A/N: Now, it might seem that things are moving pretty fast with this story. I just want to finish up with this series. Not because I don't enjoy writing it anymore, but because I need to get stuff done. When this series is done, I could maybe write some special little stories based on Lost Years that you, my lovely readers, request. I have one already done which just didn't really fit in the middle of the story but I'll talk about that after I'm done with this series. Also, I have seen Infinity War but when I was thinking abut how to continue this story, I hadn't seen it yet so, don't expect this to fit with the Infinity War story line. I'm trying not to take that movie into account when writing at least for a while unless I warn about spoilers. This part is spoiler free. Hope you like this part!
Warning: mostly fluff, something... angst-ish but not really...
Even though you had agreed to officially move in the compound, Bucky still felt uneasy. You and Ava were safe now but that didn't mean every other worry Bucky had was gone.
Day after day, Bucky began to show more signs of stress. He barely slept, the worry lines on his forehead and dark circles under his eyes were much more prominent. He was so worried and stressed out about your and Ava's safety and well-being that it began to show on his physique and behavior. He had been a bit short with everyone and everything lately.
Everyone had noticed the changes, including himself but nobody really addressed it. It was understandable he was worried about you and Ava.
And the meeting the team was currently having didn't help his case one bit.
"What do you mean we have to go back to Wakanda?"
"Thanos is sending an army of aliens to Wakanda. He's after something that we can't risk letting get to his hands," Tony answered.
"And that is?" Bucky asked, tone harsh and impatient.
"Infinity stones," Thor joined in, "Two out of six stones. If Thanos gets all of them..."
"It would be bad. According to what we've heard, he already has three of them." Bruce finished, looking deeply troubled.
"So half?" Sam asked, turning to Bucky to see him running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Where are the other three?"
Steve placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder after sensing his friend getting a bit worked up.
"One's here," Stephen Strange announced, showing the Eye of Agamotto around his neck, "And the last one is there," he continued, pointing at the stone on Vision's forehead.
"Okay, wait," Bucky spoke up quietly, leaning his elbows against the table he was sat at, "You're telling me that Thanos needs three more infinity stones and somehow we have two of those here in this room right now?"
Bucky's eyes scanned the room, looking each person in the eye, seeing some of them sharing glances. He looked to Steve who was behind him, now leaning against the wall with arms crossed over his chest.
The blonde super soldier heaved a sigh before he nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so," he said, giving his friend a worried look.
Bucky let out scoff and placed his head in his hands. "You've gotta be kidding me," the words were muffled due to his mouth being covered by his palms. He shook his head, feeling his heart starting to beat harder in his chest as his blood began to boil with anger and frustration.
"Bucky, you alright?" Natasha asked quietly from beside him.
"Penny for your thoughts, Barnes?" Tony joined in, looking at the super soldier with curiosity and a bit of worry.
Bucky looked up from his hands, glancing at every person in his view. They were all looking at him, waiting for him to talk. He sighed, leaning back on his chair and finally began talking. "I just... a titan is after some powerful stones and two of those are in the same place, in the building with all of us and—" He stopped suddenly, looking at towards the door.
"Y/N and Ava," Sam finished for him. He nodded his head, understanding the super soldier's worry and looked at him with sympathy. "I get it. I think we all do."
"I knew this was going to be bad but now I find out that one of the stones is in some necklace that a doctor-magician is wearing and one that is literally in someone's head?" Bucky continues, voice getting louder.
Bucky wasn't usually seen losing control of his emotions and bursting with anger, not in situations like this at least. Usually he'd stay calm, stay quiet and observe the meeting while letting others do the talking. If he was to show any emotion, sign of distress, it was just huffs, angry glares and maybe some angry muttering under his breath but this time, he couldn't help but vocalize his distress though it was uncharacteristic of him.
"Barnes—"
"Also, I have to leave for Wakanda? Leave my family behind? Just after HYDRA came after my wife and kid? I can't leave them after what they—"
"Wait, wait, hold on," Sam interrupted Bucky, lifting his hand to silence the distraught super soldier. "Your what?"
"You heard what I said, Sam," Bucky said, arms crossed while his chest heaved drastically with every heavy breath he took.
"Yeah, I think we all heard you," Sam began with a surprised breathy laugh. "But in exact words, your what?"
"My wife and—Oh," Bucky said in surprise. His eyes widened and his posture softened as he realized what he had just said. He looked to the people surrounding the table and saw some smiling, some trying to hide their smiles and some just looking at him in confusion.
"Did you just call Y/N your wife?" Peter Parker asked from beside him.
"No," Bucky said with a scoff, shaking his head.
"But it sounded like—"
"Peter, I swear to God," Bucky muttered while giving the teenager an angry glare.
"But you did just say—"
"Okay, fine!" Bucky gave in, not having the energy to fight over whether or not he said what he was accused of. Especially since he knew he was backing the wrong horse. "I may have accidentally let it slip... But this stays inside this room, okay? She's already stressing out about moving too fast I can't have her getting freaked out about me accidentally calling her my... my wife."
"Sure, sure," Tony mumbled, getting up from his seat. "Anyways, you all know the plan. Those leaving for Wakanda, get ready, you need to get there as soon as possible. And Barnes—"
"Yeah?"
"I think you should have a little chat with your wife."
Bucky rolled his eyes and was the first one to leave the room. He made his way to the elevator which took him to the floor your shared bedroom was in. He walked through the little common area, looking around to see if you were around. He continued his way to the bedrooms, glancing into your shared room before looking at Ava's. To his surprise, he didn't find you or Ava in either of those rooms.
He closed the door to Ava's room and frowned, wondering where you two might be.
"Y/N?" He called out, heading back to the common area. "Ava?"
As he got to the lounge, he saw the elevator doors open. You walked out with Ava in your arms. The smile you had on your face got even wider and brighter when your eyes locked with Bucky's.
"Hey, look who it is," you said to Ava while pointing at Bucky.
Ava turned her head, scanning over the place with curious eyes until her eyes settled on Bucky. She extended her hands and made grabby hands at her father. "Dada!" She called out and Bucky jogged over to you.
"Hey, sweetheart," Bucky said with a sigh as he took Ava from you, holding her close while her small hand grasped onto the ends of his hair. "I was looking for you, where were you?" He asked, turning to you to see you biting your lip in an attempt to prevent yourself from smiling. His brows furrowed, a small but confused smile playing on his lips. "What?"
"Nothing," you said, stepping in closer and wrapping your arms around him, leaning in to place a kiss on his jaw. "Just happy to be... here, together."
Bucky sighed, the smile on his lips vanishing. "Yeah... about that," he began, looking at Ava who was almost narrowing her eyes at Bucky, sensing he was about to say something she wouldn't like. "Don't look at me like that," he whispered, giving her a small pout.
You chuckled after Ava reached out to you, giving a slight glare to Bucky. You took her from him and kissed the side of her head before turning your attention back to Bucky. "Did you want to talk about something?" You asked, seeming somewhat excited, maybe even hopeful.
Bucky raised a brow at your tone but shrugged it off. "I-I need to... I need to go to Wakanda."
You nodded, glancing down at the floor in disappointment. "I know," you said quietly.
"You know?" Bucky asked. "What do you mean you know?"
You lifted your head up, eyes widening slightly. You shrugged, looking at Ava as if avoiding Bucky's gaze. "I ran into Nat while we were walking around, getting to know our new home," you chuckled as Ava reached out to the couch where her favorite teddy was. You quickly set her down and let her run off before you turned back to Bucky who was waiting for you to continue.
"Yeah, so, saw Nat and she mentioned your 'trip' to Wakanda." You looked up at him, crossing your arms and pursing your lips. Bucky reached out to you, placing a hand on your arm and you looked away again. "I'm worried," you confessed, letting your head hang forward as you stepped closer to him, leaning against his chest. "Please be careful," you pleaded, wrapping your arms around his torso.
Bucky heaved a deep breath as he threw his arms around you as well. He kissed the top of your head and closed his eyes, tightening his embrace. "I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."
He heard you huff and he pulled away enough to look at you. "That's not what I asked you to promise me," you muttered, pouting slightly.
"Hey," Bucky said gently, grasping your chin gently between his forefinger and thumb. He lifted your head up to look at him and looked at you with loving eyes, unable to stop himself from smiling. He opened his mouth, just about to start talking but he stopped. Instead, he let out a breathy laugh.
"What is it?" You asked quietly, looking up into his eyes.
He smiled. "I love you."
He saw the corners of your lips curling up as well and felt warmth spreading in his chest. "I love you too," you answered as your hands came in contact with the back of his neck. You played with the ends of his hair and it sent shivers down his spine. He leaned in, placing his lips on yours, moving them gently, slowly.
He pulled away after a few seconds, looking down at you as you let out a happy sigh.
Bucky chuckled, lowering his hand to your waist. He looked at the small smile on your face only to have a sad look take over your features moments later. You looked over his shoulder and frowned.
"What is it?"
"This... situation, we're in," you began, looking back into Bucky's eyes. "Is this how it's always going to be?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ava, you and I... living here, in the compound... forever?"
"I-I haven't... thought about it that much," Bucky said, scratching the back of his neck. He was lying. He had thought about it a lot but knowing you were a bit anxious about moving too fast, he didn't want to scare you off.
"Really?" You asked. "Not even like... whether or not we should... tie the knot at some point or something?"
"What?!" He almost exclaimed, seeing you look up at him in surprise. He cleared his throat and repeated the question with a much calmer tone. "What?"
"You know what? This isn't the right time to talk about it. Forget I ever said anything," you said hurriedly, backtracking.
"Wait, Y/N—"
"No, it's fine. I'm sorry I brought it up."
"Y/N, you're speaking at the speed of light," Bucky laughed. "It's fine that you brought it up. It is something we need to talk about," especially after the slip-up earlier, "And I think we—"
"Barnes! No time to be all lovy-dovy. We need to leave soon!"
Bucky rolled his eyes before he placed his hands on your shoulders. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"
"Talk about what? We don't need to talk!" You said, picking at your fingernails, avoiding his gaze once again.
"Y/N, don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Avoid the conversation. I'm sure you know I'd be more than happy to—"
"Barnes!"
"Alright, fine!" Bucky yelled, cursing underneath his breath. "We'll talk later, okay?" He asked.
You nodded. "Okay..."
He leaned in to place a kiss on your forehead before running off, getting ready to leave for Wakanda.
***
"She asked you about marriage?" Steve asked after having Bucky tell him what had happened.
"Yes! Why would she suddenly ask that?" Bucky asked, grabbing one of his many pocket knives and strapping it onto his thigh. "I thought she... didn't want to move to fast."
"Well, maybe she's warming up to the idea," Steve suggested. "Maybe now that you've taken a big step in your relationship and moved in together, she realized it wasn't so bad and is no longer afraid of taking more big steps."
Bucky sighed, sitting down. "You think so?" He asked, looking down at his hands. "I mean, I guess... She's always trying to avoid these conversations. Why would she suddenly bring it up if she didn't want to... possibly get married?"
Steve hummed as to agree with his friend. "Hey, Buck, the weapons—"
"I mean she did back out and try to avoid talking about it... But that was after I was caught off guard and... yelled."
"Buck—"
"She wants to marry me?" Bucky asked, a smile beginning to form on his face. "I thought she was—"
"Bucky, we have a mission to go on, start getting ready!" Steve said firmly yet barely raising his voice. The change of tone still made Bucky turn to him with a raised brow. The brunette stayed quiet, watching Steve as if waiting for him to add something. Steve sighed and shook his head. "Please?" He asked calmly.
Bucky nodded, standing up and sending a small smile to his friend. "There you go," he said, patting Steve's shoulder quickly before beginning to strap in more weapons.
He heard Steve huff before exiting the room.
Bucky finished getting his weapons ready quickly and begun to head towards the quinjet hangar.
As he got there, he saw you and Ava waiting for him. He jogged over to you immediately and placed his hands on your shoulders. You looked at him with raised brows, surprised. "What's going on?" You asked.
Bucky glanced at the quinjet being readied and then looked back to you. He really wanted to talk to you about before and he for sure knew he wouldn't be able to focus on the mission if he didn't talk to you now.
"James?" You asked, worry lacing your voice. "What's going on?"
"Why did you ask about marriage?" He asked, seeing you tense up.
"James, shouldn't we wait until–"
"No, this can't wait. If we don't clear this up now it's going to bother us both for who knows how long."
You huffed, shaking your head. You ran a hand over your face before looking at Ava who you were holding securely in your arms. By the look showing on your face, Bucky could tell you knew he was right. You two needed to talk now.
"I heard what you said," you admitted, turning back to him. "While Ava and I were walking around the building, we accidentally overheard what you were saying in the meeting."
Bucky's eyes closed and he ran his fingers through his hair. Just as he was beginning to apologize and tell you what he said was just a momentary slip and not something he had thought about (though the latter would have been a lie), you beat him to it.
"I heard you and I felt.. giddy? And I had to ask you about it because I wasn't sure if you really had been thinking about it or if it came out of the blue. Because I have been thinking about it... a little... and I know I said we should take things slow and be careful but... have we ever really been that careful?" You asked while nodding your head at Ava, referring to the night she was conceived.
Bucky chuckled and you did too. You quickly placed a kiss on the side of Ava's head and smiled. "And if something this incredible–" You looked at Ava, running your knuckles over her cheek "–can come from not being careful, maybe we don't have to be too careful about everything in life," you said quietly, biting your lip as you waited for Bucky's answer.
"So... You want to get married?"
You shrugged. "I mean... someday. I still don't think we should really rush into anything. I'm just saying that maybe I don't need to worry too much or play it safe. Sometimes it's just better to do what you want to do and not let fears hold you back."
The hopeful smile on Bucky's face changed into a relieved one. His hands fell from your shoulders only for his arms to wrap around you. You accepted the hug but were surprised by his sudden embrace.
He pulled away after a few seconds and took your face in his hands, smiling wider than you had ever seen him smile.
"I have to go," he said, briefly glancing at the quinjet that a few other Avengers were stepping into, "But when I come back, I'm going to marry you."
"What?" You asked, eyes wide and voice shaky. "James..."
"It doesn't have to be right away, but I'm going to marry you," he said, running his thumbs over your cheeks. "As long as you're okay with that, of course," he added.
You chuckled, shaking your head. "I love you," you sighed and leaned in to kiss him gently, "And I'm more than okay with that."
Bucky pulled you in for another kiss before he hugged you, wrapping his arms around both you and Ava. He also gave Ava a little kiss on the nose which the little girl reciprocated despite having been upset with him earlier.
"Go on, soldier!" You said humorously. "Go win that war and come back to us."
"That's the plan," he said, finally going over to the quinjet.
"Be careful!" You called out, waving as the door started closing. Ava was waving at him too, leaning her head on your chest.
Bucky nodded but didn't say anything, knowing he couldn't promised that. What he was sure about, though, was that he knew he would be coming back to you. No matter what happened, he would not miss on the opportunity to miss out on a happy ever after with you.
As the doors closed, his shoulders slumped slightly but a smile was still on his face. He turned towards his teammates and was met with the proud smile that was on Steve's face.
"I'm gonna marry her," Bucky said with a breathy laugh as if he didn't quite believe you actually agreed.
Steve smiled at his friend, "Congrats," he said. "Well, let's go finish this war."
Bucky nodded. "Let's."
***
Also, I wanted to thank you all for getting my book to #11 in imagines!! I am grateful beyond words that you continue reading my book, voting and leaving amazing and hilarious comments. Although I haven't been the most active writer lately, I'm still happy to see people keep coming back and new people drop by to give this book a try! Thank you all so much for your support. Again, I am grateful beyond words. Thank you.