Harper and James spoke for hours. Her throat ran dry at one point and he had quickly and dutifully gotten her a glass of water so she could continue her explanation of what the Blip had been like for her. She could see the ways in which her pains were hurtful for him as well. It was obvious in the guilt in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders.

It was a comfort, however, when he could relax at the stories of her triumphs and her adventures with Tawny. That he laughed when she described how platonically smitten Gram had been with Steve and how flustered it had made him. Their easy conversation and the way she could confide in him, cuddle against him, made her feel like perhaps they really could pick things up as they left off.

"Then Tawny insisted we go get these awful fucking facials to celebrate her promotion. Some crazy anti-aging shit since we're in our 30s and old now," the brunette explained with a roll of her eyes.

"You don't look old!" James denied instantly and with a twinge of offense in his voice. "You look maybe a bit more womanly than I remember, but still basically the same! Does Tawny really think-?"

Harper cut him off with a laugh. "No, no, she's just eccentric sometimes. Thanks for saying I haven't changed much, though."

"You haven't," he insisted. "Honest."

With a realization, she exclaimed, "Oh, wait! In the bunker, did you notice…?"

He lifted a brow at her in question, so she assumed he had not. A bright flush colored her cheeks. "There actually is a big change. I'm hoping that as a traditionalist you don't hate it, but… Can you help me move to your other side?"

He did so, unspoken questions and worry in his eyes. Strong yet gentle hands helped her stand and wobble over to the other end of the couch so that her left leg could rest on the coffee table and her right side was facing him. His confusion mounted when she began to pull her t-shirt over her head. She tossed the garment over the back of the couch and unfastened her bra, holding the cups in place but letting the band fall away from her body. Finally, she twisted and propped her arm up behind her so he could see her side unencumbered.

His blue eyes went wide as they roamed the colorful artwork permanently etched in her skin. His lips parted with a nearly inaudible gasp as he took it in. She bit her lower lip as she waited for him to voice his thoughts.

Finally, he managed, "Harper, it's beautiful."

"Not too much for my old timey man? I can't imagine you're used to women being all tatted up."

"It is different, but wow," he breathed. "This must have hurt?"

"It did," she allowed, "but nothing can really compare to the cluster pain. My tattoo artist was very impressed with me."

"You are very impressive," James agreed with a playful grin.

The brunette flushed at the flirtation and tried to get back on track. "Um, I got this not long after the Snap. It's a memorial tattoo. Or… it was since now everyone on here is alive again."

His expression turned serious and his eyes dropped to her inked skin with a new look of curiosity. He reached toward her side with his flesh hand before drawing back. "Tell me about it?"

Harper took his hand and brought his fingers to the deep green cypress tree rooted at her hip. "These are all plants related to mourning and loss, and I also took into consideration what each one means. My dad is the cypress tree. Firm and strong, like he's always been for me. My uncle is the hyacinth, since he's been a constant in my life since I was really young. Jordan is my confident orange lily. Kat, my loyal, beautiful best friend is the white chrysanthemum."

She trailed his fingers up the tattoo as she spoke, letting the pads of his digits rest on each intricate, brightly shaded flower. When she guided him to the final flower – arguably the star of the piece – she saw the spark in his eyes when he realized that this plant was meant for him. Her fingers left his hand and he touched the brilliant red poppy reverently.

"It's gorgeous, doll," he whispered, enraptured by the deep red bloom.

"It's a red poppy. In terms of flowers, it means hope for a peaceful future, which fits you beautifully. But historically-"

He cut her off, blue orbs widening with amazement. "They were used to honor the soldiers killed in the First World War."

His voice cracked and moisture flooded his eyes. His palm landed on the red petals that danced along her ribs and he gripped her side tightly. She watched the tears slowly flow down his cheeks. He was a man who had died many deaths. Sergeant Barnes had died when he was thrown off the train moving through the snowy mountain side and was captured and tortured. James the hardworking foreigner had died when he was forced back into the Winter Soldier in Germany. The peaceful goat farmer ceased to be with arrival of yet another war. And then he had been Snapped. The image inked into his lover's skin symbolized it all: the fallen soldier, the man desperate for peace, and yet more of his life lost to Thanos.

That she had honored him in such a way made his chest tight with a myriad of emotions. Shame because surely he didn't deserve to be honored with the military symbol, hurt for the woman who bore the image as a testament to her pain and loss. But most of all, love for Harper.

Her fingers swiped gently across his cheeks, brushing away the tears tracking their way into his beard. A watery chuckle parted his lips. "Why is it that talking about you almost always ends up in you comforting me?"

She shook her head, a fond smile forming on her face. "Are you not the man that has sat with me for hours, holding me and drying my tears?"

He didn't answer, his eyes having shifted and stopped, fixated on a certain point. Harper followed his gaze to the dog tag sitting in the cleft atop her breast. He murmured, "Darlin', is that…?"

The brunette nodded, taking the thin piece of metal between her fingers. "Steve gave it to me the first Christmas after the Snap. I've worn it ever since." Looking up at him, she asked, "Do you want it back?"

"It's absolutely perfect on you, Harper," James replied firmly. Beaming with pride and happiness, he declared, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, James," she replied. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him against her and holding him tight. "I'm so grateful to have you back."

Harper knew as soon as she saw James's face that something was wrong. He had gone out with Steve for the first time since the Stark Expo, so she had expected him to come home jovial and at peace. From the haunted look in his eyes and the strain in his face, she knew that whatever happy evening she had imagined for the two was anything but.

"James?"

He said nothing, simply threw his baseball cap on top of her dresser and pushed his jacket off his shoulders to let it drop to the floor. His boots must have been toed off at the door because he was already barefoot. Silently he sank to her bed beside her. Aslan lifted his head from his position curled at her feet. He blinked at the super soldier a few times before resettling. Harper was still, watching the brunet and waiting for him to make a move.

James reached for her slowly, a question posed by his open arms. She answered by scooting closer to him. His arms closed around her and he pressed his face into the side of her neck. Harper twisted as best she could despite the pain and tenderness in her leg to wrap him up in her own embrace.

Her fingers wove languidly through his long hair. He was shaking slightly beneath her fingers. His silence wasn't especially worrisome. When he got really dark when they were together back in Bucharest, he always sought her physical presence and comfort before anything else. But that he was this upset after seeing Steve was incredibly concerning. Still, she matched his silence, understanding his need.

Tears wetted her skin and James nuzzled his face harder against her neck. He sniffled and tightened his arms around her. The action pulled her partially underneath him, though she noticed that he was mindful to avoid her legs. One of her hands rested on his back, fingers splaying across the broad expanse of taut muscle beneath his t-shirt. She alternated between scratching her nails gently in the space between his shoulder blades and rubbing her palm tenderly up and down the line of his spine.

They lay like that for a long time, the only noise the occasional feline snore. Finally, James spoke, his lips brushing the wet skin at the curve of her shoulder. "I think Steve is leaving."

"What do you mean, hun?"

"He's going back in time to return the Stones to their proper places in the timeline. But I don't think he's going to come back."

Harper's brows knit together in confusion and concern. "Did he say something?"

"Not exactly. I just… I know him."

The brunette nodded once in acceptance. Nobody knew Steve like James did, and if he was certain, then Harper believed him. "When is this happening?"

"Bruce is finishing the machine. Probably only a few days."

"Will he be around for you to see him before then?" He bobbed his head once in confirmation. She continued, "Then spend time with him. Enjoy him. And then we'll say goodbye together."

James said nothing further, but did hold her closer.

Harper watched on with sadness as Steve prepped for time travel. Bruce and Sam seemed entirely unaware of the super soldier's plan. The blond received his instructions from the hulking scientist then exchanged parting words with him and Sam. He turned to Harper next.

James stepped back from her, allowing the blond to scoop her up in his arms. He tucked his head against her shoulder and spoke quietly, assured that the unsuspecting members of their group wouldn't be able to hear.

"Thank you for everything, Harper. I'm sorry that I was so closed minded in the beginning and robbed us of more time we could have spent as friends. Please continue to take care of Buck for me. If I could leave him to anyone and feel good about it, it's you."

"I will," she promised in a whisper. "Thank you, Steve. You were a true lifesaver for me in the past five years. I hope that wherever you're going, you find happiness and peace."

He nodded and she heard him take a shaky breath before setting her back fully on her feet. Harper winced slightly at the pull in her knee, but elected to ignore it. Steve and James met in a tight embrace. Their last exchange was heavy; Harper wondered how the other two had not caught on that there was something amiss. Goodbyes exchanged, Steve stepped up onto the machine's platform, the case of Infinity Stones in hand. At Bruce's countdown, the super soldier disappeared in a flash of light.

When the scientist counted out his return, it never happened. Instead, after a long moment they realized that there was an older man seated on a nearby bench overlooking the lake. Sam began moving toward the man. James glanced at Harper, hand lingering at her hip as his eyes questioned her need for support on the uneven ground. She shook her head and jerked her chin toward the man on the bench, encouraging him to join Sam. The woodland floor beneath her feet actually was uncomfortable given the state of her knee, but she would give James any chance at closure she could.

"Jordan!" Harper cheered, pushing herself to her feet despite the constriction of her brace. James rose beside her swiftly, hand hovering at her side in case she was unstable.

And unstable she was when her dark haired sister barreled into her. The siblings dissolved into tears – loud ones that lasted quite a while. Even though it had been weeks since the Snap was reversed, Harper had barely been home or available to see her sister who was also busy with medical appointments, meetings with her former school, and other necessary business that came of reappearing.

Finally, they parted, each reaching out to wipe the wetness from the other's cheeks. Harper turned, beckoning James toward them again. She beamed between her partner and her sister and said, "Jordan, this is James, my boyfriend. James, this is Jordan, my younger sister."

James gave the younger brunette a soft smile and extended his flesh hand. "Great to finally meet you, Jordan. Harper has told me so much about you, and our FaceTime chats were always illuminating."

"A pleasure to meet you for real, James," Jordan grinned. With a waggle of her brows, she said, "You're way hotter in person. Like holy fuckin' shit. My prude sister landed a certifiable catch."

"Jordan!" Harper scolded without an ounce of irritation in her voice. She was too happy that her sister was back, safe, and on the road to resuming her life.

"I can only hope I'm enough of a catch to be worthy of your capable, endlessly caring, beautiful sister," James replied earnestly, though the teasing lilt of his smile left neither woman confused about his teasing intentions in his flattery.

The trio talked for a long while, punctuated only by ordering food and its subsequent arrival. Finally, over coffee elevated with some Irish whiskey, Jordan asked, "So… Natalie, huh?"

"She's had a hard time," Harper nodded. She wouldn't say anything negative about the sister who had always been attached to Jordan by the hip.

The younger brunette snorted. "Clearly. Kinda sounds like she became a bitchy addict, especially toward you."

Harper shook her head in the negative. "Natalie took all of the losses really hard. None of us knew how to cope. She made choices that aren't healthy, but which worked for her during a really terrible time."

"Mom said she made a scene, yelling at you during Gram's funeral."

Harper frowned, seeing the sadness and regret in her sister's dark eyes. "Jordan, I'm so sorry you missed out on that time with Gram, and on saying goodbye. She missed you terribly."

Jordan sniffled and swiped a fist against her eye. Resolutely, she continued, "Still. Natalie yelled at you over our grandmother's grave. I feel like I don't even know her anymore."

"She loves you so much Jordan. Since everyone was brought back, she's finally been working toward sobriety. Let her get herself together and then give her a chance for things to go back to normal between you two."

"Fine," Jordan sighed dramatically. She looked around the small living room, eyes settling on James's hand on Harper's uninjured knee. "Speaking of back to normal between two people… You guys back to bangin'?"

Harper heard the sharp, surprised inhale of the super soldier beside her. She patted his hand on her leg comfortingly and chuckled. "Jordan, be nice."

"Well, sis, I can only imagine how much your vibrator collection has expanded over five years. I can only hope you're getting some actual man nowadays. As your sister, I'm just concerned for you," the younger woman grinned devilishly.

James's fingers tightened on her and Harper pried them up, weaving them with hers. Calmly, she tried to cut the conversation off, "No need for concern, Jordan. And anyway, my knee is getting in the way of pretty much anything, so if you're going to be concerned, that's what you should worry about."

Jordan rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sure, sure, there's no way you could take some dick without use of one of your knees. Speaking of your collection, I want updates. Did you ever get that plug or-?"

"Jordan!" Harper cut her sister off sharply. A severe look in her eyes, she ordered, "Enough."

The younger woman chortled, unbothered by the deep red flush on the soldier's face (which extended down his neck, he was so mortified) or the annoyance twisting a scowl onto Harper's lips. "Fine, fine. We'll talk about something else. It doesn't seem like your style has changed, Harper. Simple, black, nursing home chic."

"Nursing home?" James asked, his eyes flitting to the brunette.

"Hella modest. Not a tit in sight," Jordan replied mournfully, dropping her chin toward her chest.

Harper sighed. "No, my style hasn't changed much. Probably never really will."

Jordan beamed and turned to the former soldier. "Good news, then, James! I'm rather an expert in Harper's aesthetic, so you can just let me know when you want to go shopping for rings."

"Uhm…" James muttered, taken aback.

Harper threw a decorative pillow at her sister who simply burst into another fit of laughter.

"Jordan is… something." James commented, shifting just slightly.

They had gone to bed and were entwined beneath the sheets. Harper was cuddled against him, head propped up on his bicep. Her fingers were absently tracing the web of thick scars at his left shoulder joint.

"She's exhausting," the brunette sighed. "She derives way too much pleasure in teasing other people. Speaking of, she was kidding about ring shopping. It just means she approves of you."

"Glad to have her approval."

"And for the record, I'm not going behind your back telling my family I want or expect anything like that."

He nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Pulling back with a curious look, he asked, "We talked in Wakanda, but that was a long time ago I guess. Even if you don't want or expect a proposal now, do you still want to get married?"

"Yes," she answered easily. "I know I was fairly ambivalent about it before, but losing you and everyone… As long as we prove to still be compatible and you still love me, I really want to be able to call you my husband someday."

Bright brown eyes watched the emotion in his face at her words. She saw the longing in his gaze and the pain of daring to be hopeful. He cleared his throat and tried to settle himself. Then he commented, "I never realized you had a collection of vibrators."

"Jordan was being dramatic. I do have a few things, though, yes."

"You've never mentioned them."

"Well, when we were together in Bucharest, I only had one. In the nearly full year you were in Wakanda before I was able to see you, I was fairly frustrated and expanded my selections a bit."

"Oh?"

She could see the deep curiosity in his face and could feel it in the tension in his body. Harper giggled lightly and sat up. She twisted, reaching into the bottom drawer of her nightstand. Glancing over her shoulder at the super soldier, she asked, "You really want a sex toy tour?"

He nodded excitedly. Harper pulled the first one out, a small black bullet. "This was all I had prior to moving back here."

The soldier propped himself up on an elbow, closely following her explanation. She switched the bullet on and brought it to his flesh palm. He chuckled, gazing up at her with a flirtatious, knowing smirk. "You really do like it fast, huh?"

Harper flushed lightly, but nodded her agreement. She took the bullet back, switching it off before tossing it back in the drawer. Next came a teal handheld wand. Again, she turned it on and allowed him to test it with his fingers.

James's brows knit together. "That isn't too intense?"

"Sometimes it is."

Next on deck was a pocket vibe with a slightly curved attachment. She watched with amusement as James turned it over in his hands, pondering its purpose. With her own flirty tone, she supplied, "It's like a tongue. It can't compare to you, but it was a sufficient substitute all this time."

"How much longer on your knee's recovery?" he questioned, tongue darting across his lips. "Cuz fuck I wanna taste you again."

"Two more weeks."

Harper showed him another favorite, an apparatus that had the excellent ability to create a gentle vacuum at its tip. He blushed when she followed it up with what was a rather realistic looking phallic toy. And finally, a simple studded finger vibe.

"D'you ever think about using any of these, ya know, with me?"

Harper shrugged. "I've thought about it, I guess. I was too nervous when we were first getting into the swing of things in Bucharest, and honestly I didn't have enough suitcase space to pack these things to bring to Wakanda. But now I guess we are totally free to try. Would you wanna?"

He eyed the nubby blue toy and nodded. Then he seemed to remember something and asked, "What did Jordan mean about a plug?"

Heat bloomed on Harper's cheeks so quickly she felt a little lightheaded. Nervously, she replied, "Nothing, really. Don't even think on it."

"Oh, now you gotta tell me, doll."

"Fine," she mumbled begrudgingly. "Okay, so when you were gone the first time, I hit a wall and like… couldn't get off for a while, no matter what. But I was horny as hell. Then I went through a phase where I was really enticed by… Ah, well… here."

She unlocked her phone and quickly pulled up the item she had nearly purchased so many years ago. She handed him the phone and said quickly, "But the phase passed, I never bought it, and I've not considered it since."

His vibrant blue eyes went wide, reading about the object and its intended purpose. Clearing his throat again, he asked, "Do you remain uninterested in this sort of thing?"

Harper nodded. "I was losing my mind then. Besides, I can barely take you in the traditional orifice. No way we're even going to try you or anything else in my ass."

James burst out laughing at that. Through his laughter, he managed, "God, I love my crude, sexy woman."

"Yeah, yeah. It's hilarious until we start talking about shoving things up your ass. You do yours, I do mine?"

Harper's heart thundered in a panic when it took several moments longer than expected for James to decline her suggestion. She had a funny feeling they would be revisiting this particular topic someday.

A/N: Thank you for sticking with this story! I hope you all enjoyed a little bit of kinky-Bucky at the end. I surely enjoyed writing him.