Before You Go (Avengers x Reader)

Bucky - One

Imagine: Bucky helping you recover after being captured by Hydra

Bucky's POV...
I grip my phone tightly as Steve's name flashes on the screen.
"Buck, we found her." His voice is as clear as day.
I jump up from my seat and rush to the front door of my apartment, neglecting my jacket. The only thing on my mind is (Y/N). My (Y/N).
"How is she? Is she ok? Can I see her?"
I spit out my questions one after another.
"Buck, calm down. It's hard to explain over the phone. I'll meet you at the compound."
"O-ok." I mumble as I climb onto my motorcycle and speed towards the Avengers Compound.

I abandon my bike at the entrance of the compound and sprint into the building, nearly ripping the door off its hinges. Steve is waiting for me with a grave expression on his face.
"Bucky, I gotta talk to you before you see her." He states. "It's not good. Hydra really did a number on her."
My heart drops to my stomach as Steve passes me a brown manilla file. I open the first page, and two pictures nearly fall out. The first picture shows (Y/N) before Hydra took her. Her (E/C) eyes sparkle, and her (H/C) hair is thick and lustrous. The second picture is (Y/N) at Hydra. Her (E/C) eyes are dull and lifeless, and her hair is cropped short in ragged layers.
"What the hell happened to her?" I manage to mumble.
My throat is dry, and my stomach feels uneasy as my eyes scan the second picture again. I recognise the scars on the side of her face.
"I'm going to kill whoever did this to her." I growl.
"Bucky, we can think about that later." Steve reasons. "Trust me; everyone wants vengeance. But first, we need to get (Y/N) better. You, out of all of us, know what she's been through. She will need you every step of the way. Just like she was for you."
Steve starts to lead me to the medical bay in the compound.

"Who found her?" I ask, gripping the brown folder in my hand.
"Nat and Clint. They were on a scouting mission in an inactive Hydra base. Turns out the information was wrong, and Hydra had retaken over the base and were conducting human experiments."
We arrive at the medical bay, and I pause, taking a deep breath and stepping towards the one-way mirror.

(Y/N) is sat on the floor in the corner of the sterile room. She is curled up in a tight ball, attempting to make herself as small as possible. She is wearing white medical pyjamas, but her feet are bare on the cold floor. My heart breaks as I see her rocking backwards and forwards, mumbling to herself.
"She's been doing this for hours." Steve mutters. "We have no idea what she's saying, but it seems to be the same few words over and over."
"Has anyone tried to talk to her?"
"When we first brought her in, Bruce tried to treat her wounds, but she lashed out, so he had to sedate her. He managed to treat her wounds, but he hasn't done any tests; he doesn't want to put her through the pain. Not until she is ready."
I nod, taking in all the information, but my eyes don't leave (Y/N).
"When can I talk to her?" I question, my voice breaking slightly as my eyes fill with tears.
"Bruce doesn't want to risk upsetting her. He said that we should leave her until she comes around." He turns to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "All we can do is wait."

Three weeks later ...
My whole body tenses as I stand outside (Y/N)'s room, pausing at the white door. Today is the big day. (Y/N) came around a few days ago and spoke a few words to Bruce. He thought it was time to allow her back into her room for some sort of normality. Steve said that she's already in there. I raise my fist and knock gently on the door, holding a plate of toast with jam. I wait for a bit before opening the door slowly and stepping into the dark room. I keep my movements slow, but I make enough noise to let (Y/N) know I am here.

"(Y/N)?"
Through the darkness, I can see her curled up on the bed, staring at the wall in front of her.
"Is it ok if I sit down?"
She doesn't move or speak, so I carefully step further into the room and pull her chair up to the bed.
"I'm going to turn your lamp on. Then I can see your pretty (E/C) eyes."
I flip the switch on the lamp, and it illuminates the room. In the light, I can see the scars on the back of her neck and where they pulled out her hair. My heart breaks, but I try not to let it show. She doesn't need my pity.
"(Y/N), sweetie, I need you to look at me, and you need to sit up. I got you some toast; you need to eat." I gently place my hand on her arm, watching as she flinches. "(Y/N), it's ok. You are safe with me."
She turns over and gazes at me; her eyes aren't entirely focused.
"Why are you doing that?" She asks, her voice hoarse.
"Doing what?"
"Treating me like a person?"

I pause, taken aback by what she just said. And then all I can feel is anger. Anger at Hydra. Anger at every person who has ever touched (Y/N). Anger at (Y/N) for even thinking that.
"(Y/N)." I whisper. "You are the kindest, sweetest person I know. Come on now; you need to eat." I coax.
Carefully she sits up and takes the plate from my hands. She keeps her back firmly against the wall. Her (E/C) eyes keep glancing up at me and back down to the toast on her plate.
"They are afraid of me." She whispers softly, putting the half-eaten toast back on the plate. "I don't blame them; I am afraid of myself too."
"People used to be afraid of me too." I smile sadly. "But you can't control their fear, only your own."
(Y/N) breaks down in tears. Her whole body shakes as she sobs.
"H-Hydra wanted me to tell them everything about the Avengers, about us. And when I refused, they electrocuted me; they pulled out my hair, stabbed me, starved me. I thought I was going to die, Bucky."
My breath hitches as (Y/N) reveals her torture.
"There's someone in my head, but it's not me." Her breath catches as she looks at me with vulnerability.
"You're safe now."

(Y/N) and I sit together in silence for a few hours, and she seems slightly more grounded. Her hollow cheeks are flushed from eating, and her eyes look a bit brighter.
"Do you remember what you did when I first came here from Hydra?" I ask her, a small smile playing on my lips.
She shakes her head.
"I hated my arm." I hold up my metal arm. "It reminded me of all the terrible things I had done as the Winter Soldier. It was the one thing that kept me in the past. The one thing that was holding me back from moving on. You wouldn't leave me alone, no matter how much I ignored you." I grin at the happy memory. "Even when I snapped at you, you kept baking me cookies and trying to include me. And as we got closer, I told you about my arm and how it was holding me back, and the next day, you came in with your arm wrapped in tinfoil and magnets to stick on my arm." I laugh out loud now. "You didn't take the damn tinfoil off for weeks!"
(Y/N) smiles fondly at the story.
"It itched like hell."
"And yet you didn't take it off. Not until T'Challa made me my new arm." I stand up and walk into the bathroom, grabbing a razor. "This is my tinfoil arm."
I turn on the razor and shave a line down the middle of my hair. (Y/N)'s eyes go wide with shock.
"Bucky!"
I keep going, shaving off all my hair with a grin. (Y/N) doesn't speak as she watches me with shock, running her hands over her own shaved head.
"You are crazy." She mutters, smiling more.
"I'm crazy in love with you, (Y/N)." I lean down and kiss her red lips.
"Thank you, Buck."