Steve is trying to put on a cheery face during breakfast. The room is quiet, though, and Bucky can see the tension is Steve's eyes that he assumes is mirrored in his own.
"Agent Romanoff knows," he says, assuming he can't make the moment any worse.
Steve hisses out a long low breath. "How'd she figure out?" he asks, sadly shaking his head, his oatmeal forgotten.
"She saw me last night and followed me home." Bucky replies.
"Great," Steve mumbles. "What'd she say?"
"Not much. Just that I should stop, and that I won't have their help if anything goes wrong. I think they know they couldn't stop me," he mumbles, eyes on the table. He doesn't want this to be Steve's problem. It was never supposed to be Steve's problem. He deserves to know, though.
"She'll be watching you," Steve comments.
"I know," he says.
"I still don't think you should be doing this," Steve says, a stern tone edging into his voice.
"I know," Bucky repeats softly.
"But I can't stop you?"
Bucky simply shakes his head.
"Do you want to come running with Sam and I?" Steve says as he stands, peeking at the clock.
"Sure," Bucky says, the edges of his lips quirking up in a faint smile.
Steve returns the smile, shoveling his oatmeal in his mouth on the way to the sink.
Bucky keeps pace with Steve as they jog around the reflecting pool. Every time they pass Sam, Steve mumbles 'on your left' with a mischievous grin, and Sam snaps back with references Bucky rarely understands. He follows silently, watching the two interact. He's the only one paying attention when a grenade rolls in front of Steve. He shoves Steve into the reflecting pool and pushes Sam back as he rolls to the grenade and hurls it back the way it came with all the force his cybernetic arm can muster. Steve comes up sputtering and laughing until he hears an explosion in the distance. Bucky has already taken of in the direction of the assault, catching another grenade on his way.
"Sam, what's going on?" Steve questions as he wades out.
"Looks like we're under attack," Sam says. "My wings are in the car."
"Grab them. I'm going to catch up with Bucky."
Sam nods and takes off towards his car. Steve runs up the hill after Bucky, who is now a small blur in the distance.
Bucky has caught three grenades so far. After the third, whoever is behind the assault decided to change tactics. Now he's dodging automatic gunfire as he ran, but it gives him a more definite target to run to. When he emerges from the trees he's been running though, he sees them. They're definitely Hydra.
"What do you want?" he shouts in Russian. The words feel like acid in his throat, but at the same time they make him feel powerful. He can feel his feet mirroring the Winter Soldier's gait as he approaches them.
"To kill you," a woman shouts back, her Russian just as biting as his own. She stands on top of a jeep in a green leather suit so dark it could be mistaken for black.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that," Bucky growls, and he finds that with every word the Russian flows easier. One of the men on the ground step towards him to attack, but before he can Bucky reaches out and rips the gun out of his hands, knocking him out with the butt. He flips it around and mows down a group of men, causing the rest to scatter. He dodges bullets as he winds through the cars, sliding under or flipping over, taking them out one by one.
Meanwhile, Steve is cautiously making his way up the hill. Sam lands beside him, handing over his shield.
"Thought you might want this," he says with a chuckle before flying off again.
From the air, Sam can see Bucky fighting his way through Hydra's forces, glad once again that the man is on their side now.
Once everyone else is taken care of Bucky swings up onto the jeep, grabbing the woman by the neck. "Who sent you?" Bucky hisses.
"I sent me," she chokes out haughtily, trying her best to pry his fingers from her throat.
"Nonsense," he barks, shaking her roughly. "I know you're getting your orders from Hydra."
"I am Hydra. Madame Hydra," she bites out breathily, her eyes beginning to slip shut.
Bucky grits his teeth, and he's about to crush her throat when Steve bursts out from the tree line, shouting his name in what seems like a foreign language. It takes him a moment to realize he's shouting in English. The woman falls from his hand as he turns to Steve.
"Bucky, please! Let us turn her in," Steve says, hands up to placate Bucky. Steve heard him barking out Russian a moment ago, and now, met with the fearsome look in his friend's eyes, he can see the Winter Soldier, and it worries him. "It's okay, Buck," he adds softly.
Bucky's gaze is directed at Steve, but he's staring right through him. His mind is whirring, metal on metal, the sound of the Winter Soldier clawing his way back up. The three of them, Bucky, the Winter Soldier, and whatever mix of the two he is now, all freeze, however, when Steve shouts his name one more time. "What?" he mumbles, his gaze focusing.
"Let's hand her over to SHIELD, yeah? We can get more info out of her, give them more leads. Is that okay?" Steve speaks softly, so Bucky has to concentrate on his voice. He steps closer with every word, climbing up onto the jeep, stepping over the woman, and putting his hands on Bucky's shoulders. "Are you okay?" he mumbles.
Bucky's eyes focus on Steve's face after a moment. He blinks a few times, lips pursed, edges pointed downward. "I don't know," he chokes out quietly.
"C'mon. Let's go home."
Bucky nods, his shoulders slumped, making him seem smaller. Steve puts an arm around him and guides him away as Sam arrives with Natasha.
"Can you get a ride back with Natasha? I need to get Bucky home," Steve murmurs.
"Yeah man, you do whatever you need to do to get him right. We got this," Sam assures him.
Natasha is hoisting the woman who identified herself as Madame Hydra into the backseat of her car. "We need to talk later, Rogers."
Steve feels Bucky flinch. "Yeah, sure. Later." He leads Bucky away, down the hill and to the car.
