Longing •Bucky Barnes•

37. It's Been a Long, Long Time

Today was the day of Tony's funeral.

I suppose nothing was supposed to, but nothing felt right. Pepper wasn't here, Tony wasn't here, Natasha wasn't here, and yet everyone else seemed to be. It felt wrong to see everyone and not have them around. Without just those 3 people in the room it felt nearly so empty and like something was missing.

We gathered in the living room and we made small talk with the others and what everyone had been up to in their first week either back. It was hard to socialize, but everyone seemed to understand why I was a little more reserved. Morgan had been quiet most of the morning and when everyone showed up she seemed to cling to Bucky and I closely. Even when Peter came she actually got a little excited, but still didn't stray to far from us.

Most everyone was shocked she even existed, Tony was quite the flighty and spontaneous person before. He never seemed like the kind of person to even be able to settle down, much less actually want to settle down. She was timid when people would say hi, but god only knows what was going through her head with everything going on.

Once most everyone was there we all sat down on the couch and stood around Tony's helmet sat on the table in front of us and I was nervous as to what it was. I reached forward and turned it on and a hologram of Tony appeared. I sat back and Morgan sat tightly between Bucky and I. Peter was sat at my side and he was awfully quiet compared to his normal self which was what was to be expected.

"Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. I'm hoping if you play this back... it's in celebration. I hope families are reunited. I hope we get it back, in somewhat like a normal version of the planet has been restored, if there ever was such a thing."

"God, what a world. Universe now. If you told me 10 years ago that we weren't alone, let alone you know to this extent... I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. But come on, you know. That epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And for better or worse, that's the reality Morgan's going to find a way to grow up in. So I found a private area to record a little greeting in case of an untimely death on my part. Not that death at any time is ever timely."

"This time travel thing that we are going to pull off tomorrow... it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of all this. But then again that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end. What am I tripping for? Everything is going to work out exactly the way it's supposed to."

"I love you 3000."

I looked to Morgan who was at my side and Morgan had a small smile across her face as she clutch her Iron Man doll. I looked up to Bucky and his expressions were soft as he looked to me. Peter's face was solemn and his eyes were glued to the floor. I didn't know what to say, I was sad, but after last night I think I had cried every tear I had in me. I couldn't cry anymore despite how badly it hurt to see him again, almost so sure everything would all work out.

We all walked out to the back deck and I held Morgan's hand tightly in mine. There was so many people here, so many super hero's most of which I hardly recognized. To think Tony had made such an impression on so many people wasn't easy to think about, but it almost made me miss him more. I'd give most anything to have him here right now, but I knew that would never happen, not in this reality.

I made it to the end of the deck and I saw Bucky hand me a small bed of leaves and flowers. Upon it laid a chest piece of Tony's that Pepper had turned into an almost decoration. I remember finding it shortly after Tony saved me and he had told me the story about how he had metal fragments in his chest and was captured by terrorists. This chest piece had saved his life for several years and when he had upgraded it Pepper had used the old one to make this.