falling vs flying

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A/N: words: 934. what if sam and bucky survived the snap and went to vormir? you're welcome <3. inspired by a fic by livingincolors on ao3 "be together". also sorry for not being active at all lmao. anyway, enjoy!

"Why did we volunteer to walk up the giant mountain? Seems a bit unreasonable." Bucky complained as he and Sam walked side by side on the cliff side. Steps. Cliff steps. Which is totally not suspicious that there just happens to be steps. Whoever, whatever is up here, it's expecting people. Something wasn't right. Bucky could feel it.

"Because we're nice people. At least, I am." Sam retorted, shaking his head. Bucky scoffed, looking over at Sam. The purple and blues hues that filled the sky reflected in Sam's eyes perfectly, the deep, chocolate brown letting the strong colours dance.

Sam looked up, feeling Bucky's eyes on him, and smiled softly. Bucky smiled back. "Welcome."

They both jumped at the sound, and looked at the figure standing, well, floating in front of them. "I know that voice." Bucky muttered, his hand positioned on the gun in his belt. "I know you." Bucky added, adjusting his eyes, making sure what he was seeing was real.

"How?" Sam hissed, his eyebrow raised.

"Extremely long story." Bucky replied.

"Barnes, son of George." The voice called out, "Wilson, son of Paul."

Sam and Bucky glanced at each other, both of them with a gun in their hands. "Where's the stone?" Sam questioned, eyes going from the figured to Bucky.

"What you seek lies in front of you. As is what you fear."

    "Yeah that's really nice, but we're looking for the soul stone, not a Shakespeare wannabe" Sam called back, making Bucky bite back a smile.

    "I know what you seek. Are you prepared to lose the man beside you to wield it? Or, will it be you, Samuel Thomas Wilson, to fall?" The figured almost seemed as if it was taunting them, leading them up the steps.

    "Sam." Bucky breathed out. "I may have an idea of what he means."

    Sam nodded slowly, his breath shaky. "Yeah, me too." Without warning, Sam took off running. But Bucky was faster. The super soldier aimed the gun at Sam's leg, making the younger man collapse onto the ground. Bucky can't let the world lose Sam. Bucky can't let Sam's family lose him. Bucky only has Sam. If Bucky let Sam die here, he'd never forgive himself. The brightest star doesn't shine as bright as Sam Wilson. Bucky can't let the world lose that. The brightest star.

    "Sam, I'm gonna have to ask you to get away from the cliff side." Bucky said, walking over to where Sam was. He extended a hand, which Sam took, pulling himself to his feet. "Please, let it be me." Sam didn't know why Bucky was begging. Begging for death. Sam couldn't watch another one of his loves fall. Another time when they fell between his fingers, just before Sam could tell them. Before they could have a life they were meant to have. Sam envisioned everything with Bucky, and now, here they were. If one died, that would still leave the other cold and numb and lost. But, Sam couldn't let Bucky go. It was a desire, a need, that Bucky would never fall.

"No. Bucky, no." Sam didn't know when he started crying, but he was so desperate for Bucky not to jump. "Don't leave."

"This really is a double edged sword, ain't it?" Bucky had a firm grip on Sam's forearm, holding him in place.

"Please don't go." The pain in Sam's eyes, in his voice, almost made Bucky let him go. But he knew it was one or the other, and Bucky couldn't let Sam's family lose him, after they've lost him so many times before.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Bucky murmured, staring into Sam's eyes like it was the last time he would. Because it was.

The super soldier took off running, but Sam was quick. He ran after Bucky, barely catching him by the wrist.

"Sammy, you gotta-"

Bucky was interrupted by Sam's lips pressed to his. It was everything, it was nothing. Then it was over. It could've lasted for an eternity, but it barely lasted for a second. What should've been a forever was cut short by the ever looming fact that reality cuts deeper wounds than anything else. In an instant, Bucky was falling. Falling. The sight is all too familiar for Sam. It seems like whenever he loves something, it falls right between his fingers, lose and pain staring at him until there's nothing left to see. In theory, Bucky and Sam should've, would've, could've spent every moment together until the sun sank into the horizon for the very last time. Until the last star went dark. But, Bucky fell. Sam vaguely heard himself scream. He could feel cold stone beneath him as everything collapsed into nothing over and over and over again. Sam thought he knew what this felt like. The feeling to lose the person that mattered most to you. He thought it was memorized, engraved, but the cold, yet burning sensation of losing the person you loved the most in the world lit his body up like the wick of a candle stick.

Everything Sam wanted to say was frozen. Silent. Broken words and fractured syllables were nothing compared to the shattered heart that was still beating inside of Sam's chest. But beating for whom? It's been Bucky. It's always been Bucky, even if he didn't know. Even if the truth was buried in fear that now has become a reality.

Falling could almost feel like flying, if it wasn't for the way that Sam never seemed to catch the people falling, even as he flew.

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