Chapter 11
Natasha never thought this is where the night would lead to. Her best friend is a mermaid. Her heart sank when he jumped in the water to save Steve. She thought they both were gonna drown. Yet, when she looked over the edge Steve was holding on to Bucky. Bucky was swimming, he seemed pretty calm too. She started to feel hurt, been then she noticed it. The long silver blue fish tail that started at his hips.
Using all his upper body strength Bucky was able to climb the ladder on the side of the boat, as Steve hanged onto his neck.
She never could of imagined this, she gasped when Bucky looked up at them. Eyes glowing blue. His face grim as Steve clung to his chest. There was blood, Steve had a long gash on his forehead. Natasha felt a pang of guilt in her chest, this is not what she had wanted.
Tony deviated from the plan, he was supposed to push Bucky in the water. He wasn’t supposed to drag Steve into this. Natasha was guilty and angry.
“Can I have a towel and a pair of pants,” Bucky spoke quietly, he looked terrified and ashamed. Natasha’s heart clenched, this was their fault. Sam and Clint were frozen in their place, eyes wide as they stared at Bucky’s long silver fish tail.
“Um yeah,” Tony said, as his disappeared into the boat’s interior. He had sobered up really fast.
“Bucky,” Natasha whispered, he looked at her with an absolute look of betrayal.
“What?” Bucky snapped on the verge of tears. “Is this what you wanted?!” He yelled, she’d never seen him so angry.
“You had to know my secret so bad you put Steve in danger! He didn’t do anything! Why couldn’t you just let it be?” Bucky broke down into heart wrenching sobs.
“I didn’t want you guys to know. You can’t know, you’re not supposed to know,” he said out loud, almost like he was ranting to himself.
Sam and Clint shook their heads in disbelief, this is not the outcome they had wanted. Natasha looked at Bucky’s red rimmed eyes, the glow was now gone.
“I’m sorry,” Natasha said quietly.
Tony came back with a towel and a pair of sweat pants and dropped by Bucky’s feet. He kept his head down, he couldn’t look at Bucky.
“Did you know?” Bucky asked Tony.
Tony shook his head and buried his hand deep in his pockets, “no,” he said quietly.
“Then why the need to get me in the water so bad?” Bucky asked.
“I— uh I don’t know, I just needed to know.”
“I don’t believe you,” Bucky said looking Tony in the eye with anger, the waves under the boat began to suddenly pick up. Bucky had his teeth clenched with anger, “why did you do this? Everything was fine until you showed up!” Bucky exclaimed the boat was rocking dangerously and waves began crashing over the edge.
Tony looked scared, Natasha, Clint, and Sam backed away from Bucky slowly.
Bucky looked away from Tony and down at Steve. He began taking calm and measured breaths, the ocean returned to its normal calmness.
Bucky picked up the towels, he wrapped one around Steve, and used the other one to pat and dry his tail. The next moment he had legs, he was naked but he had legs. He pulled the sweatpants up over his naked body and he stood up. Steve still sat on the ground he was trembling, Bucky helped Steve up, who was unsteady on his feet and still disoriented from his fall into the ocean.
Bucky led Steve into the inside of the boat, they snuggled up on the couch. The boat began to move, Tony must’ve told the captain that they needed to return home.
Clint, Sam, and Natasha went back to the deck. They sat quietly at one of the tables. Natasha held her head in her hands, she felt like scum. She felt tears prickle at her eyes and soon they were falling down her face.
“What did we do?” Natasha asked barely audible.
“He’s a mermaid,” Sam stated dumbstruck.
Clint nodded eyes wide, “I don’t know what I expected, but it was certainly was not that.”
“Why did we let Tony talk us into this?” Natasha questioned.
“He’s never gonna forgive us,” Natasha added.
Sam and Clint looked at her glumly, “I think—“ Sam started and looked deep in thought, “ it’s gonna take time but I think he’ll find it in his heart to forgive us.”
Natasha looked at Sam and nodded slowly, “I hope you’re right,” she said quietly staring at the ocean.
—
The boat arrived at the marina a little after ten. Bucky held a towel to Steve’s forehead. He was bleeding badly, he was gonna need stitches.
Steve looked fatigued, he stared into the middle distance. He had almost stopped shaking.
Bucky cupped in his face, “baby are you okay?”
Steve shook his head, “I was really scared,” he admitted. “I thought I was gonna drown, you revealed your secret for me. Thank you.”
“I would let the whole world know my secret if you were ever in danger.”
Steve gave him a small smile, “that’s why I love you.”
“I’m driving you to the ER as soon as we get off this god forsaken boat,” Bucky warned him. Steve sighed.
“My mom’s gonna kill me,” he said.
“No she won’t, at least not tonight. She’s not gonna be mad at you Steve, I’ll make sure she understands what happened,” Bucky promised. Steve nodded and closed his eyes drowsily.
Bucky shook him awake, “Stevie you can’t fall asleep right now.”
Steve whined and buried his head into Bucky’s chest, “Steve, baby, you might have a concussion you need to wake up.”
Steve sat up reluctantly and gave Bucky a pitiful expression “fine,” he said quietly.
“I love you,” Bucky said.
—
The boat pulled into the marina a little after 11pm. The ramp to the boat deployed and Bucky and Steve made their way to the exit.
Sam, Clint, and Natasha watched them get off, faces glum. Tony sat alone on a chair in the corner, half empty bottle of vodka on the table next to him.
Steve leaned into Bucky’s side he was having a hard time standing up. He felt dizzy and a little nauseous. Bucky walked by and glared at Tony. Natasha looked like she’d been crying.
“Bucky,” she whispered as the pair walked past.
“Save it,” Bucky snapped, she took a step back. Her face fell, into a devastated frown.
Steve didn’t know how to feel. What they did to Bucky, taking away his secret like that, using Steve as a pawn, he was angry. Yet, Steve feels hypocritical because two weeks ago he would’ve done the same thing.
Bucky guided Steve to the passenger seat of his car, helping him buckle. Steve couldn’t think straight. His head was pounding and he felt like the world was spinning.
He closed his eyes hoping the nausea would pass. It didn’t. Bucky drove as fast as he could to the nearest hospital. The one Steve’s mom worked at.
“Pull over,” Steve said urgently as he felt the overwhelming urge to vomit.
“Ok,” Bucky said panicked, he pulled over on the side of the road. Steve opened the car door and vomited on the ground. Bucky put the car in park, and began rubbing Steve’s back.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bucky soothed. Steve panted as stomach acid and bile burned his nose and throat leaving a putrid taste in his mouth.
“Are you done?” Bucky asked kindly. Steve nodded, he felt a lot better. He sat up on his seat, Bucky handed him a water bottle that was in the cup holder. Steve excepted and took small sips trying to wash away the taste, but also not trying to get sick again.
Bucky started driving again, he looked over at Steve clearly empathic. “Do you feel better?” Bucky asked.
Steve nodded, “a little, my head is still killing me.”
“I think you have a concussion,” Bucky stated.
“Yeah probably,” Steve agreed.
Bucky groaned and kept his eyes on the road. The bright red lights of the emergency room shone in the distance. Steve breathed a sigh of relief, he really wanted his mom.
Bucky parked the car, and wrapped his arm around Steve’s waist. Making sure he was steady enough to walk to the building.
The automatic doors opened, the waiting room was relatively empty and a bored looking triage nurse spotted them from the her desk.
She rushed up to them with a wheel chair for Steve. Steve sat down, and let out a sigh of relief.
“I see you have a nasty cut there,” the nurse examined.
“Any symptoms of a concussion?” She asked kindly.
Steve nodded, “I threw up on the way here and I feel really dizzy.”
“Ok, I’m gonna take you back now. Do you need me to call your parents?” She asked nicely as she began to push the wheel chair.
“Am I allowed to come?” Bucky asked, timidly walking next to Steve.
“I’m really not supposed to, but since he’s alone I’ll make an exception.”
Bucky looked relieved, “thank you ,” he said.
The nurse gave him a smile, “who do I need to call?”
“Dr. Rogers is my mom, she works here.”
“Ok, I’ll see if she’s with any patients and tell her you’re here,” the nurse said. She led them into a bustling room full of nurses and doctors. She led Steve to a bed, and helped get on it. She drew the curtain separated Steve from the other patients. Bucky sat in a chair next to Steve’s bed.
“How did this happen?” The nurse asked, picking up a clipboard.
“I fell of a boat and hit my head on the way down.”
“Ok,” she said writing what Steve had said on her clipboard. “I’ll go get your mom now ok,” she said with a smile.
Steve nodded and leaned back into the bed.
—
Steve and Bucky waited in the hospital room for an hour before his mom was able to show up.
She came busting through the curtain, still in her scrubs and surgical cap.
“Steven Grant, what happened?” She asked seriously.
“I fell off the boat,” he didn’t want to say pushed and worry his mom even more.
She sat on the edge of his bed, and rested her hand on his leg. “Your cut doesn’t look too bad, the nurse told me you might have a concussion.
Steve nodded, “I got sick on the way here.”
Sarah Rogers was now officially in mom mode, “oh baby,” she said sympathetically. “Let me find a doctor, has anyone checked you out so far?” She asked.
Steve shook his head.
“Ok, I’ll be right back.”
—
Sarah came back with a doctor about 10 minutes later. He looked to be in his late 20s probably a resident.
“This is Dr. Willis, I trained him myself so I trust him with you,” she introduced. Steve gave the man an awkward smile.
“Bucky why don’t you and I go get some coffee,” she said with a edge to her voice. She was gonna ask what happened.
Bucky stood up stiffly he looked nervous. He walked timidly out into the hall with Sarah.
—
Bucky’s heart pounded fast oh in his chest. Sarah Rogers was a terrifying woman. They walked silently to the waiting room where Sarah poured herself a cup of coffee.
“So, Bucky what happened?” She said voice stern, he felt like he was being interrogated.
His palm were sweating, he was fidgety. He couldn’t lie anymore he was so tired.
“It was my fault,” he said roughly looking at the ground.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“They wanted me to get in the water to save Steve,” Bucky clarified. “So, the new kid Tony pushed Steve in.”
Sarah clenched her teeth, “Why did they want you in the water Bucky?”
“Because I’m a merman,” he said.
Sarah didn’t find it funny, “do you really expect me to believe that?” She asked rhetorically.
Bucky shook his head, “I can prove it.”
“This should be good,” Sarah laughed.
Bucky closed his eyes, and focused his energy on Sarah’s cup of coffee. He telepathically lifted the liquid out of its cup, it floated in the air for several seconds in an orb of steaming coffee. It dropped back with a splash into Sarah’s cup.
Bucky looked up, Sarah was pale. “Well I believe you now I guess,” she whispered. “This is insane.”
“Last weekend I took Steve to Atlantis, our apothecary fixed his hearing,” Bucky added finding more proof.
“So mermaids are real?” She asked still flabbergasted.
“Yeah, my mom is one too.”
“Wow, ok. Um—“ she said. “I just need a minute,” she said, walking down the hall running her hand through her golden hair.