Len listened to the screams and tried to tell himself it didn't matter. This was nothing compared to the things James would survive in the future, and survival was what mattered. He would survive to be Len's lover, to be a good and strong man who accepted Len for who he was despite their differences and various failings.

He still tasted blood in his mouth, though, and his body pulsed with impotent rage as he listened.

Then Bucky was back, and he was bleeding. Len pushed up and reached for him, despite the chains on his wrists. "Where are you hurt?" he demanded.