bucky knew lingering around the compound for too long was a bad idea, but he felt as if he were in a fog. his head was pounding and his ears were ringing. by now, a while after the blast, he would’ve thought that would go away. it hadn’t. had something hit his head? he couldn’t be sure of that anymore. so now, he sat in the rubble, trying to gather his bearings. he’d tried to walk somewhere to find someone on their side a few moments earlier, only to be hit with a wave of dizziness that brought on the nausea.
he’d give anything to not feel this way. his arm, well, his arm was fucked. clearly broken and causing him a lot of pain. since emerging from the rubble he’d managed to make a sling for it out of his shirt, but he was still highly on edge. his left hand clutched his pistol for dear life. he wasn’t entirely mobile yet, and until then, he’d fight if he had to.
even though fighting in itself was something he desperately wanted to get away from. he was beginning to think he was cursed, that he’d always end up having to fight again. would they ever be able to catch a break? doubtful -- it seemed doubtful. he almost jumps when he hears a noise in the distance, immediately turning to face the direction the sound had come from, his gun raised. “who’s there?” he called out. “what do you want? i’m not afraid to shoot,” though, as the figure drew closer, bucky quickly realized who it was, relief washing through him as he lowered the weapon slightly. “steve?”