The long lost Barnes

Rebuilding Trust

The air inside the compound felt heavy with the weight of their emotions as Bucky and Leia stood together, their foreheads still pressed against one another in the silence that followed. Outside, the sounds of battle still echoed—a cacophony of gunfire and explosions as the Avengers systematically dismantled the Hydra stronghold. But inside this small, isolated room, there was a different kind of war raging: the war to reclaim the pieces of their lives that had been shattered by time, betrayal, and Hydra's manipulation.

Leia pulled away from Bucky first, though her hand lingered on his chest for just a moment longer, as if grounding herself in his presence. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions: relief, sadness, guilt, but also hope. It wasn't an easy thing, this reconnection. They both knew that.

"We need to keep moving," she said quietly, the edge of urgency creeping into her voice as her military instincts kicked in. "Hydra's still here. We're not safe yet."

Bucky nodded. He could see the old Leia in her now—the woman he had once known so well, the fierce, independent soldier who had been a force of nature before Hydra had taken her. She was still in there, buried beneath all the trauma, the programming, the scars. And though the part of him that loved her wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment, to just hold her close and never let go, he knew she was right.

"We'll fight," Bucky said softly, his voice low and steady. "But we'll do it together. We'll do it right."

Leia's lips parted slightly, but before she could respond, the sound of Steve's voice crackled over their comms, cutting through the tension in the room.

"Bucky, Leia, you're good to go. We've secured the perimeter, but Hydra's got backup coming. We don't have much time before reinforcements show up. Move out."

Leia's jaw tightened at the mention of Hydra reinforcements, but she quickly pushed the emotion away. She turned to face Bucky once more, meeting his gaze with a mixture of gratitude and something else—something raw and unspoken.

"I'm ready," she said, the fire in her eyes burning brighter than ever.

Bucky and Leia moved swiftly through the compound, their steps synchronized, a seamless combination of lethal efficiency and quiet determination. The hallway was dimly lit, the walls covered in cold, metallic panels, giving the place an eerie, clinical feel. It was a far cry from the warmth they had once shared, from the life they had hoped for.

But there was something in the air now—something more than just the distant thrum of the fight outside. It was the feeling of finally being whole again. And though the war was far from over, Bucky could feel the weight lifting, even if just for a moment. The fact that Leia was standing by his side again, her strength, her resilience, reminded him that there was still a chance for something good to come from this nightmare.

"I've got your six," Bucky murmured as they moved down the hallway, his eyes scanning every corner for threats.

Leia nodded, but her focus remained razor-sharp. "And I've got yours."

It wasn't just a partnership. It was a promise. They were a team again.

They reached the central hub of the compound just as an explosion echoed from somewhere deeper inside, followed by the telltale sounds of Hydra agents mobilizing. Bucky and Leia shared a glance, the tension between them dissolving into something almost unspoken—an understanding, a bond forged through years of separation and hardship.

"On my mark," Bucky whispered, his hand already moving to his sidearm.

Leia's eyes met his, and in that brief second, she allowed herself to trust him completely. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn't carrying the weight of the world alone.