Not Without You - A Stucky Fanfic

Chapter Two

Steve had awoken to the sound of the jet descending in the air. He was asleep for the majority of the trip back to New York, he kept waking up from having tears falling down his cheeks from the sadness of leaving Bucky in Wakanda. He should be here with me, not stuck in the freezing cold, Steve thought.

The jet reached the ground and opened the latch for Steve to exit the jet safely. Steve got up, stretched, and began walking out to enter the Avengers Tower.

Steve walked through the doors and to the elevator, too lazy to walk up the stairs to the living room and kitchen because he was hungry after that flight.

"Friday, take me the 49th floor, please" Steve told the AI.

"On it Sir" the AI replied back and the elevator began to shoot up to the 49th floor.

Steve was wondering what he was going to eat when he then realized that the floor he requested is where most of the avengers will probably be and he didn't want them to see the state he was in. Steve quickly straightened his posture, wiped his eyes once more as the elevator dinged, signaling him he was there.

The doors opened and laughter filled his ears as he started to walk out of the elevator toward the kitchen, hopefully avoiding the rest of his friends from where they sat in the living room.

"Hey, look! Cap is back from his trip to Wakanda" Tony exclaimed gathering the rest rest of the avengers attention, making them look toward the kitchen where Steve was at.

Steve looked to the other side of the commons and smiled at Tony, Nat, Clint, Wanda, Vision, Bruce and Rhodey. "Yeah I'm back, what have you guys been up to?" He questions as he turns around and rummaged through the cabinets to look for something to eat, before he gives up and decides to go to the fridge to make a sandwich.

Natasha replies with, "we have just been hanging out and talking, thinking about playing some games and order pizza in an hour or two. How are you Steve? How was the trip and Bucky?"

Steve finishes making his sandwich and looks up across the counter and said, "it was fine. Long ride back and Bucky is fine, he is frozen and T'Challa and Shuri are at work finding something to help him." Steve felt tears in his eyes and blinked them away, and took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Are you going to join us in playing games and pizza?" Clint asks.

Steve looks at his watch, 6:00pm. He looks back up and says, "no, I think I am going to go for a run. I need the fresh air and my limbs could use the movement."

"Okay, well have fun, see you later" Clint replies and the group all watch Steve walk away to his room after his finished his sandwich.

Steve gets to his room and pulls out some grey sweat pants and a black muscle t-shirt. He slips out of his jeans and button up and into the comfortable sweats. He slips on his running shoes and exits his room and heads back to the elevator, but takes the stairs instead.

He gets down the stairs to the lobby of the tower, does some stretches then begins a jog down the sidewalk. He's five minutes in and he begins to think about the events back in Wakanda.

This is for the best.

I don't trust my brain.

I'm going to miss this too.

Steve kept replaying everything in his head, slowly gaining speed each and every time until he was full on sprinting down the sidewalk. He was glad not many people were out, normally 6:20pm people were roaming the streets, but tonight there wasn't many people so he wasn't running into people.

Steve kept running, he slowly slowed down from the sprinting as he almost knocked over a nice couple walking down the sidewalk and he didn't want to do it again.

After an hour of running, Steve realized he should turn back since that would be another hour back to the tower and he's only living off a sandwich with this run. He slows to a stop, turns around and begins running back to the tower, taking in Manhattan as he went back.

••••

Steve arrives back at the tower all sweaty and he takes the stairs back up the 49th floor. He gets up the flights of stairs a little out of breath due to the run he just had before hand.

He opens the door and walks through the commons ignoring all the avengers and even Sharon Carter on the couch playing Super Mario Bro's on the flat screen and goes straight to his room to shower.

He goes to his bathroom inside his room and turns the shower on to hot water and as it warms up, he begin to strip out of his clothes that are now covered in sweat and puts them in a laundry basket in the bathroom. He steps into the hot shower and just stands there, water hitting his back as he thinks about him and Bucky.

Who the hell is Bucky?

You're my mission!

Steve's breathing started to get heavy and he started to come up with scenarios in his head as he kept heavily breathing.

I don't remember you.

You're not my best friend. Best friends don't stick people in freezing chambers for their brains to get played with.

Why did you abandon me, Steve?

You left me.

Steve started to shake, he couldn't feel his legs and his breath got stuck in his throat.

You let me fall off that train.

Why didn't you come after me? Was I not enough to jump after?

Why didn't you get me, Steve? Your hand was so close... yet so far away.

All of a sudden Steve's legs gave out and he fell to the floor of the shower, sobbing and sobbing as he replayed these thoughts and scenarios in his head, plus many more.

The rest of the avengers heard a thud sound that came towards the area of their rooms so, Sharon decided to get up and check it out.

Sharon walks to Steve's door and knocks on it. "Steve? Are you alright?" She asks. She doesn't hear a reply so she walks in and as soon as she does, she hears the water running in the bathroom. Sharon rushes over and knocks on the door.

From inside, Steve heard the knock so he quieted his crying and grumbled, "leave me alone."

Sharon was taken aback by Steve's low voice but still replied, "we all heard a thud and I decided to come and check on you, make sure you're alright."

"No I'm fine" Steve said as he tried to get up but fell once again. Sharon heard it and bursted into the bathroom to make sure he was okay.

Sharon grabbed a towel, turned off the water and draped the towel over Steve so nothing could be seen and she helped him get up. Steve clung onto her for support with one hand since he still couldn't feel his legs, and the other held up his towel.

She walked him to his bed and when they got there, steve just fell onto the bed not caring he was in a towel or covered in water.

Steve sat up on his queen sized bed and looked at Sharon and said, "look, I appreciate that you came and helped me but I got it. I don't need the help so, can you please leave me alone? I don't want to be near anyone right now."

"Fine. But tomorrow you will hangout with us, you can't be stuck in here forever" Sharon replied as she started to exit the room to return back to the other avengers in the living room.

Sharon closed the door and Steve sighed, getting up to at least put some boxers on and pajama pants and return to bed.

Steve got under his covers and started to silently cry as he slowly, drifted off to sleep.