Modern Royalty

Old habits

Chapter 3
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Alexander leaves the room, collected as always, and stalks through the hall to his wife. Just as Bucky is about to leave the room as well, Steve leaves his hiding spot and pushes him back inside, closing the door behind them. "You shouldn't eavesdrop this obviously", Bucky says, his voice missing any kind of emotional touch.

Steve doesn't answer right away, he pulls Bucky towards one of the lamps and looks at his bright red cheek. The blond's gaze shifts and he sees the blood dripping from Bucky's burst lip. "Did he hit you?", Steve asks shockedly and the brunet just shrugs. "What else was he supposed to do? I misbehaved", he answers coldly. "What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden, god dammit", Steve curses and pushes Bucky down in one of the chairs. "Steve, this is really none of your business. What did you hear?", Bucky says and looks at him patiently. "Something about soundproof doors, and you're going to explain that to me later, that he slapped you and the rest", Steve answers seriously, pacing around the room.

"The doors were installed when I came back. I woke up screaming oftenly and my father was annoyed by it", Bucky explains briefly. Steve stops midst walking and turns to him. "And he simply left you alone with...", Steve says, clearly too upset to even finish the sentence. "With my nightmares? Flashbacks? Pain? Yes", Bucky states and stands up. "Oh no, you stay here. You can't go out there bleeding and with a burning cheek", the blond says loudly. Bucky sighs and clasps his hands around Steve's shoulders. "Listen. Forget what you've heard. All of that... All of that is either in the past and unchangeable, or solely between me and my father", he says urgently. Steve can't help but look at Bucky's lips while speaking. They're blood red, the blood is still flowing, and Bucky doesn't even seem to mind. He sighs and shrugs off Bucky's hands. "The bathrooms are just a few doors over, let's get you cleaned up", Steve says and smiles slightly at the brunet. "How many times did I say that to you?", Bucky asks and walks towards the door. "More than I can count", the blond answers and chuckles.

They sneak their way to the bathroom and Bucky keeps looking down the whole time. He walks over to the mirror above the sink and sighs. He looks at the small towels, if he wipes the blood away with those, it'd be too obvious. "Do you... Do you have a tissue or something? I didn't bring any, and my mother's...well", Bucky asks carefully and looks at Steve. 'He's scared again...almost like a dog that's been kicked', Steve thinks and hands him a paper tissue. "I know, with your father. Here, I can't break the habit of bringing some along", he says and grins softly. "Right, your nosebleed", Bucky mumbles and chuckles silently, unsure whether it's okay to laugh or not. He thankfully takes the tissue and wipes his blood away. "Exactly", Steve laughs reassuringly and watches him. "Bucky, can I ask something?" The brunet nods and looks at him through the mirror curiously.

"Why are you wearing that glove? I mean for an outside event at this time of year, I could understand it. But only one and inside... I've been thinking about it since I noticed it", Steve asks and sits down on the marble counter surrounding the sinks. "That accident...left some unpleasant traces, that I prefer to hide ever since", Bucky answers, avoiding to give a clear answer. He looks away and sighs.
"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable", Steve apologizes. "Oh, it's fine. I just didn't have to answer that question yet. My family knows, some servants. Most others keep their distance", Bucky says and looks up again, smiling slightly. "Are you saying, that you didn't really talk to other people in five years?", Steve asks. "In six. You know, my last year at war, when everyone thought I died on that night mission?", the brunet answers and sits down on the other side of the sink, still trying to stop the bleeding. "They said, that you fell off a train and vanished. Missing in Action. I looked up everything about it, I just couldn't believe it", Steve whispers. "I know, I know... I wasn't MiA, though. Partly, maybe. But I was PoW. An enemy organisation took me in, changed me and...waited until my father paid a high price to get me out. That's when I came back. Then I turned to speed, to cars, just to get all I saw out of my mind. I had to concentrate on the road. But the day of the accident... I thought I saw something, swerved, and crashed down the ditch", Bucky continues. This is the first time he tells anybody but his family and therapist about it. "I know, this sounds terribly dumb... But what's PoW again?", Steve asks and is more than relieved when Bucky starts laughing. "Prisoner of War", he chuckles and sighs slightly. "Oh, oh right... God, how could I forget", Steve grins. "What'd you do in that time?", Bucky asks. "Well, I needed a good while to adjust to this. But then I stayed in, too. Most of the time, at least, but that wasn't something new", the blond answers smiling. "Bookworm", Bucky mumbles and stands up again. "Shall we?" "You still have a very red cheek. I'll get you some ice, and when it's normal we'll go out again. What do you say?", Steve suggests. "Get me a drink on that way and we can call it a deal", the brunet chuckles. "Noted", Steve answers and leaves the bathroom. Bucky sighs deeply and takes off the glove. He looks at the metal hand and closes his eyes for a few seconds. 'Why did it have to be me..?', he thinks and places the hand on his cheek. It's cold, obviously, and in this situation practical. "For once", he whispers. "But nothing compared to this fucking secrecy." He puts the glove on again after a few seconds and waits for Steve.