Safe?
“Karli’s in there,” Zemo says, turning back to the crowd as the little girl opens the door in front of them and walks away.
“All right,” Sam says, following her through that door as the rest of them pile into the old wastewater treatment plant.
There’s giant circular metal protrusions on a small bricked wall to their left onto which Walker pushes Zemo upon. Zemo just groans exhaustedly in response, almost expecting it, which he most definitely was.
“Hey,” Walker calls out to Sam, who looks back from the edge of the doorstep, “You got ten minutes,” Walker warns him as he handcuffs Zemo to one of the pipes.
“Really?” Zemo asks, unbothered.
“Then we’re doing things my way,” Walker continues, completely ignoring him.
“Aggressive” Zemo notes, “But I get it.”
Bucky walks over and guards the door into the facility while Y/n guards the exit, sitting down on the stairs. Lemar leans back on the wall opposite Zemo, while Walker begins fidgeting around.
Now, Bucky kinda likes fidgety Walker, makes him feel all victorious inside watching the man, who is (unjustly) holding his best friend’s legacy on his arm, lose his shit but it also puts him on edge. It makes him think something is about to blow… something being the fuse in Walker’s head.
So, only to distract himself from Walker’s pacing and no other reason at all, he asks, “Who’s Harley Keener?” He wants to look at her but the most he can do is gather up the courage to stare at her white leather boots… is that— is there a blood splatter on one of ‘em?
“Oh, we’re talking now?” She throws back, pretending to be shocked.
Bucky then does look up to see the challenge radiate from every part of her body. Now, he knows he should back down but he already tried extending the damn olive branch. If she won’t take it, then screw it. And screw Bucky for missing her kindness, it’s not like he deserved it. He got a taste of it and it was so damn addictive. So screw her for getting him hooked and screw him for screwing it up. Besides, she might have been a little right when she said he runs into fights head first, cause he grumbles and says, “Guess not. Forget I even asked.”
A few seconds of heavy and almost chafing silence and then, “He’s a stray Tony picked up a couple years ago… You saw him at the funeral.” Her voice is calm.
He sees it exactly for what it is; her own reluctant olive branch, a declaration of, ‘I’d really rather not fight with you in front of them’.
So he asks, “Tall, lanky kid? With blond hair?”
She nods simply. And he mimics the gesture.
Walker, however, will not stop fucking pacing around like the whole fucking floor is on fire. He keeps at it for the next another minute, pressing onto the bridge of his noes and sighing audibly now and again. And then suddenly, “Uh-uh. No, no, no. This is a bad idea.” He’s still pacing.
“It hasn’t been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight,” Bucky answers easily.
“Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me,” he chastises, walking back and forth.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Bucky assures him.
“I’m goin’ in,” Walker walks towards the door trying to pass Bucky. He stops him easily with an arm to his chest.
Walker takes a few steps back as Lemar rushes in to flank him. He fixes Bucky with a look filled with nothing but pure contempt, “This is all really easy for you, isn’t it? All that serum runnin’ through your veins. Barnes, your partner needs backup in there. Do you really want his blood on your hands?” He asks with a severity that Bucky has to admit does almost make him fold.
But then, “I’d rather you didn’t underestimate the Boss,” Y/n calls out having gotten up off the stairs.
Walker looks back at her then. “What I don’t understand is why aren’t you the one going in?” John asks. “You can be in and out, no hassle, no casualties.”
“Getting her out here isn’t the issue, keeping her is. She’s got backup, who might I add, are all super soldiers. And on top of that, she’s got the support of every civilian in there. We’re on her turf. There’s no point of me barging in, guns blazing if Sam can talk her down,” Y/n reasons.
“And if he can’t?” Lemar asks.
“Then we’ll handle it,” Bucky replies.
“But we give her a fair shot,” Y/n adds.
“Why? The people she’s hurting didn’t get one,” Walker spits back at her.
“That’s exactly why. Her cause isn’t ill-founded; her methods are,” Y/n tires, “She’s just a kid. She’s lost her way, we can help her…" She levels him with a look of pure indignation, “That’s kinda the job profile for carrying that shield, Walker.” She nods at him.
“That’s just some self-righteous bullshit and you know it!” John shouts. “Look, just use your powers, glitch in there, and pull her out, alright? We’ll take care of the rest.”
“No,” Y/n stands steady.
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” He exclaims, “You know, it’s because of shit like this, your so-called brother is dead, right?“
Bucky’s been in awe of her so far. She’s been infallible. She’s been terrifyingly strong, considering everything that’s happened. But with the words that slip out of Walker’s mouth he realizes, she’s been armored. And the bullshit he’s spouting is causing a chink in it. He’s found her damn Achilles heel and he’s milking it for all it’s worth.
"That’s right. I’ve read your files,” Walker barrels on, “And if I could do what you can, Tony Stark would be fucking alive right now. But no… you just let him burn himself out, sacrifice his life f—”
Bucky’s heard enough. He rams the Soldier boy into the wall, choking him. “I’d shut up if I were you.” He warns.
“I’d check on your little girlfriend if I were you.” He chokes out in response.
Bucky finally turns around to look at her and sees her walking out the door. He let’s go of Walker’s neck, shoving him back. “Stay,” he commands, pointing at him; it’s both a warning and an order.
He is about to run out behind her when the ground begins shaking. He’d think it was an earthquake if he hadn’t been on the receiving end of this quaking before. Back in Siberia. When he and Steve had beaten Tony down to a pulp, managing to piss her off enough for her to destroy a whole damn Hydra base… So he picks up his pace, calling out, “Y/n!”
She’s not in front of him, the courtyard looks empty. The ground is still shaking slowly. It’s nowhere near as bad as the last time but it’s present and that’s concerning enough. “Y/n!” He shouts. “Y/n! Where are you?” He calls out again.
“Get away,” is all he hears. The voice is meek and broken, he wouldn’t have heard it if he didn’t have the serum. When he turns to look at the direction it came from, he finds her, sitting on the floor in the corner. She’s folded into herself; her hands are almost clawing at her throat.
He rushes over immediately. He crouches down, settling on his knees.
And the sight of her fucking hurts like a bullet piercing his chest. “Y/n?” he urges, “What’s wrong?”
“Get a—way,” she chokes out, barely audible.
“Y/n,” his hand rushes to pull her face up and cup it into his palms gently, only to realize she’s crying. “Sweetheart, you gotta tell me what’s wrong, please? Okay? You gotta tell me, so I can fix it.”
“Don—don’t wan—na hurt you,” she wheezes painfully. Bucky’s eyes begin watering. “Don’t wann—a hurt an—yone.”
“You won’t. You won’t, I swear. I won’t let you,” he promises, his flesh arm wiping up tears that fall on her face as he holds onto her gashed cheek as softly as he can. His other arm is holding her hands away from her throat to stop her from clawing herself, “Just please, tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart? Please.”
“Pa—panic att—ack.”
Fuck, how did he not see that before?
“Okay, okay. Look, do me a favor, just focus on one thing. Can you do that for me, sweetheart? Pick one thing, anything, and focus,” Bucky coos at her.
She nods the best she can, her eyes searching, and then finally settles on… him?
“What’d you pick, sweetheart?” He asks.
She twists her hand out of Bucky’s metal one, only to hold his left wrist.
“My arm?” He asks.
She nods again.
“Alright, okay. Yeah. Good,” He fumbles, “Now, just breathe with me and pick 5 words to describe it, okay? Can you do that?”
She makes a noise that feels close enough to an assent. So, he begins breathing in, she copies him, and then he breathes out, she follows.
“You think you can tell me one thing?” Bucky asks in a gentle voice. He’s rubbing soft circles on her cheek with his thumb, hoping to soothe her.
“Black.”
“Yeah, it’s black alright,” he chuckles and takes another breath. Watching intently as she copies the motion.
“Gold.”
“Got that too, yeah. You’re doing great, sweetheart. Keep going,” he urges, breathing again.
“Vibranium.”
“Yep. Much better than the one Hydra made,” he comments.
“Strong.”
“Glad you think so,” he smiles, “just, one more. Come on.”
“Safe.” She whispers.
“S—Safe?” He asks, wondering if he misheard.
She nods, finally breathing a lot better than before, and begins sitting up.
He doesn’t really have time to deal with the connotations of that declaration. He’s still worried about her, “You okay?”
She breathes in heavily (good sign, Bucky thinks to himself), “Yeah, sor—”
“Are you really about to apologize for a panic attack?” He cocks her brow, mimicking her words back to her.
“…considering the timing,” she tries.
“Oh fuck off!”
“Fine, fine. No apologies. Better?” She asks as she begins to shift around, trying to get up.
Bucky throws his arms around her waist, helping her up. She leans into him, putting her arms on his shoulder for support.
“What happened?” He asked.
She’s silent for a second, staring at the ground, and then, “My brother died.” And that’s answer enough. “We should get back in there,” she adds.
Both of them walk back in to find a fucking empty room except for Zemo who standing there with a smile on his face, he points to the door and says, “They went that way.”
Bucky wants to curb stomp that fucker.
“Fuck.” They both curse at once, instantly running in. Bucky follows the noise of Walker’s footsteps, leading her along. Whatever exhaustion she must be feeling due to the panic attack is shoved back under her calm usual calm exterior.
Both of them are enhanced and much quicker than the two they’re following so they catch up easily enough but too late.
“Walker,” Bucky tries.
“Karli Morgenthau, you’re under arrest,” Walker shouts out, walking into the room.
“So, this is what that was?” Karli takes a couple of steps back, obviously spooked.
“No, Karli wait…” Sam tries to explain, while Lemar tries to block Bucky and Y/n from stepping in.
“Tricking me until your backup arrived?” She continues, looking genuinely hurt.
“No, I think we had enough time to talk.” Walker walks over to her.
And Karli just punches him in response, throwing him off balance onto Sam.
Bucky pushes Lemar aside, as Y/n begins to help Sam up.
Karli takes off, running out the room through the other exit, jumping up a flight of stairs and Bucky follows suit. They run into another room, jumping off the small balcony down onto the floor. Karli makes it through while the people in the room block his way, slowing him down.
He makes it out the door and climbs another flight of stairs only to realize he’s lost her trail. He turns around to find Sam and Y/n walking from another entry.
“I lost her,” he informs them.
“This place is a maze,” Sam notes.
“Come on,” Y/n says, pulling them both by their sleeves, guiding them back the way she came.
As they’re running she pulls out her phone, dials a number, and puts it on speaker the moment the call connects, “Junior, track my location. Find me Karli,” she orders.
“It’s an abandoned treatment plant. No cameras,” Harley informs them.
“Heat signatures,” she suggests.
They’re running around aimlessly, checking every room, “Too many,” he replies.
“She’s a super soldier, they run a little hotter than the rest, not by much. But in a small area—”
“Got two,” he informs her. “The one next to you, I’m guessing, is Sergeant Murderbot. The other is two lefts, one steep jump, and three rights to your west.”
“Good job, kid.” She pockets her phone and they take off.
But when they get there all they find is Walker, standing over Zemo’s unconscious body.
Sam asks from where they’re all standing above the staircase. “What did we miss?”