A Birdie Lost in Time | Bucky Barnes

|9|

Bucky, Sam, and Bruce stood around the platform, just a heartbeat since they'd watched their friends disappear.

"And returning in five, four, three, two, one."

Nothing.

Bucky's eyes flew to Bruce, watching as he stared at the monitor, confusion and worry bubbling up.

"Where are they?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. They both flew by their time stamp. They should be here."

Bucky's eyes moved to the platform as if he could stare her into existence.

She was supposed to come back...

What if something happened?

"Get them back," Sam bit out.

"I'm trying."

"Get them the hell back."

"I said I'm—I've got Marlow's signal. She input the wrong time into her coordinates, she'll be through in three minutes."

Bucky felt his shoulders relax and he turned, eyes shutting as he let out a breath.

She's okay.

After a moment, he opened them again, gaze wandering over the peaceful forest and hearing Sam ask something along the lines of 'what about Steve'. But Bucky wasn't focused on that. He was focused on the figure ahead, sitting on a bench in front of the water.

"Sam," Bucky called, nodding to the bench.

Steve is okay too.

He hung back, having already shared the words he needed to with his friend. This was for Sam. For the annoyingly good man that Sam was, no matter how much Bucky pretended to hate to admit as much. He really couldn't imagine anyone else that that shield should go to.

As he watches the two speak quietly, he caught glimpses of his friends face and couldn't help but be glad that Steve finally looks his age.

He's gotta be what? Two hundred?

Bucky would have to run it by him when he saw him next—no doubt over morning coffee like the two old men they were.

Turning, he returned his gaze to Bruce, who worked at the computer, every so often glancing up to look at Steve before looking back down with a disbelieving shake of his head.

"Alright," he called, straightening from the monitor. "Marlow is back in five, four, three, two, one."

The moment the woman appeared, Bucky knew it wasn't her, and if the red skull and tentacles on her breastplate was anything to go off of, they were about to have one hell of a fight.