Winter Soldier x Reader: Oblivion (9)

The landscape raced past your eyes as you gazed solemnly out the window of the truck. Your head was leaned against the window as you quietly observed the scenery around you. You were out of the suburbs and back into the country side, where fields upon fields of dry grass and autumn colored trees greeted you.

You cast a sidelong glance at Bucky, focused on navigating the twisty road in front of him. He was silent ever since you "borrowed" the car from a nearby house. Except for waking you up from your doze and taking a moment to check your bandages, he had not spoken a single word.

He must have noticed you looking at him, for he cast a quick glance your way. You found yourself meeting his eyes for a few brief moments before he turned back to the road. He waited patiently for you to speak.

Eventually, you did. "Where are we headed, exactly?" You murmured softly, continuing to gaze out the window. 

Bucky paused for a moment before replying. "D.C."

You looked up at him, mild surprise etched onto your face. "Weren't we just trying to get away from there?"

You swore you saw Bucky's lips twitch. "We have HYDRA on our tails, it's the safest place." When you continued to give him a dubious look, he went on. "You can lay low in a city, it's easy to blend in."

You murmured a soft acknowledgment before looking out the window. "Who is this 'HYDRA' anyways?" You muttered more to yourself than anybody else. You glanced back at Bucky, surprised to find his eyes had taken on a far off, distant look. 

He was silent for a few moments, but eventually spoke: "HYDRA is...and organization. They were founded in World War II, but were apparently destroyed when the war ended. Turns out they were hiding inside the U.S. Intelligence Apparatus since then."  

You watched Bukcy's face contort into a grimace as he spoke. He was obviously distressed, but you didn't know why. You decided to push a little further. "Why were they chasing us then?"

Bucky twitched. He was silent for almost a full minute before he spoke again. "I used to work for them." 

You blinked in surprise, but remained silent and allowed him to continue. 

"I was one of their 'assets'. I took orders and executed them without hesitation. I did some pretty horrible things" he let out a dry, bitter laugh, but then swallowed, his face again returning to the pained grimace it had before. "I killed people just because they told me to. I even tried to kill my best friend..."

You were stunned. Not because of Bucky's revealed past, but because the soldier had never showed this much emotion since you had met him. He looked so pained, it made your chest hurt. "Bucky..."

"That's why I had to go back." He muttered, his hands clenching the driver's wheel until his knuckles turned white. "I couldn't let them do that to another person, and have them have to live with the guilt of blood staining their hands."

He looked up as your hand rested on his shoulder, dark eyes filled with surprise. You gave him a small smile. "Hey." You murmured softly. "You aren't a bad person, Bucky. I can prove that myself. So stop trying to make yourself believe that."

Bucky was so busy staring at you with surprise he didn't notice the car starting to veer off the road. When he did, however, he veered sharply to the left, eliciting a small yelp from you, followed by a nervous giggle. 

And much to your surprise, Bucky laughed with you.

It was a small chuckle, but enough to make your eyes widen in surprise and your mouth tug into a smile. 

"Thank you." Bucky murmured, so softly you almost didn't catch it. 

You cast a smile at him, then turned back to the window, watching as the countryside slowly turned back into suburbs.