Jealousy was a strange beast, one that comes from the shadows and when least expected, clouding your rational thought when you knew the truth beyond it. You knew that Nat and Tony were friends, and they had been for a long time, and that there was never a hint of anything more; they fought like siblings and had the attitudes to match. You hinged your entire hope that Bucky was right, and that soulmates could come in different forms, so this would all be okay. So many other things were so wrong right now that this had to be okay, if nothing else could.

But an even stronger feeling than jealousy was regret; only now did you fully realize what Tony must have been feeling all this time, only made worse when you ran off to Wakanda at a moment's notice to help Bucky. After several awkward hours in silence, and with no clue as to what to say anyway, the rest of your team left, and you didn't care where they went anymore. You again stood staring at your own soulmate, your thoughts giving you a headache and you were no less clear on what you were going to do.

"I'm taking him out soon," Shuri approached quietly, taking a stand next to you.

"Already?"

"You said yourself that I work fast, but you sound surprised? What does a genius have to do to impress you people?"

"I'm incredibly impressed," you clarified quickly, "I didn't mean to sound like I'm not. I just wasn't expecting to see him again so soon. Things have gotten a little...muddy. I don't know what I'm going to say."

"I find that saying the first thing that comes to mind as the best. There's no time for covering truths to make things easier." She turned away and returned to her workstation, leaving you alone to stare at Bucky again; your mind returned to its clutter until she called back for you, with a little bit of clarity and hoping to help. "Life will be difficult no matter what you choose, so just choose something."

~~~

After the revelation of what you had told him, Tony felt like he didn't know what to do either, which was a foreign feeling for the man. He was normally so self-assured, and things usually fell into place for him, sometimes not so easily, but they still did. This didn't feel like something that would just resolve itself, and he definitely had zero answers about how to handle it. Obviously, he had to talk to Natasha, but she would know immediately if he tried to cover up the awkwardness of this. She had a maddening ability to read him, much like you could, but now it was painfully obvious as to why it was second nature to her.

Tony hadn't moved from his desk at HQ since your conversation, mirroring your state of mind when even so far apart. He wanted to talk to you again; he needed to talk to you again, but he had already called you once when he wasn't supposed to and he feared pushing too far. You likely weren't in much better of a state than he was, and he worried that you were feeling just as alone. Closing his eyes and holding his breath, he grabbed his phone and let fate decide another part of his life. Clearly, fate agreed with him this time.

I'm coming home.

You message across the screen made his heart race, and it felt not unlike the first time he had ever laid eyes on you. It was an energy that he missed, and the nervousness not unlike a first date that he actually enjoyed. He couldn't wait.

Is everything okay?

No. I need to see you.

Tony wanted to play it cool, as he usually did, but then he decided to hell with it; it was you and he had no reason to hold back. I miss you so much, (Y/N). I don't know what to do with this thing with Nat, and I need you here. I need you to know that nothing is going to change, okay? I will always choose you, too.

I'll be there as soon as I can.

You believe me, right?

Yes, Tony, I do. I'll let you know when I leave.

Okay. I love you, sweetheart.

I love you, too.

As the messages stopped, Tony didn't feel better like he had thought he would; he knew that you were having just as much trouble as he was with how short you were being. The realization began to slowly sink in that this meant that he would have to come face-to-face with Nat sooner than later, and they hadn't parted on the best terms. He didn't even know how to talk to her anymore, and it made him sad to remember how easy it used to be. She understood him, and she never balked at putting him in his place. She was easily one of his close friends, and he didn't want to lose that.

Tony also realized that this meant that the day was coming when he would have to face Steve as well. He might even have to face Bucky again, because he was tied to you. Again, he tossed his phone onto the desk, leaning down to rest his head in his hands with a pained groan. All he could do was wait for you and hope that you had the answers that he couldn't see.

~~~

"You ready?"

Steve turned to you with a look in his eyes that could have only been fear; you hadn't seen it from him before. Normally when he looked at Bucky, all you saw was sadness. "I think so," he nodded, "you?"

"I think so," you agreed. You took a quick look at the room around you, and it had an eerie similarity to a military incursion. T'Challa had joined you and was talking to his sister as you waited, but past him and surrounding the edges of the room stood the Dora Milaje, just in case Bucky's mind wasn't as ready as she thought. Steve's posture gave it away that he was ready for the same, his stature rigid and ready to fight.

The lights of the room dimmed slightly and the chill emanating from the cryo chamber ceased. Shuri hurried to prepare herself to open it, as T'Challa came to stand with you and Steve.

"She will recite the trigger words once he is fully awake," he explained quietly. "That is the only way to know definitively that her therapy has worked."

"I guessed as much, given the heavy guard," you whispered back. Your eyes were locked on Bucky now, as his eyelids began to flutter ever so subtly.

Bucky coughed a few times as the air within the chamber changed, and his body began to warm. You had no idea how long this process would take, and you hadn't thought to ask, but it seemed to be moving relatively quickly as his eyes suddenly opened and hurried to find you in the scene before him, and then to Steve.

"He looks okay so far," you whispered to Steve. "He seems pretty calm."

"Mmm hmm."

"I'm opening the door," Shuri announced. You felt Steve's hand slide into yours, and you had to resist the urge to pull away from his hold. Yes, you had each gone through your dialogue of apologies and explanation, but the complete trust hadn't returned; you weren't sure if it ever would, and your mind and heart went to Tony in that moment.

"Sergeant Barnes," she began softly, "I'm going to recite the trigger words now, but I believe that I've removed the programming from your mind and you should not react to them."

"What if I do?" he asked, his voice soft and vulnerable as it came back to him.

"We are prepared."

Bucky's eyes shifted to look at you, and he held his gaze with each word as they were spoken to him. You watched for the slightest change, the sudden dilation of his pupils, or a drop in his expression that could tell you that the process hadn't worked. He was reading your apprehension, determined to look as calm as he could so that you would feel it too. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he had your name on the top of that list of who he needed to protect. When her voice quieted, and the words had been fully completed, Shuri took a step back.

"Sergeant?"

"My name is Bucky," he smiled, and she held out her hands to help him step out and onto the floor with his unsteady legs. He was met immediately by Steve, who pulled him into a firm hug with a slap on his back to welcome his friend to his renewed life. The two men exchanged quiet words that were too personal to hear, and you would never think to eavesdrop, but you still couldn't help but to be curious. Steve then turned to thank Shuri for what she had done, and Bucky took the opportunity to run to you; he picked you up from the floor and swung you around in his embrace, the joy in his laugh being the most genuine you had ever heard from him.

"Good morning, Buck," you laughed in reply, "how was your nap?"

"Well, if we're gonna be totally honest," he smirked, "now that I picked you up and jostled things around...I kinda have to pee."

"I seem to bring that out in guys, but lucky for you, I'm prepared," you shrugged, taking a step back to point the way for him. "Bathroom's over there."

"Be right...back-" he began, but when he turned to leave he came to an abrupt stop. Bucky found himself in the midst of a reaction, not as strong as when he connected to you, but one that shocked him to his core nonetheless. The room around him silenced almost immediately at his change in demeanor, expecting the worst and wondering if the words had left behind a delayed reaction.

Everyone watched as he finally took slow, measured steps forward, raising his tremulous hands to show that he wasn't a threat, and that he was in control of himself. Bucky couldn't believe what he was seeing, but just the same, he was terrified to find out if his eyes were telling him the truth.

"Natasha?" he gasped, breathless. "I can't believe that you're here." He took a few more steps towards her but stopped when her hands raised as well, and she took a reflexive step back. "Natasha, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I remember it all. I remember us."

"That's what scares me," she answered softly, turning to hurry away and disappearing before anyone had a chance to follow.