You Make Me Glow - Bucky Barnes POV

Chapter Nine

(Steve's POV - earlier that day)

"We're closing in on the base," I say into my headpiece, sprinting into an abandoned looking building with Nat right behind me. The midday heat is hitting my eyes and making it hard to see, but I keep running forward.

"Good! Nat, I need you to back up Cap as he enters. This is their lab so they're gonna be ready for you. We just gotta be ready first."

"On it, Fury." I hear a click from Nat's gun behind me as she gets it ready. "We're breaching the front doors now. Stand by."

"Ready Nat?" I call as i position my shield in front of me, ready to use it as a battering ram.

"Ready."

BAM. With a solid hit, the doors swing open and hit the walls. I brace myself and raise my shield to block any oncoming attacks, but there's nothing. The loud sound of breaking down the doors seems to echo in the silence of the lab.

I lower my shield and start looking around; there's dirty looking cardboard boxes scattered around the warehouse and some folding tables standing empty. There are rings on the table like things might've been standing there at first, but there's no telling how long it's been.

"Team, what do you see?" Fury's voice startles me as he comes in through the earpiece.

"Nothing, sir," I reply, my eyes still darting around as if hoping to catch something I missed. 

"What?! Nothing?!"

"This is really bizarre," Nat says slowly as she too looks around. She points her gun a few times, but lowers it and keeps looking. "Why is it so empty?"

"There's no way they knew we'd spring them..." My heart stops. Unless. My head feels like it's going to fall off I feel so lightheaded. I take a deep breath. "Unless we're right where they want us."

Nat's eyes widen. "You think its-"

"They're going after Y/n. Fury!" I call into my headpiece and sprint out of the lab. "We gotta go, this was a diversion. I think they know where Y/n is."

"Damn it!" I hear a pounding sound like Fury's hands hitting his desk. "Okay team, I'm sending a squad up backup to their coordinates."

"No, Fury I gotta go to her." I yell into my earpiece, trying to mask the panic I'm feeling in my chest.

"Sorry Cap its too far away, you'll never make it."

I heave an angry breath. "I gotta try!"

"Fine, go ahead. But the squad isn't waiting up for you."

"Don't worry." I strap myself into the car we came in and rev the engine. "They won't need to."

...

(Y/n's POV)

You wake up to a scream from Bucky in the other room. You get up and wrap yourself in a blanket before walking out into the living room where he's sleeping.

He's sitting with his head in his hands, breathing heavily.

"Hey."

He sits up with a start. "Oh I'm so sorry, did I wake you?"

You shake your head. "No I couldn't sleep." You pause, "... bad dream?"

"Yeah." He sighs and rubs his face. 

You take a few steps closer, then gesture to an open spot on the couch next to him. "May I?"

He gives you a half smile and nods. "Yeah."

You readjust the blanket around your shoulders and sit next to Bucky, carefully analyzing his face from the side. "Wanna talk about it?"

 He's quiet for a few seconds, his eyes staring straight forward.

"I dream about my past." His voice is coarse, like he hasn't drank water. "I did horrible things back then." You wonder if he's holding back tears. "These dreams, they remind me of everything I did." He rests his forehead in his palm again. "I was a monster."

"Hey," without thinking you reach out and grab his hand. "You're not a monster. They were controlling you. If they had captured anyone else the things still would've happened, they just happened to use you."

He looks at you, and it's like he's reading your mind. "...It's so easy to talk to you." He says it in wonder, as if he's never really had a good conversation before.

Your breath catches and you hold back a smile. "Yeah..."

Bucky sits up a little straighter, his eyes not leaving your face. "You can't tell me you don't feel it too. You feel like you can be yourself with me, you feel like I know your thoughts. You feel like we belong together because WE DO." He leans closer to you. "We're soulmates. God I can't pretend I don't have feelings for you anymore."

Your eyes have drifted to the floor, so much conflicting emotion rising in your chest you don't know if you want to smile or scream or cry. The fact that Bucky is still gripping your hand has fallen to the back of your mind, but you are aware of it again as he tugs on your arm to pull you closer. 

"Look at me, Y/n."

You turn your eyes back up, and his astonishingly blue eyes aren't very many inches from yours. The intensity of his stare seems to suck the air from your lungs.

"Look at me and tell me you don't feel it too." His eyes plead to you. "Because I don't wanna pretend anymore."

"I-"

The moment is interrupted by tire squeals outside your cabin, and you hear voices and the slamming of car doors. 

Bucky jumps up from the couch, pulling you up with him. "We gotta go." He starts to make his way towards the back of the cabin where there's a trap door underneath the rug. "Go, you've gotta hide."

"No, I don't want to leave you alone!" 

Before any other words are exchanged, the door is broken down and men flood the tiny space. Bucky is forced to the floor by five men, and you're dragged towards the front door by two. "Ahh!"

"LET HER GO," you can hear Bucky bark from his place on the floor, then some crashing sounds like bodies being thrown against furniture. As you step into the driveway of the cabin, you can see a struggle going on inside, and Bucky seems to be winning. You take this as a sign and flail your legs until your kidnappers loosen their grip. You take a knee to the one man's crotch, then an elbow to the other's face. 

Bucky appears in the doorway, his expression blazing like he just ran a marathon. His eyes fall on you and he quickly starts moving towards you.

You take a step towards him, but you feel cold metal against your neck. 

Bucky stops short, his eyes wide. "Zemo??"

"Good evening Winter soldier." You can't see his face, but you know he's smirking viciously. He leans in close until you can feel his breath on your ear. "And goodnight Y/n."

You see Bucky start to lunge before being held back, and you feel a sharp pinch on your neck. You try to fight it, but you feel the darkness swallowing you whole before it's all you can see.