behind blue eyes [bucky barnes]

seventyone

"There's something happening somewhere. Baby, I just know that there is."

Song: Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen

. . . . .

November 25, 1936

The funeral was quiet and peaceful, much like Sarah was herself. She had gotten tuberculosis from one of her patients and wasn't able to overcome it. Steve had been by her side as best he could, but considering how prone he was to getting sick, he could only be so close. Bucky stayed with him the entire time, trying his best to comfort him as he watched his mother slowly fade away. But on the day that she died, Bucky had been running errands for his mother.

When he heard the news from his mother, he ran out the door and sprinted as fast as he could to the Rogers residence. Which is where he found Steve, sitting in Sarah's room, crying at the foot of her bed. Bucky pulled the sobbing boy into his arms, holding him while they both cried. It had been the worst day of Bucky's life to date.

Steve wasn't crying during the funeral, at least not openly. Bucky noticed a few tears fall sporadically down his face. It broke his heart, seeing his best friend plagued by another loss. He had already lost his father, and now his mother. Winnifred and Rebecca sat on the other side of Bucky, and neither of them were as calm as Steve was. Sarah had become Winnifred's close friend through the years, so when she died, she spared no expense on a funeral - much to Steve's protests. But the Rogers were not near as wealthy as the Barnes were. And Sarah deserved the best that could be offered.

"Steve," Bucky whispered to his right. Steve turned and looked up at him, trying his best to hide the bloodshot look in his eyes. "If you want to say something-"

"I don't," he croaked out. "I can't."

Bucky nodded, turning his head back towards the man giving the eulogy. Bucky understood exactly what Steve was saying, because he too would have difficulty articulating the right words to say if it were his mother. Steve was so strong, stronger than Bucky ever dreamed about being. But Bucky was afraid that this might break him. So when the time came, Bucky was the one who stood up and spoke.

"Words are hard, especially on days like today. Ms. Rogers was.... she was the best second mother I could have ever asked for. She was selfless, compassionate, and the hardest worker I have ever known. All of these traits were things that she passed down to her son, and inevitably to me. I will never forget all of the nights that Steve and I spent playing cards with her when she got off work, or her infamous pudding recipe. But the thing that will always stick with me is how she never, ever stopped protecting the ones that she loved."

Bucky sat back down, resuming his previous position.

"Thank you," Steve whispered quietly. Bucky smiled lightly and put his hand on Steve's, squeezing it in response, silently saying "anything for my friend."