Project: A Stark Winter

Chapter Eighteen: Carry On

Once the portal closed, you breathed a sigh of relief that for the moment you were alone and could take a breath without being hounded for answers you didn't have. Thinking back on your words to Bucky, your face broke into a mischievous smile as you let a strangled moan escape your lips; a bit louder than necessary. Propping yourself up on your elbows you smiled widely as a fuming Bucky raced into the room looking for Strange with a menacing stare. When his eyes land on you, alone, his shoulders relax slightly. However his glare focuses on you as he stalks to the side of your bed. Placing a hand on either side of you, Bucky leans in to intimidate you as his breath comes out in quick, ragged gasps.
"Kinky, Buck. Didn't know you'd want to join in something like that." You coo, teasing him with a smirk. Your hand softly rests on his shoulder as he leans even closer. Bucky's blue eyes darken to a storm cloud grey as he lowers his face inches from your own.
"I thought he was hurting you. I don't trust him."
"Sometimes pain is part of pleasure." At your comment, Bucky sucks in a breath and looks to the ceiling; sending a silent prayer. Refocusing on you, and his worry he shakes his head and the anger returns.
"If you ever. And I mean ever. Do that again, you will regret it, y/n." He growls lowly, eyes flickering almost imperceptibly to your lips.
"Do what? I said enter at your own risk, didn't I?" The faux innocent act wasn't working with Bucky as he scoffs and raises a hand to cover your mouth.
"Jesus fucking Christ. Do you ever stop?" He snapped, barely concealed annoyance fully boiling over as he readied himself to argue with you. As he felt you take a breath, you watch as Bucky tilted his head and immediately backed away and sat in the hospital chair next to the bed. You blink at him, stunned before loud voices echo just outside the door. Super soldier hearing for the win.
After Strange had left, Friday alerted Tony causing him to scramble into the room and immediately begin fussing over you. The rest of the team once again filed in close behind him and stood at the farthest corners of the room watching and waiting for you to say something, but it was taking you a moment to recover from Bucky's 'threats'; eyes darting from your peripherals back to the team like a ping pong match. Tony rests against the side of your bed and leans forward hopefully. His eyes crinkle at the edges as he smiles down at you but it doesn't quite chase away the storm clouds that lurk in their dark depths.
"So...what's the story, morning glory?" He asks with a soft chuckle, desperately trying to mask his worry and keep you at ease. It wasn't working. With the team entering the room, so did the reminders of what was happening to you and the reality that for now you are stuck this way. Swallowing over the growing lump of anxiety, you clear your throat and bring your eyes to meet those of the waiting group.
"Strange is going to try and find a... mystical cure for whatever this is." Your voice is strained as you force your tone to come out as neutral as possible while gesturing to your poisoned body.
"What does that mean, though?" Steve's tired voice inquires from his spot leaning against the far wall and watching you cautiously.  You smile sadly back at him; willing your heart to remain calm and show these people, your new family, that you were not a threat to them. You could sense their nervous and restless energy radiating through the room. They were waiting for the bad news; the other shoe to drop. You didn't blame them for this hesitance, hell you would question it if they weren't wary of your circumstances. Since you had landed here in their lives, unprompted, everything felt like it hung in a delicate balance or game of chicken. You knew these people and knew them well enough to expect that life had taught them to be guarded in situations like this. You take a deep breath to speak, but instead, let the air whoosh out of your lungs as you shake your head.
"I don't know. But until he can find some kind of solution I'm just waiting." You announce dejectedly, the weight of your predicament settling on your shoulders.
"Just wait? What if this happens again? What if it changes you...or kills you? Then what?" Tony's voice rises with emotion as he questions what you've said; looking between the team and you for someone to back him up. Bruce takes a step forward and begins doing a basic vitals check. Placing a stethoscope gently on your chest he listens intently to your heart and breathing. He looks over your veins and eyes before huffing and taking a step back, crossing his arms.
"She seems fine. A bit tired, but nothing is really standing out." He addresses the group who all nod as they look you over. Sam shrugs and strides up beside where Tony sits on your bed. He places a hand gently on his shoulder and nudges him lightly.
"Y'all said it yourselves, man. She is poisoned and even you fancy scientists don't have the answers. Come on, man. Let's just take each day as it comes. No use worryin'." As he spoke, his voice was warm and comforting. With his words, Sam was able to put the room at ease and slowly your shoulders fell back and you allowed yourself a relaxing breath. Sam's eyes drifted to yours as he grinned at you.
"Besides, I think she's pretty tough if she can handle all that. I've seen Steve in worse shape after a night of drinking at O'Malley's." The rest of the team chuckles at Sam's quick remark and a sense of ease blankets the group. Steve rolls his eyes at Sam, but smiles at you brightly then winks.
"Again, that was you, Sam." Steve's deadpan, dry delivery causes Sam to huff in disbelief and the rest of the tense group to erupt in laughter. You laugh along, smile, and watch as each of them takes a relaxed breath as they settled into a rhythm once again after a week of uncertainty. With expert timing, the doctor who had seen you when Clint had first brought you in confidently steps into the room giving each of the occupants a measured glare.
"What did I say about this many people in the room, huh?" She snorts out a breath of air and clicks her tongue as she approaches your bedside.
"How are we feeling? I'm Dr. Lee." She addresses you confidently as she checks you over. She has a kind face as she peers down at you warmly, but it was contrasted by her ice-cold hands as she pressed them against your forehead feeling for a fever. A hush fell over the room as they watched in anticipation, hoping she would deliver good news. She lowers her hand to your wrist and begins measuring your heart rate and, giving a satisfied sigh, begins scribbling on your chart. Bruce saddles up next to her trying to peer at her clipboard, but Dr. Lee snatches it away quickly and holds it against her chest.
"I-I checked her vitals a few moments ago. She seems to be back to normal. Regular cardiac rhythm and-"
"Thank you, Dr. Banner, but she is my patient so I would like to check her vitals myself." Dr. Lee responded, curtly. Her tone was firm but kind as she stared back at Bruce.
"O-of course." He conceded shyly, raising his hands and backing away. She went back to your check-up and set her clipboard down with a satisfactory thump, turning back to you with a wide and curious smile.
"So, y/n. What is going on with you, lady?" Dr. Lee asks with a playful giggle. Her aura was so kind and gentle that you couldn't help smiling back at her.
"I have no idea." You reply honestly, allowing the uncertainty to creep into your voice as your smile wavers slightly. She continues peering down at you warmly as she clasps her hands together.
"Well, I guess we should find out together then, huh?"
"I'd appreciate any answers I can get, Dr. Lee."
"I'll do a standard blood draw and try and isolate the poisonous particles in testing. Then we can see what we're working with. Other than that, I'd say you're well enough to be discharged from the med bay today. Just...try and take it easy and don't go looking for any fights, okay?" She addresses the group as a whole but her eyes never leave yours. Dr. Lee rolls a medical cart to your bedside and begins gathering what she needs to collect a blood sample. You hold out your arm to her without hesitation as she wraps the blue, rubber tourniquet around your bicep, turning away as the small needle pierces the vein in the crook of your arm. You grimace slightly at the brief sharp pain and bring your eyes to Tony's. He smiles back at you; his eyes reassuring you in a fatherly way as Dr. Lee finishes the rest of the blood draw. She delicately places a bandage and cotton pad on your arm and immediately gathers the vials and places them into a centrifuge on the lab table in the corner. She turns to you as she shoves both hands in the pockets of her lab coat and shrugs.
"Alright, you're free! I'll leave you to get dressed and will have one of my nurses find you when I have the results." Without another word she leaves the room, but not without giving a stern glare to the rest of the team prompting Bruce to have an ah-ha! moment.
"Right, thanks. Yes, we will leave you to uh...change." His nervous words nudge the rest of the team to give you small smiles and begin filtering out of the room while murmuring their ' goodbye's' and 'see ya later's . Tony lingers just a bit longer; placing a hand gently on your shoulder he leans down to your ear.
"I'm proud of you, kiddo." He whispers softly, his breath tickling your ear as he pulls back and gives you a quick peck on the cheek.
"For what?" You giggle and smile back at him; cheeks warm from the affection he's showering you with.
"For being so tough. For being brave. And most importantly, for being my kid." The smile that he beams down at you could light a thousand worlds. It shone with pure love and pride. In the depth of his smile, you could feel the fear of almost losing you and the uncertainty of what was happening. Tony wanted to protect you and he took his new job as a father very seriously and despite all the circumstances surrounding your arrival and the new mess you'd found yourself in, he had never once turned his back on you. That was the common thread in the multiverse of Tony Starks. They were good men who cared, who strove to protect, who wanted to shower those he cared about with all the love he could. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist wasn't truly who he was. Tony Stark was a softy with a big heart; not that he'd admit to it. He gave your shoulder a final squeeze and strode to the door; turning back he gave you one final smile and then left you alone. Sighing deeply, you set your jaw in a stiff line as you prepare for the task of getting out of bed for the first time in a week. You throw the blankets off your legs and stare down your grippy sock-clad feet. You give your toes a wiggle, mustering up the energy to swing them to the edge of the bed. Grunting against the stiff muscles that strained in protest of your movement, you are able to pull them to the side of the bed and place them heavily on the floor. With a low grunt, you shift your weight onto your feet, feeling your knees buckle slightly. You grip the bedsheets in a fist and slowly push yourself to fully stand in front of the bed. Raising your arms above your head, you give a long stretch and feel every muscle and tendon pull with a feeling of painful pleasure. Your hospital gown had an open back and the chilled medical air ran goosebumps over your exposed flesh. Where did my underwear go? you think to yourself as your forehead creased in confusion; gripping the back of the gown shut tightly. You tilt your head to scan the room and sigh satisfactorily when you see a pile of clothes left on a chair against the far wall. Taking a deep breath to steady yourself you will your feet to move toward it. Your heavy limbs move slowly as they pull and protest against the exertion they were being put through. The week of being immobile had done a number on your body and it showed by how long it was taking you to take a few simple steps. After what seemed like years, you make it to the chair practically out of breath and legs shaking from the strain. You slip off the hospital gown and discard it on the floor by your feet. Someone had been kind enough to bring you a pair of underwear, a bralette, leggings, and an oversized sweatshirt and you sent up a silent thank you that you didn't have to leave the room with your ass in the wind. As you reach over and grab the underwear you accidentally knock over the rest of your clothing. It falls to the ground behind the chair in a heap causing you to sigh in annoyance. You reach over the back of the chair, but lose your balance as your tired legs finally give out beneath you from the effort. You tumble to the ground loudly, knocking the chair on its side as you land on your hands and knees. Suddenly, Bucky burst into the room on guard alerted by the loud clattering. His eyes change from cold and scanning to shock as they fall on your naked form. You stare back at him with equally wide eyes on your hands and knees; body frozen in embarrassment.
"What happened?" He questions, eyes locked on yours but slightly lowering to your chest. You clasp your arms over your exposed breasts and huff angrily.
"I fell, dumb ass. Help me!" You snark back, hoping that he'd just move on and help you and leave.
"Oh, now you need my help?" Bucky asks, his tone clearly entertained despite his eyes being locked on the far wall; not on you.
"James Buchanan Barnes. I will kill you in your sleep and you have taught me ten different ways to do it. Do not test me, wolfy." Bucky's head whips to look at you and tries his best to stifle a laugh as your angry face is squished in dissatisfaction and painted with a bright red blush. When the reality of what you said sinks in, his expression softens and he raises his arms like you are an injured animal. Bucky nods stiffly and walks over to where you were hunched and grabs you under the arms to lift you from the ground. As he lifts you, your body presses firmly against him as he holds your body weight from your tired limbs. You wrap your arms around Bucky's neck to steady yourself causing his head to dip lowly until his forehead rests against your own. For a moment, you're both suspended there in time. Caught in an intimate moment that neither of you had expected, but causes your heart to race nonetheless.
"Thanks, Buck." You murmur so softly that only his enhanced hearing could pick it up. Bucky smiles widely and tilts his head back to look into your eyes.
"My pleasure, ma'am." His deep, baritone voice practically purrs as he speaks causing a growing feeling of warmth to pool between your legs. Charming Bucky. Steve was right. He sets you gently on the chair and turns quickly away; allowing you what little privacy remained between the two of you. Your cheeks blazed from embarrassment and excitement as your eyes traced his broad, muscled shoulders. You just sat there numbly for a moment, staring at Bucky and trying to place a name to the feelings stirring inside you. As if sensing your eyes on him, Bucky clears his throat loudly.
"I'll...uh stay until you get dressed." His voice is measured and clear as he speaks, but you can almost hear a soft smile in his voice. His words snap you back to reality as you quickly grab the clothes pile and begin tugging items on.
"Right. Thanks." You mutter into the air while you pull on the sweatshirt and leggings. Fully clothed, you clear your throat and Bucky turns around to look at you. His eyes scan you for any sign of hurt or injury. Satisfied, he grunts and steps forward holding his arms out.
"What are you doing?" You ask coolly, body shrugging just out of his reach. Bucky rolls his eyes and glares at you in annoyance.
"Well, obviously you're not going to be able to walk outta here after that."
"So you're going to carry me?" You snort the question at him, words coming out clipped as you cross your arms.
"That was the plan." Bucky retorts in a matter-of-fact tone, arms still hanging in the air outstretched toward you.
"No."
"No?"
"No, you're not carrying out of here. I'm good."
"I wasn't asking, sweetheart." Bucky leans forward quickly and slides his arms behind your back and under your legs. With no effort at all, he lifts you against his chest and begins carrying you out of the hospital room bridal style. Your squeaks and grunts of protest fall on deaf ears as he confidently strides down the hall and into the elevator.
"Friday, take us to Miss. Priss' floor, please."
"Right away, Mr. Barnes." She responds curtly, as the elevator begins rising toward your floor of the tower.
"You told Friday to call me Miss. Priss? That's low." You Mutter in disbelief, staring at Bucky's unapologetic smirk.
"And here I was thinking you'd like that Strange and I agreed on something." Bucky replied matter-of-factly. This man was shameless in his pursuit of pissing you off today. Before you know it, the doors open and Bucky is once again striding through the tower, carrying you toward your room. As he walks through the living room and kitchen, the team raises eyebrows and gives smirks at the sight of Bucky cradling you, with you shifting and attempting to break his hold like a feral cat on its way to the vet.
"Stop squirming." Bucky scolds you, his eyebrows lowered angrily as he stares straight ahead. He rounds a final corner and nudges your bedroom door open with his hip. Bucky steps into the room and makes a beeline straight for your bed. He lays you gently on the covers, leaning over your body as he does so.
"Geeze, buy a girl dinner first, Buck." You scold sarcastically pushing at his chest with a fist gently. He scoffs at your comment and steps back annoyed. His eyes meet yours as they try and search for something, but what?
"Need anything else?" He asks in a strained voice, his jaw twitching and tense as he looked you over. Irritation and exasperation radiated from him as he stared you down and at that moment you thought that he must've been over being your personal security detail. Pushed too far today by your ruthless pursuit of one upping people.
"I'm good, thanks." You respond warmly, willing him to know that you were grateful for his help. Bucky turned quickly and stormed from the room, not sparing you a second glance as he made his quick exit; slamming the door behind him. You flop back on your bed and stare at the ceiling. What the actual fuck? Are you just so desperate to get laid that you'd pester Bucky into flirting with you? you ask yourself earnestly, pondering all you knew of this universes Bucky Barnes. Part of you always wanted to fight against Bucky and challenge every word that left his mouth. The other part...well you weren't sure what it wanted. Releasing a frustrated sigh, you crawl your way under the comforter and wrap yourself tightly in the sheets. As your mind wanders over thoughts of the soldier, your eyelids become heavy and slowly fall shut as you drift off into a deep sleep.