A Feeling Of Normality [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

Part 8. Hiding.

A/N: Another short chapter because this is somehow a collection of the next weeks after the fight between Team Cap and Team Iron Man to show what happened to YN. That's why it's written in past tense.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Compared to the rest of the Avengers [Y/N] had fought side by side with, she had been really lucky even though she didn't know how she deserved it. For all she knew, Steve and Bucky had finished their mission but have disappeared since then. Tony Stark must have joined them to help but he was found with a destroyed suit. He hadn't said much other than that it was Steve Rogers' fault. The rest of the comrades-in-arms were captured and ended up in a maximum security prison. Natasha, on the other hand, had returned to the United States with [Y/N], where they could hide near New York City.

Natasha Romanoff was with her one evening to pay her a visit when [Y/N] asked her why she's hiding. After all, she had fought for the right team.
"Until I helped Rogers" Natasha admitted with a shrug. "After that, I had broken the law as well."

"You mean the papers you signed. Pretty big thing. Was all over the news. Do you think it's right?"

"I did..."

"And now?"

"I'm not so sure anymore..."

Thus, the Avengers headquarter was no longer a happy option for Natasha either. She was still there but she knew she was being watched closely. And besides Tony, James "Rhodey" and Vision there was no one left. It wasn't like Natasha didn't like the three men but they weren't her closest friends and therefore the place felt strange to her sometimes.
And then there was [Y/N] that Natasha had promised to watch out for until Steve would get in touch. Natasha knew he had to go into hiding and until he got in touch with her or [Y/N] again, the two had to get along somehow. And even if that had been a rather annoying task at the beginning, Natasha slowly found pleasure in the stranger. She was sharp-tongued but clever. She didn't know where Steve found her but Natasha slowly understood why she should protect [Y/N]. She would have fit in well with the Avengers team if it would have still existed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were news shortly after the incident. The maximum security prison was broken into and all Avengers were freed. No names were officially given but anyone in their right mind knew that Steve must have freed his friends. Of course he did. Steve was the type of man who always did what he thought was right. And neither Natasha nor [Y/N] would have acted differently.

The weeks passed by and Natasha was sitting in [Y/N]'s hotel room, where they were watching a movie together that neither of them really paid any attention to. "Do you think about him a lot?" she asked her new friend. After everything that Natasha had done for [Y/N], it was only fair in her eyes to let Natasha know a little about her life. If Steve trusted her, surely [Y/N] could trust her too.

"James... Bucky... whatever?" [Y/N] asked and Natasha nodded. "Often. Not all the time. But often. I just hope he's fine."

"He's got Steve by his side. He's going to be fine" Natasha tried to reassure her counterpart.

[Y/N] nodded. "That's what I tell myself whenever I think of him. I just wish..." [Y/N] broke off her sentence and sighed. "I don't know either."

Natasha took a sip of her beer and looked at [Y/N] curiously. "What's that between you and Barnes?"

"Nothing" answered [Y/N] in a voice full of mixed emotions, so that Natasha almost felt pity. She could see that [Y/N] felt really worried and missed that man. Not knowing anything new tore her apart.

"You didn't risk a lot for nothing."

[Y/N] sighed and took a long sip of her own drink. "First of all: I didn't do that for him. I did that to protect the world from any more Winter Soldiers. But... I don't know how to describe it myself. He became important to me and I just want his suffering to end. When I met him, he seemed as lonely as I was."