"Yeah, well, ain't like it matters anymore." What with Steve having traveled back to the past. There's a bitter edge to his voice, a curl of anger that he only just bleeds through. Sure, he understands the reasons why Steve left. But after the past few months, he isn't so sure he made the right decision by leaving things the way he did.
Sam was Steve's friend. He needed him here. Needed more than a minute after the event to explain why he did what he did. Why he left without saying a word.
"The stones needed to go back. So he took them, and decided to stick around to have his own happy ending with Peggy." He doesn't begrudge him that. Not really. Steve had the chance to live the life he deserved, free from the burden of carrying the shield, and all the pressures that the future held for him. Steve hadn't found his place in the future, so he'd gone back to the past. To a time he understood.
A time that Bucky couldn't follow him to. Not anymore. Not when he doesn't belong there. The Bucky that belonged there died the moment he fell off that train.
His expression turns carefully neutral as he looks back at Natasha again. As he weighs up his options. He knows that, of all the people he's met in his time After, she's the only one that would hold it against him if he tried to pull his punches. That she wouldn't appreciate him trying to avoid the subject or ease her in to it. But the idea of flat out telling her what happened fills him with dread. He doesn't want to lie, but he also doesn't want to hurt her either. He's done enough of that already.
"You've got questions. I ain't gonna lie to you. So just ask." Meaning the ball's in her court. If she wants answers, he'll give them to her. She at least deserves that much.
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Sam was Steve's friend. He needed him here. Needed more than a minute after the event to explain why he did what he did. Why he left without saying a word.
"The stones needed to go back. So he took them, and decided to stick around to have his own happy ending with Peggy." He doesn't begrudge him that. Not really. Steve had the chance to live the life he deserved, free from the burden of carrying the shield, and all the pressures that the future held for him. Steve hadn't found his place in the future, so he'd gone back to the past. To a time he understood.
A time that Bucky couldn't follow him to. Not anymore. Not when he doesn't belong there. The Bucky that belonged there died the moment he fell off that train.
His expression turns carefully neutral as he looks back at Natasha again. As he weighs up his options. He knows that, of all the people he's met in his time After, she's the only one that would hold it against him if he tried to pull his punches. That she wouldn't appreciate him trying to avoid the subject or ease her in to it. But the idea of flat out telling her what happened fills him with dread. He doesn't want to lie, but he also doesn't want to hurt her either. He's done enough of that already.
"You've got questions. I ain't gonna lie to you. So just ask." Meaning the ball's in her court. If she wants answers, he'll give them to her. She at least deserves that much.