Infatuation | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Seventy Three

Bucky had his arm wrapped tightly around Catherine's sleeping figure. Her head rested against his lap, his jacket thrown over her as a makeshift blanket. Her hair sprawled out over him and occasionally, he would gently stroke it. She looked so damn beautiful to him. He didn't know how Sam or she could sleep on a plane, especially after their interaction with the imposter.

Sam couldn't help but notice how gentle Bucky was with Catherine. The way he cared for her. She could melt him with just one look. "You're lucky you know, to have her." Sam told him after they discussed their next steps.

"I know I am." His voice was soft, not wanting to wake her.

"Do you ever regret...taking her?" Sam asked.

Bucky's jaw tensed. What kind of question was that? "It's complicated. I wish she hadn't been raised by Hydra. I wished she could have had more time with Tony. She deserved a better life, but-"

"You two would have never fallen in love?" Sam finished the sentence for him.

"I've gone over it a thousand times. I don't know what I did to deserve her. Look at my track record. I'm a monster. I killed people. I killed her family, but she sees past all of it. She always has. She's always been there though. Defending me. Fighting for me." Bucky went on.

"So what happened in Germany?" Sam asked, trying to extract information out of him.

Bucky smiled, shaking his head. "I'll never tell."

They stood on the porch of a home where Bucky claimed they could get some help. She had no idea who the person was or how Bucky knew said person. "We're here to see Isaiah." Bucky said as a kid, more like teenager answered the door.

"Nobody named Isaiah lives here." The kid answered.

Bucky sighed and Catherine knew something was wrong. "Look, we just want to talk to him."

"You must not hear what I just said. You ain't getting in this house. Y'all can leave now."

"Tell him the guy from the bar in Goyang is here." Bucky said. "He's gonna know what that means."

Sam and Catherine looked at each other awkwardly. They had no idea what was going on or who these people were.

"How do you know this guy?" Sam asked.

"I used to. We had a skirmish during the Korean War." Bucky answered. The Korean War? That means-this was someone from his Winter Solider Day's.

"James, tell me this guy isn't Hydra." Catherine said alarmed.

"He's not. I promise."

The kid reappeared. "Today's your lucky day. He said he wants to see you for himself."

They walked inside the house, Bucky in front, Catherine and Sam behind him. They were all cautious. The house was kept dark, outdated. There was man staring at Bucky, surprised, an older man, but there was no way he could have been in Korean War. He looked 60 years not almost 100.

"Isaiah?" Bucky asked.

"Look at you." The man said, glancing past him to look at Catherine and Sam.

"This is uh, Sam and Catherine. Guys, this is Isaiah. He was a hero. One of the ones that Hydra feared the most. Like Steve. We met in '51." Bucky explained. Catherine's mind was working at full speed trying to comprehend the information. Was this guy...a super Solider? That would explain the lack of aging and that Hydra feared him. She had never heard of him though.

"If by met, you mean I whupped your ass, then, yeah. We heard whispers he was on the peninsula, but everyone they sent after him, never came back. So the U.S. military dropped me behind the line to go deal with him. I took half that metal arm in that fight in Goyang, but I see he's managed to grow it back. I just wanted to see if he got the arm back. Or if he'd come to kill me." Isaiah explained.