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

55.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴏɴɢ: ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄʀɪᴍᴇ - ᴏʟɪᴠɪᴀ ʀᴏᴅʀɪɢᴏ

"𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥'𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭."

~

"NO FUCKING WAY,"

Valerie let out a laugh that echoed throughout the common area.

"You did not," Nat continued.

"Pay the fuck up, Romanoff," Sam grinned.

Nat reluctantly pulled a bill out of her wallet, shoving it Sam's way. Valerie rolled her eyes as she continued laughing, always amused by the bets they had. Well, almost always.

"They went through with it?" Bruce walked into the room. "No shit Valerie did it,"

"Why does everyone keep assuming that? I can be impulsive."

"Can you?"

Sam clapped his hand on her shoulder. "She can, because she is now the proud owner of a matching tattoo."

Valerie beamed, although the spot still was sore from the needle. To put it plainly, Natasha bet Sam he couldn't get Valerie to do something crazy. When she heard of the bet in her name, she was determined to prove everyone wrong. When Natasha suggested the tattoos, though, it did give her pause. Until she remembered that nothing really mattered anyway, so she went through with it.

So, in permanent black ink, her ankle read 'bros'.

"Just in time for sandal season," Tony smiled mockingly. "Training in 10, running sims with Valerie."

Tony was right, May was right around the corner. The air had grown warmer, trees grew their leaves back, and flowers had begun to bloom. All signaling new beginnings for Valerie. She grinned at the mention of her name. For the last few months, she trained with the team. Her choice, of course, but she marveled at how strong she felt now. No, she couldn't take any of them down or anything, but she was no longer a frail, helpless girl.

"I think tattoos suit you,"

"Thank you, Wanda. Although, I don't see this taking off. It was just a bet and it hurt like hell," She smiled. "I'm gonna go get dressed for training,"

"See you in a few,"

She ran down the stairs to her unit to change. She quickly slipped out of her skirt, exchanging it for a pair of black leggings. Her cardigan was swapped for a tight, white athletic top. In the mirror, she brushed her knotty hair. It was significantly shorter now, the messy curls still shining through. She could admit she succumbed to a breakup cliché, but it needed a trim anyways. Feeling like a new person was just an added bonus.

She ran out of her apartment, hesitating before glancing at his door.

Okay, maybe it was time she thought about it for a moment. When she found his note, she was enraged. And heartbroken. Back to enraged. The cycle continued for weeks. She refused to believe he had left without so much as saying goodbye, but with time, she felt better. She was more level-headed these days when she thought of him. When she reminded herself of what he did, her brain categorized it as "protective" instead of "deceitful." Maybe this is what he wanted. Maybe it was what they needed. She couldn't be sure now, as so much time had gone by she was beginning to fear he wasn't returning.

But that was a thought she couldn't handle. She knew he would return. She stopped anticipating it though, because every day ended in tears when she didn't hear a knock on her door. She didn't throw herself into her work this time, but rather, into the team. She went out with Natasha and Wanda. Maybe she kissed a guy or two while drunk...and possibly cried about it later that night. What? She's being real. She spent time with Sam, who was recently single again and very much crushing on a new employee of the building. She trained with the team, which became her biggest coping mechanism.