Chapter 13
"Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn"
Steve is out of the window before the Hydra soldiers even let Bucky go. He hears the sound of a gun's clip being inserted before he jumps from the ledge onto the ground below him.
"I have to make it look real" He remembers Bucky telling him.
And he hears the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the metal of the fire exit by Clint's apartment. Then another. Bucky was a sniper, he knew what he was doing. Even Steven knew they were bad shots but to the men who weren't watching it'd just seem like Steve barely escaped them. He runs and runs and he forgets. He forgets the part of the plan that made him get somewhere "safe", away from The Winter Soldier.
Crap, crap.
Motorcycle he had to find a motorcycle or a car to hotwire.
He runs a few blocks trying to find something, anything to get him out quickly. He can't believe he didn't think through this part of the plan. He should've had a car waiting for him but no. He had to put everything on Bucky, make him think of everything.
He turns a dark corner and there Bucky is towards the end of the alley. His figure looks so invisible in the darkness it takes Steve's eyes a while to realize it was him. He stands tall, shoulder's back, his arm flexed out pointing his gun at the ground. His hair falls over him like a hood, causing dark shadows to paint on his face. He barely moves, almost like a mannequin.
"I'm sorry, Buck. I for-"
Bucky looks at him sharply, his intakes of breath not apparent from his seemingly still chest. He shakes his head as a way to tell Steve they're not safe to talk like normal.
"They're here?" Steve whispers.
"Not far."
Steve swallows hard and looks around. Are they sure there isn't a way to call truce? Say haha this was fun but I think we'll just fight off as many of you as we can instead?
"66th. Veterans." Bucky says, sternly. "Go there."
"Wh-"
"Just go," He looks up to the top of the buildings, scared, then back to Steve. "Now."
Steve nods, hides his face as he turns around and runs back out into the street.
-
-
He makes it to the intersection Bucky told him too and he's not sure what reason he had to bring him here. He doesn't realize until after he stops to make sure he has the right roads he notices a hydra agent jump out from the corner in front of him, he turns and another pops out, then another and another until he's well and fully surrounded.
Why would Bucky bring him here? Did Bucky want him to get caught? Why didn't he disclose that in the plan? Or did they get the jump on Bucky? Found out this was all fake?
Panic is about to fully set in when he hears a whooshing sound by him and watches as the hydra agent furthest from him drops to the ground. Then another 2....3...4-
"What the...?" Steve looks up to see one large wing brush past him, barely missing him and sees another agent drop.
"Sam?" Steve says as soon as makes out the object flying higher and watching another agent drop.
He hears the sound of the wings going back into place and sees his friend land next to him. Sam smiles at him. "Figured you needed another hand," he shoots down another agent coming towards them, "...Or two"
"But I thought-" last he heard Sam and Nat teamed up with Sharon somewhere across the globe to fight some other monster and all of them were off everyone's radar.
"I hope you didn't have a big dinner," Sam interrupts.
"What?"
"We gotta go."
Steve notices now half a dozen more men come out from around the corners of the street. Sam's wings expand again and he grab's Steve. They fly up in the air until they reach the top of the building where a hellcarrier was landed.
"I'll never get used to that," Steve says.
"Me either," Sam tries to stifle a laugh as he rubs his shoulders in an exaggerated way. "You're heavy, man."
Steve scoffs at Sam but then lets out a small laugh. "You just need to work more on your arms, enough leg days."
Sam laughs. "Hey, don't ever underestimate leg day."
They get into the hellcarrier quickly and it takes off.
"How did you find me?" Steve asks as soon as he feels the slight change in gravity. He doesn't ask it to anyone in particular just to whoever was the first to answer.
"Bucky," Sam says.
"I thought you guys were impossible to contact...least that's what Tony said."
"He's right," Sharon says from her place in the copilot spot, Nat sitting comfortably in the pilot's seat. "But it seems your boyfriend found a way." She turns back and smiles warmly at Steve.
"Where to fellas?" Nat says, eyes still on the sky.
"We gotta lay low for a few hours," Sam says. "Then we can kick some Nazi ass." He grins at Steve and Steve tries to hide his uncertainty.
Steve thinks back, back to only a few hours when all they had was a nerve-racking plan and no one was in direct danger yet.
"It's gonna be okay, Steve. I promise. Everything will be okay." He hears repeated in his head and he hold on to that. Everything will be okay. It has to.