Chapter Text
Steve’s phone vibrated and played the familiar ringtone. Natasha’s name, as well as a quite flattering picture of her, showed on the screen --she was the one who chose the picture, and Steve was too lazy to switch it, not that he minded the picture.
“Yes?”
“Did you hear?” she asked, sounding far more eager than he was used to.
“Hear what?”
“About your friend Bucky, they’ve got him, S.H.I.E.L.D’s got him.” For a brief moment Steve froze as he hadn’t expected to hear anything about Bucky. “I thought you might want to know as you were so close to him before.”
“Thank you, I owe you one.”
“Yes you do,” she replied smugly. Hanging up, Steve scrambled to his feet and left his apartment, determined to reach S.H.I.E.L.D. as quickly as humanly possible.
It wasn’t easy finding out where Bucky was being held, and even harder to be allowed to see him. The ones guarding him said Steve wasn’t authorised to to see the prisoner, and that he had to see the ones in charge if he had any issues. Having plenty of inquiries, Steve went to find their closest commanders who had the power to grant him access to his friend. However, they were not pleased with Steve’s presence and said things about the prisoner being too dangerous and unstable. Steve argued as much as he could, only to become frustrated as the man, Mr Brynner, refused to listen.
Not going to give up, Steve seeked up Fury, knowing that if anyone had the power to grant him an audience with Bucky, it would be him.
“You know i wouldn’t mind letting you see him, but until he’s cleared nobody are allowed to be in contact with him, even the Captain.” Steve was about to argue, but Fury cut him off before he had a chance to speak. “I will allow you to see him, from the other side of the mirror that is, but you can’t face him until he’s cleared, if this is a secret plan to get near you we want to make sure he won’t succeed.”
Steve hated that he couldn’t speak to Bucky, but the offer was better than nothing so he accepted it.
“What happened to him?” Steve asked as he stood on the other side of the mirror, just as Fury promised.
“We didn’t do that to him, he was already beat up when he arrived at our gates.”
Bucky sat in his chair, his hands behind his back, dried blood and dirt smudged across his face. He stared at the table, his eyes dead as the agent kept asking questions. Steve’s heart broke as he watched his former friend, someone he believed was dead, who should have been dead if he hadn’t been captured by Hydra. In a way he was happy to see his friend again, but it would have been better if he’d simply died the first time as he must have suffered a great deal of pain at the hands of Hydra.
“How long has he been here?” Natasha called him four hours earlier, but who knew when they captured Bucky, or as Fury said, he surrendered. Steve tried to figure out why Bucky might have walked into S.H.I.E.L.D’s headquarter without a fight, but he found no easy explanation, so maybe it was a trick as Fury said.
“He showed up this morning, around seven.”
“When can I talk to him?”
“I don’t know yet, we must make sure he’s not a spy first. Once he’s been clarified we have to see if he could be a threat to you.”
“You know I’m far more capable of protecting myself than any of your soldiers are. If he wanted he could get loose and kill all of them.”
“They are all pawns, and you are my knight, you know how war works.”
“We’re not at war right now.”
“No, but you know as well as I do that evil waits for no man.” It didn’t surprise Steve that Fury thought he needed to be prepared for war at any time, it was sad, but it was Fury’s choice. However, sacrificing a soldier to keep him safe was not something Steve wanted.
Turning back to his friend, Steve watched him as he was motionless, still focusing on the table, untouched by the soldier who kept questioning him. Steve wasn’t an expert on human behaviour, but he thought it was strange how bucky didn’t flinch as the soldier exploded and shouted behind him, demanding to know why he was there, and what his mission was. Steve fought the urge to barge into the room and tell the soldier to leave, but he couldn’t do such a thing unless he wanted to fight Fury, and even though Fury appreciated him, he wouldn’t let Steve get away with breaking his rules. Pulling out a chair Steve sat down and waited, hoping that whatever goal the soldier had, he would reach them soon so Steve could see his friend.
As he watched Bucky he wondered if his old memories of their friendships were completely gone, or if there was a chance, a hope, that the old Bucky he knew would one day return.
He lost track of time as he waited, watching Bucky ignoring the soldier, waiting for when he could finally meet Bucky face to face again.
“Still here?” Fury asked, breaking through Steve’s concentration.
“I’ve watched him a while now and-”
“No kidding, you’ve been here almost five hours.” It didn’t feel that long, but then again, Steve had a mission, and he wouldn’t stop until it was completed.
“Does his behaviour seem strange to you? It’s like he doesn’t care-” Again Fury interrupted him, but unlike the first time he had information Steve wanted to hear.
“He’s deaf, or that is at least what they think is wrong with him; we can’t be certain until we’ve examined him.”
“How can he be deaf? His hearing seemed perfectly fine when we met last time.”
“We don’t know for certain, but you can rest assured that we will look into it once he’s been clarified.”
As Fury left a second time thoughts flew through Steve’s mind. Watching Bucky again he noticed the small things which confirmed Fury’s information, Bucky was deaf. The only times he reacted to anything was when the soldier did something besides or in front of him. “What happened to you Bucky?” Steve whispered. The prisoner in the interrogation room was his former friend, but at the same time he was a stranger.
It was dark outside when Bucky was clarified and taken away for a health check. Entering the hallway he was ready to follow them, only to be stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder, it was Fury.
“I know you want to see him, but you have to wait your turn.”
“I’ve waited all day, please tell me they will be ready tonight.”
“They will, you just have to be patient.” Steve wanted to argue with Fury like a student would argue the decision of a teacher, but like any student he knew the teacher had far more authority than he could ever have.
Luckily for him Fury was right, they were done with Bucky that same evening, and as soon as he was in a secured cell Steve was finally allowed to see him.
As he walked closer to the cell, Steve’s heart raced as his palms were strangely damp, he didn’t know what to expect, but surely not the anxiousness he felt at that moment. Stopping in front of the cell, Steve opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Bucky.
“Steve?”
For a brief moment his heart stopped as Bucky stared at him, like he remembered.