The Sergeants Gal (Bucky Barnes)

The Picture

"Liv?"

I looked up, my eyes meeting a pair of sad eyes. They seemed almost familiar. I furrowed my brows. "w-who-?" My head started hurting and I held my head wincing. "not again."

"Liv are you okay?" I felt a soft hand on my cheek. I was breathing heavily. "please make it stop!" I cried out the pain feeling too intense.

"I- I can't. Doll what's wrong?" His worried voice cuts through me making me feel an oddly familiar ache in my chest.

An image floats through my mind, an image of a carnival and a name. "James." I mumbled out again.

"Yes, that's me." I hear him say, as his arms wrap around my back. I wince and get pulled out of whatever trance I was in. "Stop please." I whimper.

"I'm sorry." He pulled back.

"I know you..." I looked up at him with furrowed brows. "How?"

"It's a long story, Doll." His eyes watered.

As if on instinct my hand reached up to his cheek but I stopped myself. "why are you upset?"

He shook his head. "I just can't believe you're here."

I looked at him trying to remember where I know him from. His name is James... and my heart hurts thinking of him. That's all I know.

"What else do you remember?" He asked hopefully.

"I- I don't know... it's too much." I pulled my hand back. "I just want it all to stop hurting." I closed my eyes holding my head between my hands.

"I need to get you out of here." He said and unlocked my chains.

"But Tony said-"

"I don't give a F-" he took a deep breath. "Tony doesn't always know best okay? Not on this at least." He offered a hand for me to stand.

I looked at it confused. It was made of a weird metal. My hand reached out and traced it out of curiosity.

James inhaled sharply. "we should go before he comes back. " He took my hand helping me up. "are you okay to walk?"

I nod. "I'm fine." I stand and hug my arms as I walk past him.

"Please, no funny business okay?" He all but begged.

I nodded. "weirdly, I trust you." I bit my lip looking down.

He smiled softly. "follow me." He looked around and walked me down a hallway then up some stairs. "quickly." He whispered and pulled me into a room a few floors up.

I looked around the pretty plain room, it had a nicely done bed and a small radio by the bedside along with a few other older things. The light from the windows illuminated the room.

"Is this where you stay?" I turned to ask him.

He stood there with his hands tucked in his pockets. "sometimes." He nods.

"It's nice." I looked back and furrowed my brows seeing a picture sticking out of a notebook. "what's this?" I asked walking over and grabbing it without his permission.

It was an old photograph of James at Coney Island with a girl. "That looks like me.." I mumbled.

"It's because it is..." James said walking up beside be.

"No, it can't be. This was years ago..." I looked up at him. "but you... You're young." I softly caressed his cheek.

He closed his eyes, he seemed in pain, like he was going to break down any second now.