the team doctor || bucky barnes (EDITING IN PROGRESS)

13.

Edited 8/27/25

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴏɴɢ: ᴅɪɴɴᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ - ᴋᴀᴄᴇʏ ᴍᴜꜱɢʀᴀᴠᴇꜱ

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬,"

~

"TALK TO ME ABOUT SOMETHING."

Valerie's head snapped up from her research notes. Bucky had been laying in the leather chair for a couple of minutes now, hooked up to the receptors just like every night since he had returned from the mission.

"What?" She dumbly replied.

"Can't sleep."

"Um, what do you want me to talk about?"

He groaned. "Anything. Don't make me regret asking,"

She frowned. What the hell was she supposed to talk about? The weather? Politics?

"Just don't talk about your cardigans."

Valerie's lips turned into a smirk. "I received my first lab coat when I graduated with my M.D.," She began. "It was stiff and smelled like rubbing alcohol. I tried it on over my usual clothes and I started sweating within minutes."

He chuckled, eyes still shut.

"I started seeing patients at my old practice and I noticed every time they would walk in, their faces would twist. They didn't bother hiding their disappointed expressions. I was 'too young' to give them adequate care. Or, people my age felt intimidated by the white coat. It separated us. They saw me as someone above them,"

She was doodling in the corners of her research notes as she spoke. "So, I stopped wearing them. I just wore what I wanted to work. It didn't help people to take me more seriously, but being a woman, that probably wasn't going to happen anyways. But, it did make people feel more comfortable around me."

She glanced over at him, assuming he had fallen asleep as his chest rose and fell.

"And that's why I only wear cardigans."

Bucky's lips tugged at the faintest trace of a smile, one he would never admit aloud. He found himself quietly captivated by her voice—small, steady, a calming cadence that stood in stark contrast to the harsh tones he'd grown accustomed to.

He also kept another secret to himself: no matter the noise, no matter the chaos around him, he could fall asleep in minutes. Anywhere. Anytime.

<>

As the nights stretched on, Valerie pieced together more of Bucky's nightmares, mapping their patterns and nuances. Gradually, she noticed they were becoming less frequent. Every observation, every subtle shift, she meticulously reported to Fury, who seemed satisfied with her findings.

Not all details made it into her reports, of course.

She left out how, after ten nights, he finally began using the blankets she had so carefully laid out. How, since the night she explained why she never wore lab coats, he had quietly asked her to talk about anything but missions.

So she did. Valerie shared the small, mundane things—debates about cats versus dogs, the movies that shaped her childhood. In those fleeting moments, Bucky wasn't the Winter Soldier. He was just... Bucky.

"Cats don't like me," He said one night.

"I bet they do, you probably just scare them off."

"No, I don't."

"Sure. You walk around with a big frown on your face and expect the cats to want you to pet them." She chuckled, typing up a report on her computer.

"How would you suggest approaching them, then?"

"A smile would be a good place to start."

He frowned. He smiled, right? At least once a week, for sure. Was that a normal amount for a person?

"I'll try it out next time I encounter one."

"You'd have to leave the tower for that," She pointed.

He smirked. "Do you track how often I leave, Doc?"

"What? No. Everyone knows you barely leave." She tried to sound convincing.

Sure, she noticed. They're neighbors, for fuck's sake. She would know if he left at night, she'd hear it. ..Or any other time of day.

"It's safe in here, why would I want to leave?" He spoke as if it were obvious.

And maybe, it was. Maybe she was insensitive to assume the ex-soldier felt comfortable enough walking around the streets of New York. She softened at the misconception she held.

"There's safety in numbers," The words left her mouth without thinking. "Like, um, with the team. I know they go to Bingo sometimes on Tuesdays."

"Do I look like I play Bingo?" He retorted.

"Well, you are a hundred years old."

He scoffed. "Yeah, and I look great."

She rolled her eyes. "If you do say so yourself, Barnes."

"You wouldn't?"

She turned towards him. "I believe you should be going to sleep so I can gather data."

His smirk returned. "Maybe I wasn't done with our pre-sleep conversation,"

Her cheeks betrayed her, flushing a soft pink as she buried her face deeper into the report she was typing. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, the quiet clack of keys echoing in the stillness of the room. She risked a glance back, assuming he had finally drifted off. His lips, smooth and slightly parted, and his hands resting lightly on his abdomen, made her pause for just a moment longer than she intended.

After a minute of staring, she went back to her report.

A soft knock on the door sounded and she turned to see Sam. She put her finger over her lips, stood up, and walked over to the open door. He leaned on the doorframe and observed Bucky.

"He sleeps in here every night?" Sam asked.

"Until I can get enough data on his nightmares, yes."

"I'm sorry,"

Valerie furrowed her brows. "Why? He's not terrible company."

"I thought you had said he practically berated you,"

She glanced at Bucky too. "He's kind of softened a bit."

"If he says anything again, let me know."

"I can handle him myself," She chuckled. "So, what's up?"

"I was just coming to see if we were still on for tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes! I'll be up early, so just come get me when you want to head out."

Sam grinned. "Alright, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sam."

In the chair, Bucky's fists clenched.

~

a bit of a short oneeee

do you guys want to see more of the other team members? i kinda figured people want bucky content mostly at least i do hehe :P