Dive: Stucky

Part 4: The Capture

Bucky cried out in terror, stretching further, trying to gasp Steve's hand. The chords that were bound around him rubbed against his scales harshly, and the position he was in was uncomfortable. The night air and sea spray made him shiver and hug himself as they raised the net up the side of the boat.

"Bucky!" Steve cried, pushing out to the railing and trying to seize the net, but he was pulled back by Sam.

"Get away from that thing, it just tried to drown you!" he said, but Steve ripped away.

"He wasn't trying to drown me!" Steve snapped, pushing back to the railing once again. Bucky reached out again, brushing his fingers against Steve's. "Let him go!"

The entire crew laughed as Steve tried to cut him loose with a pocket knife he had. Bucky whimpered with pure terror as the net was brought onboard, and Steve was yanked back as strange hands untied the ropes to the net. 

If Bucky was fast enough, perhaps he could slip out and leap overboard. When the ropes were brought away, he swiped his tail out ferociously, knocking the sailors away as he flopped towards the railing, trying to escape. But the sailors were faster, and he felt the end of his tail pinned down, along with his wrist and the back of his neck. He hissed and tried to wriggle free, but he was no match for the burly sailors. He had been successfully beached.

"Stop it! Stop it, you're hurting him!" he heard Steve's voice cry from somewhere behind him. 

Only more laughs rented in the air as Bucky felt something behind clamped around his wrist and neck. He heard chains clink as he was thrust into a cage, the door clanging shut loudly. Bucky was shivering in fright as the men banged against the bars. He covered his ear (because he only has one arm) and felt tears press up in his eyes.

"Let him go!" he heard Steve's voice say over the loud roar of the others. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Hasn't done anything?" one man cried, folding his arms. "That right there is the Blue Devil! He was the one that took my daughter!"

"And he ate my dad!" another sailor cried.

"He killed my brothers just for fun!"

"My son is gone because of him!"

Bucky pushed his head up against the bars in shame. Hot tears of fear and guilt spilled from his eyes and low, pitiful sounds arose from his throat. He shivered at the thought of what he had done. All these humans grieved because of him, they had all lost loved ones because of him!

"C'mon guys, it's not like he had a choice!" Steve said, trying to fight his way to the cage. "He's a siren! He has to eat people, that's his food source! Without us, he'd be dead!"

"And that's exactly what should happen! That bloody monster deserves to die!" one man shouted from the back.

Steve made it to the bars and sank onto his knees, reaching through and cupping Bucky's cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. Bucky clung onto him like his life depended on it, and it just might after all. Steve's touch comforted him until he noticed his skin starting to turn red and sting painfully. 

He was drying out.

Bucky made desperate whimpering sounds, tugging Steve's sleeve and showing him his raw skin. Steve's eyes widened, and he disappeared for a moment, coming back with a bucket of water that he splashed over him. The rawness vanished, but came back momentarily after the water had dried again. Bucky writhed in agony as it spread across his body, his skin now scaly and peeling like a sunburn.

"Guys! He's drying out, put him back in the water!" Steve cried, holding Bucky's hand as the pain spiked. 

Bucky screeched and curled up into a ball of misery. How had it come to this? One second he was playing with Steve, the next he was drying out in a cage surrounded by heartless sailors. He could feel the burns spreading over his body. It felt like he was being rubbed against brittle sand!

Bucky slowly closed his eyes, feeling himself lose consciousness. The sounds surrounding him started to slur and echo in his ears and his burning skin started to feel more relieved. It was then that he heard an unfamiliar voice boom in the back of his mind, making him wake up again.

"There's a legend that says that a siren knows where the treasure is! We'll force it to take us to it!"

"Captain, please!"

That last exclamation had to be Steve's voice, full of fear and frustration. Bucky felt his pain subside again as water was poured over him once more. He was confused, flustered, and frightened. He just wanted to swim away from this place and never return.

He felt cold metal cover his mouth and nose as he realized they had clamped a muzzle over his face to guard his razor sharp teeth. He ripped his head away, clawing at it with his hand, but there was also a metal cuff around his wrist that was chained to the inside of the cage. What did these humans want from him! He knew of no treasure! And even if he did he would never show them.

"Quiet, boy!" the husky voice snarled, making Bucky flinch. "Tell that siren to take us to the treasure, or we'll throw you overboard!"

Bucky sensed Steve close to him. He leaned his head towards him and he felt a gentle and familiar hand run through his hair, making him purr. He felt comforted being touched and soothed by the one person who loved him. 

"Is there a treasure?" he whispered, looking Bucky in the eye. Bucky shook his head vigorously, the chains clinking quietly. Steve nodded gravely.

"I know where the treasure is," he said, standing up. The entire crew went silent and looked at him in shock.

"And why should we believe you?" the captain said, eyeing him skeptically.

"Because he took me there when he pulled me under today. There's a huge ship graveyard at the bottom of the ocean. I can take you, but only if you release him."

The sailors looked to the captain, who glared at Steve. Steve folded his arms and cocked his head sighty. Bucky looked from one to the other, then understood. He was going to take them to the graveyard, but not for treasure. For the hungry sirens that awaited there. 

He was going to sacrifice himself for Bucky.