a rose, preserved in ice
“Doll, it’s time to get up” Bucky’s voice whispers in my ear and I groan, playfully smacking his chest as I burrow deeper into his arms and solid chest.
“Doll” Bucky sighs in a playful tone but I whine, wrapping my arms around his waist and tangling my legs with his.
“I don’t wanna wake up”
Bucky grins as he leans over and grabs Y/n’s phone from the hole in the wall and hits the record button, holding up the phone to show Y/n’s frowny face as she burrows deeper into the bedspread.
“Hello there sweetheart! Care to look up and say hi to the camera?” Bucky says cheerfully, laughing loudly when I look up with a scowl on my face and I send the camera the middle finger before nuzzling back into Bucky’s neck.
“Come on sweetheart, at least greet me” Bucky says indignantly, his free arm wrapping around my waist, and I look up at him with a smirk before rolling over to straddle his waist and pressing my lips to his.
“How’s that for a greeting?”
“Amazing” Bucky grins, filming my face until I tut and take my phone back from him, filming him instead. Gently, I brush his hair out of his face, tracing my fingertips over his cheekbones and over his plump lips, grinning when he nips at my fingers.
“I’m gonna miss this Buck” I frown slightly, my eyes focusing on his lips, and he patiently stays still, his warm breath ghosting over my fingertips.
“I’m so sorry Buck, for putting you through all this shit” I swear, my eyes tearing up, and Bucky opens his mouth to say something but he falters when I freeze above him, my eyes wide as my body shudders.
“No, not now” I whimper, staring down at Bucky with horrified eyes when my ice powers explode out of my hands, throwing me backwards off the bed and onto the floor. I land on my back with a thud, a groan falling from my mouth before I jerk upright, leaping to my feet and rushing to Bucky’s limp form on the bed, his skin pale and ice frosting his skin. I gasped when I saw that there were three large ice shards embedded in his skin. There was a large icicle embedded in his chest, a large shard in his flesh upper arm and another icicle in his stomach. Frost covered his face, his usually plump red lips were tinged blue and his ice-cold chest barely moving. There was barely any blood, and his eyelids barely flicker when I run my hands over his face, tears strolling down my face.
“Bucky! Oh God, Bucky!” I scream.
“JARVIS! Get Tony, get anyone, please!” I scream out, collapsing on the ground as my tears froze on my cheeks, ice radiating from me as it covered my skin.
Two minutes later I hear loud footsteps rush down the hall, and my door bursts open to reveal Steve and a breathless Tony, who are frozen in the doorway as they look at Bucky’s frozen, limp body and my quivering, sobbing form.
“Shit” Is the only thing Steve says, and they both rush into action, Steve rushing to Bucky’s body while Tony crouches next to me, his hand going to land on my shoulder but he flinches back when he feels the aura of ice exuding from my skin.
“Y/n, sweetcheeks, It’s alright” Tony tries to say but he cuts himself off when I look up at him and my eyes flare with fire.
“It’s not alright Tony! God damn it!” I yell out as I leap to my feet and I whirl around and punch the wall, my fist going straight through. Tony quickly jumps up behind me, and shoos Steve out of the room with Bucky’s cold body cradled in his arms, his head and arms hanging limp. Steve hesitates in the doorway, but he looks down at Bucky’s face and he quickly sprints out of the room. Tony turns back to me, his eyes cautious as he takes a step towards me, gazing at my skin where my veins were showing through, which were bright red and bright blue through my skin.
“Y/n, if you could just tell me what happened” Tony says slowly, and I look him in the eye, my neon blue ones meeting his brown ones.
“What happened doesn’t matter Tony, what matters is that I almost killed Bucky” My voice cracks, and Tony sighs, stepping closer to me and enveloping me in a hug, my powers powering down the second his skin touches mine. I start to sob, my hands clinging to him as I bury my face in his chest, my tears staining his shirt.
“Mr Stark, Captain Rogers wanted me to tell you that Sergeant Barnes Is now in the medical centre” JARVIS’s voice is neutral as I jerk out of Tony’s embrace, my eyes blank as I start to walk towards the door, only to stop when I hear Tony cough behind me to get my attention.
“Sweetheart, you may want some pants” Tony reminds me, and I remember that I was only dressed in Bucky’s large sweatshirt and a pair of panties. I growl and stalk over to my walk-in wardrobe and I disappear into the room, to return three minutes later in a tight black shirt and a pair of black leggings, completed with a pair of black combat boots and a metal grey trench coat. I slip my phone into my pocket with my leather bound book when I walk out, stalking out of my room with Tony close behind me.
Five minutes later, we both arrive at the medical centre and the nurses direct us to a waiting room where Steve was waiting in a chair, biting his lip in worry as he stared at the door that lead to the surgery room. When his eyes find us though, he jumps up and strides up to me, pulling me to his chest in a hug, his body radiating warmth. I stiffen at the contact, thoughts racing through my head that Bucky’s body radiates heat like this. Steve must have noticed so he steps back, his eyes sad as he studies my face.
“Y/n, whatever you think, it wasn’t your fault”
I violently shake my head, my lips pulling back in a growl as I stepped away from him, nervously walking over to the observation window that showed the operation room, and what I saw made me stop in my tracks.
Bucky was lying on the operation table, his skin still dusted with ice, and as I watched, the doctors removed the first icicle from his stomach, the clear icicle covered in blood at the tip. The doctor’s seemed surprise that the ice hadn’t melted but they continued to patch him up anyways. There was a breathing mask over his mouth and there were multiple wires attached to him, measuring his heartbeat.
“I did this to him” I whispered to myself and I hear Steve tut from behind me, his hands turning me around as he looks sternly down at me.
“Don’t you ever think that Y/n! If you want someone to blame, blame HYDRA, blame the soldier serum, but never blame yourself” Steve’s hands are gripping my shoulders as he makes me look at him, and he waits for me to acknowledge what he said. I take a glance back through the window at Bucky, and when I turn back to him, I numbly nod my head.
When I hear Bucky whimper, I whirl around and dart to the window, my hand curling against the window as I watch the doctors insert a needle into Bucky’s twitching body, and his whimpering fades away, his body going limp once again.
I clench my jaw as I feel my power gather in my arms, but instead of the ice cold numbness, it was burning, raging fire.
“Fuck” I mutter, my hands clenching into fists.
“Language sweet cheeks” Tony attempts to lighten the mood but he falters when I turn around and he sees my neon blue eyes and the fire red veins showing through my skin.
“Get the fuck away” I mutter as I back into the corner of the room, creating an igloo of ice around me as my skin heats up. I can see the vague shapes of Steve and Tony and I scream out in pain as fire explodes out of my hands, lighting up the ice from the inside as it melts from the flames.
I’m huddled against the wall when the fire finally fades from me, my breathing heavy as I lean my head against the wall, my eyes closed.
“Y/n?”
My eyes open at Steve’s worried voice, and I grin tiredly as I struggle to get up from the wall, leaning heavily against the wall.
“Y/n, these outbursts are getting worse and more unpredictable’ Tony comments.
“You don’t think I fucking know that Stark!” I snap, but I visibly shrink at the hurt look on Tony’s face.
“I’m sorry Tony, it’s just – everything is very overwhelming” I admit, my eyes straying to the window before I look back at Steve and Tony.
“But don’t worry, I have a back up system in place” I breathe in sharply when I meet Tony’s eyes.
“I just want you to know that I love you guys, I love the team” I pause. “I love Bucky. But I need to keep you safe, and I can’t do it here”
Tony and Steve start to say something but I wave my hand and I push them against the wall with my air powers, holding them still as I stand in front of them.
“Y/n, please don’t do this” Steve pleads, but I shake my head.
“I’m sorry Steve, Tony, but this is the only way to keep you all safe from myself” I sigh. And with a idea popping into my head, I create a red rose in my palm, then I freeze it in a block of ice, leaving it perfectly preserved. I place it on the waiting table and I look up at the two men.
“You mind leaving this with Buck?” Steve looks at me with sad eyes but he slowly nods. I nod my thanks, and with one last longing glace at Bucky through the window, who was now free of all icicles, then I turn away, heading towards the elevator as I dig out the business card Phil had slipped me during our conversation, and I put the number into my phone.
“Hey Coulson? Change of plan, come pick me up now”