Find Me / Save Me (Bucky x Reader)

Forty-One

Steve's POV

It's been three months since Bucky came back to the compound, and I've had to watch him slowly become stone. With no leads on (Y/N) he's closed himself off. He functions, going through daily motions like a robot. Wake, train, run, train, and lock himself up in his room. I've had to personally stop him from trying to leave the compound to go on a frantic search for her more times than I care to admit. I just can't lose him too. I feel useless, my friends are both suffering and there's nothing I can do to help them.

Sitting in my room I pull out my phone, checking again. Nothing. I send another message to the number on my screen. Knowing it was pointless, she has yet to reply to any message.

I'm here for you. Please talk to me. Please let me know you're ok. Come home. Please.

All the messages are the pretty much the same. None have ever been responded to. Deep down I feared the worst, that something may have happened to her. That we would never see her again. But I didn't let that show, I couldn't. I kept telling everyone she would return, that she would come home.

I snapped out of my thoughts as my bedroom door opened.

"Nothing?" Natasha's voice was soft as she came to sit next to me on the bed, her hand running and tracking circles in my back.

"No." Was all I could say, but it said everything. She slowly moved until she was straddling me in my sitting position on the bed, lifting my face to hers for a soft kiss.

"She'll come home. She will Steve." Her words were soft and reassuring. I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her softly. Her fingers weaving through my hair, comforting me and soothing my worries. As we stayed in the embrace, I slowly felt the worries melt away.

"Nat..." I let myself whisper into her hair. She hums as a response as she pulls back slightly to look at me in the eyes. I feel myself in awe of her. Others always saw the tough exterior, the Black Widow. I got to see the soft, caring woman in front of me and it always made my heart soar. "I – I love you."

A small gentle smile appeared on her lips, "I know. What's there not to love about me?" She pulled me in for another kiss, this time a bit deeper. "I love you too." She said as we finally broke the kiss for air. Gently caressing her face with my hands, I feel like the happiest man in the world, but then guilt strikes me, knowing my friends were suffering while I was happy.

It was as if Natasha read my mind. "I know. It feels wrong to be this happy when they're in so much pain." After a short pause she added, "I miss her..."

As if in response to her statement my phone rang. Broken out of our moment I glanced at the phone, half expecting to see a call from Tony or Sam. But my eyes widened at the number of my screen, a number I had known too well lately. Nat immediately got up, she too understood whose number that was, and the shock was evident.

I quickly stood, adrenaline running through my veins as I answered the call. I couldn't bring myself to say anything, and then on the other side of the line I heard her voice. "Steve?"

-.-.-.-

The phone turned on, it's screen coming to life in seconds. Then as soon as it finished turning on, messages began to bombard the phone. Voicemails, text messages. From Tony. From Steve. And from another number that wasn't saved on the phone.

I heard all of the voicemails from Tony and Steve, right after I left. Begging me to answer, to come back. It hurt to hear how upset they were, I had caused that. Texts from Tony worried. Texts from Steve, begging you to call. Then you turned to the messages from the unknown number, the thread was long. Scrolling to the first one your heart stops.