Tough Love

Chapter Five

Steve's POV

Three days had past without incident.

Bucky hadn't been talking that much and would barely speak without being spoken to first, but that wasn't any different than the first day.

He was now off his I.V. and was eating mostly soups and applesauce, which he really seemed to enjoy.

I had sent Sam back home so he could run his VA meeting because he had missed enough of them because of Bucky and I.

It had taken a little while, but once I had him convinced that Bucky and I would be fine and that he probably wouldn't try and kill me, he sighed, wished the two of us luck, made me promise to call at least twice times a day, and left.

Not twenty minutes later, Tony walked through the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called, scaring Bucky and myself.

I flinched and stayed sitting, but Bucky jumped up and stood alert and ready to attack, but visibility relaxed when he saw it was just someone that he knew.

"Master Stark, how are you Sir?" Jarvis asked and Tony smiled.

"I'm great, Jarvis, thank you," he responded and walked over to the two of us.

Since Bucky and I were sitting on practically opposite sides of the couch, he sat between the two of us, Bucky sitting back down as he did.

"Everything going well?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, things have been going better than I thought. What about for yourself?"

"Things are good. Pepper didn't yell at me to much for disappearing as she was more worried than mad. She hates it when I just up and leave with no explaination. She always thinks I'm getting into trouble."

Tony and I made small talk for the next few minutes before he turned his attention to the assassin in the room.

"How's you're arm doing?" Tony asked and Bucky looked at him.

"As well as normal," he responded in the quiet voice that he normally spoke in.

Bucky never spoke in a loud voice, and I knew why.

When searching for him, I had dug up every file that HYDRA had on the Winter Soldier. I read it all, wanting to know everything that I could.

I learned that if he acted out, he would get punished.

I read the manual that each of his handlers were given, and, well, I learned how to control him. I learned how to calm him down and I learned his trigger phrases.

With Hydra, it was the constant threat of pain that would keep him in line. The fear of getting punished for even the smallest thing made him stay obedient.

I hated that he treated me like his handler. Whenever someone else asked him something, he would look at me before responding.

"Would you mind if I took a look at it?" Tony asked, standing up. Bucky looked at me and I nodded in encouragement, copying Tony's actions, causing Bucky to stand also. "I'll take that as a yes," he said and started walking for the steps. "Follow me."

Tony led the way down to his lab. Once we got through the coded door, he had Bucky sit in the same metal chair as a few days ago.

At Tony's request, and my nod of confirmation, Bucky removed his shirt and leaned back, resting his metal arm on the armrest.

Everything was going fine for a while, Tony only making a few adjustments, saying how everything was in working order, until something went wrong.

I'm not sure what happened, Tony must've clipped the wrong wire or something, but Bucky went rigged, his jaw snapping shut and his body going stiff in the chair. He let out a mangled scream through his teeth and the armrest crumpled under his grip.

The skin on the left side of Bucky's neck and the skin around his metal shoulder started to turn black and the smell of what could only be burning flesh filled the room.

"What's happening!" I yelled, looking at a terrified Tony. "What did you do!"

"I-I don't-. I didn't-," he stuttered.

"Buck!" I yelled, putting my hands on Bucky's shoulders, trying to hold him still as he screamed. "Buck!"

His body shook and I felt something shock my hand, turning part of it black, looking like I was electrocuted.

When Tony saw my hand, he understood what had happening.

"There's electricity flowing through his body, frying his brain," he stated in a panicked voice.

That's when I understood too.

"He's getting wiped," I said, putting my hand back on his shoulder, holding him down and ignoring the pain in my hand.

I knew that whatever I was feeling, Bucky was getting tenfold.

"What does that mean?" Tony demanded, wanting more details.

"I read about it in his file," I grunted, keeping my arms stiff and secure. "Hydra would wipe his mind to make him do their bidding. I read that they built in a trigger in his arm so that they could have him wiped on a mission if absolutely necessary."

Tony had a guilty look on his face and he frowned, looking at the struggling man under my grip. "And I must've triggered it."

It was another minute before Bucky went limp, slumping in his chair, unconscious.

"No," I said, shaking my head and removing my hand from Bucky's shoulders. "I should've given you the blue-prints on his arm. This is my fault."

Tony gave both Bucky and I a look a pity, but he didn't disagree with me. "Do you think the wipe worked?"

"Only time will tell."