Civil War is getting closer every day and I fear the worst for both teams. God help us but I think this may the most heart breaking Marvel film we've ever watched...But at the same time it's inspired my Marvel plot bunnies to run amok so hopefully this is enjoyable. Let me know if you like it! Have a wonderful day!
I guess with how this is going, Civil War never happened in this story, cause if I was in charge everyone would be happy and Alexander Pierce would have died more slowly by Steve's hand...
No romances anywhere in here. Just platonic love.
They had taken Bucky.
They had taken Bucky away from him again and Steve could almost feel his blood boil from rage. It consumed him to the point he felt his mind go hazy, as if he had taken too many pain pills. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, he could't live.
Sam could see the pain in Steve's young face, the rage in his movements were obvious as he ordered—no—more like pleaded with the Avengers to come fight at his side. However he didn't get far before the group vowed to save Bucky without batting an eye. Clint, Natasha, Bruce, even Tony, would not allow anyone to harm Bucky. He was their friend as well, but he was also Steve's partner, his brother, and therefore he was valued more than gold to them. True, he had only been with the team the shortest amount of time but he was none the less just as important.
Sam watched carefully as Steve gathered his things. The sturdy, confident façade that Steve pulled out as he went over his plan to find Rumlow's men was all smoke and mirrors; Bucky was taken away from him, odds were that he was in pain again, and Rogers was barely keeping it together. Sam had no clue that inside Steve's head full of only Bucky's gone Bucky's gone they took him they took Bucky I need him back pleasepleaseplease be okay Buck
Oblivious to the inner pain that his friend was experiencing, Sam's eyes narrowed as he thought of someone in Bucky's fragile condition, after being so close to getting even semi-better, being taken by Hydra again. Barnes was improving, damnit, he was getting healthier, feeling safer. He would smile more, act more like a human being-he was getting better. Sam had no doubt that this progress was only because of Steve. Bucky never failed to be far from Steve; they walked in sync, could tell what the other wanted or was thinking just from a glance at the other.
Sam immediately thought back to when Steve had called him nearly three months ago now, when Barnes had been found. Roger's voice had sounded so happy, like the excitement was bubbling up in his chest as he told him that Bucky was alive and was with Steve then. Sam had never heard him sound like before. That fact alone proved that Bucky was special to Steve, an irreplaceable bond was connected to them both and nothing could break their brotherly love for the other. That same bond was what was saving Bucky.
Then Rumlow found him.
It wasn't a secret that Steve Rogers had stopped at nothing to find Barnes, nor how Barnes was as protective of his friend as well. When Steve did find the most valuable person in his life, Rumlow was one of the first to find out. Hydra was discovered by the people but the terrorists were far from over. Rumlow and several others who were loyalists stayed together, trying in vain to bring back their mighty empire to a fraction of what it once was. Naturally, they wanted all their previous leader's possessions back.
Including their asset.
It was too valuable, too flawless to just allow it to roam free with Captain America. It would be punished accordingly, then placed back at their feet where it belonged, and hopefully they could bring about more Winter Soldier that were more reliable than this one. Pierce had a soft spot for the asset, due to its link with the beginning of Hydra's creation, but with him gone, they could easily use this soldier until this one wore out.
Steve stayed silent as Natasha and Clint sat around the table in Tony's dining room in Stark tower where they all stayed, discussing how they would find Hydra based on their movements from the past few months. All Steve could focus on was how his weakness brought this suffering back on to Bucky. If he had been faster, stronger, better, he could have saved him from this.
It was like the train all over again.
Only that same day they were together and Steve dropped his guard. He should have been more careful as they sat next to one another outside of their old church that Sunday afternoon, with a park across from them. It held a small group of families with their children yet none paid attention to the two soldiers. Steve was eagerly coaxing Bucky's half remembered dreams of the rescue of over 300 men from Zola. Bucky was biting his lip as he tried to retell the events that he got a short image of that day.
"You saved me, right?" Bucky's eyebrows furrowed deeply, still biting his lip as he thought back to the foggy memory. The memories were fuzzy…like if he concentrated hard enough, he could get a quick glance of a past life. One where he was protector and friend to those he was loyal to. "When I was on that table…I think—I think I remember you found me..." While he remembered only bits and pieces, Steve never failed to show encouragement for how well his friend was doing. This was James Buchanan Barnes, his best friend (and his soulmate in a way), even if Bucky remembered nothing of his past life Steve would still do everything in his power to help him.
Steve didn't bother hiding his beam of pleasure at Bucky's comment. "Yeah. You were with the 107th. Do you remember them?" Bucky shook his head in disappointment at his own lack of help and Steve quickly responded. "God, I was so scared that I lost you then." Steve admitted with a whisper, his grin growing when Bucky had a surprised smile spread across his own face. No secrets were keep from his friend; he couldn't lie to Bucky now anymore then he could back when they were kids. He valued Bucky's honest opinion too much to hide anything from him.
This is what distracted Steve one second too long.
Bucky's keen senses felt the presences before he saw them. Acting on instinct, the dark haired man yelled "Get down!" Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve's shoulders and pulled him down just as the shots went off. Steve's mind had only a split second to reason as to what was happening before he pulled out his own weapon just as Bucky jumped off of Steve, yanking out his own gun that was hidden in one of his holsters by his ankle.
There were several Hydra agents pouring out of a black van, their weapons drawn and firing at the super soldiers with no regard for the civilians who were close by.
Steve's was lost in his thoughts as he went back and forth from shooting the Hydra agents and watching over Bucky. Hydra was here? In broad daylight? Having worked in the shadows for so long, the thought of the psychotic group attacking where all could see was more than a small surprise. Feeling Bucky's back against his own, Steve clicked off the safety of his weapon and opened fire on one who was closest to Buck. The figure fell lifeless from the bullet that was lodge into his head and Bucky repaid the deed with slamming his metal arm into the chest of a Hydra agent that dared to point his weapon at Steve.
This fight had not gone unnoticed by the public as several calm minded people who were not taking pictures of the fight were helpfully calling for the police while staying away from the brutal fight. Steve was silently grateful for this as he felt Bucky yank him to the side, narrowly avoiding a bullet. With each Hydra agent that went down, Steve thought they were winning; he thought this would be over and he and Bucky would be able to walk away from Hydra.
Until the closest hydra agent by Bucky managed to say one word.
"Sputnik."
Bucky froze in the middle of grabbing the agent's neck. His features stayed blank and with terrifying lack of energy, Bucky fell flat on the ground, his blue eyes staring emotionless in front of him. Steve turned his head towards his friend in horror, causing another agent to get the upper hand and slam him to the ground while grabbing his hair and pounding Steve's face against the cement with brute force. Blood come pouring down his face, causing him to lose consciousness. Hearing sirens in the distance, the hands that roughly held him mere moments ago soon let go to avoid the police and Steve's last thought was of Bucky…
When he awoken hours later, he was greeted with the face of a concerned Sam Wilson...but no Bucky. He barely heard the comforting words and promises of how they would find Bucky, no matter what, or how Tony and Bruce were already hard at work piecing together where the terrorists could be hiding, or even how Clint and Nat were pulling in all teh favors that they had left to seek any sort of lead on what Hydra would be heading. Steve focused on none of that. He could only rage.
A deep, guttural growl that sounded close to a sob escaped past his lips and he pushed himself up from the bed, ignoring Sam's attempts to push him back. "I'm going to help Tony." He left no room for debate in his tone.
Sam excepted as much. He only hoped that they would find Bucky before it was too late.
MARVELMARVELMARVEL
Feeling himself awaken from the grogginess of sleep, Bucky hoped that what he experienced was some nightmare and he would wake up in his bed at Stark Towers. Steve would be in the bed next to him sleeping peacefully and Bucky would deny of ever having a restless night. They both would be safe and alive and Hydra would be a threat for another day still.
When he heard the voice he knew that his hopes had been dashed.
"Welcome back soldier." Bucky heard the drawl voice that was all too familiar.
Rumlow.
His heart momentarily stopped beating and Barnes couldn't stop the tremor that spread throughout his body at the unmistakable voice. Reluctantly turning his sore neck to face the voice, he saw with a tremor in his heart one of Hydra's most loyal agent. Rumlow had survived his severe burns but not without a cost, Bucky thought with a mild form of satisfaction. His face was still recognizable but the scars were etched across his entire body, though all that could be seen of his skin was his expression and hands. Bucky gave a small growl yet did not respond as he looked down at his own body, noting with panic that his body was strapped tightly to a gurney with a table next to him surrounded by different kinds of needles and formulas, mirroring exactly what he could remember from the time that Steve saved him from Zola all the decades ago.
The thought made Bucky feel more fear than rage.
Rumlow did not appear to be looking at his asset, instead focusing on what looked to be a chart. His legs were stretched across the gurney, laying across Bucky's chest like he was a piece of furniture. "You've been malfunctioning." Brock Rumlow muttered more to himself than Barnes as he mindlessly flipped nosily to the next page of the clipboard. "The 'sputnik' code hasn't been used in a while but it did its duty." He moved his legs off of Bucky and scooted his chair closer to the younger man, eyeing him like he was a broken piece of machinery.
"What did you do to Steve?" Bucky hissed venomously. While he knew that talking back would only bring him punishment, he needed to know where Steve was. That was the only important thing he needed and if anything happened to him-
As expected, a powerful backhanded slap was sent across Bucky's cheek. The force of Rumlow's hand's caused Bucky to bite down on the inside of his cheek, producing blood that fell past his lips. "Don't forget your programming." Rumlow responded calmly, pulling out a washcloth from the table on the side and surprisingly started wiping off the blood from Bucky's face that was lingering from the battle juts hours ago. "Now, who is Steve?" he ordered, setting the now red cloth back on the table.
Bucky frowned in confusion; despite the soreness of his neck, he lifted his head up slightly to get a better look at Rumlow's scarred, emotionless face. "What did you do with Steve?" He phrased again, terror gripped his heart as a look of curiosity come about on his former handler's face.
"Steve Rogers?" Rumlow cocked his head in confusion. "He was shot down, months ago on that highway." Rumlow leaned closer, ignoring the wide eyes of the asset. "My my, what have you been dreaming about these past few months?" The grin on his face was more out of amusement than anything else.
"D-Dreaming?" Bucky questioned in a low voice, unable to keep the stutter out of his tone.
"You've been asleep soldier, for months now." Rumlow spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. He placed the chart on the table by Bucky's side and Barnes noticed his own name on the top. "You malfunctioned in the middle of the battle." Rumlow clicked his tongue with fake sympathy. "Passed out after being thrown just a tidbit too hard. Hydra had to take care of the threat that you messed up on. Rogers, Wilson, they were taken care of."
Bucky froze. No…no that was a lie. It was a lie! Steve was his friend-he was his brother. Those feelings weren't from a dream-unless-
The brainwashing and cryo chambers would give him the most realistic dreams; dreams of blood and wars and bodies. What if Rumlow was being honest? Had he malfunctioned; had this all been a messed up way of trying to cope until he was awakened with his masters and programmed with a new new mission? Was it all a painful, yet glorious dream?
But never had those dreams been like what he had been experiencing for these past few months with Steve.
Steve was real. He was there when Bucky found his apartment building. He was there when he pulled Buck into a bone-crushing hug, unabashed tears slipping down his face and landing on Bucky's shoulder. He was there for him and with him every step of his new, confusing life. Steve Rogers was there.
"Liar." Bucky growled with complete loathing clear on his face and again he was greeted with a harsh slap.
"Don't take back to your superiors, soldier." A glint of dark satisfaction shined on Rumlow's face and Bucky had to look away or else he would gain another punch. "When you're more recovered and after we fix your arm with more updates, you'll returned to cryo until another mission is given to you, unless you decided to cause us more problems."
Bucky snapped his head back to face Rumlow, his wide eyes showing his emotions that he tried to keep close to his chest. No. No God please, not again.
"Steve is my friend." Bucky insisted, unsure why he needed to get this across from the other man. "He's coming for me." These new memories weren't fake. Steve, Sam, Natasha-they cared about him. They were real. Steve was coming back for him….right?
"Funny," Rumlow mused with a sick smile on his face, getting dangerously close to Bucky's face. "that's exactly what you said the first time Hydra found you. Steve Rogers is dead. And nothing can bring him back."
Bucky responded with spitting in Rumlow's smirking face. Naturally he was again greeted with violence but that didn't matter. Bucky would not work for Hydra ever again-at least not willingly. Buck would hold out for as long as he could with as much strength that he could give. While in the back of his mind, he feared being frozen again. Freeze. Thaw. Kill. Repeat. For decades it was all he had ever know; it would be a fate worse than death to have freedom and love back in his life, only to have it ripped from him.
"Get some rest soldier." Rumlow responded, wiping flecks of Bucky's blood of of his hands. "We have work to do." And with that, he rose up from his chair and left Bucky alone in the gurney, no doubt going to speak with the doctor about how soon their asset could be up and functioning in time for their next act against the Avengers.
Bucky stared after the figure, his heart in his stomach. He silently promised to Steve then and there that he would never work for Hydra. Never again.
Steve would come for him.
All Bucky had to do was wait.
Thank you for reading! I hope it was enjoyable!
