Winter's Revenge [winter soldier//Bucky Barnes AU]

Chapter Sixteen

THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO BOTH THE AMAZING COTTONMICHAEL AND THE WONDERFUL WINTER_SOLDIER_LOVER THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

*Bucky's POV*

I had never seen The Hulk before. And to be honest, he scared the shit out of me when he fell through the wall.

I jumped a couple feet into the air when the giant green rage monster appeared, grabbing my gun and preparing to shoot if necessary, but I didn't want to shoot. I knew he was a man on the inside, and that man had saved my Sarah. I understood where he was coming from. After all, I killed innocents while under the control of another as well.

Let me tell you, it doesn't get any easier. The pain of knowing what you did claws at you, rips you to shreds over and over. Pain demands to be felt.

Every night I dream about those I've killed, and every day I try not to let myself succumb to the overwhelming pain. The only thing keeping me rooted is Sarah.

So I knew exactly where Bruce was coming from, and instead of giving him sympathy, I gave him hope. I gave him kindness with my words. And suddenly he wasn't a green rage monster anymore; he was himself.

He shrank down, losing the green pigment to his skin, and also losing the anger that turned him into a shell of his former self. He panted and looked me in the eye.

"Thank you, Bucky." He said, and I nodded in reply.

We all looked around, seeing the absolute carnage everywhere. There were bodies, luckily mostly Hydra, lying all over. The gaping hole in the wall was still sucking out papers and pieces of broken furniture, and immediately we all got to work.

I went with Sarah, Peter and Natasha to help all the injured people, good or bad, get to the hospital ward. Bruce worked on composing himself and calming down so he could treat the injured, while Steve, Tony and Fury worked on how to get the plane down safely. It was tricky finding a place where S.H.I.E.L.D. was still respected.

Apparently Tony had launched a tracker onto the plane that Crossbones was on, so we could locate their whereabouts, once we weren't falling out of the sky.

I helped Sarah carry Valerie to a hospital bed, and Bruce began treating her bullet wound. I gave Bruce and Valerie a smile, and then left the room to help more people, Sarah on my heels. I gazed around for more people needing help.

I saw a young women leaning against the wall, not moving. Her head was at a very odd angle, and I knew right then that she needed immediate care, or she wouldn't make it.

"Sarah, we need Bruce and a body board. This woman has a major spinal issue." I told her, and she nodded, going to fetch Bruce. I knelt down in from of the lady, and her eyes flicked to me in panic, the only sign that showed me how much pain she was in. I suddenly recognized her as the lady I stopped and questioned in the hall.

"Hey, you're gonna be ok, alright? I promise. We just need to be extremely careful from here on out, and I need you to not move under any circumstance." I told her, and she watched me, the only sign that she understood what I said.

Sarah arrived soon with Banner, who clutched a back board. He saw the issue almost immediately, his eyes widening. He ran back to the hospital room, leaving me and Sarah confused, and then came back with a back board that had a right angle for sitting, along with something to keep her neck in place.

"Ok, look. We need to move her very carefully, alright? If her head or neck moves at all, she'll be permanently paralyzed. Right now her skull is not attached to her spine." Banner explained quickly, and I tried not to let my jaw fall open. How was she even still alive?

I nodded, and me, Sarah and Bruce began the slow, tedious task of moving the girl onto the board. It took a good five minutes, but we managed to not move her, and Bruce strapped her tightly to the board. We carried her quickly to the room, where Bruce and Tony started talking about how surgery for her should be conducted. Me and Sarah were of no use in that situation, so we got a move on to get more patients.

Half an hour later, all the victims had found a place in the hospital ward. Me, Steve, Natasha, Cara and Peter helped x-Ray and set broken bones, using any supplies possible. Any open wounds were stitched up and cleaned by Tony, and Bruce performed an extensive surgery on the poor girl with spinal problems. He had never performed the surgery before, and had limited supplies, but managed to use screws and bone fragments to attach her skull back to her spine. Tony finished stitching people up and helped build a giant back and neck brace for the woman.

Once everyone was treated, the agents with minor injuries were put in the living area on couches after Steve closed the hole in the plane. Everyone else, who had major injuries, were put on a hospital bed and given morphine.

I sat down on a nearby chair, completely exhausted. Sarah came over and looked around for a seat, since I had taken the last one, and I gestured to my lap with a smile. She laughed lightly and took a seat on my thighs, weighing next to nothing.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, squeezing her to me tightly. She leaned back into my chest and sighed.

"You alright?" I asked her, my mouth next to her ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just insanely tired is all." She replied. I smiled to myself, glad to hear her voice, and she gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I chuckled, tickling her side with my real hand. She squealed loudly and fell straight off of my lap, clutching her side. I looked at her with concern, but then her grimace turned into a smirk, and I knew she was messing with me. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

She laughed, her sweet, beautiful laugh, and climbed on my lap again. I stretched out my metal arm, which was beginning to ache, and I grunted in pain. She glanced at me with a frown, running her fingers down the cold metal. I imagined how her fingers would feel on my real skin; tender, smooth, light.

"Do you like having it?" She asked of my arm. I shrugged, the weight of my shoulder heavy, as usual.

"It's better than having no arm, I guess. But it's heavy, and I can't help it think about all the people it's killed." I muttered. She sighed, turning around in my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I hope you don't think you're a monster, because you aren't." She whispered, her blue eyes laced with concern. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment, and opening them again.

"I'm trying, but it's so hard to forget. I killed so many, Sarah. So many." I replied, gazing at the ground. She grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her.

"Bucky, listen to me. You are anything but a monster. You just saved so many people! That one girl, in the hallway, would've died if you hadn't known exactly what to do. You saved her life, and you saved my life. I love you, Bucky, and I promise you aren't a monster." She whispered quietly, so only we could hear. I smiled widely, pressing my lips to hers.

"I love you too."

--

--

A few hours later, all of the team had gathered in the living room. We were silent for the most part, but every now and then when someone sparked the conversation or made a joke, I really felt as if I belonged with these people.

After what felt like forever, Fury had managed to stabilize the plane and set us on a safe course. He walked into the living room, looking around at all the people that were treated and looking better already. He faced us.

"You guys did great today. You are truly the best superheroes the world has ever seen." He announced, a hint of pride gleaming in his one eye. He stood and saluted us, as we saluted back.

"Job well done, Avengers."

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-Jordan💕