The Earth's Child: A Bucky Barnes fanfiction

Smile

Bella hissed in pain as Bucky's finger lightly brushed her back when he fastened the soft cotton ribbon of her dress behind her back. She would have done it herself but lifting her arms up stretched the taut wounds on her back, making them bleed. So, obviously, Bucky did them for her. She was slightly upset that she would now have to take insulin shots for three weeks. She looked down at her right hand and smiled as she saw that Bucky had already put the silver teddy bear ring on her ring finger.

"So," began Bella, as Bucky gently combed through her almost dry hair. Bella realised that drying her hair was now faster, one of the perks of her condition. "You went shopping?"

"Shuri didn't let me see you for a week," grumbled Bucky, "so Nat took me out. She said that you would need backless clothes with this condition."

An unexpected laughter bubbled out of her mouth as Bucky stopped combing and looked at her, cocking an eyebrow and basically daring her to laugh again. And she did laugh.

"I can't imagine," said Bella, in between hysterical giggles, "the Winter Soldier, standing in a lingerie store, and looking for some stick-on bras for his wounded girlfriend."

"It was pretty embarrassing," said Bucky, his face slightly red. "Nat had somehow abandoned me and there I was, speaking to a female shopkeeper, asking her to give me something that didn't have coarse straps or metal fittings or tight elastic. I didn't even know these things had a name until she handed me these. I couldn't even look her in the eye when she smiled sympathetically and said that these were enough to cover your nipples. I wanted to kill Nat for making me go through that."

"Were you wearing that baseball cap?"

"What- what difference does it make?"

"Just tell me."

"Yes. I feel secured in that and I don't like going out in public without it."

Bella giggled again.

"What is so funny?" yelled Bucky.

"Not funny," mumbled Bella. "It's just, you were very lucky that I wasn't there. Otherwise, the moment I would have looked into your cute little face under that cap, asking a shopkeeper about bras, and then being handed a box after being told the word 'nipples', I would have pinned you to the floor and made you beg for mercy. Twice!"

Bucky's face turned red again and he smiled.

"God," he said, "I really missed you."

He put his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest. She took a long deep breath before relaxing completely in his arms. He supported her entire weight because she couldn't really depend on her own legs.

"You can talk to me," said Bucky, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I want you to talk to me."

"About what?" said Bella, even though she knew what he was talking about.

"You don't have to keep it all inside. I know you, doll. And I know how arduous holding back pain and fears can be. I did that for a while and I don't want you to go through that."

"I- I don't want to. Just- remembe- just trying to narrate that- I can't. It's like, I can feel it all again. Just, every time they- whenever-"

"Hush, doll," said Bucky, squeezing her tighter when he felt her body tensing and shaking, like a dry leaf in a high wind. Her voice quivered, words punctuated by broken sobs. He couldn't listen to that, not when she still couldn't stand up steadily on her feet. "I meant talk when you are ready. Not now, doll. Not when their mere memories can cause you enough pain to make you cry."