Our Little Secrets | Bucky Barnes

prologue

A/N: Before you start reading. To make sure that you are reading the story correctly, the snap and blip did NOT happen in this story. Every event before Infinity War and Endgame DID happen, events after that are nonexistent in this story. This takes place a little after CACW in the years 2016 - 2017.

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PROLOGUE

FEBRUARY, 2017:

"Bucky wait." You said, out of breath from catching up to him in the empty windowless hallway.

He stopped himself and turned around to face you. You could see that his eyebrows were furrowed and his thin lips were curled up. You looked into his eyes, hoping for him to talk back. But, he didn't.

You took a few steps forward carefully, keeping your eyes locked into his. "I know there's a lot of things going on, especially right now, but I need you to listen to what I have to say."

Bucky let go of the fist he was making with his hands and sighed. "Go on."

"Look I know that stuff happened in the mission that wasn't planned and I know that some of the others know about what happened, but I just feel like I need to tell you now. I can't hold it in forever, I just can't anymore and you know what I mean." You started, breathing for you started to get harder. A lump in your throat had formed.

You swallowed and forced yourself to keep talking, there was no more backing up now. It was time to tell him the truth. "I can't help. . . I can't help, but to fall in love with you even though I try not to. And I'm so, so sorry for all the aching pain that I've given you." Your voice breaks down, "just know that what was really true during our time together was that. . . I do love you James."

You sniffed. Bucky's bottom lip dropped a bit, wide enough to see his front top teeth.

I do love you James. . .

That sentence, that exact sentence made the room go silent. The sirens from the speakers that were built into the ceilings stopped, the flashing lights from each end of the hallways faded away.

By now, everyone who was occupied inside the building was now gone. They were all outside. Tony, Rhodes, Natasha, Vision, everyone. All that was left for them to wait for were you and Bucky.

"Where the hell are they?" Tony pleaded.

Rhodes blocked Tony with his full body, trying to keep him inside the jet. "Tony I don't know, but we have to leave now."

"I can feel them, just wait." Wanda reassured, she was sitting down on one of the seats looking up at the building. She could feel you and Bucky's bodies. She could hear your voice and his voice speaking. Though it was very faint.

Bucky took a step forward to get a closer look of your face. Your messed up face that had shown warm tears running down your cheeks and puffy eyes from what you thought. In Bucky's point of view, it showed an innocent young woman who's been through so much, building up excuses and lies to keep herself and others safe from harm.

He moved his metal arm up to touch your waist while his actual arm made its way up to your soaked cheeks. Bucky looked at your face, from where his hand was, it was warm. Wiped off some of your cheeks and looked up into your eyes.

"Don't cry." He whispered.

"I'm so sorry." You stuttered, grabbing softly on Bucky's right forearm.

He wiped more of your tears and shifted his hand further down by your jaw. "None of it was your fault. . . you were strong and kept going. It's my fault for staying away after what happened. I should be sorry."

"You're okay now, I'm here. I will always be here no matter what my love." He pulled your head in and kissed your forehead. "I love you too. . . "

You closed your eyes and bit your lip, resting your head on Bucky's chest. You couldn't help, but to wrap your arms around his body. Bucky felt the same as you and embraced your body with his, with his hand covering your head. His shirt was starting to get soaked with warm tears, though that didn't matter to him at that moment.

What mattered was you feeling relieved, safe, being loved.

He kissed the top of your head and rested his chin over it. You hugged him tighter, the smell of his cologne felt welcoming from where you were positioned. You did feel relieved, you did feel safe, and you did feel like you were finally loved by the man you've fallen in love with.

You felt as if the world around you two had finally stopped, just the two of you were the only ones moving.

Finally something to actually believe in.

Everything that was around you before you confessed felt like it was a whole lie.

It felt like ropes tightly wrapped around your arms with broken pieces of glass being held tightly in the soft palm of your hands. But after you heard Bucky say I love you too, those dirty ropes were finally cut off from your arms, your hands could finally breathe okay now. Your hands letting go and those broken pieces of glass that gave you sharp pains fell down to the floor.

You could rest without worrying, you could finally love without having to lie.

Finally everything was okay now, with Bucky feeling the same as you. You're little secrets will never ever be little secrets anymore. Because all you had to do was to say the truth.

You were free now, free from the guilt you've given yourself.

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