Hi all! Thanks for stopping in again! I hope you like this chapter! We get our first glimpse of Charlie, too, in this chapter. Please let me know what you think!
Chapter Two
He looked so damn upset, his gaze turning distant as he stared at the wall; I slowly crawled my way toward him. Breathing heavily through my nose, I fought to settle my pounding heart and nudged my way beneath his metal arm.
He flinched, surprised, and I stilled, staring up at him with wide eyes. He gazed down at me, brows pinched in confusion, before he slowly drew me to his chest and rested his chin atop my head.
Cuddling with the Winter Soldier.
Nick Fury would have my ass.
/
I never would have guessed it but living with the Winter Soldier was… mundane. Though I had only been with him for three days, it was safe to say he wasn't working for HYDRA.
At least not at the moment.
And it wasn't hard to fall into a routine when the man that took you in was just a regular guy. With a metal arm and killer instincts.
He let me out in the morning, trusting me to return to him when I was done - and believe you me, I went off for a while. I wasn't going to shit on someone's lawn like the rest of the canines in the city; my human pride - and the sheer mortification I would feel regardless of my form - wouldn't allow me to. Though that first day I was more than a little paranoid that he was following my every step away from him, I put enough distance between us that I felt safe enough to shift into my human form and find a goddamn bathroom.
It was glorious.
He had almost seemed surprised when I returned to him, as though the moment I had the chance, I would have - should have - ran as far and fast away from him as I possibly could.
But I came back.
And though he didn't say it, the brightness in his gaze was more than enough to tell me he couldn't be happier for that.
We would then go to the market, to a beaming Constantine, who couldn't help but praise Bucky for taking me in. I needed a good home, he said, and we were adorable together. The super soldier would smirk and glance down at me, but didn't refute him. He would then buy a few things from the vendor, the only constant being his plums.
I didn't think anything of it at first, the plums. Maybe the guy just really enjoyed them; I know I did. Though he never did get me any, which always made me whine and him snort.
Why would a dog want plums and not a big juicy piece of meat?
But only when he ate at least two with every meal did I really stop to think about it.
He was eating so many to help with his memory loss. There had been dozens of articles on them and their restorative properties; he must have seen them, taken them to heart.
He was just a man struggling to get his memories back. To put his life in some semblance of order. That was his mission, day in and day out. He would go to the library and borrow one of their computers or look through old newspapers - so he told me. I couldn't exactly go inside and he always seemed to speak to me as though I understood him completely. Which, well, I did, but I'd just keep that little fun fact to myself for the time being. Or perhaps he just wanted someone to talk to.
He was lonely and lost and, despite my better judgment, despite every fiber of my being screaming at me that I was becoming a little too close to the criminal I had been sent to Europe to find, I couldn't help but feel badly for him.
I found myself rooting for him, eagerly awaiting peering over his shoulder as he jotted down his memories or the bits and pieces of information he had learned at the library that day. He spoke as he wrote, his thoughts becoming clearer the longer he was free from HYDRA, the more effort he put into it.
He usually went to the library in the early afternoon; after that, he would take me back up to his apartment and make himself a meager lunch. He always made sure that I was fed; he seemed far less concerned for himself.
That's where we were currently; him stretched out on his stomach in a worn, black wifebeater and me beside him, tail wagging idly as I perused the half-dozen books splayed out around us. He munched on a sandwich, the meat somewhat suspect despite being from Constantine's stall; his eyes flicked to and fro across the pages, reading up on New York's history in the early forties.
He nodded to himself occasionally when he recognized something and sneered when he didn't.
I wasn't watching him.
Looking away hastily, I returned my attention to the massive volume in front of me. I felt myself warm and wasn't sure why. He hadn't caught me looking, nor would he think anything strange of it. He was eating a sandwich; I was a dog. I'd want his food no doubt - and he shared more often than not.
He cast me an amused glance, though, snorting when I buried my face into the book as though reading. He smirked, "Lemme know if you find anything."
Of course I will, I thought distractedly, perusing the tiny print for any word on himself, Captain America, the Red Skull, or the Howling Commandos. Perhaps, if I were lucky, something on HYDRA, as well.
We sat in silence, occasionally interrupted by the soft flap of the pages as he turned them. A chuckle escaped him every time I pawed at his elbow for him to turn my own page; still, he did every time.
Halfway down my current page, I caught sight of something that jogged my memory. Nothing about the Captain himself, or the others, but I had heard Steve mention it before, before the Winter Soldier had attacked and HYDRA had been revealed within SHIELD. Though I had never heard my soldier mention it himself, he had been a part of it, might remember it.
Barking excitedly, I heeded Bucky as he shushed me quickly, though he ignored me otherwise. Sitting back on my haunches, I whined and growled and slapped at him until he pushed his own book away and leveled me with a sharp, dangerous glare.
I quieted immediately, licking my lips anxiously; he exhaled heavily and scratched gently behind my ear in a silent plea of forgiveness.
Still, he didn't look.
Wiggling myself under his arm, I gently caught his pinky in my mouth and guided his hand to the book. Dropping it, I nudged his fingers with my nose until his forefinger was pointed at the words World Expo.
He made to move, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, but I put a paw on his knuckles and huffed. Jaw working, he peered down at the words, his eyes widening considerably, "What the hell?"
His brows dipped low in confusion, eyes skimming quickly as he absorbed the words at an alarming rate.
Slowly, his perplexed gaze lifted, staring at me in awe as he muttered, "Sometimes I don't even think you're a real fucking dog, Frumuseţe… How did you-"
Yipping excitedly, I nudged at the book, eager to hear what he had to say. He glanced from me to the book once more uncertainly, before his gaze became distant and he mused, "The Expo was in town. Steve didn't want to go, but I got him a date. Don't remember her name. I think mine's name was… Cara… Cathy, Connie… it was Connie. I was always able to drag Steve along; he was my partner in crime." He laughed a self-deprecating laugh and stared at his metal hand, continuing, "It was a good time. Crazy things, things I never thought were possible. Flying cars… now we got aliens and superheroes, so I guess it's not so impossible anymore. That's how Steve became… like he is now. Some doctor met him there, changed him. But… he was always still Steve. Bigger, stronger, but the same tough kid he always was."
It was sweet, the way he talked about Steve Rogers. I doubted he would say these things to the captain's face, but when he said them to me, he said them with feeling. Though he had tried to kill him multiple times before, Bucky Barnes still cared for his former best friend.
You miss him, I wanted to say, he misses you, too. He would be thrilled to hear you say these things. To see you.
So why hadn't I called him?
Part of me swore it was because he still could pose a threat. He wasn't stable, that was easy enough to see; he could hurt others. He had it in him.
Didn't he?
"Let's go for a walk," he announced suddenly, hauling himself to his feet and tugging his jacket over his shoulders. He fitted his hat on his head and slipped his gloves over his fingers, flexing them slightly. "You ready?"
Hopping to my feet, I wagged my tail and nodded sharply; whenever he asked if I was ready, I knew it would be a long one. We tended to explore the outskirts of the city, and the countryside, partially because it tended to be safer for the soldier, and it was calmer, too. He could clear his head without all of the hustle and bustle the capital brought on.
Didn't hurt that it was the best damn exercise I was gonna get as a pup and, since I currently didn't have the time to shift and work out, I'd take it where I could get it.
Slipping silently from the apartment, we made our way into the shadows easily, disappearing from the city and making our way for Herăstrău Park. It sat on a lake of the same name, and was beautiful to see. It was a good distance from Bucky's apartment complex, too; if we were to run into trouble, our attackers would know he was in Romania, in Bucharest, but wouldn't be able to nail down his exact location.
Because I knew there was absolutely no way he would allow them to follow him home.
Except for me.
I'm just doing my job, I argued with myself, sitting beside his feet in the cool grass. We had reached the park, relaxing alongside the lake as the sun began to sink beneath the horizon; he was sitting on a bench, his eyes closed but his body alert. No doubt he would hear an attacker before he came, but that didn't mean I wasn't still on the lookout either. I was sent to find him; I'm just doing what I'm supposed to.
But that didn't entail becoming his pet and doubting my orders more and more with every second that passed.
But I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Whatever HYDRA had done to him - I still hasn't managed to get a moment alone in the apartment to read his notebook - hadn't been of his own volition. And it had been torturous. He woke up every night to nightmares so violent that he punched holes in the wall beside his mattress every time, screaming his lungs out.
It was times like those that, once I was certain he wasn't going to lash out at me, that I wormed my way into his grasp and comforted him. He would stroke my wiry, blonde coat until he was able to fall back into a fitful sleep and I would pretend like I couldn't feel the tears soaking into my fur.
Yeah, definitely getting in too deep, I whined, dropping my head to my criss-crossed paws and rubbing at my face, this has to stop. One or another. Fury or Rogers; I have to-
A sudden sense of unease swept over me and I lifted my head, wide eyes immediately seeking out the source. My movement was enough to capture the soldier's attention; he cracked an eye open and his shoulders tensed. His lips hardly moved as he queried gruffly, "Where are they?"
Beneath his jacket, I heard the whir of his metallic arm as he prepared himself for the imminent attack. I rose to my feet, lifting my nose to the air and sniffing intently. Grass, water, fish, birds, Bucky's own unique scent… and them. Sweat and grime, greasy hair and freshly polished guns.
Turning to the Winter Soldier, I stared at him with such intensity that he rose to his feet, fists clenching, trembling, by his sides. Tugging at his pant leg, I urged him to follow me, away from the bench, away from the innocents lingering in the park.
He scoured the area with a vicious scowl, but he complied. He had worked so hard to keep his identity hidden; he would do what he could to remain anonymous for as long as he possibly could.
"They'll follow us home," he mused softly, jaw clenching rapidly, "I can't let them. I can't let them take me, Frumuseţe..."
They won't.
Though I wasn't certain who they were, I could guarantee they weren't ex-SHIELD. Fury trusted me - though I couldn't say he should have, at this point - and he wouldn't send anyone else after the Soldier unless I requested backup.
Which I hadn't.
It could have been anyone; HYDRA, intelligence agencies from across the world, mercenaries hired by corrupt governments…
Our steps were quick, purposeful, but still, I felt them tailing us. Bucky did, as well, if his curled lips were any indication. He didn't look over his shoulder, but he sensed their presence just the same. His fingers flexed, likely itching for a gun, but he chewed on the tip of his tongue and stalked out of the park.
The farther we got from the park, the closer they came. Bucky found the nearest alleyway, the simplest way to keep from involving too many civilians in the oncoming battle.
Almost the minute we strayed from the main thoroughfare, they were on us. They were far quicker than I had expected, but Bucky anticipated the nearest one, catching him by the throat as he leapt from a rickety balcony overhead.
But there were far more of them than he could handle. Ten or so from a quick perusal, dressed in black, red bandanas wrapped across their mouths and eyes painted in charcoal. They swarmed him like cockroaches flooding out of the woodworks; approaching from the alley before us, behind us, from the rooftops above. All intent on capturing the Winter Soldier.
I lunged for the nearest one, snarling and tearing into the flesh and muscle of his calf with sharp canines. He screamed, grounding me with an excruciating kick to my ribs. Letting out a wounded yelp, I caught the soldier's attention and he yelled, slamming into my assailant before he could ram a knife through my skull. The blade skimmed the fur on my shoulder and embedded itself in the crumbling brick wall behind me. Bucky grabbed him by the back of the neck, smashing his face into the wall beside it; he slumped to the ground, unconscious, as another of the men in black latched onto the super soldier and yanked his face into his knee.
I was no good to Bucky in this form. Maybe if there were two or three of them.
But ten?
Scrambling to my feet, I was grateful when he screamed at me to run. Dashing down the narrow alleyway, dodging a blade and a fist here and there, I rounded a corner and glanced sharply around.
Not a soul in sight.
Without a second thought, I began shifting. Bones cracked and snapped, my ribs screaming in agony from that bastard's kick. They knitted themselves back together quickly enough, just as painfully as they had broken. I would be limping tomorrow, no doubt; my body would be less than thrilled with me when the morning came.
If I made it to the morning.
I could hear the grunts and screams from one alley over and pushed the pain to the back of my mind, giving it no more heed.
Hauling myself to my feet, I shook my shaggy auburn hair from my emerald eyes and dusted off my skin-tight catsuit. Thank God it was custom-made by Charles Xavier himself, or I'd be rushing to Bucky's aid buck ass naked.
Though it would certainly stun them all and probably lead me to taking out two or three of them before they came to their senses, I was no Lady Godiva.
It took me a moment to get used to being on two legs again, but the sound of breaking bones had me sprinting shakily down the alley soon enough.
Bright green eyes sought out Bucky in his army green jacket among the thugs. He had downed five already, but that still left give to go.
I didn't waste a moment, throwing myself into the melee. Though I didn't have any weapons on me, I was a highly-trained SHIELD agent and had passed my hand-to-hand training classes with flying colors. I was on par with Natasha Romanoff herself, whether my friend would admit it or not.
A man had positioned himself behind Bucky with what looked like an oversized stun gun and the Winter Soldier had no idea, too busy with two of the other assailants to realize the danger he was in. Racing at the man, I caught them all off guard, diving low and driving my shoulder into his stomach. Slamming him into the wall behind him, I caught his arm and twisted hard, snapping his forearm and bashing my head into his skull.
Though it had me seeing stars, it also had the man dropping in an instant.
Stumbling away from him, I fell into the grasp of one of the remaining soldiers. He wrapped his arms around my neck but I swung my legs at the wall, kicking off of it and flipping up over his head. Landing solidly on the ground behind him, I kicked out his ankle and he fell to his knees. Bringing my knee up into his back, I brought a fist to his face and bloodied his nose once, twice, three times, until he slumped to the ground, unmoving.
Spinning on a heel, I jerked back, shocked, as a fist flew my way. A strong, metal hand captured it before it could reach me, though, crushing the bones and earning a wounded shriek from my attacker. Bucky glanced at me briefly, questions blazing in his shockingly blue eyes, but he yanked the man away from me first, ramming his fist into his face again and again and again. Teeth flew from his mouth, spurts of crimson spewing as he hit the ground hard.
One of the two men that had had Bucky surrounded when I first returned to the alley kicked out a leg from his prostrate position on the ground, knocking the soldier over. He wrapped a garrotte around his neck, dodging the soldier's metal arm as best he could. He stared up at me over Bucky's shoulder, bloodshot chocolate eyes amused.
I ran at him the moment Bucky slipped his metal hand between his skin and the wire, snapping it instantly. As the super soldier ducked and rolled, I drop-kicked his attacker in the face, hitting the ground hard and groaning as jolts of pain shot through my back and the base of my skull.
Digging the heels of my palms into my eyes, I rolled onto my stomach and hauled myself to my feet, "Fuck." Eyeing the strewn bodies around us, I rolled my aching shoulders and muttered, "Well, three outta ten ain't bad. Props on taking out seven on your own, by the way. Color me impressed..."
The Winter Soldier said nothing; turning slowly, I drew my lower lip between my teeth. He stared at me with icy eyes, fury and confusion blazing as he raised one of the attacker's sharp, serrated blades at me.
"Who the fuck are you?"
/
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please, please review. You don't know how much it means to me and I really want to know if you guys are liking this!
DarylDixon'sLover: I'm not planning on it, don't worry ;)
NESSAANCALIME6913: Very true! Yeah, it's going to be bad when he finds out, but I'm going to try and make it as realistic as I can.
Alice Williams: Thanks! We'll see haha
Sam0728: Thank you!
KnowInsight: haha I couldn't resist it!