Bucky Barnes One Shots - EDITING

81. Take Care

~100k

If you don't want your heart to be broken today, don't read this

No I'm joking, pls do

Wait, come back-

Word Count: 1145

You should never have let him out of your sight

You should never have agreed to split up on the mission

You should have stuck by him, where both of you could protect the other

Maria Hill was in your ear, telling you that Bucky had to be in another place for this mission to go according to plan

You kissed him swiftly goodbye, and he left your side with a flash of a smile

It was a bit confusing to you as to why it was only you and Bucky on this mission, they could've at least sent out one other person

You were busy scanning the corridors of the large building you were both sent to, taking out hostiles left, right and centre, when you heard Maria's voice once again speak to you

But what she said made you tremble and sprint out of the building, searching for Bucky

"Barnes is down, I repeat, Barnes is down"

You panicked a lot, as you completely forgot where you were, making you lower your guard significantly

You yelled his name loudly, desperate for a response, whilst you felt your hands start to tingle and you became slightly lightheaded

★★★

Bucky was guarding the lower floors of the building, making sure that your life was a little bit easier

At one point, Bucky noticed something odd about the building

It was quiet - too quiet

Not even five minutes ago, he was just beating up like 10 guys in a corridor, with ease of course

He was now on edge as he looked around quickly, filled with anxiety and paranoia for what was about to happen

He then felt like someone was approaching him, but when he looked, no one was there

His battle stance never faltered once, but he backed up against the wall in a corridor is that he couldn't get attacked from behind

But, he didn't realise that by doing this, he just opened himself up and became an easier target to hit

Suddenly, he dropped to the ground with a loud yell- it was actually a surprise that you didn't hear it

His leg buckled, making him drop, as he soon discovered that he was shot in the leg

But, the pain was elsewhere

The bones of his right shoulder were shattered, there was blood pouring out of his stomach, and a bullet ripped all the way through the flesh and bones of his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe

His attacker must've thought that he killed him, so he fled, hopefully not to you

Bucky didn't even notice though, as he was trying his best not to move, and to breathe so that he could see you again

That's when he heard you shouting his name, and he was going to shout back, but when he tried, his stomach and chest made him give a shout of pain as a response

A few seconds later, he saw you quickly approach him- Maria had told you where in the building he was

You knelt down immediately and looked at him leaning against the wall, covered in blood

He knew he wouldn't make it to see tomorrow- there was a hole in his chest and he was quickly losing blood, but he HAD to say goodbye to you

You were about to say something, but he interrupted you before you began and said "Please. Please take care of yourself while I'm gone"

Your heart was in millions of pieces- he had already accepted he was going to die, and his only concern was you

"Bucky, you're not gonna-" you tried, but he cut you off again by speaking with a weaker and more desperate voice

"Just know... that I'll be waiting to continue my job in taking care of you... when you join me"

He didn't waste his final breaths on saying something that you already knew (I love you) instead, he tried to reassure you that when it is finally your time, there'll be someone there to catch you

"Bucky-James, just hold on, please. We'll find a way to save you" you pleaded, tears streaming down your face, but Bucky didn't listen

His voice and posture were getting weaker and weaker with every word he spoke "S-sorry doll.. looks like this is the end of the line"

You didn't even try to deny it any more, as he continued to speak

He used a lot of the little energy he had left to raise his hand and put it on your cheek, wiping away your tears with his thumb, only for them to be replaced by new ones

He spluttered and struggled to take in another breath, but he had to tell you something else

"Please take care of yourself while, while.... While I'm gone" he repeated with a broken voice, his eyelids getting heavier and his vision becoming ever so slightly blurrier

You could tell that he was absolutely terrified, despite his acceptance, making you

"James" was all you could get out before he tried to speak a bit louder, but failing horribly

"Please, Y/N... Please take care of yourself. You... You have no idea how worried I get about you s-sometimes" he tried to laugh to make you feel better, but it made you feel worse - he was trying to comfort you through his own death

You nodded, promising him that you would, and making him smile at you one last time

Then, he could only manage a whisper, as he breathed out "I'll be watching over you" a tear rolled down his cheek as he took one last look at you

He tried to smile the best he could, but it quickly disappeared, as his eyes closed and his hand fell from your face

You held him close and put your head on his metal shoulder, feeling his head get heavier

You heard his breathing get softer and softer, until there was no noise except your own crying

Even when he had gone, you still held him close to you, as you almost ripped your throat apart by shouting loudly into his shoulder, as tears were still flowing out of your eyes and you were now clutching onto his jacket, getting his blood all over your hand

You were completely numb, and you brought your head from his shoulder to look at his now lifeless face

It made it worse that there was still a hint of a smile on his lips

It showed you that he trusted you to honor his dying wish, and you were going to do so, just for him

You kissed his forehead and looked over his face once more before whispering "Take care, James"