[Quiet in the Chaos]

~28~

                                       ~28~

"And now, all your love is wasted,
Then who the hell was I?
'Cause now I'm breaking at the bridges,
And at the end of all your lies."

<'Skinny Love'> Bon Iver

——————————————————————

A STOIC and emotionless expression washes over Danielle's face. One that she sported for years. The cold numbness that envelopes her is all too familiar and in a warped way, it is comforting. Or perhaps comforting is the wrong word.

Maybe it was always home in a way.

Maybe her attempt at a life, at a smiling young girl who fell in love with the Winter Soldier is a facade. She fears that she could convince herself of that. She had done it before.

Her eyes glance over her torn legs and ripped pyjamas. She wonders if she would be here if she had gotten dressed before their apartment was attacked. That is probably a selfish thought. If Bucky couldn't get them out, she hardly could. She is strong, but she isn't a super soldier.

The surrounding sounds are muffled by her glass box and her limbs ache from the bindings. It's almost like being underwater. For years, this is what she felt like. Trapped. She could see everything happening, but couldn't interfere. Until one day it cracked and everything caved in.

She hears the faint increase of shouts in front of her and lazily lifts her head, her eyes finding Bucky in the same position.

It takes him a moment to find her and when he does the pair share an impassive glance, knowing their better off keeping to themselves for now. She just needs to know he's still breathing. That he's still him.

She worries for him. He deserves better. But she's selfish. She needs him, his comfort, his company. She had learned to love again. It is a funny thing.

Love is the only thing that can make you feel alive and kill you in the same breath.

She tears her eyes away from him as her box is pushed forwards. Her body fixes itself into its defensive posture. She slips back into old ways, old habits. She slips back to behaving like an object or a weapon of mass destruction.

She finds the nerves and anticipation have dissipated from her stomach. She's always been good at accepting her fate. This was inevitable.

"Hello Mr.Barnes, Ms. Larson."

There's a pause where she breathes a small sigh. It's different this time, this is a government protocol. A legal protocol, not HYDRA. They wouldn't beat information out of her, at least not on camera. And that makes this tiring for Danielle. Physical wounds would heal. But her mind needs to be kept her own.

Reluctantly, she lifts her chin, her eyes falling on a thin man, glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. His dark eyes are narrowed slightly, crinkled with a forced welcomeness. They hold knowledge. Something that is very scarce to Dani. His skin is clear but slightly weathered, though it looks to be from exhaustion. Perhaps that's what she looks like.

They're in a dark room, a warehouse almost. She wonders how many cameras surround them, how many microphones are picking up their every breath. She guesses Bucky had already figured that out. She isn't bothered to. An acceptance has settled deep within her. She's always believed in karma and perhaps, this is it.

Bucky's box is next to hers at least three feet away, exactly in line with her. The man speaking stands behind a desk as if trying to tame wild animals.