Dumpster #3: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

[trashmod]

Holy shitballs, look at us go. Welcome to Captain America fandom's resident wretched hive of scum and villainy: ROUND THREE. AKA Bad Guys Do Dirtybadwrong Things To Your Faves, AKA the Hydra Trash Party kinkmeme. As usual, BLANKET NON-CON AND NSFW WARNINGS apply: just assume going in that everything in this landfill is unfit for human consumption.

Rules in brief: don't be a jerk except to fictional characters, warnings for particularly fucked-up garbage are nice but not required, thou shalt not judge the trashiness of thy neighbor's kinks unless thy neighbor is trying to pass off their rotting banana peels and half-eaten pizza crusts as a healthy romantic dinner for two, off-topic comments may be chucked out of the dumpster at management's discretion, management's discretion decrees that omegaverse, soulbond AUs, D/s-verse, non-superpowered AUs, and dark!good guys AUs are off-topic.

[Round 1] [Round 2] [Fill post] [Chatter post] [hydratrashmeme Pinboard archive (maintained by greenkirtle)] [Round 3 in flat view (comments in non-threaded chronological order, most recent last)]

Round 3 is closed; comments and fills in existing threads are still welcome, but all new prompts go to Round 4.

Comments

Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

So the Winter Soldier discovered the Smithsonian exhibit that explained all about how Bucky Barnes was Steve Roger's friend, right? What if he thinks that means that Steve used to be his handler?

All the Hydra bases in DC are abandoned, no one's there to give him orders. So WS decides to report to Cpt. Rogers for orders, along with his essential gear. He shows up on Steve's doorstep with a cardboard box full of weapons, armor, and "discipline equipment" (ie sex toys and restraints).

Cue Steve/Sam/Natasha/good guy of your choice being puzzled at first. Then the Soldier explains, in excruciating detail, how each item has been used to "discipline" him over the years.

+ For WS misinterpreting revulsion/disbelief as the person thinking he's lying or withholding information to go easy on himself, like "Honest, the 9 inch dildo usually makes me bleed and I can't stop sobbing, even though I try to be quiet. The 10 inch was missing, but the 9 inch will work fine!"

++ good ol' mag cuffs and stun batons, our trashy favs

+++ if Steve just can't handle it any more and has to walk out in the middle of a graphic trash party story to cry and/or demolish some walls

+++++++ WS gets Sad Bucky Eyes from The Chair Scene as he apologizes for only bringing a few discipline items, but he hurriedly assures them that everything he brought is really effective and he'll show them exactly where everything else is that he couldn't bring in the box!

I will give you burnt Christmas cookies and a whole Tupperware of fuzzy green leftovers for a fill, trash babies! (Please please please save me from filling this myself!)

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Oh god yes!

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

yes please!!!!!!!!!
someone write this

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Does it count if I'm writing this in my head? Or maybe I'm just jerking off. I can't tell anymore.

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Seems your head is the place to be! ;)

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

"Sad Bucky Eyes"

Everything about this is amazing.

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Someone please do this!

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

I may have some words written. >.< Not sure if they're good words yet. But it's getting complicated so I'll probably boot out Sam. (sorry Sam) In any case, I'll either fix the words tomorrow morning or give up and wait for someone else.

And regardless, I'd LOVE to read any and all takes on this.

Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

I am excited about your words!

Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1a/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

[oops it got a smidge too long, so I had to divide it. This is now the non-trash part]

-------
It's been a long day, and Steve was glad to be back at his apartment for once -- he'd spent the last two days at Sam's, deciphering the folder that Nat had left him. There weren't many pages, but each page contained new horrors of either what they did to Bucky, or what they made Bucky do to other people. By 10pm though, Sam'd looked at him and told him to go home, take a break. "You need the weekend to process everything, and so do I. See you for our usual run on Monday?"

So Steve wasn't quite ready when he turned on his lights to find Bucky sitting at the kitchen table.

"You are Steve Rogers." Bucky stood up neatly. Body stiff and at attention.

"Yes." Steve was wary. Bucky'd pulled him out of the river, but he was clearly still the Winter Soldier. And frankly he was too tired from... well, everything.

"Are you my new handler?"

Steve ran his hand through his hair and frowned. "No, I'm not your handler. I'm your friend. We grew up together..."

"Inseparable in the school yard and on the battlefield...." Bucky's voice perfectly parroted the pomp of the Smithsonian exhibit. "Captain America's right hand man." Then he returned to his normal voice. "You were my handler. You can be my new handler."

Steve shook his head. "No." He'd just spent the last two days reading about how Bucky was handled. "I'm not your handler. You don't need a handler anymore."

A brief look of ... was it disappointment? flashed across Bucky's face. "Very well." Bucky abruptly turned and started heading out a window.

"Bucky, wait! Where are you going?" Steve wasn't about to just let Bucky leave, but chasing him didn't seem the right thing to do either.

"The Asset can't sleep until he has reported to his handler." Bucky looked him in the eye. "If you're not my handler, I need to find one."

But that meant -- it's been a week since they took down Project Insight. Had Bucky been going without sleep for that long?

"Bucky, HYDRA's gone now. You can sleep without a handler..."

"The handler monitors the Asset's health and checks for irregularities. Just as the Asset helps the handler execute the assigned missions, the handler helps the Asset stay in peak condition." Bucky seemed to be reciting from some manual now.

Okay. Clever of HYDRA to set it up that Bucky actively seeks out monitoring. They *did* have 70 years to create the perfect symbiotic relationship to keep Bucky tied to the organization. Which meant that if Steve wanted Bucky to stay, to sleep, he'd have to...

"Fine. I'm your handler." Steve sighed. He'll deal with the consequences tomorrow. "Now stay and rest up."

Bucky was back in the room, looking about curiously. "Where, sir?"

Steve gestured. "Anywhere. There's a bed in the bedroom if you want that."

Bucky quickly settled for the armchair by the window. Of course. Safest place in the room. Nick Fury was no fool for picking that spot, either. But more than that, Steve was taken aback by the sudden change in Bucky's posture. Bucky had been tense and stiff during their conversation, but once Steve accepted the role of the handler ... well, now Bucky was nodding off, loose-limbed and unguarded. Steve fetched a blanket. "Thank you, sir." Then, a second before he fully conked out, there was a low mumble of "G'night, Steve."

Steve stretched out on the couch and watched Bucky sleep for a while, replaying those last words in his head. Bucky'd called him Steve. Well, he also called him sir, but HYDRA had spent a lot of time building up these protocols that forced Bucky to depend on a handler. But somewhere underneath it all ... Steve yawned. Bucky had come to Steve. Bucky remembered Steve. The rest could wait 'til morning.

---

The next morning the armchair was empty. Steve checked his small apartment, and also the fire escapes and rooftop. Dammit, he didn't think he'd sleep through Bucky leaving, but then again they'd trained Bucky to be silent.

Steve paced the living room. He should call Sam. But Sam looked like he really needed some down time. Steve shouldn't be a bother -- Sam's barely had time to check in with his family since a bunch of buildings fell on him, and really, Bucky was Steve's responsibility.... Steve plopped down on the armchair and stared out the window, looking for a flicker of Bucky's nondescript hoodie and baseball cap. Bucky was going to come back. Bucky *had* to come back.

The front door clicked open, and Steve heard a heavy thump on the floor. Steve leapt toward the sound, and managed to stop short of giving Bucky a hug. "You're back."

Bucky gave him a quizzical look. "Of course. You're my handler." Oh yeah, that. "I went to fetch the handler field maintenance kit." Bucky gestured at the heavy three-tiered box that he'd just dropped on the floor.

"Um, that's good. Why don't we have some breakfast first?" Steve opened the fridge and started pulling out some eggs.

Bucky didn't budge from his position. "I am to instruct a new handler on my proper use and maintenance. Permission to begin, sir?"

Judging by Bucky's suddenly tense form, it looked like this had to come before breakfast.

But Steve tried again. "Bucky, I'm glad you're back, but let's figure out this handler stuff later. Together."

"But it's protocol." There's a finality in Bucky's voice as he began reciting, "The handler must first be deemed suitable for managing the asset through a training session."

Steve sighed and pulled up a chair. A training session. Seemed like this was a routine that that Bucky had to run through before he could talk to him properly. Steve thought back to last night, how much Bucky relaxed once he found his handler and had permission to sleep. This was probably something similar.

"All right, what do we have here?" Steve thought back to the file he'd read yesterday, and braced himself. Handler field maintenance kit sounded just innocuous enough to hold instruments of torture.

Bucky took off his hoodie and opened the first tier of the box. It was actually surprisingly straightforward: weapons and weapons maintenance. It was quite an array of guns and knives. Bucky carefully went through each weapon and described when he would use it during a mission and where he would keep it on his body. "These are just the basics. The more specialized weapons are back at the base. I am proficient at all of them."

Steve nodded. A bit chilling to think about how many people Bucky has killed with these, but .. so far, so good. Then Bucky stood back up and raised his arms. "Please suit me up with three hand grenades, two knives, the Glock 19, and the SIG."

Steve didn't expect a quiz, but that made sense -- they needed to make sure that the handler could do his job of supplying Bucky with the right weapons in the field. And given that Bucky was trained to be the most efficient killing machine, out in the field was where Bucky got to call the shots. Steve scrolled through his memory, picked out the correct weapons and began strapping them onto Bucky. As he knelt down to latch on the holster around Bucky's thigh, he couldn't help breathing in the closeness of Bucky. They didn't even do this during the war.

Satisfied, Bucky pulled out a small gun and a case from his pants pocket and handed it to Steve. "Very good. As you have proven yourself trustworthy in supporting the Asset during a mission, in return, you are now trusted with the ability to take the Asset out during a mission." Steve shivered. Bucky's voice was a perfect mimicry of Alexander Pierce. Steve couldn't shake the feeling that he was standing in some HYDRA lab somewhere, instead of in his apartment. Then Bucky shifted to a different, calm instructional voice. "Tranquilizer darts. Designed to take effect on the Asset within three seconds. One to three is the recommended dosage, depending on where it's applied." Steve got the distinct feeling that the standard training session had at least three people involved.

Bucky clearly wanted Steve to carry the dart gun on him. Steve put it down on the table.

Bucky then took off his shirt and opened the second tier. It contained a field med kit and other items that seem designed to take care of Bucky after a mission. Bucky went through each item and listed out its optimal use given his injury recovery times. Steve paid more attention how that he knew there was probably a quiz at the end. Bucky's recovery times were pretty similar to Steve's and the field med kit was well stocked and quite similar to what he'd seen in the SHIELD kits. Not surprising since HYDRA and SHIELD were basically one, Steve thought bitterly. Steve was actually somewhat relieved to see that HYDRA cared enough about Bucky's overall health to include an emergency blanket and enough field rations for a few days. At least they weren't starving him.

Bucky then pulled out a long plastic tube from his pocket. "This is the gastro-intestinal tube for proper feeding. It's not part of the field kit, but if I am to stay here a while you will need to use it. I brought some bottles as well, so when you are ready, I can instruct you on its use."

Steve took the tube. Another present of sorts, but this time it was from Bucky, not Pierce. Bucky clearly wanted Steve to be his handler. But it also told Steve that Bucky has not had food besides nutrient slush and field rations for the duration of his captivity. The tube suddenly felt heavy in his hands, so he put it down on the table, as well. "Let's figure that out after this, Bucky."

Bucky nodded, then pulled a thin metal band from the box. "This fits around my head and detects brainwave patterns. It's used during sleep." Bucky's voice took a turn as he once again recited, "Out in the field, there are three options: One, the asset does not sleep at all. Two, the asset must be woken up every two hours to prevent REM sleep. Three is the sleep monitor band. It wakes the asset up automatically if any unnatural brain activity is detected." Bucky looked up helpfully. "You didn't use any of those methods last night, which is why I figured you didn't already have a maintenance kit." He handed the band to Steve. "We can start using this tonight."

Steve put that back in the box, making a mental note to throw it away as soon as he is able. If HYDRA was afraid to let Bucky sleep properly, the best thing he can do is the opposite.

Then came the quiz. Steve was instructed to remove Bucky's weapons and apply field dressing appropriate for a broken rib. This time, Steve managed to keep his hands firm as he carefully reached around Bucky's torso to apply the bandages. Thankfully he was standing behind Bucky, so Bucky didn't catch the way Steve blushed.

Once the dressing was removed appropriately, Bucky nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent." Steve winced, it was Pierce's voice again. "You have proven yourself trustworthy in caring for the Asset outside of a mission, in return, you are now trusted with the ability to discipline him if the need arises."

Shit. Steve looked down just as Bucky opened the bottom tier, and he had to swallow back his nausea. After the relative sanity of the first two tiers, he'd forgotten about the torture.

Bucky took off the rest of his clothes and knelt, naked, by the case of implements. Bucky's nakedness carried with it a sense of dread, now that Steve knew what it was for. But Steve forced himself to look at the box.

He recognized the magnetic cuffs instantly, and there was a spiked whip that was mentioned on page 8 of Bucky's file. The time lapse photos of Bucky healing from bloody streaks that ran deep enough to show bone was etched as deeply in his brain.

"Oh! A lot of the discipline methods I'll describe work better in conjunction with this." Bucky helpfully pulled out a stun baton from his discarded pants. "This comes standard issue with HYDRA, but you don't seem to have it, so I packed an extra." Another present from Bucky. Steve wanted to throw it out the window. He put it on the table instead.

Then, in the same tone of voice that he used to describe the functions of his weapons, Bucky went through the applications of the magnetic cuffs, the electric shock collar, and the spiked whip. There was also a control that disabled Bucky's arm and had the option to send shocks of varying degrees. Steve supposed it was a small blessing that he'd done his crying and vomiting the day before when he first read about these in Bucky's file. He wished those things had stayed in the form of grainy pictures, but really, he had no right to complain -- this was all stuff that had been used on Bucky. And if Bucky could sit there naked and talk about it the way he'd talk about field dressing... well, Steve owed Bucky that much to listen.

But that was only half of the box. Steve didn't recognize the other rods and spikes that peppered the other half.

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Bucky looked apologetic as he pulled out a thick metal rod that was dotted with bumps. "The standard issue anal insertion device should be 10 inches, but Commander Rumlow used it so much he accidentally broke it. There weren't any other kits at the base, so I got this replacement from a store this morning." Something must have showed on Steve's face as he processed the fact that this was Rumlow's handler kit that Steve was inheriting. "Don't worry," Bucky hurried to amend. "Even though this is only 9 inches, I think we can sharpen the bumps into spikes, and I will bleed just as well. Especially if you turn it while it's inside me and use the baton."

Steve was glad he didn't have breakfast yet, because otherwise it'd be all over the floor right now. They did *this* to Bucky? *Rumlow* did it so much that he *broke* a dildo? He always knew Rumlow had a sadistic streak but... Steve slumped down next to Bucky and held his head between his knees.

"It's all right." Bucky laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There are other bases, I can probably find one that has a more complete field kit if you prefer the standard issue devices." Steve was sure Bucky meant it to be reassuring, but the thought that this stuff came standard issue for all of Bucky's handlers just made it worse. "Besides, this part of the field kit is the most customizable and up to handler discretion." Great. Now Steve was picturing Rumlow standing in front of a wall of dildos and gleefully picking ones to try on Bucky.

In this hazy state, Steve missed the first part of Bucky's introduction of the gags and bits. There was something about how long each should be kept in the mouth for maximum pain and discomfort. "The spider gag is only effective if you intend to use it in conjunction with items you wish to insert. It does not cause direct pain as the others do, but handlers have found that it is very effective in rendering tears and docility. Cigarettes, discarded food items, and the stun baton all work, in addition to the regular male penis." Bucky added with some contrition, "It takes about 10 to make me start crying, though." Steve clenched his fist. Fuck those sadistic bastards. They gang-raped as Bucky as a form of punishment. Took pleasure and had the nerve to call it discipline. And then taught Bucky to evaluate all of this in terms of maximum effectiveness. He needed to punch something before he lost it.

Bucky, meanwhile, was plowing ahead. "The nose hook isn't used too frequently, but due to its small size, it has been standard in the kit since..."

"Stop." Steve grabbed Bucky's hand and managed to direct him to put down the small contraption. "Bucky, I don't want to know any more of this." Steve directed his shaking energy to gritting his teeth so that he wouldn't hurt Bucky with his grip.

"But if you don't know all of their uses, how will you pick one to try? What if you might use one wrong?" Bucky was all innocent confusion.

"I won't be using any of these." Steve managed to spit out.

Bucky paled. "But you *have* to, you're my handler, and this is part of being my handler. Otherwise they'd punish *you*. I *remember*."

Something in Bucky's voice caught Steve up short.

Bucky looked down. "Vanya was a good teammate, and so when my previous handler transferred, I requested him. But he couldn't pass this part of the handler training, so they used this on *him.*" Steve'd forgotten about the quiz at the end of each tier. There was a sick knot in the pit of his stomach. So this is how HYDRA enforced their world order: punish the Asset as instructed, or be punished yourself.

Bucky looked at the box and sighed. "It would have been easier if he just used it on me. Instead he disappeared." Bucky's face took a deeply familiar look of worry. "Steve I don't want that to happen to you."

Steve tried a different tack. He needed the reassure Bucky that he won't get punished for refusing to inflict this on Bucky. What would be a good HYDRA argument for not completing this final bit of handler training? "Well, this is for discipline, right? You haven't done anything that merits punishment, so I have no reason to use this. And they won't punish me for following proper handler protocols."

Bucky's frown stayed. "It's not just for discipline. Some of this is also common use for team bonding exercises, or just for fun. A handler is expected to know how to use these implements." God, a part of Steve had to admire the way HYDRA set this up, the internal logic of this give-and-take. Serve HYDRA in maintaining the asset in the field, and you get rewarded with the asset's body afterwards. And if you refuse, you are punished by HYDRA. What an efficient way of making sure everyone knows who the true master was.

Bucky gently loosened himself from Steve's grip and said softly. "Let me finish explaining this, Steve, and then you just have to test one."

Steve blinked back the sudden tears as Bucky droned on. Now that he thought about it, the questions for the previous two tiers were ridiculously easy. Even now, Bucky was trying to protect Steve, get him through the handler training as gently as possible.

This was just like last night: Bucky couldn't relax until the full protocol was carried out, and small wonder, if this was but an iota of the punishment that would await him. But at the same time, he desperately wanted Steve to be his handler. The flash of disappointment last night, all these gifts and softball questions today. This wasn't just the Winter Soldier needing protocol, this was Bucky needing Steve.

Steve looked at all the instruments of torture before him. If the only way past this is through... He thought back to Bucky's relaxed sleeping form the night before. He wanted that Bucky back.

Fine. Steve stood and picked up the whip. "Wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Steve allowed himself a moment to punch his bed once he closed the bedroom door. He pictured punching Rumlow's smug grin off his face. The punching felt good, but it didn't solve the problem at hand, which was that he still had to play through this sadistic HYDRA charade. It made the taking down of Project Insight seem like a pyrrhic victory if HYDRA's protocols were still around. No, he'll think about that later. Steve looked at the whip in his hand and tried to remind himself that this was the least-bad option. Surface pain and no other forms of violation or humiliation. He wasn't sticking some metal dildo up Bucky's ass or cuffing Bucky and forcing his cock in Bucky's mouth. Steve took off his shirt and gave himself some test strikes on his arm and body. Painful, but nowhere as bad as it looked in the photos. For the scars to run that deep, they must have whipped Bucky for... No, Steve's not going to think about that right now. He just had to get through the protocol. Bucky's waiting.

Bucky's eyes widened slightly as he took in the marks on Steve's torso, but he remained kneeling on the floor, expectant. "There's no rules in the protocol against the handler hitting himself?" Bucky slowly shook his head as he processed the implication of the question. Steve wasn't about to let Bucky take any punishment that he wasn't going to give himself.

Bucky looked up as Steve stood over him. Steve took in the sight of Bucky, naked, trusting. Bucky had chosen to be here, had chosen Steve to be his handler. "Okay, let's get this over with, then we can have breakfast." Bucky nodded, then presented his back to Steve and said in his instructional voice. "Please use at least one of the instruments to discipline the Asset for a minor infraction."

Steve kept his eyes on the target as he struck.

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

This is wonderful

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks! :) I really enjoyed thinking through the handler-asset power dynamics

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

YAAAAAAAS, God I wish there was more.

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sorry, man. What's left in my imagination was about 10 emotionally charged strokes, followed by a lot of hugging and kissing, followed by calling Sam and then the long recovery process. Steve gets to be a Very Good Handler for a while, and also Bucky takes them to lots of HYDRA bases and Steve punches many things.

And eventually when Bucky's sufficiently recovered they have the sex talk and actually manage to have decently kinky, fully consensual sex.

tbh I kinda stopped where I did mostly because I couldn't decide whether Bucky or Steve would get an involuntary hard-on from the whipping or not. (Regardless, the answer would complicate this whole thing too much.) So yeah, just quick "hai plz be my handler, here be some trash presents" fic instead. (Mostly I wanted to imagine the look on Steve's face when Bucky very helpfully gives him the stun baton. :3)

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

OP here

Holy $&@!! I look away for a few days and someone writes a freakin' masterpiece. Anon, I love you. May I give you all the garbage dumps in the world????

Seriously, this is the first ever prompt of mine that's ever been filled. I am caught between EEEeeeEEEEEEeeeeOMGomgOMG!!! And "must have MOAR!" Thank you so much!

I wanted to pick my favorite line but *brain broke* Just punish or be punished, suit Bucky up for battle, whoops forgot about torture. But really "This comes standard issue with HYDRA, but you don't seem to have it, so I packed an extra." That really broke me, like totally casual oh hey I'm helping you out. So again, thank you!

*presents you with burnt turkey and soggy, half cooked pumpkin pie* A small trashy token of my appreciation, nonny

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Yay thanks!

Yah I really just wanted Bucky to give Steve the saddest, trashiest presents ever. XD

Like, Bucky seeing Handler Steve being frustrated about something and being like, "would it make you feel better if you fuck my ass with the stun baton a bit? My previous handlers always felt better after punishing me. :3" And he gets into position.

And Steve being like "OMG NO BUCKY WTF :0"

And Bucky being like "But you're a good handler and I like you and you're clearly upset right now. :??"

Just... Bucky being super caring about Very Good Handler Steve in the trashiest ways possible.

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

I'm so tempted to rite a direct sequel to this.

Re: Mini-Fill "Protocol" [1b/1] Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaase.

Re: Mini-Fill "Executing Protocol 1/1" (sequel by other author)

[(Anonymous)]

So I did the thing.

This got sort of out of hand and I hope all parties involved are okay with it. No beta, so it might be a mess.

---

The whip came down on Bucky's naked back. Bucky braced himself, but made no sound, and no attempt to escape the strike. Even with Steve holding back, it left a red mark across Bucky's skin. Steve wanted to stop right then and there, but he knew that would make him fail the test. He already felt tears welling up in his eyes, but at least like this, with Bucky facing away, they would go unnoticed.

The second strike landed on Bucky's shoulders, leaving an angrier-looking welt this time. It was too high to Steve's liking, too close to the neck, and he cursed under his breath at his lack of control of the thing. It was nothing like the shield. In fact, it was its direct opposite.

Bucky must have heard him swearing. He gathered his brown tresses with his cybernetic hand, and held them up, exposing his neck. Instead of stopping this, like he goddamn should, he was giving Steve easy access. Steve felt his breathing grow erratic.

"You can safely hit me there if you wish, Sir," Bucky informed him, surprisingly calm. "It's unlikely to cause permanent damage."

Right, Steve thought. Because non-permanent damage was totally fine according to Hydra.

He tried to direct the whip lower as he hit Bucky a third time. He could hear Bucky's breath hitch ever-so-slightly now, and it felt like someone was stabbing his heart. The fourth lash pulled something like a grunt from Bucky's lips, and Steve finally felt his tears fall, running down his face in neat lines, only to come together at the chin.

With the fifth strike Bucky's knees almost buckled, but he regained composure, still holding his hair up.

"Sir, if I may..."he said, pain clearly audible in his voice.

"Of course."

There was a silence, like if Bucky was trying to figure out how to formulate his thoughts.

"Sir, I have realized you might be unaccustomed to the whip. Perhaps it would be advisable to apply more force and to strike from the wrist. Like this, it will take a while before you break skin, and I am unlikely to cry unless you do."

There was a silence gain after that, and Steve was literally biting his tongue.

"If I have spoken out of turn I will of course accept any additional punishment you deem fitting."

"Bucky," Steve could hear his own voice breaking, "it's not my intention to make you cry, or bleed."

Bucky was still facing away from him and Steve didn't know if he was relieved that he didn't have to face him or if he was desperate to look into his eyes. Possibly both.

"But Steve...you must ."

Steve swore he could detect a hint of desperation in Bucky's voice. He knew hat that meant. He had to make Bucky cry, because some sadistic bastard at Hydra had deemed it the appropriate way to measure if someone was suitable to deal with the Asset.

Bucky had called him Steve, not Sir and he could take a guess at what that meant, too: he was pleading to him as a friend, even if he might not realize it right now.

"Okay, Buck, but you tell me the moment you start crying, okay? Not a second later."

"Understood."

It felt wrong, so very wrong, formulating it like an order, but he knew it would work. He tightened his grip on the handle, made a wide movement with his arm, and brought down the whip with enough force for the little spikes to break skin. Bucky let out a pained whimper, and droplets of blood formed on his back.

Steve wanted to pull himself away from it, to close his eyes and pretend it wasn't happening, but he knew he needed to focus. Striking with closed eyes might cause more damage, and he owed it to Bucky to keep him safe at least.

When he let the whip come down for the seventh time, Bucky cried out. All of his body was shaking with a combination of muscle fatigue and pain. His back was sweaty and blood-stained now, and some of the droplets were running down to the curve of his perfect ass. Steve realized now that Bucky had been kneeling with his legs apart in such a way that the pink pucker of his sphincter was visible. His body was leaned slightly forward while his ass was pushed back a bit. It couldn't be a comfortable position, hence the muscle fatigue. Steve realized with nauseating clarity why that was: Bucky had been trained to give his tormentors a nice view, to arouse them in case they wanted to penetrate him after a whipping.

To his utter dread he could feel his own cock reacting to the sight - not the blood, but the inviting curve of Bucky's buttocks - and he had never known before this moment that it was possible to cry and be aroused at the same time.

He hit Bucky again, harder than intended, losing control of his hand because of sorrow and hormones. Bucky screamed louder this time and lost balance. He toppled forward, but super-soldier reflexes made sure his hands broke the fall, and he ended up on all fours.

"Good," Bucky managed with trembling voice.

His whole pose looked even more sexual now, and Steve's erection would not subside, even when he tried to force himself to think that Bucky must have been raped like this hundreds, maybe thousands of times over the years.

Steve wanted nothing more than it to end, but he knew what he had to do to achieve it. His eyes were stinging by now, and the neat streams of tears had long turned into rivers, covering most of his cheeks. He shifted slightly, making sure the whip would still land on Bucky's back in this new position.

Bucky only let out a pathetic whimper on the next strike, and his limbs lost the ability to hold him. He fell to his chest, metal arm whirring as it was knocked from under him.

It was almost unbearable thinking of hitting him again now, his back bloody, his body having lost the ability to resist. So this is what they mean when they say beaten into submission he thought bitterly.

He wanted nothing more than to stop, but he knew that if he did now all of it would have been in vain. Bucky would have suffered for nothing. He lifted his arm once more, letting the whip tear at Bucky's skin one more time.

He heard Bucky sob...and then again...and again.

"Steve," Bucky said, almost whispering. "Steve, I am crying."

Steve sobbed now, too, his own catharsis to what he had just done.

"Me too, Buck, me too."

He threw away the whip like it was a poisonous snake trying to attack him.

Bucky took what was left of his strength and pushed himself up. His tear-filled eyes looked at Steve with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Steve didn't even try to look away. Bucky moved closer and reached for Steve's face with his human hand, but stopped an inch or so before he would touch skin.

"Can I?" he asked.

"Yes."

Steve didn't even know what he was giving permission for, but he felt very strongly Bucky shouldn't need any permission for anything. The next thing he knew Bucky's fingers were on his face, just grazing over the wet skin lightly.

Bucky brought his fingers back to his mouth.

"Salt," he said. "You really are crying."

Steve just nodded.

"I never had a handler cry during punishment before. Why?"

Because my heart overflows with love for you, Steve wanted to say. Because I'd have gladly taken each lash for you, he thought.

"I take no pleasure from making you cry," he said instead. "Quite the opposite."

There was a moment there where Steve thought he could see the Bucky from his childhood, like he was just about to snap out of it. But soon - much too soon - it was gone.

Bucky's eyes dropped down between Steve's legs, seeing the erection there. He wiped off his tears and scrambled to his knees, positioning himself on all fours again, legs spread.

"I'm so sorry, Sir," he said, falling back on old protocol, "I did not realize you wished to use my rectum."

"I don't," Steve said, feeling new tears coming. "Bucky, I don't want that."

"But you are hard and I am ready to use," Bucky said with confusion. "I know I might be too tight after weeks of disuse, but you are large and strong. You will break me in again in no time.

"Bucky, please..."

"I have been told the tightness is quite pleasurable to some. I will try not to cry if that upsets you."

"Bucky, stop."

Bucky took that as an order, but looked more confused than ever.

"Of course. I just..."

He cut off his sentence like if fearing a reprimand. Which was probably exactly the case, and Steve wondered what reprimand would scare a man who just took ten whiplashes willingly, and offered himself up for anal rape.

"You can speak freely with me. Always."

Bucky stared at him with even more disbelief, but decided to trust him.

"I don't understand. You have proven competent to be my handler. This means you may use me in any way you please. You are clearly aroused. I am available for your pleasure. Why don't you use me?" Bucky chose his words carefully still, but was bolder than when he he first walked over the threshold. Steve liked that more than he was willing to admit right now.

"Because it's not right to use people, Buck," Steve explained with an involuntary sigh. "I don't want you to do things because you think you have to. You should do things because you want to."

"But...what I want is irrelevant." Bucky said those words with conviction, but his face was a question mark.

"No, it's not, Bucky."

Steve put his head in his hands, desperate about his inability to explain this, no matter how much he wanted to. He expected another rebuttal, another programmed response, but instead Bucky looked at him thoughtfully.

"Is that new protocol?" he finally asked.

Steve looked up and him and smiled hopefully. "If that's how you wish to see it...yes."

Bucky nodded. "I will need...adjusting. But I will try to follow it, Steve."

Steve got up and offered Bucky his hand. Bucky took it and got up shakily. They both looked like a trainwreck, but when Steve smiled Bucky smiled back, and Steve didn't have the heart to ask if Bucky thought it was expected, so he allowed his heart some happiness, even if it might be a delusion.

"Can you walk?" Steve asked.

"A little."

"You can lean on me...if you want."

Steve felt Bucky's arm hook itself around his shoulder, and he had to brace himself, because Bucky was putting more weight on him than he expected. It wasn't anything he couldn't take, though. He guided Bucky into the bedroom. The bed was large and the blankets clean. Steve thanked his past self for deciding to change the sheet and covers just two days prior. It was nothing fancy, but it was a luxury they did not have back in Brooklyn.

Bucky stopped about halfway the room.

"Steve, I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. You are taking me to bed. But you said...?"

"The bed's for you, Bucky. You're hurt. You need it more than I do."

Bucky looked like he was going to protest, but he allowed Steve to guide him to lie on his stomach. The sheets would be a bloody mess by morning, quite literally, but he could get new ones. He could see Bucky smelling the fresh sheets and carefully running his flesh-and-blood fingers over one of the pillows, and already he was so happy he had given him the bed.

"Okay, I'll be right next door if you need anything."

Steve turned to leave, but he heard Bucky call out his name before he reached the door.

"Will you not do maintenance?" Bucky asked.

Steve wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he could take a guess. He hoped it was the right one, anyway.

"Do you want me to?"

Bucky seemed to genuinely ponder the question.

"Yes."

Steve disappeared into the bathroom, picking up a few towels and a few washcloths that he dipped in lukewarm water. He returned to Bucky and sat down on the side of the bed, careful not to give him the wrong idea. He gently cleaned Bucky's wounds with the washcloths. Buck winced a few times, but made no attempts at pulling away. Steve wasn't sure he would even if he wanted to, but he hoped it wasn't too painful. The first washcloth was almost instantly soaked with blood, but by the time he got to the fourth Bucky's back looked fairly clean, and to his relief the wounds looked like they had already started healing. He dried everything off with the fluffiest of his towels, still thinking not even that one was soft enough for Bucky. He made a mental note to fix that.

After he was done cleaning, he opened the night stand to pull out a first aid kit, and he briefly pondered on the fact that most normal people probably don't keep a first aid kit in their nightstand. But he had left normal long time ago. He took out a white tube with green markings. It had been a gift from Bruce after Steve got fished out of the Potomac. After Bucky had fished him out. Bruce had said something about not letting that pretty face scar. While Steve was quite sure the Serum would have taken care of it, too, the ointment was quite soothing and helped him heal even faster than usual. He spread it copiously on Bucky's back, and massaged it in tenderly. While Bucky still winced at the first few touches, the ointment seemed to take action, because as Steve worked it into Bucky's back, he could hear a few content sighs.

Finally, it looked like Bucky had fallen asleep. Steve wanted so much to lean in and kiss him goodnight, even if just on the cheek or forehead - but he wouldn't, not now, it wouldn't be right.

Instead he just pulled up the covers, making sure Bucky wouldn't be cold. He got up, and turned off the light.

"Steve?" he could hear not-asleep Bucky ask sleepily.

"Yes?"

"You are the best handler I ever had."

Steve didn't quite know how to respond to that. It warmed his heart, but it also reminded him of how incredibly messed up the whole situation was.

"Thank you, Bucky," he finally said, "You're the best friend I ever had."

He didn't know if Bucky still heard it, or of he could really understand it in his current state.
But as Steve Rogers curled up on his couch that night, he decided that didn't really matter. Bucky Barnes was warm and safe in his bed. His wounds would heal, and maybe, in time his mind would too. Tomorrow Steve would try to make him soup and see if they could get rid of that infernal feeding tube. Small steps, he thought. Small steps would get them there.

Re: Mini-Fill "Executing Protocol 1/1" (sequel by other author)

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, this hits me right where I live.

AO3 Link Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

http://archiveofourown.org/series/361304

(It's a series because it got complicated!!)

Re: AO3 Link Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

OP from way, way back

Oh.my.god. What the?!

You guys are fucking awesome, did you know that? Like seriously, seriously awesome. When I posted the original prompt that started this all, I was hoping for some bumps to encourage me to stop lurking and write something. Then everyone just ran with it and made all these wonderful things. I am so lucky to have gotten such wonderful fills <3

Never stop being trashy, ok? I love your dirty, talented brains just as they are.

Re: AO3 Link Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

Author of "Executing Protocol" here. Glad you liked, and it turned out to be a lovely cooperative experience for us!

Re: AO3 Link Re: Super-soldier Starter Kit

[(Anonymous)]

The other author chiming in to say FUN TIMES WAS HAD BY ALL. woooooooooo! Thanks for the fun prompt, OP!