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.
Steve was aware of what was at stake here. He knew how others would react, especially those who had seen Bucky vanish before their very eyes. People would make questions. Suspicious would arise and the veteran knew that the backlash for what he had just done would be… no short of monumental. What would Thor say? Or Natasha? What would Bucky say if he knew what he had done for the sake of saving him? How badly would his best friend react after learning why he had come back and no one else had? It was a price that Steve was willing to pay. It was something that only he could do. Maybe there was a way. Maybe later down the line, they would find some way to undo what Thanos had done.
MAYBE.
But how was he supposed to focus when he was blinded by grief and pain? To see Bucky die before his very eyes not once – but twice? That was far too much. He would even give his own life in exchange for Bucky’s if that was what it took for him to have the other man back. The one who didn’t want to fight. The one who wanted nothing more than to live his own life and put his past of war and conflict behind his back. It was his fault that Bucky had vanished. It was his fault that things had… been the way they were now. But it was not too late to make amends. They would stop Thanos and they would find a way to bring the ones who died back. They would find a way to right their wrongs. But for him to do that… he needed Bucky. He needed that ONE person that would make everything so much better and bearable.
Blue eyes turned to the demon and even though he knew sooner or later, he would have to pay the price for this – Steve was oddly at peace. Whatever the demon wanted, he would do. It was his end of the bargain. Whatever it took to bring Bucky back. To bring the one person he cared about the most back to the world of the living. It was not his time. Not yet. “Thank you.” Lips curled in a half smile and Steve offered his demonic contractor a short nod. If the blond could truly bring Bucky back – he would pay the price. It was worth it. “How do I know it is my time to fill my end of the bargain?”
He didn’t expect thanks. Nor did he expect true gratitude for what he was about to do. Tinkering with fate always came with a price – usually, he had something to weigh it out with properly, but words held their own power. A favor for a favor – something he did out of pure necessity than actual want.
Bringing one man back wouldn’t tip the scales one way or another – the scales were already destroyed. That was what happened when the Titan decided to snap their fingers and throw the entire universe. Whatever balance there was… it was torn asunder.
All that was left was the fragments of what was once known as reality. Dust littering every room, street, and corner of not just the world, but the universe at large. A price to pay for someone who decided that most of all life needed to be eradicated.
Maybe in another time Ky would have done the same thing, but not like this – never like this. Though, he doubted he’d ever get ahold of an infinity stone. Especially now… that they were all currently held by a very mad Titan.
“You’ll know.” It was a lie, but also a truth in all reality. Ky didn’t know when he’d call either one or a majority of his deals in. However, he knew fully well that when the time came? He’d be calling it in no matter what they were doing or what was on the line.
“Until then,” he said, hands slipping into the pockets of his pants, “I’ll be watching and I might even show up now and again.” Of course, the final words from his mouth were doubtful, but they held some sort of truth all the same.
That opinion was debatable. How many people would consider this action foolish? This sudden despair that had taken over him due to LOSING someone who meant such a great deal to him? No one would understand. Perhaps Thor would since he experienced similar with Loki. How was someone supposed to deal with the loss of someone important – not once but twice? It was enough to many anyone lose their minds. It was a pain that few would ever manage to endure – and Steve was not one of those people. Seeing Bucky fall from that train all those decades ago had already been devastating., let alone watching him turn to dust before his very eyes. It was more than anyone could endure. It was more than HE could endure.
So what if his despair made him be selfish? Just this one time – he could be selfish. This… ONE time.
Others would scream at him and call him stupid. They would argue that they could have found another way to bring Bucky and the others back. There was always a way – and no one would give up until they found it. But that was then and this was now. Without Bucky, Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to keep moving forward and if that meant making a deal with the devil? Then so be it. Even if the price to pay would be Bucky getting his memory wiped or even his own memory wiped… at least he would know he was ok. Whatever the price the demon would request for his services, Steve knew he would pay. For it was worth anything – and he was a man of his word.
“Just… do it. Please.”
When Ky had been asked before to make deals, there was always a pure selfish reason involved. From crawling out of debt, to even keeping a family member alive – everything came with some sort of price tag attached. Sometimes, people didn’t want to pay up, and that was what lead to complications.
Ky didn’t care if people paid, but his family did, and it was why he avoided deals. Well, avoided them unless he absolutely had to make them. Oddly enough, he was great at making deals, but very bad at collecting them the normal way.
He didn’t want anything more than ( usually ) one simple favor – one that could be used at any-time for anything. That way, when the time came, he could do what was needed, and claim his rightful place. Even if Ky knew it might not ever happen… he was still willing to put everything on the line to at least try.
“By the end of the hour,” he said bluntly. “Bucky will be back – All he’ll remember is waking up, and now nothing about his former final moments.” It could have been done sooner, but an hour was easier. It gave him time to do what was needed and hide it for at least a few weeks. That way no one would find out ( right away that is ) what he’d done.
Hellfirebound 