The Mimic

185

It was a game of cat and mouse.

Everyone was looking out for the gauntlet, passing it back and forth like a hot potato between one another. Holding the gauntlet for even a few seconds put a target on your head. The aliens would become more aggressive - tackling, snatching, slicing - all desperate to be the one to give it to Thanos.

Everyone was alert. Everyone was communicating clearly. Except for y/n.

She was still in Bucky's arms, her face buried deep into his chest. Y/n's eyes were squeezed shut as her body heaved with every shaky breath. She was so, so overwhelmed. The fact that it hadn't even been twenty-four hours felt impossible. Now, y/n had never had a great grip on time, but it had never been that bad. So much happened, so many emotions, so much pain. Her head felt completely scrambled - which wasn't a new feeling, but it was definitely scary. The only thing keeping her from crumbling to the ground was the super soldier holding her close.

Bucky was her safe place. It didn't matter if he stunk of sweat and dirt, she could stay in his hold for hours. No matter the weather, he was always warm, and it was something that y/n cherished. He was like her own personal heater during cold days. The super soldier would always complain about it, telling her that she could 'literally form fire out of thin air', but deep down y/n knew that he loved it.

It was nice to have him back. Hell, it was far more than nice to have him back. Bucky was the only person y/n had left that she could fully relax around. She'd kept her guard up for five years. Five long years with a stone-cold face. Five long years of crying every night when she was sure that nobody could hear her. And now he was back. Bucky could look into her eyes and understand everything going on inside her head. He didn't need y/n to explain anything, he just understood. It was something that y/n had forgotten about, but something that she never wanted to lose again. They understood each other more than anyone else ever could.

"Y/n." Sam's voice suddenly called out over the earpiece, ripping y/n out of her thoughts.

Y/n let out a shaky breath, fidgeting a little in Bucky's arms. She didn't want to respond. She didn't want to move away from Bucky and face the harsh reality in front of her. Bucky's arms felt like a warm blanket around her, she didn't want to be forced out into the cruel cold again. Y/n was exhausted and in an unimaginable amount of pain, mentally and physically. She just wanted to stay in Bucky's arms until the fight ended, but she knew that wasn't an option.

"Can you hear me, y/n?" Sam repeated. He'd seen noticed y/n tucked away in Bucky's arms on the battlefield, but he knew better than to mention it, so he decided to do the next best thing. Distract her enough to make her forget about whatever was going on in her head. "How do you feel about going for a little jog with the gauntlet?"

Y/n couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the way Sam worded his offer. It was far more than a 'little jog', but that was exactly how the pair used to speak during missions. She lifted her head up, wiping the tears off of her face with her mucky hands. Tear-glazed eyes scanned the sky for Sam, but it was far too busy up there for her to see anything. "Depends, is it an offer or a challenge?" Y/n asked through her earpiece, her voice raspy and broken, but Sam seemed to ignore that.

"Oh, you want a challenge?" Sam teased with a laugh. They always used to set stupid little challenges during normal missions, whether it be reciting song lyrics without getting caught, or making themselves a hot drink mid-fight. "Fine. I challenge you to last more than twenty seconds with the gauntlet without getting touched by any aliens. I only lasted ten seconds!"

"Yeah, but that's just because you're bad." Y/n teased, laughing weakly at the sound of a dramatic gasp from Sam. She slowly moved away from Bucky's hold, blinking hard to allow her eyes to adjust to her surroundings again. She was ready to move. Sam had completely distracted her, and now she was full of adrenaline and ready to prove him wrong. She could beat twenty seconds. That was easy. "Where's the gauntlet?" Y/n asked, taking a step away from Bucky to begin to scan her surroundings. But, just as she stepped away, a vibranium hand grabbed her wrist, keeping her from taking any further steps.

Bucky was still worried about her, and the concern was clear in his eyes. "Are you sure about this? I can make up an excuse if you need some more time to breathe." He offered, gently pulling y/n close to him again. He didn't want her to crumble again, especially if y/n wasn't going to be anywhere near him. "Sam's just being stupid, you don't have to go through with everything he says."

A small smile played at y/n's lips at the concern riddled across Bucky's face. God, she'd missed everything about him. "I'm sure." She hummed in a reassuring tone. "What makes you think I do everything that Sam asks?" Y/n teased, earning a wide-eyed look from Bucky. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but y/n quickly shut him up by pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I want to do this. Having a bit of fun will help me get my mind off of things."

Bucky rolled his eyes with a bashful smile as y/n shut him up with a kiss to the lips. He always fell for her teases, it was sweet. "Fine." He sighed, easing his grip on y/n's wrist, letting her hand fall back down to her side. "But you've got to tell me if you're feeling uneasy, okay? No hiding anything." The super soldier said seriously, he was unsure of how much he'd missed, but she seemed to have been through a lot. He didn't want her to go through anything else alone.

"Clint's running with the gauntlet! There's one of those alien-worm-things above him, and there's a big pile of flaming debris on his right. Go get it." Sam responded, keeping an eye on Clint from the skies.

"No hiding anything." Y/n repeated with a nod. An excited smile had appeared on her face as Sam finally responded to her, hopping from foot to foot due to all of the adrenaline coursing through her. After a final kiss to Bucky's cheek, y/n teleported away, leaving Bucky alone to continue the fight.

Bucky let out a nervous breath as y/n teleported away. He couldn't help but feel nervous. There was no such thing as a 'bit of fun' on a battlefield, but there was no point in telling y/n that. She was a thrill seeker. A crazy adrenaline junkie that he couldn't help but adore.