Bucky Barnes One Shots

Scars

You reluctantly wake as the morning sun shines through your lavender colored curtains. A soft groan leaves your lips as a last protest for leaving your peaceful slumber. Nights where you get more than a few uninterrupted hour sleep are rare these days; so you want to hold onto it as long as you possibly could. Most nights are spent either wide awake and miserable as you watch the time tick by on the clock, or your nights are spent sweating and thrashing around you bed as nightmares plague your unconscious mind. Your nightmares used to be so haunting that you'd stay awake for days just to avoid them, but sadly you've grown used to them, so you at least try to get some sleep in.

When the Avengers first recruited you from S.H.I.E.L.D. last year the never ending nightmares seemed to have calmed down some. You didn't know whether it was because you felt safe surrounded by the literal safest people in America; or if it was because every time you moved for the first few months you never slept deep enough to dream. That was until you got injured during a mission several months ago. Since that day your sleepless nights, or hours of mental torture reared their ugly heads yet again.

You turn over and throw your legs over the side of the bed; sitting up with a sour expression crave into your brows. After throwing your heavy duvet off of your body, and you stretch your arms up over your head; popping from your elbows down to your shoulders and then down your back. You let out a soft sigh, feeling only a tad bit better. You rub your sleep stained eyes and huff before you finally give up the fight to get out of bed. A painful groan escapes your lips as you stand and you remember the tumble you took yesterday as you were training with Natasha and Clint. You bend down and massage the side of you knee for a moment.

"Damn..." You huff, and reach into your nightstand to grab some ibuprofen.

Once you finally drag yourself to the bathroom, you use a small clear glass next the sink to get a little bit of water so you can take ibuprofen. After you swallow the two round pills you begin to brush your teeth. While obsessively avoiding your reflection in the mirror, you begin to get ready for the day. You style the front of your hair with two small braids and pin them back so they can hold the rest of your loose hair out of your face. Once you've finished washing your face you immediately reach over and grab the familiar pair of sunglasses off of the bathroom counter. Instead of resting on your ears they clip around the back of your head. Tony made them for you so they wouldn't come off while you train.

The injury happened on the last mission you went on with the Avengers. You haven't joined them on another one since; some of the is your decision and some of that is Tony and Steve being overprotective. Needless to say the mission didn't go as planned. Tony had sent you in uncover to a Hydra base to try and get intel on their new leader. Unfortunately, before the Avengers could get to you, your cover had been blown. Once the enemy realized you were previously a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under Director Fury; and now also working closely with the Avengers they immediately ambushed you. As punishment, the men who had captured you blinded you in one eye. 'Like leader, like soldier' the men had told you as a way to mock Fury's attempt to take them down.

By the time Tony and Steve had gotten to you, the damage was already done, and there was nothing the doctors at the Avenger's compound could do to reverse the damage to your eye and the surrounding tissue. You are left with deep scars around your eye socket; going up past your brow, and down to you cheek bone. You've been avoiding making eye contact with anyone since the doctor's released you to go back to active duty. You don't want to see more pity looks than you already notice. And you can't stand the staring or the questions, either.

After you are dressed for the day; you decide to head down to the floor of common rooms. Coffee was calling your name; you had woken up way earlier than you wanted to. With an hour to kill before training started with Nat and Clint, you figured you might even make yourself a solid breakfast instead of your typical bowl of cereal.