Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Thirteen

After suiting up, we climb aboard the spaceship, the Benatar, leaving Tony in Pepper's capable hands. We strap into our seats, and Rocket guides the ship off the ground, flying us up into the sky.

"Okay, who here hasn't been to space?" Rocket asks, turning in his seat to face us. I raise my hand along with Steve, Natasha, and Rhodes. "You better not throw up on my ship."

"Approaching jump in 3..." Nebula states. "2... 1!"

I clutch the arms of my chair for dear life as the ship lurches forward, entering a wormhole in the sky. Through the windshield, I see bright streaks of light flash by, and my eyes widen at the exhilaration of this new experience.

A few seconds later, the ship slows, coming to a stop outside the atmosphere of the planet Rocket showed us on the hologram. Danvers appears in front of the Benatar, surrounded by a golden light.

"I'll head down for recon," she states through the communicators before flying down.

As we wait for her to return, Steve turns to me. "Y/n, we need to talk about what happened with Tony."

"Don't worry about it," I reply, avoiding his gaze.

"Y/n, your eyes were glowing blue," Steve pushes. "You didn't look like yourself."

"It's nothing," I deflect.

"Are you losing control of your powers?" Steve continues to press.

"Leave it alone, Steve," I warn.

"Y/n, please. You think I haven't noticed the wisps flying around you? Please, just talk to me."

My gaze fixes on his as a slow anger seeps in. "I lost the love of my life once, and decades later, I miraculously got him back, only to have him turn to ash in front of my eyes. Disintegrated. Gone. No trace of him, like he never existed. The only thing I have left to prove he was real are these." I pull Bucky's tags out from under my suit, letting them dangle from my hand. Once more, I feel my powers begin to flow freely through me, and I drop the tags to clench my hands into fists, trying to control the energy as it swirls around my arms. "A part of me died with him. So, if I don't look like myself, it's because I'm not myself."

Steve reaches over, resting his hand on mine. "I'm sorry, Y/n. I didn't mean to press. But you're not alone in this... I'm here for you."

"So am I," Natasha assures me. "This is gonna work. We'll bring him back. We'll bring them all back."

"I know we will," I state, finally taking a breath and relaxing my hands. I feel a sharp pinch in my palms, and I look down to see that my nails pierced my skin, creating small crescent moons in my palms. "'Cause I don't know what I'm gonna do if we don't."

A moment later, Danvers reappears in front of the Benatar.

"No satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defenses of any kind," she reports. "It's just him."

"And that's enough," Nebula replies.

Rocket takes the ship down, landing in a field before lowering the hatch. Our team slowly approaches the small hut, surrounding it on all sides.

Danvers flies in first, crashing through the roof and knocking Thanos down before putting him in a chokehold. In the Hulkbuster, Banner bursts through the floor, grabbing Thanos' arm to prevent him from using the Infinity Gauntlet. A second later, Thor charges in, slicing the arm off as Rhodes and Rocket fly in, aiming guns at Thanos' head. Thanos' arm drops to the ground, the Infinity Gauntlet still on it.

With Steve and Natasha by my side, I walk into the hut, glaring murderously at Thanos as Rocket approaches the Infinity Gauntlet, kicking it over to find that the Stones are gone.

"Where are they?" Steve demands.

When Thanos doesn't answer, Danvers tightens her grip on his neck. "Answer the question!"

"The universe required correction," Thanos answers. "After that, the Stones served no purpose, only temptation."

"You murdered trillions!" Banner shout, punching Thanos to the ground.

"You should be grateful," Thanos argues, earning himself another punch from Banner.

"Where are the Stones?" Natasha presses.

"Gone," Thanos replies. "Reduced to atoms."

"You used them two days ago!" Banner states.

"I used the Stones to destroy the Stones," Thanos explains. "It nearly killed me. But the work is done. It always will be. I am... inevitable."

"We have to tear this place apart," Rhodes reasons. "He-he-he has to be lying."

"My father is many things," Nebula tells us. "A liar is not one of them."

"Ah, thank you, daughter," Thanos says, his gaze turning to Nebula, who looks down, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "Perhaps I treated you too harshly."

Rage fills me as I take a step toward Thanos. "You took him from me."

"It was a necessary sacrifice for the good of the universe," Thanos replies.

"You know nothing of sacrifice," I spit back, angry tears threatening to spill.

"There, there, child," Thanos soothes. "I understand your sorrow. I, too, mourn the loss of someone dear to me."

A cold laugh echoes through my lips. "You think you know how I feel?"

Without thinking, I allow my powers to consume me. Wrapped in my blue energy, I reach my hand forward, my powers wrapping around Thanos as well. He groans in pain, and a second later, his heart phases through his chest, landing in my hand as his motionless body slumps over.

"That's what it felt like when you took him from me," I mutter, dropping his heart on the ground as the blue light fades.

"Y/n... What have you done?" Steve whispers, staring in shock at the body on the hut floor.

I don't reply as I slowly turn and exit the hut.