Readers Assemble!

Assistance (Bucky Barnes x fem!reader)

"UGH!" you practically screamed at the jar of peanut butter that you simply couldn't open. You had broken your arm on the last mission and now everything was difficult. It was only your second day with the cast and you already hated it. You glared at the jar hoping it would open of its own free will. No such luck. You weren't one to give up and you most definitely were not going to ask for help from anyone. "Having trouble, Y/N?" you heard Bucky ask. You glared at him over your shoulder. "Nope, I got it." Bucky chuckled. He watched as you grabbed the peanut butter and brought it to your seat.

You sat down, squeezed the jar between your knees and opened it with your free hand. "HA!" you yelled triumphantly. Bucky shook his head. "You know you can ask for help," he told you before leaving the room again. You scoffed and grabbed the peanut butter with your good hand and attempted to make a sandwich. After your third attempt, you threw your bread away and settled for just eating peanut butter off a spoon. The truth was, you hated asking anyone for help. You were an Avenger for goodness sake!

You finished your peanut butter and decided that you needed a shower. You made your way up to the floor you shared with Bucky and Steve. Soon, you were ready to shower, but there was one problem...you couldn't get your cast wet and you desperately needed to wash your hair. You decided to wrap your cast in a plastic bag first and wash your body while you tried to figure out how to get your hair clean. You quickly did that, but you simply couldn't wash your hair effectively.

You dried yourself off as best you could and pulled on a robe. The robe fixed strangely because of your arm. The more you tried to do, the more frustrated you became. You let out an animal-like screech, picked up the nearest thing and threw it against the wall. Not two minutes later, your door burst open and a frantic looking Bucky was standing there. "Y/N? Are you alright?" You nodded and began crying.

"Whoa, Doll! Deep breathes. It can't be that bad," he told you, coming over to wrap high right arm around you in an awkward hug. "Yes. It is! I b-broke my f-favorite b-brush!" you wailed, burying your face in his chest. Bucky cocked a brow in confusion. "Um, how?" You pointed over to the wall. Bucky saw the small hole the brush had left and then moved his gaze down to the floor where your brush now lay broken in two. "Why did you throw it?"

"I can't do anything, Bucky! I can't even wash my hair and it's gross! It still has a bit of blood and debris from out last mission! Plus it stinks!" You began sobbing again. You may have been a highly trained Avenger, but you were still a woman and you wanted your hair to smell nice. "Okay, okay." Bucky rubbed small circles on your back until you were breathing normally again. "Bucky?" He pulled away a bit to look at you. "Will you please help me?"

Bucky gave you a smile. "Sure. Why don't you try and put on a swimsuit while I go run the bath? That way we don't have to rewrap that arm." You nodded and Bucky went to your bathroom. Once you heard the water, you moved to your dresser to find your bathing suit. A cute little tankini. You groaned again. It had been nearly a year since you wore it last and you had forgot that it tied at the top. You pulled it on and held the top against your chest.

Bucky came out of the bathroom with his eyes covered. "You're fine, Bucky. I, uh, need your help tying this, though," you told him and you felt your cheeks flush. Bucky quickly walked over and tied the top of your suit. "Bath is ready." He helped you into the tub so you could avoid getting your cast wet. You felt like a child as Bucky removed the showerhead and used it to wet your hair. After a moment, you felt his hands massaging the shampoo into your scalp. "Thanks for doing this, Bucky. I appreciate it," you whispered.

Bucky laughed softly. "It's no problem, Y/N. I told you, you can always ask for help. No one is going to think less of you." He grew quiet again as he rinsed the shampoo from your hair and then smoothed the conditioner through it. "I hate this." Bucky's hands stopped. You looked behind you and saw the look of hurt on his face. "Oh, no! Not this!" you cried motioning between him and your hair before continuing, "I hate having to rely on other people's assistance. It makes me feel useless." Bucky resumed combing the conditioner through your hair with his fingers.

"Youare not useless, Doll. How do you think I felt when I first joined the team? Noone really wanted me around except Steve. You are not useless. You'reinjured." You smiled at your friend and nodded. "Thanks, Buck."After a couple minutes of silence, Bucky rinsed the conditioner from your hairand then helped you from the tub. "Here you go. I really hope you can managegetting dressed on your own because honestly, I think it would be reallyawkward for me to see you naked...for you anyway." You gave him a littlesmack on the arm and laughed.