Winter Sun •Soldiers Series• [Bucky Barnes/Avengers] *Sequel to Soldiers*

Chapter 2: Raw and Exposed

A hasty knock on the door catches my attention instantly. Yawning, I throw a quick glance towards the armchair, where Tony is currently sleeping in, while Sam invites himself in.

"A little birdie told me you're up and running again." The man pauses the moment his eyes settle on Tony. I press a finger on my lips at once. The confusion in Sam's eyes is genuinely entertaining. "Did you kill Tony with your laser eyes?" he whispers and I make a face at him.

"Seriously?" I hiss and pick up my plastic cup of water from my nightstand. Tony has helped me refill it before he crashes himself on the armchair again. He passes out after thirty minutes of gazing out of the window. It's strange how comfortable we are with each other in silence. "First of all, I don't have laser eyes. Where did you even get the idea from? Second of all, I'm not exactly running, am I?" I sigh and wet my lips with the cup of water.

The good old grin of Sam's stretches across his face. Throwing up his hands in defence, Sam shrugs and nears my bed. "Alright then, our cheeky lil Lottie is back," he murmurs playfully and sits himself on the edge of the hospital bed. From across us, Tony stirs momentarily before falling back into the deep realm of sleep again. "Stark's been working himself out then?" Sam questions while eyeing the fast asleep billionaire.

"You bet," I remark quietly, watching the spill of daylight drawing upon Tony's face. It's surprising how peaceful he looks when he's asleep. The relaxed brows and drooping lips; Tony doesn't look like the dickhead that everybody wants to punch in the face when he's awake at all.

Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh.

Astonished, Sam studies my expression candidly, causing me to flush in embarrassment. "What's up with you, Lottie? Did something happen with Stark?"

I shake my head at once, downing my cup of water as the Falcon frowns quizzically. "Anyway," I mutter and wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my hospital gown, "What brings you here, Sam?"

"Fury says you're ready to leave, so I'm responsible for escorting you back to the Tower."

Arching a brow at Sam, I peer over to Tony, who has just muttered something underneath his breath and turned away from the sun. "Fury could have just asked Tony to do that though."

Sam glances over to Stark as well. "Well, he wasn't told that Stark would be here. Oh yeah, why is he here anyway?"

"He arrived before six to tell Bucky something about Steve looking for him." I pause. This is weird. I would have imagined that Fury would know about this. "I thought Tony was being the messager for Shield, or Fury in this case."

"Nah, girl," Same shakes his head and plays with his sunglasses, his eyes trained on me. "We ain't told about Tony coming here. What did Tony say to Buck?"

My heart kicks at a faster pace as I recall my last conversation with Bucky. "Tony's said something about Steve looking for Bucky. It sounded urgent," I explain. "Is everything alright?"

Realisation dawns in Sam's eyes. "Oh!" He slaps his thigh triumphantly in pride of understanding the situation. Tony groans in the armchair from across us, but I'm too caught up with the whole thing to give a damn anymore. 

"Is Bucky alright? Sam!" I ask hurriedly, worries are eating away at my heart before the Falcon turns to me with a grin.

"Yeah, he's fine! I was supposed to come and get Bucky myself, before taking you back to the Tower. I didn't realise Tony know about it and has come to get Bucky himself."

"Can you guys shut it?" Tony hisses from the corner of the room, his arm drapes over his eyes in a weak attempt to block the brightening sunlight.