40 Day Stucky Challenge

19. Futuristic

Bucky swallows and closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath before he steps out into the street and fires at the robots. The first bullet hits him in the thigh. The next finds its mark just above his hip. The third goes straight through his right lung and the last one embeds itself in his heart. A scream tears from Steve's throat as he watches helplessly as his husband is shot to death.

"Rogers! What's going on up there?" Natasha demands over the coms.

"Bucky... He's... He's dead," Steve whispers.

There's a long pause before Nat answers. "Take out the robots grab James' body and get your ass back to base."

"Yes Nat," Steve nods. He shoots down the last few robots and grabs Bucky's body. He arrives back at the base in record time.

"Banner! We've got Barnes. Take him to the lab and do it," Natasha barks.

"But Natasha," Bruce begins.

"Do it!" She snaps. Bruce nods and races Bucky's body off.

"What're they doing?" Steve asks meekly, unable to look away from the door they went through.

"We have experimental tech that can possibly revive him. Barnes is our top agent. You may be the face of the rebellion but Barnes is the heart behind it all. Without him you wouldn't have a reason to fight and neither would we. Go get yourself cleaned up then meet me in the lab," Natasha says, leading Steve through the underground tunnels that served as headquarters.

"Yes ma'am," Steve nods. He goes to his and Bucky's room and showers and changes clothes. He holds Bucky's favorite pink sweater to his chest. It was Bucky's favorite thing he owned. It was a reminder of the good old days. It was tattered and faded now but Bucky loved it none the less. Steve takes it with him to the lab where he finds Natasha looking down at the operating room.

"This is it. He either pulls through or he's gone and we can kiss success goodbye," she whispers.

Steve stares down at Bucky's limp body and clutches the brunettes sweater tighter.

"Steve! There's too many!" Bucky shouts, sitting bolt upright and looking around frantically.

"Bucky, relax. Steve's fine. You're fine. What's the last thing you remember?" Bruce asks.

"I died. How am I alive?" Bucky snarls.

"We revived you using experimental tech," Bruce explains. Bucky slumps slightly and swallows. Natasha turns to say something to Steve only to find the blonde was gone.

"Bucky," Steve calls, running towards the brunette and hugging him tightly.

Bucky hugs back, burying his face in the blondes shoulder.

"We ready to go take down the robot empire?" Bucky asks a week later, out in the field preparing to wipe out the brain of the robot army.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Steve answers. Bucky nods and he detonates the bombs. The building explodes and all around the world the robots spasm before self destructing. Bucky goes to run towards Steve but his knees give out. Alarmed the blonde rushes to his side and holds him close.

"The problem with experimental tech is it never quite works right the first time," Bucky mumbles, looking up into Steve's eyes.

"I love you James Buchanan Barnes," Steve whispers.

"I love you too Steven Grant Rogers. Til the end of the line," Bucky whispers. Steve holds him in his arms helplessly as his husband's organ systems slowly fail him.

"Til the end of the line," he whispers back softly.