Captain America Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier Steve Rogers Fan Fic - The Constant

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Steve Rogers Meets The Winter Soldier

Steve Rogers Meets The Winter Soldier

How do you approach a wounded animal? How do you break past that barrier of distrust? The fear that makes the animal bare its teeth?

You put your hand out and it bites you; you feed it and it eats so fast it makes itself sick.

It's bad enough when it's a wounded animal. How do you do this when the animal is a person? A person whom you love?

Steve thought it was going to be so simple. Bucky had accepted his help so readily last night, had allowed them to work on his wounds and care for him, but this morning? This morning the Winter Soldier is awake and the look in his eyes is not a pretty one.

Bucky awoke not knowing where he was – only that he is in pain. He looks up and sees he is attached to a drip and the first thing he thinks is that he is back at the compound, back where they had him and panic overtook. Steve had been asleep in the chair and woke when he heard a tremendous crash.

"Christ!" His hand is on his chest, his heart pounding from the shock the noise gave his heart. Bucky has fallen and is on the floor scrabbling to get up; the whimpering coming from him is heartbreaking. A mixture of the word no and a keening.

He has pulled the drip out of his arm but has fallen on his hip and is in agony; the stitches have burst where they hit the ground and he is trying desperately to get up, using the bed clothes as leverage, but as he pulls at them they slip and send him to the ground again and again.

Steve rises fast, meaning to take hold of him, to help him back into the bed but Bucky kicks out, shuffles back until he hits the bedside cabinet. His eyes are wild, frantic, looking for a way out and it stops Steve in his tracks. Shit, he thinks.

"Buck? Buck, it's all right. You're safe." But the wild look in Bucky's eyes doesn't ease; they roam the room, trying to see a way past Steve to get out, to run.

Steve holds his hands out, trying to appear non-threatening. He backs off to give Bucky space, crouches down and he can see blood blossoming on Bucky's left hand side, sees the utter panic and wide eyes.

"Hey come on Buck, you're safe, you know me, I won't hurt you." And Steve once again shows him his hands are empty, tries to smile.

Bucky's feet are scrabbling for purchase on the carpet and he turns sideways, still watching Steve. He uses the night stand to get himself up. Steve also stands, very slowly, hands still out, but as he does he hears another noise in the other room and Bucky hears it too.

Voices.

Before Steve can think of calling out, Bucky growls and comes at him in an attack. It is all Steve can do to protect his face as the metal arm comes out swinging and catches his left arm which he has brought up to protect his face and then Bucky is running.

He doesn't get far. Natasha Romanoff brings him down with a single hard punch to the face.

"Well I'd say that went well," she says drily, shaking her fist. Hell that hurt both of us! she thinks.

Ales had been standing behind her and now comes to the front to see to the injured man who is out cold. Sam also peers around Nat, first at Steve, and then down at the floor.

"Well hello to you to, nice to finally meet you," he smiles at the prone man. He looks back at Steve. "Nice friends you have, Steve. So welcoming!"

Steve ignores him and angrily turns to Nat. "You didn't have to hit him!"

"You're welcome," she says, stepping over Bucky to crouch down next to the doctor. "Will he be okay?"

Ales is busy checking his patient over and quickly surmises that a few of the stitches will need resewing. He nods "Maybe not hit him so hard next time...you've broken his nose...he's pulled the drip out, but the cannula is still in there. Can you help me get him back on the bed?"