In Every Universe
Marvel Rivals!Steve Rogers x Marvel Rivals!Bucky Barnes
Summary: In the midst of the Timestream Entanglement, Steve Rogers searches for allies among the now linked universes. What he finds is an old friend -who, in his universe, was long dead- being held captive by Hydra. He manages to rescue both Bucky Barnes and Clint Barton, taking them to the safehaven that is the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. Now out of harm’s way, Steve and Bucky reconnect and find healing in each other.
Warnings: Mentions of death, Grief, Fluff/Angst, Men in Love (they’re gay your honor)
Word Count: 3.1k
A/N: This fic is my interpretation of the events of Marvel Rivals lore. Years (and lore) will not be correct. I did the best research I could but there will always be discrepancies. All you need to know is the year is 2099 and Steve was unfrozen in 2088 (couldn’t find a legit year so I chose one).
I couldn't get this out of my head, so I took a break from other works to write this~ Enjoy~
I do NOT consent to have my work copied, translated, or run through AI.
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Too much had happened within the last seventy-two hours.
Between being transported to the advanced-beyond-words city that was the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, gaining use of their technology (then having to learn how to use it), finding his old partner Bucky Barnes in the throes of Hydra, then having to save himself and his new allies from said partner after his brain was hijacked by an eldritch horror… Let’s just say Steve Rogers was going through a lot.
None of that mattered though. The only thing on Steve’s mind was Bucky. Bucky -who was his closest friend for years- needed his help. And Steve needed him too, for more than just saving the universe from Victor von Doom.
But this Bucky, however similar he was, wasn’t his. His Bucky, the one Steve grew up with, died over one-hundred and fifty years ago. Though for Steve, it had been merely eleven years since he lost his friend. While eleven years is quite some time, Steve still struggled with the loss of the man he held close to his heart. Now face to face with him once more, Steve felt he was being torn in two. On one hand, he was elated to see his friend again after so long. On another, he knew this Bucky wasn’t the same one he knew. He didn’t have the same memories that Steve shared with his Bucky; he didn’t share the same feelings he had. That was enough to shatter his heart into a million pieces, and it would if he dwelled on it too long.
So he threw himself into work. A lot needed to be done if he was to organize enough heroes to help restore the timelines. Together with King T’Challa, he was able to put together an outline of a plan while Shuri helped Bucky restore his sanity and control of his new arm.
But it wasn’t enough.
No matter how hard he tried, Steve couldn’t tear himself away from Bucky. He needed to see him, to make sure he was okay. He couldn’t lose another one, not after just getting him back. There was so much he had to say, so much he wanted to do. He couldn’t waste any more time.
Once he had a moment to himself, Steve made his way down to the medical laboratory. There was a chance Bucky wouldn’t be available, but he couldn’t stand not seeing him any longer.
When Steve entered the lab, he scanned the room for the person who had been plaguing his mind. He swept the room once before he found him. Bucky was laid out on a sterile bed in the middle of the room hooked up to a machine three times his size. By the grimace on his face, he wasn’t too thrilled about it.
Wakandan doctors roamed with purpose, checking monitors and talking amongst themselves. The one tending to Bucky gave Steve a nod when he approached. Steve, however, wasn’t paying attention. His gaze was fixed on his best friend’s face.
“How’re you holding up?” Steve asked once he was close enough to Bucky, stopping to stand next to the lab bed.
Bucky turned his head towards Steve, giving him a tired smirk that managed to take Steve’s breath away. “Better now that I’m not being puppeted by Cthulhu. Still feel like a building fell on me though, which I guess is on par with everything lately.”
Relief spread through Steve’s body. “I’m glad, Buck. That’s good to hear.” He expressed, suppressing the urge to pull Bucky off the machine he was hooked to. Instead, he turned towards the doctor overseeing his friend’s recovery. “How’s the treatment faring? Will he be released soon?”
The doctor glanced at Bucky briefly then returned their attention to their monitor. “His neural functions have returned to normal levels. We’ve been able to contain the corruption, for now. Princess Shuri will have to analyze these new results before he can be fully released,” the doctor paused, their gaze traveled back up to Bucky who had shifted uncomfortably, “however, he is stable enough to move. Should you feel the need to stretch, Mister Barnes, don’t stray too far.”
Bucky chuckled then gave the doctor his best two-fingered salute. “Wouldn’t dream of it, doc.”
While the doctor undid the wires attached to his vibranium arm, Bucky turned his attention back to Steve. “They gave me a room, but they’ve kept me here in case I lose it again.” Bucky paused. He chewed his lip as his mind whirred. “It’d be nice to shower.” He settled on, meeting Steve’s gaze after a moment of thought. “Was lucky if those Hydra bastards bothered to hose me down.”
The thought of the pain and torment Hydra put Bucky through filled Steve with a rage that boiled his blood and turned the entire room red. But Bucky wasn’t with Hydra; he was here. Safe. And Steve would do anything to keep them from taking him ever again.
The anger must have surfaced for by the time Steve’s gaze had wandered down to Bucky’s arm then back to his face, concern had flooded Bucky’s face. His eyes roamed Steve’s features, making note of the scowl tugging his lips into a frown and the crease in his forehead. He wouldn’t bring attention to it, not here. Instead, once he was freed from the wires and cables, Bucky lifted his flesh arm towards Steve. “Give me a hand, pal?”
Steve let a chuckle out under his breath then took hold of Bucky’s hand, pulling him up into a sitting position. The movement made Bucky groan in pain. When he felt ready, Bucky pushed himself off the bed, and -with Steve’s help- managed to get onto his feet.
Steve hooked one arm around Bucky’s waist and held his arm around his shoulders with the other. Once Bucky was steady and secure in Steve’s hold, the pair made their way out of the lab. Their pace was slow, but Steve wasn’t in any rush. Once they reached the hall, Bucky tugged on Steve’s arm to steer him towards the right.
“That way,” he instructed.
Steve nodded then guided them further down the hallway. It wasn’t long before Bucky stopped in front of a simple metal door. He retracted his arm from around Steve’s shoulders then pressed his hand against the door’s scanner. Once it flashed green, the door slid open and allowed the two men inside.
When Bucky noticed Steve’s perplexed expression, he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s to keep everyone safe.” He explained, gesturing for Steve to sit him on the edge of the bed. “You know, in case whatever Hydra woke up sinks it’s claws into me again and makes me go on a rampage.”
Steve didn’t like that explanation, but he wasn’t about to dispute it. Instead, he set Bucky down carefully then straightened up to take in the room. It was scarcely decorated, though not without care. The only furniture in the room was the bed, a nightstand, and a wardrobe - all of which were beautifully crafted out of a type of dark wood. The windows were covered with deep purple curtains with gold trim. The plush bedspread was a matching purple, and the silken sheets were gold. As Steve turned to glance out a window, he noticed an open doorway with a pulled back curtain leading into a private bathroom.
Though Steve’s room was much more extravagant (much to his displeasure), Bucky’s was no less comfortable. He was glad that his friend was being treated well regardless of what had happened earlier that week. It gave him hope that he had chosen his allies properly.
Once Steve had gotten a lay of the room, he returned to Bucky who still sat in the same place Steve had put him. Bucky’s gaze was fixated on a spot on the floor. For some reason, he wouldn’t look up at him. Concerned, Steve immediately rushed to Bucky’s side. “Are you alright?” He asked intently, preparing to haul his friend back to the medical lab.
Bucky only nodded, but this didn’t make Steve confident that he was feeling well. He watched Bucky carefully in an attempt to discern what could be the matter. Bucky’s jaw kept clenching and unclenching as if he was struggling with words. It seemed as though there was something weighing on his mind. If he needed to say something, Steve decided, he would give him the time he needed to put his words together.
So he waited in silence, giving Bucky the space he needed. After a few minutes, a vulnerability that wasn’t present in the Hydra lab when they met the first time appeared on Bucky’s face. Another moment passed before he gained the courage needed to meet Steve’s eyes.
“I lost you,” he murmured softly. Now in the privacy of his room, the neutral mask Bucky kept on shattered. Unshed tears moistened his eyes; his bottom lip quivered despite the control he had over his voice.
Steve’s posture stiffened. He had to proceed carefully or else he would end up breaking down and melting into a puddle on the floor. “The Steve you lost, he wasn’t me.” He explained gently, though his tone remained distant. “I’m sorry that-“ Steve stopped himself. Everything he wanted to say sounded wrong, so he settled for something else. “I never intended for my presence to bring you pain. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know.” Bucky sighs. He took a deep breath and tore his gaze from Steve’s face. “I just-” The words got stuck in Bucky’s throat. When he managed to force them out, his voice cracked from the strain. “I never got to say good-bye.”
Those words hit Steve harder than he could have ever anticipated. The weight of them dragged him down until he dropped onto the bed, sitting him on the edge next to Bucky who still wouldn’t look at him. “He meant a lot to you?” Steve probed. He sensed -no, hoped- the feelings he shared with his Bucky were somewhere in him, but he had to be sure.
“He was everything.” Bucky admitted softly. Then, as if he realized he said something he shouldn’t have, Bucky clears his throat. “He meant a lot to everyone.”
“But he meant more to you?” Steve pushed.
Bucky hesitated then nodded. “Even after everything Hydra did -after everything I did- he never stopped trying to help me. Never gave up on me. And when things went to shit, because they always do, we had each other. That was enough.”
Steve knew exactly how Bucky felt. Losing his friend so tragically and unexpectedly made him realize how much he kept to himself. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake again. “Bucky -my Bucky- always had my back.” He began carefully, thinking each thought through before speaking. “Even when I did something stupid or reckless. He was always there. I never thanked him for that…or anything. I suppose I figured I’d have the time to.”
Though he clung to Steve’s words, Bucky was afraid to look at him too long -he was nearly identical to the Steve he’d known. Looking at him felt like being stabbed in the chest. But hearing him say the same things about himself (well, his Bucky) that he’d heard from his own Steve… It gave Bucky pause. He knew this Steve and his were different people, but they were also so similar. At times it was like the man he loved was still with him.
The thought made him ache. He didn’t want to let him go. He couldn’t. Not yet.
But maybe… Maybe, in some twisted way, he hadn’t completely lost him after all. Steve, this Steve, was here. He cared enough to search for him through all the entangled universes. Him.
Bucky could feel Steve’s eyes on him. He had finished speaking but Bucky was lost in his thoughts. Bucky let Steve’s words sink in a bit more before he responded. Something Steve had said stuck with him. It was the way he spoke in the past tense like…
Bucky finally lifted his eyes back to Steve’s face. Where he expected to find a hint of nostalgia or a thread of sympathy, Bucky, instead, found pain.
“Your Bucky…” Bucky hesitated. “Did he… Did you lose him?”
The hurt on Steve’s face gave Bucky the answer before he even responded. Steve took a long, deep breath before saying anything. “It was a long time ago, during the war. He, uh, he was killed during a skirmish in Austria.”
Bucky’s chest tightened when he heard how his counterpart had died. He would have met the same fate if Hydra hadn’t found him.
And now, for the first time in weeks, the pain of Bucky’s loss had dulled. Through his loss of his Bucky, Steve held the same grief Bucky did. Their pain was shared. It felt as though, even if just for a moment, half of the weight of Bucky’s loss had lifted from his shoulders, like Steve was holding the other half for him.
The silence that had grown between them was now filled with a sense of understanding. Bucky let his gaze roam Steve’s face, now taking him every detail that he had been too afraid to see. His features were warped by a hurt that Bucky needed to lessen. In an attempt to lighten his mind, Bucky resorted to the only thing he knew would have any effect: his tormented sense of humor. “Are you sure he died? You know, we have a habit of coming back when you really don’t want us to.”
Though a bit morbid, Bucky’s teasing brought a small smile to Steve’s face. “I’m afraid so.”
That smile was enough. Though brief, the energy it provided was contagious. Bucky couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh, one that Steve accepted with his own. If anyone had been looking for Bucky, they would have been perplexed having seen Bucky and Steve sitting in an empty room laughing over the memories of their dead partners. But Bucky didn’t care. Steve’s laughter was infectious, his smile brighter than any star in the entire galaxy. He’d do anything, anything, to bask in his light, even if it only lasted for a moment.
Steve found himself shifting closer to Bucky. He was near enough that their thighs touched. Bucky didn’t seem to mind, he was still watching Steve even as his smile faded. No matter how hard he tried, Steve couldn’t tear himself away from Bucky’s face. He looked exactly like him save for the scar that decorated his left eye.
Steve had to tell him -he had to. “He meant a lot to me too.” He murmured softly. “More than anything. And I-” Steve had to take a breath to compose himself or else tears would start flowing down his cheeks. “I lost him before I could tell him. He never knew that I-”
“He knew.” Bucky interrupts just as quietly. “Trust me… He knew.”
A surge of emotion overtook Steve. With only the briefest of hesitation, he lifted a hand to Bucky’s face, stopping only when the tips of his fingers brushed against Bucky’s jaw. When Bucky leaned into his touch, Steve lost all the control he thought he had. He cradled Bucky’s face like he was made of glass, using his other hand to trace the sharp edges of his features with his fingers.
Bucky’s gaze never wavered. He looked at Steve like he had been drowning and Steve was his savior. He leaned into Steve’s caress, pressing his cheek into his hand like he couldn’t get enough. Bucky ached for his touch, and Steve was more than happy to oblige.
Steve leaned forward slightly, using their closeness to map all the little details on Bucky’s face. When they grew increasingly close, Bucky’s breath hitched. The sound drew Steve’s attention from the line of Bucky’s scar downwards until he stopped, taking in the curve of his lips.
Steve couldn’t help himself. It had been too long. He craved the man before him so much it pained him. With a brief glance upwards to Bucky’s eyes, Steve murmured, “Can I?”
“Please…”
Bucky’s plea was enough. Steve quickly closed the distance between them then brushed his lips tentatively against Bucky’s. A sigh escaped his mouth as he leaned into Steve, nearly melting from the gentleness of the kiss. Their lips moved together unhurriedly, savoring the taste of each other.
Steve pulled away first, though he hadn’t wished to, to gauge Bucky’s reaction. Bucky’s pupils were dilated and his cheeks were flushed. His breath was uneven, and Steve could hear his heart hammering in his chest. Steve was faring no better. Neither of them moved, though. They were transfixed by each other, yet still wary of what they felt. Both men remained still, gazing at each other like the other could disappear any second.
Then, all of a sudden, the tether that kept them apart broke. Both of them surged forward at the same time, grasping onto each other desperately. This time there was no hesitation. Their lips slammed together as if pulled by magnets. Steve raked a hand through Bucky’s hair, tangling his fingers in the coarse strands and pulling him flush against him. Bucky’s vibranium arm found its way around Steve’s waist, his hand clutching at the back of Steve’s shirt like he was afraid Steve would pull away again.
Unlike their first, this kiss was hungry and passionate, fueled by a desperate need to keep the other close. The two men barely parted for breath. Steve breathed in Bucky’s soft groans like they provided all the air he needed. They poured everything they had into the kiss. All the pain they shared, the love they had for each other, everything. Even when they finally parted, both disheveled and flushed, they never detangled themselves. The hand Steve kept in Bucky’s hair dropped to the base of his neck, rubbing circles into his skin with his thumb.
Steve had a thought to say something -to tell Bucky that his feelings for him would never change no matter which universe they were from- but as Bucky smiled at him, a soft, shy smile that made Steve forget to breathe, he decided against it. Words could wait.
It was Bucky who leaned forward next, stealing a much more chaste kiss before pressing his forehead against Steve’s. They sat pressed together for what felt like hours, bathing in the warmth and comfort of each other’s bodies. They both knew the holes in their hearts would never fully close; the empty space left by those they loved and lost would never fill. But over time, the wounds of loss would scar, the pain would fade, and -no matter what- they would always have each other.
Steve made a decision then, that not even the threat of universal annihilation would ever part them. He would do whatever was needed to keep from losing Bucky again. And whatever the future had in store, they would weather it together.
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