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

63.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴏɴɢ: ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴏᴠɪɴ' ʏᴏᴜ - ʏᴜɴɢʙʟᴜᴅ

"𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

~

HE WAS SILENT.

From the journey from that alley to the tower, he was completely silent. She attempted to look at him multiple times in the car that picked them up, but his eyes remained on the road in front of them. She thought surely he would say something in the elevator, but nothing.

And now, as the elevator doors opened, he only pointed to his unit. She walked out in front of him, head down as she appraoched his doorstep. He moved past her to unlock it, holding the door open for her.

When she walked in, her breath halted. There were roses in a vase on his counter, and a few candles scattered around the apartment. Her heart sank as she thought of him preparing for their date. The date she missed because she was going to meet Cody. She jumped as the door shut harshly behind him, eyes following him as he walked over to stand in front of her. She looked up at him, blinking as she waited for him to surely murder her for being so stupid.

"I have so many questions for you right now," His voice wasn't raised, it was low, which scared her even more.

"Go ahead," She urged.

"The control I've been working so hard to maintain, Valerie," His eyes pierced hers. "Is hanging by a thread right now,"

"Lose it. Yell at me,"

He shook his head, letting out a shuddered breath. "No,"

"Yell at me," She ordered. "I don't want your control, I want the Bucky I know,"

He took a deep breath, hands on his hips as he contemplated how to proceed. His tongue danced inside his cheek. "Is that why you did this? To get me angry?"

"What?" She gaped. "No, of course not--"

"Then what the fuck were you thinking?!" He demanded, finally snapping.

"He called me on the team phone last night telling me to meet him or he'd kill you,"

Bucky laughed. Laughed. But his face dropped. "You're kidding me, right? No, Valerie, you're smarter than that."

"He sent me a photo of us on my doorstep last night. He was watching us."

"Why the hell wouldn't you tell me that?"

She took a deep breath, heart rattling her ribs. "I didn't want to provoke him any further, I wanted you to be safe,"

"It is not your job to keep me safe," He growled, inches from her face now. "Quite the fucking opposite,"

"No," She rose her voice. "That's where you're wrong, Bucky. It's my job too. You told me I'm the only person that makes you feel safe--how could you think I wouldn't do this?"

"By being so stupid you almost got yourself fucking killed?"

"How did you even know I went? Where I was? Because you followed me again,"

"Don't you dare turn this on me, Valerie. I hadn't seen you all day, and I got worried, so I went to knock on your door and saw you slipping into the stairwell. I thought, 'now, why wouldn't she take the elevator?' So yes, I followed you. And I'm damn glad I did. He could've hurt you, or worse--"

"--I didn't care. He said he'd hurt you and I didn't hesitate to go."

He stared down at her as she looked up at him with nothing but pure, utter defiance and determination in her eyes.