Two Sugars

Chapter Three

It felt like you were being smuggled halfway across the world. In a sense, that was exactly what was happening, but you weren't expecting it to feel this illicit. It'd only been a few minutes since your conversation with Stark but already you'd been stuffed into someone else's clothes and then stuffed into the back of something resembling an aircraft like inconveniently sentient luggage. You still had a thousand questions but no-one would so much as make eye contact with you, they obviously knew better than to engage with the nuisance quivering in the corner.

During the journey you finally managed to gather your thoughts properly and figure out exactly what Stark had meant by 'just in case'. When he told you his story back at that shitty old apartment, Bucky had claimed that the people who'd invaded his mind were mostly gone, that he was safe from them- so either he lied to put your mind at ease or he truly believed that he wasn't in danger anymore.

You hoped to god it was the first one, at least then he'd be prepared.

Soon after touching down you were hurried from your seat out into a blisteringly cold snowscape, the layers you'd been provided with doing very little to stop the chill reaching your bones. You'd never felt cold like it. Your uniformed escorts, none of whom you recognised, ushered you towards a bunker that looked like two shipping containers sitting side by side. Inside, two different agents huddled around a radio and listened to the heroes undertake their mission. There you were told to wait until called upon.

You hugged your arms tight and shuffled towards the noise, taking a seat while attempting to make out the garbled transmissions.

Two buildings still standing, all others in ruins. Moving in.

Areas one to three secured.

Alpha team moving to investigate rubble, all units to remain clear of thermal imager.

Holy shit Cap there's someone under there.

You instinctively threw out a hand and gripped onto the shoulder of the agent sitting beside you. She asked if you were alright but you just shushed her, straining to hear every syllable that came out of the little metal box. You heard them rally all available bodies, you heard them encourage each other to keep digging but, after that, there was just silence. A minute passed, then another. You felt like pulling your hair out. You were on the verge of attempting to convince one of your companions to take you out there to help when, just as you opened your mouth, another message came through.

Barnes recovered, injured but alive. Bringing him back to base.

You could've cried, the relief was immense. You collapsed onto your companion's shoulder, a comforting arm moving behind you, rubbing your back. You started to regret being short with her earlier.

After ten minutes or so more agents started filing into the bunker, most of them looking exhausted, all of them covered in a thick layer of grey dust. You tried to make yourself useful by offering to help bandage up their damaged hands, but it became clear that you were just getting in the way. You really didn't have a place in this world.

Finally, a familiar face sauntered through the door- Stark, looking absolutely spotless.

'You hear the good news, wifey? Didn't need you after all.'

'Thank fuck.'

'You can say that again,' he dropped into a chair with a huff, 'tin man should be here soon.'

He busied himself with the rudimentary tech setup in the far corner, leaving you along with your thoughts. Always a bad idea. Unfortunately, now that the adrenaline and the nerves were starting to wear off, a few intrusive, unpleasant thoughts were starting to crop up in your mind. It had been a long while since you'd heard from Bucky, what if this mission wasn't the only reason he'd lost contact? What if he'd just gone off you? Jesus, maybe he'd intended to put some distance between you and you'd just followed him all the way to Siberia like a pathetic fucking lost puppy.