Rapid Recovery (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 26 : Merciful Amends

"I knew you couldn't refuse me," Y/n said with a victorious smile while they slowly walked up to the statue of a family and a majestic bird symbol carved in the middle of it.

Bucky's demeanor had changed entirely once he spotted Zemo standing in front of the statue, staring at it with his back turned to the pair while they walked up. Bucky was now serious with a straight face.

"Now, are you going to tell me why you have a gun with you?" Y/n asked him, peering over to the gun in Bucky's flesh hand.

"Just...precaution," he answered, coming up with Y/n to stand two metres away from Zemo's side in silence in his dark blue coat, Y/n standing close beside Bucky.

"Thought you'd be here sooner," Zemo said to them, still facing the statue. Y/n's facial expression had now also changed, portraying a serious yet cool exterior.

"Don't worry, I've decided I'm not going to kill you," Zemo commented, making Y/n roll her eyes as he still decided to face the statue, although looking down now.

"Gee thanks," Y/n answered, sarcastically, even though she knew the comment had been pointed towards Bucky, seeing as though he was the super soldier. She remembered the day that Bucky had said that super soldiers go against everything he believes in.

"Imagine my relief," Bucky replied with an unbothered tone, sarcasm lacing his words while he gripped the gun tightly in his flesh hand, rattling it slightly to grab Zemo's attention.

Zemo turned to face them, glancing down at the gun quickly before looking back up to Bucky and moving closer towards them, "The girl has been radicalised beyond salvation. I warned Sam, but he didn't listen to me."

"Neither will we," Y/n muttered under her breath through an eye roll, looking back up to Zemo as he continued to speak directly to Bucky now.

"He's as stubborn as Steve Rogers before him...but you...they literally programmed you to kill..."

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows at Zemo, clenching her left fist and bringing up her right hand to slide down Bucky's covered metal arm until her hand reached his, holding it to console him after whatever Zemo was going to say. Although Bucky didn't open his hand for her, he kept it shut, clenching tightly.

"James, do what needs to be done. Karli has people everywhere, and there is only one way to make sure she does not continue her mission," Zemo explained, causing Y/n to furrow her eyebrows again at the thought of having to kill Karli.

She didn't want to. Karli wasn't innocent, but she was just trying to reach out to people. She wanted to help other people like her, and no one opened their eyes to see that, because they were so blinded by all the wrong things that she'd done to get to this point.

"I appreciate the advice...but we're gonna do it our own way," Bucky answered with a straight face. Y/n wore a tiny smile at Bucky's refusal. She didn't know why, she knew Bucky wasn't a killer, at least not anymore, but just hearing that he refused to kill Karli, that he wasn't going to take the easy way out made Y/n...proud? Proud that maybe he can finally get past the Winter soldier.

She knew that Hydra's control over his brain had been eradicated, but Y/n also knew that there was still that seed of doubt planted in his mind. She'd seen it the day they paid Isaiah a visit, when he had mentioned the chance of Bucky visiting to kill him.

Zemo let out a small chuckle through his nose, partly filled with amusement at Bucky's refusal and partly of disappointment, before he looked down.

"Yeah...I was afraid you would say that," Zemo said with a small shrug, still looking to the side, to the ground.

Suddenly, Y/n heard the safety trigger of the gun click, making her glance up at Bucky with a confused expression. She decided to wait for what Bucky planned to do next, not stepping in just yet.

Zemo looked down at the gun with hesitation, hiding his fear of what was to come. He finally looked up at Bucky, making Bucky raise the gun at him, pointing right between Zemo's eyes.

When Bucky cocked the gun with his thumb, Y/n stepped in, sliding in front of Bucky, still holding onto Bucky's metal fist and putting her other hand out with caution.

"Bucky, what are you doing?" she asked him, slightly panicked.

Zemo gave Bucky a small, singular nod of permission, trying to give Bucky the urge to pull the trigger while Bucky had a look of strained anger across his face.

"Buck, put the gun down."

Bucky ignored her, keeping the gun pointed above her head at Zemo. There was no way that Y/n would be able to step in between the gun and Zemo, she was much too short.

"No!" Y/n yelled out when Bucky pulled the trigger, closing her eyes and moving her head. She slowly opened her eyes again when she realised that there was no actual gunshot. She looked up to see Bucky with a slightly satisfied smile at his resistance as he lowered the gun.

"Oh my fucking god!" Y/n yelled, holding her hand to her chest and stumbling away from them, annoyed that Bucky hadnt let her in on his little plan, but also slightly relieved that Bucky hadn't killed anyone.

Y/n watched as Bucky lifted his clenched metal hand, opening it and letting a set of bullets fall to the ground. Y/n discovering that was why he hadn't opened his hand for her.

Zemo looked down at the bullets, slightly confused due to Bucky's act of mercy. He turned around to see the three Wakandans walking over to him, ready to take him away.

Y/n was now sitting on the ground with her legs out and knees up, hands behind her, flat on the ground, leaning against them to lay back slightly, watching the exchange.

"Ladies," Zemo greeted them in a low voice, turning back to Bucky, "I took the liberty of crossing off my name in your book. I hold no grudges for what you thought you had to do."

Bucky gave him a small, saddened nod before Zemo said, "Goodbye, James," then was escorted away by two Wakandan women to the jet.

Bucky moved to stand next to Ayo, watching Zemo as she said, "We will take him to the Raft...where he will live out his days. It would be prudent to make yourself scarce in Wakanda for the time being, White Wolf."

Y/n almost let out a small chuckle at the name, reminiscing the day that Bucky had told her and Sam about the name in that old, rundown warehouse during the first day of the mission. They'd really come a long way together. Not just her and Bucky, but all three of them. Y/n could see that Bucky and Sam's friendship was slowly improving. She remembered thinking about how odd their relationship with one another was, when she first met Sam.

"Fair enough," Bucky answered in a deep, raspy voice, his hands in his coat pockets, eyes squinting due to the sun.

Ayo began to walk off, but was stopped when Bucky called out to her, "Hey. I may have another favour to ask of you," he said, making Y/n give him a questioning look.

"A suit...fit for Captain America..." he finished, receiving a strong nod before Ayo walked back to the jet.

Y/n smiled at the use of the title. She knew. She knew he was referring to Sam. After all, Sam was the one in possession of the shield at the moment.

Y/n stood up with a wide smile, coming over to Bucky and wrapping her arms around his torso. At that moment, she didnt care about her feelings. She was just happy to be there with him.

Bucky slowly lifted his arms, wrapping them around her and smiling down at her as he asked, "What's this for?"

Y/n looked up at him, squinting from the rays of sunlight that danced across their faces and said, "Captain America huh?"

"Well...I think it's about time I-"

"Come to terms with it? Stop hating Sam over the shield incident?" Y/n interrupted with a knowing smile as Bucky let out a small chuckle.

"Well...you know, maybe..." Bucky shrugged, making Y/n grin with a small chuckle.

"Alright, come on. The suit, and then Delacroix, Louisiana," he said, spinning her around to his side and wrapping his right arm around her shoulders.

"Hm. By the way, pull some shit like that with the gun again and I'll kill you myself," Y/n said, pointing up at him with her index finger, attempting to show she was serious but that forced demeanor evaporated into a smile as he simply chuckled in response.