December // A Winter Soldier Story

35

ｊａｎｕａｒｙ ７ｔｈ， ２０１４

３２°

ℬ𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓎

The guard knows the Winter Soldier can heal easily and quickly, so he only lets off the shot to briefly incapacitate him. His hope is to gain enough time while Winter recovers from his injuries to warn his fellow guards, or to just get someone else to realize that if the soldier had truly broken through his brainwashing, then they were dealing with an internal issue that could very well be worse than the threat of the patriotic super soldier outside.

But what the guard seriously miscalculates is how much rage is built up inside of Bucky, and just how fiercely protective he is of the young woman he is with.

The bullet buries itself deep within Bucky's arm, missing bone but still causing a shockwave of pain to flow through his body. His thick muscles prevent the bullet from going straight through him and into Lea - this much, he is grateful for. But Lea being even slightly threatened is what causes Bucky's tidal wave of emotions to finally spill over.

As much as he tries to hold back the monster inside of him, there are times when the beast is too strong for him to contain. This is one of those moments, and for a brief second when the guard catches a glimpse of the gleam in Bucky's eyes, he knows what he has unleashed.

The guard doesn't even have time to scream before Bucky is standing over him, and all he can do is glance to the side in a last-ditch effort to warn his colleagues before Bucky grabs his head and twists as hard as he can. With a sickening pop, the guard's eyes roll back into his skull, and he falls to the ground with a broken neck.

This isn't enough, though. Winter is not satisfied and Bucky's vision is still tinged with red. The scalding fire within him guides his actions, and despite the deep, hot crimson running down his bicep and spilling onto the floor, he is numb to the pain as he pulls out his gun. Don't come near her, he screams in his mind. Break me if you want, but don't you dare threaten her.

He is about to step forward and attack any man within his sight - regardless of whether or not they saw what just took place - when a tired, strained voice forcefully says, "Bucky."

It is not enough to stop him, but it is enough to make him hesitate. He balks, turns, questions his actions. A glance in her direction halts his rage completely when he sees the disapproval and tinge of fear that is so plainly laid out in her features. Seeing her look at him like that - like she saw a glimpse of the monster that is hiding inside - knocks the breath out of him completely. Anything he was about to do is forgotten as her blue eyes cut right through him.

"Stop," she continues, not realizing that her disapproval alone has already frozen him in his tracks. "Don't lose control. You are better than that, and we need to get out of here. We don't have time for this."

Her words are not meant to be cruel - they only ring with simple truth, and they shock him out of his foggy state of mind. The fire dissipates and all that is left for her to see now is his vulnerability. She grabs his hand, pulling on it to help herself up, and he lets her. The contact of her skin on his reminds him that there are other emotions besides anger.

Once she is standing, her eyes, and tone, soften a bit. "Winter is long, but it never lasts forever.  You will beat this."

Air fills his lungs. He makes the decision to believe her.

Shuffling feet to his left brings him back to the world around him, and he scans his surroundings with alert eyes just as his senses start to process the pain in his arm from being shot. A dull ache spreads from his shoulder to his hand, but he ignores it, instead lifting his weapon and moving forward. "Come on," he says, as if she hadn't already said this. "We need to keep moving."

The hallway is quiet now that the guard is dead, and his heart pounds in his chest as his anxiety builds; the next attack could come from anywhere, and he must be prepared for it. He refuses to let anyone threaten her again.

As they approach the door to the stairs, however, he quickly knows that this is where the danger is going to be. He can already hear the sounds of gunfire echoing off of the metal stairs, bodies falling from one floor to the next. Lea places a hand on his lower back, perhaps to steady herself. Bucky turns.

"Stay here," he instructs, gesturing to an alcove beside the door where she can hide for a moment. The men inside the stairwell, just past the door she is peering at, must be taken out before he'll let her anywhere near it. Lea doesn't like it, but nods, understanding that this is the practical thing to do. Bucky begins to turn towards the door, but only makes it one step before her hand clutches his wrist. Her fingers are soft and cold against the small bit of skin between the sleeve of his suit and his glove.

"Wait." His eyes follow her hands as she rips a piece of cloth from her already-torn shirt and wraps it around his bullet wound. His blood leaves a smear on her thumb, and he hates seeing her skin stained with the color. Lea ties it tightly and staunches the bleeding the best she can.

"Ok, now you can go. Please don't get shot anymore, I don't have much shirt left to rip up."

Despite the horrible situation they are in, Bucky can't help but smile, and almost laugh. "I'll do my best. Be back soon."

With this, he leaves her standing outside the door, giving her a final glance before facing the grizzly scene on the stairwell.