Leaves are on the ground; (for @americassed)

[bracchium]

[Bucky feels the snap deep in his core. Like having his heart ripped out and the rest of him begins to fall apart. His fingers tingle and turn to dust in front of his eyes.]

Steve?

[He's not sure what's happening, but Steve can help, Steve will do everything to--

Bucky's eyes roll back into his head as he takes one step forward and collapses into a pile of dust. He's hardly the only one. T'Challa, Sam Wilson, the number of dusted goes into the billions and the entire world goes quiet for five years.

Until Banner has a plan to retrieve the stones from the past. Their newfound gauntlet is snapped and the dusted come back one by one. It seems those who died last emerge first from the ground or in their cars. Those who fought Thanos in the grove return after Thanos is defeated. Groot, Sam, and T'Challa. However, Bucky isn't one of them. His pile of dust remains as thus and there's no sign of a life form even as they plan to return the stones to the past.

Banner promises Steve that they're still watching for any sign of him even as he prepares Steve to go back in time once more. It's just as Steve steps onto the platform that Banner holds out a gargantuan hand.]

Wait, we've got something in the grove.

Comments

[bracchium]

[Bucky welcomes Steve’s embrace. The tight hold grounds him, reminds him that he’s not turning to dust again. He clutches at Steve’s shoulders in return, waiting for the tingling to pass. It takes a few moments, but soon enough Bucky feels steady on his feet again. Then he steps back s little, just enough to be able to walk, albeit tucked into Steve’s side.

He takes his first steps in five years and it’s weird. His body still feels unstable, unwilling to work with him.]

[americassed]

[ Steve has all the patience in the world when it comes to Bucky so he lets his friend take his time figuring out how to walk again after five years. He makes sure he's careful while he ushers Bucky in. ]

Feeling better?

[bracchium]

Yeah, thanks. [Bucky continues to lean on Steve as they move. He’s still puzzling over what exactly happened, but he’s focusing entirely on putting one foot in front of the other.

It doesn’t take long for Bucky to be sat on the edge of a bed in Wakanda’s infirmary as they run a few tests on him. Only then does Bucky ask,] What the hell happened?