Warm Winter & Fiery Frost [2] | Bucky Barnes
》 PAIRING: bucky barnes x ex-HYDRA assassin!female!reader
》 TROPE/GENRE: grumpy x grumpy, enemies to lovers-ish, slow burn-ish, angst, fluff-ish
》 SUMMARY: They say opposites attract. You and Bucky were so alike—He was called The Winter Soldier and you were called Frost, for fucks sake—that it's probably the reason why you hated each other. Or was it the denying of powerful feelings in fear of getting hurt? You know, like how the cliché goes. Because you know what they also say: There's a fine line between love and hate.
》 WARNINGS: read full warnings here
》 WORD COUNT: 16.4k+
A/N: here's part two! this starts off right where the other one ended. this is also the last part, BUT BUT if you want to see more of these two or like more detailed scenes that were just mentioned in the fic just lemme know so maybe i can write it as a blurb! <3 enjoy reading!
📘 READ ON AO3 | ★ FIC MASTERPOST
📍 BLOG NAVIGATION✩ B. BARNES MASTERLIST
✩ MAIN MASTERLIST ✩
⊱ ─────.⋅♚ *。・゚.★. *。・゚✫*.
When the rest of the team was ushered into the conference room for a debrief, you and Bucky were ordered by the Captain himself to go into a separate office. It was obvious in Steve's tone that he was serious about it. So there was no room for argument. The second Sam ended up leading the way for you both, Bucky immediately knew what this was about.
Sam gestured towards the two seats in front of the desk. You didn't bother arguing and just took your place. Bucky sat across you with a sigh.
You wouldn't even look at him.
If this was any other day, you two would've been deep into a glare-off by now.
But nothing.
Even though Bucky was looking right at you, you couldn't even do as much as lift your head. You were just fixated on the one spot on your knee, picking at it like there was some loose thread when there obviously wasn't.
Bucky couldn't stand watching you act so timid and defeated like this, so he looked away.
"Nobody wants to speak? Fine, I'll speak." Sam said after a moment, hands clasped on the table. "What the actual hell, you two?"
It was such a vague question. But somehow, both of you already knew how out of line the whole argument was because you both looked at each other without much thought.
You were quick to avert your gaze, though.
"Look, I get it," Sam sighed, looking at you two pointedly. "Everything was tense back there. We definitely weren't in high spirits when things didn't go the way we wanted it to. But was that anyone's fault?"
You both shook your head no.
"And as far as I'm concerned, you were only looking out for each, just like how teammates would correct?"
You both nodded.
It honestly was starting to look like some preschool principal's office. Bucky would've found it funny if there weren't harsh words haphazardly thrown in the mix.
"Both of you said things out of anger, and I think we can all agree that both of you went out of line," Sam continued. "But I think I'm right in assuming that neither of you meant it, either."
Bucky nodded. You didn't respond.
"Now, look each other in the eye and apologize."
"I'm not going first," he grumbled out of stubbornness.
It was becoming a bad habit, one that only ever shines around you.
He wasn't proud of it.
"You started it, asshole," you huffed, the fire in your tone slowly coming back.
Bucky rolled his eyes. "Wow, that's real mature of you—"
"Quit it," Sam interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned in his seat, making himself comfortable. "You're not leaving here until you both apologize."
There was a beat.
You sighed deeply, your body slumping on your chair.
Another beat before you finally met his eyes.
"I'm sorry," you said, uncharacteristically gentle. "None of it was your fault. I know you didn't have a choice. I shouldn't have said what I said."
Bucky's face softened, brows raising in surprise.
He didn't expect to see guilt in your eyes, nor did he expect to hear absolute sincerity in your voice.
It made him feel even worse.
Of course he knew you didn't mean what you said. After his comment, despite not exactly planning for you to hear it, your reaction was to be expected.
It was never pleasant to be called a 'Useless bitch,' no matter the language.
But despite only saying it out of anger, and not at all meaning it, he wasn't quite sure if you knew that.
"What I said was out of line. I'm sorry," Bucky said, his heart aching when he saw the slight mist in your eyes. "I know he double-crossed you and if you hadn't pulled that trigger, countless young girls would've been sold to God knows who. You did the right thing."
You nodded and looked away.
"And you're not useless, Y/N," he said softly, your eyes snapping up to meet his.
It was the first time he ever said your name. Bucky never truly called you by anything before apart from the occasional printsessa just to get on your nerves. Your name felt so new on his tongue yet so right that he wanted to say it again and again.
"You never were."
You didn't say anything.
You simply looked at Sam, as if begging for this to be over with.
Bucky wouldn't lie and say that didn't sting a little.
"Alright, how about a truce?" Sam said, nodding at you both. "Shake on it."
Bucky put his hand out and you took it. But he only felt your skin on his for a second before it was gone. So brief he might as well have imagined it.
He tried saying something. But before he could even grasp what exactly it was he wanted to say, you stood up and walked out of the room.
Through the glass walls, he watched you wrap your arms around yourself, head down and never looking back.
He'd never seen you look so small.
Bucky hated that he was the cause of it.
•••
He couldn't sleep.
Bucky had been staring at the wall for hours now. The very wall that connected your room to his. He wasn't quite sure what was keeping him awake—the guilt, the worry, the longing, or everything else in between.
Sighing, he got out of bed and quietly went to your shared kitchen. He didn't want to wake you up in case you were already asleep.
But as he reached the end of the hallway, he saw that the hanging light above the island was on, a figure sitting on one of the stools with a bottle of some cheap wine on the counter.
He instantly knew it was you.
Bucky wasn't sure if you noticed him yet, contemplating if he should just leave you be and give you some space. Though he should've known better. You were a trained assassin—one of the best in his opinion. So of course you already knew he was standing there, despite being in the shadows of the hallway.
"Luka," you said, eyes glued to the something on the counter. "His name was Luka."
It took him a second to realize who you were talking about. Perhaps it was sheer curiosity, or perhaps he sensed that you probably needed this. Either way, Bucky crossed the distance and sat across you on the barstool.
That was when he noticed the brown folder just sitting there, all worn and discolored as if it's been through years of handling.
It was obvious what it was.
You took a swig of the bottle, Bucky's gaze swiftly moving over your face, his heart stinging at the sight of your bloodshot eyes. Whether from the alcohol or from crying, he wasn't quite sure. It was probably even both. Still, an air of sadness surrounded you, a melancholic look sketched on your beautiful features.
Bucky hated it.
"He was a few years older than me—nine years if you want the specifics—but the youngest leader of any operation HYDRA has ever done," you continued, still nothing meeting him in the eye. "He was the son of the Red Room's head scientist, Lyudmila Antonovna Kudrin. HYDRA recruited Luka, which gave him all the resources he needed to recreate his mother's genius."
"But you two became close," he asked.
"Luka was my teacher and my best friend," you said with such longing and grief that there was no doubt that you two had grown a strong bond. But then you met his gaze, a sad smile on your lips. "Or something you're probably more familiar with, my handler."
A chill ran down Bucky's spine.
He knew that there was something else going on, that it wasn't just a normal relationship. He just didn't expect it to be this deep and well, fucked up.
"Acted differently with me, though. He was sweet and kind—never laid a hand, never even raised his voice. He was patient, encouraging, affectionate. He'd make me laugh over the stupidest things, but also firm enough to make sure I give the best that I can. He was—" Your voice cracked, a sound so vulnerable it made his heart ache. "He used to sneak some snacks into my room at night even though it was against my training regime. We'd watch movies on this old, beat-up television until we'd fall asleep, cuddling with each other because my room didn't have a heater. He gave me cute nicknames—printsessa, was his favorite."
Bucky felt his throat dry up.
That explained so much of the animosity you had over the nickname.
Maybe that was why you weren't phased when people called you Frost, because it was a different name entirely that brought you harsh memories.
And Bucky was the only one who taunted it every single time.
"If people were to ask you to think of an evil scientist, he's never going to be the person that'd cross your mind."
"You never saw it coming," Bucky sighed.
You shook your head. "It was innocent at first, a friendship. But as I grew older we became more…intimate."
He hated how you looked so guilty and ashamed. None of it was your fault. It was obvious enough that this poor excuse of a guy manipulated you to a point where you thought there was something real between you two.
If this guy wasn't already dead Bucky couldn't even begin to describe what he'd do to him.
"That night was probably what he was waiting for. It was the best proof he could get that trusted him completely by giving him my—" You bit your lip and looked down.
Bucky didn't need you to say it to know.
He thought he'd be a little jealous to hear you talk about the intimacies of your relationship, with anyone for that matter. But all he felt was pure sadness and hurt. You gave all that you could to this guy—your trust, your affection, your love and he just spat it right back to your face.
"And I did. I fucking trusted him because I was young, impressionable, and stupid—"
"Stop that," Bucky said firmly. "You were not stupid."
"I still fell for it, didn't I?" you scoffed, shaking your head. "But when you get that little bit of sunshine in a cold harsh world, you hang on to it."
Bucky already knew what horrors HYDRA was capable of. Hell, he'd live through decades of it himself. But just as he thought they couldn't get any more cruel, they pulled something monstrous like this.
It was pure evil.
To make you believe that you had someone in your corner during those moments, that someone actually cared for you, someone who showered you with affection and made you feel like you were free, someone who made you laugh despite your circumstances.
Only for that person to end up being a complete monster who only ever used you for personal gain.
With Bucky, he always knew that all of them were evil bastards, that they never truly cared for him, and that they didn't even see him as a human. He always knew that he was just an asset and nothing more. HYDRA did so many wicked things to him, from physical, mental and emotional torture to countless abuse. But at least he knew what it was from the start.
With you?
They gave you warmth and hope only to snatch it away like it was some useless toy and slap you with it.
He couldn't even imagine how it must've felt, the betrayal, the hurt and heartbreak on top of all the physical and mental torture that was inflicted on you because they sure as hell weren't going to exempt you from that.
And all of this because of one person.
"I trusted him, blindly and completely. I let him lead me into this lab every single day even if I come out of it not knowing anything they were doing because I trusted him."
It was probably subconscious, the way you had been scratching the back of your neck from time to time.
Bucky understood why.
He used to do the same with his shoulder whenever he was recalling something from his past.
"A month in that lab, I woke up to something stinging in the back of my neck," you continued. "He told me not to worry about it, that it was going to help me be the best in my field, that it was there for communication Purposes. Well, he wasn't lying," you scoffed. "Not exactly."
"What did they give you in that lab?" he asked, despite already having an inkling. HYDRA was never one to stray too far away from their old ways.
"A variation of the super soldier serum, administered in small doses. They didn't perfect it yet, and after I've—" You took a deep breath. "The program was delayed after the incident since Luka was mostly the brains of the operation. So I ended up being more than your typical human, but not quite close to a super soldier. I was a бесполезная середина. They loved calling me that."
Bucky shut his eyes as the guilt punched him in the gut.
Useless middle.
How has he managed to do it twice?
"Ironic since I was their most used asset during my time there," you said, shrugging. "I mean, I've got a great immune system so it's rare for me to get sick, enhanced stamina, have that bit of extra strength. I age slower than most, not as slow as you and Steve but, slow enough."
No wonder why you were able to hold out your own during that spar against him. And while the serum did give you an advantage over most, Bucky didn't doubt that it merely aided your deadly skills. He truly did believe you could still give him a run for his money without it.
"And the chip?"
"Learned that the hard way. It did nothing for the first few months that I had it—not yet, I supposed since I was still willingly compliant with whatever they wanted me to do," you explained, shaking your head dejectedly. "It should've been enough of a warning that I was the only one who had it.
"The missions they assigned me to weren't much at first. Most of the time all I did was just steal technology or whatever it was they needed to build their weapons." A shadow crossed your face. "At least that was what they made me believe."
Bucky frowned. "Until that night."
You nodded. "As I was getting ready to do the op, one of the scientists was talking about how this shipment was crucial to the start of Program Six. It piqued my interest. Not only that but, despite being highly trained since he was part of the military, Luka preferred to be in the lab than out in the field. Yet somehow he wanted to join me during this one. So I was extra wary that night, looking for something even though I wasn't quite sure there was something to look for. But then I heard it—faint whimpers and sniffles and then a very tiny, sweet voice saying 'It'll be okay.'
"I was under strict instructions not to mess with the shipment in case some chemical might get displaced or whatever. But something in my gut just told me to open this one. So I did," you breathed out, blinking back tears before taking another swig of the bottle. "When I opened those doors and saw those little kids, not older than six or seven, mostly young girls…I was just so angry."
Despite your choice of words, the only thing that coated your voice was pure sadness. Bucky wanted to reach out to you and provide even the tiniest bit of comfort. But he figured it was best to just let you finish before anything else.
Besides, you weren't close.
He didn't know how you would react to any physical affection from him, no matter the intention.
"I felt so betrayed because he kept saying that it was only weapons we were stealing, it was only chemicals we were transporting. I was foolish enough to not look into it because I trusted him," you gritted, harshly slamming the bottle back on the counter, the glass cracking but not breaking.
"But he was feeding me half-truths the entire time. There were weapons they took for storage, I just wasn't made aware that it was going to be used for training these young kids. Chemicals were being transported, they just never mentioned the fact that it was used for the recreation of super soldier serum. But with the kids—" You shook your head. "I never knew. They were taking notes from the Red Room, I supposed. But with this program, they were going to be more merciless, get them used to wielding heavier artillery and fight like a soldier and be undetectable and cunning like a spy—a deadly combination of the Black Widow Program and the Winter Soldier Program."
"And you're the first," Bucky said, voice coming out rougher than he intended it to.
"His best and newest weapon," you laughed sarcastically. "I thought he cared about me—well, he did. Not me as his friend, not even as a person but as a symbol of his success, living proof of his genius, to make his мама proud. I was nothing more but his naïve little plaything."
Bucky's jaw clenched.
He would never wish for you to see that man ever again. But if Bucky could bring him back to life, he would—just so he could kill him again in the most brutal way he could. That monster didn't deserve your mercy of a quick death. It should have been very slow and excruciating. He would've made sure of it.
But, what's done was done. The bastard was gone, leaving you here with nothing but the ghosts and demons that were so fucking hard to escape from when they lived inside your mind.
"It was smart, making himself seem vulnerable with me, letting me believe that I had freedom, that I was his equal. After all, the best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he’s in prison."
"Fyodor Dostoyevsky," Bucky grumbled. "Yeah, HYDRA tends to live by that."
"He probably thought he had me wrapped around his fingers that tightly when he told me all of this straight to my face. He was always proud. He underestimated just how much anger and heartbreak can do to a person. And that night all I saw was red and then he called me printsessa in the most condescending and degrading way and I just—" You breathed in shakily. "I shot him. No hesitation. No second thought. Right in between the eyes."
In the years that he'd been on this planet, Bucky had realized that the one thing that men like Luke had in common was the stupidity that only an unchecked ego can bring. They always get so high off the power they have over a person that they tend to forget that they aren't invincible.
This Luka bastard simply forgot what you were capable of. It was quite ironic since he technically created you—as fucked up as that sounds. He probably got a kick out of it, watching your heart break into pieces right in front of his eyes. He probably thought that by being so blatant with his betrayal, you were going to be weakened, that you were going to submit to him.
But everyone knows how the saying goes:
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Bucky only saw a glimpse of this anger you were speaking of, and he would never want to be on the receiving end of it. He wasn't a genius, but he was smart enough to know that you were way too powerful. You could easily make him suffer if you truly wanted to, it didn't matter if he was a super soldier.
"That was how I knew what the microchip did. It sends signals to your brain that your body is in excruciating pain even when it's not," you explained. "It tricks your brain into feeling like you're getting shot without any trace of a gunshot wound. It's like torture without any physical consequences. No damage to my body meant no time wasted on recovery, so they were able to throw me into mission after mission, nonstop."
"How—"
"I was able to fight the pain long enough to grab his radio," you breathed out shakily, eyes everywhere else as your fingers picked at the torn label of the bottle.
Bucky couldn't even imagine what that experience was like. To stare at the corpse of someone you care about whose death was at your own hands, the searing pain that your mind was tricking you into, trying to save these young children as quickly as possible—all of that while harboring the guilt, the feeling of betrayal, the grief, the heartache at the same time.
"I don't know why but HYDRA liked to keep tabs on SHIELD so any information about them was known to most in the facility, including ways to contact them and intercept their lines," you elaborated. "For some unconscious reason, I was able to memorize one of their channels. Luckily enough, my call went straight to Nat's communication line. She traced it back to my location and was able to get the kids out."
"That's how she found you?"
"No." You shook your head. "I wasn't there when they arrived. I knew the chip was also a tracker. I couldn't stay there and lead HYDRA straight to the children. So I got into one of their vans and drove as far as I could go, trying to tell my mind that I didn't have any injuries, that it was a trick. I didn't know how long I was driving until I passed out from the pain. It wasn't long after that HYDRA inevitably found me and they were not happy."
That was an understatement.
HYDRA never took it lightly when one of their prisoners escaped. They were egotistical bastards. A crack in their system was unacceptable and they were going to try their hardest to rectify that—torturing escapees was just the start.
What more if said escapee killed the leader of their current program?
"After that, they returned to old ways," you said, your teary eyes finally meeting his. "Wiped my memory and controlled me with the chip like I was their real life video game character and all I could do was let them. Every time I fought it and gained consciousness and fought back—"
"The chip hurts you."
"I became their new favorite asset, molded me to become even more like their all time favorite," you snorted, raising the bottle to him with a nod before emptying it in one go. Despite everything you'd just told him, some humor managed to sneak into your tone. "At least they didn't name me Winter Soldier II. That would've been so fucking annoying."
"It would've." Bucky cracked a small smile. Though it was gone a second later. "How did you get out?"
"Natasha Romanoff and her stubbornness," you hummed, the corner of your lip lifting a little. "That night when I called her, a proof that I was actually still alive, it gave her enough courage to keep looking for me."
"But you've met before?"
"Briefly." You nodded. "Back in the Red Room. I was only nine when she was already close to graduating. Left an impression on her when I beat her at a spar."
"You didn't," Bucky couldn't help but chuckle. That must've been a sore spot for the Widow.
"I did," you hummed, smiling a little. It made his heart warm despite the gloomy atmosphere. "I was a feisty little girl, an absolute terror. Managed to cut her arm and it caught her off guard. It gave me enough time to pin her down."
Bucky wasn't surprised one bit.
There was an extremely valid reason why HYDRA took interest in you.
"She took me under her wing for most of it, me and this other girl, Yelena. It wasn't long until I saw them as my sisters. Sometimes you just bond quickly in that environment. But during Nat's graduation ceremony, a deal got closed. I was traded to HYDRA and I never saw them again," you continued, the sadness seeping back into your body. "She didn't stop looking for me though. Even more when she found a lead through the Red Room's system before destroying it. But then it was all just dead ends because HYDRA didn't stay in one place for long. They grew paranoid after what happened to Dreykov. Nat was starting to lose all hope until that call."
"But she didn't find you right after?"
You shook your head. "Not after years later. HYDRA kept me in the shadows as much as they could. So most of my missions were quick and under the radar. But when word got around that The Winter Soldier was now walking amongst civilians, they saw that as an opportunity. They thought it was worth the risk to send me even though I would be out in the open more."
Bucky straightened in his seat. "You were sent to kill me?"
"Do you really think they wanted their favorite child out of the picture?" you said, brow raised. "They just wanted me to extract you and take you back."
"But you never got close enough," Bucky said, unable to push aside his ego. "I would've noticed if you did."
You rolled your eyes. "No, I didn't. Not only did that intel leak, Nat has been tracking everything under the sun for any signs of me. So she and Steve got to me first."
Bucky vaguely remembered that mission.
He'd only been at the compound for a year when Steve and Nat suddenly disappeared for a couple of weeks. They said it was a simple recon mission at first. But then they never got back during the time they said they would be, kept saying that something new came up. The team was kept updated that they were fine and alive, but was never told any details.
When they did get back, the two of them would be in and out of the compound every other week and for days on end. They always did it together and Bucky found that a little suspicious. So he asked Steve if something was going on between the two. Even though Steve turned bright red he told Bucky it wasn't like that, and that whatever it was they were hiding, he'd find out soon enough.
Nine months later, the whole team was called for a meeting. Turns out, Steve and Nat had been looking after someone in Wakanda, someone who they heavily vouched to be a great addition to the team. There was a lot of back and forth during that time, especially given the background provided. But ultimately, they decided to give a second chance because, as Nat said so pointedly at everyone, that's what the Avengers were for.
The day after that meeting, you arrived at the compound.
"Nine years," Bucky said, gaze holding your confused ones. "You were controlled by the chip for nine years."
"I know. You went through it far longer than I have—"
"It's not a competition."
"Then why have you been acting like it is?" you scoffed. Bucky could do nothing but watch as you slowly build your walls back up. "Nat promised me a fresh start when I joined the Avengers, and it has been like that for the most part. But you can't seem to let go of where I've come from."
"Can you blame me?" he said, starting to get defensive.
"I get it, alright. An ex-HYDRA assassin just waltzing into your lives calls for extra precaution," you scoffed, shaking your head. "But you didn't have to be a fucking asshole about it."
Bucky clenched his jaw, glare now starting to match yours.
Why does it always end in an argument?
"You know what's funny? Steve talked so highly of you. He was so excited for us to meet, said how we both would get along, how we're going to be fast friends or whatever. But then I met you and you just hated me from the start."
"Don't fucking act as if you liked me," he argued.
"I just fucking couldn't!" you admitted, breathing starting to become heavy. "Because you remind me of him too much."
He scoffed, throwing his hands up. "How the fuck is that my fault?"
"Do you even remember what your first words to me were?"
Bucky looked away.
Of course he remembered.
It was the shittiest thing to say to a person at the first meeting.
"Luka was holding a file when I first met him," you gritted. "My file."
It wasn't intentional.
None of what Bucky did was ever intentional.
He didn't know.
But that somehow made it even scarier, how he was able to emulate a ghost from your past without much thought, hesitation or any effort.
"So that's why you hate me?" he said, defeated. "Because I remind you of him?"
You looked away.
It was an answer in itself.
Bucky deflated in his seat, any signs of mending whatever this was with you, to be civil or hopefully have a friendship, thrown out the window. Because how was he meant to compete with that? You hated him because seeing him reminds you of a trauma from your past. These things were out of his control.
Or were they?
Did it count when he'd been wearing a mask in front of you this whole time?
"Why tell me all of this then?" he asked glumly.
"That's why you don't trust me, isn't it? Because you didn't know much about what happened?" you said as if it was obvious. "Well, now you know. You can finally leave me alone." You hopped off your stool, pushing the folder towards him. "Your favorite thing to read."
As you were walking away, he called out,
"Y/N?"
His heart ached a little when you tensed.
You stopped but you didn't turn around.
"For what it's worth," he said, eyes carefully trained on your figure. "You're a good person and none of that was your fault."
He saw your shoulders drop a little. But you didn't say a word. You continued walking, leaving him there alone under the kitchen light.
Bucky looked at the file for what seemed like hours, just staring at the bold letters of a foreign language that covered the front. Still, he didn't need to be fluent in Russian to know what it was about. He was battling with himself, if there was any real need for him to read it, if he even wanted to.
Yet curiosity got the best of him.
The second he opened it, his blood ran cold.
The first thing he saw was a Polaroid photo of two people. He recognized you, obviously. You looked so much younger, though. Bucky didn't know if that was because this picture was taken so long ago, or it was the fact that you were smiling, so wide and bright, so innocent.
But that wasn't the unnerving part.
It was the man standing next to you with an arm around your waist, looking at you with a charming, almost boyish smile.
Bucky has never met this man in his life but dear God he looked too familiar it was fucking terrifying.
When you said Bucky reminded you of Luka, he thought you meant it as the way he'd been acting around you.
He didn't expect it to be physical too.
The man in the photo might as well have been Bucky.
If the picture wasn't faded, then maybe the difference would be obvious. But he doubted it. The same stature, the same bone structure to the face, the same eyebrows, the same hair—when it was longer, at least. He couldn't get a clear look of the eyes but he wouldn't put it past the universe that it was the same color as his as well. The resemblance wasn't close enough for them to look like identical twins, but this man could definitely pass as Bucky's brother.
It was so uncanny it made his skin crawl.
No wonder why you could barely look at him when you first got here.
With a shaky breath, he closed the folder without venturing further.
He left it outside your door as he went back to his room. Though, it was obvious he was going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.
•••
It was like being back to square one.
Well, not like you two truly ever moved past that phase.
You still left tiny traces of you around your shared floor so it wasn't like you'd turned into a complete ghost. And, unfortunately, your nightmares have been more frequent than before.
He felt a sense of guilt about that. Maybe him making you relive your past was the reason for it.
Either way, the arguments and bickering had been happening less. It was simply because you didn't say a word to him whenever he was around. You only acknowledged his presence whenever he would speak to you first—or should he say, got on your nerves.
It wasn't like he was picking fights with you out of the blue like a schoolboy trying to get your attention—okay, maybe it was close enough to that.
Bucky was being pedantic when it came to you. Whether that's correcting your stance during training when there really was no need, arguing about your choice of strategy out in the field, harping about why you changed the setting on the dishwasher to the wrong one, or complaining about the show you were watching despite not knowing anything about it.
He honestly wouldn't be surprised if you'd suddenly throw a knife at him one of these days.
You hadn't, though. You'd simply look at him calm and composed, get your final word—or insult, whichever came first—and walk away.
Somehow, your level-headed response annoyed him more than your quips and comebacks.
He couldn't truly explain why he was acting this way.
It could be that there was just something different about arguing with you now, like somehow there was no real animosity behind the words.
Despite you confirming that you did in fact hate him—for reasons he thought were quite unfair—Bucky didn't necessarily feel said hatred. Annoyance? Absolutely. But did you despise him? He wasn't quite sure.
He wasn't calling you a liar by any means. He simply thought that maybe, just maybe, there was something else hidden beneath the surface.
And in the days that followed, his assumptions had only been proven right more and more each time.
•••
Bucky jolted up from his bed drenched in sweat.
His nightmares had been happening so far in between lately, which he was grateful for. Getting to work on it daily in therapy definitely helped.
But that didn't mean they disappeared entirely.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, he closed his eyes and listened.
Whenever he woke up from a nightmare, he would always find a way to ground himself back. That was the advice given to him and it did work from time to time. Lately, he'd been doing it quite differently.
Ever since you moved to the room next to his, to be specific.
He didn't know why, but hearing your heartbeat or your calm breathing was enough to ground him in some way. Sure, it might have been a little creepy but, it wasn't like he was making his way into your room, standing there until he calmed down.
At first, he thought he was hearing your heartbeat through the wall. With his enhanced hearing, it wasn't far-fetched for that to be the case. But the more his senses slowly refocused, he realized that the sound seemed to come from a different direction.
Bucky stared at his bedroom door, brows deeply furrowed.
As quietly as he could, he got out of bed, making his way towards it and then pressing his ear against the surface.
Bucky felt his heart stutter when he heard it, heard you—soft yet shaky breaths, heart beating a little faster, fingers tapping nervously against the door that separated you both.
You were right there.
Have you always been right there?
You were fighting with yourself in your head, wondering if you should knock or just walk away. There was no need for him to be able to read your mind.
Bucky knew.
He knew because he'd done the same thing for you.
Sure, it was presumptuous. But why else would you be doing this, standing outside his room in the middle of the night, close enough that he could hear the loudly erratic beating of your heart through the thick and solid hardwood door?
Bucky contemplated opening it even if he didn't know what would happen if he did, so many possibilities because whatever this was between you two had always been unpredictable.
Or maybe it wasn't.
Maybe it was painfully obvious what this was, you two were simply too in denial and downright stubborn to admit it to yourselves, let alone, each other.
But before Bucky could come to a decision, he heard you sigh, long and deep, something akin to relief. You probably mistook the silence as him falling back to sleep. Not long after that, he heard your footsteps slowly fade away, and then your door closing.
Bucky was awake for the rest of the night.
Not because of the horrors that haunted his dreams, but because of the woman that made him so confused in more ways than one.
Yet this discovery simply pushed him to be more observant about things, to not let his emotions drive first, which has always been the case when you were in the picture.
It was then that Bucky started to see things differently.
During the day, you were the same feisty firecracker, never looking in his direction unless with a glare, only speaking to him in a tone of disdain.
But pushing all your hostility aside, he was now seeing the little things.
And Bucky has never felt so blind and stupid.
It had always been there, the little acts of kindness that most would overlook. He always appreciated it since it was something new to him after decades of only ever receiving horrible things from others. He simply assumed it was from everyone else. Whether that was from Steve or Sam or Wanda or Nat, or maybe even Tony from time to time when technology to enhance his comfort was involved.
Never you.
With how you two were with each other, it shouldn't have been surprising that he put you last on the list of people who would actually do something nice for him.
But as he stared at the pre-made coffee waiting for him in the morning, he couldn't stop wondering just how long you'd been doing this for him.
Sam, despite having a kitchen of his own, always seemed to migrate to yours every morning and ate his breakfast there. And whenever Bucky would wake up to the ruckus, there was always a cup of coffee already waiting for him while Wilson sipped his own mug. So he simply assumed that the man had made one for him, too.
But Sam wasn't in the compound at the moment, and wouldn't be for a couple of weeks.
Yet the coffee was still there, waiting for him.
How could one person be so blind?
Bucky should've clocked it the second he teased Sam about doing something nice for him for once. Wilson had looked confused at first, a split second where his eyes widened before nodding frantically. Saying stuff about it being the least he could do for always raiding the fridge.
You walked past Bucky a second later.
He didn't think much of it at that time, especially when you two started bickering immediately.
Now, it made so much sense.
Sure, this might all just be in his head and he was way off the mark. That was also plausible.
But then there was the reappearing tea on his bedside table when he was having a particularly hard week.
•••
Bucky jolted awake, grabbing the wrist of someone who was reaching over his bedside table.
His grip immediately slackened when he met the eyes of a very startled you.
"What are you doing?" he asked, voice gruff from sleep, especially when he hadn't been leaving his bed for some time now.
He wasn't exempted from having off days. He might not get sick due to the serum in his veins, but that didn't extend to the mental side of things, unfortunately. This week had been tough on him, especially after a rescue mission that didn't go as smoothly as planned. There were no casualties, thankfully, but when the injured involved the innocent, it was simply hard to deal with.
Given that he was at the forefront of said mission, he mostly took it more personal than the others. He was grateful the rest of the team was letting him be and leaving him alone. They knew it was what he needed so they didn't pester him about getting out of his room or simply didn't bother him at all.
Well, most of them.
Seemed like a certain someone couldn't resist any longer.
He hadn't seen you in days, so this was quite a lovely surprise to see you in his room. He couldn't even be bothered to think about how you got in.
Bucky was just happy that you were here.
"Steve ordered me to give you these so," you reasoned, shrugging to seem nonchalant but you wouldn't meet his eyes.
Bucky glanced at the mug you set on his nightstand, the smell of chamomile slowly invading his senses. Then it was followed by something chocolatey, which he later would find out was a slice of brownie.
As his eyes drifted back to you, he couldn't stop his lips from twitching into a small smile.
He had never seen you so flustered and most of all shy before.
It was adorable.
While Steve did check on him earlier today, he wasn't quite sure if he had something to do with your sweet gesture.
Nobody made you do anything, much less, something nice for him.
“Steve ordered you?”
“Mhmm,” you said, still looking anywhere but at him. "I—He wanted to see if you were still alive."
Bucky could tell you were lying. If not for the unsureness in your voice, then the way you looked so caught definitely gave it away.
"He busy or something?" he asked anyway, enjoying the way you squirmed.
Sue him, alright. He'd never seen you like this before. It was such a rare sight and you looked so fucking cute. He couldn't help but prolong it a little bit longer. It was making his heart warm.
You shrugged, your sock—one with bunnies on them—clad feet rubbing on your ankle. "Something, probably."
"Hmm." He tilted his head, eyes still carefully on you. "Are those brownies?"
"Yep. Store-bought," you said, nodding far too quickly for it to be convincing.
"Did Steve buy them?"
"No, I—" you paused, pursing your lips before sighing, "Yes."
He couldn't contain his chuckle.
That made you even more flustered.
"Can you—" You glanced at his fingers still wrapped around your wrist, wiggling it softly, silently asking him to let go. "—got, uhm, stuff to do."
"Okay, well, tell Steve thank you." he hummed, thumb softly stroking your wrist before he let you go. "I really appreciate this."
You only nodded, scurrying out of his room without even bothering to close his door.
Bucky chuckled at that.
Later that night when he went to the kitchen to grab a quick snack, he found the rest of the brownies in a glass container, sitting in the fridge. But what put a smile on his face was an empty box of brownie mix sitting in the trash.
Bucky was sure you baked them yourself.
Was it too presumptuous to say that you did it solely for him?
Maybe.
But one thing was for sure, things were starting to get clearer for him because the more he observed your behavior, the less complicated things seemed to be.
It was getting obvious, how your hatred for him was a façade—as time moved past anyway. Perhaps there was some disdain the first few months, especially when you started on the wrong foot.
He couldn't say when exactly it happened, but he could see that your animosity towards him had turned into a heavily enforced wall to protect yourself.
From what? Probably the same reason why Bucky's distaste towards you was nothing more than a shield.
Looking back to the first time he laid eyes on you. The emotions he felt were simply so intense and happened so quickly that, well, it scared him. So what did he do instead of confronting these feelings head-on? He denied, denied, denied—tried so fucking hard to find all your flaws and imperfections to put a damper to it.
It was a poor attempt to not get closebecause there obviously was something there, something that if left unattended, would grow powerful, leave him utterly vulnerable and at your mercy, so much to a point where it would be dangerous.
When he had already, wholeheartedly, admitted that he would let you burn the world down, how could it not be?
Yet as dangerous as it could be, would that really negate the fact that this thing with you—if it were to blossom—had the potential to make him so happy?
Bucky flopped back on his bed with a sigh, glancing at the now-empty mug on his bedside table. It was the fifth one that appeared on his nightstand this week, along with either a brownie or some other sweet treat.
And to say that he truly believed that these secret acts of kindness were one-sided.
He could almost hear Steve's all-knowing voice in his head.
"The two of you are more alike than you think."
•••
"The tea and brownies. She said you made her do it. Is that true?" Bucky decided to confront his best friend on one of their morning runs together.
Steve's eyes widened, cheeks turning red but he still refused to say anything.
He shot him a look.
"Buck…"
"I just want the truth, Steve."
"I caught her baking brownies when I went to check on you. I jokingly said how nice it was to do this for you and she immediately made me swear not to tell anyone. So, she's going to kill me for this," Steve caved, chuckling. "I didn't know it was a regular occurrence."
"Well, it kept appearing until I felt better," Bucky said, cheeks heating up. He turned to the other person who was watching the conversation with amusement. "And you?"
"Me?" Sam blinked.
"The coffee in the morning."
"She was giving me the death glare, what was I meant to do?" Sam defended before smirking. "And no offense, Buck, but I'm more afraid of her than I am of you."
"Great," he sighed, glaring at them both with no real heat behind it. "Now I see where both your allegiances lie."
"I genuinely thought you figured it out by now?"
He looked at Sam confused. "Figured out what?"
"The nice things she's been doing for you?" Sam said, eyes widening when Bucky didn't have a moment of clarity. "Oh wow. I didn't know you were this oblivious."
"What Sam is trying to say," Steve interjected. "She has done some nice things for you. Sometimes you're just too busy being angry or annoyed at her to notice."
Bucky already knew that.
It didn't make it less embarrassing to have someone else point it out for him, though.
"She gets angry and annoyed at me first," he grumbled—much like a child, he was aware.
"Probably on purpose." Sam shrugged, elaborating when they looked at him confused. "She probably doesn't want you to know in case you'd make fun of her for it. You two don't exactly have the greatest track record when it comes to being nice to each other. So she probably thinks you're going to take it the wrong way."
Was that why you were rendered so shy and perhaps, nervous when he caught you?
"Don't worry, Buck." Steve patted his back. "You two will figure it out eventually."
He didn't know what exactly he meant by that, yet somehow, Bucky felt hopeful that it would.
Eventually.
•••
"Wanda, can I ask you something?"
"She does," she answered before Bucky could even elaborate. "She does look out for you in the field. You're just too focused on keeping her safe to notice it."
Bucky's heart stuttered at that.
Since Wanda always had a high vantage point during missions so she could help whenever she was needed most, it wasn't farfetched that she'd actually see this play out.
It was probably quite an amusing sight to see you two watch each other's six discreetly enough to not let the other notice.
"Did you read my mind?" Bucky narrowed his eyes teasingly.
"No," she laughed. "Sam's just a blabbermouth."
"Yeah, figured it out as much."
"He couldn't stop talking about you debating if Y/N has been nice to you or not," Wanda elaborated, smiling into her tea. "But I can guarantee you that she has, evidently so. Which surprises me how you haven't noticed."
"Has it really been that obvious?"
She nodded. "You two have been defending each other behind your backs. It's always amusing to see her get so angry when someone insults you, especially when you're not there. She's been starting to get really specific with who she spars with just so she could avenge you in her own little way," she elaborated, tilting her head with a grin. "And I know for a fact you do the exact same thing."
"How are you so sure?" He narrowed his eyes.
"Well, that Liam guy didn't get that black eye out of nowhere, did he?"
"He was being a fucking pervert," Bucky grumbled, blushing when Wanda's grin widened.
"It is kinda cute," she hummed. "How you two somehow came up with this unspoken rule that nobody else gets to be mean to you except each other."
"But she has always hated me?"
"I don't see her action as her hating you," Wanda said. "I see it as someone who deep down cares, but is too afraid to even acknowledge it. Because the second you come to accept it, then it becomes real, right?"
•••
Bucky couldn't go back to sleep.
He usually never could whenever he'd get woken up by you having a nightmare. But maybe this time, he didn't necessarily want to go back to sleep.
When he heard your door open just as he entered his room, he'd been wondering if he should follow you.
Perhaps he was curious where you went, or maybe he was downright concerned. This was the first time you ever left your room after a nightmare, so Bucky could deduce that this one was difficult to shake off.
Sighing deeply, Bucky threw the covers off himself again because fuck it.
What could possibly go wrong?
Grabbing a shirt, he ventured out of his room and into the desolate halls of the compound. He had an inkling as to where you were, the sound of a punching bag being brutalized getting louder the more he walked proving him right.
Compared to the training room in the facility, the gym below the Avengers' residences was far smaller—well, enough to fit one boxing ring, at least.
Bucky found you in the middle of it.
Your movement wasn't calculated, nor were they graceful. Punches were thrown for the sake of it, kicks with power but no technique.
There was quite the distinction between training and exercise, over letting out sheer anger before it could consume you.
What you were doing was clearly the latter as your bare knuckles hit worn-down leather.
"Where are your gloves?"
You spun around with a yelp at the sound of his voice, eyes wide with shock as it landed on him.
It must've been quite the rough nightmare when you didn't even notice him walk in, especially when he wasn't at all discreet about his presence.
You immediately glared at him when the surprise wore off. "Will you ever leave me the fuck alone?"
"So you own the gym now?" Bucky scoffed, arms crossed before he shrugged. "It was just a question."
"Didn't feel like wearing one," you said, throwing a harsh jab at the bag.
"Can't sleep?"
You rolled those pretty eyes of yours. "Isn't that obvious?"
Bucky hummed, parting the ropes as he got in the ring.
You ignored him and continued your assault on the bag. That, until he walked over to the opposite side and grabbed it.
"What are you doing?" you huffed.
Bucky reached up, unclipped it from its hanger and tossed it to the side with ease.
"I was using that!"
He ignored you until he was standing in the middle of the ring, arms out as he faced you.
"Picture me as him."
It took you a second to realize what he was implying.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"You want to let off steam?" he said, going into a southpaw stance, nodding curtly. "Go for it."
Hands on your hips, you raised a brow. "What makes you think I won't seriously hurt you?"
"I trust you enough not to."
That caught you off guard.
"Unless you're scared—"
"As fucking if, Barnes."
Bucky smiled to himself.
Always works.
You threw the first punch.
Bucky never threw one.
He knew you needed to let this anger out so he let you. He was mostly on defense—blocking, evading, sidestepping and the occasional ducking whenever you'd throw in a kick for the fun of it.
Just your personal punching bag, really.
He could tell it was helping, though. The tense nature you had when he walked in was slowly fading, your punches and kicks now getting more precise instead of haphazardly thrown.
And when you gave him a look to say you needed more of a challenge, he gladly obliged.
This would mark the second time he'd sparred with you. Since the first one was extremely heated, nobody really tried to instigate another one again.
But this time around? Bucky could sense your playfulness.
It was both surprising and so addicting.
There was no ego and no animosity. Obviously, there was still a hint of competitiveness but it never truly felt serious. You weren't truly aiming to get a proper hit on him nor was he trying to one-up you in any way.
It was an innocent bout, a friendly spar.
Even when you suddenly pulled out a knife when he had you in a headlock.
Youtapped the flat of the blade against his right forearm, the very one he had around your neck.
He loosened his grip, letting you spin in his hold. You stepped back as you faced him, the tip of the knife pointed right in his face.
Tilting his head to the side, he met your eyes with a raised brow.
"You're not playing fair."
You shrugged, flipping the knife in the air and catching it on your other hand.
"You have a metal arm."
Bucky cracked a smile, one that widened when he saw the corner of your mouth lift just a little.
"Touche," he hummed, moving swiftly to disarm you but you clocked his attack right away. You countered with a sidestep, hitting his side with the butt of the knife and jumping out of reach.
"Gotta be faster than that, old man," you teased.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, so now we're playing the age card?"
"You're a hundred years old."
Shaking his head, he went after you running. You used the ropes to your advantage, climbing onto them and using their elasticity to jump over him. One hand grabbing his shoulder, your legs locked around his waist from behind, the knife immediately up against his neck.
He grabbed your ankles that were right on his abdomen, pinching the blade with his metal fingers. You jumped off his back before he could attempt to shake you off himself. Bucky turned only to be met by the knife right up his face.
Again.
"Do you always have a knife with you?" he asked out of genuine curiosity.
"Maybe."
"Where do you even keep them?"
"Places."
His brows shot up before he could even try and school his boyish reaction.
You gasped, "Don't be gross!"
"I didn't even say anything!" he chuckled, using the slim moment of distraction to grab your forearm. With one swift motion, he pulled it past the side of his head and held it against his shoulder, making you stumble forward. The knife fell with a soft clank. "Your mind went there."
"You were implying it!" you argued, the corner of your lip curling up. It was so small that if he hadn't been so close to you, he wouldn't have noticed.
Still, the twinkle in your eyes was unmistakable.
"Implying what?" he asked. "I mean, who knows where a woman keeps her knives."
You laughed.
For a stupid joke, you let out such a carefree laugh.
It made his heart do somersaults as it burst out of his chest and landed right at the palm of your hand.
To say you glowed would be an understatement—head thrown back, the corners of your eyes crinkling, a little scrunch of your nose with your smile so wide and breathtaking.
And for a moment, it didn't look like you had demons haunting you at night. It didn't look like you bore so much anger and pain in your well-being, valid yet all-consuming. It didn't look as if you had built so many walls around yourself, much less your heart.
For a moment, you looked so free of it all.
And at that moment, he couldn't hold it anymore.
For once ever since you first met, Bucky didn't let himself think too much. After everything that had happened, he'd always wanted to be in control from here on out. He always tried to plan everything, always trying to evaluate things before making the decisions—he always ran on logic.
Right now, he let his heart take the lead.
You were still smiling as your laugh turned to small chuckles, eyes shining as it settled back on him.
Carefully, he placed his hand on your waist.
He saw your smile dwindle, irises holding both shock, confusion and a touch of curiosity, your brows faintly knitting when he squeezed ever so softly.
But you didn't pull away.
Maybe it was a trick of the light, maybe it was purely his imagination, but he was sure you stepped even closer.
Still, it gave him that sliver of hope. Just enough to give him courage, for him to cup your face with his right hand, your shaky breath warm against his thumb as he ghosted it over your lips.
You glanced at his lips before hurriedly moving back to his gaze, your eyes covered in many emotions but he didn't see any doubt in them. So he leaned in, so close he could count your eyelashes if he tried. His nose was brushing against the bridge of yours, foreheads touching as you leaned into his palm.
Then, he paused.
It was his way of giving you the choice—to walk away if you wanted to. His hold on you was featherlight. And even if it wasn't, there was no doubt how easily you could escape him with how skilled you were.
But you stayed.
You tilted your head up as your eyes fluttered closed, your lips just a hair's breadth away from his own.
Bucky closed the distance and kissed you.
Slow, careful, tentative, lips just gently pressed against yours.
You were still for a moment, and Bucky was sure you were about to push him back as your free hand moved to his chest, palm right above his erratically beating heart.
But then…
You kissed him back.
Bucky couldn't stop his smile, warm and giddy as a satisfied hum rumbled in his chest.
He wrapped his arm fully around you then, the hand on your cheek gently cupping the side of your neck, his thumb softly caressing your jaw.
You tilted your head, your arms slowly wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him closer as your lips moved with his.
God you tasted so sweet.
His knees nearly buckled when your fingers got lost in his hair, a groan deep in his throat when you tugged.
And Bucky wanted more.
Hands taking home on your hips, his thumbs found their way underneath the hem of your shirt, stroking circles on your warm and soft skin. Then, he walked you backward towards the ropes.
Yet as soon you touched the rubber foam, you gasped and pulled away.
Bucky only saw it momentarily, the shock on your face before he hit the ropes with a grunt, your warmth leaving him completely.
Only a second ago you were so close to him.
Now you were an arm's length away, the tip of the knife against his throat adding distance between you two.
Yet the moment he met your eyes, Bucky could tell you were much, much farther away than that—into a place well guarded that he would have difficulty reaching you.
His heart ached at how quick and high your walls got built in only a few seconds.
"Do that again and I'll kill you."
Bucky stepped forward, the tip of the blade touching his skin.
"You won't."
You narrowed your eyes. "Yeah? What makes you so confident?"
"The fact that you don't hate me."
Your hand lowered slightly, a look crossing your face for a split second before you raised the blade with a glare.
"The knife against your throat begs to differ."
"Then tell me." Another step forward, he challenged, "Why do you hate me?"
Your glare turned sharper than the knife you held at his throat, speaking through gritted teeth, "You know very well why I hate you."
"Is it because I've been an asshole to you?"
You shrugged.
"Or is it because I remind you of him?" he said, shaking his head when you shrugged again. "We look the same, but that's where the similarities end."
"You didn't know him," you argued.
"No. But I'm not him and deep down you know that," Bucky pushed back, watching as the blade moved away from him little by little. He could tell you didn't even notice that you were doing it, slowly pulling it away the more he got closer.
With so many emotions swimming in your eyes, Bucky could only imagine what battle was happening in your mind.
"So tell me, why do you hate me?" he asked, voice soft yet eyes determined as they never left yours.
"I already told you—"
"No. I want the real reason," he interrupted, tilting his head knowingly. "Or do you want me to guess?"
You scoffed, eyes rolling. "You don't know me enough."
"Maybe," Bucky hummed, taking another step closer.
Your blade managed to prick his skin then, the distance between you closing in. But he didn't care. All he cared about was getting past this hard exterior you'd been wearing for years that now, it was starting to feel like second skin.
"But you remind me of someone I know," he said.
"Really?" you gasped with sarcastic enthusiasm. "Fine, I'll bite. Who?"
"Me."
Bucky saw your features soften ever so slightly, that if he wasn't so close to you, if he wasn't actively looking for a sliver of your reaction, he would've missed it.
But the small chip against your walls only had you placing two more bricks to cover it.
"We are nothing alike," you growled, as you took a step, unknowingly pressing the knife harder on his skin.
Bucky could feel the smallest drop of blood trickle down his neck.
His eyes remained on you.
"Aren't we?" he challenged. "You have a hard time trusting anyone because you never know who you could truly trust. Yet the second you even have that reassurance you shut it down. You build your walls so high so no one could get to you, telling yourself that you're safer and more protected that way but I know it makes you feel lonely too. I know because I've been there."
He saw your fingers loosen around the hilt, your eyes glistening under the light despite your sharp glare.
"You have this guilt in your heart you can't quite shake off, despite knowing, deep down, it wasn't your fault. There's a small voice that's telling you that you deserve better, that you deserve to be granted kindness, that what you did was completely out of your hands and you deserve to forgive yourself, and that you deserve happiness. But as that voice gets louder, the guilt comes back tenfold because how could you think these things after what you've done?"
"Stop," you gritted, your fingers now starting to tremble.
"You push away any person who gets too close to you because of the things you've gone through. You think anyone who tries is only doing it to gain something. But you also can't control how you feel, that despite trying so hard to deny it, despite doing everything to list out cons, despite telling yourself they will only hurt you, reminding yourself that you should never give them that power, you can't stop it because it's just too fucking strong."
You shook your head angrily, trying so hard to deny it but Bucky could see your resolve start to crumble.
So he kept going.
"I'm tired of this game, doll," he said, softly. "I'm tired of masking what I truly feel for you with hate just because I'm scared."
The surprise that crossed your face was so quick he might as well have imagined it.
"You hate me," you pressed, as if saying it would cement it as truth. But he knew it was simply your way of denying it.
"Because the second you come to accept it, then it becomes real, right?"
He was done denying it.
"I hate the way you smile at everyone but me. I hate it when you laugh at everyone's stupid jokes because I want to be the one to make you laugh. I hate that every time you look at me it's always with anger and annoyance or maybe even disgust. But you know what?" he sighed, gesturing at you with a small smile. "I'll take anything you give me as long as you're looking at me.
"And fuck, you make me feel so weak with a simple look, what more if you did as much as smile at me? You could hurt me any time, break my heart as you wish, and it's terrifying because I know I would just let you without hesitation as long as I get to be this close to you even for a second. That's how crazy I am for you."
"Stop manipulating me," you pleaded, voice starting to shake.
"I'm not, doll," he confessed. "I'm just finally being honest with you. I'm finally being honest with myself."
"No! No," you denied angrily. "You're just playing with my emotions."
It broke Bucky's heart just how conflicted you look. But he knew it all steamed from fear.
You just didn't want to get hurt again.
"It's confusing, isn't it?" he continued. "How your heart skips a beat whenever they're near, how you want to be closer to them but your brain immediately shuts it down. You're not used to being vulnerable so you mask it with the best way you know how and the only thing you've known for most of your life: You fight. With insults, with glares, with harsh words it doesn't matter what it looks like as long as you're fighting it.
"But deep down you care and you just can't help it," he said, eyes never leaving yours just so you could see how much he meant his words. "I know I haven't been showing it in the best way but maybe that's because I've been trying to bury it so deep. But it doesn't even matter how many times I try and hide it because I care about you so fucking much it just keeps coming out anyway."
"Stop," you gritted yet your voice trembled, eyes glistening under the light as the knife slowly started to lower.
"I can't," he admitted, wholeheartedly and unabashedly. "I'm falling for you and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
The knife fell on the floor.
Bucky gently took your hand, squeezing it softly before he placed your palm right above his heart.
"I know you feel it too," Bucky said softly, slowly dropping to his knees in front of you.
To show you how he meant every single word he said by letting his guard down, showing vulnerability in hopes you'd meet him halfway.
"Tell me I'm wrong," Bucky whispered. "Tell me I'm the only one and I'll leave you alone. For good."
His heart skipped with hope as you reached for him, your fingertips brushing against his lips before you cupped his cheek.
Instinctively, he leaned against your touch. Gaze holding yours, he turned his head to press a soft kiss against your palm.
But then you pulled back with a gasp, eyes wide with panic as if he had stung you.
You stepped back in haste, eyes brimming with tears as you shook your head frantically.
Before he could even say anything, you turned on your heel and rushed out of the gym, leaving Bucky kneeling on the ground—vulnerable and alone.
In the deafening silence, he could hear his heart break.
A stab from your knife would've hurt less.
•••
Everyone could sense the gloomy, gray cloud that followed you both.
He wasn't sure if anyone knew what transpired. Most of the team had merely looked confused about the whole thing. The only exception of the bunch was Natasha. Bucky had been met with her sympathetic eyes more than enough times for him to know you'd told her about what happened.
Still, everyone knew something happened.
How could they not when the usual loud arguments and nonstop bickering had now been reduced to the cold quietness?
It was such a glaring difference and Bucky was right at the center of it.
Your silence was far more painful than any of the spiteful words you'd thrown at him.
It wasn't for the lack of trying on his part. But how was he able to talk to you when you'd been so determined to avoid him?
The second you would even sense that he was nearby, you'd immediately leave the premises.
It was still the case as he entered the kitchen.
Sam was in the middle of telling a random story when your chair screeched, an excuse to leave tumbling out of your mouth before you hurriedly walked past Bucky and down the hall, the sound of your bedroom door shutting behind you.
You didn't even finish your breakfast, your bear coffee mug still half full. You left a toast that was barely eaten, the fading warmth of your presence and the lingering smell of your shampoo.
He didn't even hide his dejectedness as he prepared himself some coffee.
"You know, I'd take the arguing over this tense silence any day."
Bucky shot him a glare over his shoulder.
"What? I don't like seeing my friends looking like sad, kicked puppies," Sam simply said, eyeing him suspiciously when he took a seat across from him. "What did you do anyway?"
Bucky rolled his eyes. "Really? It's immediately my fault?"
"Hey, I'm just being observant," Sam elaborated. "When I mentioned your name she had this look on her face so…I'm assuming her mood has something to do with you."
"She didn't tell you anything?"
Sam shook his head. "Barely even said a word."
Bucky frowned.
If Sam himself couldn't even get you to talk then it was only a testament to just how much things had been weighing on you.
While Bucky didn't regret telling you the truth, he wondered if there was a different way he could've done it. But then again, you were so stubborn. He had the assumption that no matter how he went about things, you would've reacted the same way.
"I just—" His frown deepened as he shook his head. "I told her how I feel about her."
"Buck…"
"I told her how I'm falling for her and she—" he sighed, rubbing a frustrated hand over his nose. "She walked away."
Sam was too stunned to speak—well, not enough to resist throwing in a little joke, apparently.
"Damn, she didn't catch you huh?"
"Why did I even bother," Bucky grumbled as he stood from his seat.
"Hey! Come on, I'm kidding. Just wanted to cheer you up a little, man," Sam rushed, hands up in surrender before he shot him an honest smile. "But seriously, just give her time to process things. I'm sure her emotions are just as all over the place as yours."
Bucky nodded, sitting back down as he sipped his coffee and grimaced.
It didn't quite taste the same as how you made it.
•••
A week had gone by yet the clouds had no sign of dissipating any time soon.
Bucky had been respecting your space, knowing it was what you needed. But at the same time, he was scared that he might push you further away if he kept insisting.
Still, he missed you so fucking much.
His heart had been aching with longing when all he'd been able to do was simply catch glimpses of you.
It's been too long since Bucky had looked into your eyes, and the only time he had the chance to hear your voice was when it was far away, speaking to someone else. But there wasn't much he could do when you always found yourself leaving once he entered the room.
He could only watch as you walked away from Natasha as he stepped foot into the training room.
"Sam wasn't kidding with the looking like sad puppies part," the redhead teased when he got to her.
"Does he ever just…shut up?" Bucky sighed.
Natasha laughed, "It's all for the best of you. He's looking for reinforcement on how to fix this whole situation you'd got going on."
"Him and me both," he grumbled, eyes steady on you as you went down the hallway and disappeared into a corner.
"You know, I never thought I'd get to see two of the most emotionally constipated people exist at the same time, let alone be in the same room," Natasha hummed, shrugging. "Well, almost the same room."
"Shut up," he muttered. With a sigh, he asked, "How is she?"
"Conflicted and confused, a little tired and everything in between. But otherwise?" Natasha offered him a reassuring smile. "She's doing okay."
Bucky wondered how much you'd been sleeping. He barely heard anything from you despite still being in the room next door. It was either you figured out how to enable the soundproofing through FRIDAY or your nightmares had finally stopped.
Despite hoping it was the latter, Bucky knew it most probably was the former.
"Do you think I did it wrong?" he asked, a sense of doubt and insecurity settling in his heart. Bucky knew you told Nat everything, so he didn't feel like he needed to elaborate on what he meant.
"Honestly? I don't think it would've changed much if you did it a different way," Natasha said, confirming what he'd already been thinking. "Feelings are difficult to deal with as it is. In both your cases, it's even more complicated given your past trauma, especially hers."
Bucky nodded.
He knew all of these already. But it felt nice to have that validation.
Still, maybe he read everything wrong. Maybe he got way too into his head and concocted an idea out of nothing.
Maybe you simply didn't feel the same.
"Don't worry. She's just processing things," Nat said with a knowing smile as if she read his mind. "She'll come around eventually."
When she probably knew you better than anyone else here at the compound, Bucky could do nothing more but trust her word.
But he wished you would just give him the chance to prove himself to you, to show you that you could trust him. Bucky would do anything you asked of him, would give everything to you—his loyalty, his care, his whole being. He just wanted to let you see that he was yours, utterly and completely for the taking.
Bucky just needs that one chance.
The thing with the universe? It has quite an interesting way of granting what you wish for.
Bucky never expected his wish to be granted in the most cliché way possible.
•••
Things were not looking good.
He supposed, finding the nest and beating it with a stick—or in this case, heavy artillery and super-powered individuals—was never going to be good.
The fucking cockroaches in the form of HYDRA agents wouldn't stop appearing.
"Buck! Five more coming your way from the east wing!"
He grabbed an agent by the collar and threw him at full force towards the other one, both of them falling on the ground alongside the dozen he'd already taken care of. Bucky then turned towards the east wing hallway, ready to take on more only to find it empty. Yet in that split second of confusion, he was able to dodge the bullet hurtling towards him from behind.
Bucky rolled his eyes when he turned the other way and met the agents Steve was warning him about. "That's the west wing, punk!"
"Do you even know your left and right, Steven?"
"Probably not. At least you know my in and out, Natalia."
There was a collective protest of disgust over the connected comms, and Bucky wholeheartedly agreed with everyone.
"You've corrupted America's sweetheart, Romanoff. I hope you're happy," he teased, grabbing an agent by the collar and slamming them against the wall.
"Oh I am absolutely ecstatic."
"Loving the chit chat guys! If you have spare time I could use some assistance!"
Bucky was immediately on high alert at the sound of your voice, struggling and out of breath. His heart picked up the pace when you yelped.
"Where are you?!" he demanded, shooting an agent in the leg before hitting the side of their head with the butt of his gun.
You didn't say anything.
"Frost!" he gritted, slightly annoyed because he knew you were hesitating simply because it was him. "Location!"
You hissed, a gunshot, before you finally answered, "Outside the right exit."
"Hang in there. I'm headed your way."
Knocking out two more agents to the ground, Bucky immediately ran towards the exit.
•••
You were surrounded by a couple agents when he got there.
Cars were around the area, the black, armored vehicles a stark contrast to the white snow. They likely would've used them to get away if you hadn't gotten to them first. There were two agents to your right, three to your left who were closer to Bucky, and a man in a lab coat standing in front of you.
All of them were armed except the scientist.
All of them were aiming at you.
Bucky assumed that the only reason why nobody had opened fire was because of the gun you were pointing at the scientist's head. He recognized him as the same person who got away on the last mission.
So this definitely was someone very important to HYDRA.
Thankfully, they hadn't noticed him yet. He was glad he didn't come through guns blazing like he actually thought of doing. When it was you in danger, it took a while for his rational mind to function. Either way, he was glad for the extra time to think of a game plan.
While assessing the situation, he noticed you hugging your left arm to your chest. A white cloth was wrapped around your forearm, probably some poor man's lab coat. But he could see that your blood had already soaked through. There were a couple of cuts on your cheeks and a bruise forming on your lower lip. But you didn't seem fazed by it. If anything, you simply looked angrier.
"You haven't changed much at all, printsessa," the man taunted, hurriedly raising both hands when you clicked your safety off. "Oh sorry, my bad. Luka simply called you that too often. I was beginning to think it was your name."
"Still jealous he considered me more as his right-hand man than you, I assume?" you said, voice leveled despite your state. But then again, you were highly skilled. It wasn't a surprise that you'd be able to keep yourself calm under pressure. "You know, I always thought you were kinda in love with him, Dominik."
"Zakroy svoy gryaznyy rot, ty bespoleznaya suka!" the man hissed.
Shut your filthy mouth, you useless bitch.
Bucky was ready to throttle the man right then and there. But he waited. He figured he needed to find a way to alert you he was here as discreetly as he could.
"We were partners," Dominik boasted, taking a daring step closer to you. "He wouldn't have gotten close to cracking the code with those serums without my help. You wouldn't be where you are today if it wasn't for me."
You rolled your eyes. "Gee, thanks. I appreciate it."
Bucky carefully moved behind the parked vehicles. When he reached the one beside this Dominik guy, your gaze flickered over to him for a split second. Bucky raised his gun, ready to shoot until you every so subtly shook your head. Then, without as much as a wince even though he knew how it hurt, you brought your injured arm down to your side, hands open to show five fingers.
He immediately knew what you were doing.
"It wasn't me who was in love with him," the man smugly said. "Though, foolish of you to believe he loved your back."
Four.
"I wouldn't call infatuation love but what do you know about that." You shrugged, tilting your head with a grin. "At least I wasn't sleeping alone in my bed jerking off to my lab partner at night. Quite pathetic if you ask me."
Three.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Dominik taunted with a sarcastic laugh. "What is given can easily be taken away."
You scoffed, "What is it with you guys and these riddles?"
Two.
"It takes a great mind to understand these—"
One.
You shot Dominik in the chest while Bucky took down the three agents near him. You immediately turned to shoot the last two before he could react, but not without taking a graze on your thigh.
Bucky rushed to you in long strides, fussing over your form. "Shit. Let me see."
"I'm fine," you insisted, hissing when you did as much as move your arm and your leg.
He rolled his eyes. "Don't be stubborn."
"I'm not being stubborn. I—"
The movement behind you caught Bucky's eye. When he saw the barrel of a gun, he immediately pulled you behind him.
Bucky shot Dominik in the head with no hesitation.
When he turned back to you, he felt confused.
You looked panicked.
Bucky cupped your face hastily, worry seeping into his bones once he saw the tears brimming in your eyes.
"You okay?"
Bucky blinked.
Why did his voice sound like he was underwater?
You nodded frantically, your uninjured hand pressed against his stomach. He saw your lips move but he couldn't hear you. This dull ringing in his ears was preventing him. With knitted brows, he tried blinking away the haze that covered his eyes, a slight fog muddling his brain as he tried to decipher what was going on.
When you pressed harder on his stomach, Bucky glanced down.
Your hand was covered in blood.
His blood.
And when he met your fear-covered eyes, he wiped away the tears that ran down your cheeks, barely recognizing his own voice telling you he was going to be okay.
It was the last thing he saw before the darkness consumed him.
•••
Bucky couldn't remember the last time he lost consciousness over a wound. When he healed fast, it was rare to come by. He also didn't remember ever feeling so groggy after a few hours of sleep.
Despite the ache in his whole body, the first thing he realized was how heavy his right arm felt. He obviously remembered what happened so he was sure his injury wasn't anywhere near there.
Glancing down, the heart monitor beeped a little faster at the sight of you.
You were practically cuddling his whole forearm.
Eyes closed with your hand in his, your cheek pressed against his skin, you were hunched over his bedside table, fast asleep.
You looked so adorable and peaceful.
Even with the bandages that covered your face, even with that little drool escaping your parted lips.
"She hasn't left that chair in a while."
Bucky's head snapped toward the direction of the voice, finding Steve leaning against the door frame with a knowing smile.
"Well, apart from Nat dragging her out to eat and take a shower," he added, closing the door behind him as he walked towards the opposite side of the bed.
Bucky frowned at that.
He couldn't have been in the med bay for that long, right?
"You were out for two weeks, bud," Steve answered as if reading his mind.
"What?" He stared at him, waiting for him to say he was joking. But he only gave him a sad smile. Bucky shook his head. "But the serum—"
"Well, if it weren't for the serum you would've already been dead," Steve said grimly. "The bullet was laced with some poison. Banner ran some tests on it and he suspects it's designed to neutralize any fast healing and to kill the person immediately. But since the blood they probably tested it on didn't have the full super soldier serum, it only affected you mildly. So you were healing slower than usual but still faster than most humans."
A shadow crossed his face. "So you mean if the bullet had gotten her—"
"She would've been killed on the spot."
Bucky nodded grimly, eyes landing on you.
"Good thing I took it for her then, huh," he hummed, squeezing your hand that was placed in his. He couldn't help his concern about your position though. "Her back is going to kill her."
"Yeah well, every day I've been trying to take her place so she can rest properly for a few hours. Wouldn't budge," Steve said, smiling. "She's almost as stubborn as you."
Bucky shook his head with a chuckle, "Maybe I can see some similarities."
He tried reaching for you with his left arm but he couldn't. Then he saw the prosthetic lying down on the bench, now shiny and devoid of any dirt or the blood of his enemies—as dramatic as that sounds. But they were on the battlefield the last time he used it.
"Cleaned that herself, too," Steve said when he caught where he was looking for it. "Do you want me to—"
"Please." Bucky nodded, heat covering his cheeks when the heart monitor started beating loudly again due to the somersaults his heart was doing.
After helping him put his arm back on and handing him a glass of water, Steve called in Dr. Cho. Once she was done with her round of check-ups, the rest of the team slowly filtered in and out to check up on him. All of them spoke in hushed tones when he shot them a glare when their voices got too loud. It was a task to eat a sandwich—which Steve gave him—with one hand, but he managed.
Because even with all the commotion happening, you were still asleep.
It could mean you were a heavy sleeper by nature, you were extremely tired given the situation, or both.
Bucky was also inclined to think you were a cuddly person when you never let go of his arm. He didn't even care if the muscles were dead asleep at this point.
When the sky started to tint orange, and his room had gone quiet after they finally left him alone with you, Bucky couldn't help it. He found himself stroking your face as softly as he could with a smile painted on his lips.
You were here, bearing the uncomfortable position because you cared.
It was then you started to stir.
He remained still and watched your eyes slowly blink open. Brows furrowed, you reached for some tissues on his nightstand, wiping away your drool with a curse.
You never let go of his hand when you did so. And you also didn't notice that he was watching you fuss around, mumbling how embarrassing it was to drool like some dog.
He couldn't stop his chuckle.
You jumped at the sound, eyes wide when they landed on him.
Blinking once, twice, you blurted,
"You're awake."
"You're awake."
You tried to pull your hand away but Bucky only held it a little tighter.
"Hi," he murmured, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb.
"How long have you been watching me sleep?" you joked, eyes refusing to look at him.
Bucky tilted his head, grinning. "Not as long as you have, apparently."
You shot him a glare before turning away. He noticed your gaze settle on his stomach, the blanket covering his legs barely hiding the bandage that was wrapped around it.
"You shouldn't have done that," you said.
The corner of his lips quirked up, head tilting to try and catch your eyes.
"A 'thank you' would be nice," he teased, squeezing your hand reassuringly. "I don't regret it, if that's what you're wondering. And I'd do it again without question."
You nodded, lip caught between your teeth as you let out a shaky sigh. It took five seconds for you to meet his eyes.
His heart ached at the sadness and worry along with a few specks of guilt that coated your irises. He could only imagine what you went through with the whole thing.
Steve told him how you didn't want to let him go when the rest of the team finally came to help. The captain got scared out of his kind when the first thing they saw was you crying over Bucky's body lying on the snow, the white ground tainted with his blood. It took Wanda having to use her powers to hold you back for just a few seconds so they could get him into the Quinjet. You didn't leave his side the whole journey home, still crying.
It must've shaken the whole team because they have never seen you cry.
When they finally got him into the med bay and had to roll him into surgery, you put up a fight again and obviously, you were winning. So they unfortunately had to sedate you. They used that time to patch you up as well.
Then you waited two weeks for him to wake up.
If you felt the same as he did, Bucky didn't even want to think how scared you must've been.
He sure as hell would have acted much worse if the roles were reversed.
"Thank you for saving my life, Bucky," you whispered, voice vulnerable but not any less sincere.
His heart skipped the sound of his name falling from your lips.
It was the first time you had called him by that name and God did it feel like a finally.
Bucky shook his head with a smile, interlacing your fingers together.
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
You nodded with a grateful smile, one that faded as you regarded him, guilt now swimming in your eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
It took you a few seconds before you spoke again.
"I know I hurt you that night," you elaborated. "When I walked away."
"It's okay—"
You shook your head vehemently, "It's not."
"It is," he insisted, tugging you out of your seat, pulling you closer so that he was able to cup your face and wipe away the stray tear on your cheek.
"I just—I got so scared," you let out a shaky breath, leaning into his touch. "Everything was just so overwhelming a-and there were so many things happening in my head and it kept arguing with my heart. I just—I wanted to trust you, I wanted tobelieve you but I'm just so scared to get hurt again because everything I felt for you was just too strong. I didn't want to lose control of it in case it's only going to end badly. It would kill me. But still, it's not an excuse to hurt you and then ignore it—ignore you for weeks. I could've just handled it like a normal fucking person—"
"Hey, hey," he interrupted softly, taking your face in both his hands. "It's okay. I know, doll. I understand you, remember?"
You nodded with shaky deep breaths, wrapping your fingers around his wrist, not pulling his touch away but simply holding it there.
It made his heart warm.
"I don't like saying you're right." you let out a teary chuckle.
Bucky laughed at that, "It doesn't happen often."
You nodded, smiling timidly. "Let me make it up to you?"
"Yeah?" he hummed, grinning. "How are you going to do that?"
"How about dinner?" you asked shyly.
He couldn't help the smug smirk that played on his lips.
"Are you asking me out?"
You groaned, trying to pull away.
"Hey! Nope, you stay here," he chuckled, scooting a little to the side before tugging your hand so you would sit beside him. You did, and he immediately wrapped an arm around your waist. "So, are you asking me out or not?"
"Can you stop—"
"It's a simple yes or no, doll."
"Yes," you grumbled, rolling your eyes when his grin widened. "Don't get used to it, Barnes."
"I would be honored to go out with you," he said with a teasing tone but with a sincere smile before tilting his head knowingly. "But since I'm bed-bound, can I ask something in advance to make me feel better?"
You narrowed your eyes, suspicious of his request. "What?"
"A kiss."
"Really?" You rolled your eyes, yet the smile on your lips widened.
He groaned suddenly, clutching his stomach with his left arm.
"Shit! Are you okay?" you asked frantically, checking him over as worry colored your face.
"It hurts," he whimpered. "Jumping in front of a bullet for a girl you're falling for really hurts and she won't even give me a kiss to make me feel better."
You froze.
Then, you smacked him on the arm.
"Jesus Christ," he chuckled, rubbing his skin which barely even stung. "Have you no sympathy, woman?"
"Asshole," you muttered.
He pouted with his best puppy eyes. "Why are you so mean—"
Bucky wasn't able to finish his sentence when you more or less shut him up with a kiss.
The feeling of your lips on his again was like a huge breath of relief. It was soft and sweet, unhurried yet still a little careful. But it wasn't short of all the emotions you wanted to convey, the appreciation and adoration, your gratefulness to the utmost care you could muster. All the things that you still weren't ready to voice out loud you poured into the kiss.
Bucky did the exact same thing as he tilted his head, moving his lips against yours in a sweet caress as he held your face in his hand to be closer.
"You look so cute when you're worried," he hummed once you pulled away for air, nudging your nose with his.
"And you're more insufferable than I thought," you muttered, rolling those pretty eyes of yours.
Bucky was now starting to see the action as something affectionate.
"You like that about me," he said smugly.
You sighed in feigned dejection. "Unfortunately."
Bucky only kissed you again in response.
Of all the times he had wondered about ways to just get you to shut up during your random arguments, this was definitely at the top. And while he hoped for it to be the case, his expectations were quite low. He never thought it was actually going to be a reality, especially with how you two were with each other.
Yet look at him now, grinning from ear to ear with your lips pressed against his.
Bucky knew things weren't going to be smooth sailing from here on out. There were still a lot of conversations to be had. You two still had your issues that needed working through, whether that was individually or together.
You were definitely still going to bicker, it simply seemed like it was part of your dynamic. Albeit this time, it'd be more out of affection than animosity.
But as he pulled away and was met by the hopeful glow on your face and the adoration in your eyes that reflected his, he knew that no matter what, this was where he needed to be—with you.
Bucky knew that through thick and thin, through the fire that would light you both aflame, the ups and downs, through spring, summer, fall, Winter and Frost—
You two will be okay.
✫*゚・゚。.★.*。・゚♛ *.
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