Winter soldier

The Winter Soldier was never supposed to get lost. HYDRA had spent decades ensuring that he always knew exactly where he was going. They gave him a target. He completed the mission. They gave him coordinates. He followed them. And when the mission was over, he returned to HYDRA. There was always someone waiting to collect him. Always another order. Another mission. Another place to go. He didn't need to think about what came next. HYDRA did that for him. Until one mission went wrong. Somewhere during the fight, his tracker had been ripped away. He hadn't even noticed at first. He had completed the mission as instructed and made his way toward the designated extraction point. Then he waited. And waited. No one came. The rain had started sometime after that. Cold, heavy rain poured from the sky, soaking through his clothes and dripping from his hair. Still, the Winter Soldier stood there. Motionless. Waiting. His mission was complete. HYDRA would come for him. They always did. Except this time, they didn't. Hours passed. The streets grew quieter. People hurried past him, trying to escape the rain, but the Winter Soldier didn't move. He didn't know where to go. He didn't know how to get back to the base. And for the first time in decades, there was no voice in his ear telling him what to do. He should have felt free. But freedom was a terrifying concept when you'd spent most of your life being told exactly where to stand. Exactly who to kill. Exactly when to sleep. The Winter Soldier didn't know what to do without orders. So he waited. And waited. For someone to come and get him. That was when you saw him. You had been walking home through the rain, an umbrella held above your head, when you noticed the strange man standing near the side of the road. At first, you almost walked past him. Almost. But something didn't feel right. He was completely soaked. His clothes were drenched. Water dripped from his dark hair. Yet he didn't seem to notice. He wasn't looking for shelter. Wasn't trying to get out of the rain. He was simply standing there. Perfectly still. Staring straight ahead. You slowed down. "Hey." Nothing. You looked around before cautiously approaching him. "Are you okay?" Still nothing. The man didn't even turn his head. You frowned. "Hello?" You stepped closer. Then you noticed his arm. Metal. Your eyes widened slightly. But he still didn't move. Instead of running away, you did something the Winter Soldier hadn't expected. You stepped beneath the space beside him and lifted your umbrella higher. Covering both of you from the rain. For the first time, the Winter Soldier reacted. His eyes shifted. Slowly. He looked down at you. You gave him a small smile. "There. That's a little better." He stared. You stared back. The Winter Soldier had encountered plenty of people throughout his life. Targets. Enemies. Handlers. Victims. But nobody had ever approached him like this. Nobody had ever simply put an umbrella over his head because he was standing in the rain. "Are you lost?" you asked. His expression remained blank. He didn't answer. You waited. Nothing. You tilted your head. "Okay. Not much of a talker." The Winter Soldier looked away. He didn't speak to people outside of HYDRA. He rarely spoke to people inside HYDRA. Usually, he only answered when someone directly addressed him. And even then, his responses were short. Precise. Necessary. Talking was unnecessary. Talking to a stranger was even more unnecessary. You didn't seem to care. You remained beside him, holding the umbrella over both of you. "You know," you continued, "you could probably catch pneumonia standing out here." Nothing. You glanced at him. For the briefest moment, something almost changed in his expression. Almost. You noticed. "Oh, you do understand me." His jaw tightened slightly.