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litttle-annie-adderall · 3 years

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Vanish Into My Arms (WinterSpider) - Part 1

Summary: At the end of the Infinity War, Thanos has won the war. Everyone who dusted away find themselves in a strange place with no idea where they are. While everyone frantically searches for their friends and family, Peter spots a familiar face in a soldier he fought in Germany a few years ago. Torn between his need for a familiar face and his loyalty to his mentor, Peter makes a decision that will affect the rest of his life.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Bucky Barnes

Word Count: 10.8k (damn that’s long, I'm sorry)

A/N: Hey y’all! I’ve been working on this for excessively long time, so I hope you like it! It’s four parts total and the whole thing is written, I just have to edit and post them! This story will NOT be forgotten! I’ve posted this on my AO3 (@lynnnieee) as well!

Story on AO3

Slight spoiler for clarification: There is no real way for them to tell time, but I tried to insert people (mainly Peter) guessing how much time has passed using their internal clocks to make the timeline easier to follow because the time between intervals is not equal.

Italics are also mainly Peter’s thoughts.

Thank you and happy reading!! (:

The moment the dust of what had just been Mantis blew away into the wind, Peter knew it was coming for him. What it is exactly, he's not sure, but his spider-sense is burning hot inside his core and causing a small ringing in the back of his head. Drax disappears next, and Peter feels something looming over him. As if Thanos is standing directly behind him and Peter can't move to escape because it's already too late.

"Steady, Quill," Tony says. His voice catches Peter's attention and he looks at his mentor. Please don't take Mr. Stark too, Peter desperately thinks as Quill fades away before his eyes.

The invisible dark cloud behind him is drawing closer and his sense turns the volume of the ringing up to loud alarm bells, begging for him to move or fight or do something, anything, to hold on a little longer to his body.

Tony turns to Dr. Strange, who seems entirely too calm about his impending fate as he says, "There was no other way," before he disintegrates into thin air. Peter feels a sob bubble up in his throat. He's running out of time and he doesn't know what to do.

"Mr. Stark," He chokes out, his balance suddenly beginning to tilt. He twists his wrist, staring at his palm, but it doesn't matter because his body is going numb and he can't feel it anymore. "I don't feel so good." Peter desperately looks to Tony for help.

"You're alright," The man tries to reassure him, but Peter can tell he's afraid too.

"I don't... I don't know what's happening," His feet start to wobble, "I don't know..." His legs give out and he collapses into Tony's arms, clinging onto the inventor for dear life, "I don't want to go," He says, a small sob escaping his mouth.

Tony drops to his knees, holding onto Peter. "Mr. Stark, please, I don't want to go, I don't want to go," Tony sets him down on the ground. The boy is lying on his back in the sienna-colored dirt and mud on the ground, his head leaning against a rock. Peter can plainly see the terror in Tony's eyes as he continues to ramble on, "I don't wanna go."

But it's over too soon, it's too late for him. The dark presence is circling around his body and his spider-sense doesn't know what to do, doesn't know why he's not moving or running away or reacting. His whole body shakes and he knows he's started to dust. He looks at Tony one last time and whispers, "I'm sorry."

Peter shifts his gaze from Tony, choosing to look up at his last view of outer space, something that before this afternoon was only a thing of his dreams, before his vision is overtaken by a bright flash of white light and what's left of his body is blown away by the wind.

~~~

Peter feels like he's been thrust into another dimension. As if every atom in his body was ripped apart only to be forced back together seconds later. He sucks in a huge gulp of air and tries to steady himself before opening his eyes.

By the time he actually peels them open, he realizes he has no idea what he's actually looking at. The sky above him is a misty yet bright orange, like the sun rising at dawn, and the only thing he can see for miles is the Downtown New York Public Library in front of him. He blinks a few times, trying to reassure himself that that can't possibly be what he's looking at.

"Peter?" Someone calls from behind him. He whips around to search for the voice when he suddenly freezes. Standing in front of him and leaning against a pastel yellow old-fashioned car is a man in a worn brown zip-up jacket with a red flannel underneath.

"No," Peter breathes. This can't be right, he thinks, looking in all other directions for any sign of what's going on. But the library, the car, and his Uncle Ben are still the only things there.

"I've missed you, son," Ben says, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Uncle Ben," Peter feels the tears falling down his face, "Y-You're not really here, right? You're just my imagination?" Peter tries to convince himself this is all some crazy dream, but he's having a very hard time believing himself as the man begins to approach him.

"I'm here, Peter, I'm here for you," Ben stops a foot away from him, waiting for Peter to come to him.

And with those words, Peter can't take it any longer. Tears start pouring from his eyes and he throws himself into his uncle's arms, holding on for dear life. "I've missed you so much," He cries into Ben's shoulder.

"Oh, Pete, I've missed you too, but it's okay, you're going to be okay," He tries to calm down his nephew with a gentle smile on his face.

"How are you here? What even is here?" Peter pulls back slightly, whipping his eyes with the back of his hand. He sees the expanse of orange nothingness over his uncle's shoulder, "Where are we?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you all the answers right now," Ben sighs, keeping a firm grip on the boy, "We don't have very much time to spend together."

Peter's heart stops, "What do you mean?" He suddenly pulls back and really looks at the details around him. Uncle Ben's car, Ben's clothes, the library...No, this can't be happening again. "N-No, you don't mean...?"

"Peter-"

He covers his mouth with his hand, "No, y-you die today, Uncle Ben!"

"I know."

"You know?" Peter shakes his head rapidly, too many thoughts appearing in his mind all at once, "How can you know? It-It... You can stop it! You have to!"

"No, I'm afraid that's not-"

"You have to!" Peter explodes, "I-I can stop it! I won't go to the fight, I-I won't let him get away this time, I can stop it! I can save you this time, right Uncle Ben?"

"Peter," Ben says quietly, placing his hands on Peter's shoulders to steady him, "You can't stop it. It's in the past and it's already happened."

More tears shine in Peter's eyes, "But that's why you're here, right? For me to make things right? To let me save you?"

"No, Pete, that's not why I'm here," Ben whispers, wiping away the boy's tears with his thumb, "I'm so sorry, but we can't save each other this time. You can't save me from the past and I can't save you from this place."

"But why do I need to be saved? I don't even know where I am," Petter mutters still trying to wrap his head around the feeling of being in Ben's arms again.

Ben grins at him, "I'm just here to tell you that no matter what happened then, and no matter what happens from now on, I'm so proud of you, my boy. I'm so proud of all that you've become, of all the people you've helped and of the person you've grown up to be."

Peter gapes at his uncle before whispering, "You know that I'm Spider-Man?"

"Of course I do, son," Ben chuckles with a small wink, "I know a lot more than I'm supposed to be letting on."

Peter doesn't really understand what that's supposed to mean, but he doesn't care. "I love you so much, Uncle Ben," He sniffles, "We miss you so much."

"I miss you both more than you'll ever know, but everything's going to be alright, okay, kid?"

Peter starts to feel slightly dizzy and his spider-sense is buzzing like crazy inside his head again. He looks up at Ben in disbelief, "I'm gonna dust away again, aren't I?"

"I'm afraid so, Peter. But remember what I said on this day?" Ben holds him in place as if he's trying to hold him in this place for as long as possible.

"With great power comes great responsibilities," Peter recounts, "I've been trying so hard to listen to you, Uncle Ben."

"And you've done an amazing job. You're going to be just fine, Peter. This is your way station to the future and you know I wouldn't lie to you. Just remember to always see the good in people, because you never who you'll find a home in. I love you, my son." The smile on Ben's face is the warmest thing Peter's seen in a long time and he wants to cry all over again.

Peter can barely process the words he's hearing as the ringing in his head grows increasingly louder and his legs go numb. "You're my what?" He tries to ask but it's too late, he's out of time again. And this time around, it's the darkness that takes him away completely.

~~~

Peter knows he must be conscious again when he feels a throbbing yet surprisingly dull ache in the back of his head. His fingers feel wet as they lie beside his body on the ground and he groans, his eyes flickering awake again. Above him, he sees the same bright amber sky he did when he was with Ben. A part of him is tempted to run in search of Ben again, but he knows he won't be here. With his Parker luck, that would just be too good to be true.

He slowly sits up, cringing at the pain it causes to his head. He carefully places a hand on the back of his neck and rubs the base of his skull. The ground beneath him has a thin layer of water resting on top of it, and he can't quite tell if it's yellow sand or something else under the liquid. His fingertips swipe against the ends of his hair and he realizes it isn't wet even though he was just laying down in the water. He swirls his other hand in the pool, but it simply rolls off his hand instead of sticking to his skin.

That's when he notices that the dirt that had caked up on the Iron Spider suit during the battle with Thanos is gone. His entire suit is as clean and sparkling as it was the day Mr. Stark gifted it to him. "What the..." Peter mumbles to himself, before finally looking up at everything else around him.

There are thousands of people scattered all around him, and the amber landscape stretches on forever, just like it did with Ben. He feels like he's looking into a mirror reflection of another mirror, but it never ends and the number of people just keeps expanding. He watches on as more and more people keep materializing out of thin air. Some people are hugging each other, lots are crying, and many are wandering around aimlessly, probably looking for their loved ones.

Peter quickly brings himself to his feet and scans the crowds for any familiar faces. Logically, the Guardians and Dr. Strange should be around here somewhere, Peter thinks, but he doesn't see them anywhere. Peter's eyes nearly bulge out of his head when a grown man walks past him, one with head-to-toe blue skin and a long, thin tail sticking dragging in the water behind him. He does a double-take before quickly looking closer at the people around him. People being a loose term in this circumstance, but he's pretty sure that's a lion with her baby cub far off to the right. Peter's mildly conflicted between trying to get a closer look and running away for fear of being eaten.

Peter mostly sees humans surrounding him, or at least what he assumes are humans, but could truly be a life form from any other planet, he supposes. Just as he turns around, the biggest butterfly he's ever seen (at least a three-foot wingspan!) swoops down over his head and flies off into the distance. The never-ending orange light continues to stretch out behind him in this direction now as well. The library and the car are gone, but they've been replaced by a large brown pavilion, made out of what seems to be wood, but Peter has yet to see any trees here, so he knows that can't be possible, right? Then again, if aliens are here and he saw his dead uncle, anything is possible, right?

Leaning against one of the pillars of the large gazebo-like structure is the only person Peter sees that doesn't look frantic or scared. The tall man with long brown hair has his arms crossed over his chest and is staring up at the new sky. His face is pretty emotionless, but Peter can tell there's a hint of remorse under all that brooding. His face isn't what catches Peter's attention though, it's his left arm. It appears to be... glistening in the amber light. Is he in heaven? Is he dead? Jesus?

Peter quickly shakes that thought away, telling himself how stupid that is. He can't help but walk towards the man anyway though. He's stunned with the realization that the man in front of him is The Winter Soldier. He freezes, not knowing what to do now. On the one hand, he's never officially met the man except for that one time two years ago when they briefly fought in Germany, but he's sure that the Winter Soldier has more important things to remember than him. Though that's honestly the least of Peter's concerns, really. He's completely aware of exactly what Tony thinks of the man and Peter can't help but wonder if his mentor would feel betrayed if Peter tried to be friendly with the soldier. Peter's not afraid of the soldier, he knows he's strong and could probably beat him if he ever needed to, but the Winter Soldier did murder Tony's parents, after all. Peter should probably avoid him because of that, right? Logically, he understands that the soldier was being mind-controlled and probably went through more torture than anyone else involved in the situations, but would that matter to his mentor? The person who's spent so much of his time training him and just hanging out with him? Giving him more family besides May?

But on the other hand... the soldier is familiar. Peter has no idea where he is, or if he's even alive, and even though he doesn't know this guy much beyond his name and scattered bits of his past, he knows Captain America trusts him, and honestly, Peter really wants something familiar right now. He wants someone from home, even if that's as vague as someone who lived in Brooklyn 80 years ago. He wants someone who knows him, even if they maybe don't remember him, and someone who knows about the ordeal with Thanos. Peter scans his surroundings one last time, looking for anyone else he might see that he knows. But at last, he takes a big deep breath and walks the final six feet over to the man, pushing down the small ball of guilt in his head and hoping that Tony would understand.

As Peter gets closer, he senses the cold energy the man lets off. His stance seems to command people to back off with arms tightly crossed over his navy bulletproof vest, the gold lines on his new, black, metal arm shining under the light. His lips are pressed together in a tight line, but Peter notices the depressed yet foreboding look in his eyes and wonders if maybe he's actually a little scared underneath his brooding exterior.

"Um, Mr. Winter Soldier, sir?" Peter says, trying to sound confident. The man turns his head towards him and raises his eyebrow. Peter shuffles his feet, "I'm-I'm Peter, Peter Parker. You probably don't remember me without the, um, the mask, but we met, briefly, in Germany a few years ago," Peter bites his lip and rubs his palms together nervously.

The soldier stares at him for a moment before giving the slightest of head nods, "You're that spider thing, yeah?"

Peter nods quickly, "Y-Yes, that's me, sir."

"Right," Bucky eyes the boy warily, "Just call me Bucky, kid."

"Okay, Mr.- uh Bucky," Peter's lip twitches with a small, nervous smile because holy shit, Bucky Barnes remembers him. "Do you- uh, have any idea where we are?" Peter glances around to make sure nobody is listening to them before leaning in and whispering, "This is because of Thanos, right?"

The sadness Peter sensed in Bucky's face earlier returns to his expression, glazing over in his eyes, "Yeah, this is Thanos," Bucky stares back up to the sky, "He killed Vision in Wakanda, took the mind stone, snapped his fingers, and that was that. Here we are." He shakes his head, putting on his blank stare again, "As for where or what here is, I'm not sure."

Peter tries to suppress the fear bubbling up in him, "Are we dead? Have you found anyone else from home? Any of the other Avengers?" If they are dead, Peter can only hope and pray once more than Mr. Stark isn't here. Or Aunt May, or Ned, or... or anyone he loves. He'd rather be on his own than have all his loved ones be dead along with him. Plus, maybe he'll find some company in Bucky.

But if they are dead... that means Uncle Ben and his parents should be around here somewhere, right? Although, Peter thinks, all this nothingness isn't exactly what he pictured when he thought about Heaven. And if this was Heaven, shouldn't God be around here somewhere? He could imagine everyone growing very bored very fast here. Does that mean it's Hell then?

Bucky raises his eyebrow at Peter again, this time as he sarcastically looks around for other people they know. Peter snaps out of his lull and cringes, "Right, sorry, dumb question."

"Thanos wanted to wipe out fifty percent of all living things in the universe, so I have no idea if we'll find people we know even if they are here. I already see lotta aliens though." Bucky states, looking out into the ever-growing crowds.

"B-But, I mean, I sort of know you, and I found you, so it's not impossible, right?" Peter all but begs him. Ben may not be here, but if Aunt May or Ned or Mr. Stark are, he needs to know about it. He has to be able to do something to find them.

His desperate hope seems to catch Bucky off guard as the man finally makes eye contact with him. "Kid," He sighs, "I don't know how far out this place goes, whatever it is. It could be like finding a needle in the universe's largest haystack."

"But we can't just give up!" Peter nearly yells, catching the attention of a blonde woman in the pavilion before she quickly turns back to the crying child in front of her. "I mean, what if Captain Rogers is here, wouldn't you want to find him?" Peter asks, the desperation once again slipping into his tone.

Bucky presses his lips together into a thin line, "I don't know what you want me to tell you. If you want to run off and go searching for your family, be my guest, but you and I both know that this place probably goes on forever and you might not find your way back to this point if you do." Bucky sighs again, glaring at the ground, "Steve's not here, and it's not like I've got anybody else to search for, so I'll be here until I see a reason to be somewhere else."

"But how do you kn-" Peter tries to ask, but the glare Bucky gives him tells him to stop, so instead he just nods, "Okay," Peter mumbles. Maybe he'll take Bucky's advice and just wait it out here until the chaos dies down. If the chaos ever dies down.

He sits down into the water and leans his back against the pillar. Staring at Bucky's black boots for a second, he realizes that they almost seem to rest on top of the water instead of plunging beneath it. He dips his fingers into the clear liquid again but it rolls off, the same as when he woke up. "You know, for being water, this stuff is pretty non-absorbant." Peter blurts out, catching Bucky's eye.

"What?" Bucky questions, frowning down at the boy on the ground. Peter's not entirely sure if Bucky's asking about the water or more so just what's wrong with him, but Peter decides to assume the former.

"Yeah, look," Peter cups a small amount of the liquid in his hand and dumps it right on top of his head. Bucky's eyebrows both shoot up and now he's definitely asking himself what's wrong with Peter, but to Peter's point, the water slides right off his hair like oil, leaving dry strands behind. Bucky slowly sinks down to sit beside Peter, his interest peaked. Peter smiles to himself at the small victory, trying to push away the thoughts of being stuck here forever to instead be in this moment with Bucky.

Bucky cups his hand full of the water and spills it onto his cargo pants. Sure enough, it slides right off in tiny droplets, rejoining itself with the pool on the ground. "Are you sure it's water?" Bucky asks quietly, swishing his metal finger around in the curious liquid.

"Huh," Peter considers it, "I didn't think of that. Guess we should give it a try, right?" Before Bucky can respond, Peter cups more in his hand and brings it to his mouth.

"Wait, don't-" The soldier goes to stop him, but it's too late, Peter's already drinking it.

He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth and determines, "Tastes like water."

Bucky gives him a blank stare before saying, "That literally could have been anything and you drank it anyway." Peter shrugs, and Bucky rolls his eyes, but actually chuckles, "You remind me of Steve."

"Really?" Peter smiles, thinking what a compliment that is to receive from Captain America's best friend.

"Yeah," Bucky smirks, "You're small and careless."

Peter's grin grows, "So like, pre-serum Captain America?"

"With the strength of post-serum Steve." Bucky nods, then hesitates before adding, "Couldn't believe when you'd caught my punch like it was nothing that day." Some of Bucky's old Brooklyn accent slips into his voice, and it makes Peter feel much more at home than he thinks it should.

Peter looks at Bucky's new vibranium arm, the metal fingers still dipped below the water's surface. "I thought your arm was the coolest thing in the world, still kinda do, if I'm being honest." Bucky gives him such a sincere smile that Peter has to look away in fear of blushing too hard, "Mr. Stark would never admit it, but I think he got a lot of inspiration from the dynamics of your old arm for the new Stark line of prosthetics."

Peter instantly regrets bringing up the genius when Bucky's smile drops. "So, you're actually really close with Stark, huh?" He asks, seeming so unsure of himself for someone who is often thought of as a terrifying assassin. Peter nods but winces at the guilty look that spreads across Bucky's face. "Right," Bucky whispers to himself, staring off into the distance. Peter recognizes from experience the look in his eyes and realizes his mind is probably drifting into dangerous waters.

Although he'd like to reaffirm to Bucky that he doesn't judge him based on his past because that wasn't really him, his loyalty to Tony gets caught in his throat, stopping the words. He shakes his head, sensing Bucky would rather move on from the topic anyway. "Do you like the new arm better? Where'd you get it anyway?"

Bucky's eyes dart back to the boy next to him who's staring at his prosthetic like it's one of the seven wonders of the world. "It's a hell of a lot lighter, that's for sure," Bucky explains, his jaw still tight, "I used to get serious backaches from lugging around the old one. The princess of Wakanda made it for me after Steve took me there to get my mind fixed."

Peter's eye bulge out of his head, "You lived in Wakanda? That's so awesome. I've seen King T'Challa on the news since they opened their borders and it looks so amazing. The technology is just so, so groundbreaking and unbelievable there!"

Bucky's expression finally softens and he smiles at Peter's ramblings, "It was very beautiful. You'd probably like Princess Shuri, I think she's around your age and she runs all the technology in Wakanda."

"Did you know her?" Peter gasps excitedly.

"Not much," Bucky grins thinking back on his home in Wakanda, his first real home since Brooklyn, "She was real busy and I was content on my farm. I never knew I loved animals so much until the king gave me a small cottage and some land to raise livestock."

Peter can't believe that the Winter Soldier seemed so fulfilled living on a small farm raising animals, the simple life. But he deserves that happiness after all he's been through. "Did you have a favorite kind of animal to raise?" Peter asks as he tries not to let it show on his face that he's just realized Bucky's been ripped away from his home once again.

"Goats," Bucky chuckles, "Man, I loved those goats." He doesn't seem sad about the loss though, Peter thinks he looks happy to reminisce about it. He probably hasn't gotten to talk about it much.

"You have goats? I love goats, I've always wanted to see one!" Peter exclaims.

Bucky quirks his eyebrow, "You've never seen a goat in person?"

Peter shakes his head, "Nope, I've always lived in the city and there aren't a whole lot of farms or petting zoos in New York City." Peter's eyes light up with an idea, "Hey, maybe when all of this is over, I can come and visit your goats in Wakanda!"

Bucky smiles at Peter's hopefulness. If Thanos has all the infinity stones, they both know they're probably not getting out of this. They'll be here for the rest of their lives like the Mad Titan intended, but they could both use something peaceful to look forward to right now. "Yeah, sure, Peter."

"Promise?" Peter holds out his pinky, a nervous half-smile gracing his face.

Bucky chuckles, gripping it in return with his own pinky, a soft warmth humming through his body at the touch, "Promise."

~~~

It didn't take long for Peter to figure out that pretty much no one knows anything about where they are, and it's become abundantly clear there are few ways to get any definitive answers to the hundreds of questions floating around. It's not entirely hopeless though, Peter acknowledges, as they've all collectively learned some useful things since the day they first arrived.

First of all, Peter realized right away that there is no way of telling time, as the burnt orange light never grows any darker or brighter, it's always just as they found it. If he had to guess based on only his internal clock, Peter would say it's been about a week since he first woke up. With his extensive scientific knowledge, however, he deduces that time could be moving faster or slower here than it does on Earth, much like how time works significantly differently in the quantum realm. Therefore, any time predictions he can make are essentially useless to everybody but his own state of mind, as Bucky likes to remind him when the spiderling pesters him with questions about the time.

"How long do you think we've been here?"

"No clue. God, I hope this stupid light dulls at some point."

"But if you had to guess? How long has it felt?"

"Jesus, Peter, I don't know. A dozen hours at the most, maybe?"

"Okay, good I guess. I was thinking half a day so at least we're thinking the thing."

"Even though it doesn't really matter because we'll never know if that's accurate."

"Right, yeah, of course. Were there already a lot of people here when you woke up?"

"Not really, it was pretty sparse."

"Were you alone for long before I found you?"

"...Peter."

"I know, I know! We have zero way of knowing and all that, but do you think you were?"

"No, not really."

"So, if you had to guess-"

"I get the feeling you're going to make me."

"-How many hours would you say?"

"Although this is just my interpretation and it means nothing-"

"Of course, of course."

"-Less than an hour."

"Wow, so really not long in the grand scheme of things."

"Sure."

"Hey, Bucky?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"I haven't seen anyone else rapidly materialize for a while now."

"Me neither."

"How long would you say it's been-"

"PETER!"

The other findings of their new world were also pretty immediate. Whatever sort of beings this place has turned them into eliminated their need for food, drink, and the use of a bathroom. That was actually quite a relief to discover because this realm is sorely lacking all those things. Days had passed (possibly) when people began to talk outside their small groups and everyone agreed that they were not hungry or thirsty, but also didn't have any insufficiencies in strength or energy because of it. The elderly were stronger than they had been in their life forms and those who had been ill were healed upon arrival.

As for sleep, it's unclear to Peter whether they still need it or not. He has rested and fallen asleep a couple of times, but more out of boredom than real exhaustion. Aside from being able to feel things and each other, it's almost as if they're ghosts.

What Peter noticed the humans around him struggled with the most is the lack of privacy. With only about a dozen large pavilions discovered so far in the seemingly never-ending orange expanse, privacy was nearly impossible to achieve. The other species were an entirely different story though. Most of the other human-like species wanted their privacy as well, while all the animals or species without the ability to communicate vocally with humans seemed to have no problem with having no place to take shelter. Because none of them were hungry, the prey learned they had no reason to hide from predators.

A rather recent development came in the form of King T'Challa and his goal of reuniting people and families as best he can. Peter guessed it was around five days in when he and Bucky first caught sight of King T'Challa and his sister, the princess of Wakanda, Shuri. Bucky saw them first and was quick to drag Peter along with him to meet them, but Peter's sure Bucky's intentions for bringing him along had more to do with not wanting to lose sight of him in the crowds and less about introducing the boy to his royal friends. T'Challa had apparently awoken with his sister fairly close by. The King explained that most of the people around them were very distressed and alone, and so he and Shuri have taken up the job of helping people find with their families ever since. While it's been a struggle, but he has a plan in place, starting with collecting last names and finding multilingual beings of any species willing to help him out. For the humans T'Challa can communicate with, he's done his best to explain the Thanos situation, in the hopes that it will soon become common knowledge among the intelligible species here.

Aside from those baseline discoveries, that's been... it, really. Peter has yet to find any sign of his family or friends and therefore spent his whole week with Bucky. They can't do much because as beautiful as it is, this remains a pretty dull place. So, he and Bucky just talk, take breaks to stare at their new sky for some quiet, and occasionally sleep out of boredom. As far as companionship goes though, Peter thinks he could have done so much worse than Bucky. He'd actually argue that Bucky's company is the best he could have. The soldier was understandably stiff at first, but Peter did his best to stay positive and make witty remarks whenever he can, just like he does as Spider-Man. Bucky eventually started quipping back instead of just staring at Peter. His jokes were so subtle at first Peter almost missed it, but they soon fell in sync with each other. Even though it hasn't been that long, Peter thinks he's defintiley made a true friend.

"I think I'm gonna take the Iron Spider suit off, it's getting too hot in here."

"Do whatever you want, kid."

"...Um, Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you have a second fully equipped Spider-Man suit under your state-of-the-art Spider-Man suit?"

"Oh! Um, yeah, I forgot about that."

"Did you now?"

"Stop laughing, I can explain!"

"I'm waiting."

"Well, you see, Mr. Stark said to save the wizard and so I followed the Squidward alien who captured Dr. Strange onto the donut ship, but then as I webbed onto the side of it, it started flying back into space-"

"..."

"-And the higher it went, the less I could breathe, obviously, because I was on the outside of the ship. Did I already say that? Whatever. Anyway, Mr. Stark flew up in his Iron Man suit and sent the Iron Spider suit to me to cover me over my original Spider-Man suit as I passed out and fell off the ship so I could breathe again and you know, live-"

"..."

"Then he tried to send me back home by releasing the suit's parachute but I webbed myself onto the donut again because I figured he'd need the back up in space."

"..."

"So, yeah. Two suits."

"...Did you ever save the wizard?"

"Yup! Wait, no. Well, yes from Squidward. But then he died again when Thanos snapped us all away. He should be around here somewhere. The Guardians too."

"So, are we deciding that being here means we're dead then?"

"Maybe, I'm not actually sure what to call this."

"I'm gonna go with being dead. That would be a relief. Life is too fucking stressful."

"You know, I think you'd be great in the 21st Century, Bucky."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! Your dark and self-deprecating sense of humor means you would totally love all the internet memes that most Baby Boomers think are sad and not funny. Depression and suicide jokes are almost always sure to get a laugh. And since you're from the G.I. Generation, you can prove that it's not only young people who love dark humor and think Boomers are the worst!"

"Alright?"

"One day, I'll teach you all about meme culture and vines (R.I.P). You'll definitely love it!"

"...That sounds great, Peter. I can't wait."

Peter loves learning about what Bucky's life was like before HYDRA took him and hearing stories about Captain America back in the 40s and as a child. Peter was initially surprised when Bucky expressed an equal amount of interest in hearing about Peter's life in Queens. Peter told him all about Aunt May, Ned and MJ, Flash's teasing (Bucky wasn't quite so amused by that one and Peter changed the subject at the dark wash of anger that passed through Bucky's eyes), how he became Spider-Man, and when Tony Stark recruited him.

He tries to keep the topic of Tony short any time he comes up because of the heartbreaking guilt that Bucky poorly hides whenever the man is mentioned. Although he feels like a bad person to have thought this, Peter thinks Bucky's noticeable and sizable guilt has actually lessened his own guilt towards Tony. Knowing that Bucky feels genuine regret and sorrow for the actions he was forced to do proves to Peter that he's not the man his mentor believes him to be. The small ball of fear of disloyalty will always be with him, but it affects Peter less every day as he grows more and more attached to Bucky.

That's sort of becoming the problem, actually. Peter's feelings of friendship slowly morphed into something more, something, well, not so friendly. More often, he finds himself watching Bucky's lips move when he talks or his skin growing hot under his suit when Bucky lets him examine his prosthetic arm and their faces are so much closer than usual. Their lazy, sleepy talks before they fall asleep are Peter's new favorite thing. Bucky running his hand through Peter's hair while the boy lets out all his worries, Peter comforting Bucky when the man wakes up from nightmares, and the pair fast asleep while laying all over each other. The whole thing has turned so oddly intimate that Peter hasn't felt this safe with someone since he was a young kid.

"...And I know King T'Challa is doing his best to find her, but we're all each other has left. Before Mr. Stark came along, it had just been her and I, and sometimes Ned, for the longest time, ever since, well, nevermind. I honestly don't know if it's better to have her alive and well in New York but all alone or have her stuck here but with me. She's lost so much and I don't want her to think I'm gone too."

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Pete, but I'd bet that if I were her, I'd rather be here with you than on Earth alone right now."

"How did you know Steve wasn't here?"

"Before you woke up here, did you maybe... go somewhere else first?"

"Did you?"

"I-I was back at the Stark Expo in the 1940s, sort of, but Steve was there. Not the Steve everyone knows and loves, but my Stevie. My scrawny and tiny Steve that wanted to fight every bad guy in the world even though he couldn't even breathe right."

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me about Thanos, he told me... he told me that I was going somewhere he couldn't follow, but that I wouldn't be alone. I teased him about being my guardian angel. Guess he saw you coming, didn't he?"

"...Ben called it a way station, I think."

"What?"

"The pit stop between Earth and here. I saw my Uncle Ben who died a few years ago. He said that he was my way station to the future."

"Is that all he said?"

"He told me he was proud of me, and-and all I could do was cry and tell him over and over how much I missed him. He was exactly how he was the day he died and it was all my fault and-and he's proud of me, but he shouldn't be because I was petty and wanted revenge and now he's dead because of it."

"Peter, I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"It is, Bucky! It is! I entered a contest to win money so I could buy a car to impress a girl, but after I won the guy wouldn't pay up and I had to leave empty-handed. A minute later a mugger came in a robbed him and I could have stopped him from getting away but I just let him go to make the guy who owed me money feel just as cheated as I did. I guess the robber needed a car because he tried to take Ben's but when Ben wouldn't let him get away, so the robber shot him. Don't you see, Bucky, it's all my fault! Ben got killed for being the only person to do the right thing."

"I know how it feels to think like that Peter, but it wasn't your fault."

"But-"

"No, just- hear me out, okay? Yeah, you did a stupid thing, but I know that if you had even the suspicion that that guy wanted anything more than a crook's money, that he ever thought of killing someone, you never would have let him get away. I know it'd hard to admit to yourself, but you know that too. You're a good person through and through, kid. Okay? Can you trust me on that one?"

"Only if you trust me that you're a good person inside too."

"That's a whole other story, Peter."

"No, it's not. You didn't get a choice in the things they made you do and you're not a bad person because of it."

"I just make people's lives harder by being in them. I mean for god sakes' look at Steve. Even when he was small and sick, Stevie's always been the stronger one between the two of us. He adapted so well to the modern world after being pulled out of the ice and he was doing so good because he found people to be there for him, no matter how much he insists he can do everything alone. He had a home and a team and then I came along he lost everything he loves all over again, just like the ice took from him. I don't deserve to ever have the kind of family he did. I never got much choice in whether or not I was alone, but the more I lived, the more I realized that it's just better for everyone if I am."

"Bucky-"

"No, I'm sorry, you can pretend I didn't say all that. I didn't mean to go off on you like that."

"Don't be sorry, Bucky. I want to help you if I can because you help me. You know, during my moment with Ben, he told me to see the good in people because I'll never know who I'll find a home in. I think he saw you coming too, Bucky, like maybe Steve saw me. Steve did what he did for you because he loves you. I'm sure he'll never regret that. I wouldn't if I were him."

"Thanks, Peter, but I'm not worth all the effort and loss. He deserves so much better. You do too."

"I don't think that's true, you're definitely more than worth it. Nobody deserves to be put through what you've gone through."

"Maybe, but maybe I didn't deserve to be saved either. I should have just been eliminated. I shouldn't have gotten that choice to be alone or not."

"You're not going to be alone anymore, Bucky."

"How can you be sure I'm what your uncle meant?"

"Because I see how great you are, and how good you are. I wouldn't be here with you if I didn't believe that. Steve wouldn't either. You're going to have the choice to be with people in your life because you deserve it."

"People aren't exactly lining up to hang out with someone who's done the things I've done."

"...Peter, what're you doing?"

"Getting in line. I got here extra early to make sure that I was first."

It wasn't until one day Peter awoke half-hard with his head in Bucky's lap that he realized his feelings might be becoming a problem. But at the same time, he doesn't know how to stop his feelings because it seems impossible not to be attracted to this god-like man, especially now that Peter really knows him.

So, Peter knows he's definitely fucked. Surely and thoroughly fucked.

~~~

"Peter!" The boy jolts awake at the sound of someone distantly screaming his name. He picks his head up off of Bucky's legs, blinking a few times to allow his eyes to adjust once again to the sudden bright orange light. He squints into the distance, searching for where the voice is coming from.

"Good morning," Bucky's low morning voice grumbles beside him. Peter tries not to stare as Bucky runs a hand through his long hair and then stretches his arms in the air, his shirt riding up and exposing the skin around his waist.

"Yo, Peter!" They both hear again, but this voice is definitely different from the first. It's a little deeper but slightly more feminine sounding.

Peter bites his lip and forces his gaze away from how gorgeous Bucky looks when he wakes up. "Any idea who that might be?" Bucky stands, his eyes also scanning the crowd as he reaches a hand out to Peter, pulling him to his feet as well.

Peter starts to shake his head, he has a suspicion of who it is but doesn't want to get his hopes up. But then his eyes suddenly lock on two figures pushing past people and charging towards them. His expression breaks out into a beaming grin, "Oh my god," He whispers to himself.

Bucky chuckles beside him, "Friends of yours?"

"Ned! MJ!" Peter hollers and starts waving his arms around like a lunatic, the duo now running even faster towards him.

Peter whips around to Bucky, his face inexplicably bright, "I never thought I'd see them again, Bucky, can you believe this!" He's told Bucky all about his fanboy best friend and the snarky girl from the academic decathlon team. He's practically bouncing up and down and all Bucky can do is laugh fondly at Peter's excitement before the teens reach them.

"Peter!" Ned shouts in his face, nearly knocking Peter over with the force of his hug. MJ trails behind him, her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "I can't believe you're here!" Ned yells into Peter's ear again.

"Ned, you're here!" Peter exclaims, pulling away from the boy's hug to see his face, "You're really here!" He turns to look at MJ and beams at her too, "MJ, oh my god, this is crazy." He doesn't even know what to say. He's so excited to see them again, and Ned gives amazing hugs, but he's also so sad that they're stuck here and not at home with their families, safe and definitely alive.

"Hey Peter," She raises an eyebrow teasingly looking at his clothes, "What? Were you caught in the middle of LARPing or something?" Peter glances down at his Spider-Man suit and his face burns. He hadn't considered that all these people would either think he's a complete nerd (which, to be fair, he is) or realize that he's actually Spider-Man.

He bites his lip nervously, "Oh, um-"

Before Peter can finish whatever bullshit explanation he was trying to think of, Bucky buts in with, "The hell is LARPing?"

Ned just now seems to notice the man beside his friend and his eyes grow to become the size of saucers, his jaw falling open. MJ, on the other hand, simply shrugs, "Live-Action Role-Playing. It's when dorks go to a park or something dressed as superheroes or fantasy characters and pretend to be them."

Bucky looks from the girl to Peter's suit and snorts, "Yeah, Peter, tell her all about what you get up to on the weekends." Peter playfully glares at the man's smirk.

"Well, you see-"

"Dude!" Ned shouts, grabbing Peter's arm, and cutting Peter off once again. "That's the Winter Soldier," He says in shock as if Bucky isn't standing right there and can totally hear him.

"Uh, yeah, it is," Peter twiddles his thumbs together, getting nervous about the whole situation. This day has already been much more eventful than the past three weeks -- Peter's best guess relative to the number of times he's sleep for a 'night' -- have been, and he doesn't really know how to explain to his best friend why he's been hanging out with Bucky all that time instead of looking for Aunt May and his friends.

Bucky's smirk has drooped a little at the mention of his HYDRA name, but he opens his mouth to reply anyway when someone shouts, "Buck!" His face drops and Peter can see the hint of fear in his eyes. Peter anxiously looks around for who's calling the man, nervous for Bucky's sake that it might be Steve. Peter knows Bucky would find a way to make this whole situation his fault and never forgive himself if Steve was stuck here, meaning he's possibly dead, too. He believes Bucky when he says Steve isn't here, but since they've never actually looked...

But thankfully, Peter sees King T'Challa approaching them all with the birdman Peter met the same day he met Bucky in Germany.

Bucky grins tauntingly when Sam rolls his eyes with a smile, "Man, of all the people I could get trapped in here with, it had to be you, didn't it?" Bucky gives him a one-armed hug, clapping his hand against Sam's back.

"It looks like you're stuck with me for all of eternity now," Bucky grins smugly.

"Hello again, Sergeant Barnes, Peter," T'Challa nods to them, "I found this one," He gestures to Sam, "many hours ago, and he asked me to lead him to you."

"Aw, did you miss me?" Bucky teases him, earning a shove from Sam.

"Looks like it's a day for reunions all around," Peter says softly, smiling at his friends. He anxiously turns to the king, "Have you heard or seen anything about my Aunt May?"

T'Challa smiles sadly, "I'm sorry, I've been keeping an eye and ear out for a May Parker, but I'm afraid I have not come up with anything as of yet."

Bucky places a comforting hand on his shoulder and a slightly forced grin slips onto Peter's face, "That's okay! I appreciate you keeping a watch for me," And Peter means it, mostly. Not finding May is a good thing, it might mean she's not here and she's at home, safe and sound.

"Speaking of, no sign of Steve yet? I haven't come across him and T'Challa said he hasn't either." Sam asks Bucky.

"No," Bucky shakes his head, shoving his hands into his pockets and avoiding eye contact, "And I get feeling Steve would have made his presence known by now, so I'm willing to bet he's not here."

"Yeah," Sam nods, releasing a breath, "That's good though, right?"

An uneasy silence fills the air for a moment before Shuri claps her hands together, "Well, we must get going, enjoy your reunion with one another. We will see you another time. Boys," She nods to Sam and Bucky, "Spider-Boy," She nods to Peter, the smug smile on her face telling him she's just trying to tease him.

"Spider-Boy?" Sam asks, narrowing his eyes at Peter before realization dawns on him, "Oh, kid from the airport who likes to talk?"

"That's the one," Bucky smirks at MJ as Peter's face darkens to the color of a tomato.

"So, hold on," MJ raises a hand, "You're actually Spider-Man?"

She doesn't seem all that surprised, or maybe she's just too good at hiding it, but either way, Peter shrugs, "Sort of?"

She barks out a laugh, "Oh man, is Flash here? Wait until he gets a load of this, he's gonna shit his pants!" Peter can't help but laugh along at the thought, especially considering what a huge fan he is. It's not an uncommon occurrence to see Flash walking around Midtown in a Spider-Man shirt, some of them even homemade.

"Well, this is a weird group of people to find you with, Barnes," Sam teases, "What the hell happened here?"

Bucky rolls his eyes, "The kid found me right when we got here and it's been just us until these two showed up just before you did." Peter catches his eye and didn't even know it was possible for his face to blush even harder until Bucky winks at him.

Sam squints his eyes and points at Ned, who currently has his head in his hands as he frantically looks between the two Avengers with his mouth open, "Uh, is he okay?"

Peter sighs, pressing his knuckle to his forehead, and praying to God that Ned won't embarrass him in front of Bucky, "Yeah, he's fine. He just needs a minute to lose his mind over being in the presence of two Avengers. Hold on one second, I've got this," MJ snorts as Peter pulls her and Ned to the side to talk. Peter glances back at the pair, hoping he's moved his friends far enough away that the soldiers won't hear them.

"I can't believe you've been hanging out with the Winter Soldier this whole time!" Ned gasps, clearly trying to keep his voice down, but ultimately not really succeeding.

"He was the only face I recognized when I woke up and I thought he might know what was going on," Peter tries to brush it off, "How did the two of you find each other?"

MJ shrugs, "I don't know, I was just sitting in one of those wooden things people watching for who knows how long when basically he fell on top of me, yelling my name." She rolls her eyes again, but Peter thinks she looks a little fond of Ned's overenthusiastic antics.

"I was excited and I tripped," Ned gives him an embarrassed smile, finally taking his off of the Avengers, "She was the first and only familiar face I've seen until now," Ned then starts rapidly poking Peter's arm, "But literally who cares about that, tell us about him," Ned gestures over to where Bucky is standing with Sam. To Peter's surprise, even MJ looks mildly interested.

"Oh, right, that," Peter stares at the ground anxiously, kicking his foot into the water and splashing some around, "I don't know, we just talk, maybe sleep if we get bored. He tells me old stories about Captain America. It's just... nice. It's really nice." Peter grins to himself, subconsciously biting the corner of his bottom lip.

"Oh my god, Peter," MJ says sarcastically, "you're into him, aren't you?"

"What?" Peter and Ned yelp at the same time as Peter snaps his head up, staring at her with wide eyes. Ned's head jerks towards Peter, anxiously awaiting an explanation, and Peter just can't believe she caught on so fast. He was being subtle!

"How did you- No, I don't!" Peter frantically exclaims.

Ned dramatically gasps and repeatedly swats at Peter's arm, "You do!"

"Idiots," MJ rolls her eyes then shoots the boys a smirk, "But for real, I thought this place was crazy before, but now Peter Parker is Spider-Man and he's getting it on with the Winter Soldier? Like alright, holy shit."

"Shh!" Peter shushes them both, "First of all, we are not getting it on. And second, keep your voice down, the whole world doesn't need to know that I have an embarrassing crush on Bucky!" He whisper-screams to his two friends, the look on his face screaming sheer terror. He can't stop his intrusive thoughts from asking what would happen if Bucky overhears them and gets weird out by what a freak he is? What if he ditches him because of it?

"Technically, it's only half the world," MJ interjects but Peter pretends not to hear her.

"I especially don't want Bucky to know!" Peter glances back at the man quickly. His arms are crossed and a small grin plays on his lips while he listens to Sam animatedly tell him something. He doesn't seem to have heard them, but with his enhanced hearing Peter can't know for sure. He tries to take a deep breath to call himself down, but it doesn't feel like he's working.

Ned tips his head like he's still trying to wrap his brain around the whole situation, while MJ just squints at him with a simpering smile, "Please, he's totally into you too. I've only been around him for like five minutes but he's already being so soft on you. He's been glancing over here literally every other second with just this look of sad concern or longing or whatever." She shakes her head smugly, "For a brainwashed assassin, he sure gets whipped easily."

Peter groans and buries his face in his hands, "MJ, it's really not like that. He's... he's wonderful, and he's not brainwashed anymore, but he definitely doesn't see me like that. He probably just thinks I'm some stupid kid he has to keep an eye on." Peter's always known that to be true, but it still makes his heartache at having to admit it out loud.

MJ, however, doesn't seem to be buying what Peter's selling at all. She raises an eyebrow accusingly and places a hand on her hip, "Are you trying to tell me you guys haven't been hanging out just the two of you for the past three weeks since we got here, and that you haven't been having a good time?"

"No, but MJ that doesn't mean-"

"And has he pushed you away and not been letting you be your overly touchy self? Does he complain when you lay all over him like you were when we found you?" She gives him her best are-you-fucking-kidding-me stare.

Peter squirms, thinking about the soft little smile that crosses Bucky's face when Peter touches him, "Well, no-"

"That's all I'm saying," The smirk that seems to consistently reside on her face says it all, and it irritates Peter slightly that she can read him so well. Her face brightens mischievously and she suddenly does a little wave to something behind Peter that has him whipping around at the speed of light and wishing he could crawl into a hole and die, "Oh look, here he comes now!"

~~~

Over the possible weeks that passed, the odd group dynamic between two and a half Avengers and two and a half regular high schoolers worked out much better than Peter initially expected it would. Bucky and MJ got on like a house on fire resulting in a never-ending storm of sarcastic comments. Ned loved hearing all the stories Sam would tell about his time in the military and as the Falcon with the rogue Avengers and Sam was more than happy to share them.

As glad as Peter is to have his friends back with him, he still finds himself crawling back to Bucky when he misses home or wants to feel as if he's wrapped in one big safety blanket. Just by sitting next to Bucky Peter feels more at ease and less anxious. He tries not to think about his feelings for the soldier, but sometimes it's hard when the intrusive thoughts in the back of his mind tell him that maybe Bucky is feeling the same way. He obviously hangs out with Sam a lot now, but any time Bucky's going to sleep or just needs a moment of silence, he goes to seek out Peter, and Peter's insomnia-ridden mind always has a field day keeping him awake with every possible imagination of why this might be.

Like right now, for example, when MJ, Ned, and Sam are all passed out in a pile under the roof of the pavilion, Bucky and Peter sit in silence at their go-to spot on the edge of the structure. Peter tossed his legs over Bucky's and leaned his head back onto a wooden beam. The man beside him traces the lines on the spider suit near the boy's ankles and Peter can't help shiver slightly at the warm and fuzzy tingling that it sends through his body.

"Y'know, I really miss the night," Peter blurts out as he gazes up at the intense light that is constantly showering over them.

"Yeah?" Bucky mumbles, staring intently at Peter.

"Yeah," Peter nods gingerly, "My senses get overloaded pretty fast since the spider bite and the dark protected me from that even more than my mask did, so I always did better Spider-Man work at night. It's also easier to hide at night, and all the bad guys seem to think they're invisible at night so they creep out then too." He blushes when he sees Bucky watching him ramble on with such a small, yet tender smile on his face.

"I didn't have to worry about anybody figuring out my identity because nobody ever knew I was there until I caught them doing something bad," Peter laughs quietly, "I loved the look they would get on their faces when I showed up. They always underestimated me and it was so invigorating because eventually, it would always morph into that look where they know I've got them and that-"

"-They're fucked," Bucky whispers. Peter locks his eyes with the Bucky's and smiles nervously. With the super soldier's enhancements, he wouldn't be surprised if Bucky could hear his heart pounding out of his chest right now under the soldier's ardent stare.

Peter weakly nods and digs his teeth into his lower lip, "Do you think we're ever going home?" He breathes, unwilling to shake his eye contact with Bucky. His skin begins to burn under the passionate scrutiny of Bucky's darkening eyes. Peter has caught him staring at him like this a few times before over the recent days, but it usually happened when Peter was only just waking up and Bucky's always quick to catch himself and look away before the boy had time to ogle him right back. He's surprised Bucky hasn't turned away and tried to pretend he wasn't looking this time, but Peter can't seem to draw his attention away from Bucky long enough to think properly on that right now. The look in Bucky's eyes triggers more sensations in Peter than he's ever felt all at once before, but more than anything, the feeling of want bubbles up inside every inch of his body.

Bucky opens his mouth to respond but then quickly hesitates. He rolls his tongue carefully between his lips and says lowly, "Sometimes I'm not sure I want to go back."

Peter's breathing hitches and he slowly shuffles even closer into Bucky's personal space. Bucky doesn't hesitate to wrap his arm around the small of Peter's back to hold him in place. Peter's voice unintentionally drops even quieter and he's unable to stop the obvious wanton from slipping into his tone, "You don't? Why?"

Bucky's eyes flick swiftly to Peter's lips before they train back on the boy's eyes, full of more unrestrained fervor than Peter's ever seen Bucky allow himself to show, "You know why."

All at once, their lips are harshly pressed against one another's and Peter has no clue who leaned in first but he can't find any part of himself that cares. His body is flush against Bucky's chest and the kiss is already so intense that he begins to feel lightheaded as his weeks-long need is finally starting to feel sated. Bucky swipes his tongue along Peter's lower lip and the boy moans into the older man's mouth as he parts his lips.

Peter doesn't have much experience with any of this, but he hopes that what he lacks in knowledge he makes up for in enthusiasm because good lord, he's only been kissing Bucky for less than a minute and he already wants to do it forever. He presses his hand against Bucky's cheek, feeling the stubble (that never seems to grow out into a full beard in this place) tickle his palm. His other hand finds Bucky's shirt and he clenches his fingers around the material to reassert his space in reality, but that must have triggered Bucky's own grip on reality because he's abruptly pulling back from Peter and moving to the side, away from the boy.

Peter whimpers at the loss and opens his eyes in flash, instantly picking up on the hint of shock in Bucky's eyes that he's clearly trying to hide. "Fuck," Bucky mutters as he breathes heavily.

Peter hurries to catch his own breath, "Bucky?"

"I'm sorry," Bucky mumbles, "I-I shouldn't have..." He shakes his head and stands up, facing away from Peter.

Peter scurries to his feet and takes a step toward him, "Why... why not?" Peter reaches out and gently wraps his fingers around Bucky's right wrist. "I wanted-"

"Stop," Bucky growls, effectively cutting him off. He huffs a sigh and looks over his shoulder at Peter, "We can't."

Peter chokes down the tears rolling up in his throat and burning his eyes, "Is this-... Am I-..." He struggles to find the right words that won't send Bucky running, "Do you not want this?" He settles on, his voice much more vulnerable than he intended for it to be.

Bucky's eyes finally meet his again, "Peter..." He says desperately, but then his eyes turn hard and he turns his head away again, killing any hope Peter might have had. "We just can't, okay?" He doesn't wait for an answer as he swiftly dislodges his wrist from Peter's grip and stalks off.

Peter's lip wobbles and he bites it hard to keep it still as he slumps back against the wooden pillar in their spot, watching Bucky walk away from him. A tear slides down his cheek and he finds himself questioning whether or not Bucky will actually come back to him.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: So I know that each soul stone experience is supposed to be based on a specific memory like Thanos’ thing with little Gamora, but for this story, since so many people are all in one landscape, I just sort of shaped it around the vague clip from Infinity War and the pavilions are basically inspired by the structure Gamora stood in, even though I know that’s not a universal memory. It’s not super relevant, but I hope that clears my intentions up a little bit!

As far as I’m aware, they never mention what happened specifically with Uncle Ben in the Tom Holland Spider-Man universe, so for the parts talking about Uncle Ben, I just used what happened in the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire, imagining Ben as being around May’s age from the MCU spider-man movies.

#winterspider #peter parker x bucky barnes #peter x bucky #avengers #Marvel MCU #fluff and angst #peter parker #Bucky Barnes #soft bucky #infinity stone soul world #soul stone #time is an illusion

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