A Lesson In Hope (Bucky Barnes x Reader Fic)

Week Four

YN stared down at the headstone, her stomach twisting with nausea. "I love you, mom." YN whispered, leaning down to press her hand to the soft concrete. As she wiped a hand over her cheeks, swiping tears from her skin, she stepped away from where her mother way, on track to her car.

Her phone blaring made her sigh, lifting it to her ear without checking the name. "Dr. YN Hart."

"Uh, hello. My name is Steve-" YN swallowed, her eyes closing without her consent.

"I'm not currently taking new patients." YN whispered, sinking into her car and resting her head against the steering wheel. "If you would like I can put you on a waiting list-"

"What, no? I'm calling on behalf of Bucky?" Steve said, making YN frown before she realized.

"James? Is he okay?" YN asked, starting her vehicle quickly.

"I don't know, he's... he's not letting me touch him. He won't come out from his closet." YN nodded, peeling off of the curb. "I don't know what's going on. I don't even know why he wanted me to call you-"

"I'm on my way." YN said, hanging up the phone and rounding cars as she sped toward their neighborhood. Getting Bucky's address from her notebook, YN pulled up at the apartment and didn't stop to sightsee as she took their front steps two at a time and banging on the door harshly. A tall blonde man opened the door, and YN barely nodded to him before she pushed past him and entered the apartment. "Which-"

"The right." YN nodded, opening the door quickly and stepping in as Steve followed.

"James?" YN asked, standing outside the closet with her arms on her hips. "Can you hear me?" When she got no answer, YN turned to Steve, her eyebrows raised. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, he came home this morning after getting coffee and just locked himself away. I didn't find him until this afternoon. He begged me to call you." YN swallowed, nodding her head again.

"James, can you open the door?" Bucky shuffled inside the closet and YN met Steve's blue eyes quickly as the door unlatched. YN waited for Bucky to exit the wardrobe, standing in front of it patiently. Instead, Bucky stuck a hand out and dragged YN inside the small closet, making her tumble in beside him and land on her knees.

Steve watched with an open mouth as YN disappeared after Bucky's metal appendage, the sight shocking him into silence.

YN blinked in the darkness, adjusting to the black surroundings. "Hello." Bucky whispered as she finally found the outline of his face.

"Hello, there." YN chuckled, crossing her legs as she faced him. "What can I do for you?" Bucky stayed silent, staring at YN's face. "Don't worry, I won't charge you for the extra session." YN winked, making Bucky crack a smile.

"I went to see Elouise." YN sucked in a breath, nodding her head. "I know it's early, but I wanted to see how I felt when I saw her after we spoke about... ya know."

"Okay, and?" Bucky sighed, scratching his chin in thought.

"I saw her talking to some guy." YN felt her heart splinter slightly at the words. "They were just talking but he was the complete opposite of me. He looked... he looked like the old me."

"What did the old you look like, James?" Bucky swallowed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Short hair, fresh face, a permanent smile." YN nodded, grabbing both of Bucky's hands. Bucky blinked at the zero hesitation to grab his metal hand, the action putting a smile on his face.

"Well, if it's that important to you, James. The old you is still in there, the beard can go and the hair can be cut. The smile? Well, we are working on that... yeah?" Bucky nodded, squeezing YN's hands back before she released them. "Now, as much as I love our little closet of secrets, you wanna enlighten Steve on who I actually am? Because he was looking majorly dejected out there earlier."