The Winter Briar

table of contents

• PAIRING: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Failed Winter Soldier!Avenger!Reader

• SUMMARY: All is as it should be: love letters, milkshakes, and dancing. But in a blink of an eye, the simple love story of the sergeant and his general's daughter can escalate from romance to eventual bloodbath, and the plan of escape to find answers goes awry. An epic love story is delayed by almost a whole century when two lovers are turned into pawns; the other a killing machine and the other a constant last resort, a failed winter soldier — the Winter Briar.

• WARNING(S): STRAYS A BIT FROM CANON. a bit confusing and messy at first. time skips. usage of she/her pronouns. mentions of torture. arranged marriage. intentional formal language to match the era. character death/s. mentions of amputation. reader is a failed winter soldier. toxic family. reader's father is an established character. reader has a personality, too; and dialogue and choices may not reflect you just as they don't reflect me. ONLY ANGST, FLUFF, AND WHUMP.

A/N: I've never written a series before, so I hope y'all have a fun time reading this. It's already finished, but it will be released by schedule. And please, please, please comment skndhriea !! you don't have to read each description if you just want to read and see where it goes :)

This list may still be altered as it is not final.

YOU MAY SKIP THIS IF YOU WANT TO READ IT WITHOUT ANY BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE!

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JUNCTURE ONE: 20th Century Romance
I. NOTHING MATTERS BUT YOU // Their love's such a breath of fresh air; so young. This is the beginning of it all, and only time will tell if it is fortunate they ever met in the first place.
II. TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY // Affected by Bucky refusing to acknowledge you after what you don't know he'd seen a week ago, you subtly retaliate by taking an assigned suitor with you. Distraught by his disappearance and a wedding date set, you visit Steve, seeking a friend.
III. LOVE WALKED IN // Oh, to stay in this moment forever.
IV. FIVE HUNDRED MILES // Two lovers fall apart in the midst of a silent war as desperation gets the best of the both and empty graves are carved.

JUNCTURE TWO: The Soldier and the Briar
V. HERMIT THE FROG // Having forgotten his name, the Winter Soldier is sent to hunt down the escapee. If he has words programmed to have him forget, he also has words meant to let him remember.
VI. HEAVEN KNOWS I'M MISERABLE NOW // What used to be your dream is now a nightmare you're forced to live and seeing your own name etched on a tombstone is only second to what haunts you.
VII. SINK TO THE BOTTOM // Siding with Captain America, you find yourself fighting alongside the Winter Soldier.

JUNCTURE THREE: Death of a World
VIII. THE END OF THE WORLD // Reuniting once again only to part ways indefinitely
IX. I GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU VERY WELL // The aftermath of the snap, you go into hiding with an alibi of the mass disappearance, envious of those who've left.
X. WE MIGHT BE DEAD BY TOMORROW // Endgame

JUNCTURE FOUR: 21st Century Odyssey
XI. I WISH I WAS THE MOON // Recovering after the events of the Blip is a menace, but more so when you're alone. It's not easy for everyone. Temporary sanctuary at Madripoor with Sharon Carter leaves you feeling like a coward, and so you come to a final decision.
XII. STRANGERS // A spontaneous road trip to Tennessee, an overused playlist, and the Winter Soldier and the Winter Briar relinquish their names for good as they pay their good old friends a visit.
XIII. RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME // Did you hear about the girl who got frozen?
XIV. THIS WILL BE OUR YEAR // Finale.