A/N: This is a requested part 2 to chapter 29: Fire and Ice. (THIS CAN TOTALLY BE READ ON ITS OWN THOUGH!) That chapter is one of my very favorites because I loved writing it, but I always wished I had the time and thought to go back and make a happier ending because I loved the character so much. The amazing liloldlou requested a part two earlier this month and I was SO excited! It's short and sweet, and hopefully gives a good happy ending for the characters. I figured it was appropriate to make the milestone 100th chapter to a little throwback.

100 CHAPTERS! I'm shocked we've made it this far, guys. 14K reads and counting! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Winnie

Words: 2K

The war is over.

Which war, might you ask? That's a great question considering we've had so fucking many of them lately. It all started with the battle of New York. Then there was that stupid Ultron mess. Of course there was my personal least favorite—Civil War: where all my friends hated each other. Don't even get me STARTED on the newsstand pegged "Infinity War". Honestly, all those publishers should be happy they're still alive to get to even write such a thing. The whole world was teetering on the brink of extinction during that one.

At least we all came back together as a happy, mentally-disturbed, rocky-bedded family again. The Avengers are back together and happier than ever!

"FUCK YOU, TONY!"

Okay... that may have been an overstatement on my part.

"Shut the hell up, Sam!" I hear Tony's reply ricocheting off of the walls.

"Would you two idiots stop screaming?" Nat hollers from her room.

Steve's door flies open. "What the hell is going on?!" He's wearing boxers and looking mighty perturbed.

I rub my eyes and wish they would all just shut up or go away. It's the first day in a very, very long time that no one's worried about dying or saving the world. Shouldn't I be allowed to sleep past seven? I'm hanging out of my hotel suite door like everyone else is now at the sound of the drama from the neighboring Sam and Tony.

"This idiot has his music blaring through the wall," Tony accuses with a pointed finger at Sam and a gnarl in his brow. He's hurriedly trying to tie his robe tighter around his waist.

I cock my head at his choice of attire. Tony catches my staring, snapping, "What is it, Y/N? Got somethin' smart to say?"

At this point, Bucky Barnes has emerged from his room next to mine. Not missing a beat, I reply coolly, "Just admiring your robe. Where'd you get it from? Circa 2009?"

Bucky scoffs at my humor.

Tony grits his teeth. "Well excuse me for trying to relive the best part of my life through my old favorite robe."

"When was that?" I raise a brow.

Tony stomps back into his room. "Before all of you losers came along!"

"You're the one who joined the team!" Nat reminds him.

"YOU RECRUITED ME!"

Nat rolls her eyes and mumbles something about having told Fury recruiting Stark was a bad idea before disappearing into her suite again. Sam does the same—turning his music up louder on the way. Wanda huffs and closes her door and puts up the "do not disturb" sign on the way. Steve's already traipsed back into his room to resume his sleep.

Bucky and I are the only ones left standing. He peers over at me rather shyly. "You going back to bed, too?"

"I would," I say, "But I don't think I'm going to be able to now."

Bucky smiles—eyes trained at his feet. "Me too."

"Wanna...uh... go get breakfast or something then?" I gesture down the hotel hall towards the elevator.

Bucky's big blue eyes glance up at me unsurely past tufts of dark hazelnut colored hair. Eventually he nods. "I'll change my clothes."

"Don't worry about it," I tell him and step out into the hall in my slippers and sleeping t-shirt and shorties. "Let's just go."

Bucky glances down to his saggy sleeping joggers and sweatshirt. When he looks back up I'm gone—halfway to the elevator already. Bucky has to rush to put his complimentary slippers on in enough time to make it to the lift before the doors close.

We're the only ones that ride the elevator down to the lobby. On our way to the complimentary breakfast bar very little is said between us. Even with as much as we've been through, it's hard to find the voice to speak. I want to talk to him: I really do. It's been forever since I had a meaningful conversation with the man. I'd been braiding his hair when it happened, and truthfully: that was the same moment I found myself falling in love with him. After he pushed me away we spent the next few weeks treading carefully around one another. Then he went back under the ice—without so much as saying goodbye to me: the fire-power girl who clearly had heart-eyes for him. Since he's been back up and running, thanks to Princess Shuri, we've had little time to speak. Thanos kept us busy what with keeping him from destroying the world.

We really deserve this Hawaiian vacation.

Bucky lets me ahead of him in the buffet line. He even hands me a plate, but still he doesn't say a word. I smile softly and try not to overthink the way his fingers linger near mine when I take it from his hand.

Quickly I turn towards the oatmeal.

At a table near the center of the room we settle down with our plates of food. I've got a bagel, strawberry cream cheese, and some fruits to start. Bucky's built up a collection of as many carbs and proteins as he could find. I bet the bacon-cooking guy is pissed that Bucky took half the stock.

I wrap both hands around my cup of orange juice. I like the feeling of the cold on my unnaturally warm hands that seem to always become hotter when Bucky's near.

"So, umm, how'd you sleep?" I question stupidly.

Bucky shrugs. "Fine." He picks up his coffee and takes a drink. "Damn, this is ice cold."

I hold out a hand. "Let me." I wiggle my fingers and he passes it over with a soft chuckle. It takes but a moment for me to heat up the ceramic mug in my hands.

"Thanks." Bucky looks over at me across the top of his mug.

The table becomes uncomfortably quiet again. I take a tediously slow bite of bagel to postpone having to say anything. I know as soon as I do, I'm going to come up with something stupid...

"I wanna talk about what happened that night in the rain."

I blink. I'm utterly shocked to have heard the stupid-thing being said coming out of Bucky's mouth and not my own.

Bucky shakes his head with a muttered Russian curse I don't understand. "I've tried putting it off, Y/N. I don't know if you remember, but after the airport fight..."

"I remember," I interrupt. Embarrassment paints my cheeks. I grip my orange juice cup tighter in anticipation of what's to come.

"I don't know what you were trying to say that night. I've been thinking about it a lot since Shuri brought me back. It's one of the very few things that I remember every moment of and yet still have this confused, unsure feeling about." He gestures around with his hand towards his toned abs as if the feeling was coming from his belly. "Were you really implying what I think you were?"

My mouth is suddenly dry. Bucky's big blue eyes dart down to the surface of my juice cup. The liquid is bubbling. I've boiled it.

Bucky's metal hand slowly pries the cup away and guides it to safety on the table. Then he grabs my fingers his hand and squeezes gently. "Relax, Y/N. It's not meant to be a scary question." His head tilts slightly to one side as he regards me closely. "I just wanted you to know that I remember that night. I remember how you looked at me, more specifically. And... and I know it wasn't fair of me to disappear without saying anything to you. After everything you'd gone through for me and Steve..."

"I understood why you did it. I understand," I'm quick to assure him.

Bucky still hasn't let go of my hands. "I know you do. That doesn't mean it was fair, though."

I panic. "I, uh, need more cream cheese." I rise up out of my seat so fast that my chair nearly flies backwards. I scurry towards the buffet line and shuffle behind an elderly couple wearing matching palm-tree print shirts as I internally freak out over the stupidity of what I've just said.

Some random guy steps into line behind me. Behind him, Bucky takes up a spot in line.

"I'm not trying to freak you out, Y/N," Bucky says over the soft Hawaiian music that plays.

"Well, you failed on that one." I turn back and grab another plate.

Bucky sighs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." By this time, most of the other patrons in line are paying attention to our little scene. They pretend not to be listening, but they're not very good actors. "I just—I just wanted to tell you that if there was a chance that you still felt the same, that maybe we could—maybe we could talk about it."

"Talk about it?" I almost laugh. "James, you told me to stay away from you for my own good." I pile a few scoops of chocolate breakfast pudding onto the corner of my plate. "And that's what I did—I stayed away from you."

Bucky weasels his face around the man who stands between us. The man, meanwhile, is attempting to lean out of our way. "I know, but that doesn't mean I stopped thinking about you."

"You thought about me?" I ask—voice gone soft. I've paused in front of the cold cereal selection.

Bucky smiles sweetly. "Of course I did. Ever since I pulled you out of that rainstorm and you played with my hair." He's the blushing idiot now.

The elderly woman ahead of me in line nudges me with her elbow. I glance over to the gray haired gal who hisses into my shoulder, "He's a cutie, hon. You better swoop him up before another young gal gets the idea."

Bucky hears all of this and chuckles—face turned towards his feet.

I sigh and hurriedly set my plate down. I step out of the buffet line and drag Bucky with me. We end up a few paces away next to the milk pitchers.

"What are you saying, Bucky? Are you saying that despite the fact you told me to stay away from you, you now wanna talk about our feelings?"

Bucky nods. "I've changed, Y/N. You know I have. I'm not scared about hurting you anymore." He reaches out and his fingertips whisper across my elbow. I blink down at his soft, flesh hand before staring at his face again. "Unless you've moved on." His voice is less sincere and more separated this time around. "In which case, I'll forget everything. I won't ever say anything ever again."

"It's been a really long time since that night, Bucky," I begin. He nods—bottom lip being gnawed at by his sharp white teeth. He looks as though he's ready to be heartbroken, which in itself is enough to make my own heart ache. "But that doesn't mean that my feelings for you have gone away."

"R-really?" Bucky nearly stutters around a growing grin. God, he looks so pretty smiling.

I nod surely. "Really."

Bucky's smile only grows. His fingers gingerly wrap around my wrist now. "Would it be okay if I kissed you then?"

I respond my standing up on my tiptoes—pressing my lips against his smile right there in front of the cereal and bagel displays. His arm wraps around my waist while mine find their place behind his neck. He kisses me: Bucky Barnes kisses me, just like he has in my wildest fantasies for the last five years.

And the whole damn buffet line goes wild: the perfect ending to the most imperfect, impatient love story.