Rectify | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Thirteen

Sunlight wakes me up and I squint my eyes as I sit on the edge of the bed, preparing myself for whatever the day may hold. Hopefully it's less messy than yesterday. My feet hit the cold floor and I go to look in the dresser across the room, under the tv. I find there are different sized shirts and pants in the drawers. I rummage around until I find some black joggers and a dark green long sleeved shirt. I grab the new outfit and take it with me to the en suite.

Thankfully the en suite is stocked with fresh toiletries. I can't say how old the supplies in the bunker were, though I'm willing to bet it was all over ten years old. There's a fresh toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner, along with several other things. I set the clothes down on the counter and take a hot shower, scrubbing away the grime I couldn't get rid of in the bunker. Once I'm out I dry my hair and braid it off to the side before I put my clothes on. I pair my new outfit with the Shield issued boots I got and leave my room to see what I can find for breakfast.

I step out of the elevator and see everyone gathered around the counter, eating from a stack of pancakes that's by the stove. I catch Bucky's eye quickly and avert my gaze. I'll probably have to deal with this today, just not right now. I take a plate with two pancakes and sit next to Natasha. Tony's in the middle of saying something,

"Bruce says he wants some time alone to relax, the whole thing got to him pretty bad." I catch the end of everything he was saying. I hope Bruce is okay, I miss him.

One by one everyone finishes breakfast and walks away until it's only Steve, Bucky, and myself. Feeling like the silence needs to be ended, I decide to ask Steve his version of what happened over the last few days.

"Well, some of them got away, but we got most of them. It's hard saying how long they were infiltrating Shield." Steve answers simply. His answer matches the one Natasha gave me yesterday.

"So this whole situation got me thinking a little bit and I was wondering if you could teach me how to fight? Hitting people with lamps is starting to become a pattern for me and I don't want to get too reliant on them." I ask Steve who looks surprised.

"Uh yeah, sure." I smile at his answer. Bucky frowns a little bit, but stays silent. Steve and I walk out into the yard and I wait for his instruction. I don't know the first thing about fighting, I hope Steve doesn't mind starting from scratch.

He shows me how to stand and how to shift my weight when I land a punch. For him this must be comparable to showing a child how to ride a bike with the training wheels on. I get the hang of throwing punches relatively quickly and Steve starts showing me how to properly kick.

"Now try it all together." Steve says as he backs away from me. Steve is going extremely easy on me, never throwing a real punch or kick, which I am entirely grateful for; I'd probably die if he punched me. I take a quick breath and try to hype myself up before I start going after Steve. I throw a punch to hit his jaw, which he blocks, then shift my weight to land a kick on his torso, which he also blocks.

"I look really stupid right now, don't I?" I ask Steve as I finish putting everything together that he's taught me so far. He shakes his head,

"You're starting out a lot better than I did." I smile a little at the fact Steve is being patient with me and turn to do it all again. I see Bucky watching us off to the side and catch his gaze for a few moments. His blue eyes hold a certain sadness in them, one I haven't seen before. I look away and start the drill over again. I feel guilty for avoiding him, but I don't know what to say just yet.

Steve and I work for the majority of the day until I feel my muscles begin to ache. I stand across from Steve who looks like he's not even a little bit tired, which he probably isn't. I think he might be able to do this all day. I put my hands on my hips and take a deep breath.