ᴛʜᴇ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ♡ ʙᴜᴄᴋʏ ʙᴀʀɴᴇꜱ.

✩ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

"I told you to stay in your room," Bucky took Mawu by the back of her elbow after John fled the scene of his crime. Mawu looked up at him before snatching her arm out of his grasp. "Do you ever listen?"

"Do you?" Mawu spoke through gritted teeth.

Bucky thought about it for a moment, knowing he didn't listen. But this wasn't about him. It is about Mawu's safety and condition. It wasn't like he knew exactly what he wanted, but putting his possible child in danger wasn't going to happen.

"Mawu—we are not going to argue about this right now."

"You are right," Mawu wiggled her arm away from him. "We are not."

As Bucky went to open his mouth, Mawu flew off, following behind John. Sam gave Bucky a look, confused about what was happening between them. With nothing to say, Bucky darts a glare at Sam to not question, he runs in the same direction Mawu has gone and soon after, Sam follows.

Landing outside of yet another abandoned warehouse, Mawu looked around before touching the ground to feel John's footsteps vibrate within the building. They were pacing, stomping, and at one point ceased. She wasn't sure what to do, but she was smart enough not to go in alone. Something is off about him. More than usual. Landing beside her, Sam watched Mawu and as she stood, Bucky finally skitted to a stop—hating the idea of her being here.

"He's inside," Mawu tells them, standing up. She looks up at Sam and then Bucky, feeling a bit sympathetic. Lemar is dead. Everyone here had lost someone, they knew how it felt to lose someone. But to murder someone in cold blood, a child at that, neither of them could accept it.

"I don't want you going in there," Bucky tells her, but Mawu shakes her head.

"We need to go in now," Sam says, walking into the building. He'd do this with or without them. Mawu follows Sam and eventually, after a sigh, Bucky follows behind them. They make their way through the main floor to see John starting towards them. The building was gloomy and frigid inside. Abandoned five years ago, the planet had already begun to take it back. This place is unsafe and unsettling.

"Walker," Sam says, furrowing his brows at the man who walked their way.

"You guys should go see a medic, you guys don't look so good," Walker says, walking past the trio.

"Stop, Walker!" Sam shouts.

John breathes out heavily, pacing around with the bloody shield still attached to his arm. He shakes his head, baffled by Sam's reaction. After everything, John thought what he had done was right. He took down Lemar's murderer. That's what a normal soldier would do.

"What?" John scoffed. "You saw what happened. You know what I had to do! I killed him because I had to! He killed Lemar!"

"He didn't kill Lemar, John..." Bucky states, knowing the truth. John targeted the wrong person, either way, Bucky wasn't going to allow John to justify his actions. "Don't go down that road. Believe me, it doesn't end well."

"I'm not like you," John spat. He turns his attention to Mawu. The one person who could have stopped it. His finger jabs in her direction, venom ready to spew from his lips. "And where were you? You could have—"

"Don't blame her," Bucky says, stepping in front of Mawu. "What happened has happened. It isn't her fault."

"Listen, it was the heat of the battle. Okay?" Sam drew a little closer to John, holding out his hands in front of him. "If you explain what happened, they may consider your record. We don't want anyone else to get hurt."

The room went silent as the trio watched the man come to a pause, staring at his blue eyes blankly at Sam. A glint of recognition washes over him as Sam doesn't back down.