The Grey - Steve Rogers + Bucky Barnes X OC Love Story

Chapter 35

Once the door was shut, Steve moved his attention to Victoria. He placed a small kiss on her forehead since her eyes were still closed.

Victoria slowly opened her eyes, staring up at Steve. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

Steve quietly shushed her, kissing her forehead again before laying his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He promised.

Victoria sighed quietly, closing her eyes as well to relax into Steve's touch. "I do. I don't even know why I was so upset." She said on almost a whisper.

Steve held onto her face, his hand caressing her cheek. His thumb lightly stroked her soft skin. "No. I know exactly what you were thinking. You were picturing yourself as your dad, but you're not him, Vic. You're doing the right thing." Steve promised.

Victoria leaned into Steve's touch, letting out a small sigh in relief. "That's not the only thing, though. I feel guilty that I'm upset." She admitted.

"Why? You don't need to feel bad about your feelings. They're valid." Steve promised.

"I feel guilty that I'm upset. I shouldn't be feeling upset about my divorce when I want you." Victoria said nervously. She hadn't admitted to him yet that she wished they could try again, only to Bucky. She was too nervous about him rejecting her. She told herself that as long as he didn't know that she wanted him back, she could pretend he felt the same way. But if she actually admitted it to him, and he turned her down, that was it.

Steve picked his head up from hers, his hand still holding onto her face as he brought their lips together for a brief moment. He wanted to give her time to process how she was feeling. He fully understood her anxiety about being officially divorced. "You shouldn't. You're allowed to process this however you want, and I won't get in your way. You just have to tell me what you need from me, whether it be space or comfort. Then, when you're ready, I would love to try this again." Steve reassured her.

Victoria opened her eyes, seeing Steve staring down at her. She let out a sigh in relief before smiling up at him. "Really?" She asked.

"Vic, I didn't want us to be done the first time. But I know I screwed that up, and I'm sorry. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have had to go through any of this." Steve said with a sigh, laying his head back on the back of her couch.

Victoria reached up, grabbing onto his face, urging him to look at her again. When he did, she gave him a heartbreaking stare. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. If I had-"

"Sarah wasn't your fault. I will tell you that every day until we die, if I have to." Steve cut her off with.

Victoria sighed lightly, laying her head back down onto his chest. "You want to be together again?" She asked shyly.

Steve leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "When you're ready, yes." He promised. "For now, I'll be here in any way you need. If you want me to comfort you, I will. If you want me to give you space to process this alone, I will." He reassured her.

Victoria closed her eyes, relaxing into Steve's touch. She felt herself melt in his arms, his warmth bringing her so much comfort. His cologne and his minty breath calming her racing mind. His muscular arms holding her firmly against himself, but also grounding her in the moment. "I want you." She finally said.

"Then I'm here." Steve promised. He held onto her for hours, eventually feeling her drift back off to sleep. But he didn't mind, in fact he loved it. His mind felt at peace that he was able to confess his feelings to Victoria, even happier that she felt the same way.

Steve scooted down onto the chase of the couch, laying the both of them down and keeping Victoria's head on his chest. He reached behind himself, grabbing a throw blanket she had folded up on the back of the couch and carefully covered the two of them up. After that, sleep found him easily. He knew Victoria would wake up in the middle of the night with a splitting headache and probably starving. He wanted to be there when she did. He wanted to be there for her always.

Bucky peeked his head into Victoria's apartment a few hours after he'd left Steve in there. He silently laughed when he saw the two curled up against each other, both sound asleep. Both unphased by the setting sun shining in through the windows. But Bucky snuck in anyway, quietly closing the curtains so the sun wouldn't bother them before sneaking back out.

Bucky was glad the two seemed to finally come to their senses when it came to each other. He'd been on both of them to get back together for a while. Both of them seemed oblivious that the other was still crazy about them. He did, however, wonder what that meant for the night the three spent together. He wondered if that meant it was a one-time thing, just getting Victoria out of a bad mood. Or if it was more, if she somehow had even a sliver of feelings for him in some way. But he wasn't sure he was ever going to get answers for that one. He wasn't even sure if he'd want answers to that if the answer would disappoint him. Steve and Victoria were perfect together, and he knew he couldn't provide Victoria with the life she dreamed of. He was an ex assassin. He was a monster. But Steve could give her everything.

Bucky headed back to the gym to work off some of the thoughts in his head. But, of course, he was met with Nat when he got down there.

"Whats got you so frustrated, Barnes?" Nat asked when she saw him. She was sitting on the edge of the ring, spinning the blade of a knife between her fingers.

Bucky rolled his eyes at her, walking right past her as he headed towards the punching bags. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to." He said with a huff.

Nat jumped off her seat on the side of the ring, standing behind the punching bag that Bucky began to hit. "You like her." She said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She noticed how he looked out for her, how he watched her, studied her. She watched how it bothered him a little more than the rest of the team, aside from Steve, when she was taken. She noticed how terrified he was when he noticed something was bothering her that day in the gym, the day before Sarah's birthday. She knew that Bucky liked her, maybe more than just liked her, but that he'd never get in the way of Steve's happiness.

"I'm not what she needs." Bucky countered with.

"Tori is complicated. Maybe she needs you both." Nat said with a shrug of her shoulders, as if that was the simplest answer.

Bucky rolled his eyes at her, grabbing the punching bag and stilling it from swinging along the chain. "What? You think we're just going to pass her around like like a joint at a high school party? Vic is more than that. Vic is.. complicated, you were right." He said with a sigh.

Nag shrugged again, walking away from Bucky. "But she's smart. She knows what she wants. You just have to man up and ask." She said as she exited the gym, leaving Bucky alone with his thoughts.

Bucky let out a rough sigh, punching the bag so hard that it broke off the chain, flying across the gym roughly before crashing into the wall. He ran his hand down his face, another frustrated sigh coming out as he walked to pick up the bag.

Bucky wasn't sure what he wanted out of Victoria, he just knew the vibe he got from fucking her that night was unmatched, and he loved being around her. He didn't want their night together to be a one-time thing. And the days he took care of her with Steve were somehow just as nice. Even though she was exhausted and cramping, nauseous, and sore, it was nice. He liked having her laying on top of him, her face buried in his neck, her cold hands clutching onto him as he massaged her lower back in an attempt to alleviate her cramps. He liked how comfortable he was having her lay against him, in his arms, on his chest. He slept amazingly every day he was with Victoria.