Clocks//Stucky✔

Eighteen

The group once again greeted the light of day as they escaped the facility.

Steve looked around to see if anyone was close behind, and then saw a person peeking out from behind the house, barrel of a gun pointed straight at Bucky.

"Bucky!" He shouted, moving towards the man as the bullet rang out.

Time stopped still for Bucky. He watched, frozen to the ground as Steve slowly ran to defend him. He could see the exact moment his world shattered. He could see the bullet embed inside of Steve before tearing out the other side of him.

Bucky didn't even notice the second shot pierce through his flesh arm. He simply raised his gun and blew the shooter's brains out. He wished he could have made it more painful.

"Steve! Shit... we need to get back to the tower immediately!" Natasha panicked, looking to the quinjet that was landing near them.

Then Bucky let out a pained sob, but not because of his arm.

☆

Steve's body was working quickly to heal him due to the serum, but not quick enough. He was losing too much blood and was too damaged to heal properly without care.

Once they got him to the medical ward of the tower, it was now just waiting and hoping the doctors and Steve will pull through.

A nurse soon took Bucky and Natasha to get their wounds fixed up. Then Tony came in with Bruce trailing behind him.

"What happened out there?" He demanded, angry and upset.

"We rescued Steve and James. Natasha got her leg sliced open, James got shot through the arm, and Steve took a bullet straight through his sides for James." Clint responded.

Tony was processing the information and quickly transforming it into more rage. "You let Steve get shot?" He growled.

"Tony, there was an agent behind the house, probably waiting for us. Steve saw he was going to shoot James and made the decision to sacrifice himself." Clint furrowed his brows. "It's no one fault but his own."

A door slid open and Natasha appeared on crutches, leg thoroughly bandaged. She looked at Tony with an unreadable expression. "Clint's right." She sat down on the nearest chair and waited.

☆

It was a long while- maybe two or three hours before Bucky appeared, arm bandaged, face devoid of emotion and color.

"They think Steve's going to be okay. His organs got messed up, and he hasn't woken up yet, but they have him in a stable condition." His voice was raw from crying and his eyes were red and puffy.

Tony was giving Bucky a look that he couldn't quite read, but it made him feel guilty. He was responsible for this situation and responsible for getting Steve kidnapped in the first place.

"I'm sorry this all happened." He spoke quieter this time, trying not to break down in front of them.

"We've dealt with worse. Like the attack on New York. That was bad." Thor put in. Clint nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you go get some rest, James. We'll tell you when Steve wakes up. I know you'll be the first one he'll want to see." Natasha suggested. But Bucky didn't think he could even close his eyes. But he nodded anyway, walking towards the elevator.

He wanted to be alone. Alone with Steve again, listening to music and looking at old drawings and just being with Steve.

Bucky wanted Steve to tell Tony to stop looking at Bucky like he was the reason for all the bad things in his life.

But it was partly true. Bucky knew he was responsible for Hydra taking Steve and he was responsible for Steve getting hurt and getting shot.

He wanted to go back into hiding.