#deadwinter

A living nightmare.  Bucky is usually pretty quiet and patient on road trips.  He enjoys sitting back and watching the scenery with some music playing.  He doesn’t talk a lot and will sit in the back even if it is cramped without too much argument, just making the best of it.  Bucky is also a very neat person, so the car isn’t getting trashed.

Wade, however, is the complete opposite.  He is loud and talkative.  He always wants to be sitting where he’s most comfortable.  He wants to stop every two minutes and there’s a lot of are we there yet.  He throws all the wrappers from his candy on Bucky.

It would be exactly two hours and seventeen minutes before Bucky snaps and the rest of the trip you’re playing the role of barrier between Bucky who wants to see exactly how good at healing Wade exactly is and Wade who’s enjoying the reaction.

[[ PRESSURE [ MEGALO BOX ]]

Artists: deadwinter, XXXTentacion, JPEGMAFIA, Death Grips, Sidewalks and Skeletons, 93FEETOFSMOKE, epsyle, Shiro, Surf, forest

Only The Lord Knows

   Bucky pulled his hand back and shook it,willing the pain to dissipate. It wasn’t the worst pain he had ever been in. Hehad been in the war and had caught several bullets to the arm. He had beenfully awake when they had sawn through him, removing his arm almost up to theshoulder. At times he still felt the burn of the blade. Sometimes at night hewould wake screaming, expecting the feeling of his fingers digging into thesheets.

 Ducking as a fist came towards his face, hecould only laugh. The people in this town had no use for men like him. He haddone his job in the war, but now that he was back and less than what he hadbeen before… he was seen as a burden. What use was a man with one arm? Whowould hire him for surely he couldn’t work a ranch. Thankfully Vision Valleywas the home to Mr. Tony Stark.

 Tony Stark was a wealthy man. His father hadcome from out east when Tony was just a boy, he was one of the first to settleVision Valley. The Starks owned over half the town, and Tony also wounded fromthe war was known for hiring all manner of men no matter what they weremissing. Of course that didn’t mean that men like Bucky didn’t deal with hisshare of problems.

 Today was no different than any other daywhen he ventured into town. He had gone for a drink at the Broken ShieldSaloon, spend a little time with one of the girls, and head off to purchasesome supplies for the ranch. Only one of the local men had taken exception toBucky talking to what he termed as “his girl.” Not that ol’ Darcy would havegiven Rumlow a second look, she only had eyes for Marshal Rogers.

 “What you laughin’ at? Stubs, huh, what youlaughin’ at?” Rumlow swayed on his feet, his left eye already swelling andturning purple. Not that he let that bother him; he swayed forward and tookanother swing at Bucky.

 “Your ugly mug, Rum.” Bucky swerved out ofthe way, turning before the other man could come at him again. He let his fistfly again, this time the crunch of Rumlow’s nose was unmistakable.

 Rumlow screamed, blood and snot pouring downhis face, slipping between his lips and turning his teeth an unsightly red. Hegrowled and went headlong into Bucky, only to find himself with a fist in hisgut and his head knocking against a table.

 Shaking out his hand, Bucky surveyed thescene before him. A couple of Rumlow’s friends lay draped across tables andchairs, a few others slipped outside. Most of the other patrons went ondrinking their whiskey; this was just another normal Thursday afternoon forthem. He jerked at the hand on his shoulder, but he stilled. Thankfully asDarcy slipped into view.

 “If you don’t stop tearing up my place everytime you come in here, I’m going to have to ban you.” Darcy shook her head, asmall smile on her face. “Come on, let’s get you to the Doc.”

 Bucky swallowed hard, but allowed her toguide him outside. She yelled over her shoulder for one of the other girls toget things cleaned up, and then the two of them were on their way. He knew shewould not take him to old Pierce. The man had a practice down by thewhorehouse. Most of the people in town went to him, mostly just because he wasa man. That was about all he had going for him. Pierce was a quack if he eversaw one. His office was a mess, his tools rusted and covered in dried blood.Many died after being treated for something as simple as a bad tooth by him.No, Darcy would never take him there.

 They passed by Pierce’s place, going furtherout until they arrived at a small cabin on the outskirts of town. The cabin wasowned by the Holmes brothers, two men from England who now worked for thegovernment. Not that anyone knew what they did, only that those who crossedthem always ended up dead. Neither of the men lived in the cabin, they had lentit out to the Doc.

 Miss Molly Hooper had arrived in Americaalongside the Holmes brothers. For years it was believed that she was marriedto one of them, or possibly both. So it had been a shock when both men had comeback from a visit out east with wives on their arms. No matter what herrelationship to the brothers, Miss Hooper had been set up in the little cabin.

 Not long after both men had moved away, shehad opened the place up as a medical practice. Most in the town refused to goto her. She was a woman, and one with a history if the church women were to bebelieved. Soon a few women went to see her, mainly the ones that Pierce, in allhis self-righteousness, refused to treat. Namely the saloon girls and soileddoves from the Red Room. This was where Darcy was taking him now, and the oneplace that Bucky wished not to be.  

 "Is there anyway that I could convinceyou to just let me go on my own way? There is no need to bother the Doc, I’mjust a little bruised up.“ Bucky smiled down at the woman at his side. Thesmile was the same one he had often used many years ago to charm the ladiesinto saving him a dance. Now though, since the end of the war the smile lookedless charming and a lot more awkward. As though someone had been standingbehind him, pulling the skin at his cheeks back from his teeth.

 Darcy sighed and shook her head. She had beenone of the lucky ladies to have been on the receiving end of that smile in its heyday.She had even allowed that smile to lead Bucky back into her room; not thatanyone but the two of them knew that. To see the twisted way his mouthstretched across his face now tore at her heart. Looking away from him shedidn’t speak, only pushed open the door to the little cabin and stepped inside.

 "I’ll be with you in a moment.” Asoft voice trailed from one of the back rooms following the ringing of thehanging bell at the door. The patter of hard soled shoes tapped a rhythm out onthe hardwood floor as a slender figure entered the main room.

 Molly took one look at her guests andgroaned. There was no need to ask what Darcy was doing there with Barnes at herside, it was a common enough scene. She directed them into a small room off tothe side, and stood waiting at the door until Barnes lifted himself up onto theexam table.

 Darcy gave a firm pat to the man’s thighbefore stepping back. It was upsetting enough seeing that smile, it practicallyhurt seeing him once again in a doctor’s office. At least this time he wasawake. She slipped out the door, giving a short nod to the Doc on the way. Sheknew that he would be in good hands with the woman, and she needed to get backto her saloon before Rumlow woke. Rum was a mean old bastard, and a dumb one atthat. He never could understand the difference between one of her girls and awhore. Even after finding himself on the wrong side of a gun more than once.

 Molly waited until she heard the bell abovethe front door ring before she moved to stand before Barnes. She lifted asingle hand, her fingers brushing over the lines of his face. She knew thesewere lines that had been brought on by war and death, not by age. She wonderedmany times what he had looked like before he had become a soldier, smoothedfaced and with bright eyes. She hadn’t known him then, only of him.

 "One of these days you’re going to getyourself killed.“ Molly smiled sadly at him.

 "Maybe that’s a good thing.” Buckyalways felt wrongfooted around Doc Hooper, and he always seemed to say thewrong thing. He realized he had done it once again when the woman hauled herhand back. He closed his eyes expecting to feel the sting of a slap, onlyinstead he heard a small, shaky sigh. He opened his eyes to find the womanbefore him with her head bowed.

 "For all my learning, all the years Ispent studying medicine with the hope to heal, I have never felt more helplessthan I do when I’m around you.“ Molly took a step back towards thecabinet, her face never meeting Bucky’s. She gathered a handful of cloth and asmall bottle of a faint yellow liquid before returning to the man on the table.

 Bucky remained silent as the small womandampened the cloth and carefully dabbed it over the cuts along his face. Hecould see tears in her eyes, and it pained him to know he had been the one toput them there.

 It hadn’t been the first time that particularsentiment had left his lips. For the first year after the war he had thought ofnothing else. He fully believed that he should have died in the war. There hadbeen so many young boys, so many better men out there that had lost their liveswhile he lived. It didn’t seem fair to him. He had the unfortunate luck tomention this to Miss Darcy, the woman had just flung her arm back and wallopedhim good for even thinking such a thing. Still, it didn’t stop him from feelingthat it was the truth. Now he stood before another woman, this one taking hiswords not with violence, but with quiet sadness. It hurt more than losing hisarm had.

 “Look now, you shouldn’t take what I say toheart. I’m just an old fool.” Bucky reached out, a single finger going under tolift Doc Hooper’s chin.

 “If I believed that I would be the fool.”Molly sniffed a little and took a single step forward. “You are not the firstsoldier I have worked on, nor are you the first man I have known to think suchthoughts…..” She fought down a lump in her throat before continuing. “Do younot understand how much you mean to your friends? How much they would miss you?How much it would hurt…”

 “What friends I got wouldn’t care a lick whathappens to me.” Bucky allowed his hand to go slack, his arm falling down intohis lap. He swallowed hard when the woman stepped up fully to him, and disregardingall decorum, leaned her head against his chest. Not knowing how to react, hissimply placed his hands on each of her shoulders.

 “I would…. I do…” Molly knew that what shehad just done would have been seen as scandalous by most of polite society. Thething was, she didn’t care. She had longed to find herself in this man’s armsfor a long time now, to know what it was like to be surrounded by his scent.

 She sighed when Bucky slid his arms slowlyover her shoulders and into her tightly pinned hair. He lifted her face up, hisfingers spanning the entirety of the base of her neck, his thumbs restinglightly on the edge of her jaw.

 “The good Lord only knows why.” Bucky leaneddown with every intention of kissing the woman. At the last moment, he tiltedher face down just far enough that he could easily press his lips against herforehead. Doc Hooper was too good for the likes of that, she deserved a propercourtin’. Even if he didn’t deserve such a thing.

 “Maybe one day he will tell you. Until then, promiseme you will be careful with your life.”

 Bucky gently took a hold of her ear lobe, asmall, sad smile gracing his whiskered face. He gave a careful tug.

 “I promise.”

Abab

Author’s Note: Ok, so thistook a long time. So sorry about that. Starting a new job and moving (again)makes it hard to be able to write. I just started being able to actually writeagain a couple of days ago.

 This is for jadziabear who wanted anythingMolly/Bucky western. I hope this is alright, it is a bit earlier in the period ofthe old west than I normally I write, but I thought I would give it a try.

 Well, except for one Anon, I have finishedwith my prompts. (That one will take a while as it is a bit more detailed) NowI plan on working on trying to get TLoF and Greenwaves done, mostly as I haveso many ideas just floating around in my head for both Sherlolly, andDarcyland. Some even collide like this fic. I might open prompts again in a fewmonths, perhaps more towards the holidays.