Complicated (Reader Avengers Romance)

You have a week

Bucky's POV

I sat at the bar, the small diner busy, filled with people enjoying their time with loved ones. Y/N always said they served the best burgers in New York, so when Steve walked in I wasn't surprised at all. His eyebrows rose in shock as he saw me sitting there. Ordering another drink I waited for him to join me. As he did I passed him the beer.

"How did you know to look here?" His eyes barely meet mine. He's riddled with guilt, years of friendship make that more than obvious. It wasn't his fault, I knew he'd protect her, no matter their differences in the past, he'd look out for her.
"Neither of you can cook and she stress eats." My tone was clipped but not harsh. He looked like he'd been through hell already.
"Doesn't explain how you knew." He leant on crossed arms as he looked over at me.
"She's my doll, I know her. Let me guess, best burgers in New York and a bottle of bourbon?"

Steve rolled his eyes and laughed as I guessed what he'd been sent out for. His face soon seemed to drop as he refused to look at me. "I can't stay long. All you need to know is she's safe. I'll protect her with my life."
I knew he would, that wasn't what bothered me. "That's my job Steve."

"Just leave it Buck, just for now."

My grip on the bottle of beer in my hand became dangerously tight. If I squeezed any harder I'm pretty sure it would shatter in my hands. The thought of Y/N being kept from me and Loki didn't sit right with me. It never would. "You know I can't just sit and do nothing Steve."

He sighs before he looks at me. "She knows. She needs time to finish what we started."

"What does she know?" My heart starts pounding, I think I know the answer but I don't want to admit it. His next two words plummet me into a world of regret. "Her parents."
I keep my face straight, holding back the heartbreak I'm feeling. The heartbreak isn't mine, it's hers. The man she loves killed her parents. I knew I should've told her long ago but I couldn't. I just couldn't break her heart like that. Now I couldn't even console her through this.

"She doesn't blame you." Steve watches me, a sad look on his face. "But finishing this. It's the closure she needs."
How could I deny her that? After everything I've done, I couldn't refuse it. She had more right than anyone to heal. I wouldn't stand in the way of that. I wanted nothing more than to go to her, to beg her forgiveness. Yeah I know I need to let her come to me. With a sigh I look at Steve. "You have a week. I'll distract Loki as long as I can." Downing my beer, I clap him on the shoulder as I leave. The urge to follow him is almost unbearable, but I need to put her before me.

I have no idea how I'm going to keep Loki from looking for her, but I have to try. For now I'm heading home, ready to distract the beautiful god who better be waiting in my bed.

***

You were sat working through all the options available to you. One name popping up time and time again. Alexander Pierce. Head of the security council. If anyone had the power to hide all this from SHIELD it was him. You couldn't quite bring yourself to blame Nick, it wasn't him. He'd worked too hard to get you back, to try and kill you off now. Printing off all the information you could come across, you stuck it all on to the walls around the small safehouse.

You groaned and threw your pen at the wall in frustration. It landed just beside the door as Steve walked in. "Bad time?"

You ignored him and went straight for the burger in his hand. Sitting in the middle of the floor you bit into the edible art. Flavours exploding in your mouth as you did. Steve joined you not long after. Passing you a glass of bourbon as he did. You took a large gulp, savouring the burn and woodsy tones to it.

You both sat in silence, looking around the room. "You did all this in the hour I was gone?"
You turned to him, mouth full of food and shrugged. He seemed to of forgotten who you were. You could find information where there was none to be found. Swallowing your mouthful you looked over at him. "It's Pierce."
You watched at he tried to figure out what you meant. A lightbulb soon seemed to go off in his mind. "Alexander Pierce?" You nodded.

"How the hell do we bring down the head of the world security council?" Steve asked, more to himself than you.
"With a lot of this." You held the bottle up. "And one hell of a plan."

That's how you spent the next week. Steve running out for food and alcohol as and when needed. Day by day you felt more guilty. Steve told you about his run in with Bucky, you couldn't imagine how he was feeling. You didn't blame him, you knew more than anyone what it was like to lose that ability to choose. You were angry that he hadn't told you, but there wasn't a single cell in your body that blamed Bucky. All this planning, the staying awake for hours on end. It wasn't just to take down the bad guys, it was to get back to him. To get back home, you felt empty without Loki and Bucky. It wasn't going to be easy, that much you knew, but you had no choice.

Steve was out on a food run when you jumped up, fist bumping the air. "Fucking yes!"

"Language!" Steve scolded as he walked in the door.

"I've got it!" You bounded over to him excitedly. "We need Nick though. There's a database, deep within SHIELD. Everything on it connects Pierce to Hydra."

Steve smiled at you, pride in his eyes. "Knew you'd figure it out. Come on let's eat and have a drink then we'll figure out getting Fury on board."

After you'd stuffed yourselves silly, the burner phone started ringing. No one had the number, you answered it with caution. Not saying a word, not wanting to give away that it was you. "Y/N. I know you're there. It's Nick. He's been attacked." It was Nick's most trusted agent, Maria Hill.

You heart dropped, you'd gotten so close and now it was about to go up in flames. "Where?"

"Bethesda, Maryland."

With that you hung up, pulling Steve along with you. You were worried, not for how it would effect what you were doing, but for the man that had believed in you when no one else did. The man that had given you a chance when many wanted you locked away. You climbed into the car and Steve wasn't far behind you. The smell of burning rubber filled the air as you sped away.