DYER | STEVE ROGERS

𝐈𝐕.𝐗𝐈𝐕

〚 SOLDIERS 〛

Darla squinted her eyes shut as she finally woke up, her head resting in Steve's lap, his fingers combing through her blonde hair. She let a small smile play on her face and she shuffled closer to his warm body.

Steve smiled and pulled the girl as close as possible. He was so thankful that she was okay. He placed a soft kiss on her temple and closed his eyes. He just held her tightly, never wanting to let go of her again.

He didn't care about what Mateo said. He didn't care about the threat. All he cared about was her.

"Hey, Cap." Sam's voice echoed through the warehouse.

"Bucky?" Darla questioned, finally allowing her eyes to flutter open. Steve smiled down at her with a nod. "He really did a number on me." She paused. "Again."

"I'm glad you're okay, baby." He said as he lifted her up bridal style and carried her over to where Bucky was.

Bucky looked up at the girl in Steve's arms, feeling incredibly guilty. He vaguely remembered what he had done and he hated it.

"Steve." He paused, wondering if the girl was okay. Steve slowly placed Darla down, but she still clung to his side.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve questioned angrily. The other Bucky hurt Darla. The other Bucky hurt the girl he was in love with.

"Your moms name was Sarah." Bucky spoke up, his voice was raspy but he allowed a smile to form on his face at the memories. "You used to wear newspaper in your shoes."

"You did that?" Darla questioned weakly.

"Can't read that in a museum." Steve uttered.

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam questioned, his eyes flickered to Darla, who was using Steve for support.

"What did I do?" Bucky questioned, clenching his jaw.

"Enough." Steve nodded.

"Hi, I'm enough." Darla jokingly introduced herself to the man.

"Are you okay?" Bucky questioned softly. Darla nodded with a warm smile. "I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words."

"Who was he?" Steve pushed. Darla looked towards Bucky's metal arm that was trapped. She knew that he should be allowed free now that it was actually him.

"I don't know." Bucky shrugged.

"I don't either." Darla added, she watched the whole thing. She watched as Bucky changed from Steve's Bucky to HYDRA's James.

"People are dead. The bombing, the setup, the doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than 'I don't know'." Steve pushed.

Darla placed her hand on his bicep, telling him to relax and ease up on the man. She pulled away from Steve and walked over to Bucky.

"What happened December 16th 1991?" Darla questioned as she knelt in front of Bucky.

"He wanted to know about Siberia." Bucky found comfort in the girl. He trusted her because he trusted Steve. "Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."

Darla smiled, showing him that she was proud of him for remembering.

"Why would he need to know that?" Steve questioned.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier." Bucky looked up to Steve.

"There's more of you?" Darla questioned in shock. She sighed and looked at the machine that kept Bucky's arm still. "Let him out." Steve nodded and Sam quickly lifted the machine up so that Bucky could remove his arm.

"Who were they?" Steve leant against a wall, his arms crossed.

"Their most elite death squad." Bucky screwed his eyes shut, remembering every small detail. "More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turned out like you?" Sam questioned, watching as Darla stood up and made her way towards Steve. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and her back was against his chest.

It had been too long since the pair had been like that. She had missed it. She had missed the comfort and safety that he brought her.

"Worse." Bucky responded.

"Oh well, that makes me feel safe." Darla uttered softly.

"The doctor, could he control them?" Steve questioned, his fingers tracing patterns on Darla's biceps.

"Enough." Bucky nodded.

"Said he wanted to see an empire fall." Steve said as he remembered his conversation with Zemo.

"With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilise." Bucky paused. "They can take a whole country down in one night, you'd never see them coming."

"Do you remember them?" Darla questioned. "Who they are? What they look like?" She anxiously bit her bottom lip.

"Vaguely." Bucky responded as Sam walked up to Darla and Steve.

"This would have been a lot easier a week ago." Sam spoke.

"If we call Tony-"

"No, he won't believe us." Sam cut Steve off.

"Even if he did-" Steve tried again.

"Who knows if the Accords would let him help." Sam reminded the man that Tony had signed.

"We're on our own." Steve uttered.

"Maybe not." Sam shrugged with a smirk. "I know a guy."