Alternate "You"Niverse *Bucky Barnes x Reader*

Fourteen

It's silent for a long moment; you glance at Bucky who is intently watching the portal, for a moment you wonder if you all imagined it. If you all wanted to believe he was coming back, you sigh gently when the door on the other side of the portal swings open, you all stare in shock but relief when Steve is stood holding the handle out of the breath.

He sighs with relief when he sees the portal open, you frown maybe he can't see you like you can see him; he runs a hand through his hair and shuts the door closed and walks to the portal. He smiles as he goes to step through, you all grin but that falls when Steve frowns, he pushes his hands against the portal but they don't come through it's like glass.

"Steve?" Bucky yells and Steve frowns at the mention of his voice, he narrows his eyes "can he not see us?" Bucky asked.

"I don't think so," Tony says and walks back over to the control panel "why can't he get through?" Tony mumbled to himself, yelling to Friday to get Bruce and Vision, Sam stands up and walks over to Bucky.

"Bucky is that you?" Steve asked, "get Tony, I can't get through." He yelled at his friend.

"Tony is here, we are trying, we can see you" Bucky informs him, Steve nods "changed your mind, huh punk?" he asked trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Something like that," Steve chuckles back, hands resting against the portal "James, I'm sorry for what I said to you, you are right and I was being reckless and just... I'm sorry" he looks up, eyes dancing around to where Bucky could be standing.

Bucky chuckled, "I'll accept that apology when you are back here" Steve nods, you watch as Vision and Bruce come down the stairs, listening to Tony as he fills them in "don't worry, the three geniuses should be able to get you back." He calls comfortingly and Steve nods, a look of worry and regret in his eyes.

30 MINUTES LATER...

"What's taking them so long?" Steve asked in frustration, he had been talking to Bucky and Sam since coming back to the portal entrance; you chuckled nervously from where you sat.

Tony came over and looked defeated, "we can't get the portal to open back up" he mutters, Bucky just stares at Tony, Steve calling out to know why it's gone so quiet, "Cap, bad news. I can't open the portal again, it's refusing me."

"Great, this is just great."

"I know, this sucks" Stark calls back "listen, I'm going to need you to trust me and that's a big favour but you gotta believe me," Steve frowns but nods once "so to put this simply, once the portal shuts you out, I've only got a few hours to get you back otherwise... the Universe will delete you from existence."

"And this relates to me trusting you, how?" he asked with wide, terrified eyes.

Tony sighs, "Cause I'm gonna do plan B, which may or may not kill me but I'm gonna have to try it" everyone is silent, "plan B is using the energy from an arc reactor and creating a portal shifter or as Bruce doesn't want me to call it, Stark Shifter, it will help me go from parallel universe to parallel universe in order to find you."

"You said a few hours" you speak up, "aren't there like thousands of alternate realities?"

"I gotta hope that this one is one of the first few, otherwise I and Steve will be lost" Tony sighed; Bucky frowned and shakes his head.

"You aren't going through their alone, what if you stumble upon a bad one, and you need a team?" Bucky crosses his arms over his chest.

Tony thinks and nods, "we'll think of a team once the shifter is finished, Vision is on that now, listen, Steve, you gotta stay exactly where you are" he turns to where Steve is stuck, who nods with a chuckle.

"I don't exactly have anywhere else to go," Tony nodded with a sigh, "you all told me not to go and this is my punishment, maybe you...-just I don't want anyone getting hurt or risking themselves over me." He sighs gently.

"You'd be doing the same if it was one of us," Bruce calls to him and everyone nods in agreement.

"Banner is right, we aren't going to stop till you are back where you belong." Tony tells him, "plus if I give up now then your best bud will break my neck and my dad would roll over in his grave if I let you go missing once more."

Steve chuckles, "count on a Stark to search for me."

Tony goes back to helping with his Stark Shifter; he really does need to think of a better name. You stand by the portal talking to Steve, Bucky trying it help the geniuses by looking over their shoulders, causing Tony to try and shoo him away- it doesn't work.

"You or Bucky confessed your feelings for one another?" you look at Steve, who is sat on a table inside the trailer he seems to be in on the movie set, he could probably sense your stare "Sebastian talked to me, said he mentioned to you about Buck's feelings, then he really made me realise what I was walking away from and into."

"Glad that one Bucky made you see sense," you smile and he chuckles with a small nod "No, we haven't talked about that, too busy worrying about you." He sighed gently.

"You should say something."

"I will when you are back here, I promise." And he nods with a small smile, Bucky walks up to you both grumbling "I told you they didn't need your help."

Bucky rolls his eyes, "one of these days they're gonna need my input on some smart stuff and I won't be there." You chuckle and pat his shoulder comfortingly.

The portal makes a small noise everyone looks at it, Tony sighs and runs over to the control panel, trying to keep it open for a little longer. He sighs in defeat and shakes his head at Bucky, who nods and looks over at Steve, who already knew the portal was closing.

"I promise we'll come to get you," Bucky tells him and Steve nods, not looking very convinced by his words of promise.

"I know you will, just be careful and take care of yourself, for me," Steve tells him and Bucky frowns "in case you don't get to me in time, Bucky I am really sorry," Bucky shakes his head.

"Like I said, I'll forgive you when you get back over here." Steve chuckles and nods, "just stay where you are, I promise, everything will be okay."

Steve nods, "Okay, gotta admit this is kind of scary, right now." He chuckles but you can all see the fear in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm coming for you, I promise" the portal closes before Bucky can finish his sentence, he stops abruptly and stares at the space where Steve was, he turns to Tony who is still working on whatever it was to fix the portal and bring Steve back.

"Tony" he yells, the billionaire stops, "now what?"

Tony is silent as Vision and Bruce take over, running numbers and working on a piece tech in the far back of the lab, Stark sighs and runs a hand through his thick dark hair.

"We now have limited time to get him back but it's time, valuable time, every second and minute counts when we go through and we are almost done- I mean it's a prototype but something is better than nothing, plus Scott Lang is coming over, he's got something of Pym's that will help." He assures the master assassin.

Bucky nods and turns back to the portal, a small amount of doubt and worry creeping in, his eyes glazing over at the thought of what might happen if they don't reach Steve in time or can't get the stupid shifter to work for them.

IDIOT STEVE- BONUS

Steve stood in the empty, silent trailer, a deep sigh emitting from his lips. He didn't want to doubt his friend's capabilities but a big part of him was nagging in his brain, telling him that this is it; this is the end for him.

He just had to go through the portal, he had to think he was in love with Hayley, well that part was true but it wouldn't be enough to keep him here. Somehow Sebastian made him see that he wasn't meant to be here, a simple small talking to him about how Bucky has progressed and continue to do so made him realise he wanted to be there for that, he needed Bucky beside him because that's how his life is.

His breathing hitched when Sebastian opened the trailer door and frowned at him, "I didn't make it in time" he mutters.

- So, all the chapters from this series. I'll be editing because I know there is a lot of errors and stuff-