Bucky Barnes

Part 7

You and Bucky sit on the sofa, your head pillowed on his chest as something mindless plays on the TV. You're dozing, curled up against him like a child, your fingers tangled in his loose t shirt. Bucky doesn't mind, he likes this, it feels normal. He's not even watching whatever obnoxious show is on, his hand is propped on his fist, his fingers caressing through your long hair.

He shouldn't have slept with you.

He likes you, you're a good person from what he can see, and he's always an excellent judge of character. You try hard, you've just had a rough go at life to begin with. He finds it almost comical you'd been as worried about hurting him as he had you, but in the long run both of you are fine.

Well, mostly.

He glances at your hips, at the skin that shows between your t shirt and your sweat pants. He can see the bruises there in the shape of fingerprints, the worst of them from his metal grip. You don't seem to mind, but he doesn't like hurting you, it bothers him. Women shouldn't have bruises on their skin.

His mind is drawn to that boyfriend --- ex boyfriend --- of yours, the way you'd acted around him. Had he hurt you in the past, done something that made you so frightened of him? Bucky has no intentions of you ever being around the man again, not without his skull being crushed between the super soldiers hands.

No one's going to hurt you anymore.

You mutter in your sleep, snuggling your face beneath his jaw with a content sigh. Bucky smiles, glancing down at you. You sleep about as much as he does, so he doesn't want to wake you at all, despite it's growing late.

Yesterday had been wonderful, the night you'd spent together one of his best memories. The fact you'd come with him to his apartment instead of staying in your own told him you didn't want to be away from him, and that makes a warmth settle in his chest. He really will do everything within his power to take care of you, shield you from the monsters that made him into what he is.

He won't let that happen to you.

The Avengers never should have recruited you.

He hesitates as he hears someone at this door, the pattern of the knocking letting him know immediately that it's Steve. He tenses, glancing down at you before back at the door. Steve will just walk in if he doesn't answer, and Bucky knows how much you probably wouldn't want the fact you slept together getting out.

You're a very private person.

He shifts gingerly, so easily that you hardly notice him slipping a pillow beneath your head, leaving you alone on the sofa. He walks quickly the door, hesitating as his hand closes around the knob.

This might be uncomfortable.

He opens the door just enough where he can fit his frame through it, but not where Steve can see the living room behind him.

"Hey." Steve frowns at his friend, eyes immediately dissecting his appearance. "I've been calling you, we have a meeting in fifteen minutes upstairs. Stark wants to..." he trails off, seeing the nervous look on Bucky's face, the way he stands so tensely. "What's going on?"

"What?"

"Something's wrong." Steve can tell instantly; he's been friends with Bucky too long not to be able to notice. "What's happened?"

"Nothing." Bucky frowns, just looking at Steve. His training kicks in, the instincts that were literally beat into him taking over. "Just tired. What does Stark want?"

"To discuss how to handle Hydra."

"Why do we need to discuss that? I thought he finished up his rant at the last meeting," Bucky sighs, it all that he can do not to turn around and look at you, make sure you're still asleep. "Why again?"