The Blue Siren and the Winter Soldier | Bucky Barnes x OC

Part 9

Back at my apartment I sat down on the couch in the living room. Bucky sat next to me, while Sam stood with his arms crossed in front of us.  Zemo went straight for the kitchen. I turned to Sam, "Can you go into my room and open the large chest under the window? There's a jar labeled 'Healing Salve' in there. It has a purple wax lid. Grab it for me, please?" My shoulder had become numb, and I continued to keep pressure on it as I spoke.

Sam nodded and did what I asked. Zemo took off his leather gloves and placed them on the kitchen table, "Where do you keep your liquor?" Slightly confused, I told him it was in the bottom right cabinet.

Bucky took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. I smiled. He had given me his jacket to cover up the bullet wound so people didn't see it before we got home. I took it off and handed it back to him, "Sorry about the blood..." I said sheepishly.

He took it and laughed, "Hey, not the first time this jacket has been covered in it."

Sam came back a moment later with the jar in hand. I told him to place it on the coffee table. Taking a deep breath, I pointed my hand at my shoulder and focused on removing the bullet. I gritted my teeth as I felt the small piece of metal magically shift out of my skin. I tried to keep my breathing steady, but I still gasped in pain as it made its way out of my body. I had completely forgotten that bullets hurt like a bitch. Sam and Bucky watched as I got the bullet out and it floated to the table, where it dropped with a small cling. I quickly grabbed the salve and took a generous amount in my hand. I wouldn't normally use that much on a wound, but since this one was a bit deeper, I used about half the small jars worth. It was thick like jelly and smelled repulsive. "I always keep a jar of healing salve on hand," I explained as I coated my shoulder, "It's not a miracle worker but it can help in a pinch." Before our eyes, the wound closed up. While I was still extremely sore, I was no longer in agonizing pain and the blood stopped flowing.

"That was...disgusting," Sam commented.

I looked up at him, "Did you want to remove the bullet yourself?" I teased. Sam grimaced but said nothing.

"Here you go," Zemo handed me a towel and a glass of alcohol. I took both, pressing the cloth against my still bloody skin. I sniffed the drink and eyed him suspiciously, "A simple home remedy. Honey, ginger, lemon, and a dash of Sokovian Whiskey."

I shrugged, figuring it wouldn't be the worst thing to put in my body. I took a sip and immediately coughed. It felt nice along my stomach, though.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you might have had the right idea bringing Zemo here, Buck," Sam said.

"I knew you'd agree once you had regained your senses," Zemo said.

Sam glared at him, "Hey, don't think we're friends or anything. You're going back to prison as soon as we're done with you."

Zemo took a sip of his own drink, "That's fair."

"How are you feeling?" Bucky asked me.

"I'll be okay," I smiled, "Just gonna be sore for the next few days."

"Well don't get too comfortable. We have work to do," Zemo said, "I know someone who may know where Auster is."

"And when were you going to share this information with the class?" Sam asked.

"Well if you hadn't noticed, your friend had been gravely wounded, so I didn't think it was the most important information to share at the time," Zemo responded.

"Who are we going to see?" Sam inquired.

"A mid-level fence I still have a line on by the name of Selby. She runs a club at the center of lowtown in Madripoor," Zemo explained.