The training room smelled like cold metal. The faint hum of machinery mixed with the sharp clack of boots on steel floors. Bucky lingered in the shadows, his posture rigid, eyes scanning. He had been programmed countless times before, a weapon in someone else’s hands, but this time, something inside him flickered when he saw you.

A figure crouched near a corner, shaking as an instructor barked orders, pushing them to pick up weapons too heavy, to perform exercises that should have been impossible for someone so young. Bucky’s jaw clenched. His metal arm twitched at his side like it had a mind of its own, straining against the invisible leash of control that had been wrapped around him so many times.

He could feel the old programming pressing against him, whispering obedience, reminding him who he was supposed to be. But a different voice, his voice, buried beneath the conditioning burned louder, sharper. This kid didn’t deserve this. No one did. Not today. Not ever.

The instructor’s whistle shrilled. Something snapped in Bucky. He moved before he even thought, stepping out of the side.

“Back off,” he said, voice low, dangerous, carrying the authority of someone who had lived too many lifetimes under command but refused this one. His human side, the part that had been buried under years of manipulation, flared like a warning light. The instructors hesitated, taken aback by the sudden appearance of their most efficient weapon. Except he wasn’t their weapon right now.

“It’s okay,” he murmured, stepping closer, lowering his hand in a rare gesture of non-threat. “I’ve got you.”

The instructors muttered among themselves, unsure if they should call it in, but Bucky didn’t wait for them. He motioned for you to follow, keeping a careful distance from the others, his metal arm glinting in the harsh lights as if daring anyone to challenge him.

He didn’t even think about what might happen if the conditioning overpowered him.

For a few minutes, he walked with you along the sterile halls. “Stay close,” he said. “Don’t let them see you scared. You’re stronger than they think.”