During the winter Soldier Days:
The Winter Soldier was isolated. He didn't interact with people besides his handlers and the people that pointed guns at him.
This didn't really bother him though because he had hope...
this hope came in the form of the timer embedded in his right wrist (thankfully not his left or this small sliver of hope would be lost)
No matter how many times they wiped him he would always rediscover the timer and what it represented...
The person destined just for him...his soulmate.
He knew that one day that hope would catch up with him.
That day was today.
The soldier was called to report to his superiors. He raced his fingers over where he knew the tracker to be embedded in his skin, letting the hope consume him. The soldier was never able to look at the amount of time left on the device for fear of something happening or, heaven forbid, his soulmate had already met their fate and was gone. The soldier didn't think they could handle that kind of pain. The soldier was also not aware whether or not HYDRA knew about the timer and did't want to draw unnessesary attention to the one good thing left in his life.
When the soldier arrived at the debriefing room he noticed that something was different, there was a place for him to stand where a device was set up to restrain his metal arm. This had never happened before...however, the soldier decided he had nothing to lose. He stood where ordered and allowed himself to be strapped down. When the soldier was secured his superiors entered the room to begin his debriefing.
"Well today is the day, soldier."
That ominous sentence is all that was said, but it was enough for the soldier to grow nervous.
An agent of HYDRA stepped forward and ripped the fabric covering his soul-clock and thrust the arm in front of his face so that he was forced to read the numbers.
The fact that the agents knew about the soul-clock was enough for the soldier to go a deathly shade of pale but it was the countdown itself that made him want to die...30 seconds.
None of the usual thoughts one has when they are about to meet their soulmate crossed the soldier's mind. The questions like; "Do I look alright?" "Are my clothes clean and presentable?" "Does my breathe smell?"
No the thoughts that flashed through the soldiers mind rapid fire were along the lines of these; "Did they hurt her?" "Will they hurt her?" "Will they make me hurt her?" "How can I get her out of this?" "Why did I let them restrain me?"
These thoughts were firing off in the soldiers mind while he tried in a panic to escape his restraints. They wouldn't budge, and that only made his fear grow.
As he struggled his enhanced hearing could make out the sound of a woman struggling and in pain. And damn if those sounds didn't make the soldier struggle harder.
Suddenly the door opened and a young woman who -besides the slight bruising on her face- generally unhurt. She was gorgeous and the soldier felt lighter simply knowing that she was real.
But she was in danger and there was physically nothing the soldier could do to prevent her harm and it was killing him. Him being helpless to protect her was the worst pain he had ever experienced.
The woman hadn't actually looked at him as she was concentrating on trying to get away from the goon that was holding her. The soldier noticed the rough grip the agent had on his soulmate and growled lowly.
That got the attention of the woman and when her gaze settled on the soldier she let out an adorable gasp as her eyes sparkled.
That, somehow made the soldier feel worse because she was looking at him like he hung the heavens and he couldn't even protect her.
His superior coughed which snapped the soldier out of his trance and he resumed his struggle to escape and began to beg that his soulmate be let go unhurt.
The man that gave the soldier orders to kill on a regular basis just chuckled and said, "Your incentive to do well on missions."
That was all he needed to say for the soldier to understand. If he messed up she would pay the price. There was no question that the soldier's missions would be completed without a hitch now.
His soulmate was then thrown to the floor and everyone filed out of the room as one agent took the restraint off his arm. As soon as he was released the soldier flew to the ground encasing his soulmate in his arms trying to protect her from further harm, while muttering constant apologies. The soldier picked her up, feeling her curl into him and whimper damn near broke his heart. He carried her to his cell keeping her as out of sight from the gun the guard carried as possible. When they were both 'safely' back in the soldier's cell he set the woman on his bed and wrapped her in the blanket. He then sat in a way that blocked her from the view of the door.
"Hi, doll. I'm so sorry."
His voice sounded rough from misuse but it was genuine.
The woman surprised him by wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close. She whispered in his ear, "It's not your fault." She then pulled back and smiled up at him. If the soldier was upset by the loss of the warmth and security her embrace gave, it vanished when she smiled at him. He would give anything to keep that smile on her face. He found himself grinning back at her. They sat there for a while lost in each others gazes, grinning like fools, fools in love.
Later on when she fell asleep in his arms he made himself a promise;
They wouldn't touch her, he wouldn't let them. He would protect her with everything in him. She is his hope and she is worth it.
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Hey guys sorry this is so late!!!! I just moved into college and life is hectic af.
I'm working on another one-shot and will try to have it up soon but who knows.
Love you guys!!
