Open Wounds - A Bucky Barnes Soulmate AU

Chapter Six

"You what?" Fury's voice was a dangerous rumble. His hands were fisted on his hips as he scowled at you. Oh, he was pissed.

"You heard me, eyepatch. I quit. I'll swing by to collect my things later." You stared him down. He'd never intimidated you like he did others. You'd been raised by people that tortured you if you displeased them. Fury was mostly bark and no bite when it came to you.

Tony snorted a laugh at the nickname and quickly tried to cover it. Fury's gaze shifted from you to Tony and back again. "This isn't finished." He disappeared into the elevator.

Once the doors closed on him, you turned to Nat and Clint. "That's what you do when he gives you a shit order."

Silence stretched for a beat before Steve broke it. "Why do I get the feeling you three know each other?"

Clint and Natasha looked decidedly uncomfortable causing you to smirk. Good. They should be ill at ease. A good portion of this mess was their doing. You continued to stare them down even while you answered the captain. "I thought I knew them. Thought I knew where I stood. Guess I was wrong."

The red-headed assassin tilted her head as her gaze softened. "We wanted to tell you everything but we were ordered not to."

That was a piss poor excuse and she knew it.

"Your father wanted—" she continued and you cut her off.

"My father's dead. It doesn't matter what he wanted." You had enough of people telling you what your father would have wanted you to do or how he wanted you to act or what he would have wanted you to say since his death. You were tired of it frankly and seventy-five percent of the time the people saying it were full of shit anyway.

They weren't acquainted with his wicked sense of humor or his fierce pride in you and everything you did. No, they didn't know anything. Your gaze darted over to Bucky and ran over him. He was found and rehabilitated after New York. You wondered what your dad would have thought of him. If he would have encouraged you to give this a chance. He wanted nothing more for you than your happiness. You just weren't sure this man was where you would find it.

"Her father?" Tony asked, drawing your attention back to the others.

You cleared your throat. "Yeah. His name was Phil. Maybe you knew him?"

Clint came over to stand in front of you, blocking your view of the rest of the room. "You okay, Nik?" He kept his voice low and took one of your hands in his, rubbing his thumb along your knuckles.

And god, you didn't want to take the comfort, but anxiety crawled through you. You were an expert at hiding it behind sharp words and a don't-give-a-shit attitude but you still felt it. It still ate at your insides and made you uneasy in your own skin. Clint always seemed to know when you were reaching your limit.

You pulled your hand from his and pursed your lips. "I should leave. I have a locker to clear out apparently."

"No," Bucky called out as he took a step forward. You got the impression that both were involuntary.

You met his gaze again but said nothing. The truth was you were torn between staying so you could get to know the new him and getting the hell out of there.

"Yeah," Tony piped up. "You should stay. Spend some time getting to know Barnes here. We have plenty of room."

Your eyes darted around the room taking in the expressions of everyone, including the ones who had yet to say anything about the situation. Clint and Natasha wore careful expressions not wanting to give much away, but you read them just the same. They wanted you to stay for their own selfish reasons. Wanting to make amends.

Tony seemed sincere in his invitation. Sam Wilson leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he observed the room. Bruce shifted his weight from foot to foot looking uneasy. Something told you this was his normal state. Steve kept glancing between you and his best friend, worry clear in his expression. Finally, there was Bucky. Soldat. His expression was so earnest, so wanting.

"I'll stay. For the night anyway. We can talk about it again tomorrow," you finally said.

Tony clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Perfect."

"We'll put her on our floor, Stark," Clint said. You wanted to argue but he and Nat were familiar with your sleep issues. You wouldn't have to explain anything if you had one of your nightmares.

"I could use a drink and a bit of privacy, I need to make a phone call." Drinks with Wade was your post-mission ritual. If you didn't show, he'd freak the fuck out and cause who knew what kind of issues. He had impulse control problems.

***

Bruce was nominated to show you to your room. Bucky fisted his hand and released it as he watched Bruce lead you away. Bucky wanted to be the one walking with you. Now that he'd found you, he didn't want you out of his sight. But you seemed so uneasy with him, so standoffish. It made sense. You didn't know him after all, but it still pained him in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on. He was so comfortable with you. It was as if he'd already known you for years.

"You doing okay, Buck?" Steve asked. "This was a lot."

Bucky nodded in answer still reluctant to tear his gaze from where you'd disappeared from his view.

"Okay, who knew Coulson had a kid? Anyone?" Tony asked as he poured himself a drink.

Nat and Clint raised their hands.

Tony arched a brow. "Yes, thank you, but you two aren't allowed to have any input for awhile."

"You can't be serious, Stark," Natasha said.

"He is. And I agree completely," Steve said, surprising Bucky. Normally, Steve was the peacemaker.

"We were under strict orders and we owed Coulson," Nat argued.

"That's not holding much weight with anyone right now," Sam finally piped up. "Particularly her."

"Where do your loyalties lay, Romanoff? This team or SHIELD?" Tony asked.

"Now hold on a minute. That's not fair and you know it," Barton replied.

Soon, everyone in the room was bickering while Bucky stood to the side silent as he thought of his soulmate. "What can you tell me about her?" His voice was loud enough to be heard over the din and everyone immediately fell silent.

Clint and Natasha shared a look that ended with the assassin shrugging. Clint looked at Bucky. "We'll tell you what we can. Some things you'll have to hear from her."

Bucky gave a cockeyed smile and shook his head. "I don't care about the big stuff. I'll learn that soon enough. I want to know the little things. What's her favorite color? What kind of food does she like? Does she dance?"

Steve, Bucky and Sam followed the two friends over to sit on the couches and chairs while Tony and Bruce retreated to their lab. Bucky leaned forward in his seat, eager to hear whatever Clint and Natasha had to say.

"Her favorite color changes frequently," Nat spoke first, a soft smile on her face. "She likes all kinds of food though she has a particular fondness for tacos."

"She loves chocolate milk," Clint added. "And she loves to dance but only with her family. She can be closed off but she's worth every second you spend getting her to open up."

"It sounds like you're close," Steve said.

Clint nodded. "We are. She's our little sister. Keep that in mind, Barnes."

Natasha licked her lips. "She had a rough start. That shapes her responses to things. If you want this to work, you're going to have to be patient and persistent. I have a feeling she'll resist you at every turn. Just know she has her reasons."

Bucky couldn't help but wonder what those reasons were. Couldn't help but wonder what she'd been subjected to before she came to him. He wished he'd been there to protect her from it all.