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Day 17
Chocolate
The road out of the mountains was rough, bouncing the team around the cramped truck. The only one who seemed to stay in his seat was the Soldier. Sometimes Rumlow was absolutely positive nothing could budge the Soldier when he was of a mind to be still. Hell, high water, a nuclear bomb, nothing could make him flinch.
But then there were times like after the mission in Argentina.
The ancient cargo plane returning them to the States rattled and shook with every little gust of wind. Sitting in the hollowed-out cargo hold with the three other men on his team and the Soldier, Rumlow was cursing the lack of insulation between him and the frigid air outside. The two rookies were huddled together for warmth, both of them looking about twelve years old curled up on each other’s shoulder to sleep. Rollins sat on the far end of the long bench facing the opposite wall with a scowl fit to peel paint. The mission itself had gone off without a hitch. An easy assassination of a minor player in a local rebellion trying to make a major move. It wasn’t until the extraction came that Jack had brought out his “resting bitch-face”, as the rest of the STRIKE team were fond of saying. One look at the rusty old plane and they all knew it was going to be a long, loud, boring, cold-as-hell trip home.
Reaching into one of the pockets of his vest Rumlow brought out a handful of Hershey Kisses. Jack barely spared him a glance when he tossed one to his subordinate, snatching the treat out of midair. The Soldier sat ramrod straight a few feet from Jack watching the exchange out of the corner of his eye. Strolling over Rumlow squatted in front of the Soldier, balancing with his free hand braced on the Soldier’s knee. The Soldier was still in full gear minus weapons, which were left behind for a cleanup team. It wasn’t the first time he had noticed but it was still unnerving to be this close to The Asset and be subjected to his intense, unblinking, stare.
“Don’t.”
Rumlow flicked his eyes to Rollins who was frowning hard at him. With an easy smirk Rumlow dumped his candy on the bench then lifted his hands to the back of the Soldier’s head so he could reach the straps of the muzzle. Leather creaked as The Asset tightened his grip on the metal seat. Under the mask his mouth was pressed into a thin line. Angry red marks decorated his cheeks and the bridge of his nose where the mask didn’t fit properly. Rumlow reached to cup his jaw with one hand and stroked the welt high on The Asset’s cheekbone with his thumb. The Soldier’s eyes fluttered briefly before he could control the action.
“Open your mouth.”
The Asset continued to glare but did as he was told. Rumlow unwrapped a piece of chocolate and slipped it between the Soldier’s teeth. The Kiss started to melt almost immediately due to the Soldier’s higher body temp. A sound somewhere between a moan of ecstasy and a sob of agony escaped him. The Soldier wrapped his arms around himself and hunched over, nearly touching his forehead to his knees.