The Soldier and the Wolf

Chapter 28

     "Wake up." I squinted my eyes open and saw that Bucky was sitting on the bed next to me. He was in his red shirt and jeans, and his sleeves her pulled up just below his elbows. I yawned and sat up in bed. I looked around and remembered that we were in a motel. Bucky was staring at me and I smiled sleepily.

     "Hey. I see you're all ready to go."  I stretched in bed and pulled back to covers.

     "Yeah, you passed out right when you got out of the shower, and you looked relaxed and I thought you deserved some decent sleep in a decent bed." When Bucky mentioned the bed, I automatically remembered something from last night.

       "How did you like the bed? Was it nice for a change?" Bucky nodded and sat up front when bed.

       "Yeah, yeah it was comfortable." Bucky smiled a bit and I smiled back, but when he turned his back to me, I relaxed my face. Last night, I woke up for a very short bit, and I noticed that Bucky was sleeping in the bed. I lifted my head off the pillow and looked around, nervous he abandoned me, but I saw him sleeping on the armchair. He had his head resting on his right hand, which was resting on the armrest. He didn't sleep in the bed at all. I mean...I understand that he probably wouldn't be comfortable in it since he hasn't slept on something this soft before, but he didn't have to lie about it. But I wasn't going to confront him about it. It wasn't  a problem or anything like that. He had his own preference as uncomfortable as they seemed. But I just wish he tried to normalize some things like sleeping in beds.

      "Well, I'm glad you were able to get some sleep." I pulled back the sheets and and sat on the edge of the bed. I looked at the clock and saw that Steve was going to be coming by soon. "I'd say I should get ready, but I'm already kinda wearing my clothes." I leaned over the bed and grabbed my shoes on the ground. I rested on foot on my leg and put on my shoes than did the same with the other.

         "Today's...gonna be a long day." Bucky was lifting up the curtains and looking through the window.

         "Yup." I agreed. "Gonna fight some crazed super soldiers. I can't believe there are more. I always though it was just Steve, but then you came along, and then there's me, and now five or six more? How much more are there?" I was partly talking to Bucky, partly talking to myself. I looked up at Bucky after putting on my other shoe, and he continued to look out the window.

        "There's a lot more than you think." Bucky mumbled. He was watching the outside intently, as if someone was gonna come and attack us, and he had a serious look on his face. But there was something else as well. He looked scared.

       "Hey," I stood up and walked over to Bucky. I put a hand in his shoulder and patted it comfortingly. "Steve gathered a few of his Avenger friends and we aren't gonna let that doctor release those super soldiers. It'll be fine." Bucky continued to stare out into the parking lot, keeping a straight face.

"There's something else...that is connected to the reason there are super soldiers in Siberia in the first place." Bucky's voice was really shaky, and he was clenching and unclenching his fist. I looked up at him, and I could tell that he was scared. "To get...to get the serum...I had to..." he was shaking so much, and I didn't like to see him look so broken.

"Hey, whatever you had to do, that doesn't matter. Not to me at least. What matter is that we stop that guy from getting to Siberia. Then after, we'll find a way to get back off the grid again...possibly?"

"I feel like that may be a little harder to do this time around." We watched through the he curtains as Steve and Sam walked out of their motel room and to the lobby to return the keys.