The Engineer (Bucky Barnes x OC)

Chapter 22- Our first fight. How romantic

Nico's POV

When I groggily managed to open my eyes, Bucky nearly pounced on me.

"Nico! Oh, Nico, Nico, Nico, oh my god you're alive-"

"Bucky!! Hi!" I exclaimed as he basically layed on top of me, kissing my neck with passion.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I-" he rambled.

"Buck, it's okay," I soothed, but he wasn't listening.

"No, it isn't, Nico, I could've killed you!!"

"Well, clearly I'm not dead!"

Thank you, Captain Obvious. Thank you. Because we all couldn't tell by the fact that you are-

Awake

Breathing

Talking

Arguing with your boyfriend

Managing to make smart remarks while he makes a logical argument

Hem hem. That was a little reminder that not everything is a joke, Nico.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

Bucky grabbed my wrist, lifting the metal sleeve.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO MAKE THIS!" he shouted. I could see his eyes misting over. "YOU MADE THIS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ME, DIDN'T YOU?!"

Well, honestly, I just based it off of Bryce's suit because I thought it was cool, but yeah, I also made it suitable for your getting triggered.

"How did you get triggered?" I asked calmly, trying to get him out of his erratic anger. Because changing the subject always works.

Bucky paused, backing up and hanging his head.

"That was my fault, too," he hissed.

"Well, it wasn't, because the pills should've let you control everything, so actually it was my wrong conclusion-"

"I didn't take the pills."

I stopped, glancing up.

"You what?" I asked quietly.

"I didn't take them. The pills. I wanted to prove to you that I could go a night without being triggered by my memory. I'm sorry. This is my fault. Nico, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"Bucky..."

Bucky sat back, burying his head in his hand. "Yes?"

"You... you don't have to prove anything to me. You know that, right?" I said softly.

Bucky didn't respond.

"It's okay, you didn't choose to get triggered by different words or become the Winter Soldier. You didn't have any say in that. Really, Bucky, it's okay."

Bucky still did not reply for a long time.

"How are you going to get them out of my head?" he asked weakly. "The words."

"Shuri's been working on that part, I'm not sure what she has in mind," I responded truthfully.

Bucky nodded silently.

"She's been thinking of a backup plan," I added. "For if we can't entirely get the words out of your head. She's thinking that we could replace them with less intimidating words."

Bucky looked up. "What would those be?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. My idea was 'Harry Potter is the worst book series', but she wouldn't take the suggestion."

"It is not!" he argued, beginning to feebly smirk.

"That's the point. If someone dares say that, they'll find your metal arm down their throat."

Bucky snorted.

"In that case, what about 'Nico is the worst'?" he added, a glint of adoration in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm flattered."

"Or we could make it so that nobody can say your name around me." Bucky mused. "It'd be like, 'Hey, look it's Nico Mul- aaAAAaaackkkkKKKKkkkKKK-' and I'd throw them across the Pacific."

I laughed openly, glad that he was no longer as angry as he was before.

"Feeling any better?" I teased, crawling over to him. He grinned.

"Maybe."

I poked at his chest a little bit. "How about now?"

"Possibly."

I sat down in his lap and rested my head against his shoulder. His arm snaked around me.

"I heard you had a nightmare, little one," he said softly, teasing my jaw with his finger. "Are you alright with talking about it?"

My blood went cold.

"Was I doing something?" I asked weakly.

"You were just whimpering, that's all," Bucky said, beginning to rock me in his lap.

"Well... that would certainly make sense," I acknowledged.

"Nico..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Liar."

"Fine. I had a nightmare. A really bad one."

Bucky held me tight to his chest. "Tell me."

So I told him everything. I told him about the people and the crowds, the bullies, the speaker and the judge. He silently listened to it all and continued to rock me back and forth as he did so, trying to soothe me when I started getting emotional towards the end. By the end of my explanation, tears were freely flowing from my eyes, and I was crying into his shoulder.

"Nico..." he whispered, methodically stroking my hair. "Nico, that's... that's terrible."

"I hate it," I blubbered. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it... Bucky, please, please stop them, I hate it, I hate it, why are they trying to hurt me, I didn't hurt them... I hate it..."

I sobbed harder into him.

"Shhh, it's okay, Nico..." he told me almost soundlessly. "Nobody will hurt you when I'm here. Nobody. I promise."

I tried to get a hold of myself, but I couldn't stop. The images were passing through my brain again, getting more and more vivid the more they continued to pass through.

"Bucky, help me," I choked, clutching his shirt as tight as I could. "Please, Bucky, please help me!"

Bucky's hand grazed my back, pulling me against his chest. "They'll never get past me, I promise. I'll keep you safe from them. They'll never be able to touch you again."

"Th-thank you, Bucky," I sobbed, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Please don't let them do that again, I hate it, I hate it-"

"They won't touch you again," Bucky promised softly, drawing out of the hug and cupping my tearstained cheek in his hand. I looked into his blue eyes, their iris' full of sympathy and determination. His thumb wiped away an oncoming tear, and a small smile crossed his face.

"You won't be hurt under my watch ever again. I will protect you, Nico. I promise. I swear, I-" Bucky stopped, then continued. "I'm with you 'till the end of the line."