"Here we go." Tony placed you down on a workbench in Bruce's lab. You clung to his shoulders, looking frantically around the room checking every nook and cranny for lingering blue shadows with red eyes.
"Hey." His voice drew you back to him. "Are you okay?"
You swallowed a few times, trying to get your voice to work. When it did, it came out in a whisper. "I don't know."
"Does anything hurt?" He asked looking up and down your body checking for injuries.
You immediately grabbed your forearm where Bucky had touched you with his non-metal hand.
"Let me see." Tony gently took your hand in his to bring your arm up to inspect it.
There on your forearm was a burn in the distinct shape of a handprint.
"What happened here?" He prodded at the edges.
"Uhhh-" You didn't know what to tell them. You didn't want to get Bucky in trouble, and you certainly didn't want any more punishments from Demon.
"Olivia, we can't help you if you don't talk to us." Bruce said as he walked up beside Tony, various medical supplies in his arms.
Demon said I can work with them. I just can't tell them he exists. You thought.
Very good, pet.
You panicked slightly when you heard his voice in your head. But another look around the room proved he wasn't there.
"Whoa. Okay, just take a few deep breaths. You don't have to tell us anything just yet." Tony reassured you while glaring at Bruce.
Bruce got the hint. "Yeah. Let's just start with patching up that burn. Shouldn't need any regeneration from the cradle, but it looks like it hurts."
"It d-does." You stuttered.
Tony backed up to make room for Bruce to work. After a few minutes, your arm was wrapped up and the pain had diminished from whatever cream Bruce had applied.
"Now, can we get you in the cradle? I'd like a full body scan." Bruce held up a hand to help you down off the table.
He led you over to the pod and helped you lie down in it, closing the lid and turning it on. The machine took about fifteen minutes to complete all the scans. When you were finished, Tony helped you out and pulled up a chair for you to sit in while the two men looked over the results.
"It just doesn't make sense. Everything is normal. With the amount of stress she just went through, something should be elevated. The only thing even slightly off is her core temperature. It's lower than average." Bruce kept going, listing all of the chemical compounds and their meanings. But you just zoned out.
"Let's pull up the footage from the training level. Maybe there's something there to see that could help us figure out what triggered the episode." Tony suggested, already pulling up the footage on the projected computer screen.
He fast forwarded through most of the morning, pausing at the part where Bucky grabbed your arm. He turned and looked at you. "Is this what caused the burn?"
You shrugged. "I guess."
"Hmmm." Tony rewound the tape, going much slower this time. He played it back starting the moment you got onto the mat with Bucky.
"Ooof, that was a hard knock." Bruce winced when you watched Bucky sweep your feet out from under you, knocking you down. "Should probably monitor for concussion." Bruce turned back to his screen to type some information in.
"Wait." Tony called Bruce's attention back over. "Look at that."
You all three watched the change in your body as you stood back up. Gone was the insecure girl that had stepped onto the mat. In her place was someone who radiated confidence. Back straight, you took on a proper stance, countering Bucky's every move with speed and skill.
"How did you-" Tony looked over at you in awe.
"I just really wanted to beat him. It was almost like I knew what he was going to do, before he did it." You explained.
"Even so, you're not just avoiding here." He pointed to the screen as the video continued. "You are fully countering. These moves take months to learn, let alone master."
"Look at her eyes." Bruce zoomed in to focus on your face. The whites of your eyes were beginning to fill with shadowy blue wisps.
The fighting ended just as you remembered. You sat in your chair blushing at the compromising position Bucky had you pinned in. Tony looked over at you from the corners of his eyes.
"There!" Bruce exclaimed, drawing your and Tony's attention back to the video.
Your recording was now on the other side of the mat, looking terrified.
"What? Back it up, I missed it." Tony asked.
Bruce rewound and you watched as one moment you were smiling, enjoying Bucky's taunting. The next your eyes turned neon blue, the shadows completely taking over. You watched as Bucky tried to regain your attention, growing anxious over your prone form. When the shadows began to recede, your expression changed from blank, to horrified. You pushed at Bucky's chest, smokey blue tendrils poured out of your hands lifting him in the air and throwing him in a heap a few feet away while you scurried backwards.
"Freaky." Tony whispered.
"We need to call him up here. He should be checked out." Bruce suggested.
"FRIDAY, send for Barnes. It's urgent." Tony called out to the A.I.
Tony and Bruce continued to rewatch the tape as you sat there picking at the edge of your bandage.
The sound of the door whooshing open had you looking up. Bucky stopped walking when he saw you sitting there. After a moment he rushed over.
"Barnes, we need to show you-" Bruce started.
"Are you okay?" Bucky reached out to take your hands. At the contact your left hand stung, you whimpered and pulled away.
"Stop!" Tony yelled, coming over to inspect your hand. The tips of your fingers were now a bright red. Tony glared up at him.
"You can't touch her." He growled.
"I did that?" Barnes looked at you apologetically. "How?"
"That's what we need to figure out." Bruce led Bucky over to a chair on the other side of the room. Bucky didn't take his eyes off you.
"Alright kid, let's get some cool water on this. It doesn't look as bad as your arm." Tony took you over to a sink and held your hand under the running water.
Bruce was working with Bucky, showing him the playback of the video. He kept glancing your way through the screen, noticing the little shivers racking your body. When they were finished, Bucky got a clean bill of health. No abnormalities showing on any of his scans either. He made his way over to you and silently took off his sweatshirt, pushing the bundle into your arms.
"Alright." Tony clapped his hands together. "So basically we don't know much."
"Anything, we don't know anything." Bruce corrected.
You pulled the sweatshirt over your sports bra, thankful for the slight warmth it provided.
"Wrong." Tony pointed at you and Bucky. "We know that these two cannot come into contact without causing severe burns to Olivia's skin."
"We don't know why though." Bruce added.
"Correct. So I have decided that until we do know why, the two of you are to remain separated."
"What? Tony come on that's not-" You started to argue.
"It's already been decided. My tower, my rules." He looked at you sternly.
"We literally live across the hall from each other. You expect us to never leave our rooms?" You asked.
You knew you were being bratty, but Bucky was your closest friend here beside Tony who was more like a father figure.
"Olivia." Bucky got your attention. You looked over at him confused. He never used your full name. "It's fine. Tony's right, I can't hurt you again. Until we know what this is, it's for the best."
"Bucky, no." You argued.
"I do have one question though." He continued. "Last night in the library, did I hurt you then?"
Instead of answering you looked down at your still red fingertips, biting your lip.
"That's what I thought. Goodbye, Olivia. See you around." He walked out of the lab.
"Night in the library?" Tony asked.
"Don't ask, Tony." You mumbled.
"I can always just find it in the system's footage." He hedged.
"You have cameras everywhere?" You looked at him, shocked.
"Not everywhere. Your rooms are private." He rolled his eyes.
"Oh, okay. Well definitely don't look up last night. It's not anything you're gonna want to see."
"Gag."
It was your turn to roll your eyes. "Still not a kid, Tony. Anyways, yes he did hurt me. I didn't tell him because I thought it was just a side effect of that Asgardian stuff Thor brought. It wasn't as severe as today, just an overall heat throughout my body that slowly increased to a fever pitch. But I was able to cool off without any lasting marks. This-" You gestured to your bandaged arm. "This was an instant, scorching burn."
"So it's progressed. That's helpful information. See, we do know some things." Tony half smiled.
"With the serum in his veins, his core temperature does run hot. And apparently yours runs cool. Maybe that could have something to do with it." Bruce's voice trailed off as he opened a book, deep in thought.
"I think I'm gonna go shower. I'm kinda sweaty, in all the wrong ways." You got up and headed for the door.
"I mean it kid, stay away from Barnes. It's for your own good." Tony called after you.