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#the bucky trials
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I don’t know if any of you were aware and/or care, but this is a fic that I posted back in 2021 under the title “The Bucky Trials”. It was my most popular fic, which was very gratifying. However, due to my mental health struggles taking a turn for the worse, I decided to delete my AO3 account and start over. I’m reposting the story, and this is the link. 
Thank you for your kindness! :) ♥️
Chapters: 21/? Fandom: Captain America (Movies), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Rebecca Barnes Proctor Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Original Characters, Riley (Captain America movies), Arnim Zola, Shuri (Marvel), Ayo (Marvel) Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff, Slow Burn, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Feels, Sam Wilson is a Gift, Therapy, Mental Health Issues, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra is the worst, Bucky Barnes & Shuri Friendship, Past Brainwashing, Past Whump, Past Abuse, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Sam Wilson, Whump, Bucky Barnes Whump, Sam Wilson Needs a Hug, Protective Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, Sam Wilson Feels, Awesome Sam Wilson, Hurt Sam Wilson, Sam Wilson-centric, Sam Wilson is So Done, Evil Arnim Zola, Mentioned Arnim Zola, Creepy Arnim Zola, Nightmares, Sam Wilson Has Nightmares, Sam Wilson Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes Has Panic Attacks, Awesome Shuri (Marvel), Mentioned suicide Summary:
HYDRA did their damndest to break Bucky Barnes, and they quite nearly did. And then the government decided to put him on trial for his "crimes" as the Winter Soldier. And then, and then, and then...Bucky simply wants a break, and for the chance to feel comfortable in his own skin.
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icedgarlic · 1 month
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thesunwillart · 1 year
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i haven’t ever drawn 616 sambucky so ty to the anon for suggesting them!!
(the winter solider/death of cap arcs were the first marvel comics i read :’) ... however long ago that was lol)
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mondritter · 6 months
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Every now and then I remember the time when Bucky fought against Ursa Major in Gulag and how he won even though he was a simple human (with a bionic arm ofc but you know what I mean xD)
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One of my silly little hopes is to see an adaptation of the arcs: The Trial of Captain America (or Bucky Barnes at least) and Gulag.
(I'm delusional I know 🤡)
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.
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For those interested:
Trial of Captain America: Captain America (2004) #611-615 & #615.1
Gulag: Captain America (2004) #616-619
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One more time.
Rusted, daybreak, furnace.
One more time.
Homecoming, nine, benign.
One more time?
One more time.
Again and again.
Over and over.
There's something nagging at him. A strange pull, tugging him forwards.
His body is in a void.
His spirit desolate.
His life meaningless.
His breath quickens.
The pull.
It's not a sharp slap. It doesn't hit like a bullet. It's gentle. It doesn't demand, it coaxes. And he follows. Like a dog on a leash, unaware of what their owner is planning. Unsure of what's ahead, he blindly trusts something he can't comprehend.
It only makes his nervous energy worse.
His heartbeat picks up.
He stumbles.
He can't see in the dark.
There's only one pair of footsteps echoing in these halls.
Yet he can feel the warmth of something so familiar.
His world in a haze, mind ablaze, he's desperate to look up and look. Who's there, why is he here?
Where's his arm.
It's so cold.
If you were offered the gift of prophecy, would you take it? Would you want it? If you were able to freeze time for a fraction of a second and see what happens immediately after, would you keep your sanity in tact?
If you had weeks to prepare, would you?
If you had a few days to warn, would you?
If you had a split second before the bullet hits your skull, would you have the time to move out of the way?
Could you? Would you?
The Soldier follows.
And the world collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
And it collapses.
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...Right.
Mission report. Who was the man on the bridge?
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micamicster · 7 months
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Its odd how I’ve been losing my mind over stucky losing the ao3 poll and pretty much ignoring that destiel is losing to mulder/scully but the thing is. You can’t deny mulder/scully’s impact. Like yes destiel may be personally responsible for every epic high and low I experienced throughout high school and college BUT. Mulder/scully are a serious ship. Ofdm is simply too new
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eganeyes · 19 days
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clegan | Chilly, NIKI
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Alright, we’re back, and I am so ready for these next few chapters!
Steve’s on trial, and of course I had to bring in some familiar faces to help his case!
I really hope you guys are enjoying this story, because it is literally taking over my life and I’m so excited to share it with you <3
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lbibliophile-mcu · 2 years
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A question of agency
A blade by itself is not dangerous; inert until a force is applied.
Sometimes this force is unintentional, merely a consequence of some other action. Sometimes the force is deliberate but the effects are not – miscalculated or diverted. And yes, sometimes the weapon is used with intention to hurt or kill.
In this last case, fault for the harm lies not with the blade, but with the intent.
This is question at the heart of the Winter Soldier case. You have seen the evidence; is the Winter Soldier the weapon or the wielder?
Was he the gunman… or the gun?
---
Also on AO3
For: Whumptober 2022 - day 16: mind control @buckybarnesbingo - judge, jury, executioner
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the-faultofdaedalus · 2 years
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ok so i wasn’t really gonna have bucky play any major part in remortal au but how fucking funny would it be if after he’s found and brought back he takes one look at tony, kinda squints, and just goes “… i shot you”
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gay-jewish-bucky · 2 years
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yes Nat does make more sense. although MCU has a thing with Steve and a Carter, so I rather have him with Sharon
very true sadly 😭
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chaossmagic · 6 months
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BUCKY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN??
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So it begins.
That makes it sound dramatic. I'm a little nervous. It's the CEO.
Well, I can't exactly fail this. I need to be charming, witty. Draw you in, be a good businessman.
This is... probably the most important thing I'll be doing with my time.
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ellemj · 6 months
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Needs & Wants - Sex Pollen Trope Pt. 1
Bucky Barnes x Reader
Summary: When you're both exposed to an unknown chemical in the field, things go from bad to worse.
Warnings: prelude to obvious smut, talk of masturbation, talk of unprotected sex, profanity, use of y/n, MINORS DNI, 18+!!!
Feel free to comment and let me know if this requires more warnings.
Word Count: 2.8k
Author's Note: Just messing around on here and seeing where I end up. I want to write an absolutely filthy part 2 but if this doesn't get anywhere I may scrap it lmao.
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            Every. Damn. Time. Something goes sideways every damn time. You want to blame Fury for making the two of you partners to begin with. What the hell did he see between the two of you that made him think missions would ever end in anything other than the two of you butting heads? You sigh deeply and rub your temples with the pads of your left thumb and middle finger, squeezing your eyes shut as you will yourself not to kick Bucky clear across the lab. You know what Fury saw between the two of you, and as much as you hate to admit it, when you’re in absolute life-or-death situations, you and Bucky work together better than any other partner you’ve ever had in the field. Even Nat.
            Dropping your hand from your face and opening your eyes, your gaze lands on Bucky. He stands at one of the lab benchtops in the center of the room, his eyes narrowing as he examines an array of monitor screens before him. You can make out an organized table of data along with a few charts on the monitor to his left, but that’s not what draws your attention. The second monitor, the one right in front of him, displays a few words that have you on edge.
            Confirmed nitric oxide stimulant capabilities. New formula contains increased quantity of aqueous extract of dried tuberous roots of C. borivilianum.
            Shit. This can’t be what you think it is, but with your medical background and your old medical microbiology classes from before joining SHIELD and the Avengers, you know that there’s a very slim chance that you’re misinterpreting what you’re reading. You step forward now, gently pushing Bucky’s arm to move him away from the monitors so you can get a better look at the data. He begins snapping pictures and immediately sending them back to the team. You can feel his eyes on you as you study the graphs and tables. He’s not used to you being this quiet, he knows something’s up.
            “What are we looking at?” He finally speaks up, his gaze drawn to the colorful graph displayed on one of the monitors.
            “I don’t know.” You lie straight through your teeth, reaching for the keyboard that controls the monitors. You press the right-facing arrow key and the page that said something about nitric oxide disappears, quickly replaced being replaced by a row of video clips, each one titled with a trial number and date. It looks like HYDRA was running trials in this experiment for months.
            “Bullshit. Why won’t you tell me what it is?” Bucky asks. His tone is sharp, impatient. He isn’t used to being the one who doesn’t know what’s going on, and it’s bothering him. He gnaws on the inside of his cheek and waits in silence for you to say something, to say anything. You hover the cursor over the first video clip, dated three months ago from today, Trial #1. Everything in you is screaming not to watch it, not to click on it and confirm your suspicions, but you’re here for a reason. You have an easy job here today: break into the HYDRA facility, collect samples and any data that goes along with what they’ve been working on for the past few months, and then destroy the facility on your way out. Sam and Torres planned it out so perfectly, making sure it would be vacant for the next 13 hours so you and Bucky could slip in and get the job done under the radar. They planned it for two months, doing recon and coming up with contingency plan after contingency plan. You need to confirm your suspicions and get as much evidence as possible before blowing the place to bits.
            You glance over your shoulder at Bucky, and his blue eyes meet yours with a hint of concern. He hates when you’re quiet like this, he hates those rare moments in the field when he can’t read your mind. What the hell are you thinking? What aren’t you telling him? He knows you well enough to know that you’re nervous about whatever you’re seeing here.
            You click the video link and a slightly grainy image of a padded square room fills the screen. The floor and walls are gray and there isn’t any furniture in the room, only what looks to be a set of shackles on the back wall. A shiver runs down your spine and you pull your phone out, typing up a message to Bruce Banner while you wait for something to happen on screen.
You: A chemical compound that stimulates NO and uses aqueous extract of C. borivilianum…is it going to be what I think it is?
            As your message sends, Bucky reaches around you, his chest brushing against your back, and he uses the mouse to fast forward the video until people are appearing on screen. You watch as presumably a HYDRA agent shoves a woman into the room, obviously an unwilling participant in the experiment. She doesn’t fight much as she’s placed in the shackles on the wall, but it’s obvious that she’s weak and likely drugged. The HYDRA agent briefly steps out of view of the camera, before returning with a second captive, a man this time. He’s large, muscular, and has a dark look in his eye. You feel Bucky stiffen up behind you, realizing at the same time as you that this man is a super soldier. Your phone vibrates in your hand and you steal a look at the response from Banner.
Banner: Yes.
            Fuck. The next two minutes of the video are pure horror, even though nothing particularly horrific happens before you slam your hand down on the spacebar, pausing the clip abruptly. You both watched on as a cloudy vapor was pumped into the room through vents, and then watched on as the super soldier became more and more restless, sweaty, and crazed. As soon as the female captive began whimpering and pulling against her shackles, with her eyes trained on the super soldier a few feet to her left, you couldn’t let the video play any longer.
            “Tell me what it is.” Bucky says evenly from behind you. You swallow hard and reach into one of the pockets of your tactical pants, pulling out a device similar to a USB and plugging it into the computer before you. As all of the data and video clips begin to transmit through the device, back to Sam and Torres, you turn around and face your partner.
            “HYDRA hasn’t been able to recreate the super soldier serum. They haven’t made any progress at all since Zemo killed Dr. Nagel.” You say slowly, choosing your tone and words carefully. You don’t want to say too much and leave Bucky as terrified as you are right now, but you also know you can’t keep this from him. Not when you need him to understand how fucking careful you’re both going to have to be from now until the end of this mission.
            “I know that. What are we here for, y/n?” His tone is growing more and more impatient, his jaw ticking as he stares down at you. God, he can’t ever just shut up and listen. You put your hand on his chest, shoving him a few steps back and walking across the lab, to the glass refrigerator in the far corner. It’s full of vials of a clear liquid, each sealed at the top and marked with a label full of scientific terms.
            “They got desperate, and turned to even more barbaric methods of creating super soldiers. They started experimenting with chemical compounds that induce a primal need in those exposed.” You explain carefully. You pause now, turning to look back at Bucky once more. You see realization spread across his face and he quickly comes to understand what you’re saying. It’s a fucking sex pollen.
            Static crackles in your in-ear briefly before Sam’s voice reaches you both.
            “Banner and Stark just finished reviewing some of the data you shared. This is not something that either of you want to be exposed to.” Sam advises, and you can hear Torres in the background typing away on a keyboard.
            “Yeah, no shit.” You mutter, retrieving a pair of nitrile gloves from a box on the benchtop nearby and setting up the small lockbox that you brought for samples. You open it to reveal a padded interior, with enough room for three vials. The rest will have to be destroyed.
            “Just grab the samples, rig the place to blow, and get the hell out of there. I don’t want you in there any longer than you have to be.” Sam’s orders spur Bucky into action, and he starts setting up explosives around the corners of the lab while you get ready to retrieve the samples from the fridge. If only you’d known that HYDRA was one step ahead.
            It happened so fast that you didn’t even have time to try to protect yourself. The moment that you pulled open the small door to the fridge full of samples, that same cloudy vapor you saw in the video clip began to rush in from every air vent in the lab.
            “Shit.” You mumble, reaching into the fridge and grabbing three vials. You quickly place them into the lockbox and seal it, knowing that you’ll definitely need samples to test now that you’ve both been exposed.
            “Sam, we’ve got a problem.” Bucky is as calm as ever, though his voice comes out slightly annoyed. Of course he’d sound annoyed in this moment. He’s been exposed to a sex pollen alongside the partner that he can only get along with when they’re staring death right in the face. He heaves a weighty sigh before stalking over to you and snatching the lockbox from the benchtop. He quickly slides his backpack off, shoving it inside, and then heading for the exit, without checking to see if you’re on his heels or not. You strip off your gloves and bound after him. The gravity of the situation hasn’t hit either of you yet, but oh, it will soon enough.
--
            Bucky weaves his motorcycle in and out of traffic almost recklessly, with your arms clutched around his abdomen. It’s only been fifteen minutes since you were both exposed but you swear that you’re starting to feel the effects. Your cheeks are hot and flushed under your helmet, your hands are shaking as adrenaline courses through your veins, and your heart is racing. If you hadn’t been on the back of a motorcycle with Bucky so many times in the past, you would’ve chalked your symptoms up to this experience, but it’s definitely not that.
            “Loosen up, are you trying to do the Heimlich on me or something?” Bucky spits out, his voice playing in your helmet. You do as he says, loosening your hold and taking a deep breath in. You don’t say anything in response, which furthers the tension between you both. It’s been fifteen minutes of stressful silence and Bucky’s losing his damn mind. He wants you to give him shit like you usually would when a mission goes sideways. He wants you to lash out, tell him to stop driving like an ass, he wants you to say anything so he knows you’re okay. He can’t fucking stand the silence.
            He guides the bike down the long dirt road to the safe house you stayed in last night, and you hop off before he’s even put the kickstand down. He watches as you rush up the steps of the small cobblestone house, yanking off your helmet in one swift movement before you key the code into the door and force it open. You’re feeling the effects of the chemical pulsing through your veins, you’re feeling it and you’re trying to keep it from him.
--
            “It’s a very complex compound. A nitric oxide stimulant, utilizing both natural and man-made components. It’s basically a super soldier version of Viagra and ecstasy all in one.” Bruce says, addressing both you and Bucky through the video call. Concern and stress are etched into his soft features as he stands in the lab of the Avengers compound, his arms crossed and glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. “You’re going to have to look out for the negative effects, which from the video clips of their experiments, are extremely strong. Take the side effects of ecstasy and multiply their intensity by a hundred.”
            “So, sweating, hypertension and tachycardia, jaw pain…” Your voice trails off as you list off the side effects of ecstasy that you know from your previous pharmacology classes. Bruce nods slowly.
            “Basically, you’ll feel like you’re having a heart attack, unless you’re able to relieve yourselves.” He summarizes.
            “What do you mean relieve yourselves?” Bucky questions. He’s seated on the couch next to you, his brow is furrowed and a sheen of sweat is becoming apparent along the side of his neck. You try not to look at him for too long, already feeling yourself longing for touch and physical contact of any kind.
            “If you’re able to achieve a postcoital state, you should have temporary relief of your symptoms. You might have to achieve that state more than once, until the chemical is out of your system.” You can almost hear the wheels turning in Bucky’s head as he works out what postcoital means. You have to reach an orgasm to feel any relief, but bless Banner for trying to put it in a more professional way.
            “Have you tested the half-life of the chemical yet?” You ponder, wanting to know exactly how long you’ll both be suffering through this. You wipe a bead of sweat from your brow with the back of your hand.
            “Yeah, it seems like it can last anywhere from eight to ten hours in a non-super soldier, but it was designed specifically to work in conjunction with the serum, so it lasts eight to twelve hours in a super soldier.” Bruce’s words are starting to jumble together in your head, adding to the slightly throbbing headache that’s forming behind your eyes. You squeeze them shut and rub your temples just like you did in the lab earlier, zoning out as Tony and Bruce both start discussing the pharmacokinetics behind the compound currently wrecking your body.
            “What are our options here?” Bucky asks quietly, directing his question to you alone. You turn to look at him and see his cheeks flushed like yours now, his pupils dilated a minute amount, and his hands clasped together over his knees. There’s no hiding that it’s affecting you both now.
            “I don’t know. The only thing I can think to do is lock ourselves in different rooms and try to ride it out.” You say, rubbing your aching thighs through your tactical pants with the palms of your hands. Your bones are starting to hurt in a deep, consuming way, and all you want to do is give yourself a few doses of propofol to knock yourself out for the next eight hours. It’s going to be hell trying to get through this without having sex, especially if pain is setting in only an hour after the initial exposure.
            “Okay, so we do that. We each lock ourselves in a bedroom and fight it.” Bucky sounds sure and resolved, like he has total faith that your only plan available will work out fine. All it took to bring out his optimistic side was being doused with a sex pollen and stuck in a safe house.
            “I want to monitor both of your vitals through the night.” Bruce calls out, gaining your attention again.
            “No.” You and Bucky both speak firmly at the same time, quick to reject the idea. You don’t need a medical record showing how aroused you end up being tonight, you don’t need Bruce or any of the SHIELD lab staff watching your heart rate increase as you touch yourself, watching your blood pressure spike as you near your climax alone. Bucky is thinking the same thing, shit, his heart rate is probably already through the roof as it is, just from sitting next to you. He tries to focus on whatever else you, Bruce, and Tony are discussing but his jaw is clenched in pain and he’s fighting the urge to rip off his tactical suit right there. It feels like it’s fucking ninety degrees inside. The only thing he catches in the last bit of the conversation is from Tony.
            “There’s a chance you won’t find any relief in an orgasm alone, Y/n. Bucky will, because his body won’t know the difference between finishing himself off vs. finishing inside of a fertile woman, but this compound is meant to make your reproductive system go into overdrive. You won’t feel relief until your body thinks it has a chance of reproducing, until semen is introduced into your system.”
            “Fuck.” You inhale sharply, doubling over in pain both at Tony’s unfortunate conclusion and at the cramping sensation you’ve suddenly felt deep in your stomach. Fucking hell.
Next Part
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thechaosmuses · 1 year
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❝ if we’re having turkey for thanksgiving dinner, i’m not eating. the bird always looks at me funny and i’m not eating stuffing that’s been stuffed up a butt. ❞  (Bucky?) @harbingercfdeath
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@harbingercfdeath
Bucky turned towards Issac with his brows knit together, the beer bottle in his hand just centimeters from his lips when Issac had started talking about the turkey. He sat it back on the table, still looking at the blonde man with a look of confusion on his face. “How can something without a head or eyes look at you funny?” He asked, “The stuffing thing I can understand, but you don’t have to make it that way, y'know?”
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anonymityisfunwriter · 2 months
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I Can See You
"And I could see you being my addiction, you can see me as a secret mission..."
Summary: You and Bucky don't see eye to eye, everyone knows that. They don't know that you and Bucky once knew each other under very different names. And they most certainly don't know that when he looks at you, he can still every stolen moment, his jacket on the floor, notes saying meet him at midnight, you up against the wall with him. No, they don't see that at all. Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Inspired By Taylor Swift Masterlist | Anon's 1K Celebration
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"I already told you, I'm only doing this because I owe you."
Six months - that was your promise.
Six months of your time and best efforts.
"And as a part of this favor, you promised to keep an open mind."
And an open mind, you begrudgingly recall. You promised you would keep an open mind about making this a more permanent placement.
Nick Fury was sure that you'd find a home here in the Avengers Compound.
You were fairly certain that you wouldn't - but you weren't going to tell him that.
You hated owing people. Nick Fury even more so. You could bide your time for six months to pay your debt to him. He didn't need to know you had no intention of becoming an Avenger. "Whatever you have to tell yourself, Nick."
"That doesn't sound like an open mind," he admonishes.
You smirk, enjoying the frantic hustle and bustle of the Avengers Compound with your duffle bag slung over your shoulder, "You know that I don't do well in teams. I don't play fair, Nick."
"Never heard that one before."
"But I bet you believe me, don't you?" you retort.
"Open mind."
You roll your eyes, waving him off, "Yeah, yeah, when exactly do I get to meet these self righteous assholes?"
"How does now sound?"
"Like my worst nightmare," you mutter under your breath.
If he heard you, he doesn't let it show. Nick flings the door to the conference room open, revealing two men standing beside each other poring over a case file.
It's not their impressive statures that catch your attention. In fact, the blonde one hardly catches your eye at all.
And if you weren't highly trained and disciplined, a gasp would've lodged itself in your throat at the sight of the brunette you never thought you'd see again.
"Ah, Nick told us we might be meeting you today." The sandy haired super soldier extends his hand out to you. It doesn't escape your attention that the brunette snaps the file shut the moment he sees you. "I'm Steve, Steve Rogers."
You return the gesture, still barely paying attention to the man. Your eyes flicker to Bucky. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was entirely unfazed by your sudden reappearance.
You're thankful you do know better. You know so much better. 
Bucky's eyes meet yours for a split second, they narrow slightly. It tells you everything that you need to know. You've caught him off guard.
Steve takes Bucky's silence as his cue to interject. He clears his throat, gesturing to his friend, "And this is Bucky Barnes. He's a, well, he's a man of few words."
Apparently, that hadn't changed since you knew him under an entirely different name.
"It's nice to meet you," you say to Steve. Your eyes flicker back to Bucky. His jaw ticks as a wide grin pulls at the corners of your mouth. He's worried that you'll give away his dirty little secret. Your eyes flash over to him, a mischievous gleam that Bucky doesn't miss, "The both of you."
Steve smiles at the change in your demeanor, "Nick filled me in about your little deal. Exactly how long is this trial run going to run?"
"Six months," you confidently reply, unabashedly staring at Bucky. "I'll be out of your hair in six months."
"But we're keeping an open mind, aren't we?" Nick urges you again.
You playfully roll your eyes, a beaming grin on your face, "Of course, Nick. You know, I don't know why, but suddenly, I get the sense that these next six months are going to be a hell of a lot of fun."
"That's an interesting take," Steve lilts.
"She's your problem now," Nick quips.
"Me? A problem?" you gasp in mock offense. You turn to Bucky, who's still yet to say a word. "Do I look like a problem, Bucky?"
Bucky's eyes narrow again. The muscle in his jaw ticks yet again. You swear you can almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding. It's almost enough to make you laugh.
The silence is palpable as Bucky glares at you. Steve nervously laughs, taking a step closer to you. He gestures to your duffle bag, "How about I show you were you can put your stuff down? We'll give you a chance to settle in and you'll meet the rest of the team first thing in the morning."
"Sounds like a plan, Captain."
"Just Steve is fine."
"See?" You call over your shoulder to Nick. "I'm already having so much fun."
You're not surprised that he came to find you minutes later. If you're right, he waited just long enough to make sure he wasn't being obvious. You don't even need to look over your shoulder to feel his lurking gaze far before you see him. "I can see you."
"Why did you lie?" Bucky furiously demands, standing in the doorway of your new bedroom.
You grin to yourself, still turned away from Bucky. "Nice to see you again, Soldat."
"Bucky," he firmly states, his hands curling into tight fists. "My name is Bucky."
"If I recall correctly, you liked when I called you Soldat." You turn on your heel, taking several steps toward Bucky. He knows he should stop you. He knows he should stay as far away from you as possible, as far away from your bedroom as possible. And yet, there's a side of him that wants nothing more than to feel you close to him all over again. He doesn't stop you. He doesn't push you away. Not even when you're close enough to touch him. "Or did it sound better when I whispered it in your ear?" You lean in, your voice dropping to a soft whisper in his ear, "My Soldat."
He does his very best to suppress the shudder that rolls through his entire body. It takes him a beat longer than it should to regain his senses and take a step away from you. He demands again, "Why did you lie?"
You chuckle, finally stepping away and allowing him his space, "Would you prefer I tell your team mates about your history of getting a little too close to your enemies?"
"What makes you think that they don't know?" Bucky challenges. 
You languidly shrug, "We'll call it a hunch."
"I'm not that person anymore." Bucky takes an angry step forward, desperate to convince you that he's a changed man. "I don't keep secrets anymore."
"So tell them," you offer. "What do I care?"
"You cared enough to lie," Bucky shoots back.
"If you want to let your team know that we used to fu-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence. I'm not that person anymore," he repeats himself. This time, he's not sure who he's trying to convince.
"Then we shouldn't have any problems, should we?" you rhetorically ask.
His eyes narrow, his gaze sharp and ready to kill, "What are you up to?"
"Me?" You gesture to yourself, resting your hand on your chest. "I'm not up to anything. Come on, Soldat, don't you trust me?"
"No, I don't because I know you, and you're always up to something," he bitterly accuses. "You've always got an angle."
"I assume you're talking about that day."
"You sold me out."
"You'll never see, will you?" You roll your eyes at him, waving him off, "I'm simply doing the favor that was asked of me."
"Six months?"
"Six months. And no one will ever have to know. Unless, of course, you can't help yourself."
He scoffs, "That won't be a problem."
"History has a tendency to repeat itself, Bucky," you state, putting an extra emphasis on his name.
"Not this time. Here's how this is going to go." He reaches out, snatching your wrist. His grip is tight enough to force you to pay attention, but not enough to actually hurt. "I'll stay away from you, and you're going to stay away from me. Got it? Let's just - let's keep this professional."
A grin spreads across your face. Your eyes flicker down to the burning grip on your wrist. You like that, even now, even after all these years, you still have an effect on the man you once called yours. "Don't worry, Bucky. I'm as reformed as you are."
That's exactly what worried him.
The months passed as quietly as Bucky could ever bring himself to hope.
Still, you never quite let it rest, never let him rest.
You always had a way of letting him know that you could see him. You could see how he was struggling to contain himself, struggling to suppress every flashback, struggling to simply keep his eyes off of you, struggling to contain all the feelings that he denied he felt for you.
He wondered if you knew that you kept him up all hours of the night. There were so many nights he spent sleep evaded, wondering what would happen if he just knocked on your door. Would you be up waiting for him? Would you smirk that smirk? The one he'd come to love and hate all at once. The one that was haunting him. The one he saw every time he close his eyes.
It wasn't just at night. It was every night. Every day. Every waking moment that you danced somewhere on the outskirts of his awareness. Every time you brushed past him in the hallway. You had to know you were driving him to the brink of madness. 
Sometimes, you barely acknowledged him. Sometimes, you gave him that infuriating smirk. Every single time, he saw it. Every single time, he saw you.
That part of his life was, for lack of a better word, scrambled. And still, he could never forget your touch. That part was crystal clear.
And he couldn't decide whether he loved or hated the fact that it might just be you doing that to him.
It ate at him.
It was a special gift you possessed, he had to admit. You could make him see whatever you wanted him to see, the power to ensnare his senses. The good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. You had the power to do it, to make him see whatever you wanted him to. He told himself that's what it was. It wasn't remembering a long lost love, it was you messing with his head all over again. 
He'd see flashes of the time you spent together once upon a time. His jacket on the floor. Up against the wall with you. Those old, crumpled notes telling him to meet you at midnight. He remembers every second of it. 
But most of all, you. He remembers every whispered sweet nothing. He remembers the anticipation he felt every time he saw you. And he remembers your touch. Your lips on his, trailing down his jawline. Your fingers running over the planes of his chest.
Deep down, he knew it wasn't your powers. It was you. There was no forgetting a touch like that. No forgetting a person like you.
It just another way you tormented him. So few ever escaped the Winter Soldier. Even fewer lived to tell the tale.
Not you. You not only lived to tell the tale, you taunted him with it. After that very first night, where he was, you were. He was never quite sure if it was glorious happenstance or your own doing.
Your very first encounter, you caught him totally off guard - something previously thought impossible. He didn't see you. He didn't hear you coming. He didn't feel you slip past him to reach your target before he ever could. All he remembered was hearing footsteps in the dark street. He knows for a fact you could've disappeared into the night without him ever knowing. He whirled around, searching for the culprit. He saw nothing, no one. 
It should've been quick, an easy kill. Instead, it was the first time he ever failed.
To this day, he swears that he heard your whispered laugh when he realized his target was gone, vanished into the night.
You showed yourself the second time. He was more prepared that time. Not ready for it, but more prepared. The first time his vision failed him, he sprayed the room with bullets.
"Uh, uh," you condescendingly tutted, allowing him to see you standing before him. "Can't get rid of me that easily, Soldat."
He saw you standing before him for a short moment, just enough to memorize your face. And then he lost all sight. You stroked his cheek, he remembers that. It was the first time you ever touched him. It was the most tender touch he'd felt in decades.
When he regained his senses, you were gone. Along with his target. 
The third time, he caught you - or you allowed him to catch you. He wasn't quite sure.
"Who are you?" he demanded, pinning you against the wall.
"Poor, Soldat," you cooed at him. It confused him. There was no fear in your voice. For some reason, he knew that if he released your arms from his iron grip, you wouldn't punch, scratch, or claw at him. You wouldn't fight back. You'd taunt him with your touch all over again. And for a reason that was more unknown to him, he really wanted you to. "They truly tell you nothing."
His sight was gone, but this time, he refused to let go. He gripped your wrists hard enough to leave bruises, pinning them over your head, "Let me see you."
"Say please." There it was that taunt that he knew would come. There was a lilt to your voice he'd never forget. In that moment he knew, he was powerless against you and your whims.
"Let me see you. Now."  He grips you even tighter. For a long moment, he still saw nothing. All he could feel was your body pinned against the wall, pinned against him. He softly exhales, his breath dusting over your lips, "Please."
He thought he memorized your face the first time you allowed him to see you, but he was wrong. There was so much he missed. He missed the slope of your nose. How soft and plush your lips looked. The mischievousness shining in your brilliant eyes.
He studied your face again. Over and over. Forcing himself to commit every detail to memory. Your smirk melted into the warmest smile he'd ever seen you wear.
You lean into him, as close as his grip will allow you to. So close that your lips linger a breath away from his. For a moment, he thinks you're going to kiss him. Instead, you speak softly, your breath skating across his lips, "I like you, Soldat. We're going to have fun."
His heart still stuttered. At the time, he didn't know what you meant.
He learned quickly after that.
It was the definition of a whirlwind romance - or as close to a romance as two assassins could possibly get. Long nights spent beside you. Jet setting across the globe for missions, just waiting with bated breath in the hopes that you'd be there. You never talked about what it meant, what you felt, all you had were those nights. Somewhere in those nights, he stopped being Soldat, and he started being your Soldat. 
So was it you? Were you the reason he could still see it?
Or was it him? Was it the fact that he could never really let those nights go?
He was a different person than the one you knew all those years ago. He was on the straight and narrow. He stayed out of trouble. You were the epitome of trouble. You sold him out the moment it was convenient for you. So why can't he let you go?
You caught him off guard when you showed up here. He was determined to make sure that didn't happen again. He just needed to be on his best behavior.
He knows you've been watching him - but he can see you, too.
You make a point to brush past him in the hallway on the way to the conference room. He thinks you can't see it, but you've been watching him closely.
You can see the waver of his Adam's apple, the way his eyes dart in your direction when you pass him, the way his jaw ticks shut as if he were doing his very best to contain himself.
Your days here on the Compound were dwindling down to your last few weeks. He still couldn't figure out why he couldn't let you go.
Even as he sits across the conference room table, you overwhelm each and every one of his senses. You pretend like you don't see him taking the seat directly across from you. Instead, you lean closer into Sam.
Sam grins at you. "So you can show me anything?"
"Anything," you promise, driving Bucky mad by using that torturous smirk on Sam. 
Bucky's not sure what Sam sees. It could be anything. A powder white beach on some far off coast. A meadow filled with fragrant, vibrant flowers dancing in the daylight. You could make him feel like he was plummeting to his death. You could make him feel loved for the first time in his life. You could let him know a betrayal like no other. 
He shakes away the runaway train of thought, focusing on the far off look in Sam's eye and the look of wonderment painting his face, "Whoa..."
"Bucky," Sam calls, his voice filled with laughter as you use your gift like a party trick. "Come try this! She's like a human VR."
"As tempting as that is," Bucky sarcastically remarks, crossing his arms over his chest, "I'd like to get this meeting over with."
"Alright, team," Tony calls out, beginning their latest team meeting. "Fury added another assignment to our docket. Black tie, intercepting a black market intel deal. You get in, you get out. Should be easy enough."
"Whatever you say," Bucky mutters under his breath.
"Barnes," Tony smirks. "I'm so glad you agree. You're up."
"What? Why?" Bucky demands. 
Tony nonchalantly shrugs, "Because I said so."
"Asshole," Bucky grumbles.
Tony's eyes flicker over to you next. In that moment, Bucky freezes. There's no way Tony know about the two of you, but it certainly feels like Tony's doing this just to punish him. "And you can take the human VR with you."
"No," Bucky sharply refutes, gripping the table so tightly he's sure Tony will have to get a new one. "I go, I go alone."
"Sorry, Barnes, we'll need more than brawn to get us into that gala."
Six months. Almost six months passed and he'd done everything in his power to avoid this. To avoid being alone with you. To avoid working in close proximity to you and the aura of temptation and betrayal that shrouded you.
The number of favors he now owed to his teammates was proof of it. He had no interest in testing the limit of his will power. "Then, I'll take Wanda."
Tony crosses his arms, shaking his head and looking far too pleased at Bucky's discomfort, "Nope, she's needed on a different assignment."
You smirk, tongue running over your teeth like a predator watching their prey fall into their trap. "Careful, Bucky, I'm starting to get the sense that you don't want to work with me."
Bucky's eyes dart to you, grimacing at you, "Whatever."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun."
"Bucky," Steve starts, tightly gripping his shoulder as the room filters out. "What's the problem?"
Bucky glowers at you as you saunter out of the conference room. Of course, you're far too pleased with this outcome. You make a point to grin at him as rage rolls off of him. "I don't trust her."
"Why? She's never given us any reason not to."
"Because -" Bucky starts, faltering after only a word. He can't bring himself to say why. That was between you and him. A memory he buried long ago. "Forget about it."
But he remembers. All of it. He remembers the moment you betrayed him and broke his heart all too well. 
"My Soldat..."
He sighs in relief, he finally stops pacing the floor of your safe house. You asked to meet days ago and you had yet to show up. Weeks had passed without hearing from you. You'd never gone this long without making yourself known. Finally, here you were, back in his arms where you would always belong,"It's been too long. I was beginning to worry."
"Don't ever worry about me, my Soldat." Your words are sharper than he's ever heard from you, it shocks him. You caress his cheek, fingertips trailing down to his jawline, your words soften to a gentle whisper, "Don't ever worry about me."
He bends down and kisses the palm of your hand, "I will always worry. For you, I will worry for as long as I live."
You smile, resting your hand over his beating heart. That's why you were doing this. You made deals with people you hated, resigned yourself to a life always looking over your shoulder, and sealed your fate, all to keep his heart beating, all to give him the long, happy life he deserved.
"And for that, you'll always be my Soldat." You kiss him with everything you have left. Your last kiss. A goodbye kiss. Because if you loved something, you set it free. If they came back to you, they would always be yours. And now, you were setting him free. And he would never forgive you for this. He would never be yours again. "And that's why it had to end this way."
"What are you talking about?"
You back away from the window of your safe house, "I'm sorry."
"What?"
And that's when the SHIELD agents swarmed.
It was a moment hard to forget. Yet it was equally hard to remember, to remember why he didn't trust you, to remember why he could never allow himself to let his guard down, not when you were so good at taunting him. He was sure you were taunting. He knew it from the very moment you stepped into the armory in a red dress that nearly stopped his heart.
You make it a point to saunter past him, tossing a laugh over your shoulder, "Don't worry, Soldat. I'll be on my best behavior."
"I won't hold my breath." Flashes of old memories race through his head. This time, he's sure it's you. His eyes snap up to you with a glower, "You said you were going to be behave."
"I said I was going to be on my best behavior," you correct, making a show of picking out your knives for the night. "This is pretty much as good as it gets."
"That's what I was worried about," Bucky sighs to himself.
"Lighten up, Soldier. It's my last night, I'd like to have just a little fun."
"Last night?"
"That was the deal."
Bucky's eyes dart away from you as you lift your leg up. The fabric of your dress slides up as you strap a small dagger to your holster. He knows you're doing it on purpose to rile him up. That's not what worries him. What worries him is if you're not doing it intentionally. If you're not trying to get his attention and he's just so viscerally aware of you that he can't stop thinking about you. That's what worries him. He doesn't trust himself enough to be this drawn to you. He clears his throat of the knot forming, "So you're not staying?"
"Why? You gonna miss me?" you tease. He remains silent, his eyes unflinchingly forward. "Let's not kid ourselves, Bucky. You didn't want me to stay. Too risky - I might ruin your squeaky clean reputation."
He's absolutely certain that you're the only person that's ever referred to his reputation as squeaky clean. "You're really leaving?"
"It's okay, Soldat."
"I told you not to call me that," Bucky snaps. He's aware that his self control is slipping minute by minute. Every second in your presence is a test of his restraint.
"Do you still remember? Can you still see it in your mind? Or do you need me to show you?"
"Stop." He barks the second a flash of the memory starts playing in his head. He can see himself tossing his jacket on the floor in a frenzy. "That's enough."
You smirk that damned smirk at him again. His fist clenches tightly, the knuckles of his flesh hand white with strain. "You're thinking about us right now, aren't you?"
He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to push the image out of his head, he frantically shakes his head, "Stop it."
"Do you want to know what I'm thinking about?"
"Not particularly," he rasps.
"Liar."
He clenches his jaw so tightly that he's worried he might break a tooth or two as he desperately tries to hold onto his last ounce of self control. He's fighting a losing battle. "I'm not a liar."
"So what would you do? If I touched you right now?" You rest your hand against his chest. "If I got just a little bit closer?"
He hopes you can't hear his heart stutter. "I - I wouldn't do anything."
"What if you knew they would never find out? If we were so quiet and we didn't make a sound?"
"It wouldn't change a thing."
"What if I told you I remember it all? Every night. Every mission. Every time you kissed me."
"I-" His voice falters. Now was his chance. This was it, whether he wanted you to stay or go. Would you stay if he admitted that he never stopped thinking about those stolen moments? Or would you betray him all over again and laugh in his face and smirk that damned smirk with pride at bringing him to his knees? He can't put his finger on it, but in this moment, he doesn't care. He'll take the chance. He swallows the knot in his throat, "I would tell you I remember all of it."
Your hand twitches against his chest. "What?"
"I remember every second. I'll never forget any of it. I could just never figure out: Was any of it real?"
"Can't you see, my Soldat?" Your hand skates past his collarbone, up his throat, coming to rest on his cheek. Your hand caresses him with a tenderness he thought he would never feel again. "It was always real. Every moment of it."
"Then why did you do it?" he softly exhales.
"I had my reasons."
He lunges forward, and in the blink of an eye, he's gripping your wrist and pinning it to the wall behind you, "Tell me."
You grin wildly. You've been here with him before. "Arrogant as ever, Soldat."
"If it was real, why did you do it?" he demands, flexing his grip.
You lick your lips, momentarily debating whether or not to give him the truth. It ate at you for years. From afar, you could live with the knowledge that he might always hate you for what you did. Watching the conflict warring in his eyes was an entirely different battle. You figure, of all the things you could give him, the truth would at least give him some sense of peace. "It wasn't safe."
He loosens his grip slightly, "I would've protected you."
"It wasn't safe for you."
His eyes flash open. "What?"
"You were my mission, Bucky," you finally confess. "There was never anything else - anyone else. It was you. Only you."
He lets go, the shock sending him staggering. Your hand skates down the wall, but he doesn't move back to allow you the space to move. "You were sent to kill me."
You tilt your head at him, "I clearly failed."
"That doesn't explain why you betrayed me."
"Someone found out about us."
He shakes his head, his eyes storming with anger, "No, we were careful."
"Someone knew. I got a nice gunshot in the back to prove it. They knew I wasn't going to complete my mission. They knew I was never going to kill you. I wasn't going to lead them right to you. I didn't know who was watching. I wasn't - I wasn't going to gamble your life until I was sure that they were all gone."
The realization dawns on Bucky almost immediately. Sure, you were one hell of an assassin. Sure, your powers were beyond belief and could take down even the most heinous villains. But not even you could singlehandedly take down the crime syndicate you used to work for. An organization almost as massive and pervasive as HYDRA was. That's why you put yourself in Nick Fury's debt. You did it for him. "That's why you owed Nick Fury. That's why you sold me out." 
"As twisted as it sounds, you were safer in SHIELD's custody. The moment I knew you were safe and in custody, I killed each and every one of them."
His voice is hoarse as he speaks, "You should've told me."
"I wasn't going to risk your life just so you wouldn't think badly of me."
"Then why did you come here?" he demands. "If you had no intention of telling me the truth, if you were going to pretend, why ask to come here?"
"I didn't ask to come here. I didn't know you were here. I stopped looking for you some time ago."
"Why?"
"I dug deep to finish what they started. And once I tore them down brick by brick, I needed to rebuild. I had nothing left. It took me a while to resurface."
"Oh." There's a tightness in Bucky's chest at your confession. He never looked for you. He though you betrayed him. Up until now, there was no reason to believe anything else. You rebuilt your life on your own. You had no one, nothing left. You were left all alone. He left you all alone. 
There's a strange look in Bucky's eye when you finally look up at him. There's a lightness you haven't scene in quite some time. "What?"
The corner of Bucky's mouth twitches up. You may not have known, but Nick Fury sure did. "Fury knew I was here. He knew where he was sending you. He knew about... us?"
"I assume he figured it out when I came to him, begging him to help me keep you safe."
A shaky exhale dances across your lips. Bucky closes the gap between the two of you, pressing you up against the wall with him. "It was real."
For the first time in a long time, you touch him. You rest your shaky hand against cheek, your fingers ghosting over his lips, "Finally, you see, it was real... my Soldat."
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