What the Water Gave Me

Chapter Thirteen

“You know,” a voice said once everyone was gone and Bucky looked over, startled, to realize one man was still in the room. “We know what you done.” He was leaning against a wall in the shadows, glaring at Bucky. Bucky stared back and felt suddenly threatened by the low growl of this man’s voice. “You sang to him,” the man said. “Didn’t you.”

Bucky shook his head. He wanted this man gone. He felt all the bravado and the snark drain out of him now because suddenly, this wasn’t the loud laughing, uncomfortable men and Steve. Suddenly, he was alone and he was scared of this guy, he realized. This was weird. This was scary. This wasn’t like earlier.

Beached as he was, Bucky would have a hard time fighting if the man tried anything. And the glint in his eye told Bucky he might be considering trying something. Bucky shook his head again slowly.

“Don’t lie to me, fish,” the man spat and he stood up off the wall and started making his way closer to Bucky. Bucky pressed himself back into the backboard of Steve’s bed and he didn’t mean to, but he let a small whimper slip out of his mouth. “We know you did it. Pulled him out of the water and then hypnotized him so good he doesn’t even know what he’s doing anymore.” Bucky shook his head for a third time, more violently. He would never sing to Steve. He couldn’t.

“You’re not Barnes,” the man said. “Because that’s stupid. And people don’t just come back from the dead and become sea creatures. You’re just another damn sea monster, just like all the rest, and you’d kill him just for fun, wouldn’t you? When you’re done playing with his mind.”

Bucky didn’t know what to do. He considered his options. He could scream for Steve, but he didn’t think Steve was still in the house. He could try to fight the man off, if he attacked, but he was ungraceful on land, and unused to fighting with one arm. The poison at the fan tip of his tail was mostly useless out of water, too, unless Bucky could hit him with it directly. Then, he had another thought.

He could sing.

Bucky wasn’t sure what to do with this idea. It was a thought, certainly, but he realized he was against it because he was worried that Steve might be angry with him if he hypnotized this man. Steve might not understand. And to make it worse, he just didn’t want to. He didn’t want to be like the sirens. He didn’t want to be evil. He didn’t want to.

So instead, Bucky reached over to the table where he had left his paper and pencils and took some up to try and explain himself to the man, but as he started to write, the man leapt forward and knocked it out of his hand. He watched his voice fall right out of his lap and onto the floor. He felt another surge of fear.

“I don’t care to hear what you have to say,” the man said. “Whatever lies you’d try and feed me. You don’t get to talk right now.”

Bucky was trying to reach down to the floor, but he didn’t have another hand to brace himself and he could feel himself starting to fall. He looked up,wide eyed at the man and then the man reached forward and put his hands on him and slung him roughly down. Bucky hit the ground on his shoulder and tail hard and pain exploded up from his still healing gunshot wounds. He made a pitiful, pained squeal. The rest of his tail followed and thudded to the ground.

“If people come back from the dead as fish,” the man said, venomously. “Then where’s my sister, eh?” The man put one foot on either side of Bucky’s tail and leaned down, sneering at him. Bucky stared up, horrified. He had no idea what he was talking about. “My little sister drowned at the beach when she was three,” the man said. “Is she a bloody, singing monster like you are?” Bucky was frozen with fear. “With fangs for teeth? Killin’ people?” Bucky started trying to scooch himself away, pulling himself up on his elbow, but the man picked up his foot and drove it into Bucky’s shoulder, forcing him back down. Bucky’s hiss of pain dissolved into a weak whimper. “People don’t come back like you,” he whispered down at Bucky. “How dare you brainwash Rogers into thinkin’ you’re his mate. How dare you tell him you’re worth somethin’, that you should be treated like a human. Pampered. You’re monsters, animals, killers, and you aren’t Barnes.” Bucky’s view of the man standing over him became blurred as his eyes filled with tears. He was still making quiet, horrified sounds in the back of his throat. Then, the man backed up a little and lifted his foot, standing over Bucky’s tail. Bucky looked him up and down, blinking hard, and then the man drove the heel of his boot right into the bullet wound in Bucky’s tail. Bucky screeched. Where was Steve? Where was Steve?!