Shattered Thoughts : Book Two (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier)

Chapter 5

   Agent Coulson had sent everyone home, while he decided what to do with Willow's information. Steve had come over for dinner at Willow and Bucky's apartment,  Willow had made spaghetti. Everyone ate in complete silence, picking at their food.

 Willow could sense the tension in the room, and decided to break the silence, "Eat the Spaghetti to forgetti your regretti."

 Bucky laughed, choking on his water, "You did not just make that joke."

"Yes, yes I did."

 There was a knock at the door, standing up, Bucky opened it.  A man was standing there, holding the newspaper, Bucky had subscribed to their local news. Thanking the man, he brought the paper inside. But he froze when he started reading, and his face clouded with fury. 

 "Buck, what's wrong? More crap on the Winter Soldier?" Willow asked gently. 

 Bucky threw the newspaper down onto the table, and Steve craned his head to read the headline, 'IS CAPTAIN AMERICA SECRETLY A HYDRA AGENT?'

 "Are you freaking kidding me? This is such a load of bullshi-"

"Language Buck," Steve cut him off.

 But Bucky was outraged, he looked like he was going to punch through a wall. The grip of his metal hand was starting to splinter the wood of a chair. "I'm going to find this guy and throw him in front of a bus."

"Bucky, take a breath," Steve said trying to calm his friend down.

 Willow grabbed the newspaper, her eyes scanning over it quickly. "Sources suggest that the mighty Captain America has been working for HYDRA this whole time! An eyewitness has spotted Captain America at a HYDRA base. Bucky's right, let's kill this guy!"

 "Let me see," Steve said patiently, holding out his hand for the paper. Willow handed it to him, all the while bristling with rage.

  Steve read through it calmly, then sighed. "I thought we caught the agent with the mask of my face."

"We did, Bucky may or may not have snapped his neck."

"It doesn't matter, not really," Steve said.

 "How does this not matter? This is insane! I don't care what they say about me, but they can't do this to you Steve!" The force of Bucky's hand finally splintered the chair. "You're Captain America, you've sacrificed yourself for this country countless times!"

  Willow picked up where Bucky left off, "You have saved the world more times than we can count. I'm going to find this moron and he'll spend the rest of his life thinking he's a seven year old girl."

 "You two need to calm down."

"This is blasphemy!," Bucky flipped what remained of the chair over, "Why isn't this bothering you?"

  Willow winced slightly when Bucky flipped the chair, but it was obvious to Steve that she was used to his outbursts.

 "It doesn't matter what the papers say about me, the people I've saved know what I did. And the people who are really my friends, they know it's a lie. As long as I've got you guys on my side, I don't care what the papers say. I'll keep doing whats right."

 "Really? Because it sounds to me like the Winter Soldier may have another target," Bucky growled. 

"Amen," Willow said.

  "How could they think that you would stand by and let HYDRA brainwash me," Bucky's voice broke.

"See what I mean? My real friends know the truth. The people who's lives I've saved know I'm not HYDRA.  I'll die doing what's right, I don't care what anyone else says. Now calm down both of you, doing something rash will only add fuel to their fire. Bucky, Willow, promise me you won't do anything."

 They were both obviously still seething with rage, but they nodded. 

"Good, now let's focus on the real problem. What are we going to do with Loki?"