It was madness.

Steve was aware of what he had done – but regret was not something that pained his mind. The relief of knowing that Bucky would come back was more than enough to make this deal worth it. Whatever price the demon would make him pay, it would be worth it. He just… couldn’t lose Bucky all over again. One time had been enough. To see him disappear before his very eyes after Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half of the life in the entire Universe? To set a damn balance? It was absolutely horrifying. How many people had lost their loved ones? Their parents, siblings – a loved one? Thor had lost his brother. Shuri had lost her brother. Everyone had lost someone in this battle and yet… Steve was the one crazy enough to make a deal with a demon to bring Bucky back.

How would they react if they knew? How mad would they be if they became aware of what he had done? There was always another way. There was always some… back door that could help them win. Prevail. But this time? Steve wasn’t so sure. Maybe there was some way to deal with Thanos and defeat the Titan – but he couldn’t do it alone. He would never be able to do it without Bucky. He needed that support. That safe haven that would make him see that everything was alright. Bucky was his best friend. The last tie to a past that seemed a lifetime away. A constant memory of the man he once was… and the man he was now.

“I’m sorry.” Steve sighed and contemplated the sunset inWakanda. Everyone was indoors. They were mourning and devising new ways to track down Thanos and kill the bastard once and for all. Thunders shook the ground. Thor was probably the one who was the most pissed about it and while Steve knew that he should find the Asgardian and seek to share words of wisdom, he simply could not. Instead, he would sit in the woods. In the exact place, he saw Bucky vanish while waiting for either his friend – or the demon to appear.

_{Madness was one way of putting it. Ky  should have asked for more – should have, but didn’t. Truth be told, bringing anyone back was a massive undertaking.} 

_{However, as monumental as it was, it was a challenge that Ky never really could pass up. If he did, the consequences of said actions would have had to be quite dire, and for the time being… they were not.}

_{No, he’d go through with this arrangement, and deal with whatever side effects there possibly would be. If it was bad? Well, he’d deal with it, but only on his own terms. And only if it came to that point.}

_{Bringing one man back should have been easy; a simple hop, skip, and jump between realms. He’d done it before countless times, but this was a bit more tricky. Maybe it had been due to the simple fact that trillions had died.  Maybe it had just been due to  Thanos – either  way, it proved difficult to track the one in question down.}

_{He almost has given up when he had found him. It wasn’t where he’d originally thought to look, but sometimes the last place to find someone was the more unexpected route.}

_{More importantly, he had found what was requested, but  found it difficult to remove him. Not that it stoped him – Ky knew well enough to play with the strings of fate. He’d done  so  before and managed to get away with it ( granted someone had to clean up the mess after words).}

_{Just before returning back to Earth, he paused as he thought about how many more people  wanted  to make deals, but decided against it. No, he wasn’t going to press his  luck – nor did he need a visit from  the living tribunal ( again ) as one warning was enough.  He doubted he’d get another.}

_{“Perfect,” he said, practically  dragging Bucky through the portal behind him – a  little worse for wear -, but that was mainly due to the fact the both of them traveled what seemed like centuries. Nothing a little fresh air could clear up.}

_{Still, he’d done  his duty, and decided to leave  Bucky just near the place he was ‘dusted’. He’d not remember the trip (or so Ky hoped he wouldn’t) or anything after the ‘dusting’. All Bucky would remember  (if he  did things right) was the events right before the ‘dusting’. A simple trick, but one that could prove complicated if someone interfered or poked too much about the subject.}

_{However, for the ‘reunion’ Ky decided to stay hidden for a  moment before taking his leave. His  work was  done  and  he wasn’t prone on doing something else like this  anytime in  the near future.}