This Is Stella's Reality

September 2, 2014

"Okay, so, I'm going to therapy, you're going to hang around SHIELD, and then we're getting lunch with the team, yeah?" Bucky's eyebrows were raised, scrunching his forehead. He looked cute, concerned about the chronology of our day.

I nodded at him, "While you see your therapist, I'll see if I can find Maria. Maybe we could train together until you're done."

He still looked worried, "Doll, I can just drop you off with someone or come back for you so you don't need to."

I shrugged, "Ducky, I really don't mind." It would only be an hour that Bucky would be gone.

Bucky chuckled at the nickname and slung his arm around my shoulders, "Alright, let's get going then."

He looked charming today, black leather jacket with black jeans, a full beard across his jaw, and his hair was especially curly. His motorcycle helmet made him look so hot. It was shiny and black, and his voice was gravely through the microphone.

I slipped mine over my head as I swung my leg over his bike. I had gotten used to Bucky's speeding habit, trusting he wouldn't do something he wasn't capable of doing.

His hands gripped the bike, "Ready, angel?"

I nodded, and we zipped through the garage and out to the highway that led into the city. SHIELD had a satellite office that Bucky visited once a month for therapy. He said he hated it, but it helped him, so he still went. Not that he had a choice, one condition of his release was to go to those therapy appointments.

SHIELD had a nice training facility there, and I hadn't seen Maria Hill in a while. I hoped she would be there. She was funny, an interesting person. Always thinking, always steps ahead of everyone else. She'd make a good replacement for Fury one day.

Bucky's bike whirred down the roads of New York, squeezing between cars. My nails gripped his jacket tightly. The loose blouse I was wearing blew wildly in the wind, the sheer fabric billowing like clouds.

We pulled to a stop light, a bright red convertible pulling up next to us. There were two men in the car, looking over at us. I felt self-conscious with their staring, and I moved my head away from them, looking up at Bucky.

He was still looking at them. I couldn't see his face due to the helmet, but I imagined the anger that was likely showing in his eyes. He didn't like when men looked at me. He was protective. It made my heart swell.

The men whistled to get my attention back to them. "Hey, baby," the driver was grinning at me, "I'd like to see what else you can ride."

I heard Bucky chuckle darkly over the headset in the helmet. He leaned back against me, and his hand rubbed my thigh. The light turned green, and Bucky sped off, cutting in front of the convertible. They yelled loudly behind us, and Bucky laughed again.

He turned, bringing us to the SHIELD facility. It wasn't large and consisted of offices, labs, and a training facility. Bucky gave the gate attendant our information, and we rode through the parking lot.

We hopped off the bike, hanging our helmets off the handles. "I'll come find you when I'm done," Bucky's arm was around my shoulder, and I blushed at the PDA. I nodded, splitting up from him and walking to the training room as Bucky headed to the elevators.

It was a large room, weights, treadmills, punching bags, and a boxing ring in the middle. I approached a group of agents that were standing around the weights. They told me they hadn't seen Maria all week, so I shrugged, and strolled towards the boxing mat.

I could play target practice with myself, creating disks with my magic and throwing them in the air, shooting them down.

One of the agents followed me, "Hey, if you want, I could train with you." He was handsome, reddish-brown hair, hazel eyes, and a slim frame. I didn't want to train with him. Other than the boys on the team, I hated training with men.