Avengers Preferences and Imagines

It's Been A While... (Bucky Barnes)

(Angsty/Sad ish)Prompt: "If you don't hug me right now I think I might fall apart." Don't worry there's a fluffy/funny ending. But first: angst, sadness, and ALL THE FEELS. I think.

I shot up in bed; the sounding of something crashing in my kitchen startling me awake. The clock on my bedside table read 2:09 AM. I quietly retrieved my set of matching daggers from my drawer, giving each an effortless spin in my hands. It had been forever since I had last held the pair, and the feeling sent a wave of comfort washing over me. Although it had been ages since I had thrown them, the set was always within my reach. Living alone had left me paranoid; I still wasn't used to it. After the event known as "the blip" five years ago, I moved out of the Avengers complex and found my own place. I had lost so many people I loved that day, and I couldn't stand to live in a place that was haunted by their memory. In those five years, I had gotten used to the solitude of living alone, but every foreign noise still sent me into a panic.

 Daggers in hand, I silently cracked open my bedroom door to survey the hallway. The moonlight pouring in through the window at the end of the hall allowed me to see my surroundings perfectly. Everything in the hall appeared undisturbed and just as I had left it before retiring to bed. Besides the fake plant in the corner at the end of the hall, the corridor was empty of personal touches or decoration; it revealed nothing about the ghost of a person who lived here. Once I had been an avid photographer and I took pictures of everything; my friends, family, and the man I loved. But after losing most of them, I couldn't bear to look at the pictures any longer. So I packaged them up and put them in storage, holding out hope that one day I would be able to look at them again. Five years had gone by now, and I still hadn't been able to bring myself to open that box. 

Shaking myself free from my thoughts, I crept silently down the hall, heading towards the kitchen. I stopped myself just before the corridor opened up into my kitchen. I pressed my back up against the way, listening for any indication that I wasn't alone. To my surprise, I could still hear the sound of cabinets and drawers opening and closing in my kitchen. I couldn't fathom what a thief would be doing in my kitchen, so my brain immediately started to cycle through worse case scenarios. Before the blip, I had been a very high profile agent of S.H.I.E.L.D with a very impressive record. I had been off the grid for a long time now, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone had decided to come looking for me. Slowing my breathing, I stole a glance around the corner, trying to get a look at the imposter. All I could make out in the moonlight was a shadow. They stood about 6 feet tall and were clearly well muscled. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing as my heart continued to race. 

And then I felt something powerful and long-forgotten awaken inside of me. I had been out of the game for years now, but I suppose all the agentry training and assasin instincts had never truly left me. I raised my dominant hand, leveling the dagger with its intended target. My plan was insane, but I was praying for a miracle here. It had been ages since I had been in a fight so I wanted to eliminate physical combat, but my confidence in my daggers had never faltered. Checking my aim once more, I inhaled and brought my arm back. On my exhale, I let the dagger fly- sending it barreling forwards with all the strength I possessed. Just as I had intended, the dagger buried itself in the intruder's shoulder; pinning him to the cabinet behind him.  He didn't cry out as the dagger struck him; his body likely going into shock from the impact. 

The other dagger in hand, I stalked slowly into the kitchen, the intruder still hidden in the shadows. From here I could see that he was going through a lot of effort to conceal his identity from me. He wore black leather gloves on his hands, and a dark baseball cap with a hood pulled over it to help cover his face. "Who are you?" I demanded, continuing into the kitchen as I spun the dagger around confidently. He didn't respond. Standing a few feet away from him now, I still couldn't make out anything definitive about him in the moonlight. Sure I could turn on a light, but since this man had broken into the apartment of S.H.I.E.L.D.S most notorious killer, I decided to have a little fun with him first. I dragged the dagger along with the countertop, the blade squealing as it scratched the marble. "I'm only going to ask you once more before this dagger joins its match. Who. Are. You?" I spat sternly at the man. After a few moments of silence, I sighed. "Have it your way then" I said as I lunged forwards and pressed the tip of the blade to his throat, preparing to finish him without mercy.