Fragile - A Bucky Barnes Story

Metal and Mental

I woke up, nearly hissing at the bright daylight shining through the small gap in the beige curtains directly on my face, raising my arm to shield my eyes before rolling over in the plush queen size bed. It felt strange, not waking up on a train station chair or a pile of damp cardboard but it felt like heaven, so much so I almost forgot why I was here.

I slowly raise my head, looking around the bare room as the fog lifts from my mind and I realize that I'm in the Avengers Compound, in a spare room on the quarters floor. I sigh deeply and force myself to climb from the bed.

It took a good thirty minutes to wake up, drink a cup of coffee, get dressed and finally lug myself down to the common area where I was supposed to meet James and he was supposed to show me down to the training arena, where we would have our therapy sessions.

"Hey James," I called out upon seeing his skittish figure with his back against the corner, bright eyes surveying the large area in front of him as if waiting for an attack. "Are you ready?"

He didn't reply, only cast his eyes downwards as he pushed up off the large chair and began to walk across the room, several feet away from me. I took that as a sign to follow, I took another sip from my coffee cup and kept a safe distance from him as he took me to the elevator. We stood in silence, watching the numbers lower until we were on the ground floor, where he led me out the back door and about two hundred feet away from the main building into another warehouse looking building. Inside was solid concrete, steel supports and what looked like monitors set up high.

"Whoa, looks like a bunker," I murmur, more to myself than to James because he was so far ahead of me that I didn't think he could actually hear me.

"It's built to handle blasts from recruits without control of their powers," he answered only loud enough for me to not have to strain my ears to hear, he walked through a metal door and disappeared behind it for a few minutes before he came out with two fold out metal chairs. He walks to the very front of the building, me trailing behind slightly as he gets up on a slightly raised platform, just an inch from the concrete flooring. "It also has a cage that can contain me in case you trigger the Winter Soldier."

"I doubt we will need that," I scoff as I watch him place one chair in the center of the platform and another several feet away from it. He turns and strolls up to me, his blue eyes meeting my green ones. It takes a few moments for his hand to reach into the pocket of his trousers and pull out a remote with a single red button in the center.

"Hit that, lock me in," he murmurs, turning on the spot. He sits in the chair on the platform expectantly, his eyes moving from my stunned position of one hand holding a remote and the other a coffee cup to the bland floor below his feet.

"I'm guessing this wasn't your idea," I finally say aloud, moving slowly to the metal chair. I sit my coffee cup on the ground beside me and then I fold one leg over the other.

"It wasn't a bad idea," he responded, turning his black and gold metal arm back and forth, as if studying the designs. It had been a gift from the Wakandans.

"It's demeaning, honestly," I lift my hand to push the black rim glasses further up my nose as I lean forward, gazing up at the high ceiling to see if I can see any cage, but I can't. "For both you and I."

"How so?" He looked up at me curiously. His arm gazing forgotten for the moment.

"To think that a cage could stop you," I lean back, trying to get into a comfortable position. His eyebrow arched at my comment. "And for them to think I couldn't shut the Soldier down the moment he popped up, it's insulting."

"I guess so," he looked back down, letting a deep yet soft chuckle escape his lips. I small smile made its way to my lips, seeing something besides pure depression gave me a little hope.

"I know you don't like me messing with your mind, I could feel you pushing back yesterday," I start off the session, leaning down to grab my coffee and take a sip. I dropped the remote on the floor beside the chair leg. I wouldn't be needing that today. "I want you to know that I won't enter your mind without your approval from now on."

"I just-" he paused, running a hand through his hair as he sat back against the seat. "I don't like my mind being messed with anymore. It happened for so long."

"I won't cause any damage," I take a deep breath and lean forward on my knees, making eye contact with James. "Its important that we build a relationship with trust. If I have your permission, I would like to start. I will step out for breaks, speak with you about what I see and what I am putting together. If at any time you need to stop, just tell me."

"Thank you," he nodded slowly after a long moment of thought. His eyes flitted from the floor to meet mine again. "I didn't catch your name yesterday."

"Lucille Edge, but you can call me Lucky," I smile, standing up and beginning my trek towards him. His eyes immediately began to mimic those of a caged animal as I grew closer, causing me to halt in my step. "I have to place my hands on the sides of your head to go deeper into your subconscious. Is that okay?"

A/N: Welcome folks to my newest adventure! It's probably going to be slow going, but please let me know what you think of it!