She's Afraid and Forgotten - Winter Soldier

First Steps Chapter 6

Past

Slowly over the week, The Winter Soldier and Number Nine have grown to trust each other and even care for one another. The older soldier always looks out for Number Nine, making sure she's warm and okay. Both of them are comfortable in the presence of each other. This love and caring feeling is strange to the two. Neither of them has felt that caring towards anyone, ever. ( At least to The Winter Solider's Knowledge He never has. ) Every day, the soldier tries teaching Number Nine little by little, how to walk, speak, spell, read, write, and anything a normal child her age should know.

" You've almost got it. Come on. Yup. There you go. " The soldier says softly as he helps the little girl stand up. She holds onto his fingers nervously, watching her bare feet. The soldier watches in amusement as she babbles slightly to herself in frustration. After a little while, she gets slightly tired from trying to keep herself up.

The soldier picks her up and goes to set her on the bed when she squirms and shakes her head. She wildly points back to her feet and the ground, sticking her bottom lip out in annoyance, trying to tell him she wants to practice some more.

The Soldier chuckles and sets her back down on the ground. She holds onto his knees and stubbornly moves her feet a bit. The soldier sets her a few feet from himself and kneels, holding out his arms, ready to catch her if she falls. The man watches with joy in his heart and a smile on his face, a very rare thing, as the little girl forces herself to walk towards him.

" You can do it, kiddo. You can do it. " He mutters softly. She walks around, touching different things before stumbling into his arms. She smiles up at him. Pride bubbles in the soldier's chest. He taught her. He taught her to walk. Not anyone else. He did. He helped her. 

At this moment he's faced with a strange emotion. Joy. Joy that he was able to teach Number Nine to walk. Nothing else matters.

The soldier laughs and clutches the girl to his chest in happiness. He kisses her cheek and she lets out a loud giggle. Pride flows through the soldier's chest. He did something good. He did something right. 

Number Nine giggles in happiness. She pulls away from the soldier and waddles around the room, babbling to herself. The Winter Soldier laughs as she looks back at him with a grin. She reaches up and grabs at a washcloth that's hanging off a table. A pocket knife falls down along with the towel, flipping open a few feet away from Number Nine. She looks at it and grabs for it in curiosity. 

The Winter Soldier's eyes widen. He lunges for the knife. He grabs it and kneels down in front of Number Nine. " This is a pocket Knife. " She reaches for the knife. The soldier holds the knife out of the reach of Number Nine. " Don't touch it, okay? You could get hurt or hurt someone else. Only I can touch knives. Only adults. Big people. " He shakes his head and holds the knife away. 

Number Nine frowns and sighs. She nods in understanding and turns to another object. She smiles at a pen in the corner of the room. She picks it up, squealing in delight. She'd never used a pen before! She'd only ever seen them. Doctors use them to create lines on papers. She'd always wanted to use a pen. They seem so cool. 

She squeaks and hurries over to the soldier. She grabs his hand and looks at him for the okay. He laughs and nods. She gently draws on his hand, gasping in delight at the blue color. She looks up at the soldier in delight. She points to his hand and smiles. 

The soldier smiles at the little girl adoringly. She'd managed to steal his heart in the few days they've spent together. He nods and she places a messy kiss on the soldier's cheek. 

The Winter Soldier watches in amusement as the child continues to draw.