adventures in parenthood

rough mission

I walk down the hall of the dusty warehouse, taking out the last of the Hydra agents I find. Sam, Steve, and Natasha are muttering over the comms while I'm searching through the warehouse for any other Hydra agents or civilians.

"Has anyone seen Bucky?" I ask. "I haven't heard from him in a while."

They all say they haven't and Steve mentions that it's weird he got so quiet.

I pick up my speed, looking into every room desperately. I'm looking so fast I almost don't notice him huddled in a corner of an old office, his knees to his chest and his face hidden in his arms. My brow furrows in worry as I turn the corner.

"Baby? You okay?"

He jumps at my voice and I notice a small stuffed bear in one of his hands. He nods and stands, wiping his eyes. He quickly leans against the wall, almost hitting his head on a pipe that's sticking out. I frown slightly.

"You sure you're alright?"

He sighs and looks down at the little bear. "No," he mutters softly.

I lean against the wall next to him. I notice that he has two injuries - a gash on the side of his leg and a gunshot wound on his shoulder. My eyes narrow in concern. "Maybe we should go and talk about it later."

"I'm staying. I have to."

I nod. "Then I'll stay with you." I take his free hand in mine, using the other to text Nat, Sam, and Steve about his injuries and insistence to stay.

The next few minutes pass in silence, but I squeeze his hand a few times.

He looks at me with something resembling worry in his eyes. He looks down at the bear again when he asks, "Did you... Did you see a little girl?"

I think for a moment and sigh softly as I recall. "I did. She, uh... got caught in the crossfire."

He closes his eyes and turns his face toward the ceiling, taking a deep breath. I look at him and he seems to be paler than usual.

"Buck, you need med-"

"Can you take me to her?"

"If I do, will you let me take care of your injuries?"

"...yes."

"Okay." I move away from the wall, watching him carefully. He barely limps a step before falling to his knees. I help him up and hook his arm around my neck, using my (not the greatest) strength to keep him up.

When we reach the room she died in, my heart aches at the sight of her body. I help Bucky over to her and he kneels. He rests the stuffed bear on her chest and wraps her arms around it. He closes her eyes and gently strokes her hair a few times. "Rest well, kid," he mutters weakly.

I look down at my feet, wiping a stray tear from my face. I help him up again, but we don't even make it through the door before he's falling again - taking me with him.

I shift him so he's sitting against a wall. I inspect his face, which is lighter than before. I ask for help over the comms as I try to halt the blood trickling from his shoulder wound. "Look at me in the eyes, Buck," I assert, snapping my fingers in his face. "You cannot die today, you hear me?"

"Can't promise anything," he grunts. His voice is gravelly and strained, making me worry more.

"No, no, you're not dying. I'm not gonna let you." Silent tears fall down my face as I desperately try to keep myself calm and him awake.

He notices that I'm panicking and takes my hand in his metal one. "Doll, relax. I'll be fine."

I squint at him for a moment, tears still clouding my vision. "Bucky, you're- you're bleeding out."