fugue // stucky

25. John Gardanelle

Tony calls us up to the hospital floor- why does he have a hospital floor?- and Steve and I make our way up, my nervous behavior obvious to him. He reaches over and grabs my hand into his, lacing our fingers and dragging his thumb back and forth slowly.

"No, Bruce! I told you, you can't take anything if you don't stay, that's the rule," I hear shouting from a few floors down in the elevator. A few seconds later the doors ding open and I stare expectantly at Bruce and Tony standing face to face, Banner's hands tightly around a smoothie machine.

I bite my lip to hold in laughter as the two look with wild eyes over at Steve and I.

"Did we interrupt anything?" Steve smirks and starts stepping out. I follow behind, picking up the tall metal rod and lifting it over the grates.

"No, no," Tony takes the small utensil out of Bruce's arms, much to his own dismay, and places it firmly on the table, "how are you, Buck?"

"Fine. Head hurts. Nice to meet you, Dr. Banner," I offer my hand out. He takes it gently and shakes with a nod.

"The same."

"So, game plan. Something's in your brain, and we're gonna get it out," Tony smiles and raises his eyebrows at me. I cock one of my own and Banner shakes his head.

"No, no, we are going to look at it really closely. Do a CT, some brain activity scans, all that. Then we'll see if surgery is the right way to go. This is a potentially deadly procedure," he eyes me over his glasses.

"This is why he's the doctor," Tony mutters, smiling at Steve.

"Make all of this fast, he's in a lot of pain," Steve almost whispers. I look over at him and frown. I've put him through so much in only a small amount of time.

"Take your time. Don't make any rash decisions," I say to the geniuses in front of me, not taking my eyes off of Steve. I'm here for him now, this isn't about me. I'm doing this for Steve, for the chance of maybe making him laugh again one day. His beautiful eyes stare me down, but I remain contact.

"Bucky, right this way. Steve, you'll have to stay out here, the waves can be dangerous," Banner says calmly. He places a hand on my back and lifts an arm to my one o clock. I look back at Steve and offer a smile before padding down the empty white hallway.

"This first one is easy. Just lay completely still," Tony speaks as we continue down the corridor.

"Are you sure my arm won't interfere?" I ask genuinely. He looks over at me.

"No, not with these ones. This is all up here," he taps a finger to his temple and I nod, my forehead hurting from the constant scrunching.

I stare at the white ground until they ask me to step into a room and lay down. I do as they say and lay completely still on the hard bench as machines move around me.

My mind is the complete opposite of still. Sometimes I selfishly wish I were still a vacant body, I had no worries back then. But now, I have Steve, and he's worth it. He's worth everything. I'd go through this one thousand times over just for him to look my way. I close my eyes and focus on breathing. Steve is my only dream in this huge nightmare.

"Bucky? Buck, Buck!" A gasping voice snaps me out of my sleep. I shake my head and my eyes shoot open, glancing frantically around the room until they land on a short blonde. His eyes are huge, his pupils dilating and shrinking quickly. I sit up straight immediately, my arms touching his shoulders. His breathing is heavy.

I turn my body completely and start rummaging through my side table. My hands clasp around the small metal canister and I whip around just as fast.