Find Me / Save Me (Bucky x Reader)

Twenty-Four

"JARVIS, lockdown the lab please." Tony said as he got into his metal suit. "Yes sir." And after a few moments JARVIS spoke up again, "Lockdown complete."

"Alright Elsa. We're going to do this nice and slow. You start to feel an urge to kill me, please let me know." Tony's voice rang out from his suit. "I got it Tony. Trust me, I'll be begging you to stop." Those words were the truest thing I've ever said. I don't want to turn into a monster. Never have.

"Alright! Here goes nothing! Excuse my accent, you know Russian's were never my thing..."

"Tony..." I let out in exasperation.

"Okay, okay. Here we go... Желание (longing)" I wince to hear the words again, but all I can think about is how I long to see (Y/N)'s face again.

"Ржавый (rusted), Семнадцать (furnace), Рассвет (daybreak)" I keep myself focused, her face, her smell, the way the daylight shone on her hair.

"Печь (seventeen), Девять (benign), Добросердечный (nine)" The color of her eyes, the way they looked into mine.

"Возвращение на родину (homecoming), Один (one), Товарный вагон (freight car)." I thought about coming home to her, kissing her, loving her. Once the last word was spoken, I let out a sigh and tears flooded my eyes. It worked. I'm free. I let the tears fall freely, not caring how Tony might use it against me later.

I looked up to Tony, tears still falling as he stepped out of his suit. His face was a mix of compassion and satisfaction. "Thank you, Tony, thank you..." I say gently, feeling the weight of the Winter Soldier off my shoulders.

He comes up to me, gently places a hand on my shoulder, "You're free James." This was the first time I ever heard him same my name. "You are no longer their machine. You are free to choose who you want to be. I see that now, how the choice was taken away from you. I understand you didn't have control. And although a part of me hates what you did to my family, I know deep down... it wasn't you. Not the real you."

His words wash over me, it wasn't something I neither expected nor ever thought I deserved. Tears fell more freely at his understanding. Looking back up at him I find the words coming out of their own accord, "I want to be good."

A small smile comes to his face as he nods and shakes my shoulder. Straightening himself he asks JARVIS to remove the lockdown on the lab. As soon as he does, I see Steve come into the lab. I grin towards Steve through the tears. His face showed he understood, he now knew I was free too.

"Cap, you here means there's only one thing left to do..." Tony said, his expression now solemn. Wiping my tears from my face, I tilt my head at them in confusion.

"Buck, there's something I need to tell you..." Steve says taking a seat in front of me. The sound of his voice makes me uneasy. I don't answer, I just jolt my chin up in a sign for him to continue.

"The past two bases we've stormed, Nat has been recovering files. Files about (Y/N)." My heartbeat quickens and I feel all my muscles tense.

"Only Nat and Sam have been watching them... we..." he paused looking up at Tony. "We couldn't bring ourselves to watch anymore." He lets out a long sigh, one of frustration and anger. "But Nat said she recovered something in this last base, something we all need to see." His face looks worried, fearful, as if asking me if I could.

"I can do it." I reply, knowing full well I couldn't. I couldn't bear to watch her suffer. But I needed to know she was okay. That she was still alive, still fighting.

"Look Barnes, I get you want to be strong... but we literally just finished going over years of trauma. Do you really think you can subject yourself to whatever we're going to see?" I could tell Tony was worried, his question was aimed at me, but I knew he was asking himself the same thing. "We have to save her. If we all work together, if we all watch it, maybe there's something that Sam and Natasha have missed." I say, trying to reason with them.

Both of them looked defeated, I could tell they were battling their own struggles, not wanting to see the video themselves. Without another word Steve rose to his feet, gave me a small nod, and we all walked out of the lab.

-.-.-.-

Bucky's POV

When we got to the conference room, I was surprised to see more than just Sam and Natasha. It feels that whatever was on the video, Natasha needed all the Avengers to see. Natasha stood by the screen, while Sam and Clint sat next to each other on one side of the table. On the other side sat the god, Thor. I could see Bruce standing towards the back of the room, not really wanting to sit down.

Feeling too uneasy I decided to stay standing towards the back of the room, while Tony and Steve took chairs towards the front, on opposite ends.

"Why is everyone here?" Steve asked, I guess he wasn't expecting the whole team.

"Because two heads are better than one. And eight is better than two. We need to find (Y/N) and we need to find her fast." Natasha said, the fear in her voice causing the tension in my body to worsen.

"Sam and I have been watching... everything. But we can't do it by ourselves anymore. It's getting bad. We need to find her quick. This last video was taken two days ago. JARVIS pull the video up." And with that she moved aside, letting the screen take center stage.

When the image pulls up, I feel myself take sharp intake of air. I'm not the only one who does it. (Y/N), chained in the same table as before. Her suit no longer white, but red. Torn in multiple places. I feel a rage burn in me.

She looks so weak, so fragile. We watch as she flinches to the sound of the door opening. I close my eyes in anger knowing she must know that sound by now and correlate it with pain. As I open my eyes, I can see the Avengers all with looks of pity, anger, and regret. The same man from before, which the team previously identified as Strucker, comes into view.

"Are you broken yet my angel?" The use of the word from his lips makes me want to rip his throat out. My angel. Not yours. "I'm not your angel." Her voice sounds weak and tired. It breaks me inside, but hearing it at least tells me she is alive.

"Oh. But you will be." His words make me foam in the mouth. How dare he? I watch as he motions to a guard, who brings in another person. A girl. She looks scared and confused. Strucker had prisoners. Not just (Y/N). This made me hate the man even more.

"Come my dear, don't be shy..." his voice almost crooning at the girl. I want to personally be the one to kill this man. His actions enrage me. I watch as he whispers something into the girl's ear, causing her whole demeanor to change. She is no longer a poor innocent soul, but a devil enraged. Her eyes start glowing red, her gaze stoic. Her hands begin to glow red and my mind doesn't comprehend. She stalks up to (Y/N) almost as if she's prey. Reaching her the glow in her hands comes to (Y/N)'s head. I can see a glazed look in her eyes. As if she's somewhere far away.

"What's going on?" I finally speak up. I can't hold it back anymore. Natasha just puts her hand up towards me, in a gesture asking me to wait.

After a short while, the devil removes herself from (Y/N)'s side. Almost instantly (Y/N) screams agonizingly, her body pushing against the chains with extreme force. Tears falling from her eyes and heartbreaking sobs escape her lips. My heart breaks along with her, her cries eco-ing in my brain. I catch as Natasha turns away from the screen, she's seen this before.

(Y/N)'s body sags against her chains, completely spent. My worries are intensified when I catch a glimpse of her eyes. They're empty, devoid of anything. No. No. No.

"They broke her..." I find myself whispering as silent tears ran down my face. I know what it's like to be broken. But watching it happen to the woman I love was worse than anything I could have endured myself.

I hear Strucker speak, "Now my angel... the real work can begin..." and with that he leaves her broken shell in the room alone. The video ends and I don't move. I just stare at the now unmoving picture of a broken shell, the woman I loved.