*narrator pov*
You had accepted your fate a while ago.
You were crying and biting your lip to get through the pain.
You felt on the verge of passing out.
But then you saw Bucky. Just a shadow until he knelt down in front of you, and you could see his face clearly.
You felt relief for a moment, but the feeling was quickly replaced with fear again.
He looked almost as panicked as you were, and he kept groaning as the fire snatched at his skin.
Your eyes, red and terrified, stared into his.
Bucky quickly pulled down the gag from around your mouth.
You gasped and took several deep breaths, until you started coughing because of the smoke.
Bucky grabbed the chains that were tying you to the seat, and he pulled them to break them apart.
You collapsed forwards, and Bucky caught you.
You couldn't help sobbing loudly.
Bucky hugged you tightly, brushing his hands down your arms, then down behind your back. And he broke apart the handcuffs around your wrists.
As your hands were now free, you wrapped your arms around Bucky and held onto him as he picked you up off the floor.
You couldn't stop yourself crying, pushing your face into his chest.
He carried you outside, and as the fresh air hit you, you gasped for breath between cries.
He bent down and lay you on your back on the sidewalk, but you wouldn't let go of him. He leaned over you.
"It's okay" Bucky kissed your forehead gently. "It's okay doll."
He gently touched the dried blood and bruises on your face and you cried out, almost screaming, still choking from the smoke.
You moaned and whimpered in pain, and Bucky held you close, brushing his hand carefully and comfortingly through your hair.
He collapsed next to you with his arm around you, his hand resting on your opposite shoulder.
Your whole body was shaking.
He pulled you onto your side so you were facing him.
The tears in your eyes blurred your vision of him, but he could see you clearly.
You stopped sobbing out loudly, but your jaw was still hanging open as you took deep wavering breaths.
Bucky placed a hand on your cheek.
You tried to swallow back your tears.
You leaned forwards, towards him, getting close to his face.
You put a hand on the side of his neck.
You slowly closed your eyes.
Just before your lips touched his, your head dropped to the floor in front of him.
"Y/n?" Bucky shook your shoulders. "Y/n?!"
"What happened?" Walker had been standing by, watching.
"Y/n" Bucky got up to his knees and picked up your limp upper body, then put an arm round your legs.
He lifted you up as he rose to stand on his feet.
Your head lulled back over his arm.
"Come on, please be okay" Bucky whispered as he hurried over to the crowd of police and paramedics.
Sam flew down and landed in front of him.
"Oh my god" he muttered. "Is she okay?"
Bucky didn't acknowledge his presence, pushing past him and yelling for an ambulance.
"Where's Karli?" Walker asked.
"Dead" Sam frowned, then called after Bucky. "She can't go to the hospital!"
Sam ran over to where Bucky was being approached by people carrying a stretcher. Sam stopped Bucky laying you down in it.
"She can't go to the hospital" he repeated.
"Crap. You're right... Sam, I don't know what to do!"
Bucky and Sam looked at each other cluelessly.
"Mr Barnes?" one of the paramedics asked. "Sir, she looks very badly injured, it's best if we take her."
Bucky looked down at you tearfully, then back at Sam.
"Well... maybe it's the only choice" Sam sighed, and Bucky rested you on the stretcher.
He held your hand and walked alongside you until the ambulance.
The paramedics lifted you onto it, and Bucky looked back at Sam.
"I'll meet you there" Sam nodded.
"Okay. Thank you."
"Go..."
"Mhm... could you ... call Stark, and Peter. They'd want to know."
"Of course. Now go."
Bucky nodded and got into the back of the ambulance, pulling the doors shut behind him.
It drove off.
"Did I just witness the Bucky Barnes cry?" Walker chuckled.
"Seriously, man?" Sam groaned, and walked away from him.
———
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Bucky was quickly separated from you.
"Excuse me..." Bucky tried to follow you.
"Oh sorry sir, you can't go in there. The waiting room is-"
"Don't care."
"You can't..."
"Yeah I heard you."
"Then..."
"Ive got be with her. And trust me, the doctors are gonna want me there too."
"And why is that?"
Bucky ignored the doctor and pushed through the doors to find you again.
"Call security" the doctor requested, before another doctor came over, holding your chart.
"No, don't" the second doctor objected. "He was right. We do need to talk to him."
"About what?" the first doctor asked, and the other one showed him what he was holding. Then he went to find Bucky.
———
You woke up in bed, feeling nothing, no pain but a minor headache.
Before you even opened your eyes, you felt the bright white lights of the hospital shining over you.
You curled your left hand into a fist, then straightened your fingers out again. Just checking it was fine.
You did the same with the right hand, but you felt your palm closing around something metal.
You smiled softly.
So did Bucky next to you.
You slowly blinked your eyes open, and dropped your head on its side to face Bucky.
"Oh y/n" Bucky smiled, leaning forward in his chair and kissing your hand.
"Hi" you whispered.
You tried to sit up, and Bucky supported your back as you adjusted yourself in bed.
"Bucky..."
"No, y/n, wait. I just... okay you're probably really mad at me still because I was being a huge jerk. I admit that I was acting really shitty, and you deserve so much better than I could ever offer. You had every right to be angry at me. And you're probably about to be even more angry when I tell you that I told the hospital about you, but y/n you have to understand that I was worried and I had no idea what to do and I really didn't want to lose you. I just couldn't lose you again, and I thought they could help, and they did. So yeah you're probably really mad at me, but doll, I would do it again if it meant you were safe. Because I love you. Okay? Y/n?"
A wide grin was plastered across your face.
"Y/n?" Bucky repeated.
You blinked, causing a teardrop to appear in your eye.
You sniffed as your eyes watered.
"I'm sorry" your voice broke, smiling weakly. "This is all my fault."
You shook your head slightly.
"I really fucked up" you chuckled half-heartedly.
"No... doll no this is not your fault. Don't even think that."
"But-"
"No. A-and I'm not telling you to shut up... but y/n, honey, shut up. Not your fault, okay?"
He squeezed your hand comfortingly, and you smiled once more.
He cupped your cheek in his hand, then ran it down the side of your neck, until he reached the necklace device that was still around it.
"Someone will be here soon to take that off" he nodded. "And I requested they have it destroyed."
"Thank you baby" you took his hand from your neck and kissed it. "I love you."
Bucky grinned.
"I love you too."
Through a window opposite the bed, you saw movement just outside your room and turned to face it.
Tony had been standing there talking to a doctor, and Peter had just run into sight. They were both very visibly upset and worried, and Tony embraced Peter in a hug.
They started talking, and Tony looked through the window and pointed at you.
You made eye contact with Peter and his face lit up.
He swung open the door and ran over to your bed.
He sat next to you, and gave you a massive hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay" he cried.
You wrapped your arms around him and didn't let go for a good minute.
You looked over his shoulder at Tony.
Peter noticed this and stepped away so there was nothing between you two.
"Y/n I-" Tony was on the verge of tears. "I- I am so so sorry."
There was a brief moment of looking at each other in silence, then you were the one to speak next.
"It's okay."
"It is?"
"Yeah."
"But- I made a really bad decision, and you were really mad before."
"I don't care anymore. I want you in my life, so I forgive you."
"You do?" Tony smiled gratefully.
"Mhm" you lifted your arms as an indication for him to hug you, and he complied happily.
You sat in bed with your three favourite guys around you.
You smiled at them all, then frowned playfully.
"I'm hungry" you moaned. "Tony, Peter, could you see if they have any nice food here?"
"Of course" Peter jumped up and hurried to the door.
"Be right back" Tony smiled and left with Peter.
You looked over at Bucky, and shuffled to the very edge of the small bed. He lay next to you and you pulled his arm around you.
Just as you had gotten comfortable, Sharon and Sam had arrived and found your room.
"Woah... are we interrupting something?" Sam laughed, happier now that he saw you were okay.
"No, hi Sam" you grinned.
Bucky ignored them both, kissing along the side of your face gently.
"Well, that's just..." Sharon was looking at Bucky's lips caressing your cheek. "...cute." She lied disgustedly.
By now, you couldn't care less. You weren't jealous of her, but you were happy convincing yourself that she was jealous of you.
"Right well I hate to disturb but Bucky, there's some things we need to go over from the mission."
"What... things..." Bucky asked, not really interested.
"Could we talk outside? So you can focus" Sam suggested.
Bucky rolled his eyes and you placed a parting kiss on his lips before he left.
It was just you and Sharon.
"Hi" you nodded awkwardly.
She was tapping her foot impatiently.
"What's up with you?" you wondered.
"If you want a job done" she sighed. "you gotta do it yourself."
And with that, she quickly pulled a gun from inside her jacket and shot at you.
