11

LEAVING

Luna's heart had stopped the moment she heard the name she hadn't heard in years. 

El'vira was in front of her—her Eli—donning the same clothes she had seen him leave in, wear and tear evident in the blackened, brigandine suit he wore. Those eyes like the firmament on Earth were her home, lips curving at the corners when he held his hand out. Luna wasted no time in stumbling through her heavy footfalls, reuniting with him. Into the hands of her love.

'El'vira,' she murmured out in disbelief into his hair that swept over his shoulders. 'It's you.'

The night of his departure, the pain, the frustration of loneliness; it was as if they had never existed. It was quickly replaced by the joy and consolation of seeing her husband, alive and healthy, in front of her. 

'I found you,' Eli breathed out. 'I finally found you.'

Tears followed his comment, dribbling down her chin as she pulled back to merge her gaze with his. Shaky hands clasped his cheek, lips twitching to a sad smile.

'I thought you were dead. That I'd lost you forever,' she rasped out.

'Never. Never, my love.' He gripped her shoulders tight. 'I promised I'd always come back to you."

She laughed, uniting their foreheads softly and feeling his warm breath caress her cheeks. She could feel his intense relief, his happiness in the strength of his arms and never closing his eyes. Set on her and only her.

'Would you like to meet your son?' 

'Ka'rier,' he smiled, excited. 

'Yes.' She bit down a smile. 'Oh, Eli, he's perfect. He's everything we envisioned.'

When she turned in his arms to call for her son from within the ship, she sensed an eerie silence. Her brows furrowed as she listened closer, but came back in vain. 

'Kit?' she called out to the playground. 'Kit!'

'He's nearby. I hear him—so much resilience in his mind,' Eli perceived with a comforting smile. He squeezed Luna's waist, drowning in exhilaration. 

'Let's go meet my little warrior.'

★

Kit refused to leave Bucky's side up until quiet strides riddled the hallway. He counted two in the rhythm, both fleet-footing and peaceful. Bucky merged his gaze with Steve who straightened up from his lean in caution. 

Bucky proceeded to position himself between the door and Kit, who clung to his knee in dread. One glance down at the kid and he knew this was about to go wrong. 

'We hear her out,' Steve sternly reminded Bucky. 'This isn't our fight, Buck.'

'Please, help me,' Kit whispered with a bare whimper. He stared up at his superhero idol with his eyes full of pleas. 'Don't let him take us, Cap. Please.'

Steve faced down the child vacantly. Lost in a memory. Bucky knew the words, how without fail they would work their magic. A hysteric sense of uncertainty purged the home once the footsteps stopped outside their door. 

'Kit?' Luna's voice travelled across the room.

Bucky stood up taller, unhindered by the sound. A thrill of seeing Luna again passed across his mind before Kit squeezed his face into his leg. He was starting to shake uncontrollably. A sort of convulsion that usually followed with his powerful outbursts. 

The door opened and, as estimated, two figures stepped into sight. 

Bucky laid eyes on a focused Luna, despairing, hoping to catch her eye, but was distracted by the stance of an unfamiliar, domineering man by her side. The same alien features, the golden tint to his skin, the unmarred grace to his movements; he must be one of Luna's kind. Bucky's hope died out to chagrin. 

'Come, my heart,' Luna beckoned gently, opening her arms for her son. 

Kit cried out, clutching onto Bucky's tensed stance tighter. 

'Relax, kid,' Bucky assured, placing his steely hand over his trembling head.

'Do you not recognize who this is, Kit?' Luna asked hopefully her son, all weak grins. 'Your father travelled the stars to meet you.'

The deafening noise devastated Bucky of his utmost responsibility. It was confirmed then. A storm of realization wracked him as he noticed everything but the one who had his attention—the way the man clung to Luna's hand, the way she was bearing it back, their eyes full of forgiven remembrances. Bucky slumped into himself, running on wasted effort. 

'Perhaps we can come to an understanding first,' the man demanded, his voice intense with authority. He was dressed like a soldier from outer space, and Bucky figured that was exactly what he was. 

'I am El'vira, chief of the Imperial Guard on Shi'ar,' he introduced. He stroked a hand behind Luna's head. 'This is Lou'nare, my mate, and my son, Ka'rier, who were forced to seek refuge on C53 when my planet fell captive to warlords.'

'The one I told you about,' Luna said, specifically to Bucky. 

An invisible claw slashed at Bucky's abdomen. He forced his eyes back to the floor to spare himself the annoying aches. 'Yes... I know.'

El'vira got down on one knee to face Kit, admiration etched into his face. He extended a lean hand out for his son to take. 

'My little warrior,' he sounded out proudly. 

Kit stared at him, angry, in floods of tears. The gold in his eyes had begun to glow ominously. 

'Your mother has raised you as powerful as her,' he marvelled upon his creation. 'Come to me, son.'

Kit shook his head stubbornly, his touch burning into Bucky's legs. Not a good sign at all. 'I don't want to go with you.'

El'vira's hand fisted. 'What?'

'Ka'rier, come here,' Luna muttered.

She stepped forward to forcefully grab ahold of Kit's hands. Bucky couldn't move anymore, the proximity killing him slowly, whilst Luna managed to pry Kit's battling fingers off. She lifted him despite his whining struggles and it was impressive how the kid hadn't exploded the space yet. 

'I'm sorry about the commotion,' she apologized to Bucky, holding a sobbing Kit to her chest. 'Kit probably doesn't know how to react to the surprise.'

'You're leaving?' Bucky asked. He couldn't afford to be shocked anymore. 

'This was never our home,' she told him. 'It was merely a place of escape.'

Leaving? Just like that?  

Steve discretely touched his elbow against his. Bucky stepped away and toward her. It was then that El'vira became aware of his proximity. 

'Where will you go?' Bucky asked, attempting his last hand at hope.

'That shouldn't worry you,' El'vira spoke for Luna, his tone commanding. She slid her eyes to the floor and let out a soft breath. 'I assure you, they are likely to never return.'

∞