Bucky Barnes Imagines Vol. 2

Broken Promises Pt. 2

It'd taken months for him to talk to anyone. Then a year before he returned to his normal duties at work. It took two years for him to finally accept you weren't coming back. The last year he'd spent coming to terms that he'd have to live life without you. He knew that he couldn't seriously date anyone and he found it highly unlikely that he'd ever find someone he would want to spend his life with, but sometimes the loneliness was too much to bear. That's where Autumn came in.

She was a new agent who had been going through training for the last year. Within a few weeks, she'd complete her training and be moved to her permanent assignment. Bucky knew that their arrangement would come to an end since she was being transferred to SHIELD's European division, but it didn't bother him. Autumn wasn't you and he didn't see a future with her.

She was nice and made him laugh, that was it. A couple months into her training, she began asking him to have dinner with her or invited him out for drinks. At first he resented her for that. He didn't want anyone but you. Even though he knew you weren't coming back, he still didn't want to move on. She was persistent though, and Bucky eventually took her up on her offer.

They hung out, talked, and laughed at first, but then it turned into a friends with benefits situation. When she first approached him about wanting something more than just his friendship, he was quick to turn her down. He avoided her for a few weeks because he didn't know how to act around her after that. He thought about her offer often, telling himself that he couldn't do it, but during the night, he'd find himself considering it.

The nights were hardest for him. They were lonely and his mind raced unforgivingly in the darkness of his room. He missed the weight of your head on his chest and your warmth cuddled into his side. He craved to hear the sound of your soft breathing as you slept in his arms. There were nights where the need for you consumed him so much that he'd spend the night crying until the sun came up. He needed something–or someone–to take his mind off of missing you.

She finally cornered him one day and begged him to talk to her. Bucky gave in and explained why he'd said no. He told Autumn how in love with you he still was. How much he missed you. He even told her about the future he'd never get to have with you. Autumn listened and consoled him when talking about you became too much. She said she understood and wouldn't bother him about the matter again, but Bucky stopped her.

He told her that he wanted to try the arrangement, but that it would never go beyond that. He would never consider a relationship with her, so if that was a problem for her, then she needed to walk away before they started. Autumn quickly agreed, stating that she was focused on her career, so she wasn't looking for anything serious. Bucky didn't know that six months later you'd be standing in front of him, alive and ready to pick up where the two of you had left off.

Bucky's head was swimming with a storm of emotions. The only thing he wanted was to run after you and explain the situation. Even if you cursed him out or slapped him again, he needed you to know that he hadn't forgotten you. He hadn't moved on.

"Was that the girl you were telling me about?" Autumn's voice cut through Bucky's thoughts. "The one you were in love with."

She approached him and touched his shoulder, but Bucky flinched away from her.

"Am in love with. I still love her, Autumn, and you know that." Bucky's words were sharp.

"Babe–"

"Stop." Bucky cut her off. "This is over."

"W-what?!" Autumn balked at his words. "Bucky, think this through."

Bucky whirled around and pinned her with a cold glare.

"There's nothing to think about, Autumn. Y/n is back–and after what she just saw, I'm going to have to get on my knees and beg her to forgive me."