UK Avengers - Bucky Barnes x Reader

Three

I had expected the training room to be empty. Most of my friends did their training in the morning or early afternoon, however, I had not accounted for the presence of the Avengers disrupting my training.

When I saw Bucky already there, making use of one of the punching bags, I felt my steps slow slightly, unsure whether or not to continue or return another time. He didn't appear to notice my presence until he paused in his work out in order to wipe the seat from his forehead with the bottom of his shirt.

Bucky looked around the room, his eyes falling on me and he offered me a kind smile.

"I can come back," I say quietly. A couple of days had passed since the incident with Bucky's nightmare and I had gotten my voice back and the bruises had faded slightly. The super solider still felt immense guilt over it and hadn't spoken to me much since it had happened. However, I did gather from conversations that I had had with Steve that Bucky was a man of few words anyway.

"Don't be ridiculous, I won't get in your way," Bucky says, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. Once again I was taken aback by just how attractive he was.

"If you're sure," I say and walk over to one of the treadmills, tipping my head forwards and scooping my hair into a high pony tail. I can feel Bucky's eyes on me as I did this and so turned around to grin at him. "You alright, Buck?" I question, a teasing edge in my voice and the solider's face burns bright red, dropping his gaze back to the punching bag and I laugh quietly, plugging in my earphones and playing music, beginning to run.

Bucky and I train in silence for half an hour before we're disrupted by Steve coming into the room. He raises a hand to me in greeting and I do the same in return before focusing back on my running.

When I spare a look back at the two men five minutes later, it amuses me to see them sparring on the square of soft mats. I stop the treadmill and step off, walking over to the punching bag that Bucky had left, beginning to put it away.

"You don't need to do that," Bucky calls, his voice sounding strained as he tried to hold off Steve.

"You look a little... caught up there, Buck," I tell him, laughing and Bucky pulls a face, swinging his metal arm around to pin Steve to the ground. I sigh, debating what to train next but decide instead to just watch Bucky and Steve sparring.

"You want a go after, Y/L/N?" Steve pants and I laugh.

"Think I'm alright just watching, Rogers," I joke and the two men give breathless laughs.

"You scared, Y/L/N?" Steve asks as he flips Bucky over.

"Of two super soldiers punching me? What on Earth would give you that idea?" I question rhetorically.

"Feel as though it ought to be us who's scared. We saw you on that mission, Flurry," Bucky teases, the two of them standing up to look at me, arms crossed. I blush and look down.

"Y/L/N! Emergency mission!" Jordan shouts, rushing into the training room and saving me from responding to the man. I look at him in confusion but jog after him. I can hear the footsteps of Steve and Bucky following us downstairs.

"What's going on?" Steve calls from behind us just as I catch up with Jordan. He casts a look at the two solider's but shakes his head at me.

"Can't come. Maz'd go crazy," Jordan mutters to me and I nod.

"We don't need that on a mission," I agree. Jordan goes into the hangar and the door closes behind him. I turn to the two men and shake my head, propping the door open with my foot. "You guys can't come. See you later," I say, going into the room but Steve grabs me shoulder.

"We can help." He states firmly and I shake my head, letting out a wry bark of laughter.

"And we don't need your help,"

"Y/L/N! Let's go! Suit up on the plane!" Maria shouts through the propped open door. I grin and shout something back in agreement before saluting the men.

"Don't blow anything up,"

"You sure you didn't need our help?" Bucky asks me, coming into the hospital wing holding two mugs of hot chocolate. I roll my eyes at him but smile.

"Hey Buck," I greet and the solider smiles back, nodding his greeting and taking a seat on the chair next to my bed.

"You alright?" He asks and I shrug.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, you know how it is sometimes,"

"Maria said you took the hit for her,"

"She's talking to you now?"

"Took me by surprise too. Didn't think she had any of those British Manners," he jokes and I laugh, struggling to sit up in the bed. Bucky quickly places the two mugs on the bedside table and moves to help me, propping up the pillows behind me.

"Thanks,"

"No problem," he smiles, passing me one of the mugs. "Lilian told me you don't like the hospital wing much and that you might want company now that Leo's out," he explains and I roll my eyes.

"You don't need an excuse to visit me, Buck," I say to him and he blushes a little, looking away. "You're so cute," I giggle into my mug and Bucky's blush deepens.

"I assure you that you are much more adorable than I am," he says it so quietly that I almost don't hear him.

"You know what I've always wondered?"

"What's that?"

"How do you get 'Bucky' from 'James'?"

"That's your pressing question?" He chuckles and I nod. "My middle name's Buchanan, it's short for that,"

"James Buchanan Barnes," I say to myself and Bucky smiles at it. "You've got such a cool name,"

"Yours is pretty, though." He comments and I blush, looking down.

"I'm glad you think so,"

"Matches your face," he winks and I laugh lightly at him, biting my lip in embarrassment at his compliment.

"James is nice," I tell him and Bucky wrinkles his nose.

"Was never that keen, myself," he admits, taking a sip from his drink.

"It is - was - my best friend's name," I inform him, correcting myself and Bucky looks at me.

"Was?"

"James died a couple of years ago. I tried to save him but I didn't manage," I explain quietly, dropping my gaze to the floor, "that was when I first met Maria," we sit in silence for a couple of moments until Bucky gently takes my hand in his right one and squeezes it.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs and I shake my head, letting out a sad sigh.

"I miss him, Buck," I say finally, looking at Bucky who offers me a small smile.

"I can't imagine loosing Steve," he tells me and I nod, gulping back the tears that always came to me when I thought of my best friend.

"He was the first one I told," I say, lifting up my hand to show the snow flakes dancing around it, "and he named the wolves," I indicate the two wolves. Toby, as always, was sleeping at the end of my bed. Whereas Max was on lookout, sat next to me on the floor. "I guess I just never really thought about him... not being there,"

"We don't have to talk about this, Y/N/N," Bucky's voice is softer than I've ever heard him sound before and I give him a grateful smile.

"I'm not used to talking about it, Buck. Maz usually warns people," I say with a light laugh and Bucky returns it.

"You know, I figured that, being in England and all, there would be a lot more tea around. And I haven't even seen the Queen yet,"