Run (A Bucky Barnes Recovery Story)

68 Prosthetic

When Tony called both Bucky and Steve a few days later, he sounded significantly less confident about his abilities to build an arm equal to the one Bucky had. But he had a prototype and that was progress and he offered to meet them that very day.

"The cybernetics are difficult to perfect," Tony was saying to Bucky over the phone. "But this'll at least be something."

"It's okay," Bucky replied. "It's only temporary, I can live with less than perfect."

They met at Bucky's apartment this time, Bucky and Steve peering over Tony's shoulders as he opened a case and revealed the prototype arm.

It was definitely different, that was for sure. Bucky stared as Tony lifted it out and held it up. It wasn't metal, it was made out some sort of white and silver plastic-like material. There was no cover either, and a lot of the circuitry and moving parts inside were exposed. There was some sort of strange cord reaching from the wrist to the back of the shoulder and it hung, swinging like a broken piece.

"Is that supposed to be attached?" Bucky asked about the cord, concerned.

"No, it has to attach here," Tony explained. He seemed less than thrilled about it. "It's for movement, to make the electrical impulses from the socket travel to your fingers faster, since fine motor skills are difficult to recreate. It shouldn't get too in the way."

"Okay," Bucky said.

"And why is all this exposed?" Steve asked, reaching forward to poke at the circuitry until Tony pulled it away from him, giving him a glare.

"Careful," he cautioned. "I was worried about fitting too many covers over the important parts. I don't want it to overheat or overstress."

"There were covers over his other one," Steve challenged and Tony glared harder.

"I don't think you people appreciate how hard it was to make this," he said. "It's nothing like the suits."

"I thought you said your suits were prosthetics," Bucky said, teasing him and Tony rolled his eyes.

"You resent that, huh?" He said and Bucky shrugged his shoulder passive aggressively, but he was smiling. He felt better today, he felt like he could face himself today. He could smile today. Today was a Good Day.

"Alright," Bucky said and reached over himself to pull his shirt up off his back. "Let's try it on." Tony began to situate the prosthetic and Bucky angled his shoulder, watching him.

"This might feel a little different than your other one, okay?" Tony said cautiously and Bucky shrugged.

"I know," he said and Tony frowned.

"And it's going to hurt, sorry," Tony added fast and Bucky only got the chance to begin saying, "What?" before Tony shoved the replacement prosthesis into his socket and there was a click and suddenly Bucky's words jumped into a scream. He saw spots and there was electricity coursing through his entire chest. He felt a pain in his heart and his head was screaming and all he could see was bright orange flashes, like he'd stared into a blinking light for too long. The pain was so sharp and so distinct that he could practically taste it, bright in his mouth like angry, bitter citrus.

When everything calmed down, from his mouth to his chest, and everything dulled and receded, Bucky realized he was sitting on the floor, like his legs had crumpled under him and had forgotten to hold his weight while he was gone inside the pain. Tony was on one side, his left, holding his new shoulder, and Steve was on his right, kneeling.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Bucky said and kept saying, attempting to convince himself as much as Steve and Tony. Steve looked beyond furious. His hands were in fists and he was glaring at Tony.