Part 29: what did you do?

The kitchen was loud.Too loud.

Sam and Clint were arguing about who could cook eggs better - even though neither of them could actually cook. Tony was scrolling through tablet updates while muttering something about vibranium and coffee beans. Thor was already pouring orange juice into a beer stein.

The normal chaos of an Avengers morning.

Until Emery walked in.

She didn't say a word.

She looked... wrong.

Red-rimmed eyes. Hollow cheeks. Her hair was tied up messily, barely an effort. No makeup. No smile. She wore one of her oversized hoodies and leggings like armor - and moved like a ghost.

Bucky looked up from where he was leaning against the counter and froze mid-sip.

She didn't look at him.

Didn't look at anyone.

She walked straight to the coffee machine, poured a mug with mechanical precision, and turned around just as silently, her eyes downcast the entire time.

"Morning, Em-" Natasha started.

But Emery was already walking out.

The silence hit like a clap of thunder once the door slid shut behind her.

Everyone turned.

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked, blinking.

"She looked like she hadn't slept," Wanda murmured.

"She looked like she'd been crying," Natasha corrected.

Clint frowned. "I thought last night was supposed to be the big 'finally-say-something' moment with Barnes."

Bucky's brow furrowed. "It was?"

Loki, seated at the table with his usual calm detachment, suddenly stood. His jaw was clenched, his green eyes glinting far too sharp.

"Was it?" he asked coldly. "Because I'm beginning to think you ruined it before it even began."

Bucky straightened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You tell us," Tony said, suddenly standing beside Loki, arms crossed. His tone wasn't casual. It was cutting.

"I didn't even see her last night," Bucky said. "I was with-"His sentence faltered.

Loki's smile was all teeth. "Go on. You were with...?"

Bucky's heart sank. "That girl. From the party."He felt the words curdle in his throat."She came up to me while I was grabbing a drink. It wasn't anything serious."

Natasha arched a brow. "Did you flirt with her?"

"I didn't-" He paused, remembering. The light touch on his chest. The teasing. The way he didn't exactly stop it. The way he didn't leave.

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, Buck."

Bucky went very still. "She saw."

Tony, never one to miss a beat, pulled up the Tower's security footage on his tablet. "Maybe this'll help."

The room turned toward the screen.

There she was - Emery, walking the halls with a hopeful but cautious step, clutching her thoughts tightly.

Then Bucky appeared, relaxed, charming, but distracted.

And then the girl from the party - young, confident, laughing with a spark in her eyes.

Their smiles met.

And then - the kiss.

Not quick, not casual. A full, lingering kiss.

Emery appeared at the hallway's edge, frozen, her face breaking like glass.

She turned and left, silent and defeated.

The footage didn't stop there.

Later, Bucky opened the door to the guest room. The girl followed him inside, the door clicking shut behind her.

The kitchen was still. All eyes were on Bucky.

Loki's voice cut through the heavy silence, venom lacing every word. "You kissed her. You let her stay. You ruined everything Emery fought so hard to believe in."

Bucky's voice cracked. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that."

Loki's tone was low, venomous. "She chose you. After all that back and forth, she finally made up her mind. Told me as much. And then you-"

He took a threatening step closer."-were too busy playing soldier with a pretty face."

Bucky looked like he'd been hit.

The kitchen was quiet now, every pair of eyes on him. Accusing. Disappointed.

"She left the room like someone had stabbed her in the chest," Wanda said quietly.

Bucky swallowed. His chest ached.

"I didn't know," he said, barely above a whisper. "I didn't... I thought she was going to come find me."

Tony shook his head. "You waited too long."

"She must think-" Bucky dragged a hand through his hair, stomach sinking. "Shit."

"She doesn't think anything right now," Natasha said. "She feels. And right now, she probably feels like she was never anything special to you."

"I didn't mean for her to think that," Bucky said quickly.

"But she does," Loki snapped. "Because you let someone else get close when she finally let herself be vulnerable. You didn't even notice the door close, did you?"

Bucky didn't speak. Couldn't.

He felt the guilt crawl beneath his skin like it belonged there.

Tony sighed and grabbed his tablet. "I'm not saying she's perfect. But she's ours. You don't get to break her like that and walk away without a fight."

"I'm not walking away," Bucky said hoarsely.

"Then I suggest you figure out how to fix it," Loki growled, "because if she cries herself to sleep again tonight, I'll make sure it's you who bleeds next."

The room went deadly still.

And then Clint clapped his hands once. "Cool. So... that wasn't terrifying at all."

But Bucky didn't laugh.

Because he knew - every single one of them was right.

Bucky didn't wait.As soon as the kitchen door slid shut behind him, he was running - not physically, not yet, but mentally sprinting through every memory, every beat, every moment he'd held her gaze too long, touched her too gently, said too little. He hadn't noticed the door close last night.

And now he might've lost her for good.

He reached her floor.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. was uncharacteristically quiet when he asked to open the door.

"Ms. Emery has requested privacy.""I need to see her," he said. "Just-please."Silence.

And then-

"She heard you coming. She says no."He swore softly under his breath and stepped back, pressing a hand to the wall like he could lean through it."Emery?" he called, voice rough. "Can you just... open the door? Please?"

Nothing.

"I didn't know you were coming last night. I didn't-what you saw, that wasn't-God, it wasn't anything. You have to know that."

Still nothing.

"Please, just let me explain."

A second of silence.

And then-

"I don't want to see you."

Her voice was muffled, but unmistakably broken.

"I'm done with explanations, Bucky. I've spent months wondering if you felt the same and the second I make up my mind, I see you with someone else."

His hand dropped to his side.

"That's not fair," he said quietly. "You didn't tell me-"

"You didn't need me to!" Her voice cracked. "Every damn look, every damn moment - I thought you knew. I thought it was us. I thought you were waiting because it mattered."

The door stayed shut.

"But you weren't waiting. You were distracted. Like I never mattered at all."

His chest ached.

"That's not true," he said. "I just-"

"Leave," she whispered.

And this time, her voice was small.

"I can't do this right now. I can't see you. Please."

He stood there for another long beat. A second too long.

Then turned.

And walked away.

Later in the day.

Natasha entered without knocking.Wanda followed right behind her, eyes soft, hands already glowing faintly with a spell to lock the door behind them.

Emery was curled on the bed, still wearing the hoodie, her face turned into the pillow. Her shoulders were shaking.

"Oh, honey," Nat whispered, climbing up beside her.

Wanda sat at the foot, voice gentle. "We brought chocolate."

That earned a wet, broken laugh - or maybe just a hiccup that tried to be a laugh.

"I feel like an idiot," Emery mumbled, not lifting her head.

"You're not," Nat said firmly. "You're heartbroken."

"I finally chose," Emery whispered, turning just enough to let them see her tear-soaked face. "I finally let myself want someone for real. And he... he couldn't even wait one more hour."

"He doesn't know what he wants half the time," Wanda said. "But you do. That's the difference."

Emery sat up slowly, wiping her face with her sleeve. Her eyes were puffy. Her voice raw.

"I walked in so sure. I was gonna tell him everything. That I wanted him, not Loki, not anyone else. I was excited. Stupidly excited. And then I saw him with her-his hand on her waist, that smile, the way he-"Her voice cracked.

Nat reached out and pulled her close.

Emery let her. Collapsed into it, tears still falling freely.

"I waited too long," she murmured into Nat's shoulder. "He moved on."

"No," Wanda said gently, but firmly. "He got distracted. He was stupid. There's a difference."

"But it hurts like it's the same thing."

They didn't answer. Just let her cry it out. Until she fell asleep.

Once she was asleep they exchanged looks of sorrow and left the room.

Because she needed to.

Because grief doesn't always come with funerals.

Sometimes it comes in the shape of a moment - a laugh stolen by someone else, a glance that used to be only yours.

Sometimes heartbreak is simply hope, dead in your hands.