Chapter 15
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“Try to keep up old man!" you exclaimed.
The team came to an underground base, the source of the recent epidemic of unstable mutants. Bruce and Tony cooked up an antidote now it just needed administration.
Now, you ran past the Winter Solider after punching out your tenth wannabe superpowered bad guy in a row, and he frowned slightly at the bleeding slash marks in your suit. You frowned right back at at the large slash from his forehead to his jawline.
You had the misfortune of going toe to toe with a knife handed woman that seemed straight from Mortal Kombat. Bucky's opponent was a diamond skinned person that would've been an easy target if he wasn't so worried about you. You slowed down and kissed his uninjured cheek.
“I'm fine, Buck," you whispered.
“Promise I can take care of you after this?"
“James..."
“Please? I don't need you in the hospital from infection again," he begged.
You huffed at the memory. Yes, you didn't clean your mission wounds last year and you almost went septic because of a rusty knife to the leg, but you lived! Not that it stopped your soul mate from doubling down on his protective nature towards you.
“Fine," you consented.
Bucky sighed and nuzzled your nose, before looking up at Iron Man going past above you two.
“Who's old? Well, besides Iron Butt?" Bucky smirked.
“Mom, your boyfriend is being mean to me!" Tony whined to Steve.
Captain America's groan of righteous annoyance could be heard from everyone's ear com.
“Could everyone-GET DOWN!"
You and Bucky dived, but, Tony, was the one narrowly avoiding-
“A giant ceiling saw? Really?!" he grumbled, “And it scratched my new paint job!"
“What a-guys incoming!"
You pointed at the approaching enemies, but the team just stared at your finger in confusion.
“Doll, what-?" Bucky began.
You growled in frustration and ran headfirst into the line of fire. Sometimes you swore you they were multiple pieces of a whole idiot.
You're not sure how you made it, four on one with a couple more on the way. They were hulk size, weirdly proportioned, fast, unfairly strong, and gave off an inhuman amount of heat.
“No way you," you laughed.
You smirked widely as years of being a weeb prepared you for this moment. You took out your machetes. They weren't the proper weapons for this, but they'll do.
“(Y/N)!" Bucky shouted, “What're you doin'?!"
“Ridding the world of every last stinking titan!" you exclaimed maniacally.
After the last nape of a neck was sliced, you let out a triumphant shout and held up your destroyed blades in victory. You couldn't wait to tell them this story. Unfortunately, the reception you got was a paper white soul mate and a livid first supersoldier.
“Haunter we brought you along on the condition that you behaved and followed orders!" Captain America scolded.
“You guys couldn't see them! What was I supposed to do?!" you argued.
The dip between Steve's eyes was severe, but not as terrible as the shaking in Bucky's hands as they looked over you. After they made the shocking conclusion that you were still alive, he relaxed a bit and looked back at his first soul mate.
“Steve, she just saved us!"
“Almost at the cost of herself! We go down as a team, Buck!"
Bucky made a noncommittal grunt and continued to check you for any fatal injuries. Not that you felt them. You just successfully subjugated all seven monsters and were currently riding an incredible adrenaline rush. You also were trying desperately to ignore the feeling of your soul mate's strong hands on your body and the concern in his bright blue eyes. You frowned and put your hands over his.
“Buck-."
“Don't you leave me in the dark like that!" he hissed, “Me and you are a team, remember?!"
You came down from your high just enough to feel the pain you were in and the real danger you just made him have to watch you go though, made even worse because he couldn't see what you were fighting.
“Bucky...Bucky bear I'm sorry," you apologized.
The supersoldier sighed and put his forehead on yours, forgetting the current company.
“I know, baby doll, I know," he whispered, “I just don't ever want to bring you home in a body bag."
“Besides, jerk," Steve continued with a smirk, “You're in love with her, your opinion's invalid."
“Shut up! No, I'm not!"
Bucky's body was away from yours so fast you were sure you just imagined the last five minutes and he blushed bright red for a moment before giving you a clean bill of health. You gave him a grateful smile and were about to open your mouth again when you felt a scratching around in your brain.
“What are you dumbasses doing here?"
Everyone turned around to see a bright green figure with white sparkling eyes. It looked into every on guard body, settling long on the Captain before going to you. You froze in fear because it had no facial expressions, but you also felt...sad. That feeling was squashed quickly.
“Well are you going to answer me or naw?"
“You are one of them," Wanda stated. The mutant laughed as her eyes went to the Scarlett Witch.
“Great observation, Sherlock! What are you going to deduce next? My mutations? Who's head's exploding first?!"
“ReSpawn, enough," another deep voice boomed through the room.
ReSpawn stiffened to attention and you looked around for the source of the new sound to no avail. You instinctively drew closer to Bucky.
“Avengers, you have two options. Leave or die," the deep voice said.
“We'll take number three," Steve ordered, “Tell us what the hell is going on!"
“ReSpawn, do your duty."
The mutant sighed and looked at the ground. Her hands seemed to be powering up for a moment before they stopped.
“I know I'm gonna regret this..."
“Wha-?" Steve began.
Suddenly, everyone went down in various levels of distress. Tony was back in his middle eastern prison and watching, Pepper, slip and fall to her “death" over and over. Clint was Loki's puppet again along with some other darker recesses of his life that you couldn't make out. Natasha was in the red room. Sam was watching, Riley, crash land. It was all so...delicious.
You felt a sensation akin to your body separating from itself as you fed of your friends' despair.
“Baby girl-Li, I'm sorry!"
“Let go of me, Captain. You know I can't teleport you if you're touching me!"
You felt a strong surge of guilt and sadness coming from the blond supersoldier and turned to make your way over. Steve was on his knees, sobbing and holding on to, ReSpawn, for dear life. The mutant realized your nearing presence and started struggling even more to get away.
“Steve, get off!" she commanded.
“NO!" he cried, “Please don't leave me again, sweetheart! I can't stand it!"
“Can't stand what Captain?" you whispered, “Being a failure as a husband and a father?"
Steve started shaking uncontrollably hard against his wife as he tried to shrink away from you. You smiled. There was no where to hide now that you were in his head.
“What right did you have to rip her from her life with her brother and ex-husband just to fill her with lies that you would protect her?"
“I-I-I w-wasn't lying!" Steve exclaimed, “I love her!"
“You loved her so much that you filed for divorce and full custody after she just lost a baby?!"
“She snapped! They shot her because she went back t' before we 'met'! She tried t' kill m' kids!", he defended, “We had t' sedate her for months an'-I was scared!"
“Who was the moron that didn't want to leave them at home like she said to do?!"
The Captain slid off his soul mate and onto the floor, completely engulfed in a dark purple glow that was slowly turning red. You put a hand on his back, right where his heart is.
“And did you forget that when the coin was flipped, she stayed? You nearly killed her and she didn't give up on you for a minute!"
“I-I-!"
“Stop it!"
Both yours and Steve's heads went to the direction of the shout as the room went up a hundred degrees. ReSpawn was standing tall and firm, hands tightly clenched and shaking at her sides.
“Leave my husband alone, bitch! I forgave him a long time ago!"
You smiled and stood up as you began to break down the Major's mind walls. She faltered a bit as you came towards.
“Okay, let's talk about you then, 73143."
Li's eyes narrowed to slits and you saw a purple glow come around her as well.
“HYDRA's crown jewel? I can only imagine the amount of blood on your hands."
“I regret nothing!"
“Oh really? I'm pretty sure I can find-oh there it is...."
You put your hand on the superhuman's heart and held her in place. Her green exterior gave way to her medium brown skinned, dark haired and eyed human appearance as you broke into every piece of her life.
“So all wasn't well in paradise?"
“I-It was only once-I made a mistake-I-I-!" Li stuttered.
She dissolved into tears and you let out an internal shout of triumph. You shoved your hand in the Major's chest.
“You don't deserve this, you know that right?"
You gave her heart a rough squeeze and she let out out scream of agreement while blood flowed out around her mouth and around your arm.
“She cheated on you Captain! With him of all people!" you announced, “You loved the monster she will always be and she betrayed you for him!"
Li was starting to go limp in your hand just as you were starting to see her beating heart. Steve was too incapacitated to come to her rescue as was everyone else. You steadied yourself to put the final nail in her coffin when you were grabbed from behind and made to face two scared blue eyes.
“(Y/N), snap out of it! Breathe!" Bucky ordered.
You slapped the Soldier's hands off of you and scoffed, turning your attention back to the bleeding mutant on the concrete floor. That metal armed idiot was always holding you back! You had something for him when you've drained every last drop of life from the Major. Bucky grabbed you again, pulling you away.
“Baby doll, STOP! Look at yourself!" Bucky begged, “Is this what you really want to become?!"
You looked down at your reflection in his arm and your eyes widened. You were glowing a deep purple that threatened to engulf you, but the scariest thing was your eyes. They were just dark black holes with red dots in your skull like face. You shook your head.
“That's not me!" you whispered, “I'm not..."
You looked down further at, Li, who was sobbing uncontrollably in the fetal position.
“Just do it!" she pleaded, “I don't deserve my life, just kill me!"
You turned your attention to the room of heroes reduced to nothing by the memories, Li, forced them to relive and you intensified to the point of killing them with grief. You started shaking and curled into your supersoldier.
“I-I-I didn't mean it! I-I'm sorry!"
“I know, doll, I know," Bucky soothed, “Believe me, I know."
You wiped your eyes and laid down on Bucky's chest. He nuzzled your nose and gave him the smile he wanted out of you.
“So how did you get out?" Daemon asked.
You frowned again and a couple more tears leaked out. Bucky wiped them away and you addressed Li's brother without taking your eyes off your soul mate's.
“Li healed up enough to take our memories and teleport us out," you sniffed, “Only thing we knew the facility was destroyed and we won. I didn't even remember any of that before I started talking."
Daemon nodded and stood up to pace the room. He was still twitching and the room was still uncomfortably cold and dark. Finally, he stopped in front of you again. He knelt down and his red eyes met yours. You were confused by the glimmer of hope in them.
“The same thing happened," he stated, “The Captain's emotions went off the charts when I woke him up, you snapped and almost ripped out his heart."
You gasped and hung your head. You should've known-suddenly, there was a cold hand on your shoulder, but it wasn't metallic. You picked your head back up and, Daemon, was looking at you in wonder.
“But you stopped yourself! How do you do it?! Tell me....p-please?" he exclaimed.
You frowned and shook your head. You didn't know how you do it you just do. Daemon's face fell.
“I'm sorry," you said.
“It's okay," he grunted.
He walked out. A minute later you heard a door slam and glass, among other things, breaking. You saw your brother run past into the room his fiancee was in. There was shouting, crying, and then silence. You looked back at, Bucky, who was staring at his platonic soul mate.
“He'll be okay right?" you whispered.
“Yeah, yeah," he nodded, “It's just hard ya know? I'm supposed t' protect him-!"
You made your soul mate look at you and kissed the tears from his eyes.
“James Buchanan Barnes, this is not your fault, do you hear me? From what I can tell nothing can stop me once I get started! It's a miracle that you're immune to me!"
You gave him a small peck on the lips. He relaxed and held you closer.
“It's not so much immunity as learning to forgive myself. Sure, I have the small regrets. I can't remember my recipes on occasion, my fear of being judged keeps me from showing off my best girl, not telling you I love you before every mission..."
You laughed and rolled your eyes.
“But my time at HYDRA, all those people I killled. It wasn't me, not the real me. When I finally got out I didn't want to kill anyone, I just wanted to be left alone. If seventy years didn't make Bucky Barnes a monster permanently, then your mutation doesn't make you one. It's just another thing for us to deal with. Together."
He nuzzled your nose again and you gave him a proper kiss. He buried his hands in your hair to pull you closer and settled back in his chair. After a minute, he let you go.
“I love you, baby doll. I love you."
“I love you, too, Bucky bear."
“I'd love it if ya got a room."
Both of you whipped around to see Captain America smirking at you two. You jumped up to give him a hug, but remembered that you were the reason he was lying there. Steve noticed your mood change and held out his arms as best he could.
“It's okay," he promised, “You should've seen the other guy."
He flashed his signature “it only hurt a little" smile and you rolled your eyes, giving into his charm.
“Alright, Rogers," Bucky frowned, “You're thirty seconds are up. Gimme her back."
“That wasn't any more than twenty-n-ow fuck..."
Steve face pinched in pain and he sunk into the bed again as he let you go. You were about to suggest that you and, Bucky, leave so the Captain could rest, when a small voice beat you to it.
All three of you looked to the door way to see a woman who was long dead. She was staring at a point just beyond everyone, leaning on the wall, tapping her prosthetic leg with her walking stick.
“I got it from here, bros," Li said.
There was a small noise of pain behind you. Steve was sitting up, bleeding freely from his chest again in wide eyed distress.
“Sweetheart, what-why are you here? What about John?"
“Daemon told me a friend of mine was sick. I don't have friends so I wanted to see what he was talking about," she shrugged, “And I already have something coming to me for overcooking his food again anyway."
The Major walked over to her soul mate and reached around to put a hand through his hair. Tears started forming in Steve's eyes and he blocked out everything that didn't have to do with his wife. You grabbed Bucky's hand to pull him out the door.