Broken

Nine (continued)

I wake up to the sun coming up through my windows. Life feels good. I don't have someone breathing down my neck every second of the day, Buck and I are talking here and there. I've been helping Stark in the lab with all of his new gadgets and whatnot. I was up and had gotten ready for the day until I hear a knock on my door.  "I told you I'd go downstairs no later than noon." I shout through the door while I'm opening it. Stark wasn't on the other side though, it was Steve.
"What do you want?" I ask him. He had no kind of expression. Hard to read..Until he walks in with no invitation. "Yea..please come in." I say sarcastically. "I can't find him." He says sitting in my lounging area. "Maybe he doesn't want to be found." I say completely over the conversation already. I close my door and walk into my small kitchen area. "I don't understand how you can just sit in this penthouse knowing he's out there. Hell you broke up with me after you first laid eyes on him." He says turning in his seat to look at me. "Oh, now we were together? I'm sorry but it's been really hard to decipher your intentions for me." I say trying to stay off Bucky talk. Steve was quiet and turned back around. "How'd you know I was here anyways?" I pour me a glass of water.
"Stark was worried since you haven't left your room in weeks."
"You're lucky I don't talk shit about my exes. He wouldn't have let you step one foot through the door of this building." I say moving to sit across from him. "I think you and I both know that he couldn't stop me if he tried." He says under his breath. "Why are you here?" I ask again.
"Why are you?" He asks back. "The apartments gone. I'm no longer an agent for SHIELD..So might as well learn under one of the few I can count on." He looks up at me for a moment. "You can't count on me? If it weren't for me you would've gone down with that carrier."
"I'm sorry, I must've missed the part where you physically got me out of there, because last time I checked I did that with my powers."
"You would've worked yourself to death getting Bucky out of there."
"I'm not stupid, Rogers."
"I know you're not.." he pauses for a moment.
"Rogers," I start making him look up. "I'm fine. I leave my room to help in the lab and that's it. I just went through the same thing you did, so excuse me if I'm not eager to get out of here. You can't find Buck.. it's probably cause he doesn't want to be found. He is probably losing his mind trying to remember who he was."
"We could help him."
"No. We can't. He's doing it on his own. You know him." Steve stands up and walks to my door but stops with his hand on the knob. "If you know anything and you didn't tell me," he turns to me. "I'll kill you. Bucks' ex fiancé or not." He leaves and I throw my cup at the now closed door. Water and broken glass falling to the floor.

+++

I run numbers on the energy sustainability project I micro launched with Stark as he tinkers with his suit. "I heard something break around the time Capsicle left." Stark points out without looking up. "He gives me hell." I reply shortly keeping my head down. "So did the two of you break up-?"
"Nothing to break up from." I interrupt. "Well I never knew Mr. America could be so stupid." I stop and look at him to notice him looking at me not working. "I mean last thing I remember was him wanting to know where you were at every moment possible. Becoming protective over you."
"Over protective, maybe." I say under my breath. "He cares."
"I thought you were all for Rogers slander." I say looking back down at my work. "Well, obviously.. but you never were. As much as you hid it, Rodgers was your right man hand rather than you were his."
"Don't let him hear you said that, I'm sure it'd give him a heart attack."
I notice Tony had gotten up as he sits across from me. "Seriously though, are you okay?" He asks me. I pause for a moment, as much as I'd love to tell someone everything I'm going through, get it off my chest, it seems better for everyone if I just kept my mouth shut. "Never better."