Unlimited || Bucky Barnes

The Retreat

"No!" I screamed, forcing everything out of me. A rage of energy pulsed from my body as I dropped to my knees. The shock crushed into the leader's body and send him flying. He smacked against a tree with a hard snap, and dragged his back against the trunk all the way to the ground.

I watched him lie there, slung over a root that had risen out of the dirt. The man was motionless. I couldn't read his mind. No emotion. No thoughts. No pulse.

I began to sob tirelessly as I hung my head over my knees. I sensed a slight movement next to me and heard a low groan after. I turned quickly and faced Steve, who was moaning and grasping his shoulder. I was able to keep the man from killing Steve, but now he was wounded in the foot and shoulder.

"Steve!" I cried, racing to his position, examining every inch of his body. "I'm so sorry Steve, this is all my fault!"

"Darby, stop. Focus. We need to get out of here, okay?" he winced, straightening his leg, all the while gripping his left shoulder intensely.

I nodded reluctantly and brushed my hair out of my face. I scooped my hands underneath Steve's armpits and pulled his massive weight as far as I could. I heaved him against the nearest tree and ran to Bucky without another thought. I grabbed him in the same way but had more difficulty keeping his head from swaying back and forth. I hurried and laid him near Steve's feet, where a new trail of blood was pouring.

"Steve, I'm so sorry," I murmured.

"Darby, look at me," Steve urged.

I stopped the tears before they came and glanced up at him.

"You saved my life," he forced a smile.

"I got you shot. Twice," I cursed.

"Better than a hole in my head," he retorted.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

"What do we do now? We have no supplies to fix your wound and two of us are still unconscious," I flustered, shaking my head at the ground.

"I'll call Stark. We aren't far from the tower so he can get to us fast. I'll be fine Darby," he lied. He didn't know that. I know he didn't know that.

He raised his arm as much as he could and made a call to Tony. Tony replied sternly and said help would be here soon.

"So, that stunt you pulled earlier," Steve mumbled.

"What?"

"That guy you sent hurdling towards the tree," he raised an eyebrow, twitching his foot.

I stayed silent for a moment. I slyly dragged my hand over and placed it in Bucky's. I squeezed it tight and watched his chest move up and down slowly but steadily.

"I didn't know I had it in me," I shuttered, trying not to glance at the dead body in the corner of my eye.

"You're stronger than you think, you know," he replied.

"I do know Steve. That is what scares me. I know and don't know at the same time, and it's awful. I know that I can keep going, but I don't know if I'd ever be able to stop, and that scares me a whole lot. I don't know what to do anymore. I tried containing myself and that did no good, and then I tried to not hold back so much and now look at the jet. Look at Sam and Bucky for pete's sake! I'm a mess," I cried, attempting to keep my voice from shaking.

"Well I'm not looking too good either," he chuckled.

"You always look good Rogers. Besides, you can recover from this. Will I be able to recover?" I squeezed Bucky's hand again and laid my head on his chest.

"I don't know," he sighed, readjusting himself against the trunk. "I wish I could tell you, but I don't know. Bucky would know, he always does," he smiled at me.

I shut my eyes and let a tear fall to Bucky's jacket. I could hear his heartbeat, even through the many layers of black he was adorned in. I could smell his musk and felt myself calm from it. I exhaled shakily and rubbed my thumb against his.

Yes he does.