Saving Bucky (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 8 - Promises Made

Each step away from Casey Teivel's cell eases the ache bubbling beneath your brow. Shaken, you abandon your trek for the elevators and decide to take the stairs to work out some of your agitated energy. Each flight you put between you and that blonde bastard makes breathing that much easier. 

As you reach the isolation floor, you throw open the door and are startled to find Agent King waiting leisurely on the other side.

"There you are," he grins.

"Are you stalking me?" you grumble, crossing your arms.

"I heard your heels coming down those stairs from two corridors away," he says.

You scowl and cross your arms, shooting King an icy stare.

"What's wrong with you today?" he asks, mimicking your posture and crossing his arms as he arches a single, inquisitive brow.

"Nothing," you spit back. "Focus. I'm here. Let's go."

"About time. I was starting to think you were letting me have all the fun," he teases.

"And?" you ask plainly, ignoring his jest. "Did you have fun yet today?"

"Today," he nods. "And yesterday. And the day before that," Agent King nods. "We just went a few rounds, actually," he says, pulling the electric baton from his belt and flipping it once in his hand, smirking. "The man can really take a beating."

"Good," you answer. "Is he conscious?"

"Not when I left," says Agent King. "But central control told me he woke up about five minutes ago. He's still recovering."

"Perfect," you answer, pushing past the massive man in front of you and heading for the observation room where you had left your duffel earlier in the day. You feel Agent King following closely behind, but he remains silent as you reach observation and begin making your usual adjustments.

You keep one eye on Agent King as he leans against the wall. You can feel him studying you as you kick off your heels and wipe off your makeup, replacing it with softer hues. As you pull the pin in your hair and let it fall completely, you hear him clear his throat.

"What?" you spit, stepping into your flats.

"Something's wrong with you," Agent King answers.

"Try again," you shoot back, clearly irritated as you run a hand through your hair twice before pulling half of it back up.

"You're off," he says, pushing from the wall and walking up to your side, picking up your discarded heels and gently storing them in your duffel as you shove your makeup palettes roughly back in their case. "Are you sure you want to deal with Barnes right now? Maybe you should take a couple hours."

You whirl around and glare at Agent King. But he doesn't flinch at your hostility. Rather, he keeps calm as he holds up your duffel, holding it open for you to throw your makeup case inside.

You want to be angry at him. You want to say something hurtful. But the genuine concern on his face stills your lips. In a rare occurrence you find yourself at a loss for words. So instead you toss your makeup case inside and grab your duffel from his hands, zipping it up and slamming it down on the counter as you take a deep breath, determined to re-center. Your encounter with Casey Teivel has unsettled you deeply, and knocked something lose in your head that rattles around painfully.

"Is it another headache?" Agent King asks from behind you.

Your shoulders collapse slightly as you let out a small, defeated exhale. Suddenly there's a large, warm hand on your back. You cringe beneath the unexpected touch, but don't pull away. As strange as it sounds, you find a rare sense of comfort in the simple, reassuring gesture.