To The Bitter End (Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier x reader)

Chapter twenty-one

When you woke, the first thing you became aware of was the cuff around your wrist.

It wasn't nearly as thick or heavy as the ones used at Hydra, but you still wouldn't be able to break it. You moved your hand a bit, testing it. It was tight enough that you couldn't slip out, but also loose enough that it wouldn't rub your wrist and cause pain or discomfort.

Then you registered the soft surface you were lying on and how warm you were.

You were lying on a soft bed with a wonderfully warm blanket wrapped around you. It was so... comfortable.

Resisting the urge to go back to sleep, you sat up and looked at the chain, which went from your right wrist to the bedframe. You looked around the room, which was surprisingly homey. Or at least, far better than anything you'd had at Hydra.

A hiss sounded only a meter to your left and you spun around, trying to raise your fists and accidentally jarring your wrist painfully. A white cat, his thick fur fluffed up with hostility, stared you down with piercing, blue eyes. There was a pair of dog tags around its neck, they were old and dull, but still glinted in the light so you couldn't make out the name on them.

The door in the far wall opened and the Winter Soldier walked in, shooting a look at the cat that made the animal slink away from you. You scrambled back as far as the chain would allow, staring him down as the cat had been doing to you a moment before.

His steps became slightly more hesitant as he approached you and you continued to try and get as far away from him as possible.

"If you're going to kill me," you spat. "Make it fast."

"I'm not going to kill you," He said gently. "The handcuff was to stop you attacking me."

You thought about that for a moment. He had chained you to a soft, warm, comfortable bed and then wrapped you in a blanket so you wouldn't get cold. What kind of person would do that for someone who was trying to kill them?

"But I tried to kill you," You pushed, wondering if he'd snap.

"I know it's not your fault," he took another step closer and you tried to move back but were stopped by the cuff. "They did the same thing to me."

You looked away, unable to hold his penetrating gaze any longer.

"Y/n, sweetheart, look at me," You refused to meet his gaze, so he stepped close enough to hook a finger under your chin. "You're every bit as beautiful as I remember."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" You questioned, completely ignoring the compliment.

"It's your name, doll."

Doll. That word certainly had some sort of meaning, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

"You remember something," he observed. Your eyes strayed to the bandage around his shoulder, where your knife had struck him, and you shook your head.

"Don't lie to me, sugar, you know I can see through that."

Sugar. Bucky called you that a lot. "Why did you call me that?"

"That's easy," A smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he explained. "You're sweet, pure, and I can't get enough of you."

You felt heat rise in your cheeks and looked away again, embarrassed.

He took a key from his pocket, knelt beside the bed, and slowly reached for your wrist. "I'm gonna take this off, ok?" You nodded and he gently took your hand, unlocking the cuff on your wrist in the same move.