𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | barnes¹

xxv. back to brooklyn

"Thanks," Lucy whispered, reaching out to take a hold of the doorknob.

Bucky stared at her with a worried lump sitting in his throat. Lucy had originally insisted that she could go back to Brooklyn and take care of going through Thomas' things alone but Bucky would have never even thought about leaving her side for such a difficult task.

Lucy pushed the door open slowly, standing still in her spot as she let her eyes rake over the inside. The couch and chairs were sitting right in the middle of the living room and there were beer bottles and used cigarettes discarded all around. Everything still looked the same.

When she tried to take a step forward, Lucy's feet felt like they were glued to the floor. She felt like a teenager all over again, the anxiety suffocating her each time she had to come home to this apartment.

Bucky lightly rested a hand on her back, making sure not to startle her as he rubbed his hand up and down just as she liked. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can just go in and gather everything—"

"No," Lucy quietly cut him off. "No, I have to do this."

Bucky silently nodded, watching as she took a deep breath and finally stepped inside. Lucy could faintly hear the door shut behind her but she was more focused on the sight before her. For some reason, she was terrified that Thomas would stumble out of the hallway and into the living room, the scent of alcohol rolling off of him as he yelled at her.

Even though he was dead, she was still scared of him. He haunted her, which Lucy hated.

"I haven't been back here since that day," Lucy told Bucky.

Bucky didn't even need to ask which day she was talking about. That day haunted him. The image of her laying on Steve's couch, a bloody and bruised mess, stuck to his brain like glue. He didn't exactly know what to say to her, so he just walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "He's not here to hurt you anymore."

Lucy relaxed in his hold, laying her head against his chest. "I know. I still don't like it in here," she told him, so softly that he almost didn't even hear her.

"How about this," Bucky pulled back, looking down at his fiancée with a small smile on his face. "We'll spend a little time packing everything up in here and if you get overwhelmed at all, we'll take a break and go get some milkshakes at Reubens. Just like old times."

Giving him a hint of a smile, Lucy nodded. "Just like old times," she repeated.

The two eventually made their way down the hallway and into Lucy's room. She showed a bit more enthusiasm while walking through this doorway, giggling when she saw the stuffed bear that was sitting on top of her bed. "Remember him?"

Bucky chuckled, taking the bear from her outstretched hand. "No way. You kept that?"

"Of course I did," Lucy said while running a hand over the bear's soft fur. "This was my $3 graduation present from you. The one you spent all of our money on," she teased.

He groaned, covering his face with his hands. "You and Steve still haven't let that go."

Lucy giggled as they continued to reminisce in her room. Bucky was just happy that she was smiling again, even if it meant he had to endure a little bit of teasing.

When the time came to look through Thomas' things, Lucy's somber mood returned. Bucky walked into his bedroom first, grimacing as he observed how messy it was. He didn't feel Lucy at his side, so he turned around to see her standing like a statue in the doorway. "Luce? You comin'?"

She gave him a small shake of her head. "I know it's dumb but... It just feels wrong. His room was always off-limits."

Bucky frowned and held his hand out to her. "Not anymore."