Bucky Barnes One Shots and Imagines

Braiding

"Hey Bucky, you, ok?" you asked the newest recruit to the team as you made your way back from a mission on the jet. "I'm fine Y/N" Bucky said looking at his feet. "If you want to talk about anything, I'm always here" you said quietly so no one else would hear. He gave you a weak smile, but you knew there was something more going on.

The mission you just finished was a particularly long one. It lasted a week and was full of fighting, hostages, and bombs you had to navigate. This terrorist cell was a big one that had a lot of hostile agents and weapons you had to deal with. Thankfully it was over, no one was hurt, and your mission was dubbed a success from Steve, who was currently flying the group back to the compound.

You were the newest addition to the Avengers now having been a part of the team for the past six months. Bucky had been at the compound for over a year and was just recently given clearance to join the team out in the field. You were hesitant at first, but Steve had insisted he would be fine and could handle things since his therapy sessions were going well and his nightmares were almost gone.

When you arrived at the compound, you and Bucky instantly became friends, often hanging out in each others' rooms, and at the gym. You would help him with his flexibility training, and he would help you with your strength training, and the two of you would watch terrible movies and TV shows together into the late hours of the night. You had thought he had a crush on you, but you never brought it up for fear of making him uncomfortable.

Once everyone was back at the compound, there were the debriefing meetings and paperwork you had to file, and a mandatory weeklong break from any new mission so you could recover both mentally and physically. You were thankful and looked forward to the break of relaxing and being able to sleep in your own bed.

That night, everyone was sprawled out in the living room, watching a movie. You were sitting on one of the couches in-between Bucky and Steve. Bucky was looking a little rough and wasn't really into the movie, so he got up and left the room. You noticed and nudged Steve, but Steve whispered, "He's fine, just tired" and went back to watching the movie. Half and hour had passed, and you weren't really into the movie, so you left the group and headed up to your room.

Your room was on the 7th floor and was located across the hall from Bucky's. His door was open when you walked to your room, so you peeked your head in his to see if he was ok. He was on his bed writing in what looked like a journal. "Hey Bucky, what's up?" you said while sticking your head into his room. "Hi Y/N, not much" Bucky said while returning to his journal. "I just want to see if you need anything before bed" you asked as you walked in and sat on his bed placing your hand on his chest. You knew his journal work was from his time in therapy and you often sat silent in his room listening to him scribble down his thoughts which was somehow comforting to you.

"No, I'm good" he said giving you a brave smile. "C'mon Buck, I know when something is bothering you" you said. He put down the journal and was now looking into your eyes. "Did something happen on the mission?" you said. "Not exactly" Bucky said now looking down. "Just that, when we were out there, I had a lot of anxious memories surface, past ones from my time as the Winter Soldier. I know that's not me anymore, but I couldn't help but feel like that part of me was trying to take over. I want to be able to go out on missions with the team and help contribute, but I feel like I can't control my anxiety because of my past" He said while grabbing your hand. 

"Bucky, that part of you is in the past. You can't let it affect you like that" you said holding his hand. "If you feel anxious about missions, have you spoken to Bruce or even Steve? Perhaps there's something you can take or do prior to a mission to help you" you said. "No, I haven't" he said while letting go of your hand. You sat there for a few minutes thinking.

"I know, I think I have an idea of how I can help with the anxiety" you said smiling at him and moving closer to him on the bed. "I taught an ex-boyfriend of mine this trick back in College when he was studying for exams, and it seemed to help" you said. Bucky scowled at that, but you just smiled. "C'mon Buck, I do have a past you know" you said teasingly to him. He rolled his eyes at you. "Here, let me show you".

You took your hair out of the bun it was in and let it fall loosely down your back. You had long, think hair that was sometimes unruly. It was wavy most of the time, but you did straighten it on occasion. You knew Bucky liked it because when you would watch movies together, he would run his fingers through it as you sat together.

Bucky watched intently what you were doing next. You shook out your hair and ran your fingers through it and brought a chunk close to your face. "Here, I can teach you to braid strands in my hair. The simple three strand braid will get your mind off things and give you something to focus on" you said. "I don't know Y/N" Bucky said while looking at you. "Trust me" you said winking at him which caused a slight blush to form on his cheeks.

You took a few strands and showed him the basic technique of making a braid. "There" you said as you finished a strand. "Now you try" you said turning around from him while you gave him a section to practice on. He took the hair sections and tried out a braid. It wasn't that bad, a little loose, but overall, it was pretty good you thought to yourself. "Nice" you said to Bucky. "Try another section" you said. He managed to braid a few more sections and by the time he was done, he was smiling at his work. "I hope I didn't hurt you" Bucky said laying back down on his bed. "Not at all" you said smiling at him. "Now, whenever you feel stressed or anxious, you can come to me and braid my hair, any time, any day you need." You said re-assuring him. "Thanks Y/N" as he smiled at you. "No problem" you said kissing his cheek. "Goodnight, Bucky" you said while closing his door.

The next few days went by quickly. Because there weren't any missions happening, it gave you time to tidy up and relax around the compound. Sometimes you would go for a hike, and sometimes you would just relax in the living room with a book. You and Bucky would hang out watching TV or a movie, and the odd time, he would braid a section of your hair. It came to the point where if you were sitting at the kitchen table, or on the couch with a book and you saw him enter the room and look for you in a panicked way, you would take out your hair from its bun, and wave him over.

The rest of the team saw this new hobby Bucky had picked up on and gave you questioning glances, but you just shrugged your shoulders at them and let Bucky do his work. There was even a morning where you woke up and saw a few braided strands in your hair. Bucky must have come in the middle of the night and did some braids you thought to yourself as you undid the strands.

"Hey Y/N" Steve said to you as you were leaving the gym. "Yes Steve?" you said while he walked beside you towards the rooms. "I don't know how you managed to help Bucky this time, but I wanted to thank you for it. He's a lot calmer and happier to be around" he said while putting a hand on your shoulder. "No problem, Steve. All I did was teach him how to braid" you said with a chuckle. "Well, whatever you did, thanks" as he gave you a quick peck on the cheek and went back to the gym. You noticed over the following week that Bucky would braid your hair less and less, so you knew his anxiety wasn't bothering him as much and you were glad.

There was another mission coming up, only you, Bucky, and Steve would be on it. It was a basic surveillance mission and not much for fighting so you were pleased that the first mission back was going to be a simple one. The three of you boarded the jet and headed to the location. You were in one of the jump seats while Bucky was next to you. You could tell he was a little anxious, even after you reminded him it was just a surveillance mission, he was still unsure. You proceeded to give him a chunk of your hair while he was able to braid a few sections before you landed.

True to your word, the mission only lasted a night and before you knew it, you were headed back to the compound. You were in the back of the jet laying down with your head in Bucky's lap while he was stroking your hair. You offered him a few sections to braid, but he smiled down at you. "I don't need that right now" Bucky said to you while giving the strands a playful tug. "Ok Bucky" you said smiling up at him. "I wanted to thank you Y/N for helping me with my anxiety" Bucky said smiling at you. "No problem, Buck, glad I could help" you said smiling at him. He leaned down and gave you a kiss which you happily returned.