Now or Never

Chapter 28 ~ We're gonna be okay

Tony's funeral is the next time I see all the Avengers together again.

Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Dad, Roy, Max, and I decided to stay at the Avengers Compound to keep each other company, plus our apartment wouldn't be able to fit them all anyway. We all agreed to meet in the living room so we could all arrive at the funeral together. Wanda, Roy, and Sam join Dad, Max, and me, all of us dressed in a respectful color of black suits or dresses. I put a little black bowtie on Max for the occasion.

"Where's Bucky?" Dad asks, noticing his best friend is missing from the picture.

Sam shrugs. "He said something about he 'didn't feel like he had the right to go.'"

I sigh. "Where is he now?"

"In his room."

I look at them. "I'll go talk to him. Just get the car ready."

They nod and walk to the elevator but Dad lags behind for a bit and turns around to face me.

"He's stubborn." He warns me.

I smile. "Yeah. So are you. I got this."

Dad nods before joining Wanda, Roy, and Sam in the elevator and I watch the door close.

"Is Uncle Bucky not coming?" Max whines and I look down at him.

"I don't know buddy. But we have a friend who needs us right now."

Max and I walk down the halls to Bucky's room. I knock on the door. "Hey Buck can I come in?" I call out. He doesn't respond so I knock again. "Buck c'mon you know I can't stand out here for long because of my back."

My back is still in the process of healing itself. It's been a rough week but it's almost fully healed. I'm just not supposed to be standing for very long.

"Come in." I hear Bucky mumble.

I open the door and see Bucky sitting on his bed with a book in his lap and his hair in a bun.

"Buck—"

"You know I can't go to that funeral (Y/n)." Bucky cuts me off with a shake of his head. "You know why."

I take a deep breath in and sigh. I walk over to his bed and sit down and Max jumps up, sitting in Bucky's lap.

"What because you killed his parents?"

"Exactly my point."

"Newsflash, Buck. You were brainwashed. You had no control over your actions." I say as I look at him. He just avoids my gaze and looks down. "You killed my parents too and I would hope for you to show up to my funeral. Although you're much older than me and might die first..."

Bucky glares at me and I hold my hands up in surrender. He sighs. "But you forgave me, (Y/n). He never did and it isn't right to be there standing with the rest of you. I respect what he's done, but he wouldn't want me there."

I shake my head and open my mouth to speak but Max cuts me off.

"You're wrong. Tony would want you there. He would want anyone that fought by his side to be there." Max says and nudges his nose on Bucky's cheek to make Bucky look at him. "The right thing to do is to pay your respects to the man that sacrificed everything to bring you back to us."

Bucky and I look at Max in shock. "Took the words right out of my mouth," I say.

Bucky sighs and pet Max behind his ears.

"So will you come with us?" I smile softly at him.

Bucky looks down at his clothes and shrugs. "I don't have anything nice to wear." He mumbles.