Avengers One Shots

How to Save a Life

Warnings: Umm... get ready. (Blood and occasional cursing)

"Avengers, assemble." Steve's voice rang out in the quiet plane, his navy blue uniform blending in with the dark background behind him. Bucky almost laughed at Steve's expression as he attempted to peer into the dark caverns of the aircraft in an effort to check if he commanded attention, but Bucky bit it back. This battle was serious and apparently extremely dangerous. Somehow, Stark's weapons were still getting to different terrorist organizations, and this group were filled with killers. "The Phoenix Alliance" was what they called themselves, but Bucky called them "A group that messed around with things they don't know enough about". Apparently, like Hydra before them, when they were defeated, they would 'rise again from the ashes' or something like that. Bucky wished for even a little creativity... He forced himself to focus once more, even though they had gone over the plan multiple times.

"... Bucky and I will take the left wing once Stark blows down the door. If the prisoner's information is correct, that will lead to the other captives. Nat and Tony, you guys head down to the control room—"

"Which is three floors down. We get it, Capsicle. Thank you, but we're five minutes out and I will not have it being filled with a plan that has been recited no less than four times today." Steve looked a little put out from being interrupted by Tony and he attempted to glare in the general direction of his silhouette. Bucky still managed to keep a straight face and instead pulled his mask on and checked to make sure the gun was loaded one last time. The aircraft came to a halt and the loading dock opened at the end to allow them to jump.

"You have your parachute this time?" Bucky couldn't help adding.

"This time?"

"I heard about the other incident... on the ship." Bucky replied, annoyed. Steve pales slightly and responds, "How did you even find out about that?"

"I have my ways."

Steve looks around the ship until his eye catches Natasha. "You little ferret! You ratted me out!"

"Bucky here asked what happened when he was out, so I decided to fill him in with a few stories." She shrugged, her dark red hair only slightly fluttering despite the roaring wind. Steve rolled his eyes and showed Bucky his black bag before jumping out of the plane, Bucky quickly swallowed the nerves that had risen up and followed him. Let's get this over with already.

They landed on the ground silently, the other Avengers quick to follow. Tony motioned with his hand three, two, one and kicked the door in... on the third try. "Gettin' weak, old man?" Bucky regrets the words the moment they come out of his mouth. Tony responded with a glare that said 'you'll wish you were dead once this is over'. Oops.

Creeping down the dark and seemingly abandoned hallway, Buck follows Steve, gun raised above Steve's shoulder as he held out the iconic shield. Suddenly, gunfire echoes through the room and they begin running, looking for any filled cages. The conditions are horrific and Bucky tries not to remember his time at the HYDRA prisons. The row of metal bars led to nothing except for the room at the end, where three young bodies lay. They each were branded on the back of their necks, a dark octopus surrounded by a circle. He vaguely heard Steve talk into his comms, "There's no one here, we're circling back to you guys." He takes his hand away from his ear and looks at Bucky, "Let's go."

They sprint back down the hall; Bucky concentrating on his heavy breathing, ignoring the dark thoughts plaguing corners of his mind that threaten to creep in and pull him into flashbacks and horrific memories no one should have. Suddenly, he hits a solid object and grunts in protest at the figure in front of him. Steve turns around and covers his mouth, mouthing 'shut up'. Three men stand a little ways down the hallway, previously ignorant to the pair behind them but Bucky's involuntary noise alerted them to their presence. They quickly turn and shoot their yellow-tinted guns at the duo. Steve jumps out of the way and throws his shield in response, hitting the middle one as the two on the side shoot again, falling as Bucky fires at them with impeccable aim.

Steve runs over to them, checking for a pulse. There is none, so he turns on his comms and is bombarded with Tony's yelling in his ear. "Captain America! Capsicle! Capri Sun! Where the F*UCK are you? I can't locate you in this dusty-ass building since your independence complex was too proud for a trac-" 

"Tony. I'm fine. Buck and I were caught up with some guys but we took care of them. We'll be with you in a minute." He turned off the comms once more and began taking away the guns from the rapidly cooling bodies.

"Steve?" He turns around at his name being whispered by the brown-haired man behind him. Bucky clutches his stomach, blood spewing out of the wound. He runs back to where Bucky is leaning against a wall, eyes screwed closed and mouth open in a pant.

"Oh my god. Hey, Buck. It's okay. We're gonna be fine. Let's get you up. Come on, Buck." Steve reaches down to grab his friends hand and brings him to his feet, but seeing the pained look on Bucky's face he allowed the older man to sink back down to the floor.

"Steve? It hurts a lot. I'm not sure it'll be okay..." The wound produces increasingly worrying amounts of blood, pooling around his body.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't say that. It'll be fine, see?" Steve picks Bucky up and sets him in his lap, arms wrapped around his torso as Bucky hold onto the wound.

"Stevie, this is the end of the line, okay?"

"No. No. You can't say that. You are NOT dying on me, James Buchanan Barnes. We've been through too much. I- I just got you back. I can't lose you again." Steve's voice breaks and tears stream down his face, his pleads turning to whispers.

"Can you-" his voice breaks off from a fit of coughing, blood pouring from his red lips. "Can you bury me near my parents? Remember the cemetery where your ma is?" His breath comes shallow pants, his hushed voice fading even more.

Steve swallows, unable to respond for a minute before complying, "Yeah. I can do that, Buck."

Stray tears slowly make their way down the ex-assassin's face as his blue eyes close. "I love you, punk. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I love you too, jerk. I'll see you at the next line."

March 7, 1917- April 25, 2018
James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes
Loving son, faithful companion.
A loyal solider that came back from the brink of death and kept on fighting. He sacrificed his life for the service of our country.

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Oof. I'm sorry! (Not that anyone is actually reading these.) This was just over 1100 words and painful to write. Hopefully it was okay? ¿Un poco bueno? Any ideas for the next one I will consider... I don't have much creativity bubbling through my system.
Thanks for reading!
~Aliyah