After Death | Bucky Barnes(Republished)

You Don't Trust Me?

      We took out all the guards outside quickly moving to the entrance where Romanoff was attempting to bypass the computer system at the door. I kept my riffle up, searching for any movement, seconds later the door opened. I went in first, my gun at the ready, I rounded the first corner. 

Empty. 

      We split up once more as the corridor opened up into a large room which was a storage facility with metal aisles holding military type containers. 

"Place looks empty." Bucky said beside me.

"Yeah, always does." I said, not lowering my weapon. We started going isle through aisle making sure it's clear. 

We continued to move through the dimly lit room. I neared the end of aisle eleven where about 15 men raced in with their own weapons. I fired quickly, aiming at their knees, rendering them useless as the cried out in pain.

      One pushed my riffle from my hands, I heard it clatter on the floor seconds before he struck my right temple with his gun. I felt him shoved me into the metal bars of the aisle. I regained myself quickly, kneeing the man in the stomach. I kicked his head as he released me and bent over in pain.  I glanced at Bucky who had started fighting, easily taking them out with his metal arm. Two more guards came at me and I easily blocked and avoided their hits, I took my gun from my right holster and finished them with two shots. I turned to look back at Bucky who was now walking towards me.

      I raised my gun at Barnes, watching shock, fear, and confusion wash over his face as he stared into the barrel of my gun. I pulled the trigger without hesitation.

He turned around at the sound of the body hitting the floor behind him.

"Don't ever do that again." He said. 

"What? You don't trust me?" I smiled. 

"I've only known you for a day." He spoke. Even through the dim light I could still see he was trying to fight a smile. I placed my gun back in the holster and picked up my rifle. We continued until we were sure the room was clear. 

We continued down the hall when a loud explosion shook the facility. 

      Bucky pinned me to the wall shielding me from the falling debris. I tried to look around when the shaking stopped, all I could see was Barnes. He was he had dropped his weapon, his right arm rested on the wall to which he pinned me to, his metal arm protected my head. I had raised my hands to shield my self which were now holding on to his chest. I hadn't realized how tall he was before this, my head just underneath his chin. I slowly looked up to see his face.

"Are you alright?" He said as he met my eyes, "You're bleeding." worry flashed across his face, his cold metal fingers touching my right temple slightly. Confused, I reached up to touch it and was surprised to find blood.

"I didn't even feel that." I said looking at the blood on my hand before meeting his eyes once more, he watched me as if he was afraid I was going to disintegrate before his eyes.

"I'm okay, real-" I started to say.

"Are you two okay?" Nat interrupted me. 

"Yeah, we're okay." Bucky answered through his ear piece, pulling away from me. I bit my lip as he turned his back to me and started looking for my gun. I spotted the stock sticking out from underneath one of the ceiling panels. I kicked it away and retrieved my gun.

      It was a quiet ride home on the aircraft, we had failed. The explosion had taken out the heart of the computer that operated the base, all the information lost, out of our reach. I sat next to Bucky on the jet , looking at Romanoff and Rogers on the other side of the craft who looked exactly the same as when they left the tower. I looked down at myself, me and Bucky were covered in dust from the explosion, I could only imagine what my face looked like with dried blood on it. 

      We arrived at the tower and walked straight to the main room. Coulson and Stark sat at the counter. 

"How'd it go?" Tony asked cheerfully as we walked in. No one said a word to him, as we gave him cold stares. Steve ignored him, walking right past him to speak to Coulson. I walked to the coffee table and set my gun down with a clatter and dropped myself down on the white couch, Bucky followed me and did the same.

"Hey, no. I thought I told you not to-" Tony started to say. I kept eye contact with him as I kicked up my feet on the coffee table. I heard Bucky chuckled next to me and rested his right foot on the table as well. 

I started taking off the holsters from my legs and tossed them on the table. After a while of listening to them argue of what went wrong, and what could have been done, one by one we excused ourselves to go to bed. 

"Well, I'm tired, ima get going." I said getting up and collecting my stuff. "Goodnight." I said loudly to the room.

"Goodnight." i heard Steve and Barnes reply.

      I looked at my wound in the mirror, it looked worse that it was, dried blood streamed down my face and my hair had stuck to it. I took a warm shower, put on my pajama shorts and a shirt and climbed into bed.

      I woke up in the middle of the night for no reason, I tossed and turned for what felt like hours but I couldn't fall back asleep. I got up, deciding to go to the kitchen for something to drink. I walked down the hall and pushed a wooden door open. I turned on the counter lights in the kitchen which dimly lit the room, and took a glass from the cabinet and was startled by a small cry of fear.

I set my glass down, looking for the culprit only to find Barnes asleep on the couch. He flinched in his sleep, clearly having a nightmare. my fear washed away as I walked over to him.

"Bucky?" I spoke softly, he didn't wake.

"Bucky." I said again lightly shaking his right arm, still, nothing.

 "Bucky." I repeated a little louder. That did it. He woke up alarmed. His metal fingers around my neck, shoving me to the floor. His body on top of mine making it impossible for me to get free. i tried desperately to break his grasp. But how could I overpower his metal arm? 

I couldn't breathe as I stared into his cold eyes, the Winter Soldier's eyes.