Choices - Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers AND OC

Sharing is Caring

I don't know when I fell asleep, or maybe passed out but when I woke up all I could hear was a steady beating noise and my stomach was rumbling like hell.

"Oh hell," I wrapped a hand around my stomach, ignoring the iv lines and oxygen meter attached to my hand as it pulled tight against the railing of the hospital bed.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," Natasha leaned up against the railing, on the left of me. Her beautiful red hair falling in her face. Her eyes were sleepy and face drawn.

"How long have I been asleep?" I ask, noticing how hoarse I sound. Weird, my throat doesn't hurt- it's just dry.

"Asleep," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Honey, you were in a medically induced coma for a week."

"Oh," I glance up at the white tiled ceiling and shrug. "Explains why I'm so hungry."

"Only you would be so nonchalant about a coma," she rolls her eyes and stands up, hands gripping the railing.

"Bad huh?" I question, looking on the side of the railing near my head.

Where's the fucking button to sit me up?

"Severe internal bleeding in your abdomen, broken ribs, fractured ankle, fractures in your spine and head injury," she explained, crossing her arms like a scolding mother. I snort at the action as my hand finally finds the right button on the rail and I sit up in the bed until the pressure is too much and pain ebbs through my body.

"I figured the fractured ankle, and the ribs but when did I hit my head?" I glanced up at her and frowned, I don't remember hitting my head. Does that mean I'm brain damaged? Memory loss, maybe that's why I don't remember.

Fuck me.

"I assume you hit your head on the cement when Bucky caught you," Natasha deduced as she glanced up at the doorway, something catching her attention. "Bucky and Steve are back."

"Have they been here?" I ask softly, secretly hoping they had practically lived at my side.

"It took me a week to convince them to shower," her tone was dull, shaking her head again. "They're gonna give me hell for it too. Of course you wake up while they leave."

"I'm so sorry I regained consciousness," I grunt as I strain to pull myself back up and in a comfortable position, she sees and immediately comes to my aid.

"Romani!" Steve saw me first, his eyes widened and he bound to the right side of the bed. He glanced between me and Natasha before sitting a cup of coffee on the small side table, he began to help lift me while Bucky walked to the end of the bed, his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrow.

Great. He's mad I almost died. Well, me too buddy.

"She just woke up," Natasha told them, turning to look at them both before stepping back as I shifted again, finally comfortable.

"Are you hungry?" Steve immediately asked, I leaned my head back against the pillow and smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm starving," I tell him as Natasha holds out a hand to stop him from running off.

"Ask the nurse first," Natasha ordered, he nodded and looked at me with happiness shining in his eyes before walking out of the room.

"Hey doll," Bucky finally spoke, walking over to take Steve's spot on my right side. He lowered his flesh hand to run it gently across my forehead and down my cheek, where he cupped it gently and leaned in to kiss my lips. "Thought I lost you."

"Can't get rid of me that easy," I tease as I pull him back into another kiss, a simple and loving one. He leans his forehead against mine and exhales a heavy breath, the smell of coffee hits me. "Oh, can I have some coffee? Your breath smells heavenly."

He chuckles as he glances up at Natasha, who nods with a small smile and files out of the room to go tell Steve.

"Are you hurting any?" he asks after a few silent moments of his hands caressing me gently. He pulls up a large metal table, one that isn't supposed to move- it squeals as it scrapes across the floor, making my eye twitch. He sits down confidently and leans his arms across my railing, grabbing my hand in both of his.

"No, they must have me on some good shit," I frown as I pull his hands to my lips, giving them both small pecks. "I like that massive beard you grew in a week."

He smiled shyly at that, his head dropping as the smile stayed. He glanced back up and his smile slowly fell. "I have a problem, Ro."

"Tell me about it," I chuckle, he smiles again and shakes his head.

Humor is my go to, so sue me.

"I'm serious," his face turned stoic as he cast his gaze down again. "When you- I really thought I was losing you," he paused to look up at me, his eyes holding unshed tears. It ripped at my heart. "And I realized, I love you. I've never loved someone before, Romani- I didn't think I was capable of it- but I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing your goofy smile again."

Breath left me, I immediately stiffened at his words.

He loves me?

Metal arm- heart of gold- brooding, terrorized and beautiful Bucky Barnes loves me?

"Buck," I whisper, my throat suddenly feeling drier than ever before.

"You don't have to say it back, Ro-" he shakes his head, squeezing my hands gently as his gaze drops again. "I know this wasn't supposed to happen, I didn't know it was happening and-"

"I love you too, Bucky," I tell him before he can go ahead and dig a hole or place his foot in his mouth, which he's likely to do. His head jerked up so fast I flinched at the action, a normal person would have pulled a muscle with that.

"You love me too?" he asked softly, his voice so low it was near a whisper.

"I love you, it's hard not too," I grin a little, relieved with the peace that settles in my mind. My lips form a frown after a moment. "It's hard not to love you both, Buck. I didn't mean for it to happen either."

He takes a moment to process, his gaze leading far off as he's stuck in his head. Finally, his eyes lock on mine. "Sharing is caring, right?" he repeats the same thing I said to him my first day at the compound, a smile rises to my face and a laugh bubbles out. He returns the smile, heartily chuckling at my response.

"You two are so weird, sharing a woman. I will admit, I'm grateful for it," I lean forward, trying to shift the pillow that has gone flat and grunt as a surge of pain. Immediately Bucky is up, fluffing the pillows behind me. He's pulling my hospital gown closed so it doesn't wrinkle under me when Steve walks back in, without Natasha.

"Hey sweetheart, Nat had to go back to the compound- small mission," he has a styrofoam to go box and a large cup of steamy goodness in his hands.

"Oh, your a dream," I compliment as I reach for the togo box, letting Bucky get the coffee and sit it down beside him on the metal table. Steve glances down at it in confusion, but thinks better than to ask.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asks as he takes the seat opposite Bucky, in the chair that Natasha had been in when I woke up.

"A little pain but it's not bad," I fumble with the latch on the box before ripping it open. Inside is a toasted turkey sandwich, a few chips and a piece of apple pie. I glance up at Steve and tilt my head. "Am I on a diet now?"