Red, White and Black

Just One Yesterday

My name is Bucky Barnes.

The phrase had become a kind of litany in his head. Nearly two years since he broke out of the years of conditioning, torture, and control, and he had to remind himself daily who he was. He knew how to hide and he knew how to live in the shadows. He had been trained well and now he used those skills to go to ground.

My name is Bucky Barnes.

He had watched as the man he had saved instead of killed, the man who was supposed to be his mission, told the world that HYDRA's master assassin was dead. The Winter Soldier was dead. He was dead. Again.

My name is Bucky Barnes.

He had dreams now. Dreams that more often than not had him waking in a cold sweat with a scream tearing from his throat. He would also dream of Steve...disjointed images he supposed were memories. Memories of before, before he made into a monster.

And sometimes he would dream of a woman. Those dreams were the most fractured. Mostly they were sensations; a smell, a taste, a humming, a warmth, the tickle of hair, and the color white.

My name is Bucky Barnes.

Bucky wandered through the food stalls on the street, eyeing up the various wares for sale. After pulling Steve Rogers from the water, his training kicked in and he did what he did best outside of killing. Disappear. For two weeks, he hid out in that city until he felt it was safe enough to move on. But before he did, he broke into a museum and stared for a long time at the image of his face. And even longer at the image of the man he was supposed to kill.

Bucky didn't set a plan of where he was running, just reacted to the instinct to run. He ended up in Bucharest because the place felt familiar. This was the longest he had stayed in one place since going on the run. He was adjusting to being free from his handlers, but he was still haunted. Haunted by The Soldier. Haunted by the man he didn't kill. Haunted by a woman he couldn't completely remember.

He wanted to find her. He believed if he found her, his mind would't be so fractured.

My name is Bucky Barnes.

***

***

"Your boyfriend is back." Pietro says as the rush of air from his entrance blows over the pages of the book I was reading.

"Pietro! Be careful," I scolded him as I attempted to find the page I had been on.

"What are you reading?" He asked as he plucked the book out of my hands.

"Hey! Give it back." Leaning towards him, I tried to snatch the book back, but he leaned back and held me off with his foot. A voice interrupted the short tussle.

"What are you guys doing?"

Pausing, I look over the back of the couch at Steve. Rolling my eyes, I give up on getting my book back and instead stand to go to Steve. Wrapping my arms around his waist as I tilt my head to his face.

"Welcome back, Steve."

Smiling warmly at me, his hand rests against my cheek before he slides his hands into my hair as our lips meet. His other hand spreads across my lower back as he deepens the kiss.

I melted against him, lingering over it. A soft cough from behind us reminded us that Pietro was still there.

Steve pulled away, but only so far as to rest his head against my forehead, thumb brushing against my cheek, as he said, "Hey, darling."

"Did you get done what you needed to get done?" I asked, leaning against his chest for a minute.

He pressed his lips to the top of my head and said, "I did. Are you in the middle of anything right now?"