Steve had been about to take Bucky's hand when he pulled it away again, making Steve frown, faintly. He could tell Bucky was reliving this thing, over and over in his head, and he wasn't surprised. He had seen so many men wounded, tortured, and worse during the war, and a lot of them had said the same thing. It made his heart ache in a way he just couldn't really put into words.
"The idea is that you won't have to do it again," Steve said gently. "And I know you think you couldn't do it if you had to, but I think you could. But," he said, leaning back a little, to give Bucky some space, "what's important right now is you getting better. I want you to focus on that, okay? Don't think about this happening again. We'll deal with that later. I'm here so that all you have to worry about is getting well, and the rest will follow." Whatever the rest was. "I made your mom a promise, and I'm making it to you. The only way anyone is getting to you through me is if they kill me first - and I'd like to think I'm pretty hard to kill," he said, trying for a lopsided smile. "A lot of people have tried. And I'm still here."
Not that he didn't have his own demons to wrestle with, but that wasn't important right now.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-06-04 08:07 pm (UTC)"The idea is that you won't have to do it again," Steve said gently. "And I know you think you couldn't do it if you had to, but I think you could. But," he said, leaning back a little, to give Bucky some space, "what's important right now is you getting better. I want you to focus on that, okay? Don't think about this happening again. We'll deal with that later. I'm here so that all you have to worry about is getting well, and the rest will follow." Whatever the rest was. "I made your mom a promise, and I'm making it to you. The only way anyone is getting to you through me is if they kill me first - and I'd like to think I'm pretty hard to kill," he said, trying for a lopsided smile. "A lot of people have tried. And I'm still here."
Not that he didn't have his own demons to wrestle with, but that wasn't important right now.