Hey guys! Here is chapter 17 and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 17

Feel My Wrath And Extreme Self-Doubt


Grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping is a chore that most people find either mundane or enjoyable. Whether it's choosing what to buy to fit a budget, buying enough food to feed a small army, rushing for a last-minute dinner option, or just taking a moment to splurge on something delicious. It's always a time-consuming task.

Again, a simple chore.

However, there is nothing simple when grocery shopping with a partially fictional, high profile, comic book assassin. And by shopping, I mean stealing in a crowded store, during the middle of the day, surrounded by throngs of people. Especially if you are flat broke.

'Why on earth are we here?'

I couldn't help but scowl at every passer buyer that crossed my gaze as one, hell-bent, super-soldier dragged me along through the crowded produce section.

As it was, I would be outright laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation if I wasn't being towed around like a sack of rocks by an iron grip.

"So are we getting actual food here or what?", I questioned, sick of the silent treatment I had been on the receiving end of for days.

He spared a glance from the corner of his eye but made no move to reply.

He hadn't really said all that much after my ugly crying fest in the park the other night. He had just allowed me to finish screaming endlessly into the void before tugging me up and leading us back to the safehouse. Which, after I was able to wipe away my mess of tears and embarrassment, I quickly realized it was literarily 5 blocks away! That mortifying discovery aside the rest of the night was filled with trying to clean the endless supply of cuts and bruises I always seemed to have as Bucky watched grumpily from the sidelines, occasionally procuring a roll of bandages or some other ointment he had on hand. I was still too embarrassed to even begin to ask where he had gotten half of this stuff, though I kind of wish I did.

Surprisingly, he stayed the entire night.

And the night after that too.

And the next.

And the next.

And the next.

Until the following week became one big blur of boredom from being held hostage in the cramped, run-down, apartment, day and night by one distrusting master assassin. Staring contests became the norm.

That smug jerk won them all.

It wasn't until we finally ate the last bit of food we had that he had ordered me to grab my coat and follow him.

And by ordering, he threw the stinking coat over my head before snagging my wrist in a python-like grip and corralling us both out the door faster than I could blink.

My feet nearly slipped out from under me on the waxed linoleum tiles for the second time as I tumbled out of my thoughts, continuing the uphill battle of keeping up with the unrelenting grip of my arm.

I winced as another flash of pain shot down my arm.

'I swear to God, he is going to dislocate my shoulder at this rate.'

Huffing in annoyance, I squirmed against his grip. It did nothing except cause his hand to tighten around my arm. My lips mashed themselves together against the uncomfortable sensation, though I could at least be thankful it wasn't the metal one tugging me around.

Small favors.

"Could you at least loosen up a bit, please? I'm starting to lose feeling in my hand-"

"You are being too loud", he huffed suddenly breaking the cold shoulder attitude he had continued since that odd night between them in Central Park.

My eyebrows shot up at his reply before lowering as I scowled thunderously at him. 'Really? That's the first thing he says in four days?' I blew a stray strand of hair out of my mouth, 'What kind of answer is that?'

"Then let go of my arm. It's been days and you know I won't run away again. Not that any of it was my fault…" I grumbled quietly, knowing full well he could hear me above the din and chatter of the supermarket.

The sour glare I received was answering enough. I groaned.

"Please? It's very uncomfortable"

"Bare it"

"…But I'm starting to lose feeling in my fingers"

Abruptly he stopped.

My worn sneakers stumbled against the tile as Bucky swiftly pulled away from an interesting display of new Pop-Tarts I had been ogling. It took every ounce of balance in my body to keep myself from crashing into the stiff super-soldier in front of me, though it didn't help much considering how klutzy I was.

Quicker than I could blink he turned until he was towering over me. I flinched as he quickly snagged my arms, pulling me closer until he could whisper in my ear.

"This is not a game", he growled, "Hydra has ears and eyes everywhere. They could be watching up right now and you would never know it тупая девчонка.

Frowning at the confusing Russian name, or at least, what I thought was a nickname, I shook my head.

"Then why are we here? Why are we here in broad daylight, grocery shopping in a crowded store in the middle of one of the most populated cities on the entire continent for some bandages and protein bars when we're flat broke and on the run?" I hissed lowly, slowly becoming mindful of the people stopping to stare at the two strangers in hoodies and hats arguing in the middle of the cereal aisle.

It seemed Bucky was aware of our growing audience as well because he turned forward and began marching down the granola section; me trailing unwillingly behind him again.

I bit the inside of my cheek as we rounded another few corners before watching him swiftly push open a door marked 'Employees Only'.

It took less than a second before I was unexpectedly shoved into the somewhat darkened room. I nearly fell on my butt as I smacked my knee into a misplaced chair.

Wide-eyed, I stood, in confusion as his eyes darted across the room with lighting precision.

'What the-! What if someone comes in and sees us? Break rooms aren't exactly private!'

"Why are we here? Aren't we going to get caught or something"

At my question, his dark eyes flickered up briefly over my head at something I couldn't see before finally settling on mine with an intensity I could see shining through the gloom. He raised an eyebrow.

"There are three cameras in this store and one outside of each entrance and exit", he nodded towards a corner, "That one is broken. We will be fine here."

I blinked in momentary surprise as I stupidly followed his gaze. A lone black circular camera was mounted in the corner of the storeroom, the lack of a red, blinking, light alerting me to the reason behind choosing this place in particular.

"Oh…" 'Well I feel dumb'

"We need to talk", Bucky crossed his arms. I cocked my head to the side as I wrinkled my nose.

"Huh, about what?"

"You"

"Me? But what did I do?", I pouted, most definitely put out. Any remaining protests died on my tongue at the frosty glare that was being sent my way.

"You are drawing too much attention." I scoffed.

"What do you mean? Should I be constantly looking over my shoulder every second of the day and act suspicious all the time? Wouldn't that cause even more attention then me acting normal?"

"No, I have the feeling you attract attention regardless." A hot spark of annoyance ignited in my chest as I brushed off the jab.

I pursed my lips.

'Well thanks for your vote of confidence Buckshot'

"What are you getting at Bucky because I am still not understanding", I pretended not to notice the subtle twitch of his mouth as he frowned down at me.

"Hydra is everywhere", he answered bluntly, "They have people everywhere under every disguise you could imagine. There are probably more than a hundred agents in New York and all of them are on the lookout for us."

I bit my lip at the disturbing news.

"Everywhere…?", I weakly parroted.

"Everywhere", he nodded solemnly. My brows furrowed.

"But then, why would they look in a little farmers market store in Brooklyn? Isn't this a little place too domestic for an underground Neo-Nazi organization?"

Bucky couldn't help but frown at the girl's blatant ignorance.

He narrowed his eyes.

It was starting to become a problem.

"You are not getting it. Hydra has a target on my back. They always have and always will.", he stepped closer, slowly invading my personal space with each step. He was so close, barely an arm's length away, that he could tower over me.

"The Winter Soldier is their best asset. I am the fist of Hydra and they will not stop chasing me to the ends of the earth", he spoke slowly, glancing away as he clenched his jaw, "and because of me now they have a target on your back too."

I frowned.

"Bucky, you know this didn't have anything to do with you, right? What happened between Hydra and me was not your fault-"

"Right, because you walked up to their door and asked them to take and torture you", he growled.

My jaw nearly clicked at how fast my mouth shut at both the irrefutable logic behind the statement and the incredible amount of sass Bucky had suddenly generated.

'Well, someone is gaining their personality back just fine!'

I think I nearly broke my molars with how hard I gritted my teeth as I reeled in surprise.

"That wasn't your-"

"Yes, it was"

"Would you just listen to-"

"You tried to help me before but you ended up putting yourself at Hydra's mercy and you did it again when you followed me from the hospital-"

"Are you telling me that was my fault?!"

"-Yet you still act like a child-"

"Hey!"

"Like Hydra isn't a real threat and like they will stop hunting you-"

"If you aren't going to listen to me then why the HELL AM I HERE!"

The explosive final words echoed uncannily in the deserted room, weighing heavily in the silence between the two.

The spit in my mouth dried up and felt like nearly dying on the spot.

But, whether it was stupidity, bravery, or both, I couldn't stop the sudden wave of angry thoughts and feelings from rushing out of my mouth like a raging river.

"You won't listen to me but you expect me to tell you everything. You don't want me to leave but you keep acting like you can't wait to be rid of me. You told me that you wanted me to tell you about your past but you haven't asked me once in weeks about it. Make up your mind already, if you don't want me here than say it! I may not be the strongest or fastest person alive but I'm sure I can hold off damn well on my own against those Nazi jackasses if I have too. So if you want something from me, take it, and kick me to the curb already but don't keep messing with me and acting as if I matter in this situation! Just...messing with me!"

The silence stretched on for what seemed like forever as the girl glared with all her might at the stoic man.

Crystal blue eyes stared down coldly at me. I watched as his face smoothed over, becoming devoid of any emotion as a perfect unemotional mask was set in place, leaving nothing but an empty shell. As if he had faced thousands of people screaming at him a million times over before, and he would just sit back and take it.

It was a look I was very familiar with.

And just like that, all the fire rushed out of my body like a tidal wave, leaving nothing but a swirling mess of embarrassment, anxiety, and an unhealthy level of fear.

'Sweet marmalade Jesus, why did I just say that? Am I seriously that insecure?'

Quickly, I forced my eyes to glance down at my hands and away from his smoldering gaze. There were deep grooves were cut into my palms from how hard I had clenched my shaking hands. I sucked in a shaking breath.

"S-sorry. I really shouldn't have said that. I am just so...I feel like I am going crazy and every time I open my mouth I can't say the right thing even though I am supposed to have all the right answers, but I just keep making everything worse…", my hands moved fell uselessly to my sides. Ripping my gaze away from those frozen dead eyes I glanced longingly at the door.

"It doesn't help that I was never supposed to be here anyway…"

My feet had already taken me to the door as I sputtered out broken excuses and half-formed apologies.

"So I'm just going to…"

Before I could grab the door handle and make a hasty retreat for my life, and possibly sanity, a cold unyielding hold clamped down on my arm and spun me around hard enough to give me whiplash.

Before I could properly get my balance back I was inches away from the coldest and iciest blue eyes I had ever seen. It felt as if my eyes were frozen and unblinkingly locked with his.

Slowly Bucky leaned forwards.

"You are not going to run away again", He glared coldly into my eyes. I opened to protest my innocence from the situation a week ago but his menacing gaze warned me against it.

"Why?", I counted as I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my panic at bay at the dangerous look in his eyes.

"Because if you ever run, if you ever try to hide, if you ever try to go to the authorities, Hydra will find you. There will be no place for you to escape. Not from them", he paused briefly, before leaning further down, somewhat into my personal space, "And then when I find you, and I will, you will not like the consequences немного кролик."

His eyes were narrowed in a dark and dangerous promise. My eyes widened in fearful confusion, like a deer in headlights, as the very real threat slowly sank in.

You can run but you can't hide.

In my stunned state, I barely noticed when he grabbed my wrist again and pulled me alongside him leaving the backroom and mingling with the crowd once again. My brain was spinning and my heart was pounding much too viciously in my chest. There were a million and one thoughts bouncing around my brain as I watched Bucky stalk ahead.

'I don't get it? Why do you care? I can't help you, and you won't ask me to help you. So why do you care enough to go after me? Why do you care at all?'

I bit my lip to keep my comments to myself, though there was nothing from stopping me from glaring holes into the back of his thick skull. My lip remained wedged between my teeth and my free hand clenched in my sweater pocket as I was continuously dragged around until we began heading in the direction of the check-out counter.

A sudden thought jolted me from my pity party as I dug my heels into the floor.

"Wait, Wait, Bucky…", I hissed as I tugged fruitlessly the arm around my wrist, nails not finding purchase on the smooth metal appendage underneath his sleeve as we strolled up to the register, "Hold on, I know you're angry but think for a second. How are we supposed to pay for all this when we don't have a cent between us-?"

My sentence was interrupted by him letting go of my wrist for the first time in an entire hour and a heavyweight being pressed into my palm. He suddenly bent down. My jaw nearly hit the floor at the large wad of cash resting in my palm.

"Go out to the street. Make two left turns than a right into an alley. Wait there."

My mind floundered at his vague instructions and their meaning when I suddenly felt his hand leaving my arm as he let go of me. My mouth dropped as I watched him stroll through the double doors of the store without a hitch in his stride before disappearing into the crowd.

My head bobbed like a bobblehead as I blinked dumbfoundedly from the wad of cash in my hand to the store door.

'What just happened?'

I bit my lip and eyed the money in my hand.

'Geez. I wish he would have told me about this earlier…', my nose wrinkled in annoyance, 'Jeez, his mood swings are giving me whiplash!'

"Ahem"

A scratchy voice interrupted my thoughts as I flinched and whirled around, only to meet the scowling jowls of an elderly Asian woman glaring venomously at my tense form.

"Ai! Hurry up! Buy or move out of the way!" A horde of disgruntled looking customers stood behind her short form, all wearing varying faces of annoyance and impatience, as they watched the scene before them.

Heat scaled my neck and bloomed across my face as I cringed.

"S-sorry…"

I've never run out of a grocery store so fast before in my life. So fast, that I barreled headfirst into someone.

"Woah!"

Bags scattered like leaves in the wind as I nearly toppled onto the sidewalk only to be stopped by a strong grip on my arms.

"Oh wow, you ok miss?", a handsome man with a faint New York accent asked gently as he steadied me on my feet, "that woulda have beena nasty spill", Kind brown eyes twinkled down in amusement as I fumbled for words to defuse the awkward situation.

If my face wasn't hot before it most definitely was boiling now.

"Oh! Um, yeah! Yes, I'm good. Thank you! So, sorry!" the words continued babbling from my mouth as I quickly bent down to retrieve the bags. My ears must have been fire truck red at this point.

The coal haired stranger smiled as he leaned down to help.

"It'sa right, you looked like you was in a hurry anyways" the handsome stranger laughed as he handed me the bags. A nervous chuckle forced its way from my throat.

"Hurry? Oh no, no hurry. Just got a lot on my mind!"

'Again with the babbling Andy. Shut up already! You're making it worse!'

"I'm still so sorry. I should have watched where I was going"

"Like I says, its all right! No biggie. You take care now miss and watch ya step"

And with a wink, the man was gone into the crowd.

The blush staining my cheeks refused to die as I grumbled to myself with the heavy bags and burning cheeks.

"This is why you can't talk to cute guys Andy. You always screw it up", I scowled.

After a few twists and turns, I paused in front of an alley; craning my neck and squinting my eyes for any flash of familiar metal.

'Was I supposed to take a right back there or a left? Shoot, my brain is still mush'

A hand on my shoulder nearly made me leap out of my skin, though this time I had the sense not to screech like a dying animal.

Bucky frowned curiously before taking the rest of the bags in one hand and grabbing my wrist.

"Let's go."

My arms were throbbing by the time I climbed the last steps of the rickety old building I had been calling home for the past three days.

I groaned as I laid the bags on the floor by the broken stove.

Though it was nearly healed my right arm was still throbbed every time I put too much strain on it. I would have toppled over right then and there into my nest of blankets by the window if it wasn't for the sound of heavy footfalls behind me.

"Should I make some soup or would you prefer something else?", I yawned, rubbing one of my eyes sleepily. When I didn't hear anything I lazily turned around, only to nearly choke on my spit as Bucky's face hovered inches from my own. Both my eyes snapped open.

"Why do you keep doing that!", I yelped, throwing myself against the rickety store, quickly becoming nervous as he continued peering into my face. His features remained impassive aside from the faint furrowing of his brow.

'Is-is my face still red from earlier?'

My heart pounded in anticipation.

Was he going to talk about what happened in the grocery store? Was he going to tell me why he was keeping me around? Was he going to finally tell me to hit the road?

"You need to sleep"

I blinked for a moment, completely taken aback.

"Huh?"

His impassive façade disappeared as he frowned fully.

"You haven't slept through the night once", he informed me flatly, like he was merely telling me the time on a clock. He glanced down my figure before meeting my bewildered gaze again. "You have not been eating either"

A small muscle beneath my left eye jumped in aggravation as my stunned expression quickly molded into annoyance.

"Gee, I had no idea", I snipped, fully aware of my lack of healthy habits.

'Like falling into fake dimensions and running around with amnesiac super assassins'

He pursed his lips before quickly grabbing my wrists and suddenly hauling my butt out of the kitchen.

"Hey-!"

A wall of blankets interrupted my cry as I was suddenly shoved face-first into the bed. My muffled screech of anger was interrupted by Bucky.

"Do not get up from there until you have slept.", I heard him command as he let go and stood up, leaving me to fail in the mess of blankets.

Shuffling under the nest of bedding I glared up sourly at my newly grumpy roommate.

"Hey! How does that make any sense? You haven't slept either.", I pouted moodily.

"I do not need to"

"Yes, you do. You're human too!" A withering glare was my response.

"Am I?", he challenged. I scowled thunderously at him.

"Don't you dare start that again Sarge", I jabbed a finger at him.

He merely scoffed and went to the kitchen. Within seconds he returned with some protein bars and water bottles. I gratefully accepted a bottle and not so graciously accepted a bar.

What? I can't help that they tasted horrible.

The sound of content silence filled the air for a few precious moments as we ate.

"…but what if I need to go to the bathroom?"

The deadly yet deadpan stare I received made me giggle outright. After a few more moments of restless silence, I sighed, flopping onto my stomach.

"Hey, Bucky…"

Bright blue eyes flashed attentively. My legs ached as I stood, shaking out the pins and needles. He gave me a warning look. I rolled my eyes and wiggled my eyebrows at him. The confused and incredulous look on his face nearly had me laughing again.

The silent figure remained unmoving as he watched the girl shuffle closer to him with a curious gaze.

"Listen, I hate bringing it up again but I need to ask you something", I swallowed, shifting the worn, gray, blanket further over my shoulders as I looked out the window, refusing to look into his intense gaze again. A soft pink hue washed the sky as the sun began to sink behind the jagged New York skyline again.

Watching the sun begin to set I sucked in a breath of courage and ask something that had been nagging my mind.

"Back at the Smithsonian after you saved me...why did you decide to take me with you? I mean you could have left me behind literally anytime after that."

The silence was my only answer.

I pursed my lips and tore my gaze away from the fluffy cotton candy swirls dotting the sky to face the one responsible for the source of my currently jumbled thoughts.

Bucky remained impassive. The only sign he even heard me at all was by him softly arching his eyebrow.

I let my shoulders drop and sighed heavily.

"Look, I know I'm being difficult and having me around is probably a lot of trouble as it is but you could have left me straight after like I told you too in the museum. You didn't have to carry me around or let me stay with you. Or you could have dropped me off somewhere else."

I was loathed to admit that my cheeks were burning in shame the more I spoke my private thoughts out loud.

"I mean you haven't asked me once about your past since the hospital but isn't that entire reason I'm here?", I swallowed nervously,"…and in the end if you only brought me along because you thought I would be too much of a liability in Hydra's hands, well then, just…why didn't you just get rid of me? Or let Hydra do it? Not that I would want you to! But, I just…um-"

A hand on my wrist interrupted my tirade.

I shyly glanced up, afraid of what I might find.

I was right to be if the dark and intense expression on his face was anything to go by.

'Why is he looking at me like that? Geez, I haven't felt this embarrassed and judged than the time I continuously pulled on that door handle labeled 'push only' for five minutes straight before that job interview I had at the hospital...'

My next words nearly dried up on my tongue at his continuously cold look before taking a deep breath, having to finish my thoughts.

"I know what you said about Hydra is true, about how they are everywhere and how dangerous they are'", I wilted in shame as I looked down at my feet, "and I know I'm acting immature about it and pretending like they aren't hunting us like sport. But I guess, this is how I'm trying to handle it. I mean, this is probably the worst way to go about it, but, if I am being completely honest I am kind of terrible at handling my own emotions. It doesn't help that I haven't been this emotionally stressed in a long time and am out of practice…" I ranted embarrassedly as I eyed him.

"But all that aside, why did you make it harder for yourself by taking me along with you out of all the other options? Because, honesty withstanding, you kind of picked a terrible accomplice to be on the run with. Let's face it Clyde I'm not exactly Bonnie"

Bucky stayed very still for a moment as his expression wavered for a moment. I could have mistaken him for a statue with how still and cold his expression as if his warm hand hadn't still been encircling my wrist, telling me he was still very much alive and very much lost in thought.

I waited patiently for a few minutes, watching his eyes grow distant and foggy as he fought with the things in his mind.

"Alright, you know what, you don't have to answer that one if it's too much. But can you at least tell me why you bothered to rescue me from Hydra in DC. in the first place?", I gnawed on my lip as the silence grew louder.

The tense silence stretched on for what seemed like days as I allowed him to get lost inside his head. I could nearly taste blood in my mouth as I a bit my lip harder. I could defiantly feel the guilt and shame coiling harder in my gut.

He still didn't look at me.

I huffed slightly before slowly untangling his grip from my wrist and gently grabbing his hand, mimicking what I had done weeks before in the forest. He glanced down at our interlocked finger, almost in a trance. His gaze continued flickering with between some unknown emotions from under his unruly locks of hair.

'Maybe this is a mistake'

Heat crawled up my neck for the second time today as I watched his thoughtful expression.

'No. I can't think that. I'm in too deep now'

I licked my lips as I tried prodding for an answer one more time.

'I have to get through to him somehow'

"Bucky, I know you were the one to leave me at the hospital. It didn't make sense otherwise. I just want to know why?"

Finally, his bright blue eyes glanced down to capture mine as he raised our joined hands between us.

"You know about me. My past and my future, all of it", I furrowed my brow as he squeezed my hand, "You said you would tell me only what I needed to know but that I had to remember everything else for myself, otherwise I wouldn't have an identity. I haven't asked you anything yet because that is what you told me to do. But…it's all still foggy."

He paused as he looked expectantly at me.

I still need help…were the unspoken words between us.

I shook my head in denial, feeling the familiar shame creeping up my spine.

"Listen, I told you before. I can't help you remember everything. Some things, sure. Even if I told you what I know there are probably still a lot of things I don't know about your previous life. Not like Steve does since the guy was practically raised with you."

I scratched the back of my neck nervously.

"Heck, there is a lot of things Hydra made the Winter Soldier do that I have no clue about. Though that ugly machine face Zola gave me some hints." My lips twisted into a bitter scowl before a bashful expression replaced it.

"I'm sorry. I should be helping you not wrapping myself up in my stupid problems when I haven't even begun to help you with yours. And I did sort of promise I would. I'm sorry about that Bucky"

My palms grew hot as I squeezed his fingers back and steeled myself to match his gaze, "That was wrong of me and I'm going to fix that, starting right now".

Without further prompting I let go of the mismatched hands, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and leaned back. When had I even gotten that close?

Ignoring the distracting thoughts swimming around my brain like piranhas, I struggled hard to think back and recall the first marvel movie I had ever seen with my dad, his all-time favorite movie.

Captain America

Slowly, like sap falling down a tree, bit and pieces began to flow into my mind as I remembered.

Memory truly is a wonderful thing.

"Ok. Well, I can tell you what I can remember. Hold on…", I curled the small lock of hair tighter between my fingers as I struggled to remember the first scene.

"There was…an alley? No, wait. That's not what happened first"

I narrowed my eyes. It was on the tip of my tongue.

I knew it.

Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing, pain exploded behind my eyeballs. A strangled noise clawed its way from my throat as a burst of images began swarming to the forefront of my mind.

A red grinning skull, dripping like candle wax, hidden by a fleshy caricature of a human man.

The rumbling and crunching of tanks on gravel and the song of greased steam engines echoing distantly.

Volcanic explosions of rock and rubble.

A bright, eerie, flash of otherworldly blue.

The terrifying piercing whistle of a train.

Metallic screeching….or was it screaming?

Like a nest of angry hornets, a horde of vivid pictures and sounds continued to bombard my brain. My senses seemed to dull until all I could focus on where the images flashing across my eyes like a distorted film reel.

Just as suddenly the flurry of activity had appeared it died and with a slow blink, the dingy apartment was back in focus.

Along with a face that was, again, inexplicable too close.

"Knock that off already…" I grumbled halfheartedly as I lazily swatted at the shaggy face inches in front of me, still not fully registering what was happening when my wrist was suddenly caught in a vice grip. The spike of pain and fear shocked me out of my dull stupor quicker than a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped onto my head.

My eyes widened to the metal hand holding my wrist before slowly moving up to meet cool gunmetal eyes.

Bucky stayed silent for a moment, narrowed eyes probing me for answers as I squirmed uncomfortably under the intense glare. Finally, with one last look at my captured hand, he released it.

"What was that?", he questioned lowly.

I bit my lip and looked away.

"Nothing…I think I just remembered something I rather not have"

I rubbed my sore wrist gingerly as I leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until my butt touched the floor. My eyes still felt swollen and itchy.

"Well, …first thing I think I remember is Hydra. More specifically Red Skull getting that blue cube. No, wait. What is it called again now? I pretty sure it started with a T?"

As I pounded Bucky swiftly went to the kitchen and back before settling down on the floor beside me. Blue eyes my watched my movements curiously before handing me a small towel. I distractedly pressed it against my irritated eyes and wet cheeks.

When had I started crying?

"The…the damn Test…Tester…Tesseract! Yes, that's it. It's essentially a magic, glowing box that holds the powers of the universe and will cause all sorts of problems later on, but right now I think I can tell you what I remember from the first time I saw Steve Rogers fighting in a back alley", I hummed thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, it was also the first time I saw you too."

Bucky stiffened marginally before leaning in with undisguised interest.

"I was…with that man? With Steve?", he couldn't get the words out fast enough as they tumbled from his mouth.

A small grin painted itself over my lips.

"Bucky believe me when I say this. Wherever Steve went back then you were never far behind."


I am sorry if there are any New Yorkers out there reading this. I tried my hand at writing a New-Yorker accent and I absolutely dropped the ball. Hehehe.

Aside from that, I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think in the review box. Thank you all you lovely people for your kind word of inspiration and please stay tuned!

тупая девчонка = Stupid Girl

немного кролик = Little Rabbit