Doll and James

Stay safe, will you?

"You alright, love?" William asked, glancing at the desk next to his.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Lana assured hurriedly, sending him a short smile before returning her attention to her computer, the rushed workspace around them full of chatter. Her eyes shot up as someone sat down in the previously empty chair on the other side of her, only then noticing Bucky's arrival.

"You left without me," he accused quietly, clearly sparing those around them from hearing the conversation.

"You didn't get home until late last night, I figured you needed the sleep," she excused it, sending him a shaky smile. He furrowed his eyebrows, running his eyes up and down her sitting figure. Her hair was gathered in a ponytail, her face free of makeup and her body dressed casually, the only thing giving her away being her right leg, jumping up and down on the floor.

"Doll?" he asked her softly.

"I'm nervous," she admitted, her breath immediately becoming shallow and uneven as she told it, unable to hold it down. Bucky quickly stood up, grabbing her hand and helping her up on shaking legs.

"I-I can't," Lana claimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"We're just walking, Doll. We're just stepping outside, alright?" he told her, placing an arm around her waist and speaking softly.

"James, I-I." Her sentence broke as her legs began shaking, unable to carry her. Bucky immediately reacted, holding her up without gaining the attention of anyone as he slowly walked past the mass of people.

"It's okay, doll. We're just going outside," he repeated, keeping his voice calm in spite of his spinning mind; "We're alright, you're alright." As they reached the door, he quickly pushed it up with his foot, helping her out while muttering assurances before letting the door close behind them. Without Lana properly noticing, they'd left the building through the back exit, placing them in a small but surprisingly light alley.

"C'mon, doll, you're alright," Bucky continued, helping her sit down on the curb before placing himself in front of her; "What's going on, doll?"

"I, I can't do this," she told, the tears slowly beginning to roll down her cheeks as she began hyperventilating, her eyes shutting in a pained expression as her leg jumped on. Unsure what to say, Bucky quickly sat next to her, moving an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into him, letting her shaking body cry while whispering whatever he could think of to her.

After a few minutes, the shaking slowly stopped, leaving behind a sniffling girl.

"I have to go back in," she told, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"No. Fuck them. You don't have to do a thing," Bucky told her, running his thumb up and down on her upper arm.

"I'm sorry you had to see this," she told, pulling as little away as possible while still enabling eye contact, causing their faces to be closer than they'd probably ever been before.

"I'm not," Bucky whispered, eyeing her red cheeks.

The door opened behind them and before Lana could even pull away, William appeared in front of them, a worried expression on his face.

"Jesus, Lana, I didn't notice, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed quickly; "I didn't even see you leaving and I asked Cam if he'd seen you leave and he hadn't and I checked the bathroom and you weren't there and-"

"She's fine, William," Bucky interrupted him, a slight sneer in his voice.

"I am, I just, I panicked a little," she admitted, trying to laugh it off as she wiped her cheeks again.