Faces in the Ice

All characters belong to Marvel Comics

I own nothing.

It was humid, surly summer evening, the golden light of the restless city landed strongly in depth of his focused pale azure eyes, and brushed over the chiseled lines of youthful skin. Restless and entrapped in a division of choice, the Soviet assassin, code name the Winter Soldier stood on the curb adjacent to the hospital.

He was stoic and allowed his luminous eyes to drift around the back parking lot, watching ambulances drive out as flashing red lights reflected over the shimmering metal plates of his bionic left arm.

The Winter Soldier waited in the shadows. He was patient and calculated his methods of infiltration. He knew SHIELD wanted to apprehend him-he was a key piece of HYDRA and he was entering dangerous territory. He parted his full lips, and drew out a shaky exhale before thumping his heavy boots forward, avoiding traffic, and slipping behind parked vehicles. He moved quickly, tipping his hat to hide his face, and causally entered through a doorway.

Searching, his sharp blue eyes scanned over the closed doors of the ICU, he passed nurses, MP Officers guarding doors, and stretchers with patients strapped down. He blanched at the sigh of a young golden-haired boy quivering with folder of his chest x-rays resting over his bloodied torso. Biting hard on his lower lip, the Soldier paused in his strides, and gazed down at the injured child. He stared at thick shard of glass lodged in the boy's stomach, involuntary craned his neck and waited for a nurse wearing pink scrubs to pass him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, kid." he whispered, struggling to spit out his words. It had been a long time since he'd talked. He narrowed his intent blue eyes down, gently looking at the distressed boy, watching tears slide of ashen skin. "Can you tell what hurts?" he asked, trying to sound human.

"My chest." the boy answered, wheezing for breath. The Soldier raked his eyes over the red tinge of chest muscle, noticing a few rib bones poking under pale skin. "I want my Bucky?"

"Bucky?" The Soldier asked, creasing his brows. His face became vacant. He withdrew a step back from the stretcher. "Who's Bucky?" he pressed, his voice cracking, looking directly into the boy's teary eyes.

"He's my friend." the boy answered, drawing out a pained breath. "He never leaves my side."

"Where is this Bucky?" he asked quietly, in a rather confused voice.

"He fell." the child sobbed, his blue eyes drifted to the floor. "I was holding on to him when they wheeled me in here. Bucky slipped out of my hand."

The Winter Soldier swallowed his HYDRA instilled pride and controlled emotions and spoke softly, "Your friend can't be too far." he lightly smirked; he extended his gloved hand and placed on the boy's shoulder. "I'll find your Bucky."

The boy's eyes lit up, "He's a brown bear with a red star on his chest." he stammered out, wincing in pain.

"Brown bear. Red Star." The Winter Soldier repeated like a robot, he nodded sharply. He walked with methodical steps down the hall. He marched carelessly, his intimating, dark presence made people create a rift as he passed through doors while keeping his feral blue eyes locked on the floor. Then he stopped, and saw the bear on a top of a pile of linen. "Bucky." he growled in a low breath, staring at a nurse pushing the cart away. "Hey, don't move!" he hollered out, advancing closer.

Wearing a puzzled look on her face, the nurse turned around and met his intense ember of blue fire. "Can I help you with something?"

The Winter Solider pointed at the bear, glaring at her offensively. "The bear doesn't belong to you." he said with a menacing snarl emitting up his throat. "It belongs to a boy-I need to bring it back." he said with irritation, grinding his back teeth.

The nurse nodded, "Of course," she said quickly, and then grabbed the bear, and handed it back to him.

"Thank you." He said simply, backing away from her, and tucked the beat under his arm. He moved with fast paces to the location of the boy, and froze in his heavy steps, and watched two nurses wheel the stretcher to an elevator. "Wait!" he yelled out, grabbing their attention. He walked over to the side of the stretcher, staring at the boy who had an oxygen mask over his small face. He placed the bear close to his small arm. "I found Bucky." He smiled warmly, feeling his tensed and smooth jaw muscles loosen when the boy whispered a soft thank you to him.

Watching the boy disappear, behind the closing elevator, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jacket, and continued his searched for the 'man on the bridge' ...Steve Rogers.