bucky barnes imagines

xxxv. HAND IN HAND

A/N – So, remember when I told you guys that I had an idea for a separate book? Well, this is that idea. I wrote the prologue but never posted it.

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Silent tears slipped down your pale face as you processed the information that a doctor had just told you. It sounded like nothing more than a bad dream, but a quick glance down at the empty space where your arm used to be revealed that it was, in fact, your reality.

The doctor left soon after telling you that you would receive a prosthetic limb to replace the arm that you'd lost. He looked somewhat familiar, but that was the least of your worries. You focused on what was happening to you.

Honestly, you couldn't remember all that much. You'd been kidnapped after an evil organisation somehow found out about your powers, held hostage in a dark, cramped room, beaten and tortured to within an inch of your life. Until one day, a group of people showed up, claiming they were going to rescue you. The last thing you could recall was being shot repeatedly in your right arm. You could hear your own screams as the bullets tore through you – the searing, burning pain was something you were sure you'd never forget.

Really, you were lucky to be alive but, being a hugely pessimistic person, you couldn't help but see things in a different light.

I'd rather be dead than live like this.

Over the next couple of weeks, the same doctor helped you by fitting your prosthetic arm and allowing you to adjust to the new feeling. You learned that his name was Bruce Banner – again, it seemed familiar, but you brushed it off, still wallowing in self pity.

You never thought to ask where you were, or why there didn't seem to be any other patients in the hospital with you. At least, not until another week after you'd been given your new arm, when the door opened to reveal somebody different – another vaguely recognisable face, with blonde hair and blue eyes. You sat bolt upright as he walked over to you, taking a seat next to your bed.

"Who are you? What is this?" you blurted, suddenly realising that you knew almost nothing about your current situation.

Hearing the panic in your voice, the stranger attempted to reassure you. "It's okay, Y/N, everything will be explained to you. I'm Steve – I'm one of the people who saved you from captivity. You're currently being held at the Avengers Tower in New York... we didn't think you'd live. You lost a lot of blood, but luckily we managed to save you."

"Luckily?" you began indignantly. "What do you— wait, the Avengers? How..."

After a long conversation, Steve helped you understand what was truly happening – to cut a long story short, the Avengers were the ones that had saved you. You now realised that he was Captain America, while your doctor, as well as being a brilliant scientist, was also The Hulk.

"Do you want to meet the rest of the team? Or would you rather just rest?"

You sighed a little at Steve's question. You still wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but you figured that you owed a huge thank you to everyone who saved your life.

"I guess I could meet them... I mean, I'm gonna be stuck here for a while, right?"

Steve smiled pityingly, nodding his head. "I'll be right back, then."

He left the room, presumably going to bring his friends to you. You attempted to prop yourself up on the pillows, cursing quietly as your new arm got in the way. After giving up on being comfortable, you sat in silence, waiting to meet your rescuers.

To bide the time, you simply stared skeptically at the metal appendage which was now attached to your body. It was cold, shiny, bulky and despairingly noticeable – you would definitely get some frightened looks if you ever dared to go out in public without covering it completely.

You hated it.

You were ripped out of your own thoughts by the sound of footsteps. Steve was back, this time with a few other people.

"Y/N, this is—"

"Tony Stark," you interrupted, "I know. And Natasha Romanoff, and..."

Your voice trailed off as you realised you didn't recognise the others standing in front of you. Steve quickly stepped forward and finished your sentence.

"This is Sam Wilson." He pointed towards a man in a blue polo shirt; Sam nodded at you, but your eyes had already drifted elsewhere.

Standing just behind Steve, awkwardly shuffling his feet, was another man – tall and a little intimidating, with long, fluffy hair and piercing baby blue eyes. While he was extremely attractive and definitely your type, his face wasn't the first thing you noticed.

He had a metal arm too.

Almost exactly the same as yours, but on his left side, with a red star on the side.

"And this... is Bucky Barnes."