The Mimic

86

Y/n stayed with Bucky for most of the morning, just happy to be around him. It was a nice distraction from all the stress going on in her mind. She didn't have to think about anything else when she was with Bucky, and Bucky never let her space out and drift into her own mind. It was nice. 

"Y'know, Sam was hyping you up yesterday. You had your little deathwalk going." Bucky chuckled, his eyes fixed on y/n's hands. Y/n had decided to let him care for her hands. In her opinion, she didn't need it, but Bucky just wanted to feel helpful. "Oh god..." Y/n laughed, rolling her eyes slightly at the thought of it. Of course Sam would be the one to hype her up, of course. "I hate that walk! It's so embarrassing and over the top." She complained with a smile, watching as Bucky begun to bandage up her hands. He made sure not to wrap up her fingers, not wanting y/n to be completely restricted of movement. "Well, I think you looked quite nice." He hummed with a slight smirk, purposefully not making eye contact with y/n. He already knew what look y/n had on her face. From the raised eyebrows to the unamused look in her eyes. "Really, Barnes? I was walking toward you, about to kill you, and all you could think was 'oh, she looks nice'." Y/n mocked, deepening her voice a little as if to mimic Bucky's. "You're such an idiot." She giggled, pressing a kiss to Bucky's cheek before she leant back against her chair. Bucky laughed, his cheeks beginning to heat up slightly. When y/n put it like that, it really made him realise how head-over-heels he was for her. Damn. 

The famous 'deathwalk' was very popular when it came to Hydra soldiers, actually. It sounded stupid, but it was true. In any video footage, a variation of the 'deathwalk' was always there. Nobody was sure why, not even Bucky and y/n knew. Some people theorise that it's something to do with Hydra's attempt to stay classy in all forms, but some just assume that it's something to do with injuries. The injury theory would work in Bucky's case - the metal arm would've messed up his balance - but it didn't work in y/n's case, so nobody was really sure. But, nobody would be surprised if it really was Hydra's way of staying classy. It just showed how messed up they were, every kill had to be smooth and quick - no evidence left behind. Of course they'd want to show off a little with a 'deathwalk', of course. 

However, their nice little morning was soon disturbed by a knock at the lab door. Y/n and Bucky both looked up and over at the door, her smile seeming to fall at the sight of Steve. She wasn't sure how Steve felt about her yet, he hadn't really spoken to her. None of the team had except Natasha. Steve smiled weakly at Bucky as he stood in the doorway, his arms crossing over his chest. He struggled to look at y/n. Just last night she was covered in his best friend's blood, and now she was holding onto his hands. It didn't sit right with him. But, Steve needed her. They had to find out more about Zemo, and how he managed to kidnap her. "Can we talk for a second, y/n? We need more information on the man that caused all of this." He asked with hopeful eyes.

Y/n tensed up slightly, glancing back at Bucky with nervous eyes. She didn't want to relive what happened, but it had to be done. If they could catch Zemo, there'd be no way he'd be able to do it again. She didn't want to leave Bucky's side either, they'd been having such a nice time, he didn't want that bubble to burst. If that bubble burst she'd be hit with all the guilt and stress again. Bucky could see the worry in her eyes, gently squeezing her hands to reassure her. "Go." He hummed, flashing a warm smile. He could handle being left on his own for a while, maybe he could turn Sam into his personal butler just to annoy him.

But, the 'quick conversation' that Steve promised wasn't really as quick as y/n wanted it to be.

Y/n soon found herself sat on the edge of one of the tables in the missions room, her eyes wide as she glanced around the room. Most of the team was there. Not everyone, but most of them. The feeling of guilt was already beginning to build at the sight of them all. If this had been just a normal training session, y/n would've been proud of herself for leaving so many bruises, but this hadn't been a training session at all. The feeling of all of their eyes on her almost seemed to burn into her skin, they watched every small movement, almost as if they were scared that y/n was going to attack. It hurt. 

"He knew so much about me and my past. And he used it against me." Y/n sighed as she begun to explain, staring down at her bandaged hands to avoid all of their stares. "He knew my nickname, and he had my doll. That doll was there on the night that I was taken, and he knew that. He promised me that if I teleported him outside of the compound, I'd get the doll. And I believed him. I was stupid. So stupid." Y/n's voice begun to wobble as she spoke, angry at herself for letting Zemo do that to her. She had no idea that the team had her doll, but it didn't seem to be the right time to show it to her. "Then he put a collar on my neck that stopped my powers-" Y/n had to cut herself off again, the fear and the memories rushing back. She reached up to touch her neck as if the collar was still there, the tightness of it must've left some sort of markings. "And then he-" Y/n took a deep breath, closing her eyes to try and calm herself down. "He put this mask over my face and pumped it with gas. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do anything. He already had full control over me without using the code words. I was so stupid." Y/n said shakily, quickly wiping the tears away from her face. However, as y/n raised her hands, people seemed to step back or flinch. She noticed that. It was obvious, and it hurt. Y/n was in the middle of a vulnerable moment - she was in tears - and they were acting as if she could attack at any moment.

Natasha hadn't been invited to the little meetup in the missions room. Of course she hadn't. Nat would've never let Steve do this if he asked her. She was currently strolling around the compound, a warm cup of coffee cradled between her hands. She had no idea where everyone had disappeared to, but it didn't feel right. Especially after what happened last night. Something was going on. Her face seemed to fall as she turned the corner, having a direct view into the missions room. Y/n was in tears, and nobody was comforting her, nobody was even stood near her. Nat's pace picked up as anger begun to build, standing just a few feet away from the open doorway. She waited until she made eye contact with y/n, frowning at the stress in her eyes. 'You okay?' She mouthed, but she already knew the answer.

Y/n seemed to let out a slight breath of relief at the sight of Nat in the hallway. She needed someone to get her out of this situation. Even talking about the gas and the collar was making her struggle to breath, and she hadn't even gotten to the code words yet. Y/n shook her head when Natasha asked if she was okay, keeping her eyes on her and only her. She couldn't bare to look at anyone else in the room.

Natasha nodded, almost immediately going into protective mode. She walked into the room, holding her coffee mug out for Steve to take. "Wait here for me." She ordered, giving him an angry glance before reaching an arm out for y/n, who quickly hopped off of the table. Natasha wrapped an arm around her, marching her out of the room before y/n could break down. "I've got you." She murmured seriously once they were away from everyone else. "How about you go get yourself a drink and meet me back at my room? I need to have a tiny chat with Steve."