daybreak - b. barnes

- 𝐧𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 || 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

part two to "no new birthdays"
go read part one if you haven't!

in the med bay, the room was eerily quiet except for the faint beeping of a monitor. you lay on the hospital cot, your skin pale, eyes closed, breathing shallow but steady.

tony stood near the doorway, arms crossed tightly, his usual smirk gone. natasha sat beside your bed, holding your hand, her thumb tracing over your knuckles absentmindedly. wanda lingered near the window, her eyes red from crying — not just for you, but for how easily everything had fallen apart.

"she hyperventilated," Bruce said softly, adjusting the IV line. "she went into full-blown shock. i gave her something mild to calm her, but she'll need rest. a lot of it."

natasha nodded but didn't speak.

the door slid open behind them with a soft hiss. it was steve.

his jaw was tense, eyes filled with something between fury and guilt.

"is she okay?" he asked quietly.

bruce nodded. "physically, yes. emotionally...?" he didn't finish. he didn't have to.

steve exhaled, his shoulders heavy as he rubbed a hand over his face. "where's bucky?"

tony's voice was sharp, bitter. "where do you think?"

"don't start, stark—"

"no, i will start natasha," tony snapped, stepping forward. "my sister fucking nearly passed out from panic because your 102-year-old friend can't handle a party without losing his damn fucked up mind."

steve's fists clenched. "you think i wanted that? you think i'm not already—"

"then go deal with it," tony cut in coldly. "because if she wakes up and he's anywhere near this floor, i'll throw his hydra infested ass off the tower myself."

the room went silent. even natasha didn't stop him this time.

up on the rooftop, bucky sat on the cold concrete, hands buried in his hair. the city lights blinked far below, but he couldn't see them — couldn't focus on anything except the echo of her voice in his head.

"i just wanted you to feel loved."

he had replayed it over and over until it stopped sounding like words and started feeling like guilt.

the night wind cut through his thin T-shirt, but he didn't care. his chest felt hollow, his hands trembling — flesh and metal both.

steve found him like that, hunched over, staring at nothing.

"buck," he said softly.

bucky didn't look up. "you shouldn't be here."

"too bad," steve muttered, walking closer. "you really screwed up tonight."

bucky's jaw tightened. "you think i don't know that?"

"the en why'd you do it?" steve's voice cracked — not from anger, but disappointment. "you knew she loves you. she spent weeks planning that. you think she wanted to embarrass you? she just wanted you to feel normal again."

"i didn't ask to feel normal," bucky said, finally lifting his head, eyes red and glassy. "i can't. eveey time someone does something nice for me, it feels like... like i don't deserve it. like i'm pretending to be someone i'm not."