[If she knew that he plans on throwing himself on the grenade to protect her, she might well ask him to marry her there and then and forget Bucky altogether. Men this sweet just don't exist outside of the movies.
But all joviality dies out pretty quick. There's a deep grief in her eyes, not just for what happened, but an echo of the months she spent thinking he might never come back home again. Missing in action; those horrible words that had been all she had to cling to for so long.]
Even I don't know all of it, some bits are classified and most of it he just won't talk about. But I know that he was out on a mission with a few others and they were ambushed, most were killed, and a few were captured. He spent four months as a prisoner in an extremist camp. I know they tortured him, but I don't know any details, and I only know that because of the medical records when he was flown back Stateside.
[She goes silent for a moment, hands gripping the coffee mug a bit too hard.]
I know he escaped by cutting his own hand off at the wrist, and he still managed to help get the other two survivors out, but the surgeons had to take the rest of it because it got infected. He has memory issues sometimes, and... yeah, he can get triggered by loud noises, crowds. Sometimes he's fine, and sometimes something really small sets him off. He got a bunch of medals and a discharge, it's not something he's coped with very well.
[Her voice is a bit husky now, but she's keeping her composure as she looks at him fiercely.]
He's a hero to me, even if he's a bit broken, and that's why I had to make sure you weren't going to hurt him. It's a lot to deal with, I know, so just... if it's too much, I don't blame you, but let him down gently.
no subject
But all joviality dies out pretty quick. There's a deep grief in her eyes, not just for what happened, but an echo of the months she spent thinking he might never come back home again. Missing in action; those horrible words that had been all she had to cling to for so long.]
Even I don't know all of it, some bits are classified and most of it he just won't talk about. But I know that he was out on a mission with a few others and they were ambushed, most were killed, and a few were captured. He spent four months as a prisoner in an extremist camp. I know they tortured him, but I don't know any details, and I only know that because of the medical records when he was flown back Stateside.
[She goes silent for a moment, hands gripping the coffee mug a bit too hard.]
I know he escaped by cutting his own hand off at the wrist, and he still managed to help get the other two survivors out, but the surgeons had to take the rest of it because it got infected. He has memory issues sometimes, and... yeah, he can get triggered by loud noises, crowds. Sometimes he's fine, and sometimes something really small sets him off. He got a bunch of medals and a discharge, it's not something he's coped with very well.
[Her voice is a bit husky now, but she's keeping her composure as she looks at him fiercely.]
He's a hero to me, even if he's a bit broken, and that's why I had to make sure you weren't going to hurt him. It's a lot to deal with, I know, so just... if it's too much, I don't blame you, but let him down gently.