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

[americassed]

[ It had been a grueling five years. To even say it like this is a huge understatement. It's nothing short of a miracle that their plan to go back in time actually worked. While they had casualties - Natasha and Tony coming to mind - it was still a well-deserved victory. Worth celebrating? Probably. Steve's not one hundred percent on board celebrating knowing they just lost two vital members of the Avengers. Two of his good friends.

And speaking of friends, he's still missing one and it's gnawing on him like a void that can't be filled. This also one of the reasons why he's not certain about celebrating. Bucky's still not here. When everyone began coming back, slowly but surely, Steve's expecting he'd see his best friend in a minute or two. When it took longer than that, he begins to inwardly panic. No, he can't lose Bucky again. Not when they've risked so much to get everyone back. Not when he had already lost two friends.

Steve had searched for signs for days. Bruce had to reassure him over and over again that Bucky will turn up one way or another. No reassuring is ever going to work on him, though, unless he sees it with his own eyes. Not until Bucky's in front of him again, alive and well, free from the clutches of darkness that tried to chain him forever.

But Steve's duties as Captain America continue on even with the void in his chest. One of which is to go back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful timelines. His mind is still restless, still thinking of how he'd search for Bucky anew. Where he could've ended up in post-snap, if he even returned at all. That last one stings, so Steve doesn't dwell on that. What he briefly dwells on, though, is going back in time to see the Bucky of yore. The Bucky who forced him to go on Coney Island's Cyclone with him where he ended up sick afterwards. The Bucky who told him after his Ma's death that he'd be with him to the end of the line.

Maybe he should stay there, during that time. Perhaps by doing so, he'd be able to stop HYDRA from even getting their grimy hands on him. Maybe if he stay there, he and Bucky-

-Bruce's large hand snaps him out of his reverie, enough for Steve to turn and look at him. ]

What do you mean? What did you get?