Your heels clicked against the wet cement floor as you approached your prize, the Winter soldier.
The noise woke Bucky, pulling him out of his state of unconscious. He was sitting, leaning against the wall, like there was no reason to try to support the weight of his own body any more.
Your expression was blank, your thoughts, violent. Buckys eyes scanned over your hazy form. His vision cleared with each step you took towards him.
Time stood still as you started forward, your cold breath filling the air, the puffs of smoke floated up, quickly dissipating into the night sky.
You paused a few steps before him, resting your hands on your hips, swallowing the lump in your throat, popping the gum in your mouth.
“Do you think there’s still time?”
You asked him, furrowing your brow, inspecting your gun.
"Time? For what" Bucky groaned weakly. You knew he was biding his time, playing weak. Hydra had informed you, prepared you for this. The Winter Soldier was never weak, never underestimate him.
"To be saved? Or to save ourselves?"
You squatted down, glossy black eyes studying his wounds. Something in you wanted to reach out and touch him, grab him tightly to your body, tending to the wounds he had received from you. You pushed the feeling down, deep inside of yourself.
Bucky glared back at you, unmoving, you had both come a long way. Unfortunately, Hydra had still managed to pull one of you back.
You popped your gum, caressing your gun.
"It’s human, to seek out the dangerous I mean. We all want an exciting life, or, in your case, a heroic death. Never both, never enough time either. These.. These are the questions that plague me when I lie awake at night." You blew a bubble, sucking it quickly back into your mouth.
You pulled a knife effortlessly from your boot, sinking it in such a swift motion, Bucky didn't feel it enter his shoulder. You turned it slowly, enjoying the sickening squishing noises it made.
A smile spread across your flawless face, you blinked back a tear sliding down the corner of your eye. You were unsure why you were crying.
Buckys whimpers were music to your ears yet the feeling was unsatisfying.
He swallowed the blood and vomit mix trying to past his lips.
"You know, it's funny what Steve was saying about you. I couldn't believe it, till Stark showed Me the survallience cameras... " Bucky attempted to straighten himself against the wall.
"Y/n, I need you- we need You. Come back to us."
You poped your gum, "Ya know, Barnes, I’ve never seen good come out of the bad. It’s dangerous to expect."
You lifted up a heel, slamming it into his calf. Bucky refused to give you the satisfaction of crying out into the shadows.
You removed your foot, pulling your gum against your teeth, twirling a bit around your finger.
"You get all your hopes up and for what? Just to be let down." you kicked apart his wounded legs.
“Anyway, Never mind what they’re saying about me, what do they say about you?" You popped your gum again. Bucky flinched. Was he truly afraid? taking the the end of your gun, you aimlessly rubbed the end of it against your temple.
"Isn't that the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION, hm? DOLL!"
Bucky coughed, blood splattered against the dinghy floor.
"That's all in the past. I'm not the same I was before. I'm not the Winter Soldier not Bucky Barnes . But something...in between" Bucky shifted his weight, favoring his metal arm while sliding his flesh one, behind his back.
"Did I make a mistake trusting you? I know the real Y/Ns still in there..somewhere.”
You giggled, aiming the gun at his forehead, the gun was cool against his sweaty skin , "Probably. You do make A LOT of mistakes. ” you tilted your head, popping your gum again.
"And what, you don't like this? I am the real me, Hydra showed Me this and SO MUCH MORE! They have high hopes for me, unfortunately, just like they did for you."
Bucky turned away from you, not wanting to show you any sign of weakness . He wanted to hold you again, the you he had known, the Y/n he had loved.
You lowered your gun,"Well! IF you're not going to be any fun, wallowing in your sadness and dispair, what's the point!" You huffed, letting your hand drop to your side, still clutching your gun, your finger twitched on the trigger. You turned feeling a gust of wind dry a fleeting tear on your cheek. Your head shot up towards the sky as if you were waiting for something unseen.
Bucky murmured, his face turned away from ear shot.
"I thought I could fix you”
You turned, drawing your eyes from the stars above to his face, "What was that Barnes? You've gotta speak up so the WHOLE CLASS CAN HEAR!" You motioned behind you as if there was an audience.
"I thought. I could fix you, help you...like you and Steve helped me."
Throwing your head back, a loud mischievous laugh erupted from your painted lips. "Why my little soldier, You never had a chance.”
You placed your hand upon the wound in his abdomen, blood freely flowing over your fingertips onto the floor, the thick liquid shining against the light of the moon. When you touched him, He felt like home, was that what you had been running from?
Bucky studied your expression, noting how your smile faltered as you pulled back your blood soaked hand.
There was something vicious inside you, he could see it in the way the moonlight glistened off your face, he knew this now.
He grabbed you effortlessly, what you had been waiting for, snaking his metal hand around you, he bought his flesh hand from behind his back, plunging his jagged knife into your chest. Your mouth fell open, Your breath cut short, drifting to his blue ones. The pain was instant, washing over you all at once.
Bucky blinked rapidly, "why, why didn't you LET ME SAVE YOU?!" His body shook, clenching his teeth.
You tightened your grip on the trigger, shooting Bucky twice in the chest. His body jolted against the wall. Your breaths came shallow and fast now. Trying to get a hold of reality,
something in you clicked, at that moment, you gasped, lazily moving your arm up to grip Buckys hold on his knife, plunging it the rest of the way into your chest.
"Babe.. please, babe ...no."Bucky gripped your head, pulling your body closer. Your teeth gritted as you loosened your hold on your gun. Your legs shook from under you, as Bucky took a shaky breath,
“You don’t have to love me, I already knew. It’s okay, I know you're tired. " he kissed your forehead, smoothing your hair from your face as your body was becoming slack against him.
You moved your lips slowly, without any noise escaping. Bucky held you close, crying into your hair, his tears sliding down your black uniform.
"Thank you.." You managed to rasp, blood trickling from your lips.
Buckys eyes widened, "For what? I'm a monster. You deserved better, so much better than this, than me."
You clutched his leather jacket, trying to keep yourself still, coughed violently, blood splatters covering his suit.
"For loving... me."
You didn’t look ready to let go, but you realized there wasn’t any alternative.
There was something about this moment with you that made Bucky want to die, then and there. To be able to die for you, would be a dream. But this was far from a dream, this was a nightmare, his nightmare.
He sat up from you, quickly becoming tired, his legs already numb, it was only a matter of time for him to join you.
Bucky held your lifeless body to his own as your hands became cold, softly running a hand against your tear streaked face, shutting your once
joy filled eyes.
There was a time he would have dreaded having to ever close his eyes, with you in his arms, this would not be one of those times. He smiled at the thought, relaxing his body against the wall.
“Maybe there was never a way to save both of us, as for me, there certainly wasn’t a reason”
He struggled a few more breaths, furiously whispering into your hair all the things he did not say or too afraid to tell you before he too, stopped breathing, pale hunched over your body, broken on the floor...
Finally home.
Tag: @puttingthepromptsonpaper for using your awesome prompts