Avengers Imagines (Part One)

Bucky Barnes X Reader - Lullaby

A/N- This imagine is based on the song 'Lullaby' by Nickelback. I hope you all enjoy it.

Bucky was gone. You had watched as he had dissolved on the battlefield, crumbling away as you reached out for him, as though you wanted to hold him together. Steve had looked like he was close to vomiting as you turned to look at him, your mouth opening and closing as you attempted to find words that even came close to how lost you felt. 

Steve eyes finally found you, filled with tears and pure fear. 

"What's happening?" you asked him softly, hearing others crying out around you. "Steve?" you added, your lips quivering as you considered what this must mean. "Did we lose?"

Steve simply nodded, unable to speak, and you found yourself sinking to the ground at the confirmation, your fingers gripping at the roots of your hair.  "Come on, we need to find the others," Steve started, his hand coming to rest on your shoulder. 

As you got to your feet, Steve pulled you into a tight hug, and you could hear the strangled sniffles escaping him as he tried to keep himself from crying.

*Time Skip*

You had been torturing yourself for months. Spending all of your time throwing yourself into the most intense training regime you could find, and with the radio blaring as loudly as it would go to drown out the nagging voice in your head. 

God, you had barely seen Steve since you had arrived back at the Avengers Facility, both of you too caught up in your own minds to even consider one another, outside of a few passing greetings. 

You were laying into a punching bag when the radio began to sing with static, the song that had been playing previously stuttering to a stop. And then there was silence. A sound you hadn't allowed yourself in such a long time. 

You sighed as you made your way over to the radio, fiddling with the different dials as your brows knitted together. It wasn't an old device, Bucky had gotten it for your birthday last year, but somehow it was already on the fritz. 

And then it crackled back to life, pure static filling the room and causing you to flinch, your hands flying up to cover your ears. "Baby?" Your hands dropped back to your sides. The single word hanging in the air of the training room. You waited, waited for more, for something to prove to you that you hadn't imagined the voice of your husband echoing through the speaker in front of you. "Baby, can you hear me?"

"Buck?" You fell to your knees, staring at the radio, your mouth hanging open as you considered your next words.

"Hey, Darlin'." The line fell silent again for a moment. "I'm here." 

"Where's here?" 

You heard Bucky laugh, and wished that you could see him. Wished you could see the way his eyes crinkled and his mouth fell open. "I'm not really sure, Darlin'." 

"Fuck," you uttered softly, allowing yourself to fall back onto your butt on the cold floor, still staring at the radio. "I've gone mad, haven't I?"

"No, Baby. You aren't mad," Bucky answered quickly, causing you to shake your head. "Close your eyes for a bit, Darlin'. Just imagine I'm with you."

You did as you were told, pressing your eyes as tightly shut as you could manage and taking a deep breath. "This is weird, Buck."

"Yeah, I guess it is." There was that laugh again, so perfect that it sounded like it was in the room.

And then the room was silent again, the static coming back to life and causing your eyes to fly open. "Buck?"

"I'm still here, Sweetness." 

"You scared me." You pressed your eyes closed for a moment, shaking your head. "God, feels like I'm always scared these days."

Bucky sniffled, somewhere far off and unreachable, and your heart ached to hold him. "I know, Baby. I'm scared too," he answered you, his voice thick with tears. "But you've got to keep going. Steve needs you. Nat needs you. God, Baby, I need you."

You nodded, and then let out a short splutter of laughter. "I keep forgetting you aren't really here," you tell him softly, shifting to sit a little closer to the radio and resting your back against the wall. 

"I'm sorry for leaving you," Bucky uttered softly, "I would'a done anything for this to have gone differently."

"I know, Buck." You paused for a moment, "me too." 

A yawn escaped you, and you rubbed at your eyes to push off the tiredness that had been wracking your body for weeks. "You need to go to bed."

"I don't sleep too well anymore," you hesitated, shaking your head, "feels weird getting into bed and knowing you aren't gonna be there when I wake up."

"Come on, you can take the radio with you. I promise, I'll be there when you wake up, Sweetness."

You sniffled, shifting to your feet and tucking the radio under your armpit as you gathered your water bottle and towel. 

*Time Skip*

You felt stupid, tucking the radio into bed beside you, but Bucky had insisted that it would be the best way to make the experience as lifelike as possible. "If any of the others could see this right now, they'd never stop laughing at me."

"I wouldn't be so sure. They are all missing people too, Baby. They might be more understanding than you'd think."

You sighed as you climbed into bed. "Guess you're right."

"I'm always right, Sweetness." Bucky paused for a moment, listening to you laugh at his comment. "Are you in bed?" 

"I am."

"And are you comfortable?"

"As comfortable as a woman can be when she's sleeping next to a music player," you chuckled, pulling the duvet up so that it settled around your shoulders.  Bucky laughed with you, and you smiled to yourself as you closed your eyes. "Can you talk to me?"

"I am talking to you, Darlin'."

You sighed slightly, turning onto your side and burrowing into your pillow. "I mean, can you talk to me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course I can, Baby."

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