𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 - Bucky Barnes

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

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❝ 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞! ❞

HER HANDS FELT numb and she couldn't stop the shaking as Thaea stared at the TV screen in front of her. The news had flashed from more coverage of the 'Flag Smashers' terrorist group to a press conference at Capitol Hill.

"Unrest in the wake of recent events has made us vulnerable. Every day, Americans feel it. While we love heroes who put their lives on the line to defend Earth, we also need a hero to defend this country. We need a real person who embodies America's greatest values. We need someone to inspire us again. Someone who can be a symbol for all of us. So, in behalf of the Department of Defence and our Commander-In-Chief, it is with great honour, that we announce here today, that the United States of America has a new hero. Join me in welcoming your new Captain America." The Senator called, the crowds applauding and screaming with joy at the star-spangled man  prancing out of those doors. Holding a shield that wasn't his. Thaea felt the rage bubble up inside of her. The unbridled seething taking hold of her as he shook the Senator's hand and waved to the applauding crowds, his pearly white smile gleaming in the sun. He winked at the camera. 

Thaea felt the tear slip down one cheek and she yelled as the remote sailed from her hand, across the room, and impaled itself in the flatscreen. The image cracked and flickered before going black. Her chest heaved and Thaea bit her lip. Steve was one of her oldest friends. Both in the ways that she had known him a long time and that he was more than 100 before he went back in time and got all old and crusty. Nobody, nobody could replace him. That was one of the few things that she, Bucky, and Sam had all agreed on when he passed down the shield. She had been so proud for Sam, so happy to see Steve's legacy continue, and then this. Thaea didn't blame Sam. She couldn't, because it wasn't his fault. She believed he did the right thing when he gave the shield to the Smithsonian, but the fucking Senator took things into his own hands. 

She let it sit for a day, but the whole time, no matter how many books she read or cups of tea she drank, it festered in her mind. Then, the next morning, watching the broadcast on Good Morning America, watching John fucking Walker compare himself to Steve, was the last straw. He said Steve felt like a brother to him. Him. He never even fucking met him! Thaea's fingers moved over the numbers on her phone faster than she could think.

"Hello?" A tired voice asked on the other end.

"Sam, what the fuck?" She seethed. She heard him take a deep breath, sighing.

"I know. I know. When I gave them the shield, I never thought-"

"Thought what, that the government wouldn't snatch it up immediately? Absolutely fucking leap at the opportunity to have a Captain America that would do whatever they say? He's a twat, Sam!" She yelled. 

"I know he is-"

"He is a fuckfaced troglodyte with an insanely massive nose!" She yelled. She took a deep breath trying to keep from losing it. It wasn't Sam's fault.

"His nose is really big." Sam mumbled. "Look, Thaea, I know. It makes me wish I could take it back, but I can't. Not now. I'm working. The Flag Smashers have a freakishly strong guy punching people around, and I gotta find out what the hell's going on. Look. John? He seems like a good enough guy-"

"Do not defend him. I don't care about his medals, his 'above average' body, whatever the fuck that means. He is not Steve."

"I know. He never will be. I-" He was interrupted by another voice calling out to him on the phone. "Sorry, Thaea. I gotta go." He hung up on her, and she blew a long strand of hair out of her face in frustration. She paced around her living room for a minute, before moving to her library.