Readers Assemble!

You Understand Me (Bucky Barnes x disabled fem!reader)

You clenched your fists in rage as you felt your leg starting to act up yet again. The bionic leg that you hated sometimes since the doctors that designed it hadn't worked out all the kinks yet. It was difficult to fit a bionic leg to an Avenger. Bruce was constantly having to fix or tweak something in the leg. Still, it could have been worse. You knew that. You could not have gotten the replacement and you knew you should be grateful, but it was hard sometimes. Especially since no one really understood what you were going through. Well, no one except Bucky.

Bucky with his mechanical arm knew what it meant to literally lose a piece of yourself. He knew that you were never the same after that. The only problem was that Bucky never had anyone to help him deal with his loss, so he didn't know how to help you cope with yours. Not to mention the fact that he still had a hard time talking to most people. It wasn't easy for him to break HYDRA's programming, but he tried. He'd pass by you and return the little smiles you gave him and he would be the first to run you to Bruce's lab if something went wrong with your leg. He hardly said a word though. Not until that day. When you needed assitance and Bruce wasn't around.

Bucky was leaving the gym when he saw you hit the floor. You let out a string of swears that would make a sailor blush while you tried to push yourself back up. That was something Bucky admired about you. Your determination. You wanted to do things yourself despite your handicap. "Hold on, Y/N." Your head shot up at the sound of Bucky's voice. Bucky was at your side in a flash, scooping you up in his arms. "Let's get you to Dr. Banner." You frowned. "Bruce isn't here. He was needed for the mission with Tony. They left about an hour ago."

The soft-looking pink lips of Bucky Barnes turned down into a frown. "Oh." You bit your lip as you worked up the courage to ask exactly what you'd come down to ask. You hated asking for help, but if you had to ask someone, you'd choose Bucky every time. "C-Could you take a look at it?" Bucky's eyes widened nervously. "Uh...wouldn't you rather wait for Dr. Banner?" You shook your head. "I can't. Please, Bucky. I trust you." That surprised him. Why would anyone trust him? The man who'd used his own mechanical limb to cause so much damage and death? "You do?" A nod.

With that, Bucky headed for the lab and set you down on one of the tables. He scanned your leg to see if he could pinpoint the problem without having to take the whole apart or remove it completely from your body. He wasn't sure he'd be able to reattach it. Luckily, it seemed an easy fix and Bucky went to work. For several minutes, he worked in silence as you watched him with curious (e/c) eyes. Then, he spoke. "You said you trust me with this. Why?" You gave him a smile he didn't really see. "Because you understand me." That made him look up.

"You understand what it's like to lose a piece of yourself. To not feel whole. You understand what it means to have a mechanical limb malfunction in one way or another. You know what it's like to have people look at you in pity because you aren't the same person you physically were before your accident." The whole time you spoke, Bucky's eyes never left yours. The words sank into his mind and he realized that you were right. He'd never really thought about it before, but that was probably why he felt so close to you more than anyone else. Because the two of you understood one another better than anyone else could.

"You okay, Bucky?" Bucky shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah. I never really thought about it like that before. Thanks, Doll." You smiled again. "Anytime, Buck. Now, what's the damage?" Bucky glanced back down at your leg. "Doesn't seem too bad. It'll just take a minute." He fell silent again for just moment as he repaired the damage. "There. Good as new. Now, what do you say we grab a pizza?" You laughed softly. "Sounds great. And we can swap metal limb stories while we wait for the others to come back." Bucky let out a hearty chuckle. "That's my kind of night, Doll. Let's go."