BUCKY.

            ^{for a moment, the breath in his chest is caught on the journey between inhale and exhale. there’s no movement, no flinch, no twitch when he sees the full extent of the damage. there’s nothing but the quiet, simmering rage he’s spent days at the docks and garage trying to forget. but here, with rebecca’s eyes downcast and her body curling in on itself, bucky feels the slight tremor in his fists. and when did his hands knot together? another moment passes and he remembers the steps: exhale, relax, inhale, unclench fingers, exhale, inhale.} 

            ^{the anger he can take care of later, knuckles finding purchase somewhere on robbie’s no-good, bulldog face. right now, however, he has a responsibility to his sister to be there for her. it’s a big, bad, broken world out there and becca’s just learned that not all men are for loving. bucky has to make this right. he HAS to.}

                                                             ^{“ c’mon, becks. ”}

            ^{his voice is softer now, allowing her to make her own choice. she could go to her room, work through this on her own, or she could let bucky clean up her face and wrap his arms around her slender frame. there’s still pancake batter left in the old, chipped bowl on the counter with enough for at least two more.  come on, he thinks, let me take care of you. it’s what big brothers are for.}

                                 ^{“ let’s get you cleaned up? i got pancakes on the stove. ”}

rebecca stood FROZEN IN PLACE as she looked on towards her brother. she was too young to remember much of her mother, but she remembers her father talking about her a lot and how much he loved her. she had always hoped that she would find a guy to love her the way her father loved her mother. a relationship that was built on trust and love. she never expected robbie to act the way he did and she was left devastated. a soft whimper passed through her lips as she nodded her head. taking a small step forward, she inched closer and closer to her brother before she hugged him tightly. 

the tears that she had been holding in finally RAN DOWN HER CHEEKS as everything sunk in. she had trust robbie. she gave him her heart and loved him with everything she had; then he went and did this to her. he was a horrible man and she never wanted to see his face again; she wanted nothing to do with him.

         “ I’ll head over to the bathroom and wait for you there. ” 

her voice, normally so cheerful and full of life sounded weak and dull. taking a SMALL STEP BACK, she looked down towards the ground and with her arms wrapped around herself tightly, she made her way down the hall towards the small bathroom. opening one of the small cabinet doors, she pulled out the first aid kit they had along with a small bottle of pain killers. 

filling up a small glass of water, she put one pill in her mouth and swallowed it down with the water. her face was sore but she knew it would get worse by morning. moving over, she sat down on the toilet seat, her eyes focused on the wall in front of her as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

BUCKY.

        ^{the sun is merely a concept in the wake of rolling storm clouds and the docks closed late that morning when rain began to beat down harder than any of the boys could keep up. he’d checked in on steve, but sarah was at work and only the smallest hint of a blonde mop had been visible underneath the mountain of blankets. an EARLY day, then, something bucky rarely experienced. there’d been tentative plans to go dancing with one of the gals from the diner across the street, but the wind and rain had made his decision for him.}

^{hours pass and he’s humming some nameless tune in the kitchen, attempting to whip up pancakes to the best of his ability, when the front door slams open and shut. BECCA? a misshapen, burned pan is moved to the side and hands are wiped on their mother’s apron loosely tied around his waist. she was supposed to be on that date with robbie, something about the pictures or a picnic. ( he never paid the most attention when becca’s boyfriend was brought up. he was a bad egg, that one. something slick and slimy behind that smiling face. ) darkness like the sky passes over bucky’s face when he catches a glimpse of purple and red on high cheekbones. it’s only the barest hint of violence hidden underneath a curtain of hair, but it’s enough. his voice is unwavering and leaves no room for argument when he speaks.}

                                            ^{“ rebecca. turn around. ”}

a soft SIGH ESCAPED through her lips as she froze in place; she was ^{caught and she knew} that he had seen what she had been trying desperately to hide. she didn’t feel like having to explain to him what happened, he would know. she knew that her brother never really liked the guy she had been dating. robbie could be a great guy but there were times _{he just lost it}. she thought she would be able to help him work through those issues but she always ended up on the receiving end of things. she looked down towards the ground, still not looking at her brother.

all she wanted to do was go up to her room; she wanted to get CLEANED UP and curl up underneath her soft sheets and the blanket that she ^{had gotten from her mother}; it was one of her most prized possessions. she slept with that thing, even during the summer when it got really hot. it made her feel safe and that was something she needed in that moment, however, the tone in her brothers voice told her that she had _{no other choice.} 

she wouldn’t be able to argue her way out of this so it was best for her if she just did as he had said. crossing her arms across her chest, she ^{slowly turns} to look at her brother; her eyes still looking down at the ground below her. slowly, she raised her head and pushed back a single strand of dark brown hair, revealing the large bruise under her eye and gash on her cheek. 

          “ can I just go to my room please? ”

the rain fell in BUCKETS that afternoon as lightening cracked in the gray sky. she wasn’t planning on returning home as early as she was but, she just couldn’t stay there another moment. no, she wasn’t going to deal with it anymore and she felt it was best if she removed herself from the situation. tears ran down her cheeks as the rain continued to fall onto her umbrella before dripping onto the ground below her. 

her boyfriend could be a real jerk sometimes but he took it one step too far. glancing up, she realized that she was already home. a sigh passed through dry lips; she wasn’t sure how to explain the situation to her brother. taking a deep breath in, she quickly opened the door and then SHUT it behind her, placing the umbrella on the hook. removing her jacket, she noticed the light coming from the kitchen. as she made her way towards her room, she continued to look the other way so he wouldn’t see the bruises or gash underneath her right eye. 

          “ buck i’m home early. i’ll just be in my room okay? ”