The Earth's Child: A Bucky Barnes fanfiction

Scars Remain (*)

Warning: Slight smut towards the end

Bella smiled as she wiped Bucky's hair with a towel, smiling internally that he would stop looking like a long-haired, sad hobo.

She removed the towel from his head and saw two of the biggest, bluest and most adorable eyes looking at her. His hair was messed up but she combed it back with her fingers. His eyes had dark circles under them. He looked like the most beautiful person she had ever laid eyes upon. Since he was sitting on the bed, he was at eye level with her and she slowly bent forwards and touched his forehead with hers.

"My cute little panda bear," said Bella. "I could literally throw you on the bed and cuddle with you because you are so fuzzy and so soft." She ruffled his hair and he immediately puckered his lips to give her a small kiss.

"You decide," said Bucky, "what bear am I? A few days ago, you called me a koala, then you called me a grizzly, you always call me a boo bear. Two years ago, I had forgotten an umbrella and the Bucharest snow had completely enveloped me and you called me a polar bear. After sex, you call me a teddy bear. And now a panda?"

"You are my entire bears collection. You have no right to question what types of bears I keep in my collection. When I say you're a panda, you are a panda. When I say you're a koala, you are a koala."

"Okay Ma'am."

Bella made him lie down when Bucky grabbed her wrist, pulling her slightly forward.

"This is so wrong," said Bucky. "You were tortured for a year. I should be the one taking care of you, not the other way around."

"You are really tired, Bucky. And, if we consider time lapses, well, you were tortured for seventy years. So, maybe some care-taking is overdue." Bella traced a fingertip over the scar on his shoulder.

"How many times do I need to tell you that the tortures were different? Whatever they did to me, they made sure I was physically fit enough to fight. I was their asset. Yes, I didn't always like the way they treated me after missions, but the medical facilities were really good but most of the times; although, even with pretty detrimental wounds, I was given no painkillers because they didn't think it was necessary. But with you, they didn't care which part of you they broke. They didn't care whether you passed out from the pain or your heart failed to pump blood or if you died from excessive blood loss and pain. They just wanted to hurt you. My torture sessions were well spaced out, making sure I could recover. But yours, I can't even compare. The previous wounds had barely stopped bleeding when they started the next session. What you went through, was just pure torture that had no motive behind it but malice and vengeance."