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August.. Something?
I thought I had died. I was certain of it, since after all, I had been stabbed. I shouldn't have been breathing. People shouldn't recover from it, but I did.
When I finally managed to open my eyes, it was dark and I could barely see at all. I could tell I was the only person conscious in the room, and for a split second, I was afraid I was alone. However, when I looked to my left, I saw him.
This wasn't the first time I had seen him like this. When we were younger, I remembered him like this, crumpled on the floor beside me. When I fought him last, he was like this. This time, however, it felt serious. He lay in blood - was it his or mine? - and he was obviously unconscious of anything around him. My first reaction was to move closer to his side and check if he was alive, and when I got the confirmation I needed, I struggled to stand. Though I did not die, my wounds were thick and I had lost a lot of blood. I was still weak.
Regardless, I still grabbed him by the buckles of his gear and dragged him out, clutching onto my stomach as I did so. When I turned in the opposite direction, I noticed Thor had been chained to a wall, and I broke the chain so he could walk. "Thank you," he said, but he was distant and he seemed depressed. I had Steve and Thor was with me, but they weren't the only ones who came. No, we had an entire team to collect, or at least the ones who made it through. I was beginning to get nervous as to how many that would be.
As I walked out of the room where I had been tortured, Steve still dragging behind me and Thor keeping his distance beside me, I heard a coughing noise in the room next to it. When I opened the door, I saw a bloodied Clint staring at me, sitting alone in a corner. He stood up and walked my way and I let him pass, not bothering to ask what had happened to him. He wouldn't have told me, anyways. I shut the door after he walked out, and began dragging Steve again (which, by the way, is not an easy thing to do.), and Clint followed close behind with Thor.
"Where is everyone else?" He asked, and I shook my head.
"I was hoping you could tell me," I responded, but kept quiet to listen for any sounds. That's when I heard it.
It was a soft whimpering sound, as if someone was crying silently. Every so often, she coughed, then let out a deep sigh. After, the process started over again. I followed the noise, shutting Clint up before he could speak. When I found the room the sound was coming from, I propped Steve against a wall, then slowly opened the door, Clint standing by my side. It was dark, but I recognized her red hair anywhere.
Simultaneously, Clint and I called her name. She looked up at the two of us and shook her head, her breathing quickening. "No, please, not again, I-I.. I can't," she hyperventilated, and Clint and I shared a look before continuing. I would understand why she would shut me out, but Clint?
"Natalia, calm down, we're here to get you out of here," I approached her slowly, and she kicked me in the knees in response.
"Natasha, we don't have much time," Clint tried, and earned glares from both me and Natalia. Still, I couldn't help but notice how Clint still kept his distance, as if he was nervous to go near her.
"How do I know you both are.. You?" I didn't understand the question, but I figured it had to do with what they did to her. I could strangle them, if they hadn't run like cowards. I stepped out and grabbed Steve, pulling him into the room.
"We have Steve and Thor, but we don't know where the others are. We have to find them," I said quickly, and thankfully, seeing Steve in a comatose state was all she needed. She stood up and walked towards me, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"I can help you."
She lead us to a room farther down the hallway. As she walked, she started to lean towards Clint, but he moved away as she did. Strange.
"When they had me, I heard Banner in here. Be careful, they figured out how to make him Hulk out. I don't know what happened, but I know he's here. Watch out," she instructed, then opened the door slowly.
"Bruce?" I inched into the room, letting the others wait with Steve. It was quiet, which was unsettling. I didn't know if he would attack me, but I knew that my body physically could not handle the Hulk now. I stepped in, taking my chances. Monster or not, he was part of the team, and I wasn't leaving him behind. They didn't leave me behind, and I'm more of a monster than the Hulk, so I had to make sure Bruce had the same kindness shown to him. I owed him that. I took another step, and I heard creaking in the distance.
"D-don't come any closer to me," I heard, and I sighed of relief when I realized he was normal-sized and at least semi-calm.
"Bruce, come on, we're getting out of here," I said, taking another step.
"I said stop!" He yelled, his voice shaking as he finished. I froze where I stood, looking in his direction. In the silence of the room, I could hear him silently sobbing to himself.
"Bruce, whatever they did to you-," I started, but he cut me off.
"They told the truth! I'm- I'm a monster, the.. The kind that has to be alone. Please-.. please, go," he begged, but I shook my head.
"C'mon, Doc," I said, kneeling down for a moment. "Listen, I'm a monster too, probably more so than you. That's the thing, us monsters? We have to stick together," I said, hoping the others were not listening. To my dismay, they were. He stared at me for a while, then reached out and grabbed my forearm.
"We have to stick together," he repeated, forcing a weak smile on his lips.
"Right," I nodded, then Clint motioned to us, telling us we had to keep moving. I walked out and grabbed Steve once again, wondering how much he ate in a day to make him weigh so much.
"What happened to him?" Bruce asked.
"I don't know," I answered.
"Where is everyone else?"
I sighed. "I don't know." We walked in silence after that, all of us listening for any sign of more people.
The next person we found was Pepper. She was still strapped to a chair, and she looked as if she had been crying, but she stood firm anyways. Natasha ran to her and helped her out, pulling her into a hug as soon as she could.
"Tony," she whispered, then looked at all of us. "Tony, where's Tony?" I shrugged and walked out as Natasha explained all that was happening. The next door we opened answered Pepper's question.
I noticed Tony slumped against a wall, and he barely looked up at me. However, when Pepper slipped into the room, he stood up faster than I figured a man his age could. He pulled her into his arms for a long time, and I honestly thought he wouldn't let go. I cleared my throat, then nodded to the door. "We have to find the others," I explained, and they nodded.
As we continued walking, the wound in my stomach began to fester. I began to slow down, and after a few more minutes, I couldn't keep a hold of Steve any longer. I stopped and clutched my stomach, having to lean against a wall for support. This earned the attention of the group, since apparently, I was leading them out of here. I looked at their sympathetic faces, and then down at Steve.
"Just.. Give me a moment, I'll be alright, it's.. It's just a small wound," I managed through gritted teeth, but Natalia didn't listen. She walked up to me and lifted my shirt slightly, and I tried to ignore the glare Clint was giving me. I was injured, he could get over it. She seemed to stop as she noticed how the shirt stuck to my skin, and when she reached the wound, she couldn't look at it. She stepped back, taking a deep breath. She then turned around and looked at Steve, then shook her head.
"We have to keep moving," she said, and I nodded, walking to our leader and dragging him once again. "Punk," I muttered under my breath, but walked through the pain. Thor thankfully took over, reminding us that he was still there. He was being abnormally quiet, something we all weren't used to.
We then found Hill. She was on the floor of the room, still clutching her stomach as she lay on the ground. Bruce ran to her side and nodded at us, which was good, then Pepper and Bruce helped her stand and walk. She was seriously injured, but it seemed to be external, and nothing internal, which meant a quicker recovery.
When we grabbed her, I turned to look at everyone, taking a deep breath. As of that moment, our team was alive, and that was more than I could ask for. I finally found an exit and walked out, the light almost blinding. It was then that I couldn't walk any longer, and Tony, of all people, moved to my side and helped me stand so I didn't collapse. I was filled with guilt, especially thanks to what I had done to him, but I needed the help. Steve finally began to stir and wake up, but it didn't last. After seeing us all, his eyes rolled back once again, and we all knew where we had to go - again.
When we first walked in the same hospital for what felt like the hundredth time (even though I had only been there once before), I could sense the doctors swarming around us. I suppose they didn't have much to do, especially considering the amount of help we were getting. We were all checked in, even those who were not injured. They took Steve in first, which made me relieved, then me. They first dressed my shoulder, which I allowed, but as they drifted their hands to my metal arm, I began to get angry. "Don't touch it," I hissed, and they backed away quickly. After all my wounds were stitched, cleaned, and bandaged, they let me rest for a while. I let myself sleep for the first time in days, reasoning that I deserved sleep for once.
When I woke up, I felt like I had been hit by a car multiple times. Gone were the days where I would get injured from a mission and wake up years later, my wounds completely healed. Now I had to take the long way through the healing process, which meant that I could walk away now. When I looked to my left, I saw Steve sitting beside me, but I couldn't tell if he was asleep or just relaxing in his seat. I hoped he was asleep, and I tried not to think about what they did to him. I tried not to think about what they did to our entire team. How were we gonna get past this?
"You're awake," I heard from beside me and I turned to look at Steve, who now slowly sat up. At least he was healing. I didn't say anything, but groaned in response. "Nat told me what you did," he continued, earning my full attention.
"What did I do, exactly?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You saved the team, even when you were injured," he answered, and I sat up slowly, placing my hand on my abdomen where the cut was still hurting like crazy.
"Someone had to," I croaked, then sat back in the bed, taking a deep breath. "Besides, I didn't do that. The team did, I was just in front dragging you around," I reasoned, and he shook his head.
"Bucky, you know what they were doing to us. We all owe our lives to you," he said, and Natalia slipped in the room, moving to the chair on my right.
"We do," she said, smiling at me. "Steve and Maria are alive because of you, and the rest of us are here because of you. I thought for a moment Bruce was going to come in here and scare you into waking up," she shrugged, and I looked over at Steve, who simply nodded. "Even Tony has been anxiously waiting for you to wake up, and that's saying something."
I leaned back in the bed, a small smile creeping it's way to my lips. I couldn't lie, having people care about you was nice for a change. New, but nice. I had been ripping people of their lives, but now, I was saving lives. "They could.. They could come in, if they want. I'm awake now, but I'm a little slow."
I won't lie, seeing each member of the team, even Maria who rolled in on a wheelchair, it was something short of overwhelming. "Hey, the Terminator is up!" Tony exclaimed as he walked in, then placed his hand on my injured shoulder. I winced and muttered some choice words under my breath, but I didn't have a chance to yell at him before the others started welcoming me back and thanking me. Some just nodded at me, but I knew a thank you when I saw one.
When I was a kid, I was adopted into a poor family, and it seemed they always struggled with expenses and everyday life. Steve was the closest thing I had to a real family, and even now, he was still my brother. Now, as I looked around the hospital room, I realized that my family was here. It was a sentimental thought, and maybe I don't even know what a real family is, but this felt like one to me. We were struggling, and I didn't know it any other way. Seeing the team still standing after everything Loki had done, that was all the encouragement I needed. I was determined to make them pay for what they had done to us, and I knew everyone else felt the same way.
Loki would have to watch his back, because we were coming after him, and nothing would get in our way. Nothing.
A/N: Sometimes, I can write happy. Emphasis on sometimes. Sorry for the darkness of these few chapters! The fun is almost here, I promise. My favorite chapter is up next, and it's kind of the best. Actually, the next 2-3 chapters are my favorite. Thank you to everyone who has read this, Zenappa's story likely makes more sense if you read this one. Mine is definitely reliant on that one, and I know it's a lot of work to keep up with both of them, but I promise, it's worth it! Let me know that you're liking this by writing a review, yes, a review, for me! I always respond to them, and it does make me update much faster. Thank you guys!
Reviews!
Satan (AKA, Zenappa): You forgot this chapter? :O These are my favorites, right next to a certain event coming up (I don't ship them, okay, it's just cute, okay) as well as another OTP that happens (I don't ship them either I totally ship them so hardcore). The next one is like serious Carterson though. Shoot, they're linked with my next chapter.. I guess I'll update sooner. YOU ARE ULTRON. SATAN AND ULTRON. I can believe we finished! I cried! We are awful!
Bucky Barnes-
Dear Bucky,
I'm not gonna die, c'mon. I've lasted this long, I can take a few hits from Steve's psychotic ex. He better forgive me! He'd be dead if not for me!
Sincerely,
Bucky
Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! x