Infatuation | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Fifty Six

Catherine never ran faster in her life. Her whole body was screaming in pain. She felt like she was going to pass out any second, but she didn't care. She needed to see him. She needed to feel him. Her body collided hard with his and the floodgates opened. She felt him chuckle and wrap his arms around her tightly.

"Hey doll." Was all Bucky said.

She pulled back and their lips crashed against one another. This was the moment she had been waiting for. He smelled the same. Felt the same. His hand reached behind her head and he pulled her closer.

"I-It's been so long." She managed between sobs

Bucky smiled down at her and tucked her messy hair behind her ear. "I know. I know."

"I missed you so much. I have so much to tell you." Catherine said, not wanting to let him go.

"How about we talk about it after we win?" Bucky suggested and kissed her once more.

Catherine looked around. Everyone was back. She didn't quite know how, but she prayed it was enough to defeat Thanos.

"Avengers!" She heard Steve yell. "Assemble."

They all fight. Everyone. They fought harder then ever before. It was honestly a beautiful site. So many people from all walks of life, standing together to defeat the enemy. No one cared if someone was less powerful then the other. They were just happy they had help.

Catherine ignored the pain and tiredness consuming her. A bright light caught her eye and Bucky looked at her confused. A smile spread across her face. Carol. She ripped through the ships as if they were nothing. She landed next to Peter who was holding the gauntlet and he happily handed it to her. The fighting continued.

She kept her eye on Bucky, scared to lose him again.

"You know it's not polite to stare." Bucky teased as they stood side by side fighting.

"I don't want to lose you again." She said.

Bucky smirked at her. "You won't."

Bucky's face paled. Everything fell silent. She heard the sound of metal and somehow Thanos managed to get the gauntlet. Everyone paused. Carol jumped back on him, attempting to pry the gauntlet off his hand. Thanos managed to get one of the stones out and use it against Carol. She saw Tony and Dr. Strange look at each other. They were having a conversation without any words. Dr. Strange raised one finger and Catherine looked at him confused.

" I am– inevitable." Thanos said.

Thanos snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. He looked at the gauntlet and the stones were gone. Catherine looked around confused. Where were the stones? Her eyes landed on Tony. It felt like whole world stopped when she saw the stones on him. No. He couldn't snap his fingers. It would kill him. She took off running towards Tony.

"And I am Iron Man." Tony said.

He snapped his fingers before she could get to him. There was a bright light that blinded her for a second. When she regained her eyesight, the enemy started turning to ash, even Thanos. Had they won?

"Catherine." Bucky said quietly and nodded towards Tony.

When she looked at him, she knew the power had been too much. She slid down to where he was sitting and felt tears form. He was barely holding on.

"T-Tony...I'm sorry." Was all she managed to say.

She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. For trying to kill him? For choosing Steve's side? For all the fights about Bucky?

He gave her a weak smile. "It's...okay. He's...a good...m-man."

Catherine gave him the tightest hug she could and stepped back as Peter approached. She fell to her knees and Bucky leaned down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. He kissed the side of her head gently, in a reassuring manner. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to watch her brother die.

In the textbooks when they talk about the war against Thanos, they'll tell you that the Avengers fought bravely. They'll tell you that Tony Stark died fighting. They won't tell you about how quiet it was. It was eerie, but calming. You could hear a pin drop. They won't tell you how everyone kneeled down in front of Tony as a sign of respect. There was no rejoicing about the fact they won. There was silence and stillness.

The silence was broken minutes later when sirens approached. There had to be at least 100 first responders that arrived to the scene. All of the Avengers looked around each. Defeat. Exhaustion. Joy. Sadness. Everyone had a different reaction as to what just happened. It had been a long fight. Five years. Five long years.

"Catherine..." she heard Bucky say quietly.

She hadn't moved from her spot. Her thoughts were all over the place. Bucky moved to kneel in front of her. His moved to cup her cheek gently she looked exhausted.

"I'm okay. I'm just trying to...p-process." She whispered.

Bucky helped her stand up and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to block her from seeing the EMTs load Tony up. All around them, people were reuniting. It was honesty a beautiful sight.

"Buck." Steve said as he approached them.

The two friends hugged and smiled at one another. Catherine smiled as Sam and Wanda approached her She had missed them as well. They had not changed at all since the snap. She looked up and saw Pepper.

"Pepper, I'm so sorry." Catherine said hugging her.

"Thank you. You know how many times we almost lost him? Too many. I've been prepared for this moment for a long time. It still doesn't make it any easier." Pepper explained. "I'm happy Bucky is back though."

An EMT walked over and asked if he could check her over. She only had a mild concussion and considered herself extremely lucky given what they just went against. She of course had a few cuts and scrapes, but that was it. They handed her a bottle of water and told her thank you for fighting. It felt weird having someone thank her after five years of people hating them.

"Did you get checked over?" Bucky asked concerned.

"Yes. Just a mild concussion." Catherine answered.

"You haven't aged a day." Bucky teased her, kissing her head.

Catherine laughed weakly. "Liar. How long was it for you guys?"

"Five hours. We were just floating and around and finally that wizard guy said it's been five years, the Avengers need us. And then we stepped out here. Has it really been five years?" Bucky asked.

"Y-Yeah. It has. It was hard without you." Catherine answered. "I need to tell you something, well two somethings."

Catherine was hesitant to tell him about Steve. That was his best friend. It wasn't something they planned on happening. It just happened.

"Steve and I...we thought you were dead. We tried everything to get you guys back. I was lonely. So we started dating. It never moved past just us dating. I'm sorry Bucky. I'm so sorry." Catherine explained to him with tears in her eyes.

Bucky shook his head and pulled her close. "I'm not mad at you Catherine. Steve's a good guy."

"So, you're not mad?" She asked looking up at him. 

He chuckled. "No, I'm not mad. Now what's the other thing?"

"There's no easy to tell you this, but w-we have a son."