Distressed // Steve Rogers

23 - Hanging In The Shadows

It had been hours of silence. Bitter and lonely and devastating silence. Talia had curled into herself on the icy cold floor, her knees pulled to her chest as her heaves mixed with the sting of pain and fear. When Matthieu had stalked out of the room she had allowed herself the opportunity to break. She knew he would be watching, cameras would be hidden in the crevices of the walls or the dark corners too distant for her to make out, and yet she gave in. She cried in silence for what felt like an eternity as her mind raced through endless possibilities for how this could end.

Bucky couldn't see anything for the blinding darkness that swam before his eyes. His head stung and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth told him why. He searched the darkness, dazed and confused, praying to a deity he no longer believed in in the hopes that she was safe, that she had not been harmed.

When his eyes fell on her he felt the tug of rage. She lay, curled in a ball, silent tears streaming down her face as she stared into the darkness.

"Widow?" His voice was gritty. "You okay? Tell me they didn't hurt you?"

"Bucky?" A sudden jolt of life hit her eyes as she pushed herself up from the ground and scrambled towards him. "Oh thank God. Thank God." Her fingers brushed over his face as he sat upright, flinching away as she ran over the bruises forming around his eye. "Bucky we have to get out of here. Matthieu sold you out Bucky. They're going to come."

"Talia, breathe. I don't know what you're talking about." He took hold of her hands and stared into the emerald eyes swimming in a sea of fear as they pierced him. "Who's coming Talia?"

Her lip quivered and her breathing became erratic and hard to control.

"Hydra Bucky," she whimpered, "Hydra's coming."

As she shook before him and his eyes began to adjust to the dark he took her in. He ran his hands over her arms, half in comfort and half searching for injuries. Her t-shirt was torn and stained in dust and dirt and where her abdomen was now visible there was a deep purple spreading across the snow of her skin. Bucky's eyes clouded and he pulled her closer to him still, his eyes now scanning the room for signs of an exit, or watchful eyes of cameras in the dark.

"I'm going to kill him," he growled menacingly.

Talia grabbed hold of his face with both hands, getting to her knees and positioning herself just inches from him.

"Are you listening to me Barnes?" She searched his eyes for signs of rationality, signs of fear and self-preservation. "Hydra. He made a deal with Hydra."

When he looked at her he laughed. Anger flashed behind her eyes as her hands dropped from his face and she rocked back, putting some distance between them as fury ripped through her. Her head tilted to the right as she puzzled about his behaviour and her scowl created a puckering between her eyebrows which only made him laugh more.

"Am I missing something or do you want to be The Winter Soldier again?" She fumed as he attempted to bite back his laugher unsuccessfully.

"I don't work like that anymore Doll," Bucky smirked as he slowly tried to shrug out of the sweatshirt he was wearing. "You can thank the nation of Wakanda for fixing me up, which means," he pulled her back to him and slipped the sweatshirt over her head, wrapping her in it so she was warmer and less exposed, "we might actually stand a chance of getting out of here alive."

Talia's eyes dropped to the floor as she let Bucky cover her up, grateful for the warmth of his jumper against her skin, and her breathing became shaky as she tried not to give in to the fear that was creeping in like fog on the water.

Bucky's smile faded as he looked at her. When Talia spoke she had such grit and determination that you could never doubt her strength, her resolve. But now - sitting in the cold, damp dark - lifting her chin to look into her eyes, he could see it; hanging in the shadows. He could see her fear.