The Unthinkable Truth

Lesson 5: Fall In Love

It was a hostile base, one that Steve and Tony had been trying to locate for months. You sat in the back of the quinjet, taping your guns to make sure they were in place. Bucky sat to your right, he was looking a head doing his own mental preparations. It was just the two of you going in, needing to keep a low profile, the two of you were the best for the job.
"I was twenty." You stated looking down at your hands, suddenly feeling the need to tell him. Bucky's head turned to you his face knitted up with confusion. "The scar on my back, I was meeting a friend of mine. I knew him my whole life, and he wanted to meet at a friends house, someone I didn't know."
You took a ragged breath, finally opening yourself up all the way.
"I was naive, we had always joked around, he was the brother I never had. I guess I was the only one that felt that why. His friend was having a party, and he offered me a drink and then another, all while cozying up to me." You closed your eyes at the memory. "I was drunk by the time he made his advance on me, but still sober enough to tell him that I didn't feel that way for him. He got pushy, and told me he deserved more then just my friendship since he had always been so nice to me, demanded why I wouldn't do that with him."
You finally lifted head, turning to look at the man that sat next to you.
"When I left to go home, he got violent. Yelling and cussing, I didn't see the knife because my back was turned. I spent three days in the hospital and I don't remember much after I left." You explained, your eyes locking onto his. "After I left the hospital I closed up, and kept everything to myself only interacting when I had to but I knew that I wanted to help people. After that moment, that's when I knew what I wanted to do. It's the reason I joined."
"What happened to him? Please tell me he's six feet under." Bucky stated through gritted teeth.
"He's in prison where he belongs, I made sure of that." You replied with conviction.
"You two ready?" Steve asked walking toward the two of you. Your eyes still glued to Bucky, your heart hammering in your chest, panic settling in through you.
You stood turning to the Captain as Bucky stood, you gave him a brisk nod. After the trial you told yourself you would never tell a living soul what had happened, you couldn't stand the look people gave you. The ones that made feel helpless, the sad eyes, but Bucky didn't give you that look. Instead when you looked over to him you saw him smile.
The both of you jumped from the back of the quinjet, feeling the night air rushing around you. The weightless feeling, in that moment you felt more alive then you had since before the incident that left your back scarred.
You both touched down and went straight to work, taking out assailant after assailant, the two of you working perfectly in tandem. Neither of you speaking but somehow knowing what the other would do, even if the only thing the two of had done was discuss dating it helped the two of you bridge that gap to trust one another. You knew without a doubt that the man currently fighting beside you would have your back, and you'd have his.
As the two of reached the corner thirty hostiles were marching in your direction. You felt your eyes go wide, Bucky snagged you by the back of your jacket. He pulled you back roughly, pulling you into a small gap between the buildings, there was barely enough room the both of you to fit. You both stood face to face, bodies almost touching.
Bucky brought his forearm up, placing it against the wall next your head. Your suit could with stand bullets, Tony made everyone's that way, but your head was fair target and Bucky knew that. He stared down into your eyes. His face unreadable as he looked down at you. You swallowed the lump in the back of your throat as you looked into those eyes, the unthinkable truth was at some point you had started to fall for the brooding man out of time.
"Lesson number five, Bucky." You whispered, feeling your heart pound in your chest as you saw his eyebrow raise slight and the corner of his mouth pull up. "Fall in love."
"I'm ready for it doll, the question is are you?" He asked back, you could hear the thirty hostiles passing you as the two of you continued to stare into each other.
You were, you had been wanting to find someone who would break down your walls, who would take the time to get to know the person behind the ghost. And he did, all while trying to figure out how to ask someone else out.
"I've never been more ready for something in life." You whispered back, biting your lip. "But do you really want some one who has problems opening up?"
"I don't think you realize how far I've come myself." He whispered back, leaning his forehead against yours. Of all places to have this discussion, it was in the middle of a mission surround by hostile forces but at the same time it just seemed right. "I didn't used to be like that, and I'm willing to be here with you as you begin to open up and let others in. It's not an easy road, I know I've been there, but I promise I'll be there for you every step of the way, if you'll let me."
"Yes." You replied simply. "But first we should finish the mission, and maybe get the hell out of dodge."