James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
make_it_hurt) wrote2014-06-03 04:58 pm
make_it_hurt) wrote2014-06-03 04:58 pm
Closed RP with [Punched-Hitler]
He woke up slowly. It was an unusual feeling, to wake to nothing more than his body's own sleep cycle, instead of being woken up by harsh hands and pain. He honestly hadn't been expecting to wake up, sure that he was dead, sure that the bullet they had put in his chest should have killed him.
Instead, Bucky Barnes woke up in a hospital bed, oxygen line hooked over his ears, the steady beeping and whirring of machinery all around him. Everything hurt - his broken ankle, the bruises on his legs from beatings, the lash marks over his back. It is nearly torture to breathe, his chest wrapped tightly in bandages. This wasn't the dark, dank cellar he had spent (as close as he could figure ) six or seven months in. He looked around, head tilting from side to side listlessly, looking for family or a nurse or something.
His attention was caught by his left arm - or, rather, what was left of it, which wasn't much.
Days into his capture they'd started cutting off his fingers, one at a time, and sending him to his mother - to the President - in an attempt to get her to give in to their demands.
Then they'd started working their way up his arm, more as punishment than anything, before infection had set in and they had kept cutting back and back and back in an attempt to keep their bargaining chip from dying.
The stump of his left arm was wrapped in neat cotton bandages and Bucky swallowed hard, lifting his other hand to his lips, feeling them quiver against his fingers.
He finally asked, voice trembling, "Mom?"
She had to be here. She had been there for him his entire life growing up, there every time he got sick, even when she was on the election trail. If she couldn't get to him, they would talk over the internet for as long as it took until he fell asleep.
Bucky looked around, digging his ragged nails into his lower lip. "Mom?" He shifted, trying to sit up, and was instantly caught by the mess of wires and tubing around him. He laid back, blinking back tears.
She came almost at a run, heels clacking, the door swinging shut behind her. "Bucky!" She nearly collapsed onto Bucky's bed, grabbing his hand in both of her own. "You're awake, thank god." She reached forward and ran her fingers through his hair and he was suddenly aware that it was long enough to touch his chin.
He smiled up at her, feeling the knot in his chest ease. Bucky sagged back against his pillows and sighed slightly, letting her rub her thumb over the back of his hand. "I missed you, Mom."
"I missed you, too. Here, are you comfortable? Do you need another pillow?" She let go of his hand and started to fuss with his blankets and pillows, adjusting them around him nervously.
"I'm fine. Tired, but fine." He closed his eyes for a long moment then asked, opening them again, "I'm really here, right?"
She nodded. "You're really here, Bucky." She folded her hand over his. "Get some rest, I'll be right here, okay?" She smiled and watched Bucky drift off again, body falling limp. But it wasn't the same sort of boneless as before, the unconsciousness after being brought in, after all the surgeries. It was the unconsciousness of somebody asleep of their own volition.
She looked up once she was sure Bucky was asleep and stood back up, placing his hand on his stomach. President Barnes crossed back over to the door and pulled it open. "I'm sorry, Captain. Maybe you should come in and we can continue our discussion?" She stepped back.
Bucky drifted awake for just a moment, long enough to see his mother across the room talking to somebody that looked vaguely familiar. Before Bucky could place the face, he was asleep again.
Instead, Bucky Barnes woke up in a hospital bed, oxygen line hooked over his ears, the steady beeping and whirring of machinery all around him. Everything hurt - his broken ankle, the bruises on his legs from beatings, the lash marks over his back. It is nearly torture to breathe, his chest wrapped tightly in bandages. This wasn't the dark, dank cellar he had spent (as close as he could figure ) six or seven months in. He looked around, head tilting from side to side listlessly, looking for family or a nurse or something.
His attention was caught by his left arm - or, rather, what was left of it, which wasn't much.
Days into his capture they'd started cutting off his fingers, one at a time, and sending him to his mother - to the President - in an attempt to get her to give in to their demands.
Then they'd started working their way up his arm, more as punishment than anything, before infection had set in and they had kept cutting back and back and back in an attempt to keep their bargaining chip from dying.
The stump of his left arm was wrapped in neat cotton bandages and Bucky swallowed hard, lifting his other hand to his lips, feeling them quiver against his fingers.
He finally asked, voice trembling, "Mom?"
She had to be here. She had been there for him his entire life growing up, there every time he got sick, even when she was on the election trail. If she couldn't get to him, they would talk over the internet for as long as it took until he fell asleep.
Bucky looked around, digging his ragged nails into his lower lip. "Mom?" He shifted, trying to sit up, and was instantly caught by the mess of wires and tubing around him. He laid back, blinking back tears.
She came almost at a run, heels clacking, the door swinging shut behind her. "Bucky!" She nearly collapsed onto Bucky's bed, grabbing his hand in both of her own. "You're awake, thank god." She reached forward and ran her fingers through his hair and he was suddenly aware that it was long enough to touch his chin.
He smiled up at her, feeling the knot in his chest ease. Bucky sagged back against his pillows and sighed slightly, letting her rub her thumb over the back of his hand. "I missed you, Mom."
"I missed you, too. Here, are you comfortable? Do you need another pillow?" She let go of his hand and started to fuss with his blankets and pillows, adjusting them around him nervously.
"I'm fine. Tired, but fine." He closed his eyes for a long moment then asked, opening them again, "I'm really here, right?"
She nodded. "You're really here, Bucky." She folded her hand over his. "Get some rest, I'll be right here, okay?" She smiled and watched Bucky drift off again, body falling limp. But it wasn't the same sort of boneless as before, the unconsciousness after being brought in, after all the surgeries. It was the unconsciousness of somebody asleep of their own volition.
She looked up once she was sure Bucky was asleep and stood back up, placing his hand on his stomach. President Barnes crossed back over to the door and pulled it open. "I'm sorry, Captain. Maybe you should come in and we can continue our discussion?" She stepped back.
Bucky drifted awake for just a moment, long enough to see his mother across the room talking to somebody that looked vaguely familiar. Before Bucky could place the face, he was asleep again.
no subject
[You wanna maybe skip a bit of time? Maybe Bucky can finally meet Tony or something?]
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[Yes! That works out well - if you want to set it up so I know how much Bucky's recovered, I can happily throw Tony into the mix. Feel free to skip as much time as you like and assume whatever you want? <3]
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-
Almost two months later, Bucky was going out in public more often. He still was refusing to see a therapist, but between a combination of anti-anxiety pills and weed he was making due.
He was nearly already done with taking his final few classes to get his high school diploma, the motivation to go to MIT enough for him.
And now he was finally going to meet Tony Stark. Not only another crush of his, but also a huge inspiration as far as Bucky's dreams of being an engineer went.
He really wanted to get Tony's thoughts on a prosthetic arm. Iron Man was, as Tony had said once, a prosthetic. Sure, the original body parts were underneath, but technically...
Bucky looked down at Penny. She'd been the the groomer's and had grown a lot in just a month. Her fur had been shaved down - it was September, after all - and she was carrying a backpack - she could carry things already, so long as he didn't load her down too much.
Still, he slung his bag over his shoulder and reached for her leash - it was short enough that if he dropped it it wouldn't drag on the ground but not so short he had to hunch over if he was holding it. "C'mon." He stepped out of the bedroom and grinned at Steve. "I'm ready to go."
hoooooly crap I didn't realize I'd left this for a week I'm sorry ;;
And he was excited, today - he'd wanted to meet Tony Stark for a long time, and even though Steve and Tony were't exactly best friends, they were friends of a sort, and Steve had been happy to pull whatever strings he could to get Tony out here for a meeting. Tony was, after all, always glad to meet admirers, and when Steve had explained who it was that wanted to meet him… it had clinched the deal. So Tony had set aside the weekend (mostly) and flown out (via private jet, although Steve didn't doubt there was Iron Man armor somewhere close by) to meet them for lunch. In fact, Tony had gotten them reservations at a nice little lunch bistro in DC for this meeting, and even agreed to keep it on the down low from the press - although how likely it was that they wouldn't find out was anybody's guess. Steve had pulled on an old Dodgers cap and was wearing street clothes, although he figured if any one of them was going to draw attention, it would be Bucky Barnes or Tony Stark - not Steve Rogers.
"Great," he grinned, when Bucky emerged from his room. Steve led the way to the garage. "We're right on time."
it's alright, i'm procrastinating on our other thread so...
"Good. Let's get going." He still hadn't been allowed to learn how to drive with only one hand, but maybe soon, before he went off to Boston. He didn't really want to be riding the bus when he was there and he certainly wouldn't have Steve or a driver at that point.
He also tried really hard not to think about the fact that Steve's time as his bodyguard was quickly coming to an end.
He tightened his grip on his bag - inside was his laptop as well as printouts with a bunch of blueprints for prosthetics. He really wanted Tony's advice on those most of all.