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

28.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴏɴɢ: ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴍᴇ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ - ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ ꜱᴡɪꜰᴛ

"𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡."

~

VALERIE WAS NERVOUS.

She woke up in Bucky's bed, stretching her sore limbs out to find she was alone in it. She had asked him not to wake her, mostly because she didn't want to say goodbye to him. It felt too intimate of a thing to do. 

She checked the clock, happy to see it was only 9 am. She wondered when they left, assuming it was probably around dawn. She hoped he was rested enough to function. Standing up, she looked around the room for her clothes. Remembering they were on his kitchen floor, she went out to fetch them. She found them in the exact place they were dropped, forcing her to reminisce on the evening's event. 

She barely had time to address the goosebumps on her arms before she saw a note sitting on the counter. 

I'll be back soon. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone. -B

She smiled, not taking him as a note kind of guy. Quickly dressed in last night's clothes, she slipped her shoes on. She glanced back at the note, grabbing it and folding it into her pocket. 

She made her way back to her apartment to shower and change her clothes, thankful the team was gone and couldn't witness her walk of shame. On her kitchen counter, she spotted the letter she had still yet to address. 

She held it in her hands, reading it over once more. Thoughts of her grandmother and her mother all swirled in her brain as she pondered the right decision. She sat down with a pen, scribbling a quick response. 

If you're who you say you are, you'll have no problems answering some questions I have. 

She wrote out the address that was provided and sealed the envelope. She then started her shower, steam filling the bathroom from the heat. She took off her dirty clothes and stepped in. 

As the water ran down her back, she thought about Bucky. She thought about how quickly he had become someone she was used to. Recently, she noticed herself counting how long it had been since she'd talked to him. She would wonder where he was. What he was thinking. 

He seemed like a completely different person than when she met him. She thought of him slamming the door on her, or when he yelled at her. 

He thought back on those times with a different reaction. He cringed heavily, hating himself for ever treating her that way. He wish he could go back and tell himself she was one of the good ones. She wasn't like anyone else he had ever met in his life. 

They were gone for five days. 

After a day she was already praying for their return. The research wasn't even enough to keep her entertained, and that was coming from her. Although they were still very complicated, she knew she wanted to see him. 

Meanwhile, on the mission, Bucky couldn't sleep. He felt lonely, a feeling he had always thoroughly enjoyed. But now, it felt like something was missing. He had obviously been wearing his emotions on his face because, at one of their breaks, Sam came to speak to him. 

"Barnes," Sam called. 

"Wilson," Bucky warily responded. 

"Look, man, I know we got off to a rocky start but, truce?" 

Sam held his hand out. Bucky immediately took it, having more respect for the man since being with Valerie. 

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." Sam sat down next to Bucky, who was drinking from a canteen. "You seem distracted," 

"I'm fine."

"This wouldn't have to do with anything you've been up to recently?" 

Bucky turned to look at him, brow raised. 

"She told me," Sam added. 

"Told you what," 

"Enough to know that you didn't even ask who I was talkin' bout." 

Bucky sighed. "I figured," 

"Listen, I know you don't need me to lecture you right now 'bout all that. But that girl is one in a million. Don't fuck it up," 

Bucky scoffed, chuckling. "You came here to give me the dad speech?" 

"No, I came here to give you the bro speech." 

"The bro speech." Bucky deadpanned. 

"She and I, we're bros." 

"Uh-huh." 

"Ask her!" 

"I'll pass." 

Natasha sauntered over, picking up on their conversation. "What are you gents talking about?" 

"Nothing," Bucky replied. 

Sam smirked. "You're going to regret asking because you owe me fifty bucks." 

"What?" Bucky and Natasha both asked with completely different tones. 

Natasha's mouth hung open in shock. "Barnes,"

"What?" Bucky's head whipped between the two. 

"I don't believe it," 

"I take cash or Venmo." 

"How long did you know?" 

Sam shrugged. "Confidential." 

"Know about what?" Steve joined in. 

"We're done with this conversation." Bucky snapped. 

"Let me guess," Steve grinned. "They know," 

"You knew, Rogers?" Natasha gaped. 

"Of course I did. He's my best friend," 

"None of you," Bucky rolled his eyes. "Should know. It's not any of your business,"

"Valerie is our business," Natasha retorted. "She's a part of our family, so if you--"

"Already did all that," Sam held his hand up. 

"Sure, but anything you could do to him is child's play compared to what I'd do." 

Bucky rubbed his face in annoyance. His frustration grew at their threats, knowing there was some merit behind them. Of course, they expected him to fuck it up. Even he expected him to fuck it up. The only person not expecting that was, well, Valerie. Of course, she had faith in him, which was why she was always the one adamant about where they stood. 

He wondered what she was up to. How late she must've been staying up doing her research. What cardigan rotation she was doing this week. He hoped his note didn't make her feel weird. God knows he felt weird pressing a kiss to her forehead that morning in an entirely romantic fashion. 

Bucky's ears drowned out the noise of the team members asking various questions, only barking at them to never bother Valerie about it. He half-feared they would talk her out of it, hoping he'd one day get a chance to prove himself to her. Behind the sarcasm and sexual innuendos, he secretly longed for the small crack of a smile he could cause. No blush went unnoticed. He saw it all, every reaction he caused her. Good and bad. He didn't have a single doubt in his mind about his feelings. 

But he had every doubt of the ability for them to be reciprocated. 

~ 

a little chp including the other characters *tears* 

i feel absolutely solid in the fact he would fall first.