Bucky Barnes

I wasn't sure. Was this normal? Was it even possible to feel this upset? She wasn't mine; she didn't belong to me.

We just hadn't adopted each other after Hydra. Both of us finding ourselves amidst so many wounds and so many mistakes, we decided (quietly) to protect each other.

Well… we’d never really discussed it. There was never an agreement or a “from now on, we’re a team” or “you have to take care of me and I’ll take care of you.” But, as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t need it.

I didn't need words to affirm my purpose. I had left Hydra with the simple goal of staying alive, and without realizing it, I had her by my side to do it. We were both okay with that, I suppose.

Most people knew that, like a package deal, we came bundled together. Whatever they wanted from me would come with me on my back. And whatever they wanted from her would come with me by her side. Maybe that's how we ended up together with Steve and his stupid group of heroes.

Our relationship was almost silent. We spoke very little; glances were more than enough. We never got closer than normal, and to live together, we coordinated too well. As if everything Hydra had stirred in us had been replaced by someone who understood us. She didn't belong to me, she wasn't mine, we were nothing.

So was it normal to be so angry? Was it common to see me so jealous when I had to watch her talking to another guy?

I clenched my jaw. Fed up. I was furious. Why had I brought a man home? Why was he breathing near anyone other than me?

It wasn't mine. But in that moment, I decided it belonged to me. That my jealousy reminded me of what was my property and, above all, what no one was allowed to touch.