epiphany. (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter Ten

"I'm looking for my blue, blue hour

I should be so cold, stories never told.

It's the strangest feeling

With all this new, new power."

~*~*~*~

The Barton Homestead. Missouri. May 2014.

The air was warm on your skin; the sun shone through the leaves in the trees. You fell to the ground with a hard thud, the air leaving your lungs. "Fuck!" You laid on the ground for a moment getting your breath back before sitting up.

"Got to be quicker than that, doll," Bucky said standing off to the side as he watched you and Clint spar for the third time that morning. Bucky had been hesitant to spar with you due to your injury and his wariness of his own strength; preferring to coach and every so often change your stance or form. Clint had been happy to oblige; claiming he needed the practice.

"You lasted a lot longer that time though," Clint said offering his hand. You took it. As he pulled you to your feet, you immediately moved close to him placing your foot behind his and toppled him over. He did a backward roll as he hit the ground and was immediately back up on his feet. He started toward you, slightly lowering his head and shoulders. You immediately took your stance and met him halfway; arms locking around his head as you thrust your knee into his abdomen multiple times.

"Good counter," Bucky praised from the sidelines, "Your footwork is getting smoother."

Grabbing you around the middle, Clint thrust his full weight toward you, toppling you both over. Using the backward momentum and your knee on his chest, you pushed him off of you. You scrambled back up before he was on you again throwing punches.

"Watch his shoulders to anticipate where his punches will land," Bucky coached, "Remember to meet his punches halfway with your blocks."

You adjusted your movements accordingly, even managed to land a few punches of your own. What you didn't see was his leg swing out to hit the back of your knee, "Shit!" you screeched, instantly dropping to the ground, once more.

Clint helped you up. "We're still friends right?" you asked, wiping your face with your shirt.

"Yeah, you didn't hit me that hard, kid," Clint laughed, tossing you a water bottle. You accepted it gratefully.

"Daddy!" Lila shouted as she ran across the field towards the copse of trees you had designated as your training area.

It had been a week since you and Bucky had arrived at the Barton Homestead. Clint and Laura's children, Cooper and Lila, returned home from a visit with their grandparents shortly after. They had been shy of both of you at first, but after a day they had warmed up to your presence.

Lila had taken a particular shine to Bucky. She always offered him hair-ties when she noticed his hair in his face because, as she put it, her mom always put her hair up when she was working. He had accrued quite a collection of different brightly colored elastics over the past few days. When she discovered he had a metal arm, she began to discreetly stick refrigerator magnets to it and would wait to see how long it took for him to notice. She would cackle like a hyena when he finally did. Now when she asked, he would sit with her as she used letter magnets and spell out simple words on his arm. You loved watching the two of them interact. He was so patient and gentle with her. Bucky told you Lila reminded him of his youngest sister.