I'm With You To The End Of The Line [STUCKY]

Chapter 8

"Speak solder." Bucky's lip didn't even twitch. "I said speak!" He closed his eyes when spit flicked at him from the feral mans mouth. He defiantly denied to. "If you will not speak, we will make you."

Waves of white hot agony coursed through this body, sparks of electricity making his metal arm seize up and twitched painfully. He didn't say a word though, almost cracking his teeth with how hard he clenched them.

"I will give you one last chance." He looked up sluggishly with blurry vision. "Tell us what you know about the Howling Commandos and their Captain."

"Fuck. You." He said weakly, eyes showing defiance as much as his body displayed his brokenness.

His torturer straighter with a steel face and cold eyes. The symbol of Hydra placed proudly on his uniform. Bucky only looked at him with loathing.

"He's all yours. Make sure he doesn't last till morning as Barnes." As he walked out, Bucky felt the searing pain of a blade in his arm, watching them twist in as he screamed.

He didn't let any information out as they beat him, sliced and diced like he was a hunk of meat before left to rot in his cell, torturous words filtering through his ears.

"One last time." The man crouched in front of his prone form, Bucky too weak to even speak. "Howling Commandos and their Captain. Weaknesses." Bucky only looked at him with dazed, pained eyes as he shook his head slowly.

"No." He croaked.

"...Lets try that blender since you don't want to talk." Bucky's eyes widened as two men picked him up, dragging him along as he panicked, struggling.

"No, no, I don't know anything!" He said desperately as he was shoved into a chair, restrained. That's when he realised, they didn't care about information anymore. As long as he was useful, he would be alive. Hanging by a thread that threatened to snap.

"Longing..."

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"NO! Stop it!" Bucky jolted awake in an unfamiliar surrounding, his heart pounding as he realised something - someone - was besides him.

He grabbed their arm frantically and twisted it, pinning his opponent down as he rose his fist to hit, but someone grabbed it. He tried to crush the hand with his metal fingers, but it didn't break, an arm coming under his armpit and pulling him to a broad chest.

"Buck! Bucky, calm down!" Bucky growled as he pried at the fingers, only to have his head turned harshly. "Buck, stop, look at me." Bucky stilled with shaky breaths, strands of hair covering his sweating face. "That's it Buck, just look at me and try to relax." His voice was soft and caring and Bucky melted into it, going lax like jello.

"Steve..." He mumbled guiltily.

"Shh, it's okay love, just relax. It was just a nightmare." Steve cooed, rubbing his chest in circles.

"It's not..." He fell forward, hair covering his features. "It's not, it's-" His voice cracked, unable to continue as Steve held him tightly.

"It's gone. They can't hurt you anymore."

"...I'm sorry, Sam." Bucky mumbled to the man who was rubbing the pain out of his shoulder.

"It's alright man, happens all the time." Sam sighed as he got up from the floor. "I think I'm gonna go sleep elsewhere. Leave you be." He rolled his shoulder with a groan and walked out as Steve gave him a grateful look for being nice on Sam Wilson standards.

The silence was tense between the two super-soldiers.

"...Do you wanna talk about it?" Steve asked softly.

"No." Bucky's voice was strained and hoarse and Steve knew he was crying. He could feel the tremors in his back. Steve kissed his hair, running his fingers through the tangled, greasy locks, but he didn't judge it's state. He was just as dirty after all.

"Okay...Okay." Steve slowly shuffled over to the spot Bucky laid in before, laying down with him, arm still around him. "Just remember I'm here to talk, Buck." Bucky didn't reply for a long while. To the point where Steve thought he might be asleep if not for the slight shudders of his breathing from tears.

"Till the end of the line...That's what you- we always said." Bucky's cold metal fingers met with Steve's warm fingertips, slowly embracing their hands. He wanted the hold to be accepted.

"We did. And I plan to keep saying it till the day we die. Because I am with you to the end of our line." Steve squeezed Bucky's cold, vibranium grip and Bucky wished he could feel it's warmth, feel the calloused finger pads he remembered. It was torture to forget, but remembering was even harder when you realise you were a human turned monster in the time you forgot.

"...Whats the world like now, Steve? What changed while I- you- we were gone. I want to know everything you do." Bucky felt Steve's warm breath tickling his neck as the blonde rested his forehead against the back of his. Somehow, it put him at ease.

"Everything Bucky...You will know everything, I promise, one day you'll remember, you'll learn." Steve brought their linked hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to the chilled metal. Bucky had to look away as not to wince. It wasn't painful, but the overwhelming reality of it crushed his lungs metaphorically.

Steve was here to stay. With him of all people, the broken fragments of a past he couldn't even pick up. He was staying to a ticking time bomb of violence and broken mentality, someone so easily controlled.

"I'm sorry." Steve apologised at Bucky's wince, going to pull away.

"No." Bucky choked out after a moments of silence. "Please...don't stop." He mumbled, tears leaking and slipping down his nose, cheek and temple until his messy hair caught it. The lump in his throat made it hard to breath.

"Okay Buck...Just, please don't cry." Steve whispered, tightening his grip on Bucky's metal hand. It was like the dam had broken at his words, Bucky's shoulders beginning to shake more visibly. "Hey, come on, love, what did I say?" Steve kissed his quivering shoulders, rubbing slow circles into his convulsing chest.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry you want to stay." Bucky strained to speak. There's was no point in trying to hide his tears. Steve knew about them. He knew how messed up the brunet was, how much he needed the reassurance.

"Don't say that ever again." Steve said firmly. "I love you, James Buchanan Barnes. My choice is to stay with you, no matter what. I won't let them hurt you again, I promise." Bucky looked up at Steve who was only inches away from his face, eyes steeled in convicting. God, he loved those ocean blue-green orbs, how easily they saw through him and his words.

"Promise me something." Bucky said hoarse, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Anything."

"Don't let me hurt you again." Steve nodded solemnly, sealing it with a soft kiss.

"I promise."

8 LINES CUT