The Winter Soldier is Still Here (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x reader)

Emergency Pt. 2

READER POV

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I watched as the glass began to crack and flecks of glass began to fly to the floor on my side of the glass encasement. I could feel my eyes continue to grow wider than they were the previous second, despite that everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

I wondered if he could, in fact, break through the glass. Will Steve get here in time? Will Bucky realize he's Bucky? Looking at all of the concrete surrounding me, would this be the last time I see Bucky? If this was the end, would he be able to forgive himself and move on? His fist broke through the glass, just as that realization broke through every wall in my mind. His fist began to pull pieces of glass away so that there would be a whole large enough for him to get through. With each punch, I felt my survival instincts finally kicking in and I found myself stepping slowly back. I had to try again.

"Bucky, I know. Do you hear me? I know, Bucky. Please, Bucky, this isn't you. Don't do this! Come back to me."

I found my back against the wall. He acknowledged my words, but they seemed only to anger him more.

My mind began to whirl: "Don't panic. No, not yet. Sometimes before it gets better. The darkness gets bigger."

Out loud my thoughts continued: "Sometimes the person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger." I felt the tears fall down my cheeks as I realized this was going to be it. My voice began to crack as I almost silently said as I watched him step through the glass wall: "Oh, we're fading fast. I miss missing you now...and then."

He heard every word I said. He stopped and looked at me, breathing heavily. I could have sworn I saw his eyes flash blue. He looked lost, confused, and for just an instant like he recognized me and I wasn't an enemy.

"Bucky?"I whispered.

His face became cold again and he started to run towards me. I turned away, trying to crawl into the wall, waiting for the strike of the Winter Soldier. I didn't want my last view of Bucky to be the aggressive one of the Winter Soldier. Instead, I felt no expected blows from his metal fist, but the sound of punches being thrown reached my ears.

When I looked back, I couldn't believe my eyes. Natasha was fighting Bucky. Was she defending me? Her movements were so quick. Bucky was on the ground. Nat straddled him, throwing continual punches to his head with all the force she could muster. I barely could see her face, but I noticed the wetness on her cheeks from tears. She didn't want to be doing this. The tears must have blocked her vision just enough that he had an opportunity to get off the ground, carrying her with him. He threw her in my direction. She crashed into me and he wasn't far away. As his punch came towards us, she reached around and grabbed my neck, yelling "duck" as she pulled me down. He grabbed her, lifting her off the ground, giving her the opportunity to wrap her legs around his shoulders and flip them both, giving her the power once again. In between breaths I heard her yelling at me

"Run! (Y/n)! Run, get out of here."

Once the words registered, I made my way to the elevator doors. I heard a cracking noise and turned around to see Bucky...the Winter Soldier holding Natasha by the throat high on the wall. The cracking noise must have been her skull hitting the concrete. Her face was turning purple but I could hear her whisper:

"James. Please...ju-st..recognize me."

I couldn't just leave her. I couldn't let this happen.

"BUCKY!" I screamed as loud as I could. He acted as though he didn't hear me. I took off my shoe and threw it at him because I couldn't think of anything safer to do. It hit his right arm and simultaneously got his attention. He dropped Natasha to the ground and even as tiny as she was, her body made a thud as she hit. She was unconscious, the Winter Soldier was anything but. He was approaching me now, surely to do the same or worse to me. I couldn't think of anything to do but quickly fall back against the wall and collapse, holding my legs to my chest and hiding my face in my knees.