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ɴᴇᴡ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢꜱ

STEVE

Y/N had woken up a day after the flight home. She'd been in her room for a couple of days and no one apart from Tony had seen her. But from what me and the rest of the team had heard, she was up and about now.

Y/N

I took the elevator down from my room alone. Tony had to go and work in his office, the team were scattered throughout the building, keeping distance. I knew it would take some time before things were the same again.

I sighed, as the elevator slowed.

I just had to be patient.

When the doors opened I walked out, my leg felt fine now, and it felt nice to walk around without my crutches.

Tony told me what had happened. The whole thing. Because he was dead, the mark had disappeared, and in the time i was in my room recovering, Bucky, Loki, Thor, Steve, Nat and Clint had gone to hide the ring.

I didn't ask where they hid it, I knew Tony would tell me but I didn't really even want to know where it was. It was better that way, to be clueless, because then what I don't know can't hurt me.

I quickly stepped back in the elevator, with one thing to do.

"Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y, where is Bucky?" I asked, and as she responded I headed off to the Gym. The first of my demons I would conquer today.

Some time after I found a sweaty Bucky punching a punching bag. I didn't really know if he would hear me if I knocked, as my knuckle hovered over the door to the side of me.

But I didn't have to do anything more, because he turned to me, hair all falling round his face, wearing a tank top and sweatpants, breathing heavy and ragged.

"I don't want to disturb you, I can come back later." I said as I turned towards the door.

"It's fine." He said and I stopped and sighed a little inside, the corners of my mouth tugged up in an awkward smile.

I moved over to a chair in the corner of the room, and plonked myself down on it, Bucky unwrapping his bandaged hands, to reveal bruised knuckles. I looked away, and down at the floor, before he could catch me looking. I didn't need to remind myself how he got those bruises or who, pretty much, gave them to him.

Even if they were small, nothing that would bother him. Every cut, every bruise, every little injury I was responsible for.

"I uh- I just." I cleared my throat. "Thank you." I didn't even know what to say, and I just felt awkward when he didn't speak. So I tried again, taking a shallow breath in the quiet of the room, starting again.

"This whole thing happened, people got hurt, because I jumped off the roof. I took the easy way out I uh- I didn't try. And I'm not really sure what to say I just-." I cut off. Hoping he would speak, something would fill this silence.

"Buck. Tony- he um.. he told me." I tapped my fingers together.

"Thank you.............................Thank you." I hoped I'd said enough, there was so much going on in my head I couldn't get it out and into words. It was all too much to process. I practically owed my life to Bucky. I just couldn't comprehend everything in my head at the moment.

"Y/N." Bucky's voice was hoarse, and he sounded tired. That just made my heart sink and i dropped my head, the tears involuntarily welling up in my eyes. I just stared at the floor.
Bucky crouched down to my level, and I knew he could see the tears falling. I didn't want to be weak, I didn't want to be crying.