Mend
So this is my first time posting a fic on tumblr. Don’t know how this will go. I guess if people seem to respond, I’ll write another part?
Let me know what you think!
Bucky x Female Reader
Description: Reader has terrakinesis and going through a lot of emotional personal issues when Steve brings back Bucky.
Pairing: Bucky x Fem/Reader (enhanced)
Set after Captain America: Civil War. Contains Civil War spoilers!!!
Tensions remained tight within the Avengers. Tony still hated Bucky. In fact, he wouldn’t even acknowledge Bucky when they were in the same room. Thankfully that was rare, seeing as Steve and his team were hidden from the public. They were still considered wanted vigilantes.
Steve, with the help of Tony, found an abandoned subway station in New York to make somewhat of a base for the exiled crew. Tony fixed it up so it was almost as nice as the Avengers compound. Almost. But more importantly, it was untraceable to the government. They were hidden and they were safe.
Tony and Steve still had their disagreements, but Tony knew they didn’t deserve to be behind bars. There were still moments when he wanted to end Bucky, however. Steve just hoped that would close with time. On the bad days, many of them refused to admit that they thought maybe Bucky should’ve stayed frozen in Wakanada just a little bit longer.
Living as vigilantes forced Steve to experience his daily life in a different way. That’s how he met Y/N. Roaming the streets of New York City in the shadows allowed him to observe others more than before. He had become a celebrity after the battle in the city. But now he had no choice but to slip through the streets unnoticed. He managed to fall upon other enhanced people. Some he would sidestep. They weren’t lost; they just wanted to be left alone. Others, like Y/N, needed some guidance. But they were also meant for something more.
“So you’re sure you’re up for this?” Steve asked sincerely. “This place is huge. You don’t have to meet anyone until you’re ready. Everyone’s pretty good at keeping to themselves.”
Bucky sighed. “Steve, I’ve got it under control.”
Bucky had been frozen for months. T’Challa furthered his kindness to the brainwashed soldier, finding experts to help him break the mind control Hydra had imposed on him for so long. Bucky refused to leave the sanctuary of Wakanda until he, and everyone who helped him, were absolutely sure he wouldn’t be a danger to those around him.
Steve looked at Bucky, trying to read everything his best friend wasn’t saying. After a moment, he nodded and gripped Bucky’s shoulder in encouragement.
“Well… you already know a lot of them. Sam,” Steve pointed to the veteran who was leaning against the kitchen counter with his coffee. Sam had been watching Bucky with narrowed eyes the moment Bucky arrived. He gave a half nod to Bucky…but it came off as more of a glare.
Most of the compound was open concept. Bucky could pretty much see everyone spread out. Scott was sitting at a desk, tinkering with his suit and gadgets. Steve called out his name. Instantly, Scott recognized Bucky and gave an enthusiastic wave from behind a bright lamp. Bucky managed to give somewhat of a shy smile.
They kept walking through the compound. Steve didn’t want to make a big deal about Bucky’s arrival, especially because Bucky didn’t seem to want the attention. There was an opening with higher ceilings further into the compound. It was almost a sync hole that was a pit from the rest of the complex.
Steve led him toward the brighter lights. It was set up like a gym and training room. Safely away from everything else and protected with some high tech glass that was pretty much indestructible. At least Tony went on to explain for at least an hour, but Steve stopped listening. They paused at the glass, looking down at the pit below. Red flares were flying around everywhere.
Clint was training Wanda on hand-to-hand combat. He moved in a way that required her to use physical force combined with her abilities. Steve watched intently, forgetting Bucky’s tour for a moment.
“Come on.” Steve nodded his head to an elevator that led down.
“Looking good, Wanda.” Steve complimented as he walked into the pit.
“I still need some improvements.” She replied with a thick accent.
“Her toughest critic…” Clint muttered with a laugh. He nodded towards Bucky. “Good to see you again, man.” Bucky nodded back. Wanda gave a friendly smile.
Suddenly the ground started to shake. Bucky looked around with concern…but easily steadied his feet. However, the other three seemed utterly unfazed.
“She’s still at it? She was training hours ago.” Steve said with concern and disappointment. He glanced down a weird hallway that Bucky hadn’t noticed before. It seemed haphazardly made. No support or flooring. It was a rock tunnel that looked like it belonged in a coalmine.
Clint shrugged. Wanda’s expression was sad. “Maybe you should talk to her.” She suggested.
“She doesn’t want to talk to anyone.” Steve immediately answered. Before Bucky could ask what they were talking about, Sam’s voice was heard on some kind of intercom.
“Hey, Cap, Tony’s on the line. Can you come up here for a second? You too, Wanda and Clint.”
Steve looked at Bucky awkwardly.
“I don’t need a babysitter, punk.” Bucky said with a forced smirk.
The three of them quickly walked to the elevator to go back to the main floor. The moment he was alone, the floor shook again. It was harsher this time… Bucky almost lost his balance. With intrigue, he started slowly walking toward the rock tunnel Steve had been looking at.
Dust sprinkled down from the rocky ceiling as he slowly inched forward. He senses didn’t tell him there was any threat, especially after listening to the other’s conversation about who was waiting on the other end.
When he finally got to an opening. The walls seemed to be shaking too. He saw a young, beautiful woman in the middle of a huge cave. Boulders were flying around. He glanced at her hands and it appeared as if she was controlling them. Then the ground started shaking again and the land beneath her feet rose up like a platform. She started jumping from rock platform to platform, like a staircase that shot from the earth on her command.
Bucky didn’t know how long he had stood there watching her. But he jumped when Steve was at his side. He cursed himself. No one should be able to sneak up on him life that. Apparently the girl had his full attention.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Steve commented as he leaned against the rock wall, crossing his arms. Bucky just nodded. “It’s terrakinesis. That’s just Tony’s fancy word for earth manipulation.”
The girl finally did a backflip off one of her rock podiums. Landing perfectly into a knee lunge. There was a pause of silent, as if the earth was thankful for her finally giving it some kind of rest. She slowly stood up, her back to them. Bucky could see her chest rising and falling with exhaustion even from their distance.
She was wearing high-waisted black leggings and just a black sports bra.
“Why don’t you take a break Y/N?” Steve finally called out. Bucky expected her to jump in surprise from the interruption. But she barely acknowledged Steve. Slowly she walked in their direction to a bottle of water that was just a few feet away from them. If she noticed Bucky’s presence, she didn’t show it. Now that she was closer, he could see how toned she was. Her muscles even more obvious from her glistening sweat. He didn’t doubt that she could hold her own in a fight, even without the earth manipulation.
“Y/N, this is Bucky. He’s going to be staying with us.” Steve said cheerfully.
Y/N took a swig of water and tossed the bottle roughly to the ground. She eyed Bucky without a care. “Nice to meet you.” She said unexpectedly nice. For some reason, Bucky’s 1940s gentleman instincts suddenly wanted him to offer her his hand. Something that hadn’t happened meeting any of the others. He managed to ignore the urge.
She missed the inner turmoil and was already turning back around to go to the middle of the cave again.
“Y/N, that’s enough. You’ve been at it for hours.” Steve voice was stern now.
“You look like you’re going to collapse any second. Plus, Clint is only in town until tomorrow evening. You promised you’d work on hand-to-hand combat with him before he left.”
“I’ll be fine.” She said again, raising herself on a rock again. This time, it was completely detached from the ground. She floated around the cave.
Bucky expected Steve to get in Captain mode and yell, ordering her to stop. To his surprise, Steve’s face softened. “Y/N, please… for me.”
The rock stopped mid-air and slowly shook to the ground. She didn’t look mad. In fact, it almost looked like she was thankful someone finally got her to rest.
Now Bucky could see the fatigue and…was it sadness?… in her eyes. Without another word or glance, she quickly walked past them and back through the tunnel.
Steve sighed. “She’s not really like that.” Bucky looked at him, expecting more information. “Y/N’s been having a rough time.” That was all he alluded to before he guided them back to the compound.
“Sometimes the other’s stop by if they can manage to come unnoticed.” Steve chatted, as if to change the subject. “Peter the most, since he lives the closest.”
Steve smirked. “The kid with the webs…”
Bucky grimaced, remembering the confrontation him and Sam had with the spider freak.
“Come on…I’ll show you to your room.”
Bucky awoke in a cold sweat. He might have been able to get rid of the brainwashing and manipulation triggers… but he couldn’t stop the memories of what he’d done because of them. The doctor’s in Wakanda said the PTSD would always be something he’d have to deal with. But it still made him feel like a failure every time he shot up from another nightmare.
He knew there was no going back to sleep. So he’d wander. Eventually he fell upon a hatch that had an arrow pointing up. During the tour, Steven mentioned that they had access to some sort of balcony/rooftop when they all felt like they were in a dungeon. After all, the whole place was underground.
Bucky opened the hatch as quietly as possible and a metal spiral staircase was on the other side, already being lit by either the moon or the city lights above. There was a slight breeze moving his long hair. He paused when he got to the top.
Y/N was sitting in one of the few chairs on the balcony.
Bucky hesitated, not wanting to interrupt. And she didn’t seem like she wanted to be bothered after their first meeting. But he understood.
“Couldn’t sleep?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the skyline.
Bucky was impressed with her acuteness. Now he couldn’t leave without seeming impolite. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about the woman. As he made his way to the chair next to hers, he realized he had completely underestimated her beauty. He had noticed it watching her training… but it was a different beauty: fierce, independent, and almost dangerous. Now, with her hair washed and skin without sweat, she looked sweet and beautiful. But there was that sadness again.
He silently sat down, matching her gaze toward the twinkling skyline.
She studied him when he wasn’t looking. He was too focused on not intruding. She hid a little smirk at his quietness.
“I think I came off a little rude earlier today.” She finally broke the silence. “I’m Y/N.” She reached her right hand to him confidently.
He shook it gently. “Bucky.”
“Steve’s been so excited, waiting for your arrival.” She said. “I’m glad you’re here. He already seems happier.”
She was so mysterious to him, sounding so sweet now when she had been so cold and almost reckless earlier. Maybe that’s just how she got when she was training, he considered.
“You couldn’t sleep either?” He surprised himself by asking. Since he escaped Hydra, he still wasn’t very talkative. It was hard to know if it was due to his lack of trust in himself around others or if he still didn’t see the point in connecting with others.
“Nope.” Y/N muttered. She took a drink from a bottle. Bucky realized it was whiskey. She watched him eyeing it. “Shh.” She giggled, but not in a drunken way. “Don’t tell Steve I have this. It will just give him something else to worry about.” But her smirk proved that she didn’t really care if he found out.
“Do you get nightmares?” She asked genuinely. Her voice had gone even gentler.
Bucky gaze quickly snapped to hers.
“Steve mentioned to me about what you’ve gone through.” Y/N explained.
It made Bucky realize maybe Steve and her were closer than he thought. Steve was overly protective of him. He wouldn’t just tell anyone his story.
“Something like that…” He finally muttered an answer.
Bucky was surprised she didn’t push any further. Usually people would ask more. Or, in a forced tone of authenticity, tell him they could always talk to him if he needed to. The doctors in Wakanda always pulled that crap with him.
But the two of them just sat there in silence, both staring out at the city.
Bucky knew he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep. But a wave of relaxation draped over him the longer he sat there. Sitting in silence with someone else comfortably was underrated. The air was getting cold. He was about to suggest she head back in. His super soldier serum practically made him immune to the cold and the sicknesses that came with overexposure to it. However he doubted she had the same resistance.
But when he looked back over at her. She was sound asleep. The bottle of whiskey was hanging from her hand, completely empty. He guessed that was the only way she could beat her insomnia.
Once again, his old school gentleman response was to carry back inside. He would do it happily, especially since no one would be awake to question it. But he realized he had no idea where her room was located. As if some higher being could sense his unrest, Steve came onto the balcony. He stopped in his tracks when he made eye contact with Bucky.
Bucky, refusing to look like he’d been caught doing something bad, put a finger to his lips. Steve nodded in understanding.
“Don’t worry. She won’t wake up.” Steve explained, still in a quiet tone. Bucky realized he had a thick blanket in his grasp. Steve started unfolding it.
Bucky stood up. “It’s too cold. I’ll carry her inside.”
Steve, as if he were waiting for his best friend’s chivalry to activate, instantly shook his head. “No…it’ll infuriate her.”
Bucky opened his mouth to protest.
“Trust me, Buck. She’ll be fine.” Steve draped the thick blanket over Y/N’s sleeping form. Then he saw the empty bottle of whiskey. Picking it up, he shook his head almost in disappointment.
“Come on.” He muttered to Bucky.
They walked silently back inside and closed the hatch behind them.
“What’s wrong with her?” Bucky had the courage to ask Steve.
He narrowed his eyes at him. “Nothing’s wrong with her, Buck.”
Bucky scoffed. It was strange to see his friend so protective over someone. Usually the energy was in his direction. It sparked a little emotion he didn’t recognize. Was it jealousy? He suspected Steve saw Y/N as more than just a comrade.
Steve started walking back toward both of their rooms. “You know what I mean. You said she was having a rough time…?” Bucky pushed. A part of him would have been selfishly relieved if there were someone else here who was fighting through something like him.
Steve didn’t speak until they were at their bedroom doors. He slowly faced Bucky and addressed the question finally. “She got her heart broken, Buck.” He sounded exhausted and empathetic when he conclusively said it. “She’s not handling it too well. She’s usually good at hiding it. In fact, none of us even knew it happened for almost a month. Then she…she just stopped acting like herself.”
Bucky barely nodded. Somehow he was surprised. It explained the sadness and the air of heedlessness that surrounded her. It was a very human thing that she was going through… and surprisingly normal. In fact, it was the most human thing he witnessed since he escaped Hydra.
Steve seemed to be trying to read Bucky’s mind. “Don’t even think about it.”
Bucky blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Just because you’ve been in and out of cryo… and brainwashed doesn’t mean you’re still not a lady-killer. I saw the way you watched her yesterday.”
Bucky smirked. That was definitely not the person he was anymore. “Somebody’s touchy.” He teased. Though a part of him was laying bait to see if Steve had feelings for Y/N.
“It’s not like that.” Steve said seriously, ruining Bucky’s attempt at being playful. “She’s a good friend. Like the little sister I never had.”
“Steve…I’m still dangerous. I’m the remains of the Winter Solider. I think I’ve got it under control. But I’m always going to have to work on it. I’m never going to be able to completely rid myself of my demons.”
Steve gave him a sad look. “You don’t know that.”
But he immediately shook his head. “Yes, I do.” Bucky sighed. “I’m not looking for pity. I’m telling you because the last thing I need to be doing is courting women. That’s never going to be a part of me again.”
Steve didn’t disagree, because his friend was right. Not only would Bucky be a danger to anyone who got close to him. But he couldn’t imagine the emotional damage Bucky could go through if he fell in love and that hypothetical woman couldn’t love him back the way he needed.
Steve gripped his shoulder before saying, “Night, Buck.”
But Bucky couldn’t go back to sleep. He changed into a black tank top and sweatpants. No one would be in the gym now. He needed to train. The doctors in Wakanda monitored his fitness far too much. At the beginning, they worried that too much physical activity and adrenaline would ignite the winter soldier once again. The whole thing left Bucky constantly feeling restless.
He walked into the pit and the lights slowly brightened. A robotic voice suddenly spoke, “Would you like me to play music, James?” He smirked at it calling him by his first name. Steve must have put him in the system before he arrived.
“What would you like to hear?”
Suddenly Bucky realized that he had no idea. Sure he’d heard the music of today. But he had no idea what any of the genres were called. He couldn’t think of a single song or artist that wasn’t from the 1940s and before.
As if the robotic voice could understand his silence, she spoke again, “Would you like to listen to someone else’s playlist, James?”
“That’s fine.” He muttered as he stretched his non-biotic arm. Suddenly 1970s rock started playing. But he couldn’t tell the difference, let alone what decade it was from.
Y/N heard her music playing as she had gone to the kitchen to get coffee. She went over to the glass walls that looked down into the pit. Bucky was drenched in sweat, his longer hair pulled into a low and short bun. She wondered what he thought of her music choices, especially Led Zeppelin. After all, he probably had zero exposure to the past 80 years of music.
She moved away from the glass as soon as Bucky decided his tank top was pointless, since it was now soaked in sweat.
Y/N sat in the kitchen, trying to get over her slight hangover.
Clint came bounding into the room. “Bad news: The wife needs me. I won’t be able to stay and train you today.”
Y/N shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
Clint shrugged back. “Well, I’m not. Steve said he would instead. I think he wants Bucky to help out too.”
Y/N blinked at him. “That doesn’t sound like the best idea.”
Clint laughed as he poured himself coffee into a to-go cup. “Sounds like someone’s a little scared…” He teased.
Y/N threw a balled up napkin at him. “I could knock him out in minutes and you know it, Barton.”
Clint easily dodged the napkin and chuckled as he grabbed his duffle bag. “Prove it. And make sure you get Steve to videotape it as evidence.” With that, he rushed out the door.
“As if Rogers knows how to work a god damn smartphone!” Y/N shouted right before the door closed behind him.
“Y/N, Captain Rogers would like you to join him and James in the pit.” F.R.I.D.A.y. announced to her. Y/N smirked at it using James instead of a Bucky. She sighed and rushed up into her room to change into her workout clothes.
Y/N makes her way to the pit and finds Steve and Bucky going at it. Bucky’s shirt was off and his muscular chest was glistening with sweat. But Steve was wearing a plain white t-shirt and grey sweatpants.
It’s Bucky who noticed her standing with her arms crossed, looking slightly annoyed at being called. He had Steve pinned and slowly got up without glancing away from Y/N. Steve followed his friend’s gaze and jumped up.
“Y/N,” He greeted in between heavy breaths. “Since Clint had to head home, I think Bucky should help you improve your hand-to-hand combat.”
Bucky’s eyes darted to Steve quickly, verifying that he hadn’t been informed about this until now. “You sure that’s a good idea, Steve?” He asked as if Y/N wasn’t in the room.
“Don’t worry, Winter Solider.” Y/N cooed as she took off her heavy sweatshirt, leaving her in just tight leggings and a sports bra. “I’ll go easy on you.”
Bucky glared at her with the name ‘Winter Soldier”. But he was still worried about the safety of those around him. He was comfortable with sparring Steve. They had gone hand to hand when he wasn’t himself and Steve held his own. Though Y/N wasn’t petite or helpless looking in the slightest, he was sure she wasn’t aware of what he was capable of doing to another person.
“Steve…” Bucky tried again.
But Steve ignored his second plea and patted him on the shoulder. “You gotta start feeling in control, Buck.” Then he turned his attention to Y/N. “No powers, got it?”
Y/N walked into the center of the ring, smirking at Bucky, who still looked apprehensive. “Aye Aye, Captain.” She got into a fighting stance, waiting for him to make the first move.
Bucky glanced at Steve, a last chance effort of making this stop. But Steve just shrugged and gestured toward the mats, as if he was giving them the go ahead.
Bucky was still looking at his friend when Y/N came after him. She’d done an aerial flip to catch him off guard. To his surprise, he took a step back, forced by his uneasiness. With that she threw a kick, which he deflected with ease. Next thing he knew, she was throwing punch after punch.
Anyone could tell that Bucky was stronger than Y/N. What she counted on was being faster than the opponents she couldn’t match in muscle.
Bucky finally had the courage to throw a hit. Y/N leaned back to dodge it. An incorrect move, for she ruined her balance and fell back, hitting the ground hard. But without even blinking, she did a kick-up off the ground and was back on her feet. She glared at Bucky for exposing a mistake on her end. Now she came at him even faster, throwing a punch that managed to land on the right side of his face, he faltered a few steps. Y/N immediately followed with a roundhouse kick to his abdominal. Bucky fell forward from the hit and now rest on his knees and hands. He looked up to see Y/N surprisingly glaring at him as she moved back a few steps to give him some space to get back up.
“You taking it easy on me, James?” She used his real name to taunt him.
Bucky got up reluctantly. How many times had he hurt people? Men, women, even children were dead because of the Winter Solider. Now Bucky struggled with even sparring, fearing he still had that inside him, ready to damage anyone. Hydra. Those monsters wouldn’t stop until everyone was as evil as them.
Suddenly a fire awoke in Bucky at the thought of all the people responsible for what he’d become. He lunged at Y/N, not holding back this time. Y/N struggled to keep up. She wasn’t expecting him to actually comply with her and Steve’s demands. With his newfound speed, her deflections and defenses were getting sloppier and weaker. He suddenly threw a punch with his metal arm, which Y/N had noticed were always weaker. He was pulling those punches. She dodged it easily but wasn’t ready for him to throw an upper cut immediately after with his other arm.
Y/N felt it happen in slow motion as she tried, but failed, to completely escape the second blow. It clipped her nose, sending a wave of pain. The impact threw her back and she landed on her side, barely catching herself from hitting the ground harder than she already did.
She looked down to already see blood dripping from her nose already. Y/N touched her nose and muttered a curse word under her breath.
“You okay, Y/N?” Steve asked, relaxed but genuine. He’d seen Y/N get hurt far worse and barely let out a cry. She was tough.
Bucky however, felt like shit. Once again, his old-fashioned, 40s gentleman self came out. He was disgusted with himself. How did he just hit a woman? But he managed to contain his inner turmoil once again. Quickly, he grabbed his shirt that he had discarded. He walked over to Y/N who was trying to block the blood from getting everywhere with a casual back of her hand. He offered her a hand up, which she surprisingly took.
“Here.” Bucky said softly, giving her his shirt.
“Do I look pretty?” Y/N joked as she happily took it from him.
He smirked, realizing she was trying to make him feel better. “Come here.” He reached for her face to steady it so he could get a good look at her nose.
Without even thinking, she flinched from his touch. Bucky was about to take it personally, as if she was scared of him now…or always had been. But Steve interrupted before the thought could settle.
“She doesn’t like to be touched.” Steve stated. It earned him a glare from Y/N, like he just gave away one of her prized secrets. Steve was going to intervene. But Bucky ignored him and turned his attention back to Y/N.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to check to see if I broke your nose.” Bucky’s blue eyes turned gentle and serious. Y/N stared into them for a moment before reluctantly nodding her head. He softly grabbed her chin and tilted her face this way and that, studying her nose.
“Good news: it’s not broken. Bad news: you might get a black eye… or two.” He confirmed.
“Well, shit… I had a hot date tonight.” Y/N sighed dramatically.
Bucky held his breath, dropping her chin from his grasp.
Steve chuckled. “She’s kidding.”
“I didn’t realize you were a nurse.” Y/N teased him.
Bucky gave a very small smile, only spreading through his lips. “Well…I had to look out for this punk.” He gestured toward Steve. “After all of his fights, I had to figure out if I needed to take him to the hospital or not.”
“Y/N, put some ice on that nose… you’re done for today.” Steve ordered. Then he took in a deep breath. “Your-“
“Yeah, yeah… my footing was off and that’s why he clipped me with the second punch.” Y/N sighed, knowing he was about to lecture her on every single mistake she had made in the fight. “I know what I did wrong, Cap. I got the blood to prove it.”
Y/N started walking to the stairs and then she stopped, as if she’d forgot something. She put out her hand and it started to clench into a fist. With it, a small quake erupted but it just seemed to be in a small radius around Bucky. It got so violent, so quickly that it made him stumble to his knees.
He looked up at Y/N with a playful glare.
“Payback for giving me a bloody nose and probably double black eyes.” She confirmed nonchalantly.
As soon as she was out of sight, Bucky’s face turned dark. He stomped toward Steve, shoving him roughly.
“What the hell were you thinking?” He practically spluttered. “I could have seriously hurt her.”
Steve shrugged off his anger. “Buck… it’s just a bloody nose. Injuries she would withstand in the field wouldn’t even come close to that mild. Y/N’s tough… she’s more upset that you took it easy on her and that she made a mistake.”
Bucky walked away from him and started pacing in frustration. “You still don’t get it. We are not the same.” Steve’s face got serious now. “Yeah… we both got the same serum. But afterward, you were trained to be a super soldier… to be America’s hero.” Bucky’s face transformed in pain, he was remembering all the terrible things he had been told to do. “But I… I was trained how to execute and make sure nobody even knew I had been there.”
Y/N was up again, avoiding the roof this time and opting to watch Netflix instead. Her body tensed when she realized someone else was in the room and she’d let them sneak up on her too easily. She readied herself as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise from them creeping up behind her.
Without further hesitation, Y/N jumped up from the couch and threw a punch. It was caught swiftly with a metal arm.
Y/N gasped in relief. “Jesus Christ, Bucky. I thought you were an intruder.” Yeah, other people lived here. But they usually made themselves known and didn’t sneak around so quietly.
“Sorry.” He muttered, realizing that he was still grasping her hand from the punch. He released it smoothly.
“Fuck…you really are some kind of ninja…” Y/N mumbled, still recovering from the rush of adrenaline.
Bucky was actually surprised she had detected him. Not that his intention was to surprise her by any means. It had been embedded in him to be invisible no matter where he was. “What gave me away?” He was curious.
Y/N got embarrassed, like it was a personal question. “Umm,” She struggled. “Every step you take sends a vibration into the earth…Even the slightest, quietest step. I can feel the tremors from the earth.”
Bucky’s eyes narrowed. What a powerful thing to possess. “That sounds very disrupting and overwhelming.”
Y/N sighed and sat back down on the couch. “Yeah…well… that’s why Steve brought me here. So I could learn to control it.” Her eyes were glued to the TV now, making it clear that she didn’t want to talk about it any further.
Bucky studied her a bit, knowing she wasn’t paying attention to him. He stood there somewhat uneasily, not wanting to disturb her alone time. Then he realized she was watching a French film.
“You speak French?” He found himself asking. He started to realize he talked more to her in the past day and half than anyone else he’d been around since he’d escaped Hydra’s grasp.
She glanced at him and smirked. “I wish.”
He pointed to the TV. “How do you know what they’re saying?” There were no words at the bottom of the screen.
Y/N’s face went blank for a moment, realizing he was right. “Oh…I didn’t even realize I forgot to turn on the subtitles.” She fiddled with the remote to turn them on again.
But Bucky observed her appearance. Her eyes were bloodshot, like she’d been crying. There were bags underneath as well. He wondered, out of the two of them, who slept the least. Something told him it was her. He realized that she’d probably been lost in thought, just using the movie as background noise before he almost scared her to death.
Y/N then glanced back at Bucky. He was watching the movie more intently than she was, as if he could understand it. Though his expression remained stoic as usual.
Suddenly a thought occurred to her, she narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. “How many languages do you speak?”
He stared her for a moment before answering. “I don’t know.”
She looked back at the screen, disappointed with his answer.
But her disappointed sparked something in Bucky. He watched it hit something inside of him and he felt guilty for having caused such a feeling in her.
“I…” He started talking, but struggled. She quickly looked at him. “I hear or read things and I just immediately know what they say.”
Y/N gave him a sympathetic smile. As if she was about to say that was a neat gift to have, but had already thought about the way he had received it: Hydra.
Bucky shifted his weight, still not knowing whether to stay or go. She hadn’t exactly openly told him it was okay for him to be there.
“Surprised you didn’t get any black eyes.” He spotted curtly.
“I’m sorry about that.” He added sincerely, misreading her silence as anger and bitterness from the injury he caused her.
Y/N sighed, not taking her eyes off the TV. “Bucky, the only thing you have to be sorry for is taking it easy on me and pulling your punches.”
Then she turned around to look at him behind her. “You know… Tony keeps some files here as back up. When he found out you were coming, he ‘carelessly’ left some top-secret files about you on the system. It was like he wanted to remind all of us who Steve was allowing to live here.”
Bucky’s entire body tensed at the mention of Tony Stark. He hadn’t seen the man since he tried to kill him in Siberia. It didn’t surprise him that he conveyed some form of rebellion and his disapproval for Bucky’s return.
If Y/N noticed the change in him, she didn’t acknowledge it and looked back at the movie. “The point is…I’ve seen you fight. There’s video footage to prove it. And I know what you’re capable of.”
Bucky was about to leave when he saw Y/N’s cellphone light up and vibrating on the table her feet were propped up on. He saw her try to hide her glance at him. Then her jaw flexed and her whole body stiffened.
It was almost 3 am. He wondered who would be trying to get a hold of her at this time. It went to voicemail. But 5 seconds later, it started ringing again.
Y/N doesn’t seem to be able to ignore it any longer. She quickly picked up the call and hung up without saying anything, turned off the phone, and chucked it to the other side of the couch.
Bucky remembered what Steve had told him about her. “C'est vrai? Quelqu'un a cassé votre coeur ?” He says so softly to her, it’s almost a whisper.
Y/N’s eyes flicker to him. She didn’t know what he said, but it was his tone that got her attention.
Bucky stared into her eyes for a moment before saying, “Goodnight, Y/N.” He starts walking out of the living area. “Or I guess I should say good morning.” He adds with exhaustion.
Y/N watches him leave and can only assume he was heading to the roof again. She waited for his steps to disappear and to hear the hatch door close behind him.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y., translate what Bucky just said in French.”
There was a beat of silence. “Sergeant Barnes asked, ‘Is it true? Someone broke your heart?”” The intelligence system told Y/N.
She sighed, completely stunned. Then she realized Steve must have said something. She thought she was doing a good job of hiding all of it. Apparently she was wrong if everyone was talking about it behind her back. Y/N rubbed her face in frustration. What right did Steve have telling Bucky details of her life?
Steve came down to the pit to find Y/N blasting death metal and already covered in sweat. She was working on a punching bag.
“You’re late.” She stated bluntly without stopping her workout.
Steve narrowed his eyes. “Sorry.”
Y/N stopped and grabbed some water. “I thought we could train in my cave today. I don’t have a lot of experience using my terrakinesis in a fight one on one.”
Steve shifted his weight, trying to read Y/N’s mood. “Sure.” He finally agreed.
“Bring your shield.” Y/N yelled behind her back. Without even waiting for him to agree, she already started walking down the long, dark tunnel that lead to her personal cave.
Steve found her waiting in the middle, staring at him patiently. He had barely made a few steps into her makeshift ring before she split the ground beneath him. He leaped out of the way, barely dodging the fissure Y/N had created in the earth.
He got up to his feet and glared at her. “Really?”
Y/N cocked an eyebrow at him.
He tossed his shield. But Y/N threw up a rock wall and it got imbedded.
Their fight got quicker and more violent. The movement of earth and rocks was causing vibrations and small quakes around the compound. It brought the attention of all the others. Scott, Sam, and Wanda made their way down to watch what was happening, sensing it was something exciting. Bucky saw them head down and told himself not to follow, but he couldn’t deny that he was intrigued.
When he stood beside Wanda and Scott, he was shocked to see anger on Y/N’s face. She wasn’t holding back anything. It was like her only goal was to get Steve on his back, looking like a fool.
Y/N waved her hands and sharp shards of rock flew at Steve like daggers. He finally managed to rip his shield out of the rock wall just in time to block the attack. Next thing he knew, Y/N shook the ceiling of the cave to drop rocks from another angle. Steve was about to yell out for her to calm down, but he was beat by a wave of silence. Y/N conjured up a wave of sand, making her own type of fog. Steve couldn’t see a thing, but managed to get onto his feet. Y/N appeared out of nowhere, allowing a hole of clarity around the two of them. However, her sand haze remained thick enough that their audience couldn’t even see them.
Her eyes tore into him. “Next time you want to give out intimate aspects of my personal life to strangers… Don’t.” She hissed.
Steve looked confused and then realized what she could be talking about.
Without caring to hear his defense, she started walking toward the exit. Scott, Sam, and Wanda watched her carefully, easily reading her mood as something off. She shoved past Bucky without even acknowledging him or the others.
“What’s gotten into her?” Scott muttered to Wanda. She shrugged.
“Somebody’s pissed off.” Sam chuckled to himself.
With that, the three of them started heading back.
The sand haze finally settled with Y/N’s exit. Bucky saw Steve walking slowly out of it. He looked rough, dirt all over his skin, and his white shirt now a light brown. But what Bucky noticed most was his expression. He looked sad and guilty. Whatever Y/N had just said to him was the cause of it.
“What did you say to her?” Steve asked without looking at him.
Bucky shook his head. “I didn’t say anything.”
Steve’s mouth was in a thin line. “Maybe you should stay away from her.” Bucky may not be the same man he was in the 40s. But Steve still saw remnants of him.
“You don’t trust me anymore around people.” Bucky accused.
“That’s not what I said, Buck.”
I obviously have more to tell. Please favorite/heart/reblog or message me if you want more. <3
