Who Am I? » [Stucky]

100. Code Breaking

The two rode through to the other side of the town, to the northern corner and searched out through the deserted neighbourhood for the most appealing looking abandoned house. They eventually settled on one that looked like it wouldn’t collapse on them as soon as the others. Doing what they regarded as ‘safety protocol’ they wheeled the precious motorcycle inside and barricaded the door the best they could, with scraps of broken furniture left for dead in the house; just shoving anything they could up against the door and then doing a brief interior check and perimeter sweep.

They were surrounded by forest, walls of brush and leaves all around them. Green and thick. Everything was natural apart from the few swaying telegraph poles dotted along the shoddy road and the signposts pointing out of the town.

Bucky had assembled his trusty sniper rifle and had it secured across his back with a strap, slung at a jaunty angle: fully loaded, safety on and ready to whip out at any required second. His Bowie hunting knife was strapped to a holster on his thigh and his fingers were curled around the hilt, flexing and curling like a nervous tick; prepared to whip it out at the first sign of assault.

Bucky peered through the gaps in the plank repaired windows, squinting out into the untrustworthy darkness, just waiting for an attacker to emerge, or a whole army. Shrouded by darkness would be their easiest and most efficient time of attack; hard to pick out in the blinding blackness, in the night, with their black uniforms merging with the surroundings.

Every little creak of the unsturdy structure and every shift in the outside world set him on edge, making his breath stutter and his heart race. The fear was a rational one that couldn’t be vanquished with reasonable logic; instead he was bathing in paranoia and it was slowly drowning him until he was completely incapacitated. He could hear the crunching of feet compressing the snow and snaps of twigs which he deemed belonged to human beings; but Bangor was on the edge of nowhere and was surrounded by woods: woods inhabited by a whole host of animals. A sensible part of his brain told him it was harmless nocturnal creatures, but another part was screaming at him that it was HYDRA coming to get him and Steve.

When Steve laid a hand on his shoulder he freaked out, and in a knee jerk movement: removed the arm in a flash, twisted it until he’d immobilised Steve and pinned him face first to the wall, his arm bent up against his back painfully in a policeman’s hold. Bucky rasped unsteadily and sighed when he realised it his idiot of a boyfriend who had touched him.

“Gee… Can you not sneak up on me like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” Bucky hissed in a staggered breathless voice, irritation evident in his tone. He had been startled out of his skin and was shaking.

“Yeah sure… God. I was only coming to check up on you…” Steve grunted, his cheek pressed up against the cold crumbling wall, his words muffled by the plaster and brick.

Bucky dropped Steve’s arm, freeing the wrist from his grasp and stalking away angrily.

“You’ve been checking those damn windows for the past hour, non-stop. I’m just concerned about how much good that’s actually doing…” Steve explained, trying to massage the sensation back into his throbbing wrist that had been bent and squeezed within an inch of his life.

“They could attack at any second, Steve. I just don’t want to be clueless when it does happen…” Bucky complained, carding a hand through his unruly dark hair, in dire need of a wash and a haircut. Greasy muck clogged strands, more like tendrils had begun to hang over his face, and his hair was matted and reaching just beneath his ears; he looked rugged and worn. His fringe arched across his face and shadowed his already darkness tinted complexion. His face was dotted with stubble and the scar on his head only added to his tatty complexion. But there was something beautiful in how he looked: a rough charm; the mark of a survivor: who had seen hard times but made it through.