The familiar glow of Wanda's power whirled around the small handful of remaining agents, drawing them upwards and slamming them down at once. Nat quickly swooped in as another agent came charging towards Wanda.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Bucky questioned. Y/n couldn't depict if the lowness of his voice was one of anger, or plain concern.

"I'm alright." Was all she said.

It didn't take long for Bucky to notice the slight limp in her leg. She shook her head at him dismissively, before throwing herself back into the fight.

It didn't take long for Steve to slip past her, with a longly awaited lecture. "Is this what having things handled looks like?" He said as he wrangled an agent. He tossed her an earpiece which she quickly placed in her ear.

"Pretty much." She replied, clutching onto the files for her own reassurance. "You didn't have to come."

She could see Nat rolling her eyes from the corner of her vision. "You knew we would."

"I can't stop your paranoia." Y/n huffed, throwing an agent into a nearby tree.

"Let's just get outta here already." Bucky grumbled from a few feet away. "What's the point in staying here for any longer than we need to."

"Might as well finish what we started." Sam's voice suddenly appeared in their earpieces. "Let's take these guys out and finish this."

"It's no good." Y/n shook her head and blew out a sigh. "There's four HYDRA bases still operating around the world. HYDRA won't fall unless we get rid of whoever's running it."

"Four?" Steve exclaimed.

"As far as I know. I found a whole map of their locations in the base. We're gonna have to knock them off one by one until we find the bastard leading them." Y/n told everyone.

Her eyes flicked towards the General from earlier, who was cowering behind one of the parked trucks that Wanda hadn't yet flipped over during the commotion. He was crouched down, watching idly as his men were being thrashed around by the Avengers.

Bucky finished off one of the agents, only to notice Y/n's attention on the man. He furrowed his brows questioningly when she made a beeline for him.

"General."

The General whipped around and fell onto his back pathetically as Y/n appeared behind him.

"I-It's you." He spluttered, crawling backwards and hitting the wall of the building.

"Who's in charge of the new HYDRA?" She nearly cut him off, her patience tipping off edge as the throbbing of her leg pulsed painfully.

"I don't answer to assets." He spat, his eyes widening as Bucky soon joined her side.

"Or two assets." His mouth curved to an malicious grin. "If only you had arrived two minutes later; I'd have my hands on those words and the two of you back in HYDRA's grasp."

In an instant, the collar of the man's jacket was balled up in Bucky's metal fist. He lifted him off the ground and drove him harshly into the stone wall. "You're gonna answer her damn question. Who's leading you?" Bucky said through gritted teeth.

It had been a while since Y/n had seen Bucky flip like this. Not even when Sam had eaten Bucky's leftover mac n' cheese.

Even so, she admired how he always managed to keep himself calm and collected, never allowing his voice to raise louder than its natural mellow tone.

"And what would I gain from leaking that information, Soldier?" He smirked dryly, swallowing a lump in his throat as Y/n stepped closer to him threateningly. "HYDRA will make its return, and the world is sure to be at our mercy."

He was no different to the other agents, all strewn across the ground limply. Their existence reduced to perhaps less than pawns to HYDRA and indoctrinated to believe that they were the heroes.

Without warning, Y/n lunged her fist straight thought the stone wall a few inches from the General's head. Bucky blinked at the sudden movement.

"Either tell us, or we throw your ass into a cozy RAFT prison cell where you can rot." She seethed.

Y/n noticed his jaw tighten. They were all the same. He must've relied on her or Bucky killing him on the spot, granting him the death he desired; serving HYDRA.

Bucky leaned forward so Y/n could meet his gaze. She stopped and turned her attention to him, detaching her hand from the crumbling wall. He eyed her leg, then nudged his head towards the Quinjet, signaling her to let him handle the rest.

She casted one last, bitter glance to the General, before nodding towards Bucky and heading back to the jet. Soon enough, Wanda slung her arm under Y/n's for support, leading her back to the Quinjet where Bruce and Tony were both waiting with a small stretcher.

"I promise I'm fine." Y/n informed all three of them as soon as she stepped inside. "It's just my leg."

"Just sit down and let Banner do his job Y/l/n." Tony folded his arms as he waited for her to do so.

She let out a sigh as she heaved herself onto the cushiony surface, from both exhaustion and relief.

"Well, at least you aren't badly injured." Wanda sat down in a seat nearby. "I wouldn't get too comfortable though. Fury's going to flip out once we're back at the base."

"Oh c'mon Wanda, I'm sure Patchy the Pirate is used to us crossing the line by now." Tony said as he handed Y/n a cup of coffee. "Thought you'd prefer this over Clint's smoothies."

"He makes them too runny." Y/n replied, smiling contently at the warm drink in her hands.

"I heard that." Clint said from the jet entrance. It didn't take long for Bucky, Steve and the others to board, allowing for Tony to take off from the base site.

"I have a good feeling our guy won't be hiding in any of these bases. If they're anything like this one, there shouldn't be too many agents to deal with." Sam told everyone.

"Yeah well, there aren't many members left." Bucky sighed, making his way over to Y/n. "Most former members have gone into hiding and want nothing to do with HYDRA."

"I don't see why you guys had to come here then." Y/n took a sip of her coffee. "I had already taken out most of them before you guys got here. Not that I don't appreciate the help of course."

Before Bucky could strike a debate, she pulled out one of the two folders from her jacket and handed it to him. "I didn't fail by the way."

He gently took his files from her hand, grazing his fingers over his name printed on the front. "I knew you wouldn't."

"So," Nat began, taking a seat next to Wanda. "Now that Y/n's retrieved their one token of hope, we can finally get to kicking HYDRA's ass again?"

"I say we wait." Said Steve. "Our approaches to all four of the bases should be spontaneous. They don't have enough power to take any kind of dangerous action against us or the public right now."

"We don't even know if they're hiding the new director in one of the bases or not." Pietro added.

Clint shrugged, skimming through some of the intel Y/n had saved earlier on one of the large screens. "We're bound to find some information on them from one of the bases at least. Plus, we know their intentions were to use Barnes and Y/l/n to rebuild the super soldier program."

"Yeah, because they were nothing without it." Bucky mumbled as he flipping through his files. He couldn't help but wonder just how much they had written about him.

After going over the events that occurred during her mission to Steve, Y/n was finally left alone to rest in solitude.

She slowly slid off the stretcher and made her way towards Nat, who was scanning over Y/n's files privately.

Y/n sat down next to her, peering over her shoulder, almost reluctantly. "How bad?"

"It was definitely necessary to snatch this information from HYDRA, that's for sure." Nat muttered as she scanned the pages, stopping at a printed photo clipped to the back.

Y/n's eyes immediately widened at the sight of the photo, which she quickly pulled from Nat's fingers.

"Y/n-"

"I don't even know what year this was. I was the same person for 27 years." She said softly, letting out a shaky breath at the sight of her limp body strapped unconscious to an iron chair in the grainy photo.

"You didn't need to see that again Y/n... I'm sorry." Nat spoke quietly, gently taking the photo back and tucking it between the paperclip.

"It's not your fault Nat." Y/n stood up. "I just need a moment."

Bucky took his eyes off his own files to see Y/n heading for one of the small bed compartments at the back of the jet. His gaze drifted towards Nat, who was watching Y/n leave sadly.

It was then, he saw the files sprawled out on Nat's lap. He walked towards Nat, clenching his jaw. "Did she read everything in there?"

"No." Nat answered quickly. "She just found a childhood photo from before HYDRA."

It was no doubt Natasha was an excellent liar, but he knew better. He yanked the files from her grasp and flicked to the back of the folder, pulling out the small photo attached with a paperclip.

Nat could see his expression darken as he shakily held the photo in his hand, nearly crumpling it before placing it back in the folder.

"Did she remember anything Nat." He said lowly, but rather aggressively.

Nat mentally sighed. She didn't bear the right to tell him. "No, she didn't."

Bucky nodded and ran his hand through his hair, beginning to head towards the room Y/n had disappeared to.

"Barnes." Natasha caught his wrist. "Don't. Give her some time alone."

It wasn't until now, that Bucky had the sudden urge to talk to Y/n, even if she didn't remember the years endured in HYDRA like he did, she had been in his shoes. Yet, there remained to be the nagging thought in the back of his head that constantly stopped him from having such a conversation.

She wouldn't understand.

She wasn't like you.

You remember it all.

He stared at her door for a short moment, before turning on his heel and sitting down silently next to Steve, who was engaged in an arm wrestle against Thor.

"Alright! Barnes has decided to join us. Winner will take him on." Thor chuckled, his voice strained as he resisted against Steve.

"You're on." Steve agreed, equally tense.

Several hours had gone by as the team flew back home to New York. Many had retreated to their own beds, each no bigger than a twin sized mattress to preserve space in the Quinjet. Nat, Clint and Tony each took turns switching out as pilot.

It had been well over four hours since Y/n had overheard Bucky and Nat's conversation, and four hours since she'd left her closet sized room.

Bucky was most likely waiting with a pending conversation about the photo, unbeknownst to him that its content was all too familiar to Y/n. She had been drained of any possible energy that would give her the strength to come up with a decent lie.

"No, I don't remember any of my days captive in HYDRA. I'm totally fine now!"

Y/n buried her face into her hands and groaned. If only it were that way.

Lying was beginning to feel more exhausting than ever. All of it was still there, and today had been enough of a reminder that she was not the optimistic person she fronted to everyone else.

She fell backwards into her pillow and stared blankly outside the window, watching as the azure sky stained orange. The sky itself had different phases; night, day, evening. Yet it'll always remain the sky.

"So am I still the same Y/n?" She questioned to herself. Even after everything she'd gone through.

"Is Bucky the same Bucky?"

♥︎ A few hours later ♥︎

New York had been swallowed up by the late night darkness by the time they returned. Y/n swiftly exited the jet, avoiding running into Bucky or even Steve on her way out. Steve had a knack for sensing when someone was feeling down, and Y/n had made it a little too obvious on the jet.

Bucky hadn't managed to catch any sleep on the way back. The appalling image had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and a small pang of envy he immediately shoved back down.

How could she possibly not remember? Bucky wondered to himself.

When Clint had landed the jet, Y/n had already disappeared into the tower before Bucky could even speak to her. He eventually shrugged it off, accepting that she wanted to be alone.

Y/n let out a long sigh as soon as the hot water had hit her grime covered skin.

"FRIDAY, play Human Nature." She said, quietly humming to herself when Michael's voice played softly in the background.

They say why, why?
Tell them that it's human nature
Why, why?

She stepped out of her steam clouded bathroom and dove onto her bed, sighing into the soft duvet. She'd kicked ass today, all from an impulsive and maybe even reckless decision.

Y/n lifted her head and took a short glance to the right, where her clock displayed that is was one fifteen. She felt her body slowly sink into the airy mattress, one unlike she'd ever felt before. Even the fancy hotel her father took her to for one night in downtown hadn't felt nearly this soft.

She rose off her bed and grabbed ahold of the fleecy throw blanket folded neatly at the end of her bed, as well as one of the white pillows placed hidden behind the decorative cushions. She set up her usual sleeping arrangement on the hardwood floor on the other side of her room by the window outlooking the New York skyline. She was sure to request that FRIDAY set the usual alarm at 4:30 so Y/n could move from the floor to her bed in case Natasha or Wanda came barging in afterwards. The bed was some getting used to, but felt too good to be true. Too unfamiliar.

She fell back into her pillow, feeling the cool floor replace the cushioned mattress. Y/n grumbled after a few minutes of tossing and turning, coming to the conclusion that she wouldn't fall asleep for a while.

She lugged herself off the floor and grabbed the remote from her bedside table, hopping back into bed. Thankfully, Tony had generously provided everyone with Netflix and cable, which Y/n often found herself using on sleepless nights such as these. She flicked though the movies and shows on Netflix, eventually selecting one and laying back restlessly.

Only a few minutes later, is when Y/n heard gentle footsteps approaching from down the hall. She waved it off at first, suggesting that it was just Steve getting up for his usual late night coffee fix, but these footsteps sounded different.

It was then that there was a small knock on her door.

Y/n quickly jolted up to stuff the blanket and pillow on the floor under her bed, before tugging down on her pajama shorts and flattening her hair.

She slowly turned the door handle and peaked through, her eyebrows furrowing. "Bucky?"

"Is now a bad time?" He whispered, scratching the back of his head. "You don't have to let me in or anything. I just wanted to... make sure you're okay."

Y/n glanced back to her TV, eventually opening her door all the way. He stepped into her room and took a moment to catch a glimpse of her room as she silently shut the door behind him.

Despite how she had scorned him those few weeks ago about his own minimalist decor, she hadn't decorated as much as he would have pictured. Her bed was obviously undone, but the navy blue cushions were cast aside on the floor. There was a small chair placed near the window, and a simple white IKEA dresser placed across from it, as well as a small bedside table and a lamp that matched the cushions.

"What are you watching?" He questioned.

She returned to her comfy spot on her bed and chuckled lightly. "It's called The Goonies. I was actually thinking of showing you this movie the next time we had a movie night."

Bucky nodded, standing awkwardly between her bed and the door to the hallway. Y/n rolled her eyes and patted the area next to her. "C'mon, might as well since neither of us are gonna be sleeping any time soon."

He slowly climbed into bed, his weight dipping into the mattress nearly toppling Y/n into him. He was all rock hard muscle all right.

"It's about a group kids who find a map in an attic that leads to a long lost treasure, but a group of criminals also wanna get their hands on the treasure before them."

"Sounds cheesy." Bucky said bluntly, earning a scoff from Y/n.

"It's an eighties movie! You can't compare it to the crazy CGI shit that's made today. Plus, this movie is a classic. Well, at least Nat said it was now. It was great when it came out."

Bucky nudged her playfully. "Alright, alright. I trust your judgment."

Y/n smiled contently, turning up the volume of the TV. "And if you like this one, we can watch the Indiana Jones movies next."

By the middle of the movie, the two of them had eased from the awkwardness at the start, now spread out lazily on the space of the king sized bed. Y/n had shifted to a horizontal position, her feet nearly dangling off the edge of the bed. Bucky had scooted down and sprawled himself out, resting his head on one of his forearms.

"So your favorite movie is about a group of kids almost dying from deadly, 17th century traps to find a treasure they don't know really exists?" Bucky questioned brusquely. Y/n scoffed and hit his side. "Are you even watching the movie?"

"-Ow!"

"It's about their one last adventure together! And like they say..." she pumped her fist into the air. "Goonies never say die!!"

Bucky smiled at her goofy expression. "Is that their catchphrase?"

"Oh just forget it." Y/n folded her arms and turned her attention back to the TV. "Just watch the movie."

Bucky's eyes remained on her face, grinning stupidly at her reaction to his comment. The chaos from earlier that day was already beginning to fade into the past.

He decided to finally tear his gaze away from her, and finally pay attention to the movie she seemed to adore so much.

Bucky soon found himself drawn to the TV once again, audibly sighing once the Goonies finally made it back to shore safely and with a memorable adventure to cherish. Sure, he might've thought it was a dumb kids movie at the beginning, but he could see the nostalgia flood into Y/n's eyes as each scene unfolded. He now understood how it felt when Sam poked fun at his forties music that occasionally was playing in the background of Bucky's room. There was a certain charm to both his oldies tunes, and Y/n's cheesy movies.

"Wow, so they were able to buy back their neighborhood with the treasure." Bucky chuckled quietly. Y/n gave a small hum in agreement, fighting the sleep that tugged at her eyelids.

"Hey." Bucky waited until her gaze met his. "Just go to sleep. You've had a long day, you should get some rest."

Y/n nodded, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "I could say the same for you."

"You don't need to worry about me."

She was far too tired to argue. The movie continued until it finally reached the end of the conclusion, the credits beginning to roll.

But in that short few minutes, the two had already slipped into slumber.