The World Keeps Changing

Chapter 21

I hate it when you see me cry

Your t-shirt soaked through from my eyes

When I'm not as tough as I should be

And you see the softest part of me

I hate it when you see me cry (Yeah, yeah)

I hate it when you see me cry (Yeah, yeah)

I hate it when I let you down

When your smile turns around

And I know I'm supposed to be the one that says

"Babe count on me"

I hate it when I let you down

Oh, oh I'm your rock n' roll Joan of Arc

The queen of broken hearts

I'm here to save the world, but who will save supergirl?

What if I'm weak and I need you tonight?

I hate it, I hate it when you see me cry (Yeah Yeah)

"Hate it When You See Me Cry"

By Haelstorm

I resettled the pack on my shoulders, checking the closures were still secure and I still had my phone and wallet. I knelt and tucked the ends of my pant legs into my shoes. Then, I climbed awkwardly on with his help. He cranked it and I wrapped my arms around his waist. He drove to the exit and weaved past the line of cars to a chorus of honks and out onto the street. It had been a long time since I had ridden with someone, been on a bike at all, but soon I was moving with him easily.

He gunned it when he felt I was comfortable and wove through traffic at a pace I found frankly terrifying. I eventually couldn't watch anymore and closed my eyes trying to feel and follow the consistent shifts in his body as we left the city at a breakneck pace, moving through the city traffic and out onto the freeway. His movements gradually became less frequent and more relaxed and when I opened my eyes again the road had opened up and we were moving smoothly through the night on county highways. I leaned against him more, feeling the rhythm of his heart and breath and the movement of his body, trying to calm my frantic heart.

Eventually, he pulled over at a gas station. He nudged me and I dismounted on shaking legs, holding onto his right arm for support. I extracted my wallet from the pack and handed him a card. He took it and pumped the gas as I hobbled in to use the restroom. I felt cold, and I wasn't trying to think about whether it was from actual cold or shock, or adrenaline comedown. I pulled more clothes from my pack in the stall, pulling off the hoodie and shaking it out, letting dust and debris fall to the floor. Then, I layered another shirt and a thermal henley before pulling it on again. I stripped off my flannel pants and pulled on a pair of fleece lined leggings under them. I tried not to look in the mirror as I washed my hands. I caught a bare glimpse of dust and eyes too bright and I was out the door again, limping hard back to the pump, pulling the helmet on as I walked, keeping the door slammed shut on any thoughts but moving to the next place, trusting that I was safe with this Winter Soldier version of Bucky, but refusing to think this was over until I could see the Bucky I knew behind those eyes again.

He mounted back up, holding his arm out again to help me.

"Where are we going?" I asked, barely managing to swing my leg over with a groan of pain and he had to give me a good boost to help me get seated. I had to guide my left leg up onto the peg with a hand under my thigh.

"Rendezvous at the compound," he answered stiffly.

I wrapped my arms around his waist again as I settled and nodded against his back that I was ready. He pulled away from the pump and we were on the road again. I'd never been to the newly built upstate compound, but I'd heard the team talking about moving to it soon, getting out of the density of the city. Shame they hadn't managed it before the tower got attacked again.