afterglow - tony stark

30

      It took Eira awhile to gain feeling in her limbs. Except for her hand as that seemed to be broken permanently; even her fingers were bent at angles still from when Valonkov crushed it. But as her feeling returned, she started to cough again. This time, she coughed up blood.

But with the weeks that passed, she was a mute. She'd walk through the facility with a guilty look on her face. She complied with everything easily after that.

They were back to the beginning where she had to get her blood drawn multiple times. She knew they were going to try and replicate her powers again; if they did, she would kill that person, too.

She hated her own thoughts. She hated Valonkov. She hated what they had done to her. She hated that they had dragged her down to Hell and made it so that her mind was Hell, too.

She hated everything except her Soldier. He had curious, thoughtful eyes directed at her all the time that she didn't think she'd ever see on him.

But things were changing with him. He started to gain more and more images the longer he was out of the cryo chamber. He remembered that he used to smile once...once. He wondered if that were ever possible for someone like him again.

One thing he did know was that he wouldn't get very far without his butterfly. She was a light that he needed to stay in. Although, she was concerning him with how lifeless she looked and then he got the most peculiar thought...he wanted to save her smile.

He just didn't quite know how he was going to do it until he did.

_____

Eira was back in her cell at night. He had asked softly if she'd speak to him again about what she remembered about him. But she never answered; still, he left the door cracked.

Then she surprised him.

She opened the door. She stood there, all fury and sadness. He pushed her shoulder gently in warning and pleaded for her to not do anything stupid, "Go back."

She ignored him before she stepped closer to him. She started to reach for his face which made him freeze. She froze, too, once she noticed he tensed and moved her hands more slowly. She placed her hands on the mask that was on his face and lifted it off.

"You are not their muzzled dog," she said softly with tears in her eyes. "And it kills me for you to stand out there like you are."

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. Some called you Bucky. I'd like to call you that if you decided I could," Eira stated with a couple of coughs. "But I don't think I'll last much longer and I'm sorry if I'll leave you alone..."

She thought about what would happen to Bucky if she left; they'd get the cryo chamber fixed much quicker. She thought about Tony and it broke her heart.

"I'm just sorry..." she cried.

She had tears fall down her face and Bucky slowly reached out with his flesh hand. He wiped one away with his thumb softly. He looked at it strangely as he had a vivid memory.

He remembered Steve and he was tiny. They were coming back from a funeral and he remembered what he told the tiny man. I'm with you 'til the end of the line.

He decided he wanted to be there for Eira. He reached out for her hand as he smiled softly, a bit of his old self regained, "Come on, butterfly."

She held onto his hand tightly as he stealthily moved her through the facility. They avoided cameras and other guards as Bucky snuck into the lab with her. He knew that if they were going to get anywhere, the chip in her neck had to be removed.