A Feeling Of Normality [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

Part 1. How it all began.

STORY INFORMATION:
Hey everyone! For those who don't know or follow me, I'm just going to tell you in advance that English isn't my first language. I try my best to not make any errors but they happen sometimes. So please don't make fun of them but you're always welcome to help me out in a friendly way.

Also, the first chapter is the only chapter written in past tense because it should serve as an introduction to the story. Withtin the next chapters, the story will take place in the present and chapters will get longer. The beginning is supposed to show you how you and Bucky met, the main story will take place months later.
The story is based on the characters from the MCU and takes place in parts of the movies (between Civil War and Endgame) and I own nothing but the main character [Y/N]. It can contain single parts of swearing, violence and sexual content. Sensitive parts will be highlighted with a TW.

I always love feedback so feel free to comment as much as you want to and I'll make sure to reply to as much as possible.

That's it. Have fun reading it!

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I wish I could tell more than the few things that will follow. But the truth is, I don't remember.

I am a post war child. My father was killed while fighting the Nazis. From then on, my mother had to raise me on her own. Captain America, our great savior who freed so many troops, just disappeared one day during World War Two.
I still remember that.
I also remember how the papers showed that even after the end of World War Two, more and more people disappeared. There were no traces, no patterns. Nobody knew who caught them or where they were.
And they were never found.

I do know though. I know who caught them and what happened to them. Because I was one of them. And whilst most of them died, I was one of the survivors.

I remember it was a normal day for me. Then, I only remember someone pressing a cloth on my face and that I was screaming and defending myself. The next memory is just blurry. I remember pain, bright lights and shackles.

I think you already know what I'm getting at. It was Hydra who abducted us and experimented on us.

And if it wasn't Hydra, then it was another organization that worked for Hydra. Most of us have died, yet there are many of us. Human experiments with superpowers.

It was about 1955 or so when it happened.
"We are under attack!"
"Hide the experiments!"
"There is no more time for that."
"Destroy everything, make sure they can't find any traces!"
Loud noises. Coldness. Darkness.
I don't know how long I was unconscious or what exactly happened to me. I only remember conversations in the lab that caught me again. I must have ended up in the ocean and managed to freeze myself without even realizing it. Until I was found again.

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It was a hot day in Bucharest. Way too warm for this time of year, just like the last few days. Exactly for these reasons [Y/N] had already gone to the weekly market in the early hours of the morning to get the few groceries she needed so that she could spend the rest of the day near the much too weak air conditioning. The house was shabby and filthy but anyone like her who lived there secretly couldn't complain.

[Y/N] had seen him briefly a few times and that morning he was closing the door to his apartment when [Y/N] came around the corner. A man around her age, shoulder-length brown hair, wore a jacket whatever the weather was like and any warmth. And he lived right next to [Y/N].
"Good morning, late riser" she greeted him.

"Good morning" he greeted her as usual with a few words. Others would say he was strange. Not very talkative, never made a face. But to [Y/N] he seemed lonely and lost, which was why she greeted him every time they saw each other. She felt kind of sorry for him, yet this loneliness seemed to connect them. "It's going to be a hot day today" she tried to keep the conversation going.

"I know" he replied and turned to go. For a brief moment, their eyes met and [Y/N] could see his face more closely. It was a rare moment, always making it seem like he was trying to hide even more than [Y/N] hid herself. He wore a three-day beard, his long hair covered most of his face, and he wore a cap on his head. He had pulled the hood of his jacket over it. She gave him a short smile, knowing full well that he didn't want to talk any further and he nodded briefly to her before he went to the stairs and disappeared.

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The weeks passed and [Y/N] and her neighbor kept meeting each other. The amount of times they met showed that he moved in sometime after [Y/N] as she had never seen him before months ago. But each time she saw him, she smiled at him, greeted him and they exchanged a few words. Maybe it just felt like it to [Y/N], but it felt like he felt a little more comfortable with each encounter. Yet he only spoke as less as possible.

It had been a good 2 months of these short meetings before they met again at their apartment doors. He wore the same outfit as always, his face hidden under his hair and his cap. "Hello neighbor" [Y/N] greeted him as usual with a gentle smile on her face.

"Hi" was his always short answer.

"Coming or going?"

"Coming, to be honest."

"Any plans for today?"

"The same as always" he replied.
And even if she didn't know much about him, she knew that he hardly ever left his apartment. She rarely heard noises, so she was sure that he was just serving his time in the apartment, much like [Y/N] did herself.

She waved him a soft, small smile. "Right. Likewise."
He nodded to her as usual and started to open his door when [Y/N] decided to try again. "I don't know what your hobbies are... but... I have a few books. You are welcome to borrow some, if you want."

Her neighbor stopped moving, almost as if he was frozen. Slowly, he raised his head and turned it to the side until their eyes met. Her breath caught briefly when she wasn't sure what her words had just done to him. His hand slowly released the door knob and he took a few steps towards [Y/N].
"Listen..." his gaze wandered from her eyes to the side where the doorbell was, on which the name Daria Cerchez was written on. "Daria..." he read aloud and then looked at his neighbor again. For the first time ever, there was a slight grin on his face. "You don't look like a Daria. And certainly not like a Cerchez."

He wasn't wrong about that because it wasn't her name. The apartment was already empty when she had gotten there and Daria Cerchez was probably the tenant. [Y/N] didn't know what had happened to her but the apartment was empty when she arrived and [Y/N] never saw her.
She wanted to leave her past behind and the less people knew about her, the better. "Cerchez was my grandmothers name. She was Romanian" she lied.

He was still grinning and probably didn't believe a word [Y/N] said. But then the grin disappeared and he looked as serious as ever as if he remembered that he wasn't much of a talker. "Ok. Daria. I appreciate your efforts... But... I'm not very good at... social things."

"Neither am I" she replied and gave him the same soft smile as always, hoping it would look somehow supportive because he was kind of opening up to her. Their conversation was the longest they had ever talked to one another and she knew she was slowly getting through to him.

Her neighbor snorted barely noticeably but [Y/N] could still feel the breath that escaped from his nostrils. "I think I wouldn't be a very good company" he said. 

[Y/N] sarcasm jumped right on and she wanted to ask him if that was supposed to be a threat. But his eyes told her that he was seriously worried. She didn't know what he was worried about but he had no idea how dangerous [Y/N] could be herself. Whatever he was worried about, it wouldn't be something that could scare her. 
The man probably took the fact that she was silent as an answer because he turned away from her again and walked back to his door. He had just opened the door when [Y/N] turned back to him once more. "What is your name?"

"At least not Daria" he replied with a grin and then walked inside his apartment.