ashes, ashes - stucky

- freight car -

Early Saturday morning seeped in through a single window, the first rays of sunlight gracing Steve's eyelids. He awoke slowly to find a slight pain in his back. He'd fallen asleep on the floor with Bucky. Carefully standing and readjusting the other's blanket, a wonderful idea came to the boy's mind.

He would do something nice for his new boyfriend, a surprise. Very, very quietly, he crossed the room to his own bed. From his pillowcase, he withdrew a good amount of his savings. After brushing his teeth and fixing his hair, he snuck out of the house, planning to be back before breakfast.

On his way to the store, Rogers heard footsteps behind him. He turned, seeing a small group of boys his age. They continued forwards, hands in their pockets and eyes locked onto Steve. The blonde quickened his pace, hurrying inside of the store he'd been trying to get to. He bought Bucky's present, idling about inside until he was sure the aggressors had left.

And it seemed like they had, at least for a little while. He saw them again when he was about a quarter of the way home. He immediately pulled out his phone and called Barnes, only for the device to be snatched out of his hand. His heart rate quickened, and he found himself almost unable to breathe. Gripped by fear, Steve began to panic. He was surrounded by at least five teens, two of which brandished the familiar gleam of knives. Through a litany of slurs and curses, the small male was shoved into an alleyway and advanced upon.

Bucky was awoken by the short ringing of his cell phone. When he checked the screen, shielding his eyes from the light, he saw a missed call from Steve. It had been only a minute, and Barnes knew his boyfriend to never call if texting was an option. It could have been a mistake, but then again... why wasn't he there in the first place? Where had he gone?

Bucky's blood ran cold. He'd tried to call back, but the line only beeped a few times before going dead. He took a deep breath to keep his head from running away from him. There was only one coherent thought that the brunette could come up with: call everyone, search everywhere.

Tony, Stephen, Bruce, Thor, Natasha, Marc, Loki, Sam, Clint, T'challa, Okoye, Wanda, and even his parents and sisters got involved. They all split up, looking all over town for any sign of the missing boy.

While searching near the school, Bucky got another call. It was from Loki.

"He's here, Barnes." The black-haired boy stated. His emotion was completely unreadable. "In the alley between the coffee shop and the laundromat."

Barnes knew exactly where he needed to go. He ran as fast as his feet would take him, adrenaline coursing though his veins. He was there in under two minutes, as it was only a few blocks away.

A few of his friends were already there, trying to get Steve's bloody form to stand. The boy in question only stumbled, mumbling the occasional, "G'Offa me!" His phone was smashed to bits on the pavement.

Pushing them all aside, Bucky took his boyfriend into his arms and ignored his protests stating that he was just fine. "Call an ambulance!" He ordered, and Stephen informed him that he'd already done so. The tall boy then proceeded to give Barnes the details he'd gathered with his amateur medical observational skills.

"He's been stabbed... three times. Two wounds in his lower abdominal region, and one in his upper back. Blunt force to the head, legs, arms, everywhere. Definite concussion. Keep him awake until the paramedics arrive."

"Where are the others?" Bucky asked, running his finger's through Steve's blood-caked hair as he looked into the blonde's eyes to somehow keep the life within them stirring.

Strange pointed down the street. "Trying to find the bastards that did this. I'm sure we'll have to bail them out of jail later."

"... Buck ..." It was faint, a whisper from the cold lips of a dying boy. "It's okay."

Cupping Rogers' face in his hands, Barnes took in quick breaths. His mind was reeling, falling into some dark emptiness. Something about Steve saying his name... the name he'd given him... it brought him back to reality. "I know it is, we're gonna get you to a hospital, then home."

Steve seemed sad. He looked away from Bucky, eyes fluttering. He fought to keep them open to deliver what he truly believed would be his last words. "Turn me into art, Bucky. Make me something special - something I never got to be." And then he fell asleep.

"30 compressions!" Stephen suddenly yelled, commanding and quite frightening. Barnes was completely unable to react, overcome with disbelief. His body took control, and he began compressions.

A horrible crack sounded beneath the heel of the brunette's hand, but Strange insisted, "Keep going! It's a rib, they heal."

Tears blurred Bucky's vision as he desperately tried to revive his partner. He heard Stephen say something about 2 rescue breaths, so he performed them, then continued compressions. 2 more heart-wrenching cracks, and still no sign of life.

The paramedics arrived, and the children were swiftly whisked away from the scene. One EMT deployed a defibrillator, and Barnes watched in horror as Steve's body convulsed and writhed under the impulse of electricity. They shoved Rogers into an ambulance, but one paramedic stayed behind. He brought blankets to the teens, in case they were in shock, and began questioning.