** Warning for abuse/rough handling by hydra **

"Relieved?" Bruce eyed Bucky's fixed gaze on the wall. "You can look again, you know. The IV is gone."

"Oh. Thank you doctor." Bucky schooled his face straight. Wouldn't do to seem as though he'd been frightened by the stupid thing. Nope. Of course he hadn't.

"You're welcome. Now, these are more or less the pill form of what you've been on, minus a few things that we've been tapering you off. These ones are antibiotics, and you need to take them twice a day with food. These are painkillers, and you should take them as needed."

"And if I think you're purposely not taking them in an attempt to punish yourself, you'll go back on the drip." Steve added sweetly. Bucky shot him a venomous glare, which Steve ignored. "Also can he get wet yet? He hasn't bathed or shaved in like a week, and we'd like to pretend we're civilized people around here."

"I'd smack you if I weren't pretty sure that's against doctor's orders." Bucky grumbled.

"Yes it is, and yes I think the chest wound is healed enough you can bathe safely. You will need some assistance though because your range of motion is still limited." Bruce gathered up his supplies and headed out. "Don't wear yourself out too much."

"I think I'll just stay smelly and uncivilized." Bucky informed Steve primly, sitting back against the headboard and opening a book in his lap.

"What-Bucky! What is up with you? You were always Mr Dapper, had to have your shoes shined and your hair full of pomade and your shirts fit just right. No. I don't believe for a second that you like being unwashed."

"Well maybe I'm not the same person I was." Bucky shot back, mentally wincing even as he said it. That was harsh.

Steve tugged the book out of his hands and knelt on the bed in front of him, straddling his legs. "What is it really. Don't lie. I can tell something's up when you go from affectionately giving me crap to total cactus in a second."

"I don't want help."

"I know, Buck, nobody likes needing help with stuff, especially basic self-care. But we grew up together and we've lived together and fought together and bathed in rivers together. I've seen you naked plenty of times before."

"I know. I don't care about that."

"So what is it then?"

Rough hands stripping him, businesslike. Scrubbing him down with a bucket and a rag, like a muddy cart horse, as he stood there. Motionless because they had not given him permission to move.

"Don't want to."

A handler grabbing him by the hair at the nape of his neck and wrenching his head back. Lathering his face, pulling a cheap razor over it with no care for the nicks and razor burn left in its path, yanking his head around by his hair when they wanted to change its position.

"I can see your defenses going up. Please talk to me."

Lewd comments about his body, as if he weren't even there. Suggestions of having a little fun since the boss was busy elsewhere and he would be wiped again before he would have a chance to tell on them. Hot wax thrown on him and ripped off, accompanied by snickers. Someone rolling up the wet rag into a whip and snapping it against his exposed legs and privates, backhanding him across the face if he flinched and then hitting him harder with it.

"Bucky, you're shaking. Please tell me what's wrong." Steve pushed his hair out of his face, stopping with his hand still lightly cupping the side of Bucky's face, tentative as if worried that he might lash out if Steve made any sudden moves.

"I don't want help. They... used to clean me, periodically."

"Ah. C'mere." Steve drew him into a hug. "Tell you what. I'll run you a bubble bath, and you have a soak and wash what you can reach, and then I'll come give you a hand with lathering up your hair, alright? If you don't have enough range of motion to shave-I'll bring you my electric razor to use so you don't have to worry about cutting yourself if you're having difficulty-then you don't have to. You can wait on that until you can do it yourself again."

Bucky buried his face into Steve's shoulder. "Please be gentle."

Steve rested his cheek on the top of Bucky's head and stroked his hair. "You know I will."

Obviously not a smart move on the part of the Hydra lackeys who decided to have some fun while the boss wasn't paying attention, but in 70 years somebody would have come along foolish enough to try it. I mean, think about it. Hydra is a bunch of bullies and the ones being tasked with washing the weapon probably were fairly low on the totem pole and then here they are handed someone programmed not to fight back. At least one group of them in that length of time would have been dumb enough to pull this sort of stunt (and then paid dearly for it when somebody higher up found out).

Omfg Civil War. This story will stay non-compliant of course, but that was great. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it.