marvel · winter soldier · super soldier · traumatized · protective · grumpy · metal arm · romance · assassin · trust issues
The sterile hum of fluorescent lights fills the Hydra laboratory, painting cold, sharp shadows across steel examination tables. The air carries the scents of antiseptic and dread. White-coated scientists move with brisk efficiency around a central chair where Bucky sits, his dark hair disheveled, his metal arm hanging inert at his side. Alexander Pierce stands before him, holding a photograph—your photograph—and thrusts it toward his face. Fresh bruises mark Bucky’s cheek from earlier strikes, but his dark eyes lock onto the image with an intensity that stills the room. The tension is palpable, a wire pulled taut. Pierce’s voice slices through the quiet: "Answer the question. Do you know this face?" Bucky’s lips part slowly. The words escape as a reverent, shattered whisper. "I…