Heart and Soul [Bucky Barnes]

6

"But if you love me, why'd you leave me? Take my body, take my body. All I want is and all I need is to find somebody. I'll find somebody like you."
- Kodaline

Chapter Six

The Winter Soldier grabs the man by the neck and uses his body to push open the next set of doors. He squeezes his throat with such force that he falls lifelessly to the ground.

At the end of the hallway, an ordinary civilian fumbles with his keys. He's shaking so unbearably bad that there is little hope for him to get through the door in time.

Unfortunately, the Winter Soldier has already spotted him. He had just witnessed the soldier commit mass murder and now there was little hope for his life to be spared.

"Please," he pants, and the assassin begins his stride towards him. "I didn't see anything. I didn't see anything."

The attempt to escape has been forgotten. The innocent man is stuck in his spot under the dark gaze of the Winter Soldier.

He raises his gun.

"I-I d-didn't see anything!" He whimpers.

BANG!

A lone body falls to the floor. The soldier looks at the wall above it, his thoughts spiraling into robotic commands.

"Bucky..." a sing-song voice says from the other side of the corridor.

He turns, but there is no one there.

"Bucky..."

This one comes from behind him, but again, there is no one.

"Remember who you are, Buck."

A hot puff of air hits his neck as she whispers it into his ear. He goes to swat her away, but when he encounters nothing, he grunts in frustration.

Someone is humming in the other room now. The Winter Soldier cocks his gun and holds it to the ready as he takes slow steps forward.

"Like a river flows, surely to the sea..."

The melodic voice will not distract him.

"Take my hand, take my whole life too..."

He will not be persuaded.

"'Cuz I can't help falling in love with you."

She suddenly appears in front of him, and the mask is snatched from his face. He doesn't get the chance to blink before she's on the other side of the room again.

"Who are you?" He asks sternly.

"You know who I am," she replies.

The Winter Soldier doesn't know who she is. That is all that matters.

"Think," she tells him, her brown eyes baring into his even with their distance. "Remember."

He lowers the gun slowly, his eyes still locked with hers. A name floats around in the back of his mind. It triggers something within him that he has never felt before.

She appears before him now. Their faces are so close that their noses almost touch. He doesn't flinch at her sudden appearance. He doesn't flinch at anything.

"Who am I, James?" She whispers.

He doesn't react when she takes the gun. It clatters to the floor as she throws it away from them. She then replaces it by filling his now empty hand with one of her own.