You gazed out onto the water, wishing you couldn't feel anything. Everyone thought the last five years were hard, but the last five days blew that out of the water. Maybe it was just you. Maybe it was because you just lost everything, even though everyone got their lives back.

Avenging wasn't an easy business. You knew that from the get go. It was just never this hard until now. Or, maybe it just wasn't that hard for you until now.

"(Y/n)?"

The sound of your name caused you to turn around, look away from the peaceful lake, and enter back into the real world. Steve stood there, looking almost sad.

That seemed to be the only good thing from the last five years and five days. Steve.

You stood up, stuck your hands in your pockets, and walked over to meet him. "You're taking the stones back?" you asked. He was in his uniform with the 'Time Heist' device on his hand and a briefcase in the other. You knew the stones were in there, it was specially made to keep them from causing harm.

Steve nodded. "Someone has to. Everyone needs their time to grieve, I figured I could do it."

You smiled- really only a half smile, that's all you could muster. Steve had a big heart, that's one of the things you love about him. He looked out for others constantly. Before, years ago when you two were dating, you made sure to look out for him because someone had to, and it wasn't usually Steve himself.

When half the world disappeared and everyone started dealing with that being reality, you and Steve began to grow close again. You never stopped loving him. The only reason you two broke up was because of the Accords and having to go on the run.

"You have such a big heart, Steve Rogers," you said. "Let me walk you over."

The two of you walked over to the platform- a smaller version of the one made inside the old Avengers Compound. The one that was now a smoking hole in the ground.

Sam, Bucky, and Smart-Hulk were there and all ready to go. "You really waited to get me at the last second, huh?" you joked, nudging Steve with your elbow. He laughed, and once again you felt like it was old times.

Maybe those 'old times' could become the 'current times' after Steve takes care of business.

You stood off to the side, near Bucky, as Steve got up on the platform. He got ready to go back and Smart-Hulk counted down. When he reached zero, Steve was gone.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity as Smart-Hulk counted back down for Steve's return. However, when he pressed the button, no one showed up. Everyone started to panic, even you.

You didn't know anything about the technology in front of you, yet you still ran over to the control panel Smart-Hulk was using and tried to see if something was wrong.

"What does this mean? What did you do?" you asked, worried about what happened to Steve.

Then, you saw Bucky walking away and watched where he went. You started to follow and saw he was looking at a man sitting on a bench, staring off at the lake. You had no idea who he was.

"Sam." The man came walking over to Bucky, looking in the same direction as everyone else. They started walking over to him, and you followed a couple feet behind. That's when you put it together.

Your chest deflated, along with any happiness left in you. The pieces came together in your head and you realized what had happened. When Sam picked up the icon shield from the bag that had been leaning on the bench, the puzzle finished.

"(Y/n)." You looked over and saw Bucky looking at you. He nodded his head in Steve's direction. You looked back over and saw Sam was walking away, also looking at you.

You walked up to where Sam had just been standing. "Long time no see I guess," you started, not sure what else to say.

Steve looked at you with a sad expression on his face. "I'm so sorry, (Y/n)-"

"No, no." You cut him off and sniffed, trying to hold tears back. "You don't have to apologize. You took the chance for the life you always wanted, the life you deserve after everything you've done. No one blames you for it. I certainly am not mad at you for it."

Steve gave you a small smile. "I did love you. You were everything to me. But you... you weren't the one, and I'm sorry for that."

Your heart continued to shatter. But what could you do now? Steve made his choice, he lived the life he always wanted, the one that haunted him in the middle of the night. His big 'What If' story finally came true.

"I'm happy for you," you whispered after some seconds of silence. The tears dripped down your face. "I really am."

The two of you made eye contact and you gave him the best smile you could. It was small, but it was genuine. Steve smiled back and gave a small nod.

"Take care," you said, then turned and walked off. No one followed you, which was perfect. You didn't care to be around anyone else and pretend to be okay in front of them.

Instead, you went back to the spot by the lake you had been sitting in when Steve first got you for the return of the stones. You remembered how he had been the good thing to come out of these last five years and five days.

To you, he had become the light at the end of the tunnel, the new bright future you might be able to have. Looks like you were too optimistic and blind.

The lake looked the same. Still beautiful, still peaceful. It was blurry through your tears but you still understood its beauty. You weren't sobbing. The tears just steadily and silently fell down your face.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

The voice startled you, but you didn't jump. You turned and saw it was Bucky who said that. At first, you thought he might try and be motivational and make you feel better. The look he wore, however, told you he was in the same state as you.

So, you nodded, and turned back to the lake. You heard him come forward and sit down about a foot away from you.

Steve told you so much about Bucky and their friendship. You first heard about him when you helped out Steve in DC, when he encountered the Winter Soldier. Then, a bit after that when you guys started dating, you asked Steve to tell you about his childhood. Bucky was prominent then, too.

When you got to meet him back when the Vienna bombing happened, you couldn't see the man Steve spoke highly of. That didn't mean he wasn't there, he was just buried, and Steve was determined to dig his old best friend out.

Then, during the five years post-Snap, you and Steve had many late night conversations. You talked about things that had happened while you were apart and things you had never really talked about when you were together. Steve talked more about Bucky.

All this talk about Bucky and Steve left him here.

You turned your head slightly and looked over at Bucky. He, too, was sitting and facing the lake with tears silently coming down his face. This was hard for him, even if he had an idea of what Steve was going to do.

"I'm sorry Steve left you," you said, breaking the silence.

Bucky turned to look at you. "Me too."

You two looked away from each other and back out to the lake. For another few dozen minutes, you were quiet and reflected on what had happened, then thought about what might happen next.

It felt like you no longer had anyone. Natasha and Tony were some of your best friends, Steve was the man of your dreams, and everyone else you considered a friend were either going off world or going off grid.

You were alone.

Then, you thought about the man sitting next to you. As horrible as it sounded, he didn't have many people to begin with. The one man he knew from his life before was gone now. Bucky didn't really have anyone else.

A thought came into your head. "Let's be lonely together," you said, quieter than the last time you spoke.

Bucky still heard you, of course, and turned to look at you. He had been thinking similar things, about how you both lost the person or people you were closest to. He knew enough about you from the brief conversations he and Steve were able to have.

When you two were together, Bucky could see the love. Even for a while after you broke up he knew it was there.

Then, when Bucky saw him again for the first time in years, he saw that look was gone. At least, it was gone from Steve's face. Bucky saw it in yours. He knew, or at least had a general idea, about how you felt.

So, he nodded. "Sure. We'll be lonely. Together."

You two sat there, staring out onto the lake, readying yourselves for what had to come next. Life.

~Fin~

A/n: this one started out as a title. Like, literally, all I had written down was the title. Then, I really wanted to use it, and figured this was a pretty good concept! I'm also high-key obsessed with the closing lines, I feel like they're so poetic in a way. Just real proud of my creative bones rn

Also, it's so fucking hot in Florida Jesus Christ. I'm sorry, but it is so hot that I have sweat DRIPPING from me. My glasses are constantly sliding off my nose. It's difficult to be THAT hot and still be a nice human being. I'm struggling. I'm also just struggling at work in general. I'm begging to get next Sunday off bc my dad will be in town for business and that's the only night he'll be free. I NEED to see my family so bad because I'm DYING here.

Enough about me! Hope you guys enjoyed this imagine and I'll see you next week!!!!!!!! 

... 

(I won't be able to say that very soon...)