Never Separated

Seven

Bucky was on the pavement, and everything was fuzzy. He couldn't see out of one eye, and after clumsily reaching up to find out why, his fingers come away bloodied. He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, grinding his teeth as pain washed over him.

"Oh my God -- " Steve was choked by the words. "Bucky, holy sh*t -- " He rushed towards the wreck and was grabbed by Charlie, who had heard the commotion.

"Steve, don't get yourself killed, the professionals are -- "

He threw him off and sprinted, tears streaming down his face. He made it to the car. His heart was pounding in his throat.

"Steve," Bucky murmured, faintly watching him. Scraps of metal lay on top of him, one slab pinning his left arm underneath. He couldn't feel it.

"I'm right here, you're gonna be okay," he soothed. "We need to get you outta here."

"You'll hurt yourself." Steve was prying the metal away, frantically, and his hands and wrists were in fact getting sliced as he pulled and pried. He shook his head impatiently and reached for him.

"We gotta get you out of this," Steve said, voice shaking. He was trying to be brave. It was almost impossible.

Bucky studied him dimly, trying to tug his arm free. He pulled and gasped as a sear of pain ran through his arm, bringing tears to his eyes. Up close, Steve could see the damage to Bucky's body; blood was leaking out from underneath the metal where Bucky was pinned.

Steve swallowed the bile rising in his throat, blinked hard, and got a stronger grip on him. "You're gonna be okay, I promise."

Hands shaking, he gave it one last effort, trembling as he pulled the metal off of him, just enough so Bucky could get himself free.

"Steve," he wavered, more conscious of what's going on. "Steve, what the f*ck happened, I-I don't know what went wrong -- "

"Shh, sweetheart, you're okay," he soothed, tears obscuring his vision. He couldn't look at his mangled arm, so prominent on his boyfriend. Bucky just stared at him, heard sweetheart echo throughout his head, clung to him with his good hand as he struggled to breathe evenly, as the reality of it all hit him like a brick.

Soon enough, his own tears washed clean lines through the grime on his face as the pain ripped through him.

Bucky gasped and flinched, eyes screwed shut, teeth gritted. He blew out a frantic breath and sobbed. Steve smoothed his hair back and tried to calm him as people emerged from the crowd.

"Steve -- "

"Look at me, look at me, you're gonna be okay -- "

"Steve, I can't--can't feel my arm, I can't -- " Bucky's breathing was harsh, panicked, as he stared desperately at him.

"Stay calm for me, baby, can you do that? Just--just breathe -- "

"Move back," a medic ordered Steve as they moved in, pushing him out of the way. Every second they lost was a second Bucky could die.

"Steve, don't leave me, please! Don't -- don't l-leave -- "

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Steve warbled, staggering back as they got to work on the brunet. Steve's hands were covered with blood, along with his shirt.

His legs gave and he staggered to the ground, watching with haunted eyes as Bucky cried out until he fell silent, unconscious.

Steve stared after him until he was loaded into the back of an ambulance and rushed to hospital. Charlie, once over the shock himself, staggered home to tell his parents. Steve felt like he was about to faint. His head was pounding. Everything was slowly spinning around him.

"Bucky, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he wavered, barely aware he's speaking out loud. "This is all my fault, it's... it's my fault... "

He didn't move from his spot beside the accident. One of the crowd gathered went to him and pulled him to his feet, then noticed the cuts on his arms. "C'mon," April murmured, her voice trembling. "I... I can patch you up, okay?"

Steve didn't answer as he staggered against her and allowed himself to be led away from the scene of the crime.

////

April's home was small, cozy -- but Steve didn't have time to process that. April was gentle patching him up, didn't shake once, but he heard her sniffle every now and then.

"Okay, you're good to go," she finally spoke, shutting the first aid kit and sliding it across the table. Steve absently ran his fingers over the bandages and finally looked up at her.

"Thank you," he murmured. "I didn't realise it was that bad."

"Yeah," she sighed, glancing away. Steve stared at his hands and April looked at him, her eyes soft. "He'll make it," she said quietly. "He's a strong kid. You just gotta have faith, okay?"

He barely had the strength to nod. "Okay," he responded.

////

Bucky woke up in a panic, trying to sit up, gasping into the oxygen mask situated over his mouth. Winifred grasped his hand and he stopped, panting for breath, eyes watering.

His left "arm" was numb. From the elbow down it was missing; what remained was heavily bandaged, and despite that, a spot of blood was visible through the clean white wrapping.

He held a mild concussion from where it'd smacked into the cement, as well as a broken nose. Elsewhere, he had a sprain in his right arm and two broken ribs. Even breathing hurt.

Something between a groan and a whimper escaped him and he tried to remain still, swallowing with difficulty.

"Shh, darling, I'm right here," Winifred whispered, emotion heavy in her voice. Her face was red and blotchy from crying. "My boy," she sobbed, running a hand through his hair, studying him.

"I'm sorry," he choked, taking a deep breath, and another, exhaling harshly with a sob. "I-I'm so sorry," he croaked.

"Don't hurt yourself," she wavered and attempted to pull herself together. "The doctor will be right in, just try to relax."

Bucky sagged back into the bed, exhaustion racking his body, pain exploding through his head as a headache came on. "Where's Steve?"

"He's outside," she replied, wiping tears from her eyes. "He was right behind us when we came here."

Bucky nodded slightly, wincing even at that. Winifred made her swift exit, then Steve entered, cautiously, as if Bucky would break as soon as he stepped near him.

He breathed in shakily, and then, Bucky Barnes fell apart.