Lovers in Arms | Bucky Barnes

Part 6

"It's a miracle you didn't hit any vital organs." says Sam to Karol as he is finishing sewing Bucky's wounds. Two perfect wedge shaped wounds are left behind, one on his back and one on his stomach. Sam sutured them as good as he could with the materials he found in a first-aid kit they had on hand.

"Ya know Sam... the thing about mind control, the part nobody talks about, is that you're still in there, some small piece of you is still awake, watching, like a passenger in your own body. You struggle to break free, but you lose, over and over again. And it makes whatever you are forced to do so much more worse."

She sighs, looking at her lap and staring at her hands. She tries to rub the blood from her hands, feeling guilty. How could she do this to Bucky? Usually she snapped out of the mind control much sooner. Images of the moment fly before her eyes, like all the other assassinations she has had to perform against her will, burned into her mind.

Not wanting to linger on this topic anymore she changes the subject. "Anyway..." she says to break the heavy air. "...my subconscious must have known, otherwise Bucky would have been dead. I never miss." She scuffs at Sam, looking at Bucky through the corner of her eye.

Sam is stunned by her honest answer. Since Bucky won't say anything about it. "I can take care of that bullet wound if you want?" He points to the bullet wound which he himself inflicted on her. Feeling a bit guilty after her honest answer.

Karol feels her shoulder, blood is seeping from the bullet wound. A sharp pain runs through her shoulder and down to her arm when she touches it. She almost forgot about it if it wasn't for the sharp pain she just felt. " I can take care of it myself." She mumbles while she takes one of her knives from her hip, and holds it over the flame of Sam's lighter, he used to disinfect the needle.

She shrugs of her leather jacket and throws it on the ground. The blade still hot, she starts digging into her shoulder, not flinching at all. When she feels the metals touching, she pops out the bullet and it fall to the ground making a loud clunk, echoing through the empty warehouse.

"I could stitch that if you want?" Sam asks sarcastic, not expecting she needs any help from him after ignoring him completely.

"Nah, that would be too noticeable when I get back."

Karol tries to be cool on the outside but from the inside she feels on edge. She's on her guard. She's ready if HYDRA suddenly bursts in. Her muscles tense, and her senses sharp. She takes in her surroundings and listens carefully for sounds. At least she tries. Her throbbing headache is working against her and radiates to her neck. The standard symptoms after she wakes up from the mind control.

When a group of random pigeons fly off in the big, echoing warehouse she jumps off her seat, ready to attack. Eyes open wide, flared nostrils and heavy breathing, scanning the empty space for guards.

Goddamn birds. The panic fades away slowly before she can take her seat again.

"I missed you." She whispers, looking up at Bucky. He hasn't changed a bit, his bright blue eyes looking back at her, the little wrinkles that appear around his eyes when he smiles and his lips. His soft lips. The stubbles that tickle when they kiss. Thinking about those moments make her smile. The only thing that has changes is his hair, it grew longer, and his face looks tired.

Bucky is scanning her face, taking in her beautiful features. Her dark brown eyes, her long ginger hair, braided as usual, her soft lips and her freckles on her nose and cheeks. He thinks about all the things they did together. Her lessons in how to use her Katanas, the lessons he gave her with his rifle. The times they spend kissing and fondling. A smirk appears on his face thinking about it.