Chapter 33

Luna didn't know how long she had been laying on the cold concrete floor beneath her. All she knew was that at some point soon after she reentered the room that acted as her and Bucky's cell, she had passed out, and that at some point, a few hours later from what she could tell, she'd woken up again. And Bucky still wasn't there. Luna's entire body ached, sparking up into flames of pain every time she tried to move, as her heightened healing abilities had shut down days ago from trying to combat the three deep wounds that were once in Luna's back, and then from the significant lack of food, water and rest she had gotten since she found herself to be in Hydras grasp. "Bu-cky" Luna managed to gasp out from between her cracked, dehydrated lips, not even managing to lift her head from where it rested on the floor, partly from lack of energy, and partly as a decision to use the ice cold concrete as an ice-pack whilst she still could. Still, Luna got no response. She was sure that somewhere in the back of her mind, she was panicking about the lack of reply from her partner, as far as she was aware, they had taken her back to her cell, she definitely recalled something about some old Russian lady, with her hair in a bun mentioning it as she was dragged out of her training room. But all Luna could honestly care about right now, was going to sleep. She forced one hand out in front of her, and then the other, slowly beginning to literally drag herself across the concrete floor, nails stinging fiercely as they ripped on the hard surface. At some point, Luna felt metal to her right. Something raised, and filled with a liquid was to her right. And she didn't care about the possibility of drugs, or god knows what else Hydra might have planned for her. She needed a drink. She needed rest. So if one unintentionally forced the other, she wasn't going to complain. Tentatively, Luna pulled her right hand up the side of the bucket, almost loosing contact with it as she reached the top. She dipped her hand into the cool liquid and slowly brought it to her mouth, which she had now raised a few inches above the ground, feeling drops from the water land on the floor in front of her face. A bitter taste almost immediately filled Luna's mouth as she drank the now most definitely drugged water, forcing herself not to gag it up as she did so. It would have registered in Luna's head, had she been in a better state of mind, that it was odd that even without being able to see, the room around her had suddenly felt like it had begun to swing from side to side. But Luna was too exhausted, and now drugged, to notice. Her head slapped down on the concrete with such force it looked much like a puppet with its final string being cut off, as a small trickle of blood pooled around her head, mingling with the already present, now partially dried blood matting her hair.

"вернуть его в" (Bring him back in)

Bucky Barnes was pissed. He had woken up stiff, aching and in pain, not that he expected to wake up in any other way when in the hands of Hydra, but still, it wasn't nice. It was far too reminiscent of before. But that wasn't what had pissed him off. The first thing he registered when he woke up was that Luna was gone. That meant that at some point Hydra guards had come in, and dragged her away, and he didn't even bat an eyelid, didn't even wake up. But that wasn't what pissed Bucky Barnes off. No. All that did was make him scared. The blow he felt, realising he had left her all alone made him want to throw up, to scream and shout and beg for her forgiveness. But it hadn't made him mad. What had pissed Bucky Barnes off was the sudden feeling of his bones being set alight with lava as he was electrocuted and immobilised (as if he could have moved even of he wanted to) before the sound of the door opening. What pissed Bucky Barnes off was being hauled to his feet and dragged out of his cell before being sat in an interrogation room for hours on end, left alone with his thoughts and worries about what was happening to Luna, before finally someone came into the room and began quizzing him about what he remembered of his time as the Winter Soldier. But what pissed Bucky Barnes off the most, what had filled him with a murderous rage, making him involuntarily let out a growl of furious hatred was being marched back to his cell, after hours on his own and then hours with the same questions being asked over and over and over, to find Luna, looking as pale as death, surrounded in a sick halo of blood.

"Jesus Christ - Luna!" Tore its way out of Bucky's mouth in horror as he registered the scene in front of him. Immediately, Bucky felt his energy surge back into him as he tore free of the guards holding him, leaping across the room towards Luna in one fierce motion and collapsing down beside her, frantically holding her against him as he desperately checked for a pulse. When at last Bucky was convinced of the tiniest flutter of a heart beat being present he loosened his 'death grip' around Luna slightly, picking her scarily lifeless body up and moving her across to her 'bed'. It was then, when he allowed himself to get a better look at her. Luna's small body was looking scarily thin, made more pronounced through the culmination of dark bruises littering her skin and the long cuts covering everywhere else. His fists clenched tightly, but Bucky set to work, aiming to help his sister in any ways he could. Slowly, wincing as he did it as though it was he who was hurt, Bucky began moving the matted, bloody hair put of Luna's face. He tore strips into the paper thin 'bed sheet' covering his mattress, if you could even call it that. He dipped it into the bucket of water, grimacing as his eyes caught once more on the sight of Luna's blood, pooled still on the floor where he had found her. He dipped a strip of cloth into the water, before moving back to Luna's side and attempting, if somewhat in vain to clean off some of the blood on Luna's head, and the rest practically coating her body. Across what appeared to be the deepest cuts on Luna, those on her right arm and down the entire length of her left thigh, Bucky tied more strips of bedding, praying that they would help prevent infection. The problem was, that until Luna woke up, there was nothing more Bucky could do to help her. So he sat, crouched on the floor, at Luna's bedside, refusing even to cross the room to his own bed, poised ready to protect his sister if any Hydra guards decided to come storming in. Bucky Barnes was furious.

He didn't know how long he sat, simply staring at Luna, as though he could heal her with sheer will power. It wasn't until a small hitch of her breath turned into a massive coughing fit that Luna woke up, utterly disoriented and afraid. Bucky immediately rose, speaking gently to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, "Hey, hey kid it's me, I'm back, I need you to breathe okay?" But Luna couldn't hear any of what Bucky was saying above the sounds of her choking, and the feel of hands randomly touching her causing immediate panic to course through her system as she violently pushed away from whoever it was that was with her. Yet it hadn't registered to Luna that she was on a bed, she had woken up too panicked for that. And with her eyesight being gone (only temporarily she hoped) she didn't notice when she reached the end of the slim mattress. In fact, she fell right off of it, hitting the concrete floor hard, bruising her right hip bone, or in the state she was already in, likely fracturing it. A gasp of pain ripped its way out of Luna, as she spluttered out the words "please, please I've had enough.", tears streaming from her closed eyes as her body racked with pain twitched and convulsed in protest to its too soon movement. Bucky felt as though he broke a little inside, each time he was reminded of just how badly life had treated Luna within the hands of Hydra. To see how much she had grown in the two weeks she had spent with the team, only to regress so terribly to where she was now broke his heart a little bit. Slowly, he crouched down to the same level that Luna was at, raising his hands above his head in an attempt to startle her as little as possible, devastated at the moment of deja-vu he got, taking him back to his reunion with Luna in thee hospital room all those weeks ago. "Luna," he said softly, voice purposely heightened in pitch and softer in volume, "It's me, it's Bucky. I need you to open your eyes for me." Luna froze at his words, repeated over and over again as though they were his mantra, slowly calming down as she recognised the voice of the man who was, as far as she could tell, in front of her. "Theres no point." She said at last, her voice heavy and defeated. "No point to what Luna?" Asked Bucky, filled with concern at Luna's sudden change in attitude from terror to startling apathy. All he got in response was silence, and with fear starting to spread through him he repeated his question "No point to what?".

"Opening my eyes."

Bucky's heart stopped for a moment, as his demeanour shifted from trying to comfort Luna to utter horror as the realisation sunk in. His voice dropped dangerously low as he ground out the words "I will kill them." He moved slowly but clearly, taking an effort to ensure his footfalls created sound as he approached Luna's position, small on the floor. He sat down next to her on the floor, and carefully placed an arm around her shoulder as he drew Luna into his chest, more tears falling from the small girls face. "I can't see Bucky," she hiccupped out, eyes wide open and terrifyingly coloured as her eyes appeared to be covered in a white film, with grey tendrils shooting into the centre from the sides of her eyes. Now freely sobbing, Luna repeated the heartbreaking phrase "I can't see anything. I cant see and everything hurts and god I need the team to find us soon."

"I know kid," replied Bucky, as he tightened his grip around Luna, realising within himself the growing sense of desperation that he and Luna should be found by there team, "I know."

-AN-

hi guys, bit of a shorter chapter today, in the long run, would you guys prefer shorter more frequent updates, or longer less frequent ones (like once/twice a week?) To the incredible people who reviewed my last chapter, thank you all so so much, i read them all and they genuinely mean the world, and give me extra motivation to write !

hope you're all doing well. this one was more Luna, Bucky focused as the one coming up is centred around the team!

see you next time

ERS