The Winter Highlander || Bucky x Reader

Part 13

Note before reading:

Shit. Is. Going. Down. Thank you for all the lovely comments on the previous chapters, I struggle not to laugh at them while I read them in class, which is weird because my students look at me funny and all I can think is; Oh my god, what if they ever find my shit. Only two chapters left after this. I am in mourning.

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Your breath failed you as you heard Oliver's words repeated in your mind a million times over.

Where is my fiancé?

That final word felt foreign in your mind. You hadn't called Oliver that in months.

Never, in a hundred lifetimes had you considered that he might think things were not yet over. That all the horrible things you had done to each other could still be salvaged, and turned into something beautiful.

And here you were; in the home of another man whose heart you were also about to break while the previous one was still desperately trying to put together the pieces of his. You felt like a terrible person. No, not even a person. A terrible thing.

A static voice sounding from the phone in your hand brought your attention back to earth; realizing that at that very moment Bucky stood face to face with Oliver outside of your home.

It was Bucky's voice.

"W-what?" was all he was able to utter, his voice a mix of confusion and hurt, sending a gut stabbing feeling through your heart that you were sure would never heal. Not with a thousand stitches.

When you heard your name uttered over the phone in Oliver's loud voice, you had to squeeze your eyes shut to stop the tears from welling up in your eyes as you realized things had finally come full circle to serve you justice.

"B-Bucky-" was all you managed to stutter into your phone before Bucky ended the call. You gasped for air desperately as you sank to your knees, and allowed your tears to stream down your face for what seemed to be an eternity. You moarned the idea that you would never again see the coral blue of his eyes, bright with the first rays shining through the bedroom window while his fingers painted patterns on your skin.

It took you far too long before you found clothes to wear next to Bucky's Pixies shirt that was still on your upper body. The scent of him seemed so intensely stronger now; like your mind was trying to remember every single thing about James Bucky Barnes before he too would disappear from your life. Only this time it wasn't by choice.

As soon as you had pants and shoes on, you bolted out of his cabin into the dark of the night. The flurry of snow was incredibly heavy as you stumbled down the hill, almost losing your footing twice as you ran into the village; a stinging pain in your side as you refused to stop for anyone or anything. You had no idea what you would say to them, whether you would be able to face Bucky's eyes right now.

You barely felt the cold even though you hadn't zipped up your coat or put on another layer of clothing. All you could think about were the two angry heartbroken men waiting on the other side of town. You didn't know if they would be angry, sad or disappointed. You did know you deserved it all.

Your footsteps slowed down as you made it to the end of the main street, seeing a lonely figure leaning against the door of your café, the lights inside were on. You stopped walking altogether when you made out Bucky's figure in the dark; leaning against the shopwindow with his head bent low and his eyes glued to his feet. He didn't want you to see the red of his eyes.

You knew he was aware that you were there; you hadn't exactly been quiet as you had run into town.

It took an incredible amount of effort for you to move your feet towards him; dreading every step to the inevitable hurt you would find on his face. The hurt that you had caused. Tears still streamed down your face as you made your way up to him, stilling your shoes in front of his. Your eyes sought his, but he kept his shut to hide the redness in his eyes from you, to pretend his heart hadn't shattered into a million pieces.