Winter Soldier x Reader (20)

“It’s getting better.” You chuckled a little, stuffing your hands in the big pockets of the coat. Goodness! You knew you got cold easily, but not this easily! Even Bucky was fine, wearing nothing but a tight black long-sleeve and a leather jacket. His ability to adapt to any climate was making you jealous. He laughed a little, a sweet sound, before refocusing on the road. His light mood might’ve been because of the music you were playing throughout the car. It was Jimmy Dorsey, off of your iPod. This certain car had come with an Apple charger and stereo jack for Apple products.
Quite ideal for the situation you were in.

“So... last night.” Hmph. About time he brought it up. It came as a surprise that he was so loose this morning, even in a decent mood.

“Yesss?” You glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Aaaand, there was the question. His capability of mentioning it without his usual stiffness was astounding. Yeah, he sounded a bit like he regretted it... but he wasn’t as bad. He was making progress.

“No, you didn’t. Everything’s okay, Bucky.” God, it felt great to say that. It felt even greater when Bucky chuckled quietly, maintaining a reserved calm.

“I got it, princess.”

Princess? You hadn’t heard that one in a while. Something was changing. Right? It wasn’t a very big change. On the train, it felt like you’d gotten close to him. Close like this. Maybe after this thing was over, you could take him to Disneyland. The happiest place on Earth.
And happiness was just what he needed.




Bucky:

For the first time in a very long time, he had a dream. It wasn’t just any dream either.
It was a memory.
He saw it all, felt it like he was there. The fireworks, the lights... everything. And it was absolutely breathtaking. The feelings in the dream was similar to the feelings he had around you. Contentment. Ambition. Hope. Without a dream like this, he would never be able to describe the feelings accurately. Then the feeling of standing beside the tiny kid from Brooklyn, his best and only friend. It made him understand something that had puzzled him for quite some time. Facing death on that helicarrier, Steve Rogers had stopped fighting.

‘I’m with you ‘till the end of the line.’

And now, Bucky knew why. Not absolutely; the only understanding he’d gotten was from the feeling of an exchanged glance under the shimmering of fireworks. Captain Steve Rogers wasn’t just a friend. He was a brother.

And Bucky couldn’t help but feel gratitude to you. It felt like you were the one making him remember. Though he did feel terrible about attacking you, he’d gotten a taste of the old him. The one he was looking for. The old him wouldn’t have shut you out just because you were special, he would have made you feel special. Call it childish, but the longing to be that man was taking him over.

He had to tread carefully, though. He needed to be ready to become a weapon at any given moment, in case this last mission didn’t go as planned. As long as HYDRA wanted you, he had to be able to kill without hesitation. Having that dream reminded him of something. Something he’d heard you say a thousand times and never quite listened to.

He was still a man.

And if he could use his weapon side to keep you safe, maybe... maybe there was hope.
Maybe he could go back to Steve, his partner. Maybe he could have... you.