Chapter 7
Dean visibly startled at the abrupt change, eyes narrowing as he glared at Sam from the bed. Dean clenched his jaw unwilling to admit that he was intrigued by Bucky Barnes and now thoroughly annoyed by the fact his brother had picked up on it. Bucky had definitely lived a horrible life, one most likely full of holes from having his brain fried so much, if the reports the Black Widow dumped on the internet were to be believed. Dean did believe those reports, wholeheartedly. He had looked into those tormented blue eyes and knew this was a man trying to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and fuse them back together. Dean knew all about that, knew the deep seated desire to shove the broken pieces back together in a way that would make sense of it all. Unfortunately for Dean, he was past that, past trying to fix the broken pieces because most of his pieces weren’t there anymore, they were burnt up and made into smoke by hellfire. The Mark flared, fire licking up Dean’s arm. Dean didn’t want Bucky to burn too.
“What about Bucky? Dude has a metal arm, he patched me up, he’s nice on the eyes. I don’t know what you want from me Sam,” Dean deflected; face flushing as he realized what he said.
“I don’t want anything from you Dean, can’t say the same for Bucky Barnes,” the sly smile that stole across Sam’s face was the last straw as Dean lunged for his brother putting Sam in a headlock.
Sam’s laughter echoed throughout the room as Dean wrestled him onto the ground effectively sitting on his little brother’s back. A giddy smile slipped across Dean’s face accompanied by the rush of warmth he hasn’t felt in far too long. Sam continued to laugh breathlessly as he struggled to flip Dean off. Dean shoved Sam’s face into the carpet one last time before he hopped off his brother although he couldn’t resist slamming Sam back down as the younger man tried to get up. Dean fell back onto the bed, happy, as Sam rolled over and stood up with an affectionate grin on his face and a quiet goodnight as he left Dean with a soft smile.
****
Bucky made his way through the common area in the early hours of the morning. New York’s lights cast a dull glow through the Tower as he stopped short, body tensing as a dark shape shifted in one of the chairs by the windows. The light from the city below caught the broad shoulders and sharp features of Dean as the man turned slightly towards Bucky.
“I read up on you, kind of hard not to when researching SHIELD and the Avengers,” Dean admitted into the silence, his voice soft and Bucky gave him a reassuring smile. He wasn’t surprised; it would have been hard for Dean to not come across any information on him.
“The Winter Soldier, the programming is still there, I can feel it lurking in the back of my mind just waiting to be thawed,” Bucky shivered as he clenched his fists, “I’ve been brainwashed for the past 70 years, conditioned to be the perfect assassin for Hydra. Sam says I’m making progress and I know I am, but I know he’s still in me, a part of me that’s not going to go away.”
“So you assimilate him,” Dean stated, green eyes focused on Bucky.
“How? He views almost everyone as a threat and was created to take Hydras orders, to not think for himself or myself, the perfect soldier,” Bucky sighed as his shoulders dropped not missing the way Dean’s eyes flashed with pain.
“Almost everyone?” Dean’s voice was quiet, curious.
“So far Steve’s the only one who can bring me back and even then it usually takes a brawl,” Bucky hesitated and shook his head, eyes catching Dean’s steady green ones. Bucky watched Dean’s eyes narrow; the hunter clearly picking up on the fact Bucky was hiding something.
“So start with Steve. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to help you,” Dean shrugged as he casually leaned back against the chair. Bucky wasn’t fooled; he knew Dean was still curious about what he was hiding. However, Bucky was just beginning to understand himself and he wasn’t entirely sure how Dean would react to the information.
They sat in silence for some time as the city lights danced across Dean’s face and Bucky watched the hunter watch him. Months ago Bucky would have felt like ripping his skin off if someone other than Steve watched him this closely. Hell, Bucky still felt like it sometimes. Yet, here he was sitting in the dark with Dean Winchester a man who he knows next to nothing about except that he’s dangerous. Dangerous and beautiful.
“What if I’m worse than what we’re going up against?” Dean’s voice was gruff as the question cracked the silence.
“Hydra takes people, experiments on them and forces them to commit atrocities all in the name of some delusional ideology to cleanse the world. How could you possibly be worse than that?” Bucky studied the man in front of him; he saw the guilt that haunted Dean’s eyes, the weight that bore down on his shoulders.
“Yeah, well, they’re still human,” Dean rubbed his face, eyes exhausted as he warred with himself. Bucky wondered how many times Dean has had this argument with himself, with his brother.
“Which makes it worse. They don’t have an excuse,” Bucky grit his teeth as the gears in his arm whirred.
Bucky heard Dean shift in his chair. He looked up in time to see the hunter’s eyes filled with gratitude before soft lips were pressed against his. Bucky froze, the Winter Soldier froze, and it seemed as if the entire world was at a standstill. Dean drew away slightly and Bucky leaned forward to follow the man’s lips, catching them softly. The cold shattered and Bucky was engulfed in flames as he and Dean moved against each other. Bucky withdrew after the quiet, heated moment and looked at Dean. Dean whose face was relaxed with a slight cocksure grin that made Bucky want to pin the man down. Bucky leaned back and gave Dean an inquiring look which made the hunter pause.
“So, Sam doesn’t have a problem with you being attracted to men?” Bucky’s voice was low and unsure. He knew times were different now than they were in the forties, but Bucky knew there were still people who weren’t accepting.
“He’s slept with a demon and a werewolf. Trust me, in our line of work being attracted to the opposite gender is the least of our worries,” Dean snorted out a laugh.
“So have you slept with a supernatural creature?” Bucky’s interest was piqued and he felt reassured by Dean’s nonchalance.
“An Amazon, although I didn’t know it at the time, we had a daughter who tried to kill me and Sam ended up killing her. Also, does a fallen angel count?” Dean smirked at Bucky’s stunned expression.
Dean chuckled as the man leaned forward and kissed Bucky again effectively wiping the stunned expression of his face. Heat suffused Bucky’s body again as he cupped the back of Dean’s neck, fingers sliding through the short silky strands of hair. Bucky sighed reluctantly into Dean’s mouth before pulling away slightly still breathing the same damp air as the hunter. Bucky looked up slightly to meet Dean’s eyes the green dark in the subtle light of the city below them. For the first time since Steve had found him Bucky felt warm, he felt whole and melted together in the presence of this man. Bucky sighed, they needed to get back to their rooms and catch whatever bit of sleep they could before the mission, but Bucky didn’t want to leave. He and Dean met in the middle as they moved for one last soft kiss, fingers intertwined for a brief moment before Bucky watched Dean step away and head back to the elevator.
****
The scythe was located in the dead center of the compound. Dean, Sam, and Bucky were situated behind a cluster of trees to the north of the complex which was backed up against a ridge. Sam and Stark would be providing aerial support while Steve, Natasha, and Clint attacked from the south and provided a distraction. Dean shifted on his feet and felt the cool metal of his gun nestled against his lower back. The Mark was thrumming against his skin and Dean fought the bloody haze that crept at the edges of his vision. Sam was not helping as he continued to cast Dean worried looks. The cold metal hand which gripped Dean’s arm directly over the Mark brought Dean’s head up and calmed his breathing. Dean didn’t even realize he had closed his eyes or that his breath was coming out in harsh pants. Bucky’s calm blue eyes were as cold as the terrain surrounding the men and Dean felt himself stabilize as he looked into their depths, the hunger of the Mark fading away for the moment.
An explosion sounded to the south, smoke rising as Stark flew overhead and sirens began to wail. Dean nodded to Bucky and Sam as they quickly made their way towards the maintenance door they had been watching. Dean could hear the shouts of the Hydra agents as they tried to defend the base against the assault of the Avengers. Stark flew overhead again, repulsors blasting the agents as he set about destroying the compound. Dean scanned their surroundings one last time as Bucky ripped the handle off the door as he hauled it off the hinges. They entered a dark hallway and Bucky alerted the team that they were in.
Dean’s blood was pumping, his senses screaming as they made their way through the complex guided by Stark’s AI and Coulson in Bucky’s ear. So far the three of them hadn’t encountered any Hydra agents and Dean knew he wasn’t the only one who found that strange. He could still hear the sounds of battle as they made their way deeper into the base and Dean ached to be out there fighting, but he had a mission and Dean knew his desire to fight, to kill, was because of the Mark. Dean glanced at Bucky as they came to a set of reinforced steel double doors with what looked like a complex keypad on the wall.
“JARVIS says the majority of the energy output is coming from behind this door,” Bucky whispered and Dean nodded. That’s where Death’s scythe would be then and they just needed a way in.
Dean shouldn’t have worried and he should have known how they were going to get in if the previous door was any indication. Bucky abruptly punched the keypad, ignoring the sparks that flew as metal connected with metal. A low hiss sounded and Dean looked towards the door to see that it wasn’t open. That didn’t deter Bucky as the soldier analyzed the seam down the middle before thrusting his metal hand in and wrenching the doors apart, muscles straining. Dean’s jaw was slack as he watched the impressive display.
“Uhh, that works,” Sam mumbled as Dean met his brother’s wide eyes. They quickly hustled through the destroyed doors as an alarm sounded through the hallway.
They came to a stop on a metal walkway which circled the entire room and over looked an array of scientific machinery. People, Hydra scientists, in lab coats were staring up at them with varying degrees of annoyance on their faces. There was a man in the middle and Dean almost snorted as he turned towards them and revealed a clean shaven face with a monocle. Recognition flashed across monocle man’s face as he looked at Bucky. A slow, satisfied smile crept over the man’s features and Dean did not like it, the Mark humming back to life as it picked up Dean’s thoughts.
“Welcome back Soldier. I knew it wouldn’t be long before you came home,” the man’s smoothly accented voice grated on Dean’s nerves as he clenched his jaw, blood rushing and fire licking up his arm.
“Creepy much man? I mean as if the monocle wasn’t enough, we get it your evil,” Dean couldn’t help but chuckle even as the man drew his weapon.
“I am Baron Von Strucker and I didn’t know the Avengers were taking on interns. They could have at least outfitted you better,” the Baron’s cool voice was amused even as he kept his eyes trained on Bucky.
Dean snorted and rolled his eyes as Sam shifted his stance and Dean glanced over at his brother noticing the protective posture was directed towards Bucky. Bucky, who was pale as the snow covering this frozen wasteland. Dean reached out and gripped the soldier’s arm, his warm palm bringing Bucky out of his stupor as he glared at the man below them. The smile dropped off the man’s face and he made a quick hand gesture, the doors behind him opening moments later. Six Hydra soldiers spilled through the door as Dean, Sam, and Bucky raised their guns firing off quick shots as they moved for cover. Dean could hear the man with the monocle shouting orders as Dean followed Sam to the metal staircase and Bucky covered them. Dean and Sam reached the main floor diving behind one of the machines as bullets ricocheted. Bucky was next to them moments later, a cool sheen of sweat on his face and Dean did not like the tense line of his mouth.
“I must admit I am curious as to why you are here. I know destroying Hydra bases is a favorite past time of your Captain America, but I figured that’s all this would be and then you three come in with such determination. I wonder why that is?” Von Strucker’s voice echoed through the room as the Hydra agents stopped firing.
Bucky stepped around Dean and fired six quick shots before smoothly turning back; Dean heard six solid thumps hit the concrete ground moments later. Bucky nodded to Dean, eyes cold and remote before he moved out from behind the machine and faced Strucker. Dean and Sam quickly followed as they flanked the soldier.
“SHIELD heard about our little project I take it,” Von Strucker eyed them contemplatively as the remaining scientists emerged from cover. Dean blinked in disbelief as the Hydra scientists went back to analyzing data and performing tests. Dean snorted; these bastards were dedicated to a lost cause.
“You got that right and that’s exactly why SHIELD sent us. Now, move and no one gets hurt while we just take that out of your hands,” Sam stated as he indicated to the scythe in the center of the room.
“Oh, people are going to get hurt,” Von Strucker’s smile was malicious as he began to recite a list of words in what sounded like Russian.
Dean exchanged a confused look with Sam before turning to Bucky. Bucky who was standing frozen, his blue eyes wide with shock as fine tremors coursed through his body. Conditioned for 70 years. Dean’s body tensed as he smoothly stepped in front of Bucky, subconsciously blocking Sam. Dean stared at Bucky’s impassive face, smooth and cold as marble with startling blue eyes. The Winter Soldier, not Bucky. Dean felt his stomach drop as cold dread filled his bones. Icy blue eyes rose to meet Dean’s green ones and he felt the Mark spark to life, heat fissuring out and crawling up his arm. Dean was dimly aware of Von Strucker spitting something out in Russian and the Winter Soldier answered. Dean watched Bucky’s lips move and curl around the words of the foreign language before the soldier’s focus strayed to Sam.
“Don’t you even think about going after my brother,” Dean snarled, arm throbbing as heat flared through his body and the world started to bleed red.