epiphany. (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter Twenty Two

" We're not equal parts

Light and dark

We can be brilliant"

~*~*~*~

Abandoned warehouse. Berlin, Germany. May 2016.

Several blocks away from the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre, you, Steve, and Sam hid in an abandoned dilapidated warehouse. You were certain Bucky wouldn't be The Winter Soldier when he finally came around, but Steve insisted on restraining him out of an abundance of caution. Sam and Steve sat him on top of a crate next to a large old industrial vice which Steve clamped down on Bucky's metal arm.

You and Sam kept an eye on Bucky while Steve did a security sweep. "So you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?" asked Sam, "You fight like one." He leaned against a metal door frame.

You shook your head. "Not an agent, an analyst. And formerly." you gathered your hair in a ponytail. "Kinda lost my job when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell."

"Ah, guess that's partially our fault," Sam chuckled.

"Nah," you folded your arms across your chest and looked over at Bucky. "If I blame anyone, it's HYDRA," you looked back to Sam. "Is it true that HYDRA is completely gone?"

"With an organization like HYDRA, you can never know," he shrugged. "We eliminated Rumlow and some mercenaries in Lagos last month when they tried to steal a biochemical weapon. Well, technically, he blew himself up." This was news to you. You couldn't deny that one of Bucky's tormentors being blown to pieces brought you a little bit of peace. Sam continued, "So, I'm sure the immediate threat of them is gone, but who is to say that they won't resurface somewhere down the road."

You nodded, "I suppose that's true." You sighed, "So what's it like being an Avenger, Falcon?"

Sam looked down with a smile, "It's interesting." He gestured to your surroundings. "Never a dull moment." His smile faltered, "Although, after the establishment of the Accords, I guess I'm going to have to find a different day job."

You smiled sadly. Steve approached you and Sam. "We're clear for now," he said. "There are some helicopters doing surveillance flights, so we will need to be mindful of that when we move on." Steve looked over at Bucky. "He'll probably be out for a while; he hit his head pretty hard." You and Sam nodded. A few moments of silence passed before Steve spoke again, "Y/N, can I talk to you?"

You nodded, "Sure." You followed him over to a few windows by a garage door. Steve looked out at a passing helicopter, before turning to you. "I heard about Peggy's passing," you said. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. I always admired her. My late grandfather and Bucky told me lots of great stories about her; she seemed like someone I would have loved to be friends with."

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Thank you." He gave you a sad smile, "She would have liked you."

You nodded your head once with a small smile.

"So you and Buck?" Steve asked.

"Yeah?" you replied.

"How long?"