Set: after civil war fix up
Hi!! It's been ages sorry! My final year of schooling is kinda busy... shocker I know.
Anyway, requests are taking some time to complete, but I found this half-finished draft and liked the look of it so I finished it this morning, hope you enjoy xx
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"Yeah, thanks, Barnes. Really appreciate the help."
"No problem (L/N)."
(Y/N) ground her teeth as the infuriating ex-assassin sat back and watched as she took out agents alone.
"Play nice you two," Steve's voice filtered over the comms.
"Yeah, just help her out Barnes," Sam joined in.
Bucky grunted but joined the fray. (Y/N) hated to admit it, but he was rather useful to have around. Immediately, Barnes had his back behind hers, protecting (Y/N) as she protected him. Their fighting styles complimented each other as (Y/N) darted agilely at her enemies, returning quickly to her original position while Bucky dealt with the stronger opponents who got past her. The pair were quickly finished with only one snide comment when (Y/N) briefly stumbled and let out a pained wince.
———
Bucky couldn't help but notice (Y/N)'s limp. Did she get that when he wasn't helping her or when she was fighting on her own? It didn't matter, she was clearly injured and it was probably his fault.
Damn, why didn't he help sooner? Why didn't he protect her better?
"(Y/N). Injury?" Steve asked before Bucky could, always the leader, watching his pack.
(Y/N)'s eyes were bright when she grinned wolfishly and replied "just a graze. Much less than what those agents received."
But she winced when the plane hit turbulence and Bucky knew it wasn't just a graze. She trotted quickly off to her rooms when they arrived back at the compound before he could corner her and have her seek medical assistance. Before Steve could even debrief, in fact.
And (Y/N) always hung around for debrief, simply because her military training decreed it. To say Bucky was worried and feeling guilty was an understatement. He felt as though there was sweat running in rivulets down his back and as though he couldn't quite breathe properly. (Y/N) was undoubtedly injured, it was his fault and despite their turbulent relationship, Bucky was worried.
Maybe he did like the way (Y/N)'s eyes lit up with excitement. Maybe he did think she was too pretty for her own good. Maybe he even liked the way she walked, talked and fought. Maybe he liked (Y/N), but it didn't matter because she'd made it clear, on numerous occasions, that she did not like him.
Which was rather unfortunate, seeing as she occupied Bucky's mind at all hours.
———
It was about three days later that (Y/N) really took a downward turn. She'd become snappy and tired and had completely lost her appetite and Bucky knew she hadn't treated her injury properly.
He woke early one morning, long before the sun would rise, and had been making his way to the kitchen when it occurred. He could hear a sound, faintly, through the walls of the compound. Was it an intruder? Adrenaline flooded the assassin's system as he moved silently towards the sound, all dregs of sleep removed as the challenge took over his mind.
He reached an unmarked door and the sound became clearer. A word caught in-between sobs. Bucky hesitated but no one was around. Steve would go in.
Bucky found himself in a messy and dark room, illuminated by a rectangle of light escaping a room to the right. Clothes dumped on the floor where the wearer had taken them off and not bothered to even move them into a pile somewhere.
"Buc-," the sobs cut off the word and someone started retching. Not quite someone. (Y/N).
Without thinking, Bucky dashed into the bathroom to find the young Avenger in tears. She was vomiting, her skin was blotchy and bits of vomit were caught in the strands of hair escaping a poorly tied ponytail.
Bucky raked back the hair, regardless of the clumps of vomit stuck to it and held them. Accidentally, his metal hand brushed (Y/N)'s skin and she let out a panicked gasp before retching again.
Finally, she managed to get ahold of herself and gingery twisted her head to face Bucky. (Y/N)'s hair escaped his hand and hung in limp strands about her face. "Here to mock me? Tell me off? What? Why are you here?" She hissed, the poisonous tone at odds with her pale, feverish features.
"I heard you crying," Bucky said softly, "do you want to get back into bed?"
"No! I-" and she began vomiting again.
Bucky sighed as more hair caught vomit and pulled it all back again, this time registering the heat emanating from (Y/N). When she stopped, she spat and then leaned back.
"Why are you still-" she began but was interrupted.
"Enough." Bucky placed his hands on (Y/N)'s hips and fired her onto the counter next to her bathroom sink. She was wearing long pyjama pants and a hoodie and both items were sweaty and in need of a wash. "You need medical attention. Have you even treated that wound?"
(Y/N) shrank back from the Winter Soldier and gave the barest of nods. Bucky grunted.
"You didn't do a very good job. Now you need to get over how much you dislike me and listen closely. I'm going to find you some shorts, you're going to wear them and I'm going to properly sort out this wound."
Apparently, the gruff tone worked wonders because Bucky spent ten minutes searching (Y/N)'s room for some suitable pyjama shorts and when he returned, she was still sitting on the counter, looking tired but wary with her head tilted back to rest against the mirror.
"Put these on and I'll get some bandages and a dressing," Bucky said and jogged off to his room before she could reply. When he returned, (Y/N) was hunched over the toilet gasping.
He flushed it and handed her a glass of water before lifting her back onto the bench where he finally saw the wound. (Y/N) was shivering and the bandages were badly put on. When he removed them, he found a deep sort of graze. All the skin around it was a yellowy-green colour and there was dried blood and puss over it.
(Y/N) sat quietly as Bucky cleaned her wound, grunting in apology when his cold, metal hand brushed her skin. He'd prefer to use his good hand to clean her up but he was using that to hold down (Y/N)'s leg so she'd stop moving it from shaking too much.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked when he was about to apply the dressing.
Bucky was silent for a moment before replying. "Before you even noticed me in here, you said my name. Why?"
(Y/N) gulped and closed her eyes. Bucky stepped between her legs. They were near enough to kiss and he could feel her breath escaping her parted lips.
"Why, (Y/N)?" He pressed, his voice low and husky. Why say his name, of all the Avengers, when he was the one she fought with the most?
"Why are you caring for me?"
"I've always wanted to. Now answer me."
"You're the one I think of when I'm afraid. When I want-" the blood drained from (Y/N)'s face and she scrambled off the bench, partially using Bucky to help support her, partially shoving him aside. She knelt before the toilet and retched, leaning crookedly so as not to place weight on her unbandaged injury.
"Shit," was all Bucky could say, but the retches were dry and no more fluid escaped the feverish woman.
When she managed to stop retching, (Y/N) lay down on the floor, with her eyes facing the ceiling and her injury upwards. She closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm tired."
"You can go to bed in a minute. Let me deal with this injury. Idiot," Bucky replied, adding the final word in a fond undertone.
(Y/N) twitched as he applied the dressing and let out a small groan as he bandaged the wound, tighter than she would've done but not tighter than necessary.
"Can you walk?" The question echoed through (Y/N)'s consciousness and after a moment, she managed to process it.
"I'm tired," she repeated, her head still tilted back to rest against the mirror and her eyes still closed.
Bucky sighed and picked her up in a princess hold, his metal arm underneath her torso and his flesh arm underneath her knees. When they reached the bed, Bucky lay her down on top of the covers and made his way back to the drawer where he had found the pyjama shorts. He picked out a well-worn, long sleeve pyjama top and tossed it at her.
"You'll want to put that on. You'll be more comfortable." Why was he incapable of saying anything comforting? Why only commands? But (Y/N) merely sat up and made to take off her hoodie, heedless of Bucky watching her.
The soldier felt his cheeks flush and spun to face away from her. A minute later, he heard a soft fwump come from behind him and found (Y/N) lying down, dressed in the new, not yet sweaty, top, her eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling.
Bucky sighed again but tugged the blanket out from underneath (Y/N) and then tucked her in. She closed her eyes and curled into herself, facing the middle of her king-sized bed, one hand curled just below her chin.
Bucky made to leave, assume he'd overstayed his... well he couldn't exactly call it a welcome, when a small voice stopped him. "Stay?"
"What?"
"Stay."
Bucky hesitated. Did she trust him? Did this mean she didn't despise him? He took a tentative step towards the bed and (Y/N) shuffled herself over to the other side, clearly intending that he got in the bed with her.
"Uh, (Y/N)?"
"Stay."
Bucky gave a small nod. Then a bigger one. This was fine. She wanted comfort. Someone else nearby. He got into the bed and stayed rigidly on his side.
But (Y/N)'s even breathes lulled him into a sense of safety and soon... Bucky didn't notice himself fall asleep.
———
(Y/N) woke to find her head pillowed not by her pillow, but by something warm, hard and moving.
What- the pillow moved steadily up and down and she registered something warm and heavy holding her to it. Bucky. She was sleeping on Bucky.
Oh my gods she thought and her body tensed, unsure of how she ended up here and why her arms were wrapped around this man who despised her. Apparently, tensing was the wrong thing to do. Bucky woke up and immediately, their eyes met.
Both of them froze, not even breathing. Then, (Y/N) blinked and the spell was broken.
"Shit, (Y/N), I'm so sorry, I don't- I, uh," Bucky started staggering through confused apologies but (Y/N)'s mouth filled with saliva. Her eyes went wide and she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.
Bucky, who had loosened his hold on (Y/N) the minute he woke up, easily moved her off him and into a sitting position. A chill ran through (Y/N) at both the touch of cold air and the loss of contact from the super-soldier as he placed her on the edge of the bed, her legs out from underneath the doona.
In the background, Bucky was saying something and the backs of (Y/N)'s eyelids grew pinker, but she remained steadily on the edge of the bed. A second wave of nausea ran through her and (Y/N) placed a hand to her mouth.
Bucky felt powerless to help as the smaller figure shivered and tried to block out the world. It was only worse when she paled and pressed her hand to her mouth and a greenish tinge appeared on her skin. With his flesh arm, he reached out for a sort of side hug in a pallid attempt at comfort. (Y/N) reacted immediately, vomiting through her fingers and letting out a pathetic whimper.
Fortunately, there was a bucket on her lap before the vomit touched her. Perks of being an enhanced, Bucky thought. (Y/N) didn't seem to notice as the watery substance so came to an end. There were tears in her eyes, Bucky noticed, and they clung to her eyelashes.
Now was not the time to admire her eyelashes, but here he was, staring. Bucky quickly snapped himself out of his reverie though, and picked up the sickly Avenger and took her to the bathroom.
The young women was soon kneeling over the toilet, her eyes open and shining with tears. She didn't manage to vomit again but continued dry retching for a few minutes. When she was finished, she leaned back and Bucky put out a hand to support her so she didn't lie on the ground.
There was still vomit in (Y/N)'s hair and she was pretty sweaty from her fever so Bucky decided she would be more comfortable (and hopefully a little cooler) if she washed.
But... then her clothes would be wet.
Eventually, the super-soldier decided he would just make the Avenger get changed once he'd helped her clean her hair a little. All the bathrooms Stark had provided had a bathtub with a tap but also a showerhead that could point into the bath. Bucky elected to use this and, after ensuring it was a little warmer than lukewarm, he carefully helped (Y/N) into the tub, who was far too feverish to understand what was going on.
He rolled up her sleeves and then directed the shower tap at her hair. He did the tips first, which were hanging down as Bucky's metal arm supported (Y/N)'s body, and slowly worked his way up, getting the hair as wet as he could without touching it. Then, when he decided it was sodden he turned off the tap and reached for the shampoo.
At this point, the water on her scalp had helped cool (Y/N)'s fever a little, so she was able to support herself while Bucky worked shampoo into her scalp and the ends of her hair. When it was time to wash it out, she let out a little moan as the water touched her, and then caught herself. (Y/N)'s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and Bucky pretended not to notice.
He did a very quick and not very good job of the conditioner because he wasn't going to half finish the job but he could see (Y/N) flagging as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her face was still very pale, except for flushed cheeks and dark bruises under her eyes. He merely added the conditioner, brushed her hair while it was still in and then rinsed it as quickly as possible.
To dry her hair, Bucky draped a towel around (Y/N)'s shoulders, to prevent them from getting any wetter, and lifted her out of the mostly dry tub. She sat quietly on the side while Bucky wrapped up her hair in the towel (having done it to himself when he was sure no one was around) and then wiped down her collar bones and neck with another, clean and damp, towel. This time, when (Y/N) let out a little sigh of contentment, she didn't think to stop herself or even feel embarrassed.
It was when Bucky was carrying her back to her bed that she thought to say something at all, while he mentally debated whether she'd be capable of putting on a new top, as her current was damp around the collar.
"Bucky?" (Y/N) asked, her voice light and childlike
"Yeah doll?"
"Thanks." She nuzzled into his side, in the crook between his flesh arm and chest, and let out another sigh as she leaned against him with her eyes closed.
What? Bucky was so confused, didn't she despise him? Had she mistaken him for someone else? She couldn't be, she'd clearly said his name. So what was this?
When he didn't respond, but merely sat (Y/N) down on her bed, the young woman looked up, her eyes round and bright with fever, and asked, "why don't you like me?"
Caught by surprise, Bucky blurted the first thing he thought of. Anyway, she was too delirious to remember it for long, he was sure.
"I love you, (Y/N). It's you who dislikes me."
"But- but I... I really really like you! I want you to love me so I can love you back," she cried, her eyes brimming with tears. When did this child take over (Y/N)'s body?
"Alright doll, alright, I like you a lot too, you don't need to cry," he said, trying to be comforting. This was not Bucky's forte and he could feel himself floundering.
He backed away as (Y/N) wiped her eyes and, needing something to do, set off to the drawers where he found another pyjama top for the woman, unfortunately, (Y/N) didn't seem to have much in the way of pyjamas and there were no others she could just pull over her head, only this button-up one made with a silk-like material.
Bucky fervently hoped she'd be able to button it herself, but a small part of him would like to help her.
And, when he gave it to her, he turned before she could begin getting changed but was soon asked shyly if he could help her.
(Y/N) was sitting on the bed, having achieved taking off the old damp top and getting both her arms into the new one, with the top two buttons done up, before finding herself stuck. She was simply shaking too badly to continue so she held the sides of the top together for the super solider to button up.
Bucky flushed and helped her do the buttons as quickly as he could, looking away whenever he saw any skin exposed. Soon, (Y/N) was crawling back under the covers.
"Bucky," she whined as he didn't follow her, "please, stay."
And he did.
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Hi! Long time no see!!
If you enjoyed, please vote or comment or whatever? Thanks xx