Chapter Text
Bucky woke in a strange place, warmer than before but still cold. He turned his head and the simple act irritated his trachea enough that he started coughing. By the time he could breath normally again, Steve was at his side, crouched so that their faces were level. One of his hands rested on Bucky's shoulder and he wore a look of concern. “What's with the deathbed look?” Bucky grumbled, sitting up and pushing Steve's hand away. “I'm not planning on dying anytime soon.” When Dr. Cho entered the room he stiffened.
“Bucky, she's another friend,” Steve said. Pain had flashed across his face when Bucky pushed him away but now he hid it. “She's a doctor.”
Bucky flinched at the word and his body weight shifted like he wanted to run. He could tell Steve was looking at him curiously, but he didn't look back. He didn't want to answer Steve's questions and explain what he'd suffered. After all, it had been HYDRA 'doctors' – bone butchers, he'd named them – who had given him his metal arm.
“Steve, the Quinjet is about two minutes out,” the man reported. What was his name? Sam?
“Quinjet?” Bucky asked, the question rising to his lips instinctively. He flinched when all three looked at him but Steve smiled reassuringly.
“It's okay. You can ask whatever questions and say whatever you want. Don't be afraid. A Quinjet is like a plane. Do you remember what those are?”
Bucky's head tilted back and to the side. “Like the one you crashed into the river?”
“That was a helicarrier. The Quinjet is a lot smaller, but the same basic thing,” Steve agreed. “Although I'm going to try not to crash this one. It's going to take us back to Stark's Tower.”
Bucky's brow furrowed. “Howard Stark?”
“No, his son. Tony.”
“Genius asshole?”
Steve's mouth twisted into a grin. “Yeah, some people would say that.”
The woman. cleared her throat quietly. “While we're en route back to New York, I'm going to start a saline drip via IV. It's a precursor for the blood you need-”
“Uh-uh.” Bucky wasn't aware he'd protested until he realized the others were staring at him. From the look on Steve's face, he guessed he'd whimpered the word.
It was Steve who tried to talk him into it. “Bucky-”
“Don't make me. Please.” Bucky knew as he spoke that he was wasting his breath. HYDRA and SHIELD had been two sides of the same coin, and even though SHIELD had pretended to be righteous, he knew their operatives would be no less ruthless than HYDRA's. Steve, Sam, and the woman were all SHIELD members. HYDRA/SHIELD didn't allow disorderly assets. The memory of what had happened the last time he'd disobeyed surfaced to proportionate fear.
“Bucky, please look at me,” Steve said. “Do you think I would hurt you?”
“SHIELD and HYDRA are the same organization. You were employed by SHIELD, therefore you were employed by HYDRA. HYDRA punishes those who deserve it. Disobedient assets deserve punishment.” Bucky recited the line of reasoning automatically. It had been tortured into him for years, and whenever he'd pushed the definition of obedience he'd been forcefully reminded.
“I don't work for SHIELD any more,” Steve said. “Both it and HYDRA were destroyed the day the helicarriers crashed. You're not an asset any more. You're a human being. You're my best friend. And no matter what you do, you will never deserve to be punished.” He hesitated, then asked, “Do you trust me?”
“Captain Rogers?”
“Steve. Yeah?”
“Captain Rogers was SHIELD. I trust my Steve.” Bucky glanced from Sam to Dr. Cho to Steve, the haunted look fading from his eyes but still lurking. “What do I have to do?”
“You just have to sit there,” Steve promised. “I'll be right at your side through the whole trip. Are you okay with physical contact?”
Bucky shrugged. He hadn't considered the question. He blinked rapidly and stared at Steve's face for a moment before focusing on it.
“Bucky, don't go to sleep,” Steve warned. He noticed the way Bucky stiffened at his tone and tried to soften it. “I'm sorry for being harsh. Please forgive me. But if you go to sleep, it could be dangerous.”
“You have to stay awake until your blood is replenished,” Dr. Cho xplained. “If your levels are low enough that you passed out, we need to get least two units of blood into you before you even take a nap. Once we get back to the Tower you can sleep as long as you want.”
“How long?” Bucky asked, puzzled.
“Until you want to wake up,” Steve clarified. “It's entirely your choice.”
Bucky turned this idea over in his mind, then nodded. “Okay,” he said with a slight shrug.
“Hey, Cap,” Sam interrupted, “the Quinjet's here.”
“Legion 04 is the only Iron Legion member coming with us,” Dr. Cho said. “I'll give the others their orders.” She left, and Sam followed her, saying something about a front-row seat in the Quinjet.
“Ready?” Steve asked Bucky.
The dark-haired man bit at his lip, his eyes full of fear at the unknown and the trust he would be putting in Steve by going. Steve stood up and held out his hand, and after a long moment Bucky took it. “Till the end of the line?” he asked, and he would have sworn that suddenly Steve's eyes were full of tears.