Find Me / Save Me (Bucky x Reader)

Twenty-Four

Steve's POV

It took two days for all of the Avengers to gather together and all but destroy two Hydra bases, with no luck. Neither of the two bases held (Y/N). And in those two days I watched as my friend was put through hell and back again. Tony was working hard to fix Bucky's mind, but it was proving harder than anticipated.

After every session I could see Tony's gears turning, his lack of sleep and mental exhaustion taking a back burner to the task at hand. His resolve growing stronger with each passing day. His resolve to fix Bucky and bring (Y/N) home. His want to be on the field with us, searching for her, made him push Bucky to his limits.

The sessions and the passing days were taking a toll on Bucky. His resolve never wavered, but his outlook became darker with each passing day. He would lock himself in (Y/N)'s room after his sessions, refusing to be around anyone. Dragging him to a meeting with the rest of the team today only made matters worse when he could hear the uncertainty in the plans of attack. In whether we would find (Y/N) in this next base or not.

As I sat studying the aerial shots of the Hydra base we would hit tomorrow, I felt someone enter the room. Too engrossed in my current work I didn't look up to see who it was.

"You need to take a break Steve. The aerials aren't going to magically change. You've reviewed them over twenty times." Natasha said taking a seat on top of the table, essentially covering up all the documents.

"I can't take a break. Not until this is done." I say looking up at her. Her face is sad and worried. This has taken its toll on her too. "Steve..." something in her eyes made me want to hold her close, comfort her. But I held back. Then I saw something else in her eyes, a secret, something she was trying to hide.

"Nat... what is it?" I can see how my words make her mentally catch herself, as if she let out the secret. She looked back at me with a changed demeanor and a face of stone. "We found more..." She didn't let the sentence end; she didn't have to explain. I knew what she meant. More videos. Every Hydra base we took, Nat made sure to try to get intel.

I never dare to see them, neither does Tony. We don't even mention them to Bucky. Nat and Sam have taken the dark duty as their own. Combing through the videos for any clue of where (Y/N) could be.

"Don't... don't tell me about them." I look her in the eyes... I can barely contain my emotions anymore. I've been trying to hold strong, but it has been difficult. "Steve... this last one... I think you guys need to see it." The look in her eyes is solemn. My first thought is that she's dead, but I shake that from my mind almost instantly.

"Tony's working on Bucky right now. He thinks the process is almost complete. I told him when Bucky wakes up that all three of you need to see this." Nat said no question in her statement, no request, but a statement. She got up from the table leaned in close and gave me a kiss on the cheek softly. "Go get the boys from the lab. I'll see you soon." With that she sauntered out of the room leaving me alone with my thoughts.

-.-.-.-

Bucky's POV

The memories have been painful, but cathartic. I've slowly come to terms that I am not the Winter Soldier, that he was built by Hydra as a weapon. A weapon I choose to no longer become. As I'm pulled awake from this final session I see Tony staring at me when I open my eyes.

"Alright Elsa, I think we're done. There's only two things left to do." I roll my eyes at the new nickname, every session he throws a new one. I knew what one of the things was, the words. He came to the conclusion that once the procedure was complete I could hear them with without reverting back to the monster I've had within me for so long. The second one, though, was a mystery to me.