marvel one-shots

7. winter soldier ; uh oh

I stared at Bucky across the table, he had been enjoying his meal and suddenly looked up at me. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes?" He asked. I glared. It was only us at the Tower, everyone else went on another mission.

"So you just randomly turn into the Winter Soldier and just go crazy?" I inquire.

"No. It's not a proven science. And it's not like I enjoy it." He states, tapping his metal arm with his real one. "And what about you? You have heat beams from your hands."

"So?"

"Whatever." He stands with a start. And puts his plate in the sink and rubs his forehead.

"You're not mad are you?" Part of me wanted to see him in action. I sit back and watch him pace the floor. He looks at me and his eyes harden.

"Bucky?" He reaches for a frying pan and approaches me. "Bucky!" I yell and stand. I raise my hands and a beam bounces off the pan and hits the wall. 

I run down the hall and grab my watch from my room. I hide in the closet. I dial Tony on it.

"Tony it's Grace, Bucky went all Winter Soldier."

"What'd you do?" He grunts as he hits someone.

"I just wanted to see what would happen-"

"Give us ten minutes." He says.

"Tony what do I do?" I whisper yell.

"Stall him." He hangs up. The door is broken open and Bucky stands in the doorway. For a second I think he's back, but then he approaches me. I stand and run for the exit. I get there before he can do anything and run to the training room.

I grab a pistol and turn. I hold it at attention and he comes in. He takes a gun as well. The safety clicks off on his. I gulp and turn mine off.

The difference is he will actually kill me. I would hit his foot. Or metal arm. Or shoulder even. But he'll kill me. I'll be dead and when he wakes up he'll either feel heavy guilt or an enormous relief.

I won't be there to see which.

I fire at his thigh and he shoots as well. It hits my shoulder and I fall back. He does too and scrambles to fire at me again, this time to kill. But Tony storms in in his suit and pins him down.

Blood spills down my arm and I clamp the other hand onto the wound. Cap and the others come in and Captain rushes to me while the others knock Bucky unconscious. I black out before I can see what happens next.

When I wake up I'm in a white room, on a sterile bed, there's the quiet beeping of the heart monitor.

I look to my right and see Tony. He smiles.

"Welcome to heaven, Gracie." He says seriously but cracks a smile and laughs.

"Wise ass." I mutter.

"Alright alright. No heaven for you yet. Bucky's contained and his leg stopped bleeding. He's calmed down I think. He'll be out in an hour if he keeps well. You missed a tendon in his leg, so he'll be fine. But he grazed your collarbone." He pauses. "No brakes, just a fraction."

"Thanks Tony." I say quietly.

"What did you do to him to make him soldier out?"

"Well I asked what happens when he does 'soldier out' and he started pacing and then did this." I motion to my shoulder.

"That's why you don't ask." He says.

"I wanted to see what he did first hand." I admit. "I'm sorry."

"You should be." He says and stands. "Come on. Let's go see him." He helps me up. I'm in a hospital gown and hold the back shut with my free hand. We walk down the hall and see other wounded SHIELD agents walk past.

We get to a metal door and he opens it with a keypad. I follow him inside and see Bucky in a glass container. He's strapped to a chair but remains calm. He lights up when he sees us.

He sits up, against the restraints.

"Grace, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No Bucky, it was my fault. I shouldn't have prodded you." I say calmly. Tony crosses his arms.

"Buck you need to learn how to control that. Even Bruce doesn't randomly Hulk-out." Tony says. "I'll go get the doctor to check you out." He leaves. I look at Bucky through the glass.

"I'm sorry." I say. He smiles.

"Me too. How bad's your arm?"

"Not bad, just a fraction. What about your leg?"

"Fine. It doesn't hurt that bad." He pauses. "We're a bad match, you know? We almost killed each other."

"That's what makes it exciting." I say. "But I don't regret it, soldier." He smiles behind the glass.