the team doctor || bucky barnes

9.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴏɴɢ: ꜰᴇᴇʟ - ᴘᴏꜱᴛ ᴍᴀʟᴏɴᴇ

~

"VALERIE!"

She jolted at the loud calling of her name. She recognized it as Steve's voice, whom came quickly down the tunnel from the Quinjet. He was helping Bucky walk into the common area. Bucky looked annoyed that his friend was helping him but his facial expression was interrupted by a wince of pain.

"What happened?" Valerie asked.

"Barnes was stabbed," Natasha spoke with her brows furrowed. "We had to cut the mission short,"

"It's not even that bad," Bucky muttered.

Valerie led Steve and Bucky to her office where Steve helped him into the leather chair. Valerie nodded at him and he stood by for a moment.

"Steve, we could use you," Bruce called.

"You got him, Valerie?" Steve was halfway out the door at the request of his assistance.

"Yes,"

She quickly sanitized her hands and turned back toward him, noticing the blood pooling on his lower left abdomen. He held his metallic hand over it tightly, no doubt halting the bleeding.

"Um," She muttered.

"What?" He snapped in pain.

"I need you to take your shirt off,"

He attempted to take his hand off his wound to do so, hissing in pain when he moved too much. She winced at his apparent agony.

"Let me help--"

"I got it." He barked.

"No, you obviously don't," She spat back.

He sighed, relenting. She gingerly grasped the hem of his black tee, her fingertips not going unnoticed by the skin on his abdomen. She slowly lifted and his breath hitched in his throat. The pain from the wound mixed with the heat coming off his body created a potion of frustration within him.

Once she got his shirt over his head, she placed it on the floor beside her. She surveyed the wound quickly. It was a routine stab wound, nothing she couldn't stitch up with ease. Her eyes betrayed her by wandering over to what was next to the wound.

His tan skin was taut and defined. He had beads of sweat dripping down his pectoral muscles, which twitched as he shifted from the pain. His chest was met with his arms, which she had never seen fully exposed. His flesh arm was bulging with veins exposing his sheer strength. His metal arm, however, was an absolute work of art.

"Done staring?" He finally spoke up.

She cursed herself when she saw the ghost of a smirk dancing on his lips.

"I'm assessing the wound," She defended with the meekest voice.

He hummed amusedly. She furrowed her brows at him, not particularly happy with this new attitude she had unlocked from him.

Grabbing her stitch kit, she took a seat on her stool so she was face-level with the wound. She placed her hand on his stomach to hold him still and although her hands were cold, he burned from her touch.

He could hardly focus on the needle passing through his skin with the conflicting feelings arising in his core. He noticed her individual eyelashes that curtained the softest eyes he had ever seen. Her lips were slightly parted, revealing their true shape as she focused on his lower abdomen.

"How'd you get stabbed?" She asked.

"With a knife."

She scoffed while threading delicately. "Funny."

He debated telling her the truth. The reason he had gotten stabbed so easily was because he was dozing off in his hiding spot on their mission. Yet another night had gone by that he couldn't sleep. He knew revealing this would undoubtedly send her to Fury to demand repercussions.

"Does it hurt as much as it would hurt a regular person?"

"I feel things regularly." He deadpanned.

"Just wondering,"

She began to finish up his stitch, tying the thin string carefully.

"You know," She continued. "You don't have to be an asshole all the time,"

He was taken aback. "There aren't many things that don't annoy me,"

"I'm sure there are some things," She spoke, applying some cream to the wound and indicating she was finished.

"Sure," He muttered.

His eyes met hers for a fleeting moment before he tensed his jaw. She felt her cheeks heat up from his lack of explanation, leaving her mind to run wild.

"Your cardigans are not one of them." He followed.

She scowled.

"You're the only doctor I've ever met that doesn't wear a white coat."

"Did you ever consider there may be a reason for that?" She countered.

He thought for a moment. "Don't care enough."

He hopped off the chair and scooped his shirt off the ground. Without saying a word, he left her alone in her office.

"You're welcome." She mumbled.

<>

"I can't believe he said that," Valerie laughed.

She was sitting in Natasha's apartment on the white leather couch with a bowl of chips in her hands. She had been invited to hang out with her and Wanda, who apparently had updates on her attempt at flirting with Vision.

"I feel like if he tried to flirt back he would short-circuit," Nat agreed.

"He actually is very playful, he can just be awkward at times." Wanda waved off. "Enough about me, I want to hear about you guys."

"Dry as the Sahara over here," Nat popped an M&M into her mouth.

"Valerie?" Wanda asked.

Valerie felt both pairs of eyes on her. "Oh, I don't have time for men right now. Between all the research I do and you guys, I'm booked up. Not to mention the new project with Bucky,"

"Yeah, Tony told me about that. Good luck," Nat spoke.

"It's a struggle to get him to even look at me," Valerie sighed. "I have no idea what I did to make him hate the ground I walk on,"

Natasha and Wanda exchanged glances.

"What?" Valerie fidgeted with her sleeve.

"Nothing," Wanda assured.

"We just have noticed," Natasha spoke slowly. "How he acts around you,"

"Whatever. He's a big baby,"

The women laughed together, agreeing on that notion. Their conversation diverted to other topics, such as if Captain America was a crier during sex. Typical girl talk.

As the time neared midnight, Valerie stood up.

"I need to go lock up my office for the night. I'll see you guys at the meeting tomorrow," She bid them goodnight.

She walked down the long hallway to her office. She yawned, feeling a bit tired from all the work she had done that day. She halted as soon as she reached her doorway, slightly startled by Bucky sitting in the leather chair.

"Where have you been? I'm ready to go to sleep."

~

awww bonky u little fucker