(Gender Neutral Reader)
You were in disbelief. After everything you'd gone through together, he doesn't even mention it to you? You had to find out secondhand from Steve? He owed you more than that. He at least had to tell you himself.
Sprinting through the strange Wakandan facility, you hoped you would make it in time. Some people gave you confused, possibly even worried looks, but your mind was elsewhere. It was with the literal years you stood by him, the two of you helping each other through hell or high water, simply because you knew no one else would.
You had met Bucky while you were both on the run and underground. You tend to meet people in that kind of life, though most are only temporary acquaintances. But with Bucky, you both knew having someone to watch your back was smart. It took a few weeks to learn anything about his backstory, which was to be expected. He never mentioned, you never asked, and vice versa. Your mutual relationship reached the point of set-in-stone overtime. So when the best friend from another life found him, you were by his side through the whole thing. And Steve had to be the one to tell you Bucky was going back on ice?
When you reached the lab Steve said they'd be in, you shoved the door open with force. In retrospect, pretty dramatically, but you were pissed.
"Barnes!" you shouted, trying to fight the urge to tear up at the sight of him strapped into yet another cage. You had caught the attention of everyone in the lab with your outburst, but you held your fiery gaze on Bucky. "What the hell kind of bullshit is this?!" You started to stomp over to him, to his dismay, and your rage was quite noticeable.
"We'll, give you guys a minute," Steve nervously commented. He gave a nod to Wakanda's king, and the room promptly cleared out. Just you and Bucky.
Your intense glare hadn't lifted yet, and he was still shrunk down with slumped shoulders. "Y/N-"
"No, no, I think I should go first. Were you going to even mention this to me? Did it even cross your mind? Did I even cross your mind?" Your crossed your arms to match your defensive tone.
"Of course you did, Y/N." His lack of an explanation only stoked your hostility.
"So after all we've been through, all the nightmares, the mental breakdowns, hauling each other back from the edge...All the literal blood, sweat, and tears, you didn't think I deserved a head's up?! Just to let me know I would be without you for however long?!" Your voice was dangerously close to breaking, as the tears in your eyes were dangerously close to spilling. Bucky only continued to stare at the floor. Maybe it was to avoid seeing the hurt and betrayal brewing behind your eyes.
"I made a mistake in not telling you-"
"Damn right!" you interrupted as your hands traveled to your hips. "God, Bucky, how could you do this to me?"
"I'm doing this for you..." You almost had to strain your ears to hear his meek whisper. However, it caused all of you to soften.
"For me?" you all but whispered. How could he be doing this for you? The complete change in your tone was enough to get Bucky to finally look at you. And you saw why he was avoiding it until that point; He never wanted you to see him cry.
"You saw what I could do if someone just says those damn words. I can't be walking around with that time bomb in my head, not around you. That can't be a possibility in your life... And I know not telling you was stupid and unfair, I just thought you would try to talk me out of it. If anyone could, it's you." Bucky explained, voice shaking with every word, which pushed you closer to bawling yourself.
You let out a shaky sigh. With your shoulders deflating even more, you slowly stepped over to him. Tears had streaked down his cheeks and you were just as pained to see them. He didn't even make an effort to wipe them away. Your hands touched his shoulders with familiarity and as you expected, Bucky responded as he always did and leaned into your touch. Your chest even, and he let out sobs he'd been holding in for however long. Your arms instinctually wrapped tightly around him.
Unfortunately, seeing each other in this state was nothing new. You'd lost count of how many times you'd coaxed each other back to sleep through the years after vicious nightmares.
"I can't hurt you, Y/N... I can't," he mumbled into your chest before leaning back to face you. There was a moment of worry upon seeing tears staining your cheeks as well. You held his face delicately in your hands to swipe away the moisture gathering on his cheekbones. He, meanwhile, held onto your waist like a lifeline. You knew what you had to say to him. Staring down at the broken state he was in, you knew you had to support him.
"If you think this is best, then I'm by your side the whole way through. Just like always," you said through a pained and exhausted smile. You leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He sighed in relief at the touch. This wasn't the first time you two shared a confused and spur of the moment kiss, and you hoped it wouldn't be the last.
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Avengers Imagines
FanfictionMarvel Imagines including: Steve Rogers/Captain America Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier Tony Stark/Iron Man Clint Barton/Hawkeye Thor Odinson Peter Parker/Spider-Man Sam Wilson/Falcon Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow T'Challa Udaku/Black Panther Wanda...