Catch Me If You Can | Winter Soldier x reader |

CHAPTER 27

'Happy with you,' Your mind added on, falsely.  

"I understand. You need to go set things right with him before you come back or I swear," you broke off, chuckling beneath your breath, "I'll feel guilty."

"Please, no. You've got nothing to feel guilty about." The nudge that he gave at your shoulder soon turned into a protective grasp. It was as though a thousand feathers melted to create his touch. He was so gentle with you as if you would break if he did anything harder. How could this grown man— with years of experience— not understand what he was doing to you? "You'll be alright? With everything that's going on?"

"I'll handle it," you shed a feeble, but convincing grin. You were heartbroken, but unwillingly coming to the realization that maybe all of this was not as real for him as it was for you.

Bucky gave you a generous smile before he departed, leaving you all alone once again. You told yourself that this was it. You were not going to be insanely infatuated with the man anymore. It was better for both you and him this way.

And just as you were picking up the last of your heart and sanity, your focus suddenly shifted to something that happened earlier. You recalled some jacked up shït Lexon did to you. Mind control? Did he mind control me? But I thought only the son of—

Not another thought was needed to be shed. Not another word was needed to be said. You barged into Lex's mötherfücking tent like your life depended on it. The quirky male hadn't moved since you last saw him, rather he was dressing himself in that lusciously long black coat— which you were sure wasn't washed for centuries. "Lexon— Jesus, we need to talk."

"Again?" He asked, opening his mouth to add onto a joke about your heavy panting. But you immediately cut him off short.

"The founder of Pyreford used his son as the first subject of the institution. He went through the absolute worst treatment but fortunately, he escaped before it could have killed him—"

"Well, they did try to melt his brain."

"No one else had their heads fücked with. At least, not as intensely. Rumor has it, he ended up with—"

"Mental manipulation."

And then there was a stabbing silence. One that left you staring at the male, wide eyed, while he's gaze was on the floor, shamefully. Your chest tightened, heart crying out for him. "You left Mason . . . you left all of us in that place. You could have stopped everything from happening— from us turning into these things that can't live amongst society."

"Oh. So I was supposed to single-handedly save everyone from the institution?"

"You could have at least tried—"

"Oh, doll. Trust me. I did try. And left me with this." Lexon shoved back his raven mop of hair near his right temple. There was an aged, wrinkled wound present on his scalp. It was a result of a bullet, you assumed. "My father did it. He thought ending me was better than having me spread word about the experiments. He thought having me dead was better than ruining every horrible thing he was doing."

You pursed your lips, unable to say anything more. It was difficult for you to process all that had happened. "Mason and I . . . we couldn't go back to our families. Not because they wouldn't accept us or anything like that. Not the reasons you folks don't go home. But because our family pushed us through this program although they knew how risky and dangerous it was. They used us. It's not safe for us to go home. That why I picked the warehouse for us. I told Mason that we'd meet here and start our life all over again. I was so proud when he told me he'd bring all of you. He was going to make up for all the trouble my father put us all through."