Bucky Barnes x Reader Oneshots/Imagines - Unconditionally

No Rest for the Wicked

Summary: After being rescued from the Red Room, you suffer from nightmares just like the supersoldier down the hall.

It's the dead of winter, and big snowflakes fall from the sky and decorate the tall pine trees of the Siberian taiga. If it were any other circumstance, you might stop to catch the snowflakes with your tongue, but right now, it's another misery in your trudge through the forest. Your feet are painfully numb and wet hair freezes to your forehead as you sweat in your heavy white gear.

"One bullet. Get in, get out.. no messes," you pant Dreykov's instructions to yourself as you approach a small cabin next to a frozen lake. Smoke rises from the chimney to the air, soft yellow lights start to flick off in each room. Hiding behind the house, you silence your Glock and check your magazine, giving the small family time to fall asleep before scaling the balcony to the master bedroom.

You have no clue why this man needs to die, but you don't care if it means you get a night without a beating.

You enter the window silently, going to stand over a slender man with ruffled brown hair, glancing at his wife facing the opposite direction. She looks so peaceful, you think as guilt starts to pang your heart. For a second, you think about what would happen if you tried to make a run for it, what would happen if you spared this woman from a world of heartache. A rustle from the bed brings you back to reality, forcing your resistance to the back of your mind with a deep breath. There's a job to do.

You sigh softly as you press the barrel of your gun to the man's forehead, squeezing the trigger quickly. You hear a soft pew and holster your gun, moving to escape before seeing movement from the corner of your eye. You panic as a small hand raises from the middle of the bed, rustling out of her position between her parents.

"Daddy? What was that sound?" she whispers, sitting up and turning towards you. Your breath quickens and you feel your heart beating rapidly.

"Shhh, shh, shh. Go back to sleep," you try to soothe as you back toward the window, eyes wide. She isn't supposed to be in here! Why is she here? Oh God, no. No, no, no.

"Daddy, who's that?" she asks frantically, pulling on his shoulder before looking at his face. "Daddy? Why is your face all red? Daddy? DADDY!" she lets out a bloodcurdling shriek as blood pours from the small hole between the man's eyes. She sobs as she wakes her mother, eyes wide and staring at you in horror.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," you sob, before exiting through the window. Desperate screams and sobs fill your ears and follow you back through the snowy forest, collapsing in sobs behind a large tree.

...

2:30 AM

"NO!" you awake with a jolt, drenched in cold sweat and tears streaming from your eyes. You sob as you awake fully, holding your head in your hands. "I'm so sorry," you whisper brokenly.

You breathe in huffs, tearing your dampened bedsheets from your body and retreating to the bathroom. You turn on the faucet and run your face under cold water, fighting off the bile rising in your throat. You look in the mirror and cringe at your appearance, dark circles beneath your bloodshot eyes and paled skin. You throw the sweat-soaked pajamas in the hamper and grab a pair of leggings and a soft crewneck. There's no chance you're going back to sleep now.

After brushing through your hair and throwing it into a messy bun, you look somewhat presentable, exiting your room and padding softly to the kitchen. You grab a bowl and fill it with cereal from a box left out on the large granite counter. Your eyes are too tired to notice the brooding dark figure sitting on a barstool across the kitchen, watching you with careful eyes. You grab the milk from the fridge and take a whiff before pouring it over your cereal.