A New Start

Chapter 14

You made your way up to the compound and once inside, you hobbled to the elevator so you could go immediately upstairs, run a warm bath, and rest your foot in your bed. When the elevator doors opened, you ran into a very familiar strong chest.

"Oof" 

You collided with Bucky.

Great.

"Hey" Bucky said looking at you concerned. 

"Where have you been, I have been looking for you" his face was worried. 

"Oh, I had a few things to do in the comm room earlier this morning for Nat, then I headed out to the trails for a hike." 

Since you bumped into each other, he was somewhat close to you still. He took a step back and noticed a few leaves stuck in your hair, a smudge of dirt on your face, and that you were leaning awkwardly to one side not putting any weight on your right foot.

"What happened?" 

"Oh, it was a nice hike, you should have been there. Birds chirping, squirrels frolicking, wind blowing in the breeze" you said sarcastically while waving an arm in the air.

He didn't smile because he was busy making his own assessment of you. 

"You hurt your foot?" 

He bent down to get a closer look. 

He took hold of your foot and started to take off the shoe and your sock. 

He was gentle with it, examining the top and bottom thoroughly while squeezing on a few places. When he did this, you let in a small gasp as he gently squeezed on the injured part of it.

"Just a sprain, nothing more" you chuckled, trying to play it off. 

"Nothing that a bath and some rest won't fix" you said trying to lighten the mood. 

"Why didn't you call me?" He asked now taking a hold of your hand looking into your eyes. 

"I forgot my phone in my room." you looked down at the floor. 

"Hmm. Well, let me take you to your room then and get you settled" he held your hand. 

"You need to rest this if you want it to heal properly".

"Ok." 

The elevator doors opened and before you could even make a move, he scooped you up with ease and carried you in. 

"This isn't necessary you know, I made it from the lake to here on my own without any assistance" you said while he held you in the elevator. 

Bucky didn't say anything but looked down at you and rolled his eyes. Once on the floor, you got to your room. You opened the door and he walked you in, placing you ever so delicately on your bed then he just stood there staring at you.

"Thanks" 

You were feeling a little embarrassed and awkward from the night before, and the fact that you were now injured lying down in front of him kind of makes things seem worse. 

He just stood there watching you.

"Can I help you with anything else Bucky?" giving him an unsure look. 

"No, I guess not" he proceeded to head out the door. 

"I am going to head into the bath to relax then back into my bed for the rest of the day" you told him while he was in the doorway. 

"Here, let me at least draw you a bath. I can do that while you get ready for it, so you don't have to move around too much" he walked into your bathroom. 

"Ok"

You weren't going to argue with that you thought to yourself.

You heard the water run and could smell your coconut bubble bath aroma starting to fill the room. He came out and helped you stand up. 

"Thanks" 

He looked into your eyes and smiled at you then left to the bathroom to assess the tub. You started peeling off your sweatshirt and your socks while you stood there balancing.

Bucky turned off the water and came back into the bedroom. He obviously saw you struggling with your balance as in one swift motion, he had caught you and held onto you while you were trying to pick out some leaves that were still stuck in your thick hair. 

"Careful" he said while picking a leaf out from behind your ear. 

"Thanks"

"I am going to leave you to your bath but if you need me for anything, I will be right across the hall in my room"

"Will do Buck"

He smiled and left the room. You managed to peel your leggings off and dumped your t-shirt on the bed while you hobbled into the bathroom. 

The water temperature was just right as you got into the tub and proceeded to relax.

After about 40 minutes of bathtub bliss, you pulled the plug to let the water drain. You didn't feel like getting out of the bath but felt you should because you wanted to elevate your ankle and rest it on a pillow. 

You managed to get out of the tub, into your sleep pants and grab a blue hoodie. You hobbled your way to your bed and laid down with a pillow elevating your ankle. 

Bucky must have heard you fumbling around as he knocked on your door before entering.

"You decent Livy?" he asked while entering. 

"Yes, I seem to be" you pulled a blanket on you. 

"Can I get you anything?" Bucky asked looking into the room. 

"Actually, my laptop is on my bookcase so I wouldn't mind that. That way, I can watch some movies on here and keep myself entertained"

"Sure thing." Bucky searched for your laptop. 

"Oh, and there are ice packs in the freezer downstairs. I should get one of those and wrap my ankle. Also, I am kind of thirsty so perhaps a water too? If it's not too much trouble" you hoped he wouldn't mind the extra items, you asked for.

He grabbed the laptop and handed it to you. 

"I will run down to the kitchen and see about that ice pack and water" he walked out of the room. 

Ten minutes later, he came back with the ice pack, water, and some cookies. You didn't ask for the cookies, but he told you he wanted a snack and cookies always make him feel better, so he brought you some to have as well. You smiled at him.

He stood there awkwardly looking around while you were setting up your nest of the remainder of the day. 

"Want to join me? I am afraid I won't be much fun for the rest of the day since I am injured and all" you opened up the laptop screen. 

"OK." 

He laid down next to you. 

You surfed around on your laptop looking for something to watch. You settled on a Disney movie since those always made you feel better when you were sick or recovering from a mission. He didn't seem to mind it was a cartoon and watched the movie intently.

About halfway through the movie, you must have drifted off as you woke up and found the laptop lid was shut and put to the side, and a very heavy arm was wrapped securely around your waist. 

Apparently, Disney movies make someone else sleepy you thought to yourself as you turned over to see. Bucky's eyes were closed, his breath was shallow and calm. He looked so relaxed and peaceful – it would be ashamed if someone would disturb him, you thought slyly to yourself. 

You noticed it was around supper time, so he had to get up eventually and eat right?