Mosaic (Bucky Barnes X OC / Winter Soldier x OC)

Chapter 31: Bucky Barnes - Goldilocks (Part III)

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Carefully I plucked the now empty dart from her neck. A drop of blood welled up from the tiny hole in her skin.

I should leave.

I shouldn't be here.

She needed to be safe.

But I couldn't let her go.

I held her closer.

Barely remembered not to put pressure on her injuries.

"I'm sorry, Valeriy," I mumbled into the top of her head. "I'm so sorry."

"Can't say I can find any fault with what happened. You stopped her from doing something she shouldn't, which was the whole point of this little... exercise. I didn't think you had it in you. Congratulations on proving me wrong, Mr. Barnes. You got what you wanted. I'll have the weaponry you requested gathered and delivered."

It didn't feel like it.

I didn't want this.

To know I could hurt somebody who –

A wet nose bumped into my cheek. Sniffing. A slobbering tongue raked up my face. A soft yip of a bark sounded right at my ear.

"Ixie...."

She nudged her head against mine. The force behind her almost pushing me over.

A sigh sounded from the speakers, and then a pulse echoed out of all of them. Filling the entire room. Drowned out my own thundering at my ears. Pulsing in time with Valeriy's. So loud I could barely hear anything else. Not Ixie's bark. Not her words.

"She's alive, Mr. Barnes. Her vitals are fine. Her readouts are looking better. No longer stressed and scared. They've been calming down since she took hold of the gun."

Graphs popped up on the windows. Some moved down slowly. Some stayed still.

Cortisol. Oxytocin.

"She needs the rest. The chances of her microsleeping were high for tomorrow's supply pickup.... She'd never find her way of out the tunnels if it happens during that mess.... You didn't kill her. You actually saved her in the long run."

"Did you know?" I growled out, unwilling to let go of Valeriy.

The heartbeat lowered in volume.

"Apologies. I missed that. I haven't mastered gritted teeth lip reading."

"Did you know she was going to shoot herself!?!"

"Can't say I'm particularly surprised. This has crossed my mind when she offered to... manipulate you into darting her, but we only talked about how manipulating you would make the whole thing moot. Seemed she found a way around it.

"If it makes you feel any better, she had faith that you'd stop her before shot herself. The usual uptick of cortisol when she knows she's about to do something painful wasn't there, even though, knowing her, she had every intention of following through."

"It doesn't."

I don't feel any better.

Even if my heart rate slowed from the panic. The sound of hers forced mine to slow. Couldn't hear the fear in it. Only a steady beat.

"...I could have killed her."

"As much as I've hoped you'd have proved me right to her, you haven't. You have about eight much deadlier options to use hidden on you and you picked the dart revolver instead. Besides, if you meant to kill Val, those two would have torn you to shreds as they're supposed to."