Chapter 5
“When somebody loved me
everything was beautiful
every hour we spent together
lives within my heart
Now those precious moments
we carved in stone
are memories after all"
Steve knocks out the third man, or whatever putting a man in a choke-hold until he quietly passes out is called.
“You know I could’ve grabbed some tranq darts and used those instead of you giving these men possible brain damage?” Clint suggests.
“Does it really matter?” Steve asks as he lowers the man to the floor.
“Guess not. Look at Captain America getting more ruthless.” Clint grins.
“Yeah, yeah.” But wasn’t he always?
“Did we ever talk about how weird it is that this happened here?” Clint asks, fixing the tip of one of his unused arrows.
“Huh?”
“I mean...are you sure it’s not something that’s supposed to happen? Something that Barnes agreed to?” Clint asks.
“What are you saying?”
“It’s just that I know how protective you are of him-” Clint give him a oh-god-please-don't-punch-me look.
“If you saw what I saw you’d know.” Steve interrupts. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about I barely know the guy.”
Clint starts to laugh and Steve looks at him puzzled.
Clint squints his eyes in confusion. “Wait wh-”
Steve quickly shush’s Clint as a noise is heard.
“Shit I thought we got all of them,” Steve whispers.
“Did you miscount?”
“No. There must just be more. Quick go hide.” Steve points away from him.
“Sure let me just find a bookshelf to perch myself on top of oh wait-” Steve shushs him again as the noise comes closer. It’s someone talking.
“Where is everyone?” The voice says and Steve can see the reflection of the phone to his ear from the tiny portion of light that was their guide. “No he’s still in the chair. He’s not going anywhere. He’s pretty out of it still. He’s alone yes I just lef- Go back? Yes sir.” Steve waits for him to clearly end the phone call. Didn’t need the person on the other line becoming suspicious when Steve would have to imitate the man’s voice to quickly hang up.
Steve does the same move he’s done on the others much to Clint’s dismay.
“I’m just saying. Tranq darts”
Steve ignores him and walks to where the man that was now on the floor came from. “Here it’s this way.”
They find their way back to the surgical doors Steve was by hours earlier.
“Lets be sure this time no one is left.” Clint says.
“Do you hear something?” Steve asks.
They press their ears to the door, opening it a little.
“Barnes. James Barnes. James-James Buchanan Barnes. James Buchanan Barnes.” Steve hears the man repeating over and over.
“Is he trying to remember himself?” Steve asks.
“Grounding tactic.” Clint says and Steve doesn’t ask why he knows.
“See anyone?”
Clint shakes his head.
“Alright. I’ll open the door you check the area I’ll go straight for James.”
“James?-”
“Ready?”
Clint just nods his head and puts an arrow in his bow. “Ready.”
Steve counts off to three as he throws the door open. Clint heads out first and checks the entire room.
Steve runs to the man slumped in the device. He quickly undoes the straps best to his ability finally going for the knife on his belt to cut the ties.
He hears the man gasp, feels him shaking under is touch.
“Hey, hey it’s okay.” Steve says. “It’s me.”
“Steve?”
“Yeah.”
“You-you know me?” Bucky asks.
“Of course” Steve smiles sadly but Bucky’s eyes glow in hopefulness.
“You do?”
“Yeah,” Steve nods, still smiling reassuring now. “We met a week ago. Do you remember?”
Bucky’s eyes go dark in sorrow once again and he doesn’t answer.
“You’re going to be okay,” Steve says as Clint comes over.
“No one here. We should get going. Can he walk?”
Bucky nods but despite his answer Steve still helps him. Knowing they can’t exactly go back the way they came, as Clint mentions tranq guns again, they decide to find another way out. With luck on their side it ends up being quicker than the way in.
They’re in Steve’s car before they realize they didn’t exactly make a plan on where to go.
“What about your place?” Clint asks.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea h-”
“You’re right it’s probably bugged." Clint interrupts "Shit.” They can’t stay here. The men will wake up soon and be looking for them.
“Just start driving,” Clint says. “I’ll tell you were to go.”
30 minutes later, after a lot of sharp turns, they find themselves in front of an apartment complex on a mostly abandoned road.
“What is this place?” Steve asks.
“You never saw this.” Clint warns. “I mean...after we get this figured out and you guys are safe again...you NEVER saw this.”
“Wiping it from my memory as we speak,” Steve jokes.
They walk up 3 flights of stairs and make a left as Clint pulls out his keys. They stop at the last door on the end. Bucky leans against the wall, it barely keeping him up. His eyes fight to stay open.
“Come on,” Steve says to him when Clint gets the door open. Steve grabs him by the upper arm directing him inside.
“Bedroom’s back that way,” Clint points throwing the keys on the counter. Steve takes Bucky there and is back in a second, much to Clint’s surprise.
“He’s safe here?” Steve asks.
“Yeah. No one knows about this place except me...and- well- now you two.” Clint riffles through the drawers in the kitchen.
“I’m going to head to the store, pick up some things,” Steve says.
Clint nods and closes the drawer finding what he was looking for. “Spare key,” he says, throwing them to Steve. “You hand it over when we’re done,” He orders, pointing at Steve.
“Got it.”
“And be fast. Gotta meet with Tony in about an hour an half.”
“You his 5 O’clock?”
“Mhmm," Clint says, flipping on the TV and clicking the mute button.
“Mind if I join?" Steve asks. "We kinda have some shit to talk about.”
Clint laughs. “Of course. Just let me get there first? Give him a debriefing before you storm in.”
Steve rolls his eyes.
“I’ll keep an eye on your boy while you’re gone.”
Steve’s about to say he’s not my boy but Clint doesn’t know of the weirdness between them yet. It’s mostly why Steve wants to get out. It’s not like he really knows what James likes to eat.
Steve comes back in 45 minutes, bags in tow.
“How’s he doing?” Steve asks and nods his head towards the bedroom door.
“Seems fine,” Clint says. “A little out of it but doesn’t look like they were able to take anything. Looks like we came just in time.”
“Say anything?” Steve asks putting away what was in the grocery bags.
“Not really. Called for you a few times. Said to tell you he’s sorry. Whatever that means.”
Steve shrugs.
“Okay well I’m going to head back. Forgot my car there so I’m borrowing neighbors. You might have to remind me I took it.”
Clint grabs his keys. “See you in a few.”
“Yeah I’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay. Oh and Steve?”
“Huh?”
“I can’t believe I’m giving you advice on this but...comfort him a little? Maybe?”
Steve squints his eyes but then nods. “He’s been through a lot, huh?”
“You can say that.” Clint closes the door behind him.
“Steve…?” Bucky calls out seconds later. Steve turns to him as Bucky walks over to him. Steve keeps his distance. “I need...I need you to listen to me okay?” Buckys eyes are already begging.
“Okay…?” Steve says unsure.
“I remember.”
Steve sighs. That’s good. They can finally go about their lives.
“I remember what happened the week before I saw you with that man.”
“James.”
“Give me time I could probably even remember why he was there.”
“He was there because he’s my fucking boyfriend!”
“No he’s not I-
“If you say you are I swear.”
“I am!”
“Your head is just scrambled from that machine”
“Machine didn’t do shit if anything it unscrambled what my mind was”
“This is ridiculous”
“Ask Tony! Tony knows me! Tony knows you He knows us! Ask him.”
You need to stop this!” Steve yells. “I don’t know what those men had to do with you but I will find out! But this” Steve points between them. “You and me? This has to stop.”
“Steve just listen-”
“No that’s enough J.. James. Please.”
“Just let me tell you what happened and you’ll understand.”
Steve looks down, swallows, and shakes his head. “I have to meet with Tony. Or more like yell at Tony for whatever shit is being pulled. Just-” He looks at James again. “Just stay here please and forget...forget me if that’s what will help you with this shit. As soon as we figure out what’s going on and why I’ll be out of your life and you can go on.”
“N-no.” Bucky shakes his head and makes a grab for Steve but Steve holds his hand up and moves to the door.
“I’m sorry.” Steve says, hand on the handle. “I truly am for what they did to you and for however long they were doing it. I’m going to help the best I can but I really am done.”
“Steve-” Bucky says one last time before the door closes off any connection they had.
The drive back to the office seems longer as Steve can’t stop thinking about the man in the apartment and the memories he claims to have. Maybe when this is all over he’ll help him look for his Steve...if he’s even real. It’s not like Steve owes him, if anything he’s the one being owed a few favors but there’s something about James, the desperation in his eyes, that won’t stop haunting Steve.