Angsty Bucky fanfic

Bullet

(Ship = WinterFalcon)
Listen to the song come what may from the moulin rouge while you read this chapter.

Yells and cries bounced all around us, just a regular day for what was left of the Avengers. Yet again saving a city, saving the planet, maybe even the galaxy - I forget which it was this time, 'cos the fight is such a frequent one, each time it is just a different enemy. This time it was slightly different though, normally either me or Sam fought not both of us - but this time we were both needed, they needed both our power. So we had had to leave our daughter with our babysitter (only ever used In absolute emergencies, we didn't like to leave Becky - named after one of my sisters - without at least one of us with her but needs must).

The fight was flowing, same old same old when out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar face. She should not be here, it was far too dangerous - how did she even get here in the first place? I signalled to Sam, talking to him through the coms "Babe, Becky's here. About 500 yards away from me. Want me to deal with her or you?"

"I'll deal with her Buck, keep an eye on her til I get there though" he replied, a stern tone in his voice.

"On it." I told him.

That's when I saw him, one of our enemies, charging towards Becky - she hadn't noticed and seemed to be enraptured in the disaster and chaos from the fight. He was armed, gun cocked towards her, and Sam wasn't going to get to her in time. I couln't leave her, I had to o something. "Bruce, cover me. Something importants come up." I yelled to the half monster, half man besides me. He nodded and I sprinted in Becky's direction.

"Duck!" I yelled as I jumped between my daughter and the enemy. She couldn't get hurt, I wouldn't allow it.
The gunshot rung out and then I felt the pinch in my good shoulder (how rude) as the bullet drove through my skin. Sam landed beside and rolled his eyes "Had to be a hero, didn't ya?"

"I'm fine." I told him, desperately hoping he couldn't see how not okay I really was. I'd been hit by a bullet before, sure, but this was different - something was definitely not right.

I felt the blood drain from my head and the world spun around me, the sound in my ear dimmed and instead was replaced with a piercing ringing. Sam tried to help me sit down, but before he could I collapsed onto all fours. Something must have been on that bullet, it was the only logical answer - maybe a poison. Fear flooded both Sam's and Becky's face. We all knew this wouldn't end well, even though I was a super soldier - this would still likely kill me.

My head smashed against the worn road, my vision clouded and dotted with red. I couldn't breathe, my throat had closed and it felt like I was choking. Digging my nails into the bullet wound in a desperate attempt to stop this I fished around and pulled the blood coated bullet out. The pain was unbearable, but I couldn't scream. Then the world went black. Maybe this was it for Bucky Barnes, I wouldn't get to see my daughter grow up and live her life, I wouldn't get to see Sam again. But I would be with Steve again, and maybe just maybe that would be worth it. For the first time in decades I truly felt at peace, truly felt calm.

Next thing I knew I was being blinded by the whitest light I had ever seen, and an angelic figure (wings and all) was hovering in the near distance. Was this heaven? Surely not after all that had happened in my life, surely I didn't deserve to be here. Then the world came into focus, it wasn't a blinding white light - simply a large hospital window. And it wasn't an angel, it was just Sam hovering outside the window watching me - well maybe it was an angel then. His face lit up as bright as the moon on a dark night when he saw I was awake, before he frantically flew around searching for something - something or someone? The skid of feet screeched towards me and I laughed (though it felt like someone was stabbing my ribs) at the voice squealing "Daddy's awake! Daddy's awake!" The excitement in Becky's voice enough to warm the most frozen heart.