Touch Me I'm Going to Scream // [Stucky]

Chapter 4

"He just... fell asleep," Stark breaks the silence.

Steve's skin itches all over, it feels tight, wrong. The fingers on his right hand are slick with the Soldier's blood and he wipes it off on his pants with more vehemence than necessary. His eyes pulse at the rhythm of his heart. Steve feels the compulsion to leave and take a long, hot shower. That's why he stays where he is and waits for his breathing to calm before he speaks up.

"Nat, are the other two taken care of?"

"Yeah. We gave them their own fancy cells," she says.

Steve nods his head, eyes still on the dark-haired man. He looks at his assaulted body and his mind screams at him that he's missing something major and it has to do with the Winter Soldier's role in HYDRA.

"We won't tell S.H.I.E.L.D. about this until we find out what is actually going on," Steve informs his team, making a stop on each set of eyes so he can get their nod of understanding.

Steve starts unlatching the reinforced straps that bind the man to the bed. He picks him up and carries him out of the quinjet and enters the elevator, the other three Avengers following him inside.

"To Hulk's reinforced room?" Stark questions and when Steve nods his approval the elevator descends.

The floor is chilly due to not having been used for a long time. Dr. Banner already has his own apartment in a different level and, apart from not being in the States, he hasn't needed the room in months. The Hulk-proof door opens to let them in and Steve journeys to the reinforced bed that's for Dr. Banner before and after his transformation; there's a different one for when he's a green brick shithouse, three sizes bigger.

This time, Steve places him on the bed with more care.

"Stark," Steve calls out. Stark hums from his left side. "You have any reliable doctors?"

"Yeah." They're about to leave when Stark says, his words leaving Steve with one more thing to ruminate, "I wonder why his wounds aren't healing if he's enhanced."

"What?" Steve croaks, turning to gape at the others-Barton seems taken by surprise as well-and then back to the unconscious man. Now that it's been pointed out, Steve wonders how he didn't notice it sooner. An hour has passed and the Winter Soldier's contusions and other numerous marks are still visible. Moreover, they haven't healed in the slightest.

Natasha nears the bed and takes into hand the man's only arm. She inspects closely and carefully the wounds that cover it and then sits on the edge of the bed so she can take a look at the shoulder that misses an arm. She sweeps one finger over the mangled skin, inspects her digit and then brings it close to her nose.

"Nat, why are you smelling his blood?" Barton asks, tone carefully free of any criticism.

"Because it's not only blood," Stark is who answers the query. Addressing Natasha, he says, "You noticed it too?"

"What? What else is there?" Steve fires out, feeling frantic and needing at least one answer before the end of the day.

Stark studies him for a split second and then walks to the door. "We better discuss it somewhere else."

"Give us a clue at least, man," Barton pleads but he's the first to exit the room and the rest follow suit. Steve chances a last look to the bed-the man still only in a pair of boxers-and then he enters the elevator.

Steve has too much energy to sit on a chair so he hovers near the opaque windows. "Stark, say whatever you have to say, don't beat around the bush."