Steven was allowed to check out on bucky about 11 a.m.

His friend was lying, his upper body lifted at an angle, so he could watch the room easily. This made him calmer.

His eyes were dark-circled and his expression weary as on the night he was found in that bar. He didn't have any devices attached helipng him to breath anymore, so Capitan stopped worrying so much. Bucky was alive, this was all that mattered.

But a dead stare welcomed him again and his heart shivered. This wasn't an assassin ready to fight. Steven saw and for the first time fully relized the amount of damage done to Bucky's soul. The man was hollow.

He stood right there, a foot from the bed frame, just in case.

„How are you doing?" He asked without much enthusiasm.

The soldier moved his eyes slightly, as if he decided was it even worth to react.

„They gave me so much sedative, that I can't feel anymore." The reply was straight and almost emotionless.

Steve felt awful pain in his heart immediatelly. "I'm so sorry Bucky, but we couldn't let you hurt anyone... or yourself..."

„HYDRA kept me sedated for days if I... misbehaved." He said with a grudge... and something elese... a barely visible flash of agony on his face.

Steven treated that as a flicker of hope, a memory trail.

„Yeah, but they didn't give you a comfy bed and a friend to keep you company?" Started Steve again, this time with half-smirk and an eyeborw lift, however stupid that seemed.

A short pause.

„No..."

Bucky's eyes suddenly brightned up with pure confusion, he looked down and moved his body, as if testing the mattress.

„It is pretty comfy..." He said unsure.

Steve decided to approach closer but Bucky moved as trying to avoid him. It was hopless, because he could barely escape more than an inch, before feeling exhausted.

Cap raised his hand. „It's alright, I'm your friend, you know me Buck..."

A savage person that Steve saw, persuaded him not to push anymore. The big, bad Winter Soldier was just a battered man with fear in his eyes, as he was trapped and incapacitated among... friends.

So Capitan just stayed there, looking into oblivious friend's face.

„I'm not a man you once knew, I'm not there anymore... I looked for him and I've found a monster!" This time Bucky's voice was strong and almost desparate. His eyes as intense. This is what his friend was wating for.

He turned his head a bit and half-smiled. „Well, than we're going to tame that monster."


Almost four days later, a baffled doctor reported that Bucky is about 80% regerated and can easily leave the bed. His friend was there, awating that shallow creature.

He broke down earlier, hearing Bucky admitting he was not himself anymore... but on the next day, conversations with Sam and Tony gave him a new hope.

Today he hoped for the worse and the best, deciding not to let his spirit go low, not matter what.


James Barnes was sitting at the table in the main kitchen of Avenger's Tower. He was staring intensly into the furniture, tables, pots and pans, scanning surroundings for potential threats and ways of escape. So far they didn't hurt him, but it could be just a trick. He may have to escape, like the last time...

His face was worn out but colors came back to it and eyes weren't as dead as three nights ago. He felt better, no matter how bad his feelings were now. It felt cozy... just like at... home...

„Aaarrgh!"

A flashback tore through his brain with a force of a thunder.

„Bucky?!" New but familiar voice sounded next to his ear. It seemed to be real.

James took a deep, distorted breath, the same way he always did before wiping session. His both hands were shaking, as he slowly put them away from his head.

„Don't hurt me! I can't.. anymore!" He shouted, chasing away immediate urge to punch the person nearby.

„No.. no... No one is going to hurt you here." Said calm but a bit hasty voice.

A middle aged man awkwardly grabbed his left arm and seated him back on a chair. Bucky looked at his face. He maight seemed familair, but his memory was hazy. He was appearing here and there, although James knew that he never tried to kill him... he hoped for it...

„Tell me what happened?" Asked the man and stared at his face like an examiner."A flashback, yes?" He replied immediatelly to himself.

Bucky blinked, not feeling like speaking. He was not allowed to speak much... not by his own will.

„This may and will be happening, Bucky." Continued the man as if he was lecturing him. „Now... I programmed JARVIS to monitor your behaviour..."

Bucky sent him rather dirty look and the man froze for a second, although not losing his cockiness.

„.. before you TRY to kill me... Bucky, you should know this building is packed with very expensive equipment..." He accented with his finger pointed. James looked predatory as he could bite it off. „...and I'd be very grateful if you kept your violence only inside the training hall." He finished and glanced at Bucky's mouth, just in case.

James felt a bit more confident, now, experiencing how this little man was afraid of him. Not like the other targets, not like common HYDRA soldiers. It would be interesting... he relaxed and leaned his back agains the chair, laizily. Not looking away from Tony's face. Yes, he remembered now. Iron Man...

Tony kept his eyes alert and intense.

„I said something Bucky, don't give me that look. You are being watched... all the time." He pointed with his two fingers into his own eyes and Bucky's in a gesture.

Easy Buck... just breathe... James closed his eyelids, welcoming a wave of anger filling in his arms and chest, feeling trapped, feeling hopelessly... He bit his lip.

„Tony..."

„Yes?"

„Leave... leave now." Snarled Bucky, clenching his fists, his muscles tensed in less than a second.

„Thanks for the warning." Said Tony casually.


It was about 3 a.m. when a terrible, inhuman howling woke up Steve and about everyone a floor below. He flung the door open, the lights went on.

A curled up figure of a man was sitting in the corner of a nice, but very modestly decorated room.

(Tony wouldn't let for destruction of anything too expensive.)

Cry repeated and it devasted Capitan that his best friend was able to produce sounds of souls tormented in hell...

„Bucky!" He jumped to the hurting creature.

„Noooo!" Screamed James through the tears. A blast from the metal limb sent Capitan flying across the room.

The crack in the wall was of a size of Bucky's broken soul.

„Noooooo!" He repeated with scratchy voice, obvioulsy not aware of his surroundings, glassy eyes shooting left and right, looking for enemies in his own mind... his own past...

„Why do you do this?! I haven't done anything wrong! Zola!" Bucky whimpered a few Russian words. „Why did you... don't, don't put me in there!" He kept on pleading, with slight aggresiveness.

Steven's eyes became wet. Still hurting from a powerful punch across his chest, he limped slowly and bent over his friend, afraid to touch him.

„No... no, no, no..."

„Bucky..." Said Capitan after a few quiet seconds, when he was pulling his thoughts together. „James Buchanan Barnes! Wake up!" He shouted as if it was a command.

James flinched and his eyes changed from terrified to deeply hurt and confused. Steven sighed with relief. Bucky recognised him. His chest still pumping air crazily, he lifted himself and let his friend help with getting up.

James let himself to be settled on the messed up, sweaty bed. He was still trembelling. His long hair glued to his face. He hated that feeling but he wouldn't let anyone to cut it!

Steven sat next to him and silently put his arm across his friend.

Bucky closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply and imagining a serene countryside, just as Tony tought him. It wasn't easy but it slowly worked.

Steve felt something and raised his head towards the door. The whole brigade was standing in the door. Even Hawkeye. Apparently he was too curious to see the new „specimen", as he told Steven yesterday...

A woman cleared her throat.

Bucky became alert.

A sleepy figure in a robe came into the room. Steven felt Bucky's back springing like a cat, but it let go fast.

„Bucky... We all... Bucky, here's a herbal tea I drink when I'm stressed out." She moved closer and handed Steve a mug with cartoonish figure of Capitan America on it.

„Here..." Steve carefully put the tea close to his stunned friend's mouth, just as when he was sick and too weak to hold anything. A shaky, metal hand grabbed the mug from the bottom, still held by the Capitan.

„It's with honey." Said tired Natasha and went back to the entrance.

He drank slowly... He's been feeling retch every once in a while but this warm liquid... was like the tasties thing he ever drank. He closed his eyes, enjoying relaxing wave from the bottom of his chest...

Steve was surprised how fast the tea disspeared from the mug. Bucky's body became limp. He swayed a bit.

„Thank... Thank you..." Murmured Winter Soldier, falling into deep, deep slumber.

Steven let him slip slowly onto the mattress, lifted his legs onto bed, covered him and quickly followed the rest.

He ran past Sam and Tony, to the shaggy figure in a robe. „We will need more of this tea, Natasha..."