly, shifting the box to your left hip as you opened the apartment door that was left unlocked.

You both placed your boxes on the wooden floor of the living room and attempted to catch your breath, wiping sweat from your brow. Walking into the kitchen you opened the nearly empty fridge and grabbed three water bottles. You returned to the living room to hand a water to Bucky, set one on a nearby box and then downed one yourself.

A moment later a wide-shouldered figure was blocking the light from the doorway before entering the apartment, one box stacked on top of the other in his hands. A shock of blond hair was barely visible above the top box before he set down his armload on the floor carefully and then straightened up with a smile on his face.

"Last of the boxes! Congratulations! You're officially moved in!" Steve exclaimed enthusiastically, placing a fist on each hip with a sense of accomplishment. You stared at him, marveling at the fact that he hadn't even broken a sweat and seemed unfazed by all the heavy lifting and stairs climbing. With his stamina and strength, you could have sworn the blond detective was super-human.

"Yay," you celebrated weakly, barely raising a fist into the air. Bucky came to stand beside you, looping an arm around your waist and pressing a kiss to your temple.

"This was the hard part," he assured you. "It'll feel like home in no time."

You surveyed the dozens of boxes around you and groaned, slumping against Bucky in defeat.

"I can help you guys unpack for a bit if you want," Steve offered, catching the third bottle of water Bucky tossed at him before taking a swig.

"Nah, that's okay," you replied. "But thank you for all your help, Steve. You get back home to your girls. I think we'll just order some takeout and unpack the necessities before passing out. We'll handle the rest in the morning."

"You sure?" he asked, then shrugging when you nodded in response. "Alright, then. I'll see you soon, Y/N. See you on Monday, Buck."

Bucky pulled his best friend into a hug with a clap on his back. Steve then pecked a kiss on your cheek before heading for the door.

"Let me know if you change your mind. I could bring the whole family, make it an unpacking party. The little ones can run around making the whole process harder but more adorable."

You and Bucky laughed at that. "We'll let you know. Have a safe drive," you waved goodbye.

_______________

After six months of dating, Bucky gave up his apartment and moved into yours. You've spend every night together anyway so two apartments seemed silly. Bucky continued to work odd hours depending on the case, but Stark seemed to pick up your meaning from the conversation at the barbecue and backed off a little. Things were still a bit strained between him and Bucky and probably always would be, but he trusted Bucky to do his job well and tried to keep his snarky remarks to a minimum.

Your job was still as rewarding and emotionally draining at times, but Natasha truly appreciated you and was willing to let you work from home on days Bucky was blessedly off work. The possibility of attending law school had been returning to the forefront of your mind more often. It was a huge commitment and time away from work, but when you asked Natasha if the firm was still willing to pay for it, she readily agreed. She was willing to work around your schedule and help in any way she could.