Red Thorn

Chapter 33

December 2016

Red leant against the wall, arms folded over her chest as she waited in the hallway for the boys.

"Where are they?" Sam asked, looking at his watch to see that it was already thirteen minutes past their usual meeting time. She shrugged just as Bucky exited their apartment. "Well it's about damn time. Where's Steve?"

"He's not coming," Bucky said, closing the door behind him.

"Well, why not?"

"I don't know, said he didn't fancy it." Bucky turned towards the elevator. "Now, come on, let's go."

"Fine, whatev..." Sam's voice trailed off when Red went the opposite direction. "Where are you going?"

"I'd wager to get Steve." Bucky sighed. "It's no use, Red, he's a stubborn ass."

Ignoring him, Red walked straight into their apartment, making a beeline for Steve's room, where he was lying in bed.

"What the hell, Charlie?" he all but squealed.

"Get up," she signed, pulling the covers off him.

Steve tugged at his duvet, acutely aware that he was wearing nothing more than a pair of grey sweatpants and of the heat rapidly rising to his cheeks. "No."

"No?" She went to his cupboard and grabbed one of his workout tops. "Let's try this again." Red tossed it at him. "Get up."

He settled back under the covers, glad to be shielded from view once more. "I said no."

"Why not?" her hands moved effortlessly with the words.

"Because I don't feel like it," he told her. "I'm tired. And what's with the signing, nobody else is in here."

"No, but they're in the lounge."

"They're not–" Steve heard movement outside his bedroom door.

"Told you." There was a smirk hiding beneath her mask. "Now, come on, let's go."

"Can I not sleep in for once?" he asked.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"And why not?" he asked.

The answer came as nothing more than a look that said, "Do I really need to answer that?"

He sighed. "Yes, Red, you do."

"Because, Capitaine," there was malice behind the way she'd signed her name for him, "If I have to run with Bucky, then so do you."

"Bucky? That's what this is about?" Steve would have rolled his eyes if it weren't for the murderous look on his friend's face. "Come on, Red, he's been here for how long now? Coming up on a year? And he's been running with us for most of that. Get over it already."

Red bent down, leveling her gaze with his, using her voice for the first time that morning. "Do not tell me to get over what you could never possibly understand."

"I..." Steve was trying his best to stay calm, but fuck was she scary when she did that, his stomach doing flips with fear. Only... No, the butterflies in his stomach were a natural reaction to have when someone so deadly looked at them in such a way, nothing more. No matter what Natasha said. "I'm sorry."

Red straightened herself, signing once more. "Good."

"But Sam's there too," he pointed out. "Besides, it's not like you didn't spend all afternoon with Buck yesterday."