TW: a little blood

Sam did his best to jump aside but he miscalculated the beast's reach. The wolf's long limb was immediately around Sam's torso and he swiftly tossed him aside as if the over 200 pound superhero weighed nothing.

Sam hit the ground with a loud groan, cracks running up the wall he had been slammed into. He couldn't let the pain blind him, he knew he had to get up. In a fight, getting up was all that mattered.

"Sam!"

The wolf lowered his hands, getting on all fours as he locked his eyes on the man who was already up and staring at him in recognition. The wolf gave a strong kick with his back legs, jumping towards his prey with a threatening snarl but a strong blow to his ribs threw him off his course.

"What the hell Barnes!?" Sam roared, having pushed himself off the floor to reach for the secret cupboard that held a bag with numerous weapons. The building was filled with secret hideouts, weapons, closets and rooms just for emergencies like that one.

"Later, Sam."

The wolf rolled to the ground, Steve and him a mess of limbs as he skidded to a halt, his claws leaving long gashes in the floor. He didn't care about Steve at the moment, he was just furious he had dared to come between him and his prey.

"William stop it!" The wolf snapped his teeth at Bucky who was standing in front of Sam, trying to calm him down.

The wolf didn't care, he had one goal, and that was to get to him even if it meant ramming through the two super soldiers.

"You better get out of here Sam, now!"

Once again he was running towards Bucky but this time he was ready for Steve. So when the older Rogers came for him again, he was waiting with his claws aimed towards his neck.

Steve tucked, avoiding the deadly claws. Bucky was right there, ready to back him up with a swing of his metallic arm that collided with the wolf's muzzle. The force behind the punch made him snap his head back with a loud whine that turned into a snarl. A trail of blood ran down his nose, over his bared canines as he snapped his teeth, aiming for Bucky's flesh hand.

"Sam, get out of here!" Steve yelled over his shoulder, sidestepping another lethal kick.

He tucked slightly when it was Steve that now tried to punch him. He swiped his claws, trying to bite the two massive men who were irritatingly agile and seemed to step away after every attempt.

They were tiring him out, trying to hit him hard enough for him to fall unconscious.

A flash of a silver weapon fed the wolf's adrenaline and he brutally rammed through Bucky, slamming him into the wall with his shoulder. He heard Bucky grunt and as Steve collected momentum by jumping onto the wall to try and gain higher ground than Will, he tucked the last minute, raising his claws that sunk into Steve's stomach. He stepped aside, the two super soldier's groaning on the floor as he got on all fours.

Sam cocked his gun, aiming towards the gigantic beast that was glaring at him, his chin covered in his own blood as he started running right towards Sam.

He pressed down on the trigger but the wolf jumped aside, his claws sinking into the wall as saliva ran down the side of his mouth.

It was a creature of nightmares and Sam didn't hesitate to press down on the trigger again and again. But the creature simply jumped over the darts, swirling right towards the Falcon with his hands aimed at Sam's throat.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Sam had managed to get in one hit. Will brushed the dart off, it barely hung on as thick fur prevented it from really piercing his skin. Sam cursed and threw the robust gun toward Will who swatted it aside. His long fingers curled around Sam's throat and slammed him into the wall once, twice. Three times before he dropped the knife he had grabbed from the weapon bag.

Sam was dizzy, black spots swam in his vision but blaring pain dragged him back to consciousness as the wolf threw him on the ground, sinking his claws into Sam's chest, making him scream in agony.

William was long gone, succumbed to the raw bloodlust that had been coded into him a long, long time ago. He knew he would get rewarded for it, he had gotten to his target.

Sam gritted his teeth, hands roaming the floor when he finally felt for the hilt of a knife. He wasted no time and plunged it in between the beast's ribs. He howled, retracting his claws and stepping back. Sam gasped, dragging himself backward as Steve suddenly went flying into the beast, his shield protecting him from the damage.

The wolf bared his teeth and dragged his claws across the vibranium shield, Steve braced himself for the collision.

"William it's not you!"

He snapped his teeth and sidestepped Bucky's punch, the man was a force to be reckoned with. But they were distracting him from his target, he would deal with them later.
He gripped Bucky's metal arm in mid-strike, startled at the strength behind it that nearly made him lose his grip, but he kicked at Bucky with his feet, letting go of his arm at the last second, making him slam into Steve as they both landed a couple of feet away from the wolf.

He turned back towards his target, the trail of blood making his eyes gleam with glee as he removed the knife still stuck between his ribs. He fell on all fours and stalked toward his prey. This time, the wolf didn't wait but went hurtling towards him, his jaw wide open and eyes burning with a promise of death.

Sam tried to get away, but before he knew it, teeth were sinking into his shoulder, clamping down on the flesh and bone. Sam thought he was screaming but couldn't hear himself over the rushing of blood in his ears. There was blood everywhere, he could almost feel the canines grazing his bones.

The wolf dragged him backwards, shaking his head and growling lowly as if he was a pup who had just gotten his first deer and needed to shake the animal to its death.

There was a flash of blue and he was suddenly ripped away from his target, pain coursed through his skull and rattled his teeth when he collided with the wall. Two knives had been buried into his back, right between his shoulder blades. However,  the adrenaline dulled the pain.

He looked around, growling in sheer agitation when his prey had suddenly just disappeared. He wasn't given much time to assess the vanishing of his target when he was beaten down, a large shield colliding with the back of his head, making him almost bite his tongue.

"William, calm down. You have to fight this."

Steve said, catching the shield as it bounced back right into his hands like an enormous boomerang. Bucky had snuck to the other side, gripping the dart gun in his hands.

In a flash of blue, another man appeared. He was slightly lankier than the two super soldiers as he came to stand between them, white hair in disarray and gym clothes covered in blood. The scent in the air told the wolf that it was his target's blood.

"Well gentleman, it looks like you need a little help here." the white-haired man said in a very accented voice.

"It's alright, just breathe." Bucky said, ignoring the white-haired man's statement.

But William couldn't, he was surrounded, and his instincts told him that it wouldn't be easy to get past them.

He pinned his ears back, hunched his back and bared his blood-covered teeth. Suddenly a dart came flying towards him, he swatted it away, taking a threatening step closer just as another one was shot at him.

He chose Bucky as his next target, which gave Steve a perfect opportunity to strike. Will stumbled slightly, turning towards him but the next hit came from the white-haired man, he moved in a blur, power-packed punches hitting him from both sides, making him take a step back. He tried to catch him, tried to blindly wound his enemy which must have worked since he heard a yelp and felt the pressure of flesh and skin that disappeared as fast as it came. He nicked his shoulder.

"Piet, get me one of the darts!"

The wolf wasn't given any time to collect himself as a balled metal fist collided with his muzzle. This time Bucky really did put his all behind the punch, making the wolf snap his head back and slam his back against the cracked wall. The blades there sunk in deeper, the pain making itself felt.

The shield was sent flying towards his legs, making him fall on one which was all they needed.

Bucky and Steve immediately jumped at him, pinning both of his arms against the wall as they slammed their bodies against the beast, Pietro did the same, gritting his teeth at the dull pain.

Bucky slammed the dart into Will's neck, this time the fur didn't stop it and he barely felt the small prickling sensation as Bucky emptied the substance into his blood.

"Get me another one!" he yelled as the dart fell from his hands, he tucked his head slightly as sharp teeth snapped in front of his face. Automatically, he curled his metal fingers around Will's snout, pulling his head lower to muzzle him. It might have seemed like he was hugging the ginormous wolf as he tightened his hold, the beast's mouth now clamped shut at the force of the Winter Soldier's metal hand.

Steve pulled him slightly away from the wall only to slam Will's head right back into it to ease his struggling. Pietro slammed another dart into his neck but he doubted it was even felt.

"Shush, it's alright buddy, you're all good," Bucky said through gritted teeth, still trying to hold the wolf's head in place. He was completely restricted, he couldn't bite, couldn't get up on his feet nor could he move his hands. He could hardly even see and Bucky kept telling him to calm down.

"Good, good boy Will, that's it. Easy now."

He muttered, feeling the struggling cease as the tranquilizer seemed to start slowly working through his system.

"Shit, guys. Why is it that every time I visit something like this happens." Pietro mumbled, letting go as the wolf stopped struggling.

Will huffed in disapproval as he felt his mind getting dizzy. They all ignored Pietro.

"Help me lean him forward." Steve said, looking down at the two knives embedded into William's back. By now, he was becoming completely limp in their hands but Bucky didn't yet dare to release his muzzle.

"Just take them out, he'll heal faster."
And Steve did just that, with a grimace he snapped the knives out, the amount of blood that covered his back and the wall a disturbing sight.

Pietro took a startled step back but looked in fascination as the beast shrunk into a man. Only then did Bucky loosen his grip, leaning back slightly as William's eyes were half closed, disoriented.

Relieved, Steve fell to his knees, William's weight now completely on him. He pulled his younger brother closer, pulling his face in the crook of his neck as he gently cupped the back of Will's head, doing his best to be gentle as he tried to squeeze his brother against his wide chest and hold him close.

"I'm so, so, so sorry."

He whispered into Will's sandy hair, combing his fingers through his outgrown hair. He wanted to be Will's shield, needed to hold him close. Through hazy eyes, William could see Bucky and the other man collect the fallen weapons.

"How's Sam?" Bucky asked, stuffing the dart rifle back into the bag that now had flecks of blood covering it.

"He was screaming when I left him. Who's that?"

William didn't hear the rest of the conversation, his body ached and the smell of apples and cinnamon was so familiar he wanted to sink into it. It smelt like childhood again. And although his back was on fire, the warm embrace dulled it. It confused him.

"I will do everything to help you heal, everything in my power and more. I don't care if you're going to hate me after this. I can't lose you. Not to yourself, not to HYDRA, and not to SHIELD. You hear me?"

William didn't answer at the whispered promise, he was too exhausted. Why? He couldn't understand. He had lost, but what had he lost? Why did he smell so much blood? What had he done? Was he now going to get punished? He hadn't succeeded, he'd been a failure, he hadn't had any failed missions in a long time.

The train of panicked thoughts trailed away at the gentle feeling of someone skimming their fingers through his hair, the last thing he saw was Bucky's sad gaze before the sensation of just being held lulled him into deep abyss of absolute nothingness.

The smell of antibiotics was heavy in the air, his bones hurt, as if he had been carrying heavy weight for a long, long time and someone had suddenly lifted it. But instead of easing his burden, it had done more damage.

It was a familiar feeling, he usually felt like that after a forceful shift.

A pair of terrified dark eyes flashed before his eyes, a familiar scent hanging to the memory. He could remember the moment he had locked his eyes on the person who had become his target, but he could barely remember what happened after. It always bugged him, but this time the beast had not been provoked to kill his prey, which he knew was usually how he locked the targets in place.

Steve and Bucky must be so disappointed in him.

He winced when his eyelids fluttered open, the light in the room blinding him for a second before he got used to it again. After he shifted, his senses were always dialed to a hundred. His hearing could pick up even the smallest of footsteps and his sight was sharpened to an uncomfortably clear and bright vision.

He wasn't locked up like he had expected to be, no. He was in the same room that he had been asleep in. His back and ribs were particularly tender but it wasn't as bad as he would have thought, compared to what he was used to, this was almost nothing.

His shirt had been cut off, white bandages and the smell of bitter medicine covering him, the scent was almost suffocating. He wished he could open the windows. He was still wearing his pajama pants. There was a blanket covering him, someone had tucked him in which freaked him out a little.

He groaned, the sound catching Dog's attention who had been sleeping on the floor. Her head shot up, ears perked and tail wagging as she wiggled herself out from underneath the table and approached William's bed. With ease she jumped on, looking like a small bear as she towered over him, carefully sniffing over the bandages.

"Fuck, 'm sorry. Must've been so scary." He mumbled groggily, trying to apologize to the animal as he carefully petted her. She huffed, plopping down next to him as he rested her head on his chest. The light weight made him grimace as pain shot through his back but he welcomed it, it reminded him that he was alive.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, scoffing at himself for being unable to control his rage. He wanted to believe that he wasn't the mindless beast anymore, that he could be above it. Could make his own choices, but this was all him now. He was just as uncontrollable and wild as they had wanted him to be.

He needed to get out before they locked him up again.

A whine made him halt his movements, he had been tangling his finger through her dark fur. He looked down at the dog, her honey eyes looking big and sad as she stared back at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking about. She slightly tilted her head, licking the palm of his hand as if to tell him to continue petting her.

"You know we have to go, don't you?" he whispered, confiding in the only creature he could ever call a friend.

"It's- I-" he took a shaky breath in, glancing at the ceiling as if he could find all of his answers there.

"I'm bad. I thought I could be better but I- I'm still their pet even now. It was stupid to hope, wasn't it? Stupid to think that being away from them would make me better. But you know what they say, hope is the solace of fools. And I? I think I'm the biggest fool in the existence."

He whispered, feeling a cool calm wash over him. He supposed it was because he had gotten rid of the bottled-up anger and rage somewhat. Until it would come back, of course. Then he had to be far, far away. As much as he wanted to control the violence that stirred within him, he realized that he couldn't.

One day he would not be able to return from the rage and anger that suffocated his humanity, HYDRA had kept it at bay with pain, had controlled the beast with torture and agony. It grounded him, became his way out yet it also gave them complete control over the wild creature they had created.

What did he have now? He was a loose cannon, breaking everything in his way.

"You know what I must do, right?" he asked quietly, Dog tilted her head.

They laid there in silence for a little while, but eventually William pushed himself up from the uncomfortable mattress, it felt as though he was laying on a softest bed in existence with the silky sheets covering him. But softness was a stranger to him and it made his skin crawl, it was foreign.

The blankets slid off his chest and pooled on his lap, Dog completely ignoring him as she dozed off again beside him.

He looked down at the bandages, eyes sliding to his naked torso and the tiny, pale scars that littered his skin.

They were everywhere, completely covering his whole body. Yet, he could hardly remember where he'd gotten the majority of them. Some were quite random, having collected them in numerous fights and battles. Or as punishment a long time ago when they yet hadn't known how to tame him. But some were clear X's or straight lines, like the one that ran down his sternum to his belly button. Those were the cause of various surgical procedures.

He didn't care much for the scars, they were nothing to him if not just a constant reminder that he had lost years of his life to psychos. He gave them one last, bitter look before standing up from the bed and reaching toward the closet Bucky had dug out his shirt the previous day. Or morning, whatever the time might be.

He grabbed a random hoodie, it was a dark cherry red one, it smelt of fresh laundry as he pulled it over his head stiffly.

Just as he had pulled it over himself, the door opened, making Dog jump up as well at the small click, seeing who it was, she laid back down as if she didn't much care for Steve Rogers.

A flash of pain blinded him for a second as Steve's face turned paler, his form shrunk and his chin narrowed. But the softer features from his memory vanished immediately and the same, bulkier Steve closed the door behind him.

"You shouldn't be up, how are you feeling?" he asked, there was less warmth there than last time they spoke.

He walked towards the nightstand, placing a glass of water down gently, still waiting for an answer.

"Good." he cleared his throat, standing completely still as he warily glanced at Steve. He was fishing for anger, for disappointment and hostility.

Back in HYDRA he would already be collared and chained in a small room with a whip lashing his back over and over again. So what would Steve do?

He sighed, the small sound so loud in his ears he winced, almost expecting... Something painful.
Steve walked around the bed, sitting down.

"You can't do this anymore."

Will's eyes blared with hurt and anger. Did he think he wanted to do these things?

"I understand it must be difficult and hard for you, and it's okay. When Bucky—"

"I'm not Bucky."

Yes from what he understood, Bucky had been with HYDRA, too. But Bucky didn't turn into a bloodthirsty, hideous wolf who could only be controlled with pain or... Or with clicks. That was embarrassing so he wasn't going to tell Steve that. 

"No, no of course you're not." Steve's gaze softened.

"What I mean is that you can't attack random people, do you think we would ever let anyone here who wasn't safe? Sam is... Sam is a good man, Will. He won't hurt you."

Will huffed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. A good man, maybe he was good and just, maybe he was a protector and a hero. But in that case scenario, William was the villain. But wasn't Sam the one who attacked him? If he attacked him then then surely he would have done it again, but this time Will had the upper hand. Why did this make him the bad guy now? He was protecting himself. So if that made him bad in Steve's eyes, too then... Then so be it.

Realizing he wouldn't answer, Steve continued, intrigued by his defensive stance at the mention of Sam.

"How did he trigger you?"

“He stank.” Will answered with all seriousness, he wasn't going to run to Steve the moment his enemies surfaced. He could take care of himself.

Will was met with a flabbergasted look as a frown slowly embedded itself between Steve's brows.

“William.” There was a warning undertone there that fed the dying embers of anger.

But he held his breath, afraid to see if he would get away with it. Wary of the man that sat so comfortably in the same room with him. He wasn't a fool, he knew they had bested him, had pushed him back together. He was glad but also found himself afraid. Never before had anyone physically pushed him down if there weren't electricity or chains involved. He wanted to know their weaknesses, felt the rising curiosity and need to overcome their fighting tactics and not be the loser next time.

“Would you like to see him?"

It was a test, he knew it was. He just wasn't sure what answer was expected of him.

Steve on the other hand couldn't understand his brother's struggle. To him, it was a simple question. He wondered if perhaps introducing the two would make him accept Sam as a friend. He still wasn't sure what exactly had happened but he was certain he'd get to the bottom of this. If William wanted to meet Sam, good, if he yet didn't, wouldn't be too bad either.

So why did he look as if it was the hardest puzzle to piece together?

“Will?”

“Whatever you think is... best.” he answered tightly, shoulders tense as he studied Steve's demeanour, waiting to see if it was the right answer.

“Well, I think you need to get back in bed first, a couple of medics would have to look over your wounds and if we get the green light we should see Sam. Bucky would be there, too. And Wanda if you want?”

This wanting again, if he wants her to be there. William wants many things but he knows that in the long run it doesn't matter.

If he would be honest with someone and tell them what he really really wanted in that moment, he would honestly say that he'd want peace.  But to war-torn children like William, peace was possible only when he was finally gone from this Earth.

So what William really wanted was to meet death, it didn't matter how it would come, but he hoped it would come quietly, would take him away to someplace where only good things existed, where he was good and strong and happy again. Where all of his friends awaited him, those he remembered and those who had long disappeared behind the veil of scrambled memories.

But he wasn't honest when things came to him.

“If they wish.” he felt a weird urge to shrug to emphasis the fact that he didn't care but he refrained from doing so, it was rude and he'd already been slowly testing the waters with Steve. So far, he had done nothing.

He nodded, standing up and pulling the covers off.

“Well, get in then.”

William blinked, looking up at him gobsmacked. Him? Get back in bed? Under the blankets? As Steve himself told him to... Get back in bed and wait for someone to look over his injuries that weren't even that big of a deal?

“What?” he couldn't help but let the question slip out.

“Get in the bed, Will. You got stabbed twice in the back and once between your ribs, it's not good to be standing with those injuries so please, ease my mind and get in.”

“I don't like bed.” he didn't say it to sound like a brat, because really, beds were uncomfortable. Too soft, it was so unfamiliar against his hardened skin.

Steve seemed to understand to some extend.

“I know, I didn't either. It'll get easier.”

That was a lie if Will knew one, but nevertheless moved towards the bed slowly, going around so he wouldn't have to crawl over dog who was most definitely enjoying the mattress.

Will felt uncomfortable as Steve helped him get situated, he was too attentive, too... tolerant of William and the mess he had caused in their home.

So, he barely dared to make any noise as he tried to figure out why was Steve sitting down on the foot of the bed again with a gentle look in his eyes.

Will didn't like gentle, it was always a facade.

“Do you wanna talk?”

“No.”

Talk about what? How he left? How foolish decisions had somehow gotten him into 21st century? How he attacked this stupid Sam?

“Okay.”

And they just sat in silence, one brother hating the close proximity, almost fearing it. And the other not knowing how to proceed without causing another hulk-smash situation.

****
A/N

Thank you guys for your kind messages on the last chapter, it means a lot to me. I'm totally okay, I was just tired when I wrote the rant but I'm so moved by how many of you offered me your support. I'm still a little surprised by that, so thank you, you really do mean a lot to me. 💚

I couldn't reply to every message but I tried for the most, I did read every single one though.

Can't thank you enough!

Chubby_Moth, christy0800, Casper-gy, Herlipsticksblack, ScarletHades32, _rubyack3rman_, WHITEKNIGHT-, Ren1826, Lovegoods_, Bella_bex, @SalazarSlytherin34, miskimac, Malachite572, Xio_fi_chan, Mathillie, shoppywatt, insane_insecure, _Anonymous_Rosetta, TheFvckedFinger, munechild-, perseushyde, Marvelseaweed_brain, Skylar_Raveena, germpatriot, Confetti438, Xx_oliw14_xX, Holy_Water_123, Cool_RanchDoritoes, Kensibelle08, Withouthope7, cosmic_peaches, musicalpr0situtE, Currently_am, akmiller24

Plus all if my ghosties 👻 love you too!

P.s if you ever see some random dude named Nicky pop up... It's a lie. It's supposed to be Bucky but my autocorrect does not like the name Bucky.

Until the next chapter!
- K