Sebastian Stan & Bucky Barnes Imagines

Familiar Faces: Part Five - J.B.B./W.S.

| Siberia, July 14, 1992 |

It had been months since Soldat and I's first exchange through the pipe in the wall. We talked more and more as time dragged us along. It got to the point where we consistently conversed not only everyday, but twice a day--in the morning before training and in the evenings when the day was done. We often conversed at night as well, since both of us seemed to have trouble sleeping. We had to be very careful and quiet to not raise suspicion of the guards outside our cells or anybody walking by, especially at night, when everything was much quieter. But that method of communication ended up being insufficient. I had to talk to Soldat in person.

One day, after training, while I was being escorted back to my cell, I managed to get away while my escort was distracted. Despite the fact that this escort was clearly very careless, I knew I didn't have much time, so I rushed to find Soldat. When I found him, he was alone, walking down a hall to return to his own cell. He looked surprised to see me, yet also worried. He was familiar with their preferred way of transporting me. I approached him quickly but quietly and, without a word, pushed him into an empty room next to us, allowing the door to close on its own.

Once inside the dark room, he looked at me with caution in his eyes while I watched the door.

"Why aren't you with your escort?" My head turned up to meet his gaze, his eyes glistening from the light coming in through the small window in the door.

"I had to see you."

"What is it?" he asked intently.

I froze, suddenly realizing I had nothing to tell him and feeling really silly about it.

I avoided his gaze and glanced around as if looking for a plausible answer. I found nothing.

"I just...had to see you." I shrugged in an attempt to make it seem like no big deal. He stared at me blankly for a moment, perfectly silent.

"You should go before they sound the alarm."

My heart dropped at his dismissal, but I nodded, knowing he was right.

As I turned toward the door and started to exit the room, a cool, hard hand grasped the crook of my elbow. I quickly looked back at the hand then Soldat's face. His expression was difficult to read, and I remember that frustrating me afterward when I played the exchange over in my mind.

"I'm glad you came to see me."

That was all he said before he released me to leave the room. I hesitated a moment before exiting the dark room and heading back to my cell.

Luckily, I wasn't in any trouble. Though, the guard who had been escorting me looked like he was in the middle of a heart attack when he found me sitting in my cell.

I remember toying with him, saying with a disinterested expression, "< What? You were taking too long. You think I don't know the way back by now? >"

He only huffed in relief and wiped his brow before slamming the door closed and locking me inside.

Once I had my privacy, I laid back on my cot and thought about what I'd done. Despite getting away with it, I was nervous. The consequences would be severe if caught, and the possibility of such a thing getting out was high, if it continued.

Soldat would be in huge trouble, too. At this point, I was already highly suspicious of Soldat's amnesia and HYDRA's involvement in that. I had decided they probably brainwashed him. Though there were rumors of brainwashing within the organization,  I had never had enough facts to prove such technology even existed. But after getting to know Soldat and witnessing him remembering things that took place in a very different life, I decided that must be the answer. With that conclusion drawn, I feared that if HYDRA were to find out about our rendezvous, Soldat would be brainwashed again, losing everything he was...and losing all memory of me.