When Steve saved her, he didn't think he would grow so attached. When Steve left her, she didn't think she'd survive.
(AU themes)
Steve x OC. Eventual Bucky X OC.
18+.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
According to Steve, returning the infinity stones would be an easy job. He'd be back before anyone would even realize he was gone, or so he said. Ten seconds was all he needed, ten long Mississippi's and he'd be back on the landing pad like he had never left. He told them he was ready and it happened in the blink of an eye. He'd hardly said goodbye, only offering a small smile and a kiss on the forehead, followed by the words; "take care of yourself."
"Where is he?" She asked, her voice small and quiet at first, "James, where is he?"
The question itself nearly made her vomit all over the grass beneath her feet. Time ticked on, seconds passing by in slow motion while nobody dared to speak up or move. The tension among those present could be cut with a knife and those with heightened hearing could make out the acceleration of heartbeats all around them. Bucky shook his shoulders, muscles tightening and jaw tensing.
She was painfully aware of the silence that was broken by birds that had found their way into the nearest tree and she suddenly felt ashamed to be standing there. The sound warped, the pitch of birds singing lowering as Janie froze in place. Her thoughts raced and shut her eyes, afraid that if she'd open them again, she'd find him dead on the platform or worse, still missing. She drew a deep gulp of air in order to keep herself from passing out then and there and it almost felt like for a moment, she was back in the basement with Zemo. Getting tortured was easier than losing Steve, she thought.
Janie's head whipped backward, muscles painfully straining in protest when she watched Bruce frantically press buttons on the control pad of the time heist machine. Sweat rolled down his temple in streams and collected under his armpits, tongue sticking out of his mouth while he twisted knobs and flicked switches like the DJ in a nightclub. Janie had to hold back laughter for a moment. Laughter fueled by panic and confusion and anything but comedy. She remembered the smile Steve gave her before he left and her stomach twisted painfully. She didn't even allow herself to admit it had been a sad smile. She remembered she wanted to tell him she loved him, but changed her mind at the last second, thinking she'd wait until he got back to do so.
If there was ever a time for Janie to start praying, this was it, but she wasn't an idiot and it didn't take a genius to figure out what Steve had done. Time ticked on and Steve didn't return. She felt woozy as if she was running a marathon in August on a full stomach and was ready to cry.
"Bruce?" Sam asked, his voice high and shaky, "where is he?"
Janie's breath quickened and she felt as if she were half choking on her own tongue. An image of the previous night ghosted through her head, making her feel nauseous. It was almost as if her body had been wrapped in tangles of ivy, burning her skin and stopping her from being able to breathe right. She was in a trance, imprisoned inside her own terror as images of Steve's displays of affection played on repeat. She felt herself becoming more panicked as the seconds ticked on, causing Bucky to take a step closer to her.
