Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Buck, will you relax? It’s only for a week.” Steve said. He and Bucky were standing outside of your apartment. Your somewhat older brother, Tony, accidentally blew up your room when he was installing the new bathroom – how that happened nobody truly knows. So you were now reduced to living in a spacious apartment with only the finest furniture.

Steve was needed to help take down a HYDRA base in a very remote location but he couldn’t take Bucky with him. His friend was still recovering from the events in DC and so Steve thought it would be wise to leave him with someone he trusted – (Y/n) Stark.

Bucky had met you only once after the DC incident when you had visited him in the hospital with Steve. He thought that you were beautiful, smart, kind and, on the occasion, flirtatious. Bucky had seen the latter when you realised that the doctor in charge of Bucky’s recovery was incredibly handsome. Steve scolded you for trying to get the man’s number and then bought her coffee as compensation.

“But Steve, what if I…I…” Bucky wondered but fell quiet when Steve chuckled,

“You won’t lose control and if that does happen, I am more than certain that (y/n) can handle you.” He stated with a smile.

“How do you know?” Bucky asked, still not confident with himself.

“She beat me in boxing.” Steve answered.

“She beat you?”

“I let her win. She makes these amazing cookies when she’s in a good mood. So I lost nothing.” Steve grinned. He knocked thrice and waited quietly. There was a shuffling behind the door and then it unlocked. Swinging open, you emerged and smiled at your guests,

“Steve! Bucky!” You beamed and leapt towards Steve for a hug.

“Hey.” Steve laughed. You turned to the side and attempted to hug Bucky.

That was a mistake.

He hadn’t expected the contact and mistook it for an attack. Bucky pushed your welcoming arms away and grabbed your throat with his metal hand, slamming your back to the wall. You looked into his eyes and, unfortunately, saw the murderous side to Steve’s best friend. Obviously, he was still washing away the assassin in him. Steve’s face was full of shock when Bucky had reacted and he started to doubt leaving you with him.

“Bucky?” Steve said firmly, “It’s okay. She’s not going to hurt you.”

Bucky finally let out a breath and blinked a few times. Steve’s voice was like a miracle cure that broke through all the brainwashing in Bucky’s mind. He realised what he was doing and immediately let you go, stepping away.

“I-I’m sorry.” He apologised. You rubbed your neck, where the metal fingers had been, and shook your head,

“No, that’s okay.” You said kindly but Bucky backed away a few more paces and looked at Steve,

“I told you I shouldn’t be here.” He told him. Steve put his hands on his hips and sighed. He was thinking along the same lines as Bucky. It would be dangerous while he was unstable and, without Steve, Bucky could be lethal.

“It’s the exact reason that you should be.” You said, interrupting Steve’s train of thought.

“What?” The super solider asked with wide eyes.

“You heard me.” You nodded, “Bucky needs to unwind and learn the difference between friend and foe. I’m the best person to do that.” You replied. You did have a point. Bucky needed to learn how to differentiate to fit in to modern society, but Steve was still concerned about safety and stability,

“Maybe, but…” he began but you interjected,

“Don’t even try Steve. I’m not taking no for an answer. You called because you trusted me; so trust me.” You stated. Steve looked at Bucky and you followed his gaze. Bucky’s eyes were wide with surprise and fear. He looked like a scared puppy that needed to be cuddled. You stepped to the side and gestured into the apartment,

“We can have this conversation inside.” You said. It took a minute but Steve did as you suggested. Bucky, however, didn’t move. He stared at you and feared that he might try to kill you again.

“Come on.” You said kindly. Bucky exhaled to calm his nerves and took a cautious step towards you. He made it inside without any problems which made Steve smile proudly knowing how tough the decision was on Bucky. Once inside, you showed them to the living room which had an open kitchen and a variety of window plants. It was incredibly welcoming to both soldiers. You walked in front of them and smiled,

“It’s not like Avengers Tower but I’m sure it’ll do.” you began, “You can take a look around if you want.” You told Bucky. He cast a nervous glance at Steve and then walked off into the living room. While he looked around, Steve walked over to where you stood,

“Listen, if you don’t feel comfortable with this…” he began but you chuckled,

“Calm down Captain America.” you said defensively with raised hands, “It’s going to be fine.” and poured out some orange juice for him. Steve found a pen and sheet of paper on the kitchen bench,

“If something goes wrong,” he said as he scribbled down some numbers, “Give me a call.” Steve handed you the paper and you traded the orange juice for it.

“Okay.” You agreed as you read the number. Bucky returned from his brief inspection and joined you and Steve in the kitchen.

“How do you like it?” you asked happily.

“This place is nice.” Bucky replied. You wished that he would at least smile to show that he genuinely liked it but Bucky was still taking time to adjust and you could respect that.

Chapter Text

Steve promptly left after receiving a text from Natasha. It amazed you at how tech-savvy the super solider had become in a few years. Bucky was the next person to learn the tricks of the 21st century and so you had him sit in front of the television to explain colour television as a start. There were some good shows on but Bucky was looking at the screen like it was something alien rather than paying attention to what was actually happening. All that time lounging around and watching Bucky stare adorably, you decided that it was time to have a relaxing shower,

“Bucky, I’m going to take a shower.” You said and looked at the Winter Soldier. He was intently watching the television or ‘glowing magic box’, as Thor had once put it, with dedication.

“Okay.” He said not looking away from the brightly coloured commercials. You walked over to the kitchen and opened the pantry. Empty, save a packet of popcorn. Tony froze your bank accounts for a month as revenge after you hooked his collection Iron Man armour to a DJ booth and had a jam session. You sighed and made a mental note to go shopping straight after with your brother’s credit card. You glanced over at Bucky and pulled out the popcorn,

“Listen,” you said softly with Bucky’s head immediately turning to you, “Steve told me that you skipped breakfast this morning because you were nervous.” Bucky’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink and he looked away. You hadn’t noticed his blush as you were too busy loading the popcorn packet into the microwave and set the heat on high before pressing ‘start’.

“I’m making some popcorn and it’ll be ready in two minutes. Just take it out and eat when the microwave turns off.” you instructed. It was simple enough for even Thor to follow so you walked to the bathroom with complete faith in Bucky Barnes. You were in the middle of rinsing the shampoo out of your [length] hair when you were startled by an explosion outside of the bathroom.

Shutting off the taps, you grabbed your bath robe and wrapped it around your body tightly. You jumped out of the bathroom and ran to where the noise came from. Standing in the kitchen, Bucky was leaning against the refrigerator with a look of horror. His look was directed at the microwave, which was now impaled with several kitchen knives and pocket blade.

“Bucky, are you alright?” You asked as you walked over to him. Bucky looked at you with wide eyes,

“It started to beep.” He told you, “I-I thought that HYDRA was trying to send a message.”

You mentally slapped your forehead. You forgot to tell Bucky how the microwave worked and assumed that Steve had done it, so the fact that he destroyed the device was entirely your fault.

“Sorry, I should have told you about that.” You apologised. The look Bucky was giving could only be described as fear and you wanted to put a hand on his shoulder and tell him that it was alright. But then you remembered how he reacted when you tried to give him a hug and decided that it would be best try a different approach. You looked at the skewered metal and bit your lip. The door of the microwave was slightly ajar and you grabbed a handful of cooked popcorn that peered from the sides. You presented your findings to Bucky with a friendly smile,

“Want some?” you offered. Bucky squinted at you with confusion,

“Aren’t you mad?” he asked.

“At what?” You wondered, popping a piece of popped corn into your mouth.

“I broke something of yours on the first day.” Bucky replied, “And I interrupted your…” the ex-Winter Soldier stopped short when he realised that you were still dripping wet from your half-completed shower. You put together what he was trying to say and waved it off,

“No, I’m not upset. I needed a new microwave anyway.” You said and saw Bucky visibly relax and unwind his tense shoulders,

“And besides, you’re the only lucky guy who’s caught me in my bath robe.” You winked playfully. Bucky felt his face heat up again,

“What?” he sputtered and you burst into a fit of laughter, dropping all the popcorn from your hands,

“Your face!” you laughed as you clenched your stomach, “I’m only messing with you.”

Bucky stared at you blankly. He remembered a time when he and Steve would say silly things to watch how the other would react. Looking at you, Bucky couldn’t help but admire how pretty you looked when you were hysterical.

“Oh, you should have seen Steve’s reaction when he saw me in my bath robe for the first time.” You chuckled trying to contain yourself.

“What happened?” Bucky wondered curiously. You grinned at the fact that Bucky was interested and folded your arms,

“Ask him next time.” You replied. Bucky wasn’t as un-responding as when he entered the apartment and that sent hope fluttering through you. Perhaps, you might actually be able to change Bucky Barnes for the better.

You sighed and looked at the microwave and then at the mess on the floor,

“I’m going to get changed, give me a minute.” You told Bucky, when you realised that you were freezing and disappeared into your room. You returned fully dressed to go out with your purse in hand. Bucky watched you bounce around the apartment for your keys and wallet,

“What are you doing?” he asked. You hopped on one foot as you put on your shoes,

“I’m going to get us something to eat. Do you want to come?” you offered. Bucky shuffled his feet uncomfortably and shook his head,

“No.” he said plainly. He didn’t like the idea of going out into a crowd of people with the temptation of attempting an assassination running at a high. You gave a curt nod while you lowered your foot to stable yourself once again,

“Okay.” You replied and gave a final sigh, “Get some rest while I’m gone. You look slightly peaky.” And with that, dashed out to find something to bring back.

Chapter Text

You sighed at the sign that read: CLOSED.

Looking up at the sky, you saw a few stars peering out from behind the clouds. You weren’t sure why but the first word that came to mind was Bucky. If he had the chance to see such beauty in the sky, maybe he’d be less agitated at the world around him. But you also felt guilty for leaving a confused and hungry ex-assassin back at home.

There was a light ahead that belonged to a small, fancy café and you started to make your way over in hope that there might be something to subdue a soldier’s hunger. Upon reaching the café, you noticed a far more luxurious restaurant beside it. You slid your hand into your pocket and pulled out your phone. You dialled a number and put the phone to your ear as it rang out.

“(Y/n)?” Steve answered, “Is everything okay?” he asked quickly.

“Steve,” you began with a gentle sigh to build suspension.

“Yes?”

“Do you think Bucky will like pizza? The Shawarma restaurant closed for the night.” You wondered more inquisitively.

“Pizza?” Steve repeated and you could imagine his blue eyes widening, “(Y/n), I thought something bad had happened with you and Bucky.” He scolded lightly. The poor soul was frightened for your life and you couldn’t help but smile at his concern,

“Something bad did happen, Steve. Your best friend destroyed my microwave, just like you did my phone.” You told him and heard Steve chuckle on the other end,

“Technology isn’t something you put in the face of someone who’s been asleep for 60 years.” He laughed with you joining in.

“Just because something moves or makes a noise does not give you the right to attack it.” you reminded. “On a serious note though, what type of pizza does Bucky like? You must have had pizza at some point back in the day, right?” you wondered as you walked into the pizzeria.

“Buck has always had a thing for cheese and tomato pizza.” Steve answered, “Coincidently like you.”

“Cheese and tomato it is then.” You agreed loudly, catching the attention of several customers in line.

[TIME-SKIP to a little while later]

“I’m back!” You called upon entering. There was a whizzing sound that flew sharply past your ear and you jumped to the side opposite. Looking at what it was, you saw a knife sticking out of the door frame at eye-level. You flicked on the lights and saw Bucky standing on the other side of the room,

“Did you just-?” you started to ask when Bucky walked forward,

“I didn’t know it was you.” He implored.

“Couldn’t you have just asked?” You wondered with slight irritation in your voice as you watched Bucky walk past,

“HYDRA doesn’t ask.” He stated and pulled out the knife from the wood only to place it back into his pocket.

“Bucky, HYDRA isn’t going to come for you through the front door.” You said and saw Bucky turn to the window in fright, “No!” you said trying to correct yourself, “I mean to say that the organisation is broken and that if they were to come for you then it would probably be a single foot soldier.”

Bucky eyed you as if you were the enemy – albeit a very strange enemy. The girl had a television in colour, a cooking box that beeped and no fear of the damage that HYDRA could do if they found her with him.

“And even if HYDRA did show up…” Bucky realised that you were still talking, “they’d have to go through me and I have a secret weapon.” You grinned.

“Secret weapon?” Bucky asked with his attention suddenly caught. Did she have something that could stump HYDRA?

You nodded and lifted your arms up to present two white boxes with some sort of insignia on their tops.

“Pizza.” You said childishly. Bucky sighed and walked into the living room with you trailing in after him,

“Didn’t you hear me?” you asked with a puzzled expression. You thought that Bucky might have perked up at the sound of eating pizza after 60 years but he was still ever-so moody.

“Steve shouldn’t have left me here.” Bucky said as he looked around the apartment.

“He would have taken you with him.” You told him as you put the boxes of pizza on the kitchen counter-top. You heard Bucky heave a sigh and snapped your fingers,

“You know what you need? A day out.” You suggested with a smile, “Some fresh air, ice-cream, the sun on your back…”

“I don’t want a day out!” Bucky snapped as he whipped around. His anger looked like they could turn his metal arm smouldering red. This change in his life was so sudden and keeping up was near impossible.

Bucky hated it all.

“Why are you acting like I can lead a normal life? I can’t be normal ever again! Your stupid plan of going out is only fuelling my rage to kill someone and you are remarkably high on that list!” Bucky shouted.

You stood there and watched as he let out all of his frustration. It wasn’t new to you. Steve had done it once before when he couldn’t cope with waking up in a new time. Honestly, Steve’s anger scared you slightly more, mostly because it wasn’t anticipated to come from the sweet and humble Captain America.

Bucky, on the other hand, wasn’t known for being relaxed and his temper tantrums were something Steve had warned you about when you had talked about pizza. Bucky went off at you for a good few minutes until he had no more to yell about. You hadn’t moved from your placed beside the kitchen bench and looked at him with a smirk.

“I’m going to bed.” Bucky scoffed and stormed into his room. Your eyes followed him out of the living room and listened to his feet drag into the hallway,

“I take it that you don’t want the pizza then?” you called out playfully only to get the sound of a door slamming shut to resonate through the apartment. You smiled to yourself and picked up the boxes,

“I’ll take that as a no.” you said quietly and plopped onto the living room couch. You opened the first box of cheese and tomato pizza and, losing yourself in its aroma, grabbed the remote laying to the side. If Bucky wanted some, he would have to sit with you and watch a movie.

An apology was not going to be required because that was how you and Steve became great friends: take out and a movie.

Chapter Text

Bucky woke up the next morning to the sound of his stomach reminding him last night. Maybe he should have taken one of the pizza boxes into his room before closing his room door. Cheese and tomato was his favourite, after all.

Sitting up on the bed, Bucky yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The nightmares that Bucky suffered from didn’t occur, largely because all he could think about was (y/n). You were only trying to help him fit in and he shut you out last night.

Bucky wasn’t heartless and despised the way the HYDRA side to him kept showing up uncontrollably. Small things were able to trigger his temper and it frightened him with you around.

What if he did something unintentionally and hurt you in the process?

He wasn’t able to imagine the consequences of his actions as his stomach rumbled once again. There was the sound of gentle footsteps walking about in the living room which Bucky recognised as yours. He stood up and slipped on a spare shirt that Steve let him borrow before leaving his room.

Bucky walked into the living room and found it to be empty. The television was switched on a low volume and the pizza boxes sat on a table. He didn’t see you around so he walked over to steal a slice for himself. Upon opening the cardboard lid, Bucky’s heart sank a little. It was empty.

“She ate it all?” Bucky wondered aloud. He wasn’t upset that you had eaten his share but rather amazed that you had.

“Bucky?” Your voice piped up from behind the kitchen counter. You were collecting a pot from the bottom cupboard when you heard his voice in the living room. Springing up, you hit your head on an open cabinet door above you,

“Damn!” you groaned in pain and slammed that door closed. Bucky smirked at your foolishness when you weren’t looking but you did catch a glimpse of the rare sight. You put the pot on the stove and smiled at Bucky,

“I didn’t hear you get up.” you told him.

“I was trained in stealth.” Bucky replied and slowly crept towards the bench where several empty plates were laid out and noticed the stabbed microwave serving time-out in the corner.

“What are you doing?” he asked curiously. You dashed about the kitchen throwing dishes here and there as you spoke,

“Steve once told me that super soldiers have a big appetite.” You said, “And I wasn’t too sure of what you wanted for breakfast.”

Bucky looked at the empty plates and moved all but two to the side,

“What about a sandwich?” he suggested. Steve’s first breakfast included scrambled eggs, two apples, cereal and a vanilla milkshake – nothing majorly complicated but definitely more than a sandwich. You gave a soft laugh and pushed your loose strands of hair behind your ears,

“A sandwich it is then.” You nodded. Bucky watched you put away the unnecessary dishes and you noticed his gaze,

“Why don’t you go and take a quick shower? I promise I’ll be done by the time you get back.” you proposed. Bucky nodded and walked away towards the bathroom. You heard the door close far gently than the night before and turned to open the pantry. Not as empty as yesterday.

Last night, after cleaning up the popcorn mess in the kitchen, you ordered the groceries online with Tony’s credit card which was delivered early in the morning. Bucky was your guest and leaving him home alone was not what a good host should have done – especially when he was having a rough time.

“Sandwich, sandwich…” you said to herself as you wondered what to make. You could go for the healthy option but you really didn’t feel like going down that path this morning. You opened the fridge and peered inside. Mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, chicken fillets…idea!

You would make Bucky a sandwich-burger: the fillings of a burger in between two slices of ordinary bread.

One of your own creations when Thor complained that he was being deprived of sustenance with toast and being overfed in one meal with a complete burger. It would fill the void in Bucky’s stomach and coincide with his suggestion.

You heard the shower taps switch on and began to quickly prepare the dish. Ten minutes later, the chicken fillets were perfectly cooked and stacked on top of the chopped lettuce and tomatoes. She felt proud of yourself after completing Bucky’s breakfast and picked it up to your face to examine it,

“Now this is award-winning.” You complimented with a grin and heard the bathroom door open again. Bucky finished his shower just in time.

You turned around when you heard Bucky stand in the hallway and almost let the plate slip out of your grip – Bucky had definitely finished taking a shower.

He stood with black denim jeans, a silver buckled belt and nothing else. He was completely shirtless which caught you off-guard. You thought he was handsome before but, now that you’ve seen more, Bucky was legitimately the definition of perfect. He could give Thor a run for his money. Perhaps, not win against the Asgardian but a run nonetheless.

“I’m pretty sure that shirts were invented in the 40s.” You smiled, trying to mentally regain composition. Bucky walked over to you, seemingly unaware of the effect he had,

“I didn’t have much to wear apart from what HYDRA gave me.” Bucky replied, “Steve was going to get me more clothes before he had to leave.”

You were not complaining at the sight of a shirtless soldier, especially this one. The situation reminded you of how you first reacted when you saw Steve and Thor training shirtless at Avengers Tower. Mind you, it was an accident when you merely stumbled upon their session.

Of course, Steve didn’t seem to mind walking around in his training pants and thought that your being ‘dazzled’ was sweet. Thor, however, mistook your blushing and inability to speak as a sign of illness and insisted for Bruce to find a cure for your ailment.

The same sort of reaction was being played out again, and - this time - Bucky was intrigued by how quickly the blush spread across your cheeks as he got closer to the kitchen.

“You okay?” Bucky wondered with a puzzled expression. You cleared your throat and pushed forward the plated sandwich,

“Breakfast is served.” You said, avoiding answering the question. Bucky looked at the chicken sandwich-burger in silence while you opened the refrigerator,

“It’s not poisoned.” You informed and pulled out orange juice and a carton of milk, “Which one?” you asked turning around.

Bucky had taken a bite out of your sandwich and chewed on it hungrily, leaving a smile on your face. He looked up at his options and gave a small nod in the direction of the orange juice. You put the milk back in its place and poured the juice out for Bucky. After handing it to him, you rested your elbows on the counter and leaned forward to watch your guest eat – not to stare at his amazing body!

“This is amazing.” Bucky said as he took another bite. You watched him dreamily with a smirk,

“I know.” you replied softly. Bucky caught your dreamy look and knew that you weren’t talking about the same thing. You saw a little smile tug at the corner of his lips and forced yourself out of the little daydream before it got serious.

“So,” you said clapping your hands together, “Day out. What do you think?”

Chapter Text

Bucky honestly had no clue how he ended up in the mens changing rooms with several different shirts being tossed over the locked door. He agreed to go out with you as compensation for being obnoxious but this was definitely not part of the plan. You both bought a new microwave, some snacks for the afternoon, he was ‘forced’ to help you buy a (f/c) lace dress (which was torture of a new kind) and now you were taking forever to find him new clothes.

“Try this one!” You said as you threw a light grey button-up shirt over the door not realising that it landed on Bucky’s head. Frowning as he pulled it off, Bucky looked at the fabric in his hands,

“This looks like it’s part of a suit.” He stated and heard you groan on the other side,

“It is part of a suit. What will you do if Steve wants to take you out to a nice club or restaurant?” you asked.

“Say no.” Bucky retorted.

“You’re not going to refuse your best friend and besides, you need something to impress the ladies.” You replied.

There was a deafening crash and you wondered if Bucky had lost consciousness at the sound of actually meeting women.

“Bucky?” you called out with a grin.

“I – ladies?” Bucky stuttered. He had tripped over his feet and slammed into the side of the changing stall.

“Yes, ladies, who love men in suits. Now, hurry up so I can see what you look like.” You told him while throwing over a black jacket and a navy coloured tie. You gave him a few minutes to ready himself and heard a few shuffles here and there until they ceased,

“Done?” You asked.

“I don’t know how to wear a tie.” Bucky replied.

“Fortunately, I do. Open up.”

The locked clicked and the door swung open. You gasped at the sight of Bucky. The sound you made wasn’t the same as when you saw him shirtless but one of admiration.

He looked stunning. What woman wouldn’t fall for a suited soldier with a twinkle in his eyes?

Twinkle in his eyes? Why did you even notice that Bucky’s eyes were twinkling in the light? Shaking that silly thought aside, you took a step inside the small room and smiled,

“It looks really good Bucky, wow.” You complimented. Bucky was still sulking at the fact he was wearing the constricting material but found it to be more comfortable than what HYDRA had previously put him in.

“Can you stop frowning like that? Honestly, you look like I kicked you.” You scolded. Bucky sighed and stopped pouting. He held out the tie, and you took it happily. You looked at the tie and then at Bucky’s whole outfit. He looked remarkable and incredibly rebel-like with his long hair a bit of a wavy mess.

“May I?” You wondered gently. Asking for his permission to be close was the only way to not to trigger a crazy ‘Winter Solider’ reflex. Bucky gave a curt nod and you stepped forward once again to fasten the tie around his collar.

You didn’t get very far into the tying of the knots when you noticed that the tie didn’t seem to fit Bucky’s persona. He was slightly more reckless than the tie was letting on which could give people the wrong idea of Bucky being a straight-forward guy.

You pulled the tie off and tossed it to side before fussing with the buttons on Bucky’s grey shirt. You unbuttoned the top two buttons and straightened out his collar.

“There.” you nodded and took a step back, “This looks more like you.”

Bucky turned around to face the mirror and didn’t mind what he saw. He looked more like his old self and felt like it too. You saw the small smile that vanished almost instantly and clapped your hands,

“We’re getting this one!” you said happily.

[TIME-SKIP to a little while later]

“Where are we going now?” Bucky inquired. You walked beside him and checked your phone for any new updates on the remodelling of your room,

“You need a haircut.” You replied. Bucky stopped walking and stared at you. When you noticed you turned around to face him,

“What?” he asked. He seemed to be doing a lot of that today. “I don’t want a haircut.”

“Bucky, you need a haircut; even it’s a tiny trim.” You frowned.

“Did Steve tell you to do this?” Bucky scoffed even though it seemed a little out of line for Mr. America. You shook your head,

“No, I’m asking you to do this. Your hair is almost the same length as Thor’s and, while it’s hot on Asgard, it’s not going to do on Earth.” You told him.

“Come, there’s a great salon at the end of the street.” You said but Bucky refused to move.

“I’m not going.” He said through gritted teeth. You folded your arms – you could play that game too,

“Well, tough luck solider. You are going to get a small haircut and it’s going to be today.” You replied.

It was so instant, that you could barely flinch. Your phone flew out of your hand and into Bucky’s left before meeting the stoned pathway with a resounding CRACK!

“Bucky!” You shouted angrily. Honestly, what was he a two year old?

And here he was again … in a place he didn’t want to be. This time though, Bucky knew exactly what brought him here.

The hairdresser that was to work on Bucky’s hair had left to check on another customer, which left Bucky with you in a quite uncomfortable silence. You weren’t talking to him and, instead, buried yourself in a magazine. Bucky was almost aching to hear your voice or see your (e/c) eyes.

“Steve said that you used to work for the same organisation.” Bucky said. It was quite sudden but you appreciated the fact that he was trying to make conversation after breaking your phone. I mean, you weren’t going to be angry at him forever.

“We did for a brief time.” You nodded. “The organisation came to me and I agreed to help them. It was great fun training with them and going on secret missions to being justice but Tony found out and made a huge deal about it.”

“What did you do?” Bucky asked keenly making you smile as you looked up to him,

“I didn’t listen to him … much. I continued to work as an agent but I made some major changes along the way. They hated it but let it go nonetheless.”

“Why did you leave?” Bucky wondered. If your life was great as an agent and you were doing good for the world then why would you leave?

“About three years ago, there was an attack on New York City. I watched my best friend die and almost lost my brother in that battle. I guess I realised that the life I was leading was far more dangerous than I thought.” You answered.

The hairdresser returned with some scissors, combs and clips prepared to fix Bucky’s mangled sight of hair. The man clipped the upper half of Bucky’s hair up high and you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. The Winter Solider was finally having a haircut – well, hair trim but it was all the same to you and you could forgive him about the phone.

“Are you and Steve close?” Bucky asked, clenching his fist as the hairdresser brushed through the tangles painfully. He hoped that you talking to him would keep him from tearing this over stylish man apart.

“We’re great friends. It wasn’t instant though. I had to help him adjust to this time period, much like you, which is probably why I can handle you from time-to-time.” You replied.

Steve was not the world’s easiest super soldier to rehabilitate. While Bucky would destroy things he didn’t like or scared him, Steve would actually leave the house and make a run for it. There was once a time when he lied about having a stomach ache and ran off to the park to feed the ducks at the pond. You were in a heap of trouble by Fury for letting Steve out of your sight – not that the man was any type of dangerous, just lonely.

“It was tough at first but Steve ended up trusting me to the point that he’s turned into another overprotective brother.” You laughed.

You had been telling Bucky stories for so long that you hadn’t realised the hairdresser was tapping his foot impatiently. He was finished with his job.

Bucky’s hair was far neater than it was when he walked in. The man was so handsome and adorable that you almost scared yourself into thinking that you were developing an attachment. Bucky stood from the chair and you saluted him,

“Looking good, Sergeant.” You winked and followed the hairdresser to the counter. Bucky felt something stir inside his stomach when you said ‘sergeant’. It wasn’t because you called him by his previous title, it was something about your voice and the way your lips formulated the words. Bucky walked over to you and saw that the hairdresser was holding a bottle of shampoo.

“I was going to wash his hair before cutting it,” the hairdresser told you, “but your boyfriend threatened to rip my arm if I tried to attempt it.”

You cringed at the accusation and laughed it off,

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it, right Bucky?” you asked turning to the culprit.

“No, I was serious.” Bucky said in a perfect monotone. You rolled your eyes and turned back to the hairdresser,

“He’s just being difficult but I’ll take a bottle.” You told the man, who disappeared behind the counter to grab a bag. Bucky leaned closer to you and spoke in a hushed tone,

“It’s a trap from HYDRA. Their name is on it.” he said. You squinted and looked at Bucky with a ‘what the hell are you on about’ expression,

“It says hydration, not HYDRA.” You told him, “Please, do not make me worry any more about you.”

Taking the plastic bag and paying the man, you and Bucky began to make your way back to the apartment. As you walked, Bucky wondered why you would be worried about him but then, he realised a more pressing situation. Something almost as bad as going into cryo-freeze – he was going to have to learn how to operate the new microwave!

Chapter Text

Home, sweet home! Although, technically, Avengers Tower was your home, the apartment had become something of a getaway abode. Bucky was trailing behind you with his hands busy carrying the boxed up microwave as you turned the door knob,

“We should have a movie night!” You suddenly remembered and turned to Bucky, “There is so much to catch up on.”

“Just open the door.” Bucky huffed. His human arm was growing tired and would surely give way if he stood out in the foyer much longer listening to you come up with ideas. Smiling, you turned back and pushed the door open,

“Sir, yes, sir.” You said with a small roll of your eyes. Bucky followed you in and placed the box on the kitchen counter with little-to-no grace. He then walked over to get himself a glass of water while you placed the grocery bags on the table,

“I’m going to get changed into something more comfortable.” You told him while walking off. Soon, your room door was shut and there was some silence. Bucky consumed his drink and was in the middle of unpacking the clothes that you had bought. He lingered over the lace dress that you purchased for yourself and remembered what you looked like in it.

Absolutely beautiful – Bucky mentally scolded himself for not telling you. Of course, if he had, you would probably have laughed about it. He put the dress to the side and emptied the remainder of the clothes until he heard a loud and frustrated groan,

“(Y/n) Stark, you can be such a remarkable idiot!” you growled. Bucky squinted at the voice and the fact that you were referring to yourself in the third person. He made his way over to your room and entered,

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked. His eyes swept across the room for an intruder or weapon; but he found neither. Instead, Bucky saw you staring blankly at several opened drawers and an empty cupboard from the middle of the room.

“What is it?” he asked again. You shook your head,

“I left the window open while we were out and I’ve been robbed.” You sighed as Bucky walked over slowly, “My clothes have been stolen.”

Bucky squinted at the lack of material inside the drawers and then looked at you. You wore your bath robe and your hair was wrapped in another smaller towel, all the while smelling of rose and sandalwood.

“Don’t you have anything else to wear?” he wondered, trying to ignore everything he noticed. You heaved a sigh,

“Only my undergarments and I am not walking around in those.” You replied and walked over to a drawer by your bed, not realising that Bucky’s cheeks had flushed pink again. You scrambled through the clothing in there and gasped,

“Oh! I have a pair of shorts stashed at the back!” you rejoiced. You pulled out a pair of grey shorts and looked around the room,

“Now, all I need is a top…” you muttered. Bucky went quiet as he watched you scan the ground until an idea popped into his head,

“I have some old t-shirts that you could wear.” He remembered and instantly regretted speaking out loud. You froze and looked up at him,

“T-shirts?” you repeated curiously, “You said that you didn’t have a shirt this morning.”

Bucky shrugged his shoulder and walked over into his room to retrieve what he was talking about. You laughed to yourself in disbelief; James Buchanan Barnes had played you good. When he returned, he handed you a faded neon (f/c) t-shirt,

“Your brother gave it to me as a welcoming gift.” he explained. You smirked at the shirt,

“That makes sense. I wouldn’t think that bright colours were your style.” You stated. It was typical of Tony to buy such a thing for a former assassin. Bucky gave a curt nod and then backed out of the room to allow you some privacy to get dressed. He stood by the sofa when you emerged from your room a few minutes later.

His shirt was noticably oversized and just hovered above your knees. The grey shorts that you wore underneath could not be seen, so upon first glance it would look like you were wearing just a large t-shirt.

“What do you think?” You asked with a little twirl. The shirt was definitely larger than what you had thought but it was beyond comfortable and, as a bonus, had Bucky’s scent infused in it. The smell only made you feel safer and closer to the soldier who was watching.

“It looks better on you than me.” Bucky complimented. You walked over to her phone on the counter and began texting,

“I hope Nat replies. She’s the only one who knows how my room is organised.” You said as you entered the kitchen. Bucky handed you a box of cereal and frowned. You could see the confusion written on his face and took the box with one hand before setting the phone down,

“There’s a box with clothes for emergencies.” She told him. Bucky watched you stock the cupboard shelves and he did not mind what he saw. The fact that you were wearing his shirt gave Bucky the feeling of some kind of ownership – like a boyfriend when his girlfriend wears his jacket.

Whoa! Where were these thoughts coming from? Bucky was forming a strong attachment with you and it had only been a few days into his stay.

The two of you spent the afternoon fixing up the kitchen, installing the new microwave and eating until you realised that night had fallen. You looked out the window to confirm and then plopped onto the couch,

“I am exhausted!” you exclaimed overdramatically. Bucky gave a simple nod and took a step back,

“I’ll let you sleep.” He said kindly and started towards his room. Your head popped up over the back of the sofa,

“Don’t you want to watch a movie together?” You asked innocently and saw Bucky turn back around briefly,

“Maybe when you’re less likely to fall asleep halfway through the movie.” He replied playfully and, with that, retired for the night.

Many things happened that day but you could only agree on one particular fact: Bucky was full of surprises.

Chapter Text

Warmth hit the lids of your eyes and soon spread down your body. Sunlight was creeping through the blinds and brightening up the living room. Stretching your arms and legs in unison, you yawned before rubbing your eyes. You tried to work your brain into remembering when you fell asleep but gave up quickly after. It didn’t matter when you had fallen asleep; all that did was that you had a brilliant night’s sleep.

You swung your legs over the edge of the sofa and groaned softly while standing. It was clear that you were not a morning person. In a matter of minutes, the curtains were drawn back to light the house with nature and windows were opened to invite a crisp and beautiful breeze. The sound of the busy streets coming alive could be heard below while you made your way to the bathroom to freshen up for the day.

A long while after, you stepped out of the bathroom and tiptoed past Bucky’s room. You didn’t want to wake him – unfortunately, you weren’t aware that Bucky was suffering from his nightmares and laying in his bed drenched in cold sweat. There was a low grumble from your stomach and you pursued to make the best breakfast you could think of before Natasha arrived.

You had only taken out the cooking utensils when your heard footsteps outside the door. Three knocks followed after, and it was all you needed to guess who was behind it. You opened the (f/c) coloured door only to see the familiar face of your friend … Clint Barton?

He stood there with a smirk, leather pants, deep purple leather jacket and his signature glasses. Clint’s hair looked like they needed a trip to the hairdressers, not that you were one to judge, and his hands held a large brown box. The ‘emergency box’ to be specific.

“Didn’t Tony give that to Bucky?” Clint asked as his opening line. You looked at the shirt you were still wearing and nodded,

“As a ‘welcoming gift’.” You replied and pulled it down slightly as the wind brushed past your knees.

“Welcoming gift?” Clint asked arching an eyebrow behind his dark shades.

“We both know that he was making fun of Bucky, but the poor guy can’t tell the difference just yet.” You smiled, “Thanks Clint.” you sighed and stretched your hands out to take the box but Clint pulled them back,

“I’ll trade you.” He said.

“For what?” You scoffed.

“A hot chocolate. ‘Tasha is convinced that the brand we have is a product of HYDRA and threw the whole lot out of the tower. Imagine that! All that chocolaty goodness tossed out the penthouse!” Clint exclaimed. Your eyes widened at Natasha’s reaction.

That woman would take action against whatever tested her patience – that included each of the Avengers.

“Yikes.” You whispered and stepped to the side to let Clint into the apartment, “At least it wasn’t Thor’s Pop-tarts.”

“Yeah, but you should have seen Thor’s face when his second favourite drink wasn’t an option at breakfast.” Clint argued as he took a seat at the kitchen bench. You grabbed a purple mug (suitably nicknamed, ‘The Hawk Mug’), milk and cocoa powder,

“It turned red and he slammed his fist on the table in disgrace?” You wondered and pushed the items to Clint who was nodding at your response,

“And muttered about something about his father’s beard – I lost track of it all when Tony came in and started shouting.” He replied. Clint started to pour large amounts of cocoa into the mug while you watched curiously.

“Where’s Nat?” you couldn’t help but ask. Clint smiled and started adding the milk,

“Check your phone.” He said simply. You eyed him for a moment and leaned across for your phone. You tapped your way to the message inbox only to find a message from the Black Widow:

Can’t make it in the morning, Steve needs back up.
I’ll send Clint over with the box.
~ Natasha
P.s. Do not give him any hot chocolate.

You finished reading the message and heard the bathroom door close in the hallway.

“Your boyfriend’s up.” Clint informed and took a large swig of the now-flavoured milk.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” You reminded as you took away the cocoa powder and bottle of milk.

“(Y/n), you’re wearing the guy’s shirt.”

“It’s not like I was given a choice.”

“Guess what the shirt’s made of?”

“Oh, please, not again.” You groaned.

“Boyfriend material.” Clint was what you could call ‘drunk on chocolate’ and it made sense that Natasha advised you not to give him any. If only you read her message earlier. You closed the refrigerator and turned to the Avenger,

“You’ve had enough.” You said and took the half-finished chocolate drink away. Clint sighed and rolled his eyes,

“You and ‘Tasha are no fun.” He complained. You laughed and pulled out two clear glasses from the cabinet,

“Orange juice or apple?” you asked.

“Apple.” Clint replied. He watched as you poured apple juice for him and orange nectar in the other. Clint took the glass filled with apple juice and noticed Bucky taking a seat beside him quietly.

“Hey.” Clint greeted. Bucky gave a nod at the guest,

“Hello.” He said softly. Bucky didn’t mind Clint. The man was tolerable most of the time. Bucky pulled forward his morning drink and slowly began consuming it while you and Clint continued chatting.

“You should send Bucky on a date.” Clint stated, quite oblivious to the fact that Bucky had started choking on the orange juice when he did. You handed Bucky some water before turning to Clint,

“I thought it would be good to have Steve around for that kind of thing.” You nodded.

“Steve? (Y/n), the man is dating that pretty blonde agent – Sharon, was it?”

“Sharon?” you repeated with an interest. Sharon had been in many of your training classes back in the days of SHIELD. The pair of you were top agents but when Natasha joined the scene you broke records. So the fact that she and Steve were dating wasn’t a surprise to you.

“Yeah, they got together after D.C.” Clint informed and took a final gulp of the juice, “Look, there isn’t much point in waiting for Steve. You can handle it. Aren’t you and Tony experts in the dating business?”

“Don’t you have to be somewhere?” You asked through gritted teeth and forcibly fluttering eyelashes. Clint held his hands up to surrender,

“Alright, I’ll leave your past where it is.” He chuckled and noticed the time on his watch, “I really should be going actually. Thor wanted more Pop Tarts and I had to get Tony some crazy piece of metal. Might pick up some purple spandex for Bruce on the way too.” Clint winked. You laughed and saw your friend to the door,

“Keep me posted on everything at the Tower, okay?” you requested. Clint nodded and hugged you warmly,

“I’ll give you a call when ‘Tasha comes back.” he promised and with a simple wave to Bucky, Clint left the apartment. You returned to the kitchen and noticed that Bucky was staring into his glass,

“Bucky, are you okay? You don’t look too well.” you said gently. Bucky looked up and met the ever-curious (e/c) eyes,

“I’m fine. Just a bit hungry is all.” He replied. Your stomach growled suddenly,

“That makes the two of us.” You smiled and started to whip up the big breakfast you had in mind.

Bucky wanted to tell you about the nightmares but, perhaps, there was a chance to hide that horrible truth until Steve returned.

Perhaps…

Chapter Text

Clint left, breakfast was over and you had now dressed yourself in your own clothes. You sat at the kitchen bench and poked your fruit salad with a fork while staring out the window. The weather outside was glimmering with sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. The windows were open and it was definitely warmer than what it should be. You were tempted to have another day out with Bucky. But what if he didn’t want to go out again? You asked yourself. While in thought, you didn’t realise that the soldier in question was rummaging through your freezer,

“(Y/n)?” he called and startled you out of your little daydream.

“Hm?” You hummed and slowly peeled your eyes away from the beautiful view outside. When you laid eyes on Bucky, you couldn’t help but smirk at the little pout he had on his face.

“Where’s the ice-cream?” he asked while looking at you. You frowned and glanced at the refrigerator,

“Oh, I don’t think we bought any.” You said. Bucky sighed and closed the freezer door,

“I’m hot.” He muttered.

Yes, yes you are. You thought to yourself trying to contain the small blush on your cheeks. You looked out the window once more and then at Bucky,

“Do you want to go out and grab some?” You wondered. Bucky cast a nervous glance outside and recalled their last day out,

“Last time I broke your phone and threatened a man.” He remembered. You swung your legs around and stretched,

“Both of which, I forgave you for. Anyway, if it makes you feel better, we could go to a more relaxing place,” You said and tapped the table as you thought of a calm place, “Like the park.” Bucky sighed as he considered it.

“What do you say?” You wondered with a sugar-coated smile.

“It doesn’t seem like a bad idea.” Bucky replied and then walked off into his room to get dressed. With his back turned, you couldn’t see the faint smile that danced on his lips. Bucky enjoyed spending time with you more than anything. It helped him take his mind off the nightmares. And, today, he just hoped that he could behave in a way that would make you smile.

At the park, Bucky was still having difficulty in remembering what his favourite ice-cream flavour was, so he opted for a simple vanilla. You had more of a sweet-tooth and bought yourself a rainbow swirl. The park you strolled through was beautiful and not uncomfortably crowded which was ideal for Bucky. As people walked past, Bucky tended to move himself closer to you in order to avoid bumping into them. You smiled to yourself and, from the corner of your eye, saw Bucky look behind at the latest encounter,

“Bucky, you do realise that you’ve pushed us to the edge of the footpath?” you wondered with a raised eyebrow. Bucky turned to you and frowned,

“I’m sorry.” He apologised sincerely. You saw the flicker of nervousness in his face and your bright smile diminished into a look of concern,

“Hey, are you okay?” you asked. Bucky blamed himself for your new expression and forced a careless shrug,

“Of course.” He lied.

Bucky Barnes was, in fact, not fine. The park was eerily similar to a nightmare he had previously where he killed every man, woman and child. You stopped walking and stood before the soldier,

“Are you sure? You look frightened. We can go back home if you’d…”

“I’m fine.” Bucky snapped. You looked at him sadly and sighed. Bucky felt a surge of sadness when he looked at the hurt on your face and he cleared his throat,

“I didn’t mean to – I – I’m fine, honestly.” He stuttered and then reassured. You were clever enough to know when you were being lied to and didn’t buy Bucky’s answer for a second. You were about to lecture him about sharing his feelings but your phone started to ring. Reaching into the pocket of your jacket, you pulled out the buzzing device and put it to your ear,

“Stark.” You answered politely.

“I know who it is.” Tony barked on the other end. You frowned at his tone and he seemed to have sensed the impact of this,

“Sorry.” Tony apologised, receiving an unseen eye-roll in reply,

“What do you want?” You sighed, taking a lick of the melting rainbow ice-cream.

“Since Cap and Romanoff have taken off to kick HYDRA in the backside, we are short two heads.” Tony replied.

“For what?” You wondered, not having a clue about what he was referring to.

“Halloween, Miss-Genius-Billionaire-Winter-Soldier-Sitting-Philanthropist.” He answered. You slapped yourself mentally and groaned,

“The Halloween Party. I completely forgot.” You said apologetically.

“Yeah, I figured. Listen, get yourself and Frosty over here and we’ll talk.” Tony instructed.

“But I don’t know if --” The call ended and you stared blankly ahead.

“Is everything okay?” Bucky asked, observing the look on your face. You put your phone down and gave a soft smile,

“Tony needs help up at the tower. He requested that we come over.” You told him.

“What does he need help with?” Bucky asked curiously. You took in a deep breath,

“Planning a party. But we don’t have to…”

“I’ll come with you.” Bucky said quickly. You froze in mid-sentence and looked at the Winter Solider.

“Wait, really?” you wondered. Bucky gave a simple nod,

“Steve said that I’d have to meet them eventually.” He replied. Of course, the only reason why Bucky wanted to go was only to avoid your earlier conversation. You caught onto that fact but chose to let it go for the moment.

Right now, some Avengers were in need of Halloween saving.

Chapter Text

“Home, sweet, home.” You sighed when you and Bucky entered Avengers Tower.

“This place is bigger than what Steve said.” Bucky remembered and looked at you, “You live here?”

“Yes.” You answered and Bucky returned to marvelling at the place. You smiled at how Bucky reminded you of a child in a candy store. He was so taken by it all.

“Welcome home, Miss Stark.” JARVIS greeted. Bucky jumped at the sudden voice and looked around for the source,

“Did you hear that?” he asked and you nodded with a giggle,

“Bucky, this is Just A Very Intelligent System, or JARVIS.” You introduced. Bucky remembered Steve telling him about a computer that could talk.

“Oh, um … hello.” He said sheepishly, not sure what he was talking to.

“Hello, Sargent Barnes. I trust that you will find your stay at Avengers Tower to be to your satisfaction.” JARVIS replied. You thanked JARVIS and you both continued to walk through the hallway.

“I’ll get you one of the guest rooms and then we’ll talk about…” You had begun but were distracted by louder voices from the top of the spiral staircase,

“What’s the problem with my idea?” Tony’s voice asked. You nudged Bucky’s arm and quietly walked up the stairs to find out what was happening.

“Tony, you can’t dress up as yourself for Halloween.” Bruce sighed. It sounded like he was tired of repeating the same answer.

“Oh come on! Thor’s dressing up as a lightning bolt.” Tony complained. Thor’s voice entered the room,

“I said no such thing.” He chuckled as he carried a large box. You and Bucky walked into the room where the conversation was taking place and saw the chaos. There were boxes lying all over the place; some closed, some half-open, while others were tipped upside down. You looked at the mess and stared at your brother, who was trying to convince his friend,

“What’s going on?” you asked. Tony smiled at the sight of his sister,

“You took your time.” He said sardonically.

“We were out.” Bucky retorted, simply not taking the sass that was being thrown at you.

“Getting defensive, are we?” Tony smirked. Bruce walked over to them,

“Leave him alone, Tony.” He warned and smiled kindly to both you and Bucky,

“It’s great to see you again.” Bruce welcomed. You returned the smile and hugged him,

“It’s great to see you too.” You laughed. Bruce moved on to shake Bucky’s right hand while you crushed your brother in a warm hug,

“You need to call more often.” Tony chuckled.

“I could say the same thing.” You replied.

“My friends, you have arrived!” Thor beamed as he made his way over. You were pulled into an Asgardian-hug by the man, who then finished and moved on to giving Bucky a bone-crushing hug of affection. You didn’t have time to warn Thor about Bucky and hugs, recalling your first with the soldier.

Bucky had since realised that hugging was a kind gesture that meant him no harm. He glanced at you and saw the encouraging smile on your face. That smile was what brought him to this madhouse in the first place. Determined to keep seeing it, Bucky braced himself for the oncoming storm that was Thor.

You were thankful that Bucky hadn’t reacted badly. If he had, Tony would have dragged Steve’s butt back from his mission to take Bucky home. Your brother was very weary of the men in your life. Now that all the greetings were in order, you looked around with a frown,

“Where’s Clint? I thought he was going to be here?” you wondered. Tony pulled out his phone and fiddled with it,

“He’s out on a very important mission.” He replied. You squinted at the response. What kind of mission was Tony talking about?

“Sir, I believe you have an incoming message from the intercom downstairs.” JARVIS informed. Tony was busy grinning at his phone and you took charge,

“Bring it up on the holo-projector, J.” you instructed. A holographic screen appeared before everyone showing the live surveillance feed from outside the main entrance to the building. Standing there was a grumpy Clint Barton,

“Guys! Let me in!” he demanded. You looked at Tony, suspicious of his grinning, and grabbed his phone. You looked at the screen and saw that he was locking Clint out on purpose. Tony winked at you and looked up at the projector,

“What’s wrong, Clint?” He asked, feigning concern.

“Stark, I swear if this is your idea of a joke…!” Clint threatened.

“Why would I do such a thing?” Tony wondered curiously. Everyone giggled at Hawkeye’s misfortune and you unlocked the door.

“Thank you!” Clint exclaimed to his saviour, “Now, send Thor and someone else to bring these pumpkins in, my hands are filled with bags of candy.”

The hologram disappeared and Thor turned to Bucky, who was still mesmerised by the technology,

“Come Soldier of the Jotun Cold, you are the next strongest in this room.” He chuckled. Bucky wanted to refuse but Thor had pulled him away before he could get a word out. Tony walked off to make some room on the table for the bags and Bruce looked at you,

“How’s the rehabilitation for Bucky going so far?” He asked. You sighed and shook your head,

“I don’t know, Bruce. I feel like he’s not telling me everything and it’s got me worried.” You answered. Bruce nodded,

“It’ll take some time.” He informed.

“It took Steve almost a year to tell us about his relationship with Peggy.”

“Yes, but he wasn’t brainwashed into forgetting everything and trained to kill mercilessly.” Bruce reminded. Putting it that way made a great difference to why Bucky took a long time to trust.

“Bruce, give me a hand here.” Tony called out from the back and Bruce left your side. Thinking about what he had just said, a thought lit up in your mind,

“Brainwashed …?” you whispered to yourself. What if Bucky’s nightmares had come back?

Thor and Bucky returned to the room carrying various sized pumpkins in their arms. They were being very careful not to drop the vegetable and Clint buzzed past them with the bags of sweets. He plopped them on the table and noticed you on the side,

“Hey, when did you get here?” he asked. You looked at him with a smile and opened your mouth to respond when he cut across with a second question,

“More importantly, where have you been? I thought you’d be back after your bathroom was fixed.”

“But it’s not…” You began as Clint opened a pack of gummy bears and put a handful into his mouth,

“Yeah, it is. Tony’s had that fixed ages ago.” He replied. You blinked a few times and looked over at your brother,

“What?” you asked Tony. Tony walked over to where the pumpkins sat,

“I like these. We should carve our superhero names into them.” he said, trying to ignore your voice.

“Tony?” You repeated loudly.

“Okay,” Tony sighed, finally looking at you, “I was using it as a storage area for my armour.”

“Are you being serious?”

“If it’s any consolation, you can bunk with Frosty tonight.” Tony said and you shot daggers at him with your glare and he took his comment back, “Fine, I’ll get JARVIS to prepare a guest room.”

You were very unimpressed by your brother but shook it off at Thor’s suggestion,

“Let us carve out these orange vegetables before retiring to bed.” He said with excitement. Tomorrow would mark his first Halloween with the team and everyone got into the spirit of the event.

Captain America

Iron Man

Black Widow

Hawkeye

Hulk

Thor

Falcon

Winter Soldier

These were the names that were carved into each pumpkin. You had carved out the Avengers Logo and placed it on the table, quite proud of your handiwork. You were all proud of your team achievement for the day. All that was left was the decorations for tomorrow’s Halloween Party but Bruce yawned and said that it would best to deal with it in the morning.

After bidding every goodnight, you and Bucky made your way to the 7th floor where the guest rooms were located. Tony was kind enough to put you both on the same floor just in case Bucky felt alienated.

“I’m just down the hall if you need me.” You told Bucky just before heading to your own room. Bucky nodded and watched you leave. That night, you fell asleep thinking about what was troubling Bucky but with no solid answers.

A few hours into your slumber, you were startled awake by what sounded like a cry for help. You sat upright and flicked on the lights. You sat still and listened quietly. Nothing.

“JARVIS?” You whispered. A blue light emerged on the fingerprint lock by the door,

“Yes, Miss Stark.” JARVIS answered.

“Is anyone awake?” You asked.

“No. Everyone is asleep but Sargent Barnes has been experiencing spikes in his brain waves.” JARVIS informed. You jumped up and threw your blankets to the side. It must have been Bucky’s voice you heard. Running out of the room and down the hallway, you found yourself at Bucky’s door.

“JARVIS, open this door.” you instructed. The door unlocked and you quietly pushed it open. Your heart sank when you realised that you were right, Bucky’s nightmare’s had returned.

He was tossing around in his sleep, hands clenching onto his blankets, knuckles white. His face scrunched up in pain and Bucky was mumbling in terror. You weren’t sure what he was saying but there were some distinct words,

“No … please … not … not … again …”

These were the few that you were able to pull out as Bucky shook. You felt your eyes pool with tears. Just listening to Bucky’s desperation in his sleep had you equally distressed. How long was he coping with this?

HYDRA destroyed his life; they tortured him and turned him into a machine. It made sense why he wouldn’t confide in you. Bucky didn’t want to talk about his dreams again.

You wiped away the tears and pulled over an armchair to the side of his bed. You didn’t want to wake Bucky up, since he would most likely panic, so you sat by his bed and raked your fingers through the soldier’s messy black hair, combing it of any knots. You saw the effect it had, as Bucky’s breathing eased and he slowly fell into a deep slumber with less talking. You smiled at his peaceful form,

“I’m here for you.” were the last words you whispered before your eyelids closed with weariness.

Chapter Text

When Bucky awoke the next morning, he was amazed at the absence of a nightmare. It was a relief to not wake in terror of reliving the mercilessness of HYDRA. He turned to the side and froze in his sheets – you were still in his room but … asleep. You had cuddled up on the armchair and pressed your cold body against the back of the chair.

Bucky silently escaped his bed and stealthily walked over to the cupboard to pull out a spare blanket. Returning to where you had fallen asleep, he draped it around your shoulders to keep you from the early morning chill.

You must have been the reason he slept well in the night. Quite suddenly, there was a knock on the door which made Bucky jump and you shift slightly. Bucky wasn’t expecting a visitor. Perhaps one of the Avengers realised you were absent from your room and wanted to ask him if he knew where you were. Bucky shook the thoughts out and opened the door only to meet with a tall man with blonde hair and gentle blue eyes.

“Hi, Buck.” Steve smiled. Bucky was so relieved to see his best friend again that he almost forgot to hug the man. Steve chuckled softly and put a firm hand on Bucky’s shoulder,

“JARVIS told me you had woken up. I just wanted to make sure that you slept well. Or, decently, at least.” He said thoughtfully. It was always Steve to be concerned for the wellbeing of others.

“I did.” Bucky nodded.

“Wha-is that (Y/n)?” Steve asked when he noticed you snuggled up on the armchair. Bucky stepped out of the room and into the hallway to minimise their noise.

“I need to tell you something.” Bucky started and recounted the events of his intense nightmares and how he escaped them last night.

“Clearly, I left you in capable hands.” Steve said brightly and Bucky sighed,

“I don’t know she managed it, I tried everything to stop them.” he said incredulously.

“I suppose we’d have to ask Bruce for an answer to that question.” Steve replied. Bucky groaned mentally when he realised that he hadn’t asked Steve about his trip and sudden arrival,

“When did you come back?” Bucky asked.

“A few hours ago when everyone still asleep. Natasha was determined to be back for Halloween.” Steve answered.

“And the mission…?”

“It went well. We destroyed the base successfully with the team of an old friend, Phil Coulson. No casualties.”

“Who’s Coulson?” Bucky wondered but his answer was interrupted by the low rumble of his stomach. Steve couldn’t help but chuckle at the sound,

“Clint and Thor are making breakfast downstairs. Why don’t you get dressed in my room and, as we head down, I’ll explain who Coulson is?” The super soldier suggested. Bucky glanced at his room door and Steve took note of it,

“She’s the last to wake up, if we’re quick, we might be able to keep some breakfast aside for her.” he added. Bucky agreed with the plan and followed Steve to his room.

After getting dressed and learning who the mysterious Agent-turned-Director Coulson was, Bucky and Steve joined the daily commotion named ‘breakfast’.

An argument brewed between Natasha and Clint over a bottle of hot chocolate Clint tried to sneak into the kitchen. Bruce was reading the newspaper quietly on the sofa, while Thor made omelettes (and Pop Tarts) and Tony skimmed through the to-do list for the Halloween party. The two super soldiers took their seats and ate their prepared breakfast. Steve made sure to tell Thor to keep some stashed away for you. Everyone was so invested in their conversations that they didn’t realise the amount of noise they created. That was, until you walked in.

You heard the quarrelling voices and had startled awake in Bucky’s room. There would be no way you’d be able to fall back to sleep, so you dressed for the day, excluding the hair which stuck out in strange places, and came down to join your friends.

“Finally up, sleepyhead?” Steve chuckled. You frowned at his voice and then frowned more at the sight of Natasha jumping over the kitchen bench and tackling Clint.

“Am I still dreaming?” You asked them. Natasha pulled the hot chocolate bottle away from Clint and smiled at your confused expression,

“We came back this morn -- Hey! Clint, give me that!”

“Can you both keep it down? I’m trying to send out invites for tonight.” Tony snapped from his side. You walked over to where Steve and Bucky were and took a seat beside the latter. Thor brought forth a plate and slid it over,

“Thanks, Thor.” You smiled and dug straight into the meal. A few minutes in, Bucky stood up and returned his dishes to the sink. He then decided to join Bruce and watch television. It was all done in complete silence. Steve turned to you, knowing that you weren’t oblivious to Bucky’s act, and smiled,

“Hey, thank you for staying with Bucky last night.” He said earnestly. Behind you, Tony choked on his drink,

“What?!” he sputtered and turned to face you, “Why were you in the same room as Bucky?”

“I was--”

“See Steve, this is exactly what I wanted to avoid!” Tony said, darting his anger at the blonde man.

“Hold on, it was nothing like that.” Steve told him calmly.

“What the hell, Tony? Why would you suddenly think that?” You asked, taken aback. The whole room went quiet and Tony cleared his throat as realisation hit him.

“I’m your brother, so I assumed that…”

“…that the only reason I’m in another person’s room is because I’m sleeping with them? I can’t believe you’d think that.” Clara said disappointedly with a shake of her head. Tony sighed,

“Okay, I’m sorry. It was a stupid thought and I’m an idiot for thinking it.” Tony apologised.

“Don’t do it again.” You warned and forgave him nonetheless.

“If you two are done, perhaps we can start on preparing this place for tonight.” Bruce stated as he put his newspaper down. Tony nodded at his science brother and made his announcement to the world,

“Everyone, get yourselves to the Main Lounge in 10 minutes.” He declared and dashed off, closely followed by Bruce. Natasha was still trying to wrench the chocolate away from Clint and you sighed,

“Nat, you do realise that he’s been hyped up on the stuff since before you arrived, right?” You wondered. Natasha released Clint from her grip and raised her hands in defeat,

“I’m seriously done here.” She sighed and left to join Tony. Clint scooted over to Thor, holding the chocolate powder close to his chest,

“Keep your Pop Tarts close, man. She’s crazy.” He whispered.

[Time-skip to a less chaotic moment]

The decorations were up! And all within a matter of hours. Black and orange streamers, fake cobwebs dangling from the ceiling accompanied with Avenger-made spiders. Thor had created a small thunder cloud at the top of the fountain that struck lightning at random intervals and you had just finished lighting the jack-o-lanterns. The Tower looked amazing! If this was the Halloween party, you couldn’t wait to see what Christmas would look like.

Night had fallen and Avengers Tower glowed mystically. Tony had gone with his idea as dressing as himself (how that worked, nobody knew), while the others just wore a casual party outfit. You had chosen your favourite (f/c) cocktail dress to wear. Your (h/c) hair fell down your back in loose curls – you were enough to make every jaw drop. Natasha had brought back a fine diamond pendant on her trip with Steve for you and tonight was the perfect time to show it off.

Suits and dresses was the alternate dress-code. Surely, Bucky would be thankful about purchasing his suit earlier, otherwise, he would have been stuck wearing one of Tony’s old tuxedoes.

Speak of the soldier and he shall appear. Bucky walked into the room and admired the scenery. He wore the suit they bought and his hair was tied back into a ponytail. He looked breathtaking. Currently, the crowd only consisted of the Avengers but in a matter of minutes, the guests would soon arrive. The wine flowed and your special Halloween mix-tape played in the background.

“Guys, are you sure this was the only costume left?” Steve asked as he walked up the stairs – and how he regretted doing so! The poor Captain America was now dressed as,

“Captain Dorito! You finally made it!” Tony shouted across the room, grabbing everyone’s attention. Steve was wearing a large costume that represented a cheese-flavoured Dorito. The entire room burst into laughter and Steve’s cheeks turned red,

“I-I thought we were all going to dress up.” Steve said looking around at the outfits. Tony had started his drinking before anyone arrived and was walking on his toes.

“Happy Halloween, Capsicle.” Tony chuckled. Steve cleared his throat, completely embarrassed for falling into the trap and retraced his steps,

“I’m going to get changed.” He said and disappeared into the elevator beside the stairs to get to his room. It was a good thing that he avoided the stairs because the invited guests were making their way into the tower. There was a buzz of excited chatter as Pepper, Rhodey, and Sam Wilson – just to name a few of many – entered the room. Tony had two glasses of wine in each hand and shot them up when he spotted his friend,

“Pepper!” he called out happily. Tony hadn’t realised that Bucky was passing by and they bumped into each other. Red wine spilling all over Bucky’s suit jacket.

“Tony, be careful.” You scolded as you rushed over to help Bucky. Tony apologised briefly and returned to what he was doing. You grabbed a tissue from a nearby table and tried to soak up the liquid,

“Sorry, Bucky. He gets excited when we have events like this. One time, he peed in his Iron Man suit.” You told him with a soft laugh, attempting to break the ice. You looked up at Bucky and saw that your jokes weren’t being received as well as you had hoped. Refocusing your attention to the spilt wine, you cleared your throat,

“You look amazing.” You complimented. Bucky was doing his best from avoiding eye contact but he latched onto your necklace and couldn’t help but trail his eyes up to your face.

“(Y/n),” Bucky said softly but was cut across by your gentle voice,

“I know you’ve been avoiding me. I just don’t know why.” You continued. Bucky sighed and pulled your hands away from him,

“I can’t talk about it.” Bucky stated and watched you frown at him as a response,

“Why not?” you asked, trying to find the answer in his brown eyes.

“Because I don’t want to.”

“You need to understand that I’m trying to help.”

“Then understand that maybe I don’t want your help.” Bucky snapped harshly. You gasped and looked at your arm. In his brief flash of anger, Bucky unconsciously grabbed your arm with his metal hand. Realising what he had done, Bucky let you go and took a step back.

“Just stay away from me.” he ordered and walked off. It was a good thing that there was a huge crowd and the chatter drowned out your conversation.

“Hey, Stark Junior!” Sam greeted while walking over to you. You pulled on a smile and turned to your new friend,

“Hey, Sam … uh … are you wearing spandex?” The ex-military solider was wearing a red superhero costume made completely out of spandex.

“Yes, I am.” He said proudly, “I met some kids the other day and they drew me in this outfit calling me ‘The Falcon’. How cool, right?”

“Super cool.” You laughed.

“So, where’s Steve? I want to show him my outfit.” Sam asked.

“He’s busy being a Dorito.”

“Say what?”

“He’s up in his room. I’m sure he’ll be out shortly.” You replied and started to walk away.

“Wait, where are you going?” Sam wondered.

“I need some air.” That was the understatement of the year. You needed a lot of air! You left the party upstairs and stood outside the entrance to Avengers Tower. There weren’t any guests rolling in, so it was a good place for you to think … about Bucky.

Of course, you had thought that with Steve around, Bucky would be more open to expressing himself. Evidently, you were wrong. There was a rustle off to the side in the bushes and you looked at it curiously. After finding nothing there, you sighed,

“Great, now you’re being paranoid.” You whispered to yourself and turned back around to enter the tower again. Bucky was walking down the stairs with a specific task in mind: apologising. He had been given an earful by his best friend for shutting you out, after telling Steve about what went down.

“She is the best thing that’s happened in your life and you’re pushing her away.” Steve had said.

“I’m trying to keep her safe.”

“Did it ever cross your mind that keeping (Y/n) close would be the best way for that?” Steve had a valid point. Bucky had never considered doing that, or maybe he did and just couldn’t remember. Regardless, Bucky knew that Steve would never lead him astray and decided to give his method a try.

Bucky hit the base of the staircase and looked down the empty hallway towards the entrance of the building. The electronic door was opening and closing of its own accord. There was a cool gush of wind blowing into the hallway, sending a shiver through him. Bucky walked closer to the door and noticed that there was something on the ground causing the jam.

“No…” he whispered when his eyes fell upon the object.

It was a necklace.

Your necklace.

Chapter Text

3 months had passed with countless failed search and rescue missions.

The band of superheroes had received no word of whether (Y/n) was alive nor was any ransom demanded. She was in the wind and the ache of never finding her hung in the air. No matter how much Steve advised against it, Bucky held the most of the weight on his shoulders. He always thought about that Halloween night. The night it happened. The one night, he could have stopped it all.

Of course, his tension wasn’t helped when Tony also began laying blame on the soldier as a means ease the loss of his sister.

And then one day, something miraculous happened.

The face recognition software, which had been running since Halloween, found a match – Times Square, New York.

You were wandering the streets of the city in a daze when you saw the ‘Rescue Party’. Steve, Tony, Bucky and Natasha emerged through the bustling crowds (after having decided that the Quin-Jet would be too overwhelming) and approached you. Each of them sported a smile that expressed how grateful they were to see you alive.

When you were brought back to the Tower, silence fell upon everyone as they waited in the living room for Bruce to finish the routine check-up. Eventually, Bruce walked in and was greeted with faces filled with hope and a thousand questions.

“(Y/n) is fine.” Bruce informed in a loud voice to answer all the concern in the room. The Avengers all let out their sighs of relief and Thor was first to speak up again,

“Did she say who took her? I believe the felon has a meeting with Mjolnir.” He asked. Bruce took off his glasses and shook his head,

“She doesn’t remember who kidnapped her. (Y/n) told me that she was kept in a room and guarded by men wearing black masks.” He replied and then heaved a sigh, “Look, I tried to get her to remember but she not well enough to do that. She’s been gone for three months now. She needs time to heal and when she does, we’ll get our answers.”

Heeding the words of Bruce, the team laid off any questions regarding your kidnapping when they visited you in the infirmary. You were bedridden by order of your brother for a week but you disobeyed by the third day.

Bruce Banner may have found nothing on the tests and scans but you had changed. You weren’t the same as before. In those months that you were kidnapped, you were tortured and your mind was warped to think darker thoughts.

The Avengers had left you to suffer and you would make them pay for it.

You walked into the kitchen and found Thor making himself some midday Pop-Tarts and coffee. This would be the ideal opportunity to test if he suspected you of anything out of character.

Taking a seat at the kitchen bench, you drummed your fingers on the marble tabletop. Thor turned around when he heard the noise and greeted you with a cheerful grin.

“(Y/n)! It is lovely to see you again.” He chuckled.

“Likewise.” You returned kindly. “What are you doing?”

Thor brought forward a plate and a mug and set it on the table. He then whizzed back around to grab a box and presented it to you.

“Lunch.” He informed.

A comfortable silence filled the air as you watched the Asgardian brew his drink until the toaster clicked and the Tarts popped up. Thor was too focused on the coffee to notice that you had been scheming about his demise.

On your way to the kitchens, you stopped by Bruce’s empty lab and procured yourself a lethal liquid. There was no antidote to the poison on Earth and you doubted that Asgard would find a cure in time to save the drinkers life.

Clearing your throat, you pointed over at the toaster. Thor squinted for a minute and then turned around,

“Oh, they’re ready.” He smiled and took his plate to fill of the delicious meal.

You seized the moment and pulled out the vial of poison from your pocket. You opened the lid and quickly poured the contents into Thor’s mug before hiding the empty vial again. Thor turned around and set the plate down again with an excited look.

Playing innocent, you watched carefully as Thor swept up a Pop-Tart in one hand and the coffee in his other. He took a bite out of the sweet pastry and was about to chug the coffee in hand when an arrow whizzed dangerously close to his face.

It sank into the wall with the Pop-Tart attached and you had jumped back, startled. The event had taken Thor by such a surprise that his hand loosened around the mug handle, sending the coffee to the ground with a crash – completely throwing your plan off-point.

“Damn it, Thor!” You couldn’t help but snap. Thor frowned at the spilt drink and shook his head.

“I apologise, (Y/n).” he said sincerely, looking up from the ground to the arrow that blazed a deep purple.

“Hey guys.” Clint greeted brightly as he walked into the kitchen.

He made his merry way to the Pop-Tart stuck in the wall and pulled it out. Taking a messy bite out of it, he noticed the liquid on the ground.

“What happened there?” he wondered, completely oblivious to being the cause of it. Thor shook his head and let out a sigh as he moved to the closet beside the refrigerator to retrieve a mop. Clint took another bite of his snack and looked at you.

“Hey, you wanna train?” he asked with a mouthful. Obviously he had forgotten that his friend was under orders to recover.

“No.” You answered bitterly. You would not forgive him so lightly for ruining a perfect plan.

Shrugging his shoulders, Clint laid his bird eyes on a pair of teammates who were just walking in – Steve and Natasha. He crammed the rest of the Pop Tart in his mouth, pulled his arrow free from the wall and bolted towards the two.

“Training room, let’s go!” he said as he ran into the elevator. Steve and Natasha squinted at his sudden outburst for a challenge and turned to face him.

“You think you can take the two of us on?” Natasha smirked.

“‘Tasha, I just scared Thor out of his wits. I know I can take you and Cap on.”

Natasha glanced at Steve for acceptance and received a single nod. You watched from the table as the three Avengers made their way into the elevator and up to the training area.

The cog began turning in her mind once more and you looked at Thor.

“I’m going to take a walk.” You told him.

“Would you like me to come with you?” Thor inquired but you shook your head.

“I’ll be fine.”

Chapter Text

You chose not to take the elevator after your new targets and walked out into the large hallway. To the left, at the end of the corridor, was a staircase that would lead you to the training room and to your right was Bruce Banner’s second lab.

The door was slightly ajar and you could see Bruce walking about the room. The opportunity was perfect since he wasn’t with Tony and you didn’t know when you’d be able to isolate him to execute your plan. Taking a moment to finalise your decision, you peered around and then made your way to the right – straight for Bruce.

You walked over to the lab and knocked once on the door. Bruce looked up from a computer screen and smiled. He always found your company to be a joy.

“Hey,” he greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m healing.” You replied. Bruce nodded and picked up a few files on the table.

“Don’t mind me. I was just going over a few things. Just give me a quick second and I’ll be with you.” He said sincerely. You chuckled softly at the response and smiled at the man.

“Spoken like a true doctor.” You teased. Bruce grinned and then turned away from you to fuss with some fancy equipment behind him.

You stalked towards Bruce’s turned back, trying to make your actions look as natural as possible. The poor doctor was unaware of your dark intentions. Luckily for you, he had forgotten to close the drawers and you spotted a scalpel sitting inside.

Reaching for it, you stole the silver and hid it behind your back – waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Bruce turned around and frowned at the papers he was holding.

“This is odd.” He muttered to himself while walking over to where you were standing. Your hand fastened around the base of the scalpel and adrenaline coursed through your veins as you prepared to pounce – but your excitement was short-lived.

A firm hand wrapped around your own and pulled the scalpel from your grip. You tried to scratch the person but your fingers only met with a cool metal, which meant only one thing.

“Bucky?” Bruce wondered with surprise when he lifted his eyes from the paper. Bucky smiled and hugged you from behind.

“I need to borrow her for a minute, is that okay?” he asked. Bruce raised an eyebrow at the sudden show of affection but nodded nonetheless.

Bucky thanked the man and escorted you out of the room and down to the kitchen. Thankfully, it was empty when you burst from Bucky’s grip.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” you demanded. Bucky frowned and pulled the scalpel from his pocket, setting it down on the kitchen bench.

“I’d like to ask you the same thing.” He responded. “Were you going to kill Dr Banner?”

You scoffed and pushed some loose strands of hair behind your ear with a strained huff.

“I don’t have time for this.” You said and walked towards the elevator, only to be stopped by Bucky.

“Well, I do and you’re not leaving until you explain yourself.”

“You can’t stop me. I have a job to do and I will complete it.”

You tried walking off again but, this time, when Bucky grabbed your wrist, you pulled out a pocket knife and slashed him across his cheek. Gasping at the sting caused by the blade, Bucky released your hand. You seized the moment and bolted for the elevator doors, not glancing behind at Bucky’s bewildered face.

“JARVIS, lock this floor down!” Bucky shouted and instantly the AI followed the instruction.

The elevators doors shut before you could gain entrance, the exit to staircase was sealed and the windows had a protocol of their own.

You hammered your fist on the metal doors of the elevator furiously.

“JARVIS, open the doors right now!” You demanded. JARVIS didn’t respond and so, you wheeled around to face the cause of your newfound trouble.

“You.” You spat at Bucky. “I should have known you’d be a thorn.”

Bucky was looking at you sympathetically with a hand resting on his sliced cheek. His silence breaking your murderous rage with irritation.

“What?” You barked.

“What did they do to you?” Bucky whispered.

Chapter Text

Tony was informed of the kitchen lockdown by Clint and Steve, who were unable to gain access to the dining room. He met them, and the remainder of the team (excluding Bruce), at the doors.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked, looking around at the confused faces.

“Your guess is as good as ours.” Steve sighed with a small shake of his head.

Tony opened up a panel on the wall beside the door and entered a code. After hitting ‘enter’, the panel shut again and a thin blue light glowed as it formed a box. Inside was a live feed of the cameras from the kitchen – and boy was it jaw dropping.

(Y/n) had no restraint as she hurled any and every object at the Winter Soldier. Bucky’s cheek was bleeding, a bruise formed in the corner of his lip, and he just pulled out a shard of glass from his leg. He had taken a complete beating from her and it didn’t look like she was going to stop until he was dead.

“Tony!” Bruce called from the end of the hallway. Tony looked away from the surveillance footage and saw Bruce run up with some papers.

“Do you have an explanation for this?” Tony asked, pointing to the video on the wall where (y/n) was attacking Bucky. Bruce sighed and nodded,

“When we found (Y/n), I ran every test I could to make sure that she was okay.”

“You said that she was in perfect health.” Thor stated.

“Yes, but her fingernail analysis was inconclusive.” Bruce continued.

“Meaning?” Clint prompted.

“They were inconclusive because there was a second set of DNA and guess who it belongs to?” Bruce handed Tony the papers and team looked over Tony’s shoulder to see the name.

“Brock Rumlow? Who’s that?” Tony asked. Natasha and Steve shared a confused and panicked glance before turning to Bruce.

“But he was killed when the Triskelion went down.” Steve said but Bruce shook his head.

“No. he escaped with major burns and after three days in the hospital, he disappeared.”

“Okay, so Rumlow kidnapped (Y/n) for months and then left her in the middle of Times Square. That still doesn’t explain why (Y/n) is currently trying to murder her boyfriend.” Tony recapped. There was a new pair of footsteps and a familiar face that joined the team.

“I can answer that.” Sam Wilson told them as he arrived. “A week before (Y/n) was taken, the storage facility we hid Bucky’s mind-zapping machine in was broken into. Best guess, Rumlow stole it and used it on her.”

“That device turned Bucky into a mindless killing machine.” Steve remembered grimly and looked at (Y/n) through the camera. She was definitely violent but she didn’t seem to be as mindless as Bucky had been. If she was, then she’d have killed them all with no hesitation.

Before locking up the machine, Bucky and Steve had damaged it so it wouldn’t be fully operational. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Steve’s mind.

“JARVIS, patch me through to the kitchen.” Steve instructed, taking the Avengers by surprise.

“Speak into the microphone, Captain Rogers.” JARVIS replied. Just under the surveillance video, a blue light circled where the microphone sat. Stepping past Tony, Steve cleared his throat.

“Bucky, can you hear me?” he asked.

Bucky was so busy trying to avoid the sharp objects being thrown at him that he nearly missed the voice echoing around the room. Looking around quizzically, Bucky wondered where the sound came from.

“Steve? Where are you?”

“I’m outside. Listen, Rumlow used the mind-eraser on (Y/n).” Steve explained.

“What?” Bucky exclaimed as he narrowly missed a chopping knife aimed for his head.

“Yes. But, Buck, you can get her back.”

“How?”

“Talk to her like how I talked to you.”

Bucky taken too much of an interest in listening to Steve’s advice that he didn’t realise that you had taken advantage of the situation. Bucky felt your fist connect to the side of his jaw and throw him off balance to crash amongst the kitchen chairs.

Had this been a normal fight, Bucky would have broken the arm belonging to his attacker – but this was beyond the description of normal. Bucky’s opponent was none other than the woman he developed affections for. You had become so dear to him, that Bucky would rather have you kill him than hurt you in defence.

Now on his knees, you had armed yourself with two kitchen knives - one at Bucky’s throat while the other was firmly pressed into his chest - ready to pierce his flesh in a heartbeat.

Your heart was racing. Eyes fixed on the man before you for any sudden movement.

Bucky, however, had a steady breath and showed no interest in fighting back. Instead, he looked at his best option – talking. If he picked the right words, Bucky could manoeuvre himself into bringing you back to the surface.

“Do you remember when we first met?” Bucky asked – his voice gentle as his eyes, “I tried to hurt you.”

You didn’t blink once at the comment. You gave no visible response that what he was saying registered in your mind.

This sent a spark of fear through Bucky as he worried that the memory was erased through the machine. Shaking the thought, Bucky pushed on, using his experience with Steve on the Helicarrier as a guide.

“No matter how difficult I was, you saw past it.”

You pressed the knife against Bucky’s throat in a threatening manner. Almost like a warning. But this didn’t deter Bucky in the slightest.

“You fight temper with patience and kindness. Everything you do is with good intention.”

“Oh, I have intention. It’s just not good.” You said after your long brewed silence.

Bucky felt the tip of the second knife break through the fabric of his shirt and prick his skin. Taking in a breath, Bucky stared into your (e/c) eyes to stray from the pain in his chest.

“You may be holding the knives but you don’t completely believe that what you’re doing is right.”

Bucky clenched his jaw as the blade in his chest moved deeper.

“How would you know?” You growled.

“Because I know you, (Y/n).” Bucky whispered.

That’s when something snapped in you. Memories that were painfully erased started to flood back in fragments.

The first time you saw Bucky with Steve…

“Steve! Bucky!” You beamed and leapt towards Steve for a hug.

Your innocent flirtations…

“You’re the only lucky guy who’s caught me in my bath robe.” You winked playfully causing Bucky to blush.

Experiencing Bucky’s anger…

“I don’t want a day out!” Bucky snapped as he whipped around.

Broken microwaves, ice-cream, pizza, haircuts, nightmares – all the little happenings that brought Bucky closer to you. It was all coming back.

Then, the memories of the past three months began to resurface – collapsing in front of the Tower, being faced with a damaged Rumlow … being strapped to the torturous mind-machine.

The pain. The agonising pain!

Twang!

The knives fell from your hold and hit the ground.

Bringing your trembling hands to your mouth, you covered the horrified gasp that escaped when you realised what you had done. You were so close to killing the people you loved – the people who trusted and searched for you tirelessly.

Bucky finally let out the breath he had been holding and brought his left hand to where the throbbing in his chest resided. Looking up at you, Bucky watched as your chest rose and fell in deep unsteady breaths while you stared at him fearfully.

“B-Bucky?” You whispered. Your voice shaky and low as if speaking could tear a hole in the universe.

Bucky gave a faint smile and outstretched his right arm. You looked at his hand silently, trusting nothing about yourself. Bucky’s eyes flitted to your feet and saw that you were about to take a step back,

“Take it, please.” He requested gently, halting the movement.

You eyed him wearily for another silent minute before making a move towards him. You stretched out your hand and took a step forward but your knees gave way. Bucky quickly took your hand and pulled your down into the warmth of his arms. There, you clutched onto his shirt and crumbled into an emotional mess.

“What have I done?” You asked through a few soft sobs, “What have I done?”

Chapter Text

Finding ones footing after months of torture and nearly killing the people you love is a rocky path.

You couldn’t look at your friends in the same way again and – in all fairness – neither could they. Although they expressed that they took no heart in your actions, they still found you packing your bags to leave the tower. Bucky had been recovering in the medical lab while Steve tried to persuade you to change your mind but Tony, ultimately, had the final say.

He remembered how his panic attacks of the New York Battle were calmed after some alone time in Rose Hill, Tennessee. Figuring that his sister would be in similar need of a quiet recovery, he agreed with your decision to leave.

You left early in the morning just to avoid forcing a smile with goodbyes and caught a cab to your apartment. You dragged the suitcase up the familiar staircase and then stared at your door.

How did it come to this? You asked yourself with a sigh.

Inserting the key and turning the locks, you returned to the place it all began. Once inside, you tossed the keys on your kitchen bench and began unpacking. While it took most of the day to reorganise your wardrobe and clean, you finally finished moving back in and relaxed on your sofa.

The sun had begun to set and you sat in silence for a minute. It wasn’t until you missed the buzz and noise of the Avengers that the heavy reminder of what you had done returned. Guilt washed over you like a hurricane and you brought your knees to your chest in an attempt to calm your raging mind.

Your body trembled at the memory of Rumlow’s severely burnt face jeering as he flicked on the machine to twist your mind. You remembered how lucky you were that the machine would often short out and be repaired for days on end, and how your heart fell into your stomach when you saw it back in action.

Knock, knock!

You jumped at the sound of knuckles against furnished wood and looked at your door with such fear that it seemed like the door could come alive and kill you at any moment.

The sound echoed through your living room once more and you swallowed the lump in your throat as you pushed yourself of the soft mattress. You knees may have buckled at first but you soon had them under control with each step that you took towards the door.

You pressed a hand firmly on the back of the wood and took a deep breath.

Swinging the door open, you were faced with black hair, gentle eyes, and a metal hand that carried three pizza boxes – James Buchanan Barnes had showed up at your doorstep.

“You shouldn’t be here.” You told him gently.

You expected Bucky to frown or look startled at the blunt greeting but he invited himself in. Had you been in your right mind, you would have hugged the Soldier. But since you were far from that, hugs were out of the question for now.

“Remember when I said the same thing to you?” Bucky asked as he set the pizza on the bench made of polished granite and turned around to you.

“You said one word: pizza.” He answered. You walked over to him but maintained a safe distance upon remembering your last encounter with Bucky in a kitchen setting.

“Listen, you need to leave.” You told him firmly. You were trying to put your foot down on the matter but it was like Bucky was ignoring you on purpose – which he was.

Bucky took a step towards you and you took one backwards in return, your mind only set on keeping away from the man you almost killed.

“I remember that day clearly because I shouted at you for trying to help me. I pushed you away so often because I was scared to hurt you. And then it really did happen.” He explained, still moving towards you at a slow and steady pace.

“That’s what you’re doing right now, (Y/n). You’re trying to push me away so I don’t have another sharp object in my chest.”

You flinched at the way Bucky described your actions. It’s like what you had done was insignificant and could be forgiven so simply. You were so focused on Bucky that you didn’t realise the direction he had you heading in. Your back hit the wall – now you had no place to run.

Bucky moved closer until you could practically smell the gentle cologne on his neck. He pushed a stray (h/c) stand of hair behind your ear and placed his human hand beneath your chin, lifting it so you had no choice but to stare into his eyes.

“You could stab me one hundred times over and I wouldn’t feel any different about you.” He said.

Bucky then closed the gap between the both of you and pressed his ever soft lips onto your own – kissing you like a delicate flower. He pulled away all too soon and rested his forehead on yours.

“I’m here for you.” He whispered.

Meanwhile, back at the tower, the Avengers carried on about their business. Tony had proposed that, in two weeks, they would call you and Bucky back to the Tower and celebrate with drinks and takeout for dinner. Usually his plans would be short-lived with Steve or Bruce commenting on the silliness of the idea but, this time around, it was different. Everyone had agreed to it being a great way to unwind and bond with one another.

As they planned away in the living room, nobody knew of the brewing trouble down in the armoury. The computers lit up and the text cursor blinked on the screen.