#tsos

Three years. That’s how long it had been since the world ended and then conveniently stitched itself back together like nothing happened. Three years, since you came back from the Blip and decided—very rationally, you might add—that disappearing again on your terms was the only way to survive it.

Three years of running. Three years of trying not to think about what—or who—you left behind.

The burner phone buzzed once against the counter, screen flashing with a number you didn’t recognize — which, ironically, meant you did.

You stared at it, chewing the inside of your cheek like that would somehow make the call vanish.

Second buzz.

You sighed.

“Goddammit, Wilson. Should’ve known you’d find me eventually,” you said, voice low, hoarse from disuse and cheap cigarettes.

There was a pause, just long enough to sting.

“You always were shit at staying hidden” came Sam’s voice, warm with just enough snark to remind you this wasn’t entirely a social call.

A crooked smile ghosted across your lips as you leaned back against the counter, a chipped ceramic mug in one hand, coffee long gone cold.

“Excuse you. I’ve been off the grid so long, I forgot what my own voice sounds like.”

“Yeah, but I still found you. What’s this, identity number seven?”

“Eight,” you corrected. “But who’s counting?”

“Guess the Norwegian botanist gig didn’t pan out?” Sam chuckled.

“I killed that identity for a tofu vendor gig. Got to wear linen and pretend I was at peace. It was very convincing.”

“You hate tofu.”

“Yeah, well. I was really committing to the bit.”

Sam chuckled softly. But then the laughter faded, replaced by something heavier.

“I know you’ve been trying,” he said gently. “Trying to start fresh. Do something... else.”

There was a pause, long enough to feel like a dare.

“You gonna say ‘but’?” you asked, already bracing.

He exhaled through his nose. “But I don’t think it’s working.”

Your knuckles tightened around the mug. The silence stretched. “I thought I was,” you said. “For a while.”

Because you had been, sort of. At first.

It was easy to pretend. To play normal. There were days where the quiet didn’t feel suffocating, where you could almost believe the life you built wasn’t held together with duct tape and denial.

You were sleeping through the night. Making breakfast. Watching trash TV. Laughing at dumb things. Smiling at strangers. Almost human.

But then the stillness started getting loud.

The nightmares crept back in, uninvited and sharper than before. Not of missions, or gunfire, or enemy intel—those, you could handle. These were different. These were memories.

Your mother’s hands in the garden. Your brother calling you Bug just to piss you off. The last family dinner where no one knew you were already halfway out the door. You used to tell yourself it was noble, what you did. That burning the old life down was worth it.

But in the dark, none of that held up. In the dark, you could still hear the screams and torment. And not just the ones from others. Your own, too. 

A beat passed. You stepped away from the window, drawn to the flickering TV in the corner of the room. You hadn’t turned the damn thing on in weeks. Now it was flashing grainy footage of John Walker shaking hands and flashing a rehearsed grin. The stars and stripes on his chest made your teeth grind.

“You really let that dropkick parade around with the shield?” you muttered, not bothering to hide the disgust in your voice.

Sam groaned. “Don’t start.”

“He looks like someone ironed Steve’s suit onto a wax figure and then taught it how to lie.”

“That’s generous.” Sam grunted.

“He’s a PR stunt with a punchable face.” You really despised this man and you hadn’t even met him. You didn’t want to meet him.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” he said.

You shook your head and turned the TV off, the screen cutting to black with a flicker. “Steve would’ve hated this.”

“He did,” Sam said quietly.

The weight of that landed between you like a stone. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The name had only gotten harder to say since he’d… left. Since the shield passed hands. Since everything broke apart.

“I need you on something,” Sam said finally, voice a shade more serious. “We’ve got a situation brewing. Weapons smuggling, data leaks, all the usual mess. This one’s different, though. Real quiet. Real coordinated. Thought it might be your kind of thing.”

“You’re calling to ask for my help or to tell me I’ve already been volunteered?”

“Bit of both.”

You arched a brow. “You just miss having me in your ear, admit it.”

“That too,” he said, and you could hear the smile return to his voice. “I wouldn’t be calling if I had other options. But you’re still the best I’ve got.”

You hesitated, letting the pause stretch out. “Where?”

“I’ll send you coordinates. You’ll be working remotely, running comms and intel. Nothing on the ground.”

“And who else is on the team?” There was a silence. Not long, but long enough.

“Barnes,” he said finally. “And... Walker.” Your throat tightened. Of course.

“You didn’t tell Bucky you were calling me, did you?” Anxiety slowly creeping up your spine.

“Would you have picked up if I did?” Fair point.

“He’s... been different,” Sam added, cautiously. “Since the Blip. Since—everything. But he’s trying. He really is.”

“I’m not.” The words came faster than you meant them to.

Sam didn’t push it. “You answering my call at all says otherwise.”

You didn’t answer. Just stared at the black screen where Walker’s face had just been, distorted in static, and thought about how easy it had been to disappear. How hard it was to stay gone.

You’d carved yourself a quiet life out of the rubble — made it your religion not to look back. But the moment Sam’s voice cracked through the static, all that dust you’d buried rose up like ash in your lungs.

“Fine,” you said. “I’ll run intel over coms. But I’m not getting on the ground, I haven't trained combat in years”

“Not asking you to.”

“Don’t let him talk to me.”

“Which him?”

You didn’t answer that either. And Sam didn’t press. “I’ll send the drop point,” he said softly.

You ended the call before he could say anything else.

flashback

The sun was beginning to set, casting long golden fingers across the lush canopy that framed the edge of the Wakandan safe zone. From the hut’s open doorway, you watched the way the light bled through the trees, painting everything in warm, dying fire.

Behind you, the wooden floor creaked softly. You didn’t need to look to know it was him.

“You’re not resting,” Bucky said, his voice rough from sleep.

You smirked, arms folded over the railing. “You sound like Shuri.”

“She’s right.” A pause. “You never stop moving.”

“And you’re one to talk?”

That earned you a quiet huff — the closest he got to laughter most days. His presence moved closer. You felt it before you heard it. The subtle shift of air. That quiet storm energy he carried, always simmering. Always one bad day from boiling over.

“You were with Ayo today?” you asked.

His jaw tightened. “Yeah. She ran through a few more words. Just to see.” He shrugged, but it didn’t look casual. “I didn’t… snap this time.”

“That’s good,” you said softly.

He didn’t answer. Just looked out toward the trees, the silence suddenly too heavy for the space you were sharing.

“She says I’m close. To the end of it.”

“You’ve made a lot of progress, Bucky. You should be proud of yourself.” You gave him a small smile, but he didn’t quite return it. Just looked at you, brow furrowed like he wanted to say something but couldn’t get it out.

“You’re still looking at me like I’m going to snap,” he said after a moment.

Your heart dropped.

“I’m not,” you replied, too quickly.

“You are.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Bucky.”

He studied you for a moment longer, then looked away, jaw tight.

“But you were watching me.” He said it like a fact, not an accusation. “Back in Bucharest. After what happened with Steve. I wasn’t stupid — I knew someone was following me.”

You said nothing.

“Steve told you to keep an eye on me?”

A beat passed. “Yes,” you admitted. “At first.”

His eyes met yours then, sharp and unreadable.

“And after?”

You swallowed. “After... I wasn’t doing it for Steve anymore.”

Something shifted in his expression. Like a crack in armor — small, but real. He looked away again, down at his hand, fingers flexing like he didn’t quite trust they belonged to him.

“You think I’m still him,” he said. “The Winter Soldier.”

“I don’t,” you said, stepping closer. “But you do.”

He flinched like you’d hit him.

“I see you,” you added, softer this time. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

The silence stretched between you like a taut wire. You could feel the tension in your chest — the part of you that had been trying so hard not to care too much. To keep your distance. Keep it professional. Just until he was stable. Just until you could leave.

But there was nothing professional about the way he was looking at you now.

“I shouldn’t be here,” you whispered.

“Why?” His voice was low. Raw. “Because of what I did?”

“No. Because of how I feel.”

That stopped him cold.

The air between you buzzed — tense and fragile, like it might crack if either of you moved too fast. You felt your pulse in your throat, in your fingertips, in the space between where he ended and you began. You were suddenly so aware of how close he was. How few barriers still stood between you and everything you’d tried to ignore.

“I’ve killed people,” Bucky said quietly, voice just above a whisper. “I’ve hurt people.”

You didn’t blink. Didn’t back away.

“And I’ve hunted people,” you said. “Lied to people I love. Built systems that could level entire nations. You think that makes either of us clean?”

He didn’t reply. Just watched you — like you were the first light he’d seen in a long, long time.

Your voice softened. “You’re not a monster, Bucky. You never were. You were just… alone.”

And now you were close. Too close. Inches. Breaths. The space between you felt electric. His hand lifted slowly, hesitating at the edge of your jaw like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to touch. Like the smallest move might ruin everything.

“I don’t want to mess this up,” he said, barely audible.

You gave him a crooked smile, sad and sure all at once. “You already have. So have I.”

And then his hand touched your face — rough and warm, grounding. You leaned into his palm without thinking, like your whole body had been waiting for this. Like this was the first real thing you’d felt in months.

You don’t remember who kissed who first.

Only that it was desperate and aching, like you both knew it wasn’t going to last. Like you’d already made peace with the fact that everything was about to come crashing down.

But for now, in this sliver of stolen time, you let yourselves fall.