"He's awake." At Natasha's words, Steve leaps up from his seat and walked towards the door, only to be held back by her hand on his elbow. She gestures to the screen. "Steve. We agreed that we'd observe first."
Steve runs his hand through his hair. It's not right, for Bucky to wake up alone, not when he has friends right on the other side of the door. But if he hadn't tackled Bucky in time, he would have snapped Tony's neck like it was nothing. And the things they found in his pocket... Steve nods and takes a deep breath, directing his attention to the screen. His priorities are first to the Avengers' safety. He needs more intel, and Bucky can't endanger himself too much in that room.
Bucky is sitting upright in the hospital bed. After a quick assessment of the room, he pats his clothes (a light grey t-shirt and long soft pajamas), and begins to look slightly agitated. He then begins a thorough examination of the hospital room, stopping only when he comes upon the folded sheet of paper on the bedside table.
Steve already knows what it says, so he focuses on the way Bucky's face loses its agitation and becomes eerily flat and calm. As Bucky reaches for the phone on the bedside table, to corroborate the paper, Steve shivers: is this what Bucky does every morning? Has he been the Winter Soldier all along, on a mission to be Bucky Barnes. Steve feels a reasuring touch on his hand, and turns to smile gratefully at Natasha. Whatever state Bucky is in, at least they know the truth now. And with that, they can move forward.
Steve hears Bucky's muffled scream, and whips his head back just in time to see him convulse on the bed, one hand stuffed into his mouth and the other holding the stun baton to his abdomen.
Another scream rips through the air as Steve pushes Natasha aside and runs for the door, and the third crackle of electricity is still lingering in the air when Steve barges into the hospital room.
"Steve?" Bucky's eyes go wide as he quickly pulls a blanket over the baton. "You shouldn't..."
"Bucky, what the FUCK was that?" Propriety be damned. Steve pulls off the blanket and grabs the baton. "What are you doing to yourself?"
Bucky looks down and fingers the small burn marks on his abdomen. "Leave me alone, Steve. This is my problem."
"The hell it is! Last night you go all Winter Soldier on us, and now you're zapping yourself. We need to know. *I* need to know." Steve grabs the sheet of paper. "Is this your mission? To pretend to be Bucky Barnes?" A cold knot settles in his stomach. "Are you punishing yourself for failing to kill Tony?" If Bucky has been a danger to them all along, they'll have to...
Bucky's eyes widen and he looks frantically between the paper and Steve's face. "I did *what* last night?"
"You were at the expo with Tony, Steve, and Bruce." Steve wonders how Natasha can manage to sound so calm by the door. "You tried to attack Tony, but then Steve stopped you. You made a second attempt, but Tony knocked you out with a small pulsor he had on his watch." She steps closer, and gently takes the paper from Steve's hand and hands it back to Bucky. "You don't remember, do you?"
Bucky searches Natasha's face for a long time, but finally he sighs and looks down. "No, I don't."
Natasha reaches up and gently caresses Bucky's head and murmurs something in Russian. Steve frowns. It seems like Natasha has decided that Bucky isn't the Winter Soldier and isn't a threat, but, "What do you mean, Buck, you don't remember? Why don't you remember?"
Bucky shrugs defensively. "Nevermind that, Steve. I can handle it." Natasha nudges Bucky, and he sits up, smooths his hair. "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble yesterday. If you'll give me another chance, I'll make sure it won't happen again. I'll stay in my room and only come out when I'm safe."
Steve waves the baton. "By safe you mean 'zap yourself with 16000 volts of electricity?'"
Bucky's mouth hardens. Beside him, Natasha lays a hand on Bucky's shoulder, but he shrugs her off and stands up. "Steve, I said I'd take care of it. I don't want to get into the specifics. Just let me handle it."
"Bucky, I can't let you handle it if your way is hurting yourself."
"Well, would you rather do it?" Bucky glares at Steve. "Probably only have to shock me once or twice for me to remember who you are."
As things finally click, Steve can't help but turn away. If Bucky has been zapping himself every morning then all those times he limped...
"Yeah, I know I'm messed up --" Bucky chuckles humorlessly behind him. "HYDRA fucked me up so bad that the only way I remember things is if I'm being hurt enough." When not face-to-face with Bucky's defensive glare, all Steve can hear in Bucky's voice is his weariness. "But unless you're volunteering to whip me bloody every morning, you best let me handle it, pal."
And with that, Bucky gathers his things. Steve steps aside to let Bucky out the door and back to his own room.
A moment later, his superhero picks up the sizzle of electricity hitting human skin. Now that he knows what it is, it's impossible to forget.
-----
[AuthorAnon: Sorry guyz, I started writing this and then quickly ran out of steam. So the last few parts are just a blind careless dash to some sort of conclusion. :/ ]
Re: mini-fill [4/4] Re: The only way for Bucky to retain information is through pain
Steve runs his hand through his hair. It's not right, for Bucky to wake up alone, not when he has friends right on the other side of the door. But if he hadn't tackled Bucky in time, he would have snapped Tony's neck like it was nothing. And the things they found in his pocket... Steve nods and takes a deep breath, directing his attention to the screen. His priorities are first to the Avengers' safety. He needs more intel, and Bucky can't endanger himself too much in that room.
Bucky is sitting upright in the hospital bed. After a quick assessment of the room, he pats his clothes (a light grey t-shirt and long soft pajamas), and begins to look slightly agitated. He then begins a thorough examination of the hospital room, stopping only when he comes upon the folded sheet of paper on the bedside table.
Steve already knows what it says, so he focuses on the way Bucky's face loses its agitation and becomes eerily flat and calm. As Bucky reaches for the phone on the bedside table, to corroborate the paper, Steve shivers: is this what Bucky does every morning? Has he been the Winter Soldier all along, on a mission to be Bucky Barnes. Steve feels a reasuring touch on his hand, and turns to smile gratefully at Natasha. Whatever state Bucky is in, at least they know the truth now. And with that, they can move forward.
Steve hears Bucky's muffled scream, and whips his head back just in time to see him convulse on the bed, one hand stuffed into his mouth and the other holding the stun baton to his abdomen.
Another scream rips through the air as Steve pushes Natasha aside and runs for the door, and the third crackle of electricity is still lingering in the air when Steve barges into the hospital room.
"Steve?" Bucky's eyes go wide as he quickly pulls a blanket over the baton. "You shouldn't..."
"Bucky, what the FUCK was that?" Propriety be damned. Steve pulls off the blanket and grabs the baton. "What are you doing to yourself?"
Bucky looks down and fingers the small burn marks on his abdomen. "Leave me alone, Steve. This is my problem."
"The hell it is! Last night you go all Winter Soldier on us, and now you're zapping yourself. We need to know. *I* need to know." Steve grabs the sheet of paper. "Is this your mission? To pretend to be Bucky Barnes?" A cold knot settles in his stomach. "Are you punishing yourself for failing to kill Tony?" If Bucky has been a danger to them all along, they'll have to...
Bucky's eyes widen and he looks frantically between the paper and Steve's face. "I did *what* last night?"
"You were at the expo with Tony, Steve, and Bruce." Steve wonders how Natasha can manage to sound so calm by the door. "You tried to attack Tony, but then Steve stopped you. You made a second attempt, but Tony knocked you out with a small pulsor he had on his watch." She steps closer, and gently takes the paper from Steve's hand and hands it back to Bucky. "You don't remember, do you?"
Bucky searches Natasha's face for a long time, but finally he sighs and looks down. "No, I don't."
Natasha reaches up and gently caresses Bucky's head and murmurs something in Russian. Steve frowns. It seems like Natasha has decided that Bucky isn't the Winter Soldier and isn't a threat, but, "What do you mean, Buck, you don't remember? Why don't you remember?"
Bucky shrugs defensively. "Nevermind that, Steve. I can handle it." Natasha nudges Bucky, and he sits up, smooths his hair. "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble yesterday. If you'll give me another chance, I'll make sure it won't happen again. I'll stay in my room and only come out when I'm safe."
Steve waves the baton. "By safe you mean 'zap yourself with 16000 volts of electricity?'"
Bucky's mouth hardens. Beside him, Natasha lays a hand on Bucky's shoulder, but he shrugs her off and stands up. "Steve, I said I'd take care of it. I don't want to get into the specifics. Just let me handle it."
"Bucky, I can't let you handle it if your way is hurting yourself."
"Well, would you rather do it?" Bucky glares at Steve. "Probably only have to shock me once or twice for me to remember who you are."
As things finally click, Steve can't help but turn away. If Bucky has been zapping himself every morning then all those times he limped...
"Yeah, I know I'm messed up --" Bucky chuckles humorlessly behind him. "HYDRA fucked me up so bad that the only way I remember things is if I'm being hurt enough." When not face-to-face with Bucky's defensive glare, all Steve can hear in Bucky's voice is his weariness. "But unless you're volunteering to whip me bloody every morning, you best let me handle it, pal."
And with that, Bucky gathers his things. Steve steps aside to let Bucky out the door and back to his own room.
A moment later, his superhero picks up the sizzle of electricity hitting human skin. Now that he knows what it is, it's impossible to forget.
-----
[AuthorAnon: Sorry guyz, I started writing this and then quickly ran out of steam. So the last few parts are just a blind careless dash to some sort of conclusion. :/ ]