She woke up to the door opening, she had shuffled under the blankets by the time he had came back. He had a tray in his hands and he carefully slid under the covers next to her. He sat in the bed, his back against the headboard and put the tray in his lap.
"Doll, do you want to wake up and eat something?" He said quietly, running a hand through her hair. She was awake, but tired. She groaned and moved to sit up, he helped her and leaned her against him, his flesh arm wrapping around her with a smile.
She looked down at the tray and smiled, he somehow had her favorite things in front of him. Was he magic or just lucky? There was a large steak on the plate along with a heaping pile of garlicy mashed potatoes and roasted carrots, they smelled sweet, maybe cinnamon. There was also a dish of steamed cauliflower on the side. The entire meal smelled incredible and he had a matching plate next to it.
"I didnt know how you liked your steak, or if you even liked steak. So I went with my favorite, rare. I can take it back if you need me to" he said, he almost sounded shy. She smiled up at him and kissed his chest.
"Rare is perfect" she said. He cut the steaks for them both and they ate in comfortable silence. She couldnt finish her meal so she was done before him and laid her head on his chest while he finished. When he was done he kissed her forehead and hopped up, taking the tray with him. He was back before she even situated. Sliding off his clothes and climbing back in the bed with her. He slid her down to him and laid her on his chest, both arms wrapping around her.
Chelsea sighed happily and looked up at him, he was staring at her and smiling. "Why are you so nice to me?" She said, resting her chin on his chest.
"Because you're perfect" he said, he leaned his head down and kissed her forehead again. He started rubbing her back softly. He smiled and shuffled under her, sitting up in the bed.
"Flip over" he said happily. She sighed, she wasn't ready to have sex again, she still ached from his size. He must have read her mind cause he chuckled lightly "That's not what I'm thinking, doll, just trust me" he said. She did trust him, undeniably. She flipped onto her stomach and laid her head on the pillow. He got up and came around to the side of the bed. He spread her legs and straddled her, sitting on the bed between her legs. She sucked on a breath, she trusted him but she was sore.
He reached up with both hands and started massaging her neck. He rubbed her neck, her entire back and gently massaged her ass occasionally. She happily sighed and sunk her head into the pillow while he worked his magic. At one point he laid his metal hand on her waist while he reached up and massaged her head with his flesh hand. She groaned and smiled into the pillow. Everything he did felt so good, everything he did was perfect.
She fell asleep to the feeling of him massaging her back, she couldn't even tell how long he sat there and did that but she never wanted it to stop.
As soon as he realized she was asleep he carefully climbed out of bed, slipping his clothes back on and rolling her onto her back. She curled up in a happy little ball and held onto the pillow, smiling.
When Bucky stepped out of the bedroom and down the hallway he sighed, he didn't want to deal with Sam or Zemo but he felt bad for leaving Sam with him. It was a 24 hour flight, he couldn't avoid them forever. Luckily there were 3 bedrooms on the large plane though.
Zemo looked up and saw Bucky immediately, smiling a little.
"Ah, Soldier, where did the young girl go?" He said with a smirk. If he was trying to get under Bucky's skin it was working.
He made his way to Zemo but before reaching him Sam put his hand on Bucky's shoulder. That was enough to calm Bucky down for nowm He was the one that broke Zemo out of prison for his help. He was grateful for the help but he still hated Zemo for using him all those years ago. But he remembered what Chelsea told him, he wasn't that man anymore.
"Her name is Chelsea" he said, not making eye contact with Zemo.
Zemo adjusted in his seat and smiled. "Chelsea, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Tell me, Soldier, are you capable of love?"
Bucky felt his jaw clench, he didn't want to answer that. He didn't know if he loved Chelsea but he knew he'd die to protect her, he knew he'd kill to protect her. He ignored the question and looked straight at Zemo, jaw still tightly clenched. "If you pull anything that puts her in danger I'll kill you" He said, he didn't break eye contact until Zemo answered.
"I will not hurt your precious girl, Soldier. Your precious Avengers may have taken my love from me but I will not return the favor." Zemo knew they weren't responsible for his wife's death, but it was easier to blame them than himself. Zemo looked away and stared out the window, Bucky looked at Sam who was smiling at Bucky.
"I like her, Buck, she's good for you" he said, standing up to stretch.
"I'll show you your room" Sam said to Zemo, they had only been in the air for 7 hours but it was getting late and everyone was getting tired.
Sam came back and him and Bucky talked for a while. Bucky hadn't realized he left Chelsea in bed alone for the last 2 hours, when he did he rushed back to her. He was afraid she'd be awake and think he ditched her. To his surprise when he quietly opened the door she was just how he left her. In a small ball hugging the pillow with a smile on her face. He slipped off his clothes and climbed in bed next to her. She shifted and stretched her legs out, laying her head on his chest and wrapping an arm around his chest. He wrapped both arms around her and traced gentle patterns along her back until he fell asleep.
By some miracle he didnt have a nightmare, two nights in a row he had a peaceful sleep. He knew she was the reason, she may feel safe around her but he felt safe too.
He woke up to her shuffling in bed, almost thrashing, she was sweaty and mumbling. He knew exactly what this was, he's felt the familiar fear every night for years. He gently gripped her shoulders and gave her a small shake. "Wake up, doll" he said in her ear. She didn't, she continued to squirm and mumble. He moved his hand to her face and gave a few gentle taps to her cheek. Her eyes shot open and she gasped. As soon as she saw his steel blue eyes staring back at her in fear she tossed her head down onto the pillow, trying to catch her breath.
Nothing needed to be said, he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her arm with his flesh hand. When she calmed down she looked over at him, she almost looked more tired than when she'd went to sleep.
"Sometimes I still see the men from that night, sometimes I still feel what they did" she said in a whisper. He pulled her closer and kissed her head.
"I'm sorry, doll. You're safe now, you're with me. Nobody will hurt you when you're with me, I promise" he said between kisses to her temple. She smiled and laid her head on his chest again.
"Do you need another shower, doll?" He said, rubbing her arm still, she shook her head no and kissed his bare chest. She did wake up in a sweat but she didn't want to move. She was starting to get cold as she calmed down though.
Bucky felt the goosebumps on her arms and reached over to the couch, grabbing a second blanket and wrapping her up. "Would you like me to rub your back again?" He said calmly, he was willing to do anything to get her back to her happy sleep from before.
"No.." she said hesitantly, keeping her head against his chest. He chucked and sat up. "Flip" he said sweetly, running a hand through her messy blonde hair.
She smiled and quickly flipped over, everything he did felt so good. He quickly got into the same position as before and massaged her until she was sound asleep again. When he caught her sleeping he laid down next to her and slid her over to him, laying her on her side. They face each other and he kept both arms around her. He finally fell back to sleep.
Bucky had no idea how long he had slept but he woke up to her sitting on the side of the bed, her face was red and she had gently tapped his chest. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"I don't trust myself yet" she said shyly, he knew exactly what she meant. He chuckled lightly and hopped up, picking her up with him. He carried her into the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet. "Do you need me?" He said. She shook her head no and he closed the door behind him, sitting on the small couch to wait for her. When he heard her call his name he hopped up and walked in, he carried her over to the sink and sat her down on it. She washed her hands and her face quickly. One look in the mirror and she laughed at the site of herself, her hair was a mess and she had mascara under her eyes. He grabbed a Washcloth and wet it with warm water, wiping her face off for her while she smiled up at him.
They got ready for the day together, he was careful sitting her feet on the floor. He didn't let go of her until she was comfortable standing on her own. They walked out of the room together and down the small hallway to the main part of the plane. Zemo was already sitting there, calmly drinking his liquor. Sam joined them shortly after and told them they were about to land for a few hours to refuel. Their trip still had another 12 hours to go aside from their fueling. 16 hours left until they would land in Madripoor as long as fueling was on time.
They landed and everyone got out to stretch their legs, Chelsea kept her grip on Bucky's arm. She's never left the country before, she wasn't even sure where they were or where they were going. She was about to say something when her phone rang. She was confused, her service had been cut off. She never got the chance to turn it back on.
She smiled when she saw Clint's name pop up on the caller ID. Bucky offered to leave her alone but she gripped his arm tighter.
"Are you okay, Chelsea? Are the guys keeping you safe" he said as soon as she answered the phone.
"Of course they are, I don't think Bucky's left my side once" she said, nudging Bucky's arm.
Clint laughed and let out a sigh "I already know what that means, baby sister. He's a good guy" he said, her face flushed and Bucky looked down and smiled at her. Damn his super hearing.
"I turned your phone back on, but it's a new number now, okay? Please don't call anyone but The Avengers until this is over." He said flatly.
"Clint I don't even know who's still alive after these 5 years, I have nobody left"
"Good" was all Clint said, that stung her heart and she had to stop herself from getting teary eyed.
"I think one of your friends is the one who tipped the Flag Smashers off to you, don't trust anyone but Sam and Bucky right now. Okay?" He said.
She never thought about that, why would one of her friends turn her into a group of terrorists?
Her and Clint talked on the phone the entire time the plane refueled. It ended up taking 5 hours, they were at the end of a long time. When they were done she told Clint she loved him but she had to go. He asked to talk to Bucky for a minute.
Bucky took the phone and walked her into the plane, making sure she was buckled in before walking up to the cockpit to talk privately.
"Clint I already know what you're going to say, I won't hurt your sister" he said with a small laugh.
Clint didn't laugh. "I know you know about the 4 men, Bucky. What you don't know is there were 5, she didn't see him that night. But Natasha did, he got away though. He was the one that tipped The Flag Smashers off that she would have the serum. She doesn't, he just wants to hurt her for getting his friends killed." He said, his tone was cold and flat.
Bucky clenched his jaw and balled his metal arm into a fist, how could someone rape a young woman and then want revenge on her. He wanted to find this man and kill him.
"I know she's safe with you, Buck, I just wanted you to know how she got into this situation. I've already taken care of the man, you take care of The Flag Smashers."
The two spoke for a few more minutes and Bucky felt a pit in his stomach. He quickly got off the phone with Clint and headed to the main part of the plane. Zemo was sitting next to Chelsea, she was safe but she didn't look happy. Bucky came over and towered over Zemo. Zemo got up and moved without saying a word.
Bucky sat next to her and wrapped her arm around her, he was hoping he didn't have to tell her about the 5th man, it wasn't his place. She leaned her head on him and looked up at him. "How much longer until we're there?" She said softly. He kissed her head and gave her waist a gentle squeeze.
"We should be taking off in the next hour, then 12 more hours before we land" he said. Sam stepped on the plane and sighed. "15, actually, there's a storm we have to avoid" he said and sat on the other side of Chelsea.