Words On My Skin

Chapter 9

A/N: I hope everyone had a great weekend! Thanks for reading! -Kristin

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"Recite them, again." Bucky demanded in a serious tone, sitting in front of you and putting together a gun he'd just cleaned. "Focus."

You rolled your eyes, a sigh escaping your lips before you could help it. "Seriously? I've said the stupid 'golden rules of gun safety' like... ten times. I know them."

"Then it shouldn't be a bother to repeat them." He huffed out, jaw tensing under the dark scruff that was a few millimeters away from being back to a full beard, again. "Quit being a pill, darlin', and just recite the damn rules."

You smirked, leaning forward in the seat that you'd been sitting in for the last hour and a half. You rested your elbows on the metal table, resting your head in your hands. "A pill, huh?" You let out a small snort, as his eyes flicked back up to you and he raised a brow in annoyance. "Fine, fine." You leaned back in your chair, ticking off the rules one-by-one. "The twelve golden rules of gun safety are: Always treat the gun like it's loaded... Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction... Always keep your finger straight, and off the trigger, until you are ready to shoot... Always keep the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it..."

You stopped, leaning back in your chair, "That rule is ridiculous. You guys are always running around with loaded guns."

"We're the Avengers. We've had a hell of a lot of training." Bucky closed his eyes, massaging his temples, hair falling into his face. He needed a haircut, again. "Keep going."

"Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to shoot..." You recited, bored out of your damn skull, "Be sure of your target and what's beyond it... Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the gun you are using... Always use proper ammunition... Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before loading and shooting... If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, hold your shooting position for several seconds; then with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, carefully unload the gun... Don't rely on the gun's safety to keep it from firing... And, finally, be aware of your surroundings when handling guns so you don't trip or lose your balance and accidentally point and/or fire the gun at anyone or anything." You snorted, again, "Something I'm very likely to do."

"Which is why you don't get to run around with a loaded gun, yet." Bucky sighed, opening his eyes – which were dark with stress – and holding out the unloaded gun. "Hold the gun."

"Do I have to?" You stared at the weapon in distaste, heart rate starting to pick up as you started to get nervous. "You know I don't like guns."

"You're the soulmate of The Winter Soldier. You need to be able to defend yourself."

"You're already teaching me how to fight, and how to handle knives." You objected, a lump starting to form in your throat the longer you stared at the Glock. "Do I really need to shoot guns, too?"

"Do you want to be the person to bring a knife to a gunfight?" He deadpanned, nodding at the weapon. "Take the gun."

You gulped, raising a trembling hand and slowly grasping the heavy gun, feeling the hard little bumps along the frame's handle. You weren't sure why you were so riddled with anxiety, but this was one of the moments you wished Bucky was paying attention to the soulmate bond, so you could stop this nonsense.

"There's no safety button on a Glock 19." Bucky explained, leaning forward and turning your hand gently so he could point to the little tab on the trigger. "This is a trigger safety. The tab prevents accidental discharges because the trigger's gotta' be pulled in a certain way for the gun to fire." He pushed the tab so it's flush with the trigger, "When you have your finger on the trigger, it deactivates the safety." He holds up the magazine, which he'd just filled with bullets, "When you put the magazine in the gun, you have to rack the slide to load the first round." He set it back down on the table, "Since this glock is only a semi-automatic, it'll only fire as many times as you pull the trigger."