Liv was in the living room watching an old black and white spaghetti Western on TV when Steve returned home from visiting Peggy. They had agreed Liv go first since she was family.
She had cautioned him that Peggy's mind was fading. Privately Liv told Bucky that she wasn't sure it was a good idea that Steve even go but Bucky insisted Steve needed closure.
"How did it go?" Liv asked, pressing the mute button and turning to face him.
Steve didn't say a word. Instead he hung up his leather jacket and made a beeline for his bedroom. Concerned, Liv shut off the TV and followed.
Steve sat on the edge of his bed, facing the window, his back to Liv, his head in his hands. Her heart broke for him, knowing he was mourning that he and Peggy never got to share a life together.
Liv tentatively placed her hand on his back.
"Who do you need right now? Me or Bucky?" she softly asked. Steve didn't answer, which signaled he wanted Bucky.
Liv leaned down and gently kissed the back of Steve's neck.
"I'll get him for you, sweetheart," she said.
She left the room and quickly dialed Bucky on her cell phone. He had gone out on a run with their friend Sam Wilson when Steve had left to see Peggy.
"Hey," Bucky said, entering Steve's bedroom 10 minutes later, shutting the door behind him.
Liv sat down on the floor in the hallway, leaning against the wall beside the door, wanting to be there in case they needed her.
Steve was still sitting in the same spot when Bucky sat down next to him and slid an arm around him.
"C'mere," Bucky said, practically pulling Steve into his lap.
"Talk to me, Stevie," Bucky encouraged, carding his prosthetic hand through Steve's hair.
Steve tried to speak but couldn't, the pain of losing out on so many years overwhelming him.
And for the first time since they had been pulled from the ice, he began to cry.
Bucky held his friend tight as Steve sobbed.
"Do you want me to stay?" Bucky asked Steve who was still cradled in Bucky's lap, his tears subsided, his forehead against Bucky's neck. The sun was setting and there were shadows forming in the room.
"You don't have to do that," Steve hoarsely said, his voice somewhat muffled.
"Yes I do. I'm here for you, 'til the end of the line, pal," Bucky softly replied.
Steve lifted his head to look into Bucky's eyes. Without a second thought, their lips met.
Liv heard the bed creak. She smiled to herself, knowing that Steve would be alright, and stood to her feet.
They had an unspoken agreement between themselves that they shared everything, including each other. She occasionally spent the night in Steve's bedroom but Bucky hadn't been with Steve since before the war.
Liv went to her bedroom and shut the door.
Liv was in the kitchen making breakfast the next morning when Steve and Bucky appeared barefoot in jeans and T-shirts.
"You boys sleep well?" she asked as she dished up scrambled eggs for everyone. Steve's ears reddened and Bucky grinned.
"Sure did," Bucky said, kissing his wife on the cheek before accepting his plate.
"You doing okay?" Liv softly asked as she handed Steve his plate. He nodded.
"Thank you," he replied, meeting her eyes, and she smiled at him.
The three of them lounged on the apartment roof in lawn chairs that night, looking over the city, cradling bottles of beer and reminiscing about life before the war. After a while, a peaceful quiet settled over them, the only noise being the sounds below.
Bucky turned his head toward Steve.
"You should go talk to Sam," Bucky said.
Steve sighed and looked down at his lap. Sam had extended that very invitation weeks ago, saying he was available to talk to any of them when they were ready.
SHIELD had advised Bucky to see someone when he was released from the hospital given he had lost his arm. He chose Sam after a chance encounter during a walk around D.C.
Liv had declined to talk to anyone; she had Nat, who she felt was good enough of a listening ear.
That left Steve as the only one who hadn't spilled his emotions to someone outside their apartment.
Liv reached out and squeezed Steve's hand.
"You know we love you," she said.
He gave her a half-smile and squeezed her hand back.
"I will go see him tomorrow," Steve relented.
"You can do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?" Sam asked Steve as they stood in the gathering room at the vet center.
Steve shrugged.
He had Bucky and Liv but the void left by losing Peggy still remained. Would he ever find anything to fill that emptiness inside?
"Take an art class, train for a marathon, join a book club," Sam rattled off as he stared at Steve. "By giving of yourself here and now, the less you'll think about the past."
Steve glanced at him.
"Does it ever get easier?" he asked.
It was Sam's turn to shrug.
"It gets easier to cope with," he replied.