Work Text:
Bodies lie in the grass.
And some are lost.
And some are murdered.
BUCKY
Their day had started nicely.
It was a Wednesday, but their job was an inconsistent mess of shifts and missions that left their schedule all over the place. Sometimes it sucked lemons, but sometimes it didn’t.
Sometimes, they got to savour it.
“I’m telling ya, it’s overdone”
“Shaddup, it’s medium and you know it” Steve said without heat, the two of them eating their breakfast of pancakes.
Bucky was of the mind that they were overdone- not that it was a problem, they tasted just as good as ever- but the day he didn’t give Steve shit was the day he died.
“Dunno what batch you’re eating, but you got me chewin’ a sponge over here” Bucky said, taking another mouthful.
“I don’t see you volunteering to cook, wise guy” Steve said, not looking up as he read the paper that sat folded on the table, taking a bite of his own plate.
“That’s ‘cause you hate my pancakes” Bucky said.
“No, what I hate is eating batter”
“It’s called ‘lightly done’, and I know the concept’s a little outta your reach, but try and imagine it for a second”
“It’s called ‘raw’, and I got the mixing bowl in the sink if you want it so bad”
Bucky lightly kicked him under the table, making no move to do anything but eat more of his pancakes. The syrup compensated for the worst of it anyway.
They lapsed back into silence, Steve reading his paper and Bucky idly listening to the radio as some new tune played- or maybe it was old, hard to say with them. Bucky had to put most of his conscious focus on his plate, because the fork would never reach his mouth if he was distracted with anything else.
He could calculate the trajectory of a bullet against wind all while gunfire and explosions rained around him, but god forbid the TV was on while he tried to eat.
There was a sudden blare of a two phone alarms going off at once- Bucky’s on the counter and Steve’s on the far side of the table. They both dropped what they were doing to grab their respective devices, reading the alert.
“Fucking Hydra” Steve swore unhappily.
“The hell they doing in Iowa?” Bucky wondered, reading the brief summary of the emergency text. They’d get more information when they reported in at the tower, but as it was, ‘HYDRA THREAT IN IOWA, ASSEMBLE AT 10:15 FOR DEBRIEF’ didn’t leave much room for speculation.
“Saves me from eating your spongy pancakes” Bucky muttered, moving to go to their room to put pants on.
“They’re supposed to be-” Steve started, and Bucky let him gab at him as they got ready. They had about thirty minutes to get to the tower, which meant it wasn’t so urgent as to be world-ending- or even civilian threatening- and so they were afforded a little leeway.
As they geared up, Bucky mulled over what could possibly be in Iowa that had Hydra’s interest.
A secret lab? Weapons facility? Had to be something big if they were being called in.
Bucky sighed, not looking forward to it. He never did, these days. Hydra could pound sand in all honesty.
The day had started nicely.
A farmhouse.
They’d been called into the middle of bumfuck nowhere for a goddamn farmhouse. And it didn’t even have a farm!
The fight had been brief. What had been reported as a troop of over fifty was no more than a squad of ten, and not a particularly driven one at that. They’d given a token fight before surrendering to Iron Man’s pulsars, laying their weapons down and letting him, Steve and Natasha put on the cuffs.
The only notable thing was all the equipment in the backyard, a swing set tipped over and dragged away to make room for some of it. Otherwise it was a lot of grass. A whole field of it, the stalks towering a good foot higher than Bucky’s head.
“Let’s check the house for any stragglers” Bucky suggested, looking up at one of the opened windows on the second floor where the curtains fluttered in the breeze. It would’ve made for a good sniping position.
He didn’t think there were any more operatives at this point, but it was better to be sure.
“And secret bunkers” Steve added. “This all could be a front. Clint, check out the shed for anything, Tony, you and Nat keep an eye on these guys until Shield comes for cleanup” he ordered, receiving affirmatives before following behind Bucky into the house.
“You think there’s actually gonna be anything in here?” Bucky asked as he started clearing the rooms, gun raised as he checked.
“It’s out of the way enough if they wanted to hide” Steve said, his own shield raised as he checked.
They lapsed into silence then, clearing through the rest of the house.
It was a typical family home filled with what you’d expect. It looked lived-in too, although the few crates of Hydra supplies spoke of the agents having used it as a base.
Bucky’s gaze skimmed over all the photos on the walls depicting a family of three- a mother, father, and young girl of maybe six or so.
The rooms fit the story the images told too, like toys found pushed to corners or under furniture. The bathroom was stocked with all the miscellaneous toiletries of a family, and the bedrooms were a semi-clean semi-mess of people who weren’t expecting guests.
Even the kitchen was fully stocked, though some of the food had started to rot in the fridge like it had been left for a few weeks.
It painted a strange image of an abandoned home, like the occupants had fled on short notice. Given the Hydra base that had cropped up inside, he could guess at what chased them out.
But it was strange. Hydra wouldn’t have just let the family go, free to run to the authorities. At best they’d be held as captives, at worst they’d be shot and buried.
A deep sense of dread overcame Bucky as he looked at the framed image of the happy family- and at the little girl in particular.
He needed to know what happened to them. How far had Hydra gone this time.
“Clear” Bucky called as he finished the last room- the girl’s room, judging from the pink walls, tiny single bed, and shelves upon shelves of toys. More toys than a cover would call for, like the parents had spoiled her.
This house was genuine- that, or they’d hosted a real family to really sell the charade.
It filled him with even more dread. In either case the girl was innocent, and he needed to know what had become of them.
“Clear” Steve called from elsewhere in the house, and Bucky left the chilling sight of the kid’s room to rejoin him.
They met downstairs in the living room, Steve’s face etched with a frown. Bucky had no doubt he mirrored the look. The two of them shared a silent communication, both wondering about the family.
“Let’s see what the others found” Steve said, pulling his cowl off and moving to head back outside.
In the back they found everything how they left it. Some Shield personnel had pulled in and started dealing with the cuffed Hydra agents, while Tony had exited his suit to look over the equipment laying around.
Clint had met back up with Natasha, the two of them standing around to oversee everything now that there was no longer any threat. Bucky and Steve went to join them.
“Find something?”
Clint shook his head. “Just a lawnmower and some gardening stuff”
“Have they said anything?” Steve asked, tilting his head to the cowed Hydra agents.
“Just that they were out here to see the grass” Natasha said, motioning to the equipment. “Apparently it’s giving off funny readings”
Tony had found himself seated at one of the tables that was supporting a set of computers, scrolling through data.
“Funny thing too” she added. “They said they came with more people, but they all got lost in the field. About twenty of them, including the scientists”
Bucky raised a brow, looking out at the grass. He could see how somebody might get lost if they wandered in too far, but a whole group of them?
“Has Tony made any sense of it?” Steve asked.
“He’s trying to. Said something about radiation, and then I lost him after that”
Steve glanced over with a look of consternation. “I’ll go see if he’s getting anywhere with it” he said, breaking off from the group.
Bucky sighed quietly, looking out into the field. “So there’s more of them out there?”
Clint shrugged. “Beats me. We talked to a few, they say nobody would come out once they went in. Looked pretty spooked about it”
“Think there’s something in there?”
The breeze picked up then, blowing hair into Bucky’s face, and he brushed it out irritably. He needed to start wearing hair ties for these outdoor missions.
“Bucky!” Steve called, his voice slightly obscured by the wind.
“Yeah?” he called back, turning towards the two men at the table of equipment.
Steve looked up from where he’d been leaning, watching the screen over Tony’s shoulders. “What?” he asked, looking confused.
“What do you mean ‘what’? You called me”
“No I didn’t”
“We all heard you” Natasha said, raising a brow.
Steve just had an idiotic look on his face, like he had no idea what they were talking about.
“I didn’t say anything-”
“Help!” a small voice called from within the field, making everyone turn their heads. There was a shiff as the grass danced in the breeze, everyone going silent to listen for the voice.
“Help me!” the voice called again. It was small and high pitched, tinged with fear.
It was the voice of a child, lost.
Steve stiffened, standing tall as he stepped forward.
“Hey!” he called loudly towards the grass, “Hey, can you hear me?”
“I hear you!” she said. “Can you help me? I’m lost!”
It was the girl from the house. It had to be. Bucky felt a stab of relief. Not shot then, and not captive either. Not that they knew of.
“Come towards my voice” Steve yelled, cupping his hands to be heard above the wind.
“Please help me” she called, sounding helpless, and worse, sounding further in the grass than before.
“Wait, wait, stop moving!” Steve said quickly, hearing the distance in her voice too.
“Please help me!” she cried, voice growing fainter.
“Stop moving, I’ll come get you” Steve yelled, walking towards the grass with purpose.
“Cap, wait!” Tony said harshly, standing from his seat. “We don’t know what’s up with this Children of the Corn here, you can’t just run in”
“Tony, she’s a kid” Steve said with concern, pausing at the edge of the grass wall.
“Yeah, my heart’s bleeding too, doesn’t mean we have to run in blind”
“He’s right” Natasha said. “So far nobody’s come out, we don’t know what’s in there”
“Help me! I don’t know where I am!” the girl called again, her voice wavering with tears.
“Look, she’s not that far in,” Steve said. “I’ll go get her, and if I get stuck too, I’ll stay where I am and wait for you to come up with something”
Bucky also wanted to insist against it, but part of him was conflicted with the urge to help the kid too. Like Steve, he wanted to run in and help.
Tony tried to argue. “Cap, I don’t think-”
“Please! Please help!” the girl sobbed, sounding closer, like she was suddenly a dozen feet away.
Steve looked into the grass with a worried look. “She’s right there” he said insistently, and then before they knew it, he’d stepped into the grass.
“Cap wait!” Tony said, but too late.
Steve was gone.
“Steve!” Tony yelled, stepping past the table but stopping before the grass.
“I’m fine Tony” he called back, sounding only a few feet in.
“Help me!”
“I’m coming for you, just stay where you are!” Steve said, making his way towards her.
“Make it quick Stevie” Bucky called then, not liking this. Something felt off.
The four of them waited tensely in the yard, listening as Steve kept calling the girl.
Except whenever she answered, her voice was farther.
“Stop moving, stay where you are!” Steve yelled, his own voice starting to sound farther.
“Help me!” she cried.
Bucky didn’t like this.
“Steve, you should come back” Bucky called, his hackles rising.
“I’ve almost got her!” he answered, voice growing small.
“Steve, get back here!” Bucky yelled, hand falling to the gun at his hip.
There was no answer.
“Steve!” Bucky yelled.
“Hey Steve!” Clint called, concerned as well.
“Cap, this isn’t funny” Tony added, a look of worry on his face.
He heard Natasha mutter a curse under her breath, and Bucky was inclined to agree.
“Goddammit” Bucky hissed. Why did Steve have to run head-first into everything?
“I’m goin’ after him” Bucky decided. He couldn’t just let Steve disappear like that.
“That’s a bad idea” Natasha instantly said.
“Did you not just see what happened?” Tony said incredulously.
“I know!” Bucky bit out, checking the rounds on his gun to make sure he was topped up.
“You’re no good if you get stuck in there too” Natasha tried to reason. “If you go missing, that’s just one more person we have to find”
Bucky considered her words. Maybe he could wait a few minutes, just until they had some kind of answer. After all, like she’d said, if he got stuck in there too-
Thwump!
They all jolted in shock at the sound of Steve’s shield flying out, impacting hard with the side of the house.
They all looked upon it dumbstruck, the sight of the shield embedded into the siding catching them all off-guard.
What was more, the sight of the shield bloodied.
Bucky swallowed, eyes tracing up where the impact had spattered some of it up the wall.
The blood was a bright.
The blood was fresh.
“James, wait-” Natasha said quickly, reaching out for him, but he was already running in.
The tall strands whipped at his face as he entered, their leaves stinging his skin.
“James! You can’t help him if you get lost too!” Natasha yelled after him.
But it was too late.
He was in the grass
“Steve!” Bucky yelled, rushing through the stalks. He threw his metal arm out in front of him to shield his face, other hand on his gun as he rushed in the direction Steve had gone.
“Bucky!” Steve suddenly called, voice coming from his right.
“Steve, stay where you are!”
“Bucky, run! Get outta here!”
Steve’s voice, coming from the left.
Bucky slowed, mind racing. He turning his head in the direction he’d last heard Steve.
“Steve?” he called hesitantly.
“Bucky!” Steve yelled, his voice sounding miles away and behind him.
Bucky swallowed. Shit.
“Steve, are you moving?”
“Bucky?” Steve called questioningly, his voice suddenly calm and to his left again, barely ten feet off. “You followed me in?”
“You threw your shield”
A moment’s pause. “I have my shield with me” Steve said.
Bucky didn’t like this.
“Steve, listen” Bucky said, swallowing hard. “You gotta stay where you are, okay? I’m coming to you”
“But the kid-”
“Forget the kid right now. We can find her together, but first let me get to you”
“I- okay. I won’t move”
He let out a breath. Steve sounded just a handful of steps to the left- he could make that.
“Alright, I’m comin’ your way” Bucky said, walking in the direction of Steve’s voice. His boots sank into moist dirt, the ground strangely muddy despite the beating sun overhead.
Bucky walked, and he walked, and then he stopped.
He’d covered enough distance to reach Steve three times over.
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
He was still ahead of him. What was more, he sounded farther away.
“I told you not to move!”
“I didn’t!”
This was bad.
“Steve, this place ain’t right” he called.
There was no answer.
Bucky cocked his gun. Unsure what to do.
“Hey Natasha!” he yelled. “Clint? Tony?”
Nobody answered.
Nobody but the grass, that whistled lightly as the wind blew through it.
Shit.
He didn’t know how long he stood there, trying to think of a plan. Moving got him nowhere. Got him lost, actually.
But standing still wasn’t helping either.
He needed to get his bearings. Maybe sound wasn’t travelling right in this place.
He looked up at the stalks around him. He could jump high enough to see over the tops, like a kid trying to peek over a yard fence. He could look for the house, then head back. It wasn’t too far off- it couldn’t be.
Bracing his legs, he kicked off, leaping up until he poked out of the canopy.
He landed with a wet squelch, the muddy ground sucking at his boots. His mind stood frozen, unable to process what he’d seen.
He jumped again.
His landing made another squelch.
It’s grass. It’s all grass, he thought dizzily.
As far as the eye could see, there was only grass. Big green stalks of the stuff, stretching out beyond the horizon.
Not a house in sight.
This was bad. This was very bad.
He took a step, going in the direction he recalled the house being. But was he remembering it right? What if he was going the wrong way?
He couldn’t think like that. He had to- he had to keep moving, keep going. Even if it was the wrong direction, he’d hit something eventually. A border, a road; hell, another farmhouse.
So he started walking, the only noise his own breathing, the wet sound of his steps, and the ever-present whisper of the grass all around him.
Their leaves would occasionally get caught on his sleeve or pant legs, tugging before losing their grip. Sometimes they’d catch on his face despite the prosthetic he held in front of him, scratching at his skin.
The grass was such a nuisance that it distracted him as he walked, making him miss what was on the ground and tripping on it.
He hit the dirt with another squelch, this time with his whole body. He thankfully caught himself on his hands and knees, but the lower half of his pants were thinly caked in mud now.
“Fuck” Bucky muttered, pushing himself back onto his feet. He wiped his hands off on his thighs, looking back irately at whatever the hell had tripped him-
He froze at the sight of a body, long dead and rotted. He’d tripped over the rib cage, the bones poking out of the dirt.
It was at least a few months old if not more, half-buried in the ground like it was. It filled him with a deeper sense of foreboding, wondering who this skeleton belonged to. As far as Bucky knew, it had only been the one family living in that house for at least the past few years, and the neighbours were too spaced apart for it to be any of them- weird distance physics aside.
He started to back away from it, when he heard the shuffle of grass behind him.
He turned sharply with his gun pulled up, aiming at chest height for whatever was coming. The sound of shifting got closer, and he tensed he muscles, waiting for whoever it was to arrive.
Bucky watched at the grass parted, and felt a stroke of relief when he saw it was Steve.
That relief was short-lived, however, as he took in Steve’s appearance.
“Steve?” he asked, lowering the gun, his eyes trailing after the sight in front of him.
Steve’s face was caked in dirt, the stuff streaked over the skin going all the way down to his bare chest and stomach, covering both arms and the entirety of his pants and bare feet.
On top of the mud, from his right shoulder going down was a long streak of blood- dark and caked.
Old. Hours old.
More concerning, however, was his beard. The both of them had left this morning clean-shaven, yet Steve was now sporting a few days worth of growth.
“Buck, you were supposed to stay behind me” Steve said angrily, stepping out of the grass to grab his arm, “Don’t run off like that” he said, eyes going shifty as he looked around them.
Bucky was still struck at the state of him. “Steve, what happened to you?”
“It’s not safe out here, he’s got your scent now” Steve went on as if he didn’t hear, now pulling Bucky along.
“My scent-? Steve what are you talking about?” he asked, going along reluctantly, more concerned with the state of his friend.
Steve rounded on him then, a crazy look in his eye. “The tail! The goddamn tail! You almost took his eyes again!”
“What? What tail?”
Steve’s face blanched, and he let go of Bucky’s arm in favour of bringing both hands up to cup Bucky’s face.
“Tell me what happened last time you saw me”
Bucky furrowed his brow. “You ran into the grass. Steve, what’s going on?”
Steve’s eyes shifted as he held Bucky’s gaze, quietly mumbling ‘no-no-no’, his fingers shaking with a fine tremble.
Steve licked his lips, swallowing thickly and holding Bucky’s head more firmly. “Bucky. Bucky, listen to me” he said with grave seriousness, like Bucky’s life depended on what he was saying.
“The maze always moves, okay? It always moves, and it makes you shed until you find your tail”
“Steve, what are you-?”
“Shh!” Steve hissed, moving a muddy hand to cover Bucky’s mouth. “I can’t be here long, this isn’t the right turn. But listen! You have to listen!” he near growled, hands closing tight enough to bruise on Bucky’s jaw.
Bucky only nodded, holding his palms out passively. He was listening.
“You have to learn. You keep finding his tail, and he kills you” his voice quavered as he spoke, like he was breaking down.
His hand had fallen from Bucky’s mouth, but Bucky made no move to wipe away the smudged dirt on his chin. He was far too occupied with the mess of a man in front of him, and was frankly quite terrified for what Steve had been reduced to.
“Steve...” Bucky said, reaching up to cup Steve’s cheek in a caress, feeling the long hairs under his palm. He wiped a bit of dirt with his thumb, something thick in his throat. “Steve, what happened to you?”
A sad laugh came out of Steve’s mouth, and he backed away from Bucky’s touch.
“I’m just skin Buck. Don’t waste your time on me; it’s too late. I’m already dead”
Bucky stiffened. “Hey, don’t talk like that. We’re gonna make it outta here, alright?
“Ha! You think you can keep me alive?!” Steve tittered, taking another step back and spreading his arms wide “I’m just skin, Buck! I’m just goddamn skin, and the grass takes it all back!”
Bucky took a step after him. “Steve, just stick with me, okay? We’ll find a way outta here, or the others will come get us-”
Steve only laughed at him, tears starting to fall from his eyes, before he turned sharply and ducked into the grass.
“No, wait!” Bucky said desperately, running after him.
“Forget me!” Steve called as he raced ahead. “I’m just skin! I’m just skin!”
“Steve! Wait!” Bucky yelled, trying to keep up, but Steve’s voice only got farther and farther- and then suddenly it was gone, and Bucky was running in silence.
He stopped then, breathing hard, turning where he stood as if he might spot Steve if he just turned, but all there was was grass around him. Tall, thick walls of it.
“Steve!” he yelled.
“Stevie!”
“Steve, answer me!”
He kept yelling, hoping Steve would answer.
Bucky’s voice went hoarse, at which point he decided enough was enough. He wasn’t going to find Steve like that. Instead he started walking, going with his plan to do so until he hit some kind of civilization.
He walked while the sun sat in the middle of the sky. He walked while the sun started to make its descent. He walked while the sun started to rise again.
Funny thing was, it had never turned to night.
And then all at once it turned dark, and the moon was a sliver on his left.
Bucky stopped walking then. He had to sit down.
He couldn’t know exactly how long he’d been in this place, seeing as his watch had stopped, but he knew when a day’s worth of time had passed. He’d put himself on his twenty-fifth hour in the grass by his own internal clock.
He was no wiz at geography, but he should’ve hit something by now.
The maze always moves.
That’s what Steve had said. Was this a maze then? Like a corn maze?
But where were the paths? The turns and the dead ends? It was all just grass, thick and looming all around him, always touching him, touching his clothes and his hair and his skin. He’d accrued a small collection of cuts on his face and hand, most from when he’d been running, but a few just from the long and tedious walk.
And what had it done to Steve? He’d sported a similar collection of cuts from what Bucky could see under all that dirt.
He’d looked wild and deranged, talking like a lunatic. Caked in mud and blood that were hours older than was possible, and never mind the days worth of facial hair.
How long had Steve been in here? How long had Bucky?
How long would either of them last?
Not caring about the cool dampness seeping into his pants where he sat, Bucky started pulling up an inventory.
There were his weapons: his SIG-Saur, fully loaded with two extra clips on him; five knives tucked away in various points on his person; a grenade; a taser, and three flash bangs.
Then there was his practical mission items: a multi-tool, a radio that wasn’t working, a dozen plastic handcuffs, his goggles and mask, flashlight, and small field first-aid kit.
Lastly were his miscellaneous items- things not necessarily needed for missions but had become habit for him to carry around: a compass that wasn’t working, a lighter, one energy bar, a pack of gum, and four quarters.
It wasn’t much, considering his circumstances, yet he’d survived worse conditions on less.
As he looked at the stalks around him though, he got the sense that this place wouldn’t be as rich in resources as the common wilds.
So far he’d yet to encounter any wildlife- none that was alive, anyway. A few dead bird carcasses so far, and a couple dead frogs. There were plenty of maggots and flies though, and he’d managed to spot a grasshopper briefly before it hopped away.
Otherwise it was all just grass. Not even a weed to speak of, and Bucky sensed that these plants wouldn’t make for a good meal.
At least there was an okay source of water- for now. The shifting temperature had caused condensation to bead on the grass leaves, and while Bucky didn’t trust it to be eaten, he could at least lick the fresh drops off the surfaces.
He figured he’d have to get up eventually, but for now, he needed a rest.
No telling how long he’d be stuck here.
He didn’t realize he’d been starting to doze until he was jolted to awareness suddenly by a gunshot.
Bucky was immediately on his feet, gun pulled out and at the ready, tilting his head to listen for what he couldn’t see in the dark of the night.
But all he heard was the shiff of grass, and he was questioning if the noise he heard had been real or just a dream when he saw the grass start to part in front of him.
Gun raised, he took a step back, until the sight of Steve suddenly came into view, and Bucky relaxed, lowering his gun.
“Steve?” he said, and Steve glanced up like he’d been walking without looking where he was going.
Suddenly a smile broke out on his face. “Bucky!” he said excitedly, coming forward and embracing Bucky in a tight hug.
“Hey” Bucky said worriedly, wrapping his arms around Steve and taking in his appearance.
He was far cleaner now, and not missing any clothes. Mud was caked over his boots and to his knees, with a few smudges on his uniform going higher. His face was only sporting short bristles of stubble, a day old at most.
Bucky swallowed. There was something deeply wrong with this place.
“You’re here” Steve said happily, pulling back from the hug and taking Bucky in from head to foot, hands gripping Bucky’s shoulders. “You’re really here”
“Yeah. Listen, Stevie, this place isn’t right. We have to stick together, okay?” he said, worried Steve might run off again.
Steve looked at him curiously, tilting his head. “What are you talking about Buck? The grass puts us where we need to be”
“Right” Bucky said, giving a strained smile. “But don’t run off again, is all. It’s better if we stick together so we don’t get lost”
Steve only looked more confused at that. “How could we ever get lost? Don’t you see the roots?”
Roots? Bucky glanced down briefly at the base of the stalks, but didn’t see any roots poking out of the dirt.
When he looked back up, he saw a sudden understanding written across Steve’s face. “You didn’t touch the rock” he whispered, more to himself than Bucky.
Bucky furrowed his brow. “The rock?”
“It’s, god, no wonder you-”
“NO!” a voice screamed, and the grass suddenly shifted as a form burst forth and tackled Steve to the ground.
Bucky made a surprised noise, watching the two bodies as they fell into the grass, flattening stalks between their sudden wrestling.
Bucky made to yank the attacker off, when a hand smacked him away, and Bucky was struck cold.
There was Steve, sitting straddled on top of... Steve.
“You don’t touch him!” the new Steve yelled, raising his fist and punching the Steve on the ground.
Bucky took a step back, mind halted at what he was seeing.
Two Steves.
The new one was shirtless, like Bucky had first seen. He was covered in more mud than before, but lacked any visible blood.
“What’s it matter?” the Steve on the ground laughed, uncaring the his nose was bloodied. He didn’t even raise his arms to defend himself, grinning madly. “The grass puts us all on our paths- he’ll eat his tail, or his tail will eat him!”
“No!” the attacking Steve said viciously, then turned to Bucky with a ferocity in his eyes. “Don’t touch the rock! Swear you won’t touch the rock!”
“Steve, what-?” Bucky started to say, when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and yanked, pulling him away.
Bucky let out a surprised noise, turning on his own assailant with his gun raised, only to stop short when it was Steve.
This time, however, Bucky didn’t lower his weapon.
“Who are you?” Bucky said, keeping the muzzle pointed at Steve’s face. He looked him up and down, noting the difference. He was fully outfitted, complete with his shield. There was mud covering his boots, but that was the extend of it, the rest of him clean. His face was still smooth too- no facial hair, like he’d been this morning.
This new Steve didn’t so much as flinch at the gun, looking Bucky in the eye with a suspicious nonchalance.
“I’m Steve” he answered.
“What are you?”
A pause.
“I’m the tail” he answered after an extended silence. “I’ve been looking for you”
“And who sent you?”
At this, the false Steve looked away. “Nobody- I’m just... we all care for you” he said softly.
Bucky swallowed, not liking this. The sounds of the two Steve’s fighting had gone dead quiet. Bucky couldn’t tell if they were even there anymore, nothing but stalks of grass all around them, obscuring anything farther than a foot away.
“What’s going on?” Bucky asked, his aim not wavering.
“You won’t understand”
Bucky cocked the gun. “Try me”
The false Steve frowned, then looked up at the starry sky.
“Tell me” Bucky growled.
He sighed, and looked down to Bucky again. His shoulder sat loose and relaxed, as if there weren’t a gun inches from his face.
“Your Steve- the one you want- is the head” he said.
“The head?”
“The head of the snake” false-Steve smiled wistfully. “Slithers with his forked tongue through the forked paths, and he chooses, and he sheds” he said, and he took a step forward. Bucky took a step back, a chill running through his whole body.
The false-Steve kept going. “The head of the serpent sheds its skin. It slithers and it slithers and it makes its choices. Every choice forks, and the head sheds each choice”
He was walking closer now, and Bucky had to keep stepping away. He felt the grass caress his skin as he was forced to move backwards, gun trained ahead but not ready to pull the trigger. Not yet.
He needed answers.
“Where’s Steve?” he ground out.
“The head meets the tail, and one eats the other”
“Where’s. Steve”
The false-Steve kept stalking forward. He pressed until his forehead touched the tip of the muzzle.
“Go ahead” he said- and fuck, it sounded like a plea. “Pull the trigger, Buck; finish the song”
Bucky lifted the gun away, unable to do it- unsure if he should.
What if this was Steve? What if this was him, driven insane?
Bucky took another step back, and his heel bumped into something solid.
He glanced down, and then did a double-take as the flash of metal shined up through the base of the grass.
“It’s okay” Steve soothed, stopping now. “I’m making sure you don’t grow your tail”
Steve’s words fell numb on Bucky’s ears, his attention too caught on what lay at his feet.
It was an arm. A metal arm, identical to Bucky’s own. He saw it with a sharp clarity. He followed it up to the shoulder, where a red star sat etched in the metal. An overwhelming need to see, to know, overtook him, and without thinking, Bucky reached out with his free hand to push the grass aside, looking down at where it connected.
Laying in dirt was Bucky.
His own body, dead on the ground. His skin was still pink, the blood still warm and trickling from his nose, his head bent at an unnatural angle.
“There’s no path you can take won’t lead here” Steve said. Like it was a reassurance. “In the maze of infinite choices, all roads lead to their tails- but not yours” Steve said, stepping forward. “I make sure of it, you don’t have to worry about that. I always make sure”
Steve reached out for Bucky’s neck.
Bucky raised his gun.
He took the shot.
And missed.
But only just.
Steve recoiled from the blow and gripped the side of his face, blood spraying out and falling down in rivulets between his fingers. His mouth split wide in a sick grin, and he barked what was half a laugh and half a scream.
Bucky dropped the gun, hand shaking.
“I-” he said, lacking words, shocked at his own action.
I shot Steve, he thought dazedly.
He shot Steve.
“I didn’t mean-” he tried to say. What had he been thinking? This was Steve, or part of him at least.
But was it?
Is he really Steve?
Was the body in the dirt really him?
He didn’t know. He didn’t know.
There was something deeply wrong with this place.
The man in front of him kept laughing. He started to take a step forward, and Bucky took a step back, horrified. At this false-Steve or at his own actions, he didn’t know.
“And then he runs” Steve hissed, walking closer, and Bucky was seized with a sudden terror.
He couldn’t face this. He couldn’t accept what he’d just done, and he turned on his heels and ran.
Only there, standing behind him was Steve.
His face was a mess, dried blood caked all over the left side where the gunshot wound had started to fester. His eyes were fever bright and manic, and his arms shot out to grab at Bucky and pull him closer. The next thing Bucky knew, he was trapped in a headlock, caught off-guard.
“It’ll be over soon” Steve hushed, and too late, Bucky felt a hand grip his chin.
“Stevie” Bucky choked out-
-and Steve yanked.
There was a sickening crunch.
He hit the dirt, his head lolling loose from his body. The impact was heard but not felt.
A maze of infinite choices, and all paths led here.
BUCKY
“What’s going on?” Bucky asked, his aim not wavering.
“You won’t understand” the false-Steve said.
Bucky cocked the gun. “Try me”
The false Steve frowned, then looked up at the starry sky.
“Tell me” Bucky growled.
He sighed, and looked down to Bucky again. His shoulder sat loose and relaxed, as if there weren’t a gun inches from his face.
“Your Steve- the one you want- is the head” he said.
“The head?”
“The head of the snake” false-Steve smiled wistfully. “Slithers with his forked tongue through the forked paths, and he chooses, and he sheds” he said, and he took a step forward. Bucky took a step back, a chill running through his whole body.
The false-Steve kept going. “The head of the serpent sheds its skin. It slithers and it slithers and it makes its choices. Every choice forks, and the head sheds each choice”
A hand suddenly shot out of the grass and grabbed onto Bucky’s arm, pulling him aside and away from the false-Steve.
“What the hell?” Bucky growled, pointing the gun at his new assailant-
Another Steve. The shirtless one, now with fresh blood running down his arm.
“Who the hell are you people?” Bucky growled.
But this Steve only looked at him with a desperate terror.
“Bucky” he warbled, like he was heartbroken.
“Bucky!” the other Steve yelled, his voice distant in the grass. “Run all you want, Buck! All your paths lead to me! I made sure of it! I made sure!”
The Steve in front of him gripped his shoulder, pushing the gun aside like it was nothing. “Bucky, listen to me. The tail has your scent now, you have to run”
“What?”
“Bucky!” the distant Steve called, voice drawing closer.
“No, not here, not again” Steve whimpered, and he let go of Bucky’s shoulder to grab his hand instead. “Come on” he cried, pulling Bucky along behind him.
Bucky followed, more out of shock than anything else, keeping pace behind Steve.
“What’s going on?” Bucky yelled as they ran, lifting his metal arm to defend against the grass that whipped at his face.
“We can’t let the tail get you!” Steve replied, pulling them along faster.
Only his muddy hand started to slip, and suddenly they came apart, and Steve was shooting ahead.
“Steve, wait!” he called, losing sight of Steve in the grass.
There was no answer.
Bucky ran for a moment longer, then slowed to a walk, and then stopped completely, breathing hard. “Steve?” he called, but there was no answer.
God dammit.
There was something deeply wrong with this place.
He sighed, looking at the grass towering all around him.
No use standing around here.
Looking up at the starry sky, he figured out where north was and started walking.
It hadn’t helped him get out of this place before, but who knew. Maybe he’d get lucky.
Bucky walked for what must have been hours, though the sky had gone from night to noon in seemingly minutes, so who was to say?
He walked until he suddenly came across an open clearing, and hope suddenly filled his chest.
That hope quickly died when he saw it was nothing more than that- and was just as fast replaced with suspicion.
In the clearing was nothing but dried and cracked earth, not a single sprout of anything to be seen. And dead center of the clearing was a rock.
Or boulder, more accurately. The huge monolith of stone stood at least ten feet tall, towering higher than the grass. It’s surface was uneven and black, so dark that it seemed to absorb the sunlight. Absorb it hungrily even.
So hungry.
So h̨ͭ̓̈́͊̍̃u͒̒͊͌ng̢̀̊ͤ̔̿ͬry.
S͟ǒ͑̐ ̈́h̨ͥ̓̓ͪ̚un̶͆g̸͛̑ͯ̓ͤrỷͥ͌̏͋ͫ͏.
Ś̀̿ͪ͆̂͊o̍̓͐̒͑͢ ̈͝h͒͐ͤ͐͊̌͋uͫͭn̄͛̾ͥg̈͗̑̚rͮ̄͂̑͗́yͪ̃̎̚͏-
“NO!”
Bucky blinked in shock, surprised to see he was suddenly inches from touching the boulder with his outstretched hand. It felt like the earth was tilting under his feet, slanting towards the stone. Inviting him-
“Bucky-!” Steve yelled, catching Bucky’s attention once more. “Don’t touch the rock!” he cried from where he stood at the edge of the clearing. Funny though, he didn’t seem to want to come closer.
And which Steve was this? No shirt or shoes, but no blood either. The mud coated him like a second skin, but his eyes stuck out brightly, blue and desperate, shiny with tears.
“Don’t listen to him” another Steve said, stepping from around the corner of the rock. He was almost an exact image of the Steve over at the edge, except his eyes were bright with madness rather than desperation.
This Steve put out his own hand and caressed the rough surface, closing his eyes almost blissfully. “You can see all the roots when you touch it. You won’t be lost anymore” he breathed.
“You’ll go insane!” the other Steve yelled, tears flowing freely. “Bucky please. There’s other ways. We can- we can survive on our own. It doesn’t matter that I’m skin, right? I can be your Steve. I can be him. I can be enough-”
The other Steve never got to finish, as another Steve stepped out from behind him and swung the shield into his neck, cutting into the flesh with a wet squelch.
This new Steve stepped out, teeth bared in a feral scowl. He pulled the shield out as the first Steve dropped, flopping to the dirt as his hands uselessly gripped at his neck.
Bucky knew enough that that was a fatal blow. He kept his eyes up, staunchly ignoring the wet gurgles. He didn’t think the thing that had been killed was Steve, but fuck, he looked close enough. Bucky had no particular desire to watch him die.
“No more!” the new Steve yelled, then looked up to Bucky. “Buck, just let me kill you. You’re just another loose end, and I can’t- I can’t watch you shed like him. The rock won’t bring you anything better than that”
“Like you know” the Steve by Bucky’s side snorted, hand pulled away from the rock. The palm was red and blistered like it had been burned. “You’re just the tail. Let him choose”
“NO! No more choices!” he yelled, anger in his eyes. He pulled the bloodied shield back and threw in, but the Steve by the stone ducked, and the shield went flying into the grass at the other side. And it was gone.
There was another feral growl, and then he was running at his doppelganger, tackling him to the dirt. Bucky stepped aside and watched them tumble down with a sort of warm numbness.
He watched as the more feral of the Steves beat down on the other, pounding into him with bloody fists. Bloody, bloody fists, enough blood to quench its thirst.
Bucky looked back up at the rock, and felt a warm, inviting pulse from it.
These Steves didn’t matter. The grass didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.
Bucky’s thoughts swirled and emptied like smoke in the wind. All there was to know was the rock. So inviting. So hungry.
He reached out with his hand, and he touched-
B̶͖̫̦̯̬̦̥̠͕͎̤͙̎̿ͩͫͩͪͩͩ̏ͩͧ͛̀ͬ̚͘U̦̹͕̦͙̤̹̟̦̩̩͖̙̗̪̿͆ͪͧ̾̋͒͒ͤ̊̐̽ͯ͂͡ͅͅC̵̦̞̬̤̥̝̳̱̻̤̙̝̾̎ͨͪ͑ͫͧ͝ͅͅK̿̊̋͊͐̆͒̃ͪ̽̆͗ͮ͏͇͇͇͎̜̤̲͈̗͉̩̜̳̠̦̫͖ͅY̷̷̹͚̹̦͙̼͖͈͚͈̹̜̒ͬͬͭͧ͆͋͌͋ͪ̈̂̿ͪͦ
He understood now.
An infertile soil, with no room for worms or seeds. Just grass. Endless grass; a single being.
But it wasn’t grass, was it?
No.
It was flesh.
All grass was flesh.
And now, all his flesh was grass too.
Bucky turned to the Tail- or Steve if he were so inclined- and to the shed skin that had been pulled in. Or Steve, if he were so inclined.
The skin lay dead, its face a caved-in and bloody pulp. Steve sat on its chest, legs on either side.
He looked up at Bucky, his shoulder sagging, the carnal energy drained from him as he gazed where Bucky’s flesh hand touched the stone.
“You touched it” he said, his voice hollow.
“You know how it calls” Bucky answered, calm. Serene even. And why not? He understood it all now.
“What are you now? Do you know?”
Bucky tilted his head. He had an idea of it, but there was more that had to be done. “Give me time, and I can tell you” Bucky answered.
He pulled his hand away from the rock, but it still sang to him regardless.
He made his way confidently to the grass, the roots spread out before him. Yes, a maze of endless choice, but roads could be diverted. Loose ends could be tied.
The serpent ate its tail- or the tail ate the serpent, it didn’t particularly matter- and the grass fed on its skin. An endless cycle.
He could see it; the skin of them all. An infinite source of bodies, of splitting timelines. Choices led to splits led to choices let to splits, and more skin shed. Endless bodies to feed the grass.
Hydra soldiers and scientists running, fleeing, looking for a way out that was constantly shifting. Their bodies plenty enough to feed the grass.
But it wasn’t Hydra Bucky was interested in. No, let them rot here. Food for the grass. Tails for the snakes.
But there, he saw the one he needed to find. A loose end that didn’t deserve to be here. Bucky walked towards it, following the roots, the path clear as day.
He stepped through the stalks, the lot of them caressing his skin, until he saw the one he was looking for.
Bucky stepped out, and smiled kindly. Then he knelt down on one knee and held out his hand.
“Hi there. I’m here to help” he said.
The little girl sniffed, wiping at the tears in her eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah. You wanna get outta here? Go back home?”
She nodded, reaching out to take his hand.
Bucky smiled.
STEVE
“Look, she’s not that far in,” Steve said. “I’ll go get her, and if I get stuck too, I’ll stay where I am and wait for you to come up with something”
“Cap, I don’t think-” Tony started to say.
“Please! Please help!” the girl sobbed, sounding closer, like she was barely a few feet into the grass. Steve looked in, hands clenching. She was right there.
“She’s right there” he said, and then thought, fuck it. It was only a few step in. That was hardly going to hurt.
“Cap wait!” Tony called as he made his way in, but Steve ignored him.
It was just grass. No idea what was in there, but honestly, what harm could there be in a few short steps in?
“Steve!” Tony yelled again, sounding peeved and concerned.
“I’m fine Tony” Steve called back, walking deeper.
“Help me!” the girl cried, and Steve followed the sound of her voice.
“I’m coming for you, just stay where you are!” Steve called, pushing past the stalks.
“Make it quick Stevie” Bucky yelled back in the yard, sounding his own kind of worried.
Steve called for the girl again, listening for her answer. He furrowed his brow when her voice seemed to get farther, not closer.
“Stop moving, stay where you are!” he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice.
“Help me!” she cried.
“Steve, you should come back” Bucky called.
“I’ve almost got her!” Steve answered, pushing through the stalks. She was right up ahead. She had to be-
He shoved his hand into a thicket of grass and pulled it aside, then stopped short.
“Bucky?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“Hey Stevie. Think I got something for you” Bucky said, smiling slyly. In his arms was a little girl, her hand gripping around Bucky’s neck tightly, wet tear tracks running down her cheeks.
Steve looked back briefly, as if that might answer how Bucky had suddenly gotten here when he’d just heard him-
“You wanna take her?” Bucky asked, then pulled her away without giving Steve a chance to answer and forcing him to take the girl in his arms.
“Buck, how’d you get here so fast?”
“Don’t worry about it” he assured. “Let’s get outta here” he said instead, and pushed Steve to move.
“Buck, that’s the wrong way-”
“Trust me pal, I know where we’re goin’”
Steve wasn’t so sure, but Bucky seemed so confident, so he let himself be led.
They walked for what must have barely been two minutes before Bucky stopped them.
“Buck?”
“Can I see the shield for a minute?”
Steve looked at Bucky curiously from over the girl’s shoulder. “What?”
“Am I talking French here? Come on, gimme the shield for a minute”
“Alright...” Steve said, turning to give his back to Bucky so he could unclip his shield.
“Buck, what’re you doing?”
“Goodbyes, Steve” Bucky said with a sad smile.
“What?”
“Don’t come back. The soil's not fertile” he said, and then shoved Steve harshly.
BUCKY
“Steve, get back here!” Bucky yelled, hand falling to the gun at his hip.
There was no answer.
“Steve!” Bucky yelled.
“Hey Steve!” Clint called, concerned as well.
“Cap, this isn’t funny” Tony added, a look of worry on his face.
He heard Natasha mutter a curse under her breath, and Bucky was inclined to agree.
“Goddammit” Bucky hissed. Why did Steve have to run head-first into everything?
“I’m goin’ after him” Bucky decided. He couldn’t just let Steve disappear like that.
“That’s a bad idea” Natasha instantly said.
“Did you not just see what happened?” Tony said incredulously.
“I know!” Bucky bit out, checking the rounds on his gun to make sure he was topped up.
“You’re no good if you get stuck in there too” Natasha tried to reason. “If you go missing, that’s just one more person we have to find”
Bucky considered her words. Maybe he could wait a few minutes, just until they had some kind of answer. After all, like she’d said, if he got stuck in there too-
Thwump!
They all jolted in shock at the sound of Steve’s shield flying out, impacting hard with the side of the house.
They all looked upon it dumbstruck, the sight of the shield embedded into the siding catching them all off-guard.
What was more, the sight of the shield bloodied.
Bucky swallowed, eyes tracing up where the impact had spattered some of it up the wall in a thin arc.
The blood was a bright.
The blood was fresh.
“James, wait-” Natasha said quickly, but before Bucky could rush past her into the grass, Steve came stumbling out.
Bucky was close enough to catch him before he went ass over teakettle.
“Woah!” Steve exclaimed, gripping onto Bucky with one hand, while the other held onto the girl he apparently had found.
“Shit, you okay?” Bucky asked, looking Steve up and down for injuries. For blood.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Bucky, what- how’d you...” he started to say, then trailed off, looking into the grass with concern.
“What was in there?” Bucky asked.
“Nothing. It’s just... grass. Bucky, did you go in after me?”
“I was about to after you threw your shield”
“My shield?” Steve asked, then followed Bucky’s gaze towards the house, where his bloody shield lay embedded in the side. The spray of blood was slowly starting to drip down in long stripes.
“He took my shield...” Steve murmured, quiet enough that only Bucky heard.
The girl sniffled, then looked to Bucky. “Thank you for finding me” she said, her voice still warbled with tears.
Bucky furrowed his brow, but then Steve gave him a look and he feigned a smile.
“Tony” Steve said, stepping away from the grass with the girl still in his arms. “I think we should call Strange for this”
“Oh, thirty seconds in the field and you want to hand this off to Houdini?”
“Something ain’t right with the place” Steve said.
“Yeah, no kiddin’” Bucky agreed, looking back at the bloody shield.
Maybe it was best they leave this to someone else.
B̶͖̫̦̯̬̦̥̠͕͎̤͙̎̿ͩͫͩͪͩͩ̏ͩͧ͛̀ͬ̚͘U̦̹͕̦͙̤̹̟̦̩̩͖̙̗̪̿͆ͪͧ̾̋͒͒ͤ̊̐̽ͯ͂͡ͅͅC̵̦̞̬̤̥̝̳̱̻̤̙̝̾̎ͨͪ͑ͫͧ͝ͅͅK̿̊̋͊͐̆͒̃ͪ̽̆͗ͮ͏͇͇͇͎̜̤̲͈̗͉̩̜̳̠̦̫͖ͅY̷̷̹͚̹̦͙̼͖͈͚͈̹̜̒ͬͬͭͧ͆͋͌͋ͪ̈̂̿ͪͦ
Bucky returned to the heart of the maze, the shield in his hand.
Steve was still where he left him, though the body was gone. Bucky knew where it was though.
He knew where everything was.
“Did you figure out what you are?” Steve asked, sitting in the dirt. Bucky dropped the shield next to him, then took a seat opposite, like they were at a table.
“A head without a tail” he answered.
Steve laughed at that. “Well ain’t that swell. And here I am, a tail without a head”
“You saw that, huh?”
“Yeah. Cut my head right off. What am I supposed to do now?”
“Well. You’re a tail without a head, and I’m a head without a tail, so”
“Oh, so one of us should eat the other? That’s your big plan?”
“Well we ain’t shedding. Might as well”
“And how do you wanna go about that?”
Bucky leaned over and reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a quarter, holding it up for Steve to see. The light of the sun beat down dispassionately, illuminating the coin’s face.
Heads or tails, Bucky thought with amusement.
“Wanna flip for it?”