The Winter Cowboy || Bucky x Reader

Chapter 3

You and Bucky had been working on the cabins for a week, doing so in almost complete but comfortable silence. At the end of the week you had found Bucky had returned the pile of books you had left him, neatly stacked on the floor in front of your bedroom door. The previous night you had heard a laugh in the middle of the night – you heard it right when you were falling asleep and brushed it off as a dream. Now you wondered if it had been Bucky. The idea made you smile. When you were in the process of returning the books to your shelf, you found a note sticking out of one of the books.

Thanks for the books. I already read the Hobbit back in 1937. Do you have more?

Bucky

You stared at the surprisingly neat handwriting for a moment, allowing your fingers to trace the letters. You felt a smile creep on your lips as you perused your shelves for worthy successors. You settled on The Lord of the Rings, guessing Bucky would like to know how the story continued. Your fingers lingered for a moment on your favourite book of all time. The cover of the book was well-worn and the pages were sprawled with notes and tabs. You didn't quite feel comfortable yet to share that part of you. You settled for The Silence of the Girls and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

After three days Bucky had started making attempts at casual conversation during the lunchbreaks you guys took, sitting on top of the roof of the cabin with your legs dangling off the edge. You could tell he wasn't used to casual social interaction, as being an enhanced mind-controlled super soldier probably didn't allow him much time to chat about the weather. His attempts were often awkward, rushed and were either overly polite or crude and too straight to the point. His latest question was as awkwardly formulated as the others and made you smile at the clumsiness of it all.

"So- why did you father name you after a legume?" Bucky uttered bluntly before biting into his sandwich. You laughed loudly at the sudden question and tried to tone down your reaction as you saw the confused look on Bucky's face, wondering if he had somehow offended you. Guilt crept into his eyes and you could tell an apology was forthcoming. You stopped him.

"It's a nickname," you chuckled, "—he's called me that ever since I was born." He seemed to contemplate that fact for a moment, the frown on his face softening as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"My turn," you started, deciding his current display of openness should be exploited.

"Turn? Are we playing a game?" he scoffed. He reminded you of your grumpy grandfather when he had first tried using a smartphone.

"Yes. And it's my turn," you grinned as you pursed your lips together, thinking about which question to ask. You saw Bucky looking at you, the smallest of smirks on his lips as he studied your troubled face. His inquisitive eyes were not as guarded as they had been when you met him for the first time, and right now they were making you feel like he was figuring you out. Like you were a puzzle he wanted to solve. You felt your cheeks flush and quickly looked away, rolling your lips together nervously.

"Alright. Why did you join the army when you were younger?" you asked. You had thought about it for a while now, thinking about your brother who was half a world away, repairing M1 Abrams tanks in a deadly warzone. To you, he was still the geeky twenty-five year old who would call in sick for school and sneak off to sci-fi-conventions in the city. You wondered what prompted young men and women to want to submit themselves to giving up their lives like that. 

"Well— Back then I was desperate to prove myself. Also I was way too cocky," he started. You chuckled softly at his comment, you had somewhat expected the star-spangled-fight-for-your-country reply. "It wasn't until I was in way too deep that I realized what it truly meant to be a soldier. When I started, it had been all fun and games. My head was in the clouds and my mind on the ladies until I was finally deployed. That changed everything."