Rectify | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Seventeen

Sunlight streams into the room sooner than I would have liked. I keep my eyes closed, feeling my slight hangover headache. I don't feel Bucky anywhere on the bed, he must have left after I fell asleep. Last night didn't go exactly as planned, but I think we were still able to have some fun for a little bit. Rolling over, I open my eyes and sit on the side of the bed, my feet barely touching the cool floor.

As I walk to the bathroom, I change out of last night's clothes and find something more comfortable to put on. I swallow some pain relievers, brush my hair, and splash my face with cool water to make myself feel not as grimy. I go down to the main area of the building, seeing Bucky already up and moving around.

"Good morning, sunshine." Bucky smiles as I slide my feet on the floor, going to take a seat at the island.

"Good morning, Buck. You're in a good mood this morning." I say, watching as he grabs some fruit from the fridge.

"I guess I just woke up on the right side of the bed." He smirks as he lays a bowl of raspberries in front of me.

"You're not mad about last night?" I ask as I pop a berry in my mouth. He scrunches his eyebrows together,

"No, why would I be mad about last night?" He asks and I shrug my shoulders.

"Because I got a little too tipsy and you punched a guy." I point out. I was a little nervous he was going to be upset because of how conspicuous we were last night, and that the incident may have put us on Hydra's radar if they're in the area.

"It was just a normal night out, things like that happen. It's not the first time I punched a guy in a bar, probably won't be my last. Plus, that guy was way out of line and he deserved it." He says, putting my nerves at ease.

"You get into a lot of bar fights back in the day?" I ask. I'm curious to know more about what his life was like before he fell off the train.

"Well, I wasn't the one who started them, that was all Steve. I just had to be the one to finish them." He explains. It's easy to forget Steve used to be an ordinary person before the serum.

"Well, thank you for finishing it last night. He wasn't going to let me go." I say, unintentionally taking the mood down a level.

"Like I said last night, you would do it for me if it were the other way around. There's not a chance I would've let him do anything to you." He says and turns back to resume whatever he was doing before I got here.

I think back to last night, and remember some of the finer details. Bucky was an observer, he liked to watch the people more than he interacted with them and that's probably why he didn't join me in dancing. I remember when we walked out, after Bucky punched the man, he called me sweetheart in the most tender and caring way possible. Though I know he did it to be nice, it still makes my tummy flutter thinking about it, along with the way he claimed me in front of the entire bar. I remember the warmth of his hand in mine the entire ride back and as I held it in bed.

I look at Bucky, who's busy cooking something. I can see the outline of his shoulder blades through his shirt, and the muscles in his arms are very noticeable. I would love nothing more than to experience the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms again, feel the gentle forehead kiss one more time. In another life I think things would've worked out for us, but unfortunately I'm stuck in this one and sentenced to forever long for someone I'll never be able to have.

Bucky turns around with a smile on his face, I don't know why he's so happy this morning. It's not a bad thing by any means, it's just a little out of character for him. I look at the pan in his hand, a perfectly cooked pancake in it. He looks like a little kid on Christmas who just got their most wanted gift.