Shattered Thoughts : Book Two (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier)

Chapter 33

     When Bucky got back to base, his head had stopped bleeding, though Steve had ordered him to get it check out and make sure it didn't need stitches. He didn't walk to the medical bay though, Bucky didn't like it there, didn't like the doctors in lab coats or the needles and surgical tools. It brought back too many memories of HYDRA. Normally, if he got scratched up on a mission, Willow would stitch him up, that way he didn't have to go to the medical bay. 

   Walking in the small room where he was sleeping, Bucky reach under the bed and pulled out a first aid kit. Bucky wasn't staying in the apartment anymore, he couldn't stay there until Willow was back. Bucky opened the box and ripped open a packet of gauze with one hand, using his metal arm to hold his good arm steady as he applied pressure to the cut on his head. The flash of pain brought back memories, which made Bucky want to laugh and cry at the same time. 

  "Jesus Buck, did you just let them hit you?" Willow asked, taking in the sight of Bucky as he leaned against the door frame.

  "Well Agent Dariela, next time you can go and get shot at."

 Bucky started to step inside, but Willow held up a hand to stop him, "Dude, you did not just get blood on the carpet." Sure enough, small drops of blood had made their way from the cut above Bucky's eyes to the floor. "Go sit in the bathroom, I can scrub blood off the tile," Willow continued, gesturing with one arm.

 Doing as Willow ordered, Bucky limped to the bathroom and sat down on a small wooden stool. Willow wheeled into the room a few seconds later, her box of medical supplies balanced on her lap. "Let's see what the damage is today, shall we?" Bucky leaned down so that Willow could examine the cut over his eye, which was still oozing blood. Willow winced sympathetically, "It's going to need stitches, and I can't numb it with the cut this close to your eye. So your going to have to just grin and bear it, okay?"

  "I think I'll survive."

 Willow put a hand under Bucky's chin, tilting his head at an angle where she could start stitching up the cut. The needle sent a searing pain through Bucky's forehead, and he clenched his fist, the metal of his arm tightening. His right hand, which was resting on Willow's knee tightened it's grip on her knee, though Willow couldn't feel it. Willow paused, her right hand hesitating for a split second before she continued stitching up the cut. "You alright Buck?"

"I'll be fine Willow, just stitch it up."

 Nodding, Willow continued to stitch the cut closed, the entire time she only used her right hand. She kept her left hand under Bucky's chin, making sure he didn't move his head. Willow's hands, which normally were constantly shaking, were steady. Bucky stared at her while she finished stitching up the cut, her green eyes were intense with concentration. He smiled slightly, and Willow shot him an irritated glance, "If you move, I might stab you in the eye with the needle."

 Willow's irritation just made Bucky's grin wider. Putting down the needle, Willow clipped off the extra thread. "Stop smiling Barnes."

 Bucky continued to smile, grinning at Willow as she scowled at him. "Your beautiful, you know that?"

  Rolling her eyes, Willow scanned Bucky for any more cuts that needed to be stitched. Spotting one on his right forearm, Willow grabbed his hand, resting his arm on the arm rest of her wheelchair. As Willow reached to grab some clean gauze, Bucky wound his fingers through hers. His right hand and her left hand intertwined as Willow started to stitch up his forearm. Bucky did his best to ignore the pain and not accidentally tighten his grip too much and crush Willow's fingers. 

 "There," Willow said, clipping off the thread, "That's the worst of it over. I'm going to put some gauze over it just so the stitches don't get ripped out." She pulled out the white gauze and secured it over the cut on Bucky's arm. "Now if the cut feels too hot or starts to really itch, let me know-"

 "I know Willow, you've given me the 'avoid infected wounds or blood poisoning' thirty thousand times," Bucky said rolling his eyes. 

 "The one time I don't, you'll forget," Willow started.

 But Bucky interrupted her again, "I know, I'd forget my name if you weren't constantly shouting it from another room."

 "Yes Buck, you would."

 Willow began examining a second cut on Bucky's face, one on his right cheek. "Jeez, Bucky who was hitting you?"

"I feel off a building."

"Wow. Bloody Brilliant. It doesn't need stitches, I'll just put some antiseptic on it."

 Willow began dabbing at the wound with the cotton cloth soaked in antiseptic, the chemical sending flashes of searing pain over the right side of Bucky's face. "Ahh, easy Willow," Bucky said, grabbing her hand and holding it away from his face.

 "Aw, Poor Bucky, want me to kiss it all better?" Willow said mockingly. 

 Bucky snorted, and rolled his eyes. What he didn't see coming was when Willow leaned forward quickly and gave Bucky a quick peck on the lips. "Better?"Willow smirked.

 "Much," Bucky said, leaning forward and kissing Willow again.

Bucky slammed his good hand down on the metal table, snapping himself out of the painful memories. In a way, thinking about Willow when she was suffering a fate worse than death was more painful than thinking about her when he'd thought she'd died. That night at their apartment had been the first time Wilow and Bucky had ever kissed, apart from kissing each other on the forehead. It had once been a memory Bucky could look back on and smile, now it just made him want to cry. God, he missed Willow so much. 

Slamming the first aid kit closed, Bucky vowed that he would find Willow or die trying.