[team one] A bigger universe
~1900 words of g0 rated KHxMCU crossover though it's mostly Sora and Bucky (winter soldier) talking.
“You’re going to get banned from the garden center.”
“Not if I keep buying the plants I knock over!”
Bucky watched as a couple of teenagers walked down the street several stories below him, the young man carrying several pots of lush greenery, his brown hair just barely noticeable above the large leaves of one robust plant.
His friend with the red hair carried two smaller pots in one arm while she gently guided her friend with the other.
“We’re running out of room at the apartment. Your bedroom is already overrun, Sora. As is the living room. And the kitchen. And my room.”
“Some of these might do well on the balcony.” her friend, Sora, whined, though he didn’t sound so sure about it.
Bucky rolled his eyes as another explosion caught his attention. Only in New York would plant nurseries continue to operate during an active alien invasion. Though he supposes after the first few New Yorkers just got used to it. Even if these aliens were a little stranger than their usual brand.
He glanced through the scope of his rifle as Stark zoomed past in his ostentatious robot suit, quickly followed by Wilson and his wings.
Another explosion, this one louder than the last, and Bucky saw several civilians with a little more sense of preservation run into nearby businesses, while others froze on the street, some reaching for their phones.
Nearer to where the Avengers were fighting, several of the aliens seemed to have merged into one larger being, though it was still the same black color with glowing yellow eyes. Just a lot bigger. And meaner if the punch it aims at Iron Man is any indication.
The fist is momentarily stopped by the loud clang of a vibranium shield, and finally, Bucky is rewarded for his patience with the appearance of Steve.
Wilson had managed to lift Steve to the top of the nearest building, perfect for combatting the larger being, though the smaller ones still seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Stranger aliens than normal for sure.
Even with the increased size and numbers, the Avengers didn’t seem to need assistance just yet, so Bucky held off shooting any aliens. He knew Steve- even from this distance, Steve’s enhanced hearing would hear the gunshot and pinpoint Bucky’s location at least within a few buildings.
And that might distract Steve. Bucky couldn’t have that.
It had nothing to do with the ache in Bucky’s heart at the thought of seeing his best friend again. Now that most of his memories had returned. All of them- the good and the horrendous.
It was best for Steve if Bucky stayed away. His heart may ache at the thought, but risking Steve’s disappointment or anger or- rejection-
That was so much worse.
A scuttling behind him jerked Bucky out of his melancholy thoughts and he swiftly turned around, raising his rifle-
One of the strange black aliens had appeared behind him. Bucky cursed. And he had been worried about Steve getting distracted.
He fired the rifle on instinct. Instead of the carnage he had expected though, the alien sort of twitched before disintegrating, a bright pink heart floating above for a second before disappearing as well. Bucky barely had a second to register the strange sight before three more creatures appeared.
He dropped the rifle and pulled out a handgun instead, firing three shots in quick succession. But the aliens seemed to appear just as quickly as he dropped them.
He heard screams below and he risked a quick glance down, finding the creatures attacking the civilians who hadn’t yet taken cover.
Shit. Bucky fired a few more shots at the alien creatures on the roof before pulling out his backup handgun and aiming carefully at the creatures on the ground. The creatures dissipated the same way as the creatures on the roof.
“Get inside!” Another voice shouted.
The brown-haired kid from earlier- Sora- helped pull a few civilians from the street and gestured to where his red-haired friend was holding a door open, gesturing for everyone to take cover.
A sudden pain shot up his leg and Bucky returned his attention to the creatures on the roof with him. In the few moments he had been distracted, they seemed to have quadrupled in number, their twitching becoming almost synchronized in waves.
His prosthetic tightened around the grip of his gun. He’d run out of bullets before he ran out of aliens to kill, but he didn’t see another option. He briefly thought of blowing the building, but he was atop an office building during a workday- who knew how many other civilians were taking shelter inside.
The creatures attacked, evidently uncaring how many were destroyed by his guns. He was overwhelmed in a few moments and he backed up to the edge of the roof. He could jump, maybe catch one of the window ledges on the way down. It might not even hurt that much.
Before he could make a decision the creatures attacking him suddenly froze solid before disintegrating. He felt sudden heat surrounding him as well- several other aliens were going up in flames, their yellow eyes blank as they disappeared.
Bucky glanced around- what had happened?
“Look out!”
Something whizzed past him- a giant key?-- before he heard a sound behind him. Turning, Bucky saw the faint pink heart of a destroyed creature before the key flew past him again.
Bucky turned back. The boy from earlier caught the key in mid-air before turning,
“Thunder!”
A lightning bolt came from a clear sky, hitting several creatures as they climbed the roof.
Finally, the waves of creatures ceased. Bucky could hear the fight still raging behind him though, but when he turned he saw that the Hulk and Iron Man seemed to have things covered on the larger creature, while Wilson, Romanoff, and Barton handled the smaller aliens. There was a faint red glow from one of the Avengers’ newest recruits as well.
There was no sign of Steve and Bucky just barely managed to not leap off the building and start running towards the battle to find him.
“Oh man, the heartless are out there too?!” The boy- the young man really- shaded his eyes as he looked out at the battle a few miles away. “I gotta help them!”
Bucky’s arm shot out on instinct as the kid lept over the side of the building.
Did he have a death wish?!
“Woah!” The kid wiggled in his jacket as Bucky hauled him back over to the safe side of the roof. “Hey, what gives?!”
“You nuts? That’s a 25-story drop!”
“..... ok?”
Bucky glared at him.
Something seemed to light up behind the kid’s eyes. “Oh…. do people not do that here?”
Bucky almost said ‘No,’ but then remembered Stark, and Wilson, and Barton, and fucking Steve- “Most people don’t.”
“Oh.” He still looked worriedly out at the battle before them. “But-”
“They’ll be fine.” Bucky was already mapping his route closer to the battle though. Just in case.
He still hasn’t seen Steve.
His assistance wasn’t needed anyway. With a final blast from Iron Man the largest alien dissipated, leaving behind one large pink heart that floated then disapepared.
“Oh good,” the kid’s smile lit up his whole face. Then he turned that grin on Bucky. “You did pretty good too with the heartless!”
Bucky grunted. What a weird name for an alien.
“I’m Sora!”
Bucky glared back at him, but the kid- Sora- was unflinching, his grin bright but with a sharpness in his eyes that Bucky struggled not to compare to Steve’s when the blond was smaller, slighter, but no less ready for a fight.
“Bucky,” he muttered. Now that the fight was over, he had to start thinking about making his way back to his safe house.
… as soon as he caught sight of Steve and made sure he was safe.
“So are those guys friends of yours?”
Bucky was startled at the question. “What?”
“Those- superhero guys?” Sora gestured vaguely over to where the Avengers were not helping clean up.
“Nope.”
“You sure about that?” Sora asked.
“Definitely.”
“Cause your heart was aching.”
Bucky turned back to Sora. “The hell you on about? You some kind of psychic?”
He considered running now. No more people messing with his head.
But dammit, there was just something about this kid.
Sora laughed. “Who me? Nah. I just… felt it. That’s why the heartless attacked you, you know. Because your heart was aching.”
He held a hand to his own heart. “It’s ok though. I know the feeling.”
Frowning Bucky looked away. He could tell from the tone of voice. The kid was 16 at most- what the hell had he experienced to know the feeling.
“I don’t-” Bucky groaned. “I know him… but sometimes I can't remember him.”
He had been having more good days than bad lately. And his journals have helped- writing things down in general helped.
But some mornings he still woke with the words “ready to comply” on his lips and the thought of Steve ever hearing those words first thing in the morning terrified Bukcy more than anything.
Sora hummed, sitting down against the edge of the roof. “Then I definitely know the feeling.” His hand seemed to instinctively drift towards his necklace. “There’s someone out there that i know too. But I can’t remember them at all. Just… a feeling. A vow… something so, so important but I-”
“But every time you reach for it, it’s just beyond reach.” Bucky sighs. “Or someone comes and takes it away again.”
“Yeah.” Sora suddenly sat up straight. “Which is all the more reason you should go see your friend!”
“Hmm…” Bucky muttered.
“He’s right there within reach. Even if you sometimes don’t remember why, you know he’s important to you.”
“It’s not the same. He won't- he wants someone else. Someone who I can’t be ever again.” Bucky groaned. “After everything I’ve done, how can I even face him?”
“Like this!”
Bucky glanced over, and a startled laugh made its way out of his mouth. Sora had twisted his features into the most ridiculous face, his eyes slightly crossed and his tongue sticking out.
Sora joined in his laughter before sobering. “I’m sure he wants to see you too. When you’re ready. He wants to see you as you are, not how you think you should be.”
Bucky rolled his eyes. There was no way he was taking advice from a kid. No matter their life experience.
“Yeah, kid. Maybe someday.”
Light footsteps on the fire escape startled them both into standing.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Bucky asked.
Sora’s face twisted. “She’s not my girlfriend! Strelitzia’s more like a roommate.”
A muttered curse in a distinctly male voice had Bucky sprinting towards his rifle. “Gotta go.”
“Huh? But-”
“Buck!”
Bucky leaped from the rooftop, his hand reaching out and grabbing the fire escape on the opposite building.
“Bucky!”
Steve.
Bucky gripped the fire escape hard, swinging his body to safety below.
He glanced back just once, locking eyes with Steve for a moment.
Then he lept from his fire escape to the window ledge of another building. As he shimmied the window open and ducked inside, he could just hear Sora’s surprised voice.
“Wow, that is so unfriendly.”
Next up is Nichi! I'll tag you on discord. your line is "Wow, that is so unfriendly"