Past
It's been a few days since the little girl was placed in The Winter Soldiers care.
The room is quiet.
A storm blows in, gently sending a cold breeze through a crack in the small window.
Gradually the storm worsens and so does Number Nine's anxiety.
Wanting some time to think, the Winter Soldier wanders into his bath room to shower.
Number Nine shakes in fear as the door closes. She'd grown to feel safe with the man in the room, even if they didn't talk or look at each other. He was a comfort. He never hurts her or yells which is very different than what the officers do. Number Nine doesn't like storms. Not at all. They're scary and bad things happen during storms. Doctors usually come in to do tests on her during storms.
The Winter Soldier sighs as he looks at his wet reflection in the mirror. He just finished showering.
Thunder grumbles, sending a whip like sound tumbling through the air. A cry of fear snaps his attention away from the mirror. The hanging light above the soldier flickers before going out, plummeting the man into darkness. The cry grows louder and the Winter Soldier hurries out of the run down room. Barely able to see, the soldier stumbles towards the sound.
Number Nine jumps at the sound of heavy footsteps, her mind snapping to doctors. Her heart races and she cries while shoving her head into her dirty arms out of fright.
The Winter Soldier stops a few feet from the bed corner where Number Nine is.
Number Nine slowly looks up at the man in front of her, expecting it to be a doctor. Once she realizes it's the soldier, she scoots towards him quickly.
The Winter Soldier is taken by surprise when Number Nine's small arms are thrown around his waist. Not sure what to do, he gently pats Number Nine's back. " Um...you're...okay? " He mostly asks. For a few moments, the soldier tries calming her down. Number Nine's crying soften slightly over the minutes. Her breathing harshens and the Winter Soldier slowly understands what's going on.
She's having an anxiety attack.
The Winter Soldier pulls away from the girl, kneeling down in front of her, trying to think of how to get her back to normal.
Number Nine reaches for her only source of comfort: The Winter Soldier. She clings to him tightly. Lightning crackles and Number Nine squeaks.
" Calm down, uh, please? " The Winter Soldier sighs as he remembers she might not understand him. He pulls away again and gestures for her to copy his actions. He takes a deep breath and after a few moments, she copies him.
Slowly Number Nine calms down. She takes another deep breath before leaning into the nice man. She gently places her head where his heart is, closing her eyes and hiccuping softly before calling asleep.