epiphany. (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Deleted Scene #1

A/N: In celebration of this story hitting 10k reads (now 21k - thank you so much!), here is a small deleted scene from Bucky and our dear Reader's time in London at the beginning of their journey. Enjoy!

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S.H.I.E.L.D. Safehouse. Lambeth, London. May 2014.

The bed shuddered, pulling you from a relatively peaceful slumber. You ran your hand over your face and fumbled for the old alarm clock on the bedside table. Blinking blearily, the numbers came into focus. 2 AM. Turning over, you noticed Bucky sitting on the edge of the bed. The streetlights that filtered through the thin curtains of the bedroom illuminated his hunched figure. His elbows rested on his knees, his head in his hands. You sat up slightly. "Sarge?" you whispered.

He didn't acknowledge you. You studied his form. He trembled; a thin layer of sweat covered his body. You sat up fully, pushing your hair out of your eyes. "Bucky," you said again, reaching out to him. As your fingertips brushed his right shoulder, he jumped and swiftly stood up, whirling around to face you. His chest heaved with ragged breaths. His gaze remained unfocused; he was still within the clutches of a nightmare.

"You're okay," you soothed, holding your hands front of your chest. You slowly moved to his side of the bed, sitting on your knees. Gingerly, you took one his hands in yours, rubbing your thumb over the back of it and gave it a squeeze. You watch his breathing slow as he became aware of his surroundings. He squeezed your hand back.

He swallowed hard finally settling his gaze on you. "Doll..." he rasped.

"Hey, welcome back."

"I...I woke you up...I'm sorry..."

You shook your head vehemently, "Don't worry about it." You offered him a soft smile. "Nightmare?"

He nodded as he sat down on the bed next to you. Although his breathing had evened out a bit, his body still shook. Whatever he had dreamed about this time must have been worse than the nightmare you witnessed in your apartment.

The memory of that first night at Clint's flashed through your mind. Bucky had held you in his arms into you fell back to sleep. His presence was soothing, his touch calming. "C'mere," you said softly, pulling him with you as you lied back down on the bed. He didn't resist. With one arm under his neck, you pulled him flush with your body, tucking your knees behind his. As your arms wrapped around him and your chest pressed against his back, you felt the tension leave his body.

After a few minutes, his breathing synced with yours. He intertwined your arms in his, settling into your embrace. You knew it had been a long time since he had felt safe, felt protected. A lump welled in your throat at the thought. You buried your head into his back to try and stop the tears from falling.

"Y/N?" he asked softly after a few moments.

"Yeah, James?" you replied, your voice thick with emotion. You hoped he would think you were just sleepy and not on the verge of tears.

"Could ya sing somethin'?" he asked, his voice small, almost childlike.

"Uhh...sure...Any requests?"

"Just something soft, I guess...you pick...I just...I like hearin' your voice...keeps me grounded."

You felt a slight heat spread across your cheeks. "Okay," you whispered, racking your brain for a song. It confused you that even though you were a musician with a huge repertoire, you always struggled to find a song with someone put you on the spot like this. Your mind wandered to what you had listened to earlier than day while you datamined files. A small sad smile played across your lips as you remembered a song you use to sing to yourself after Hunter passed.