"he looked at her
the way she needed to be looked at
like the whole world could crumble
and he wouldn't blink."
-atticus
In which a mercenary and a super soldier meet through extraordinary circumstances.
Marvel | Bucky Barnes
Cover by @blis...
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"And your burdens will continue to be there unless you learn to forgive."
BUCKY
Bucky had lived a thousand lives and suffered a thousand more. He'd gone through hell and still wasn't convinced he'd come back from it. The few moments he'd been convinced that he'd finally escaped were with Nadine and the rest of the ghosts, as Shuri "lovingly" called them, back in Maricota. Those moments of solitude, of relative peace, pushed him to put himself back together. But now, as he sat waiting, he was drowning in his torment. Bucky was back in hell, once again waiting for the universe to tell him when it was finally his turn to breathe.
When they arrived in Wakanda, Nadine was immediately whisked away by doctors. He was grateful for the kindness T'Challa offered them, but it was agony. His mind continued to replay everything: when they met, when they fought, when they kissed, when Nadine was captured, when they were reunited, and when they were separated once again. Every time it seemed like she was back in his arms, in his grasp, he was forced to watch her slip away.
Bucky was also thinking about what he did to get her back. He killed once again. Purposefully, intently. They were not good people, at all, but he still felt like the progress he made had been undone. He didn't want to be a killer, that was his desire from the beginning. And yet, here he was, with more blood on his hands.
Blood that, despite it all, he didn't regret spilling, not if it meant he could still look into Nadine's gaze and hear her laugh. No, deep down, Bucky confirmed that he would kill for that woman if she so much as asked.
And that terrified him.
His thoughts were interrupted as Fong entered the room. It was a lounge room, but T'Challa was gracious to grant them the privacy as they waited on news about Nadine's health.
"She's alive," Fong confirmed. Everyone let out a breath, but the tension was still thick. Alive didn't mean she was fine, and everyone knew it.
Shuri entered the room. Her expression was grave, but she still managed to give Bucky a small, reassuring smile. "The scans are ready."
Fong nodded, and the moment Shuri pressed one of the beads on her bracelet, the table lit up. A series of holograms floated in the air as different scans came up. The scans resembled a woman's silhouette.
"Well, firstly. We confirmed that she has a mix of hallucinogens in her system. So the bruising on her arms could be related to that." Fong pointed to a model of her skeleton. Certain areas lit up red. "She has fractures on her ribs and ankle, and her kneecap was shattered."
