James had been wandering the streets of New York on his own for hours, his black hair tied in a low bun to keep the locks out of his face, the leather jacket he wore clung to his body like a glove. Blue eyes skimmed over the happenings of the late night wanders, people just as lost as he was, it seemed… 

Every now and then he would meet eyes with strangers, loners like him, those without purpose and those running from demons and ghosts that clung to their lives, he would nod and nothing more as he passed by, unsure of where he was walking to. He had been cooped up for a while, not having the strength to leave his room at the compound. It had been a hard few weeks… 

The sound of a voice he knew like honey in tea caught his ear, trained eyes falling on Tatiana with ease… A stranger was gripping her, the giggling doctor he knew seemed out of rights… He’d never seen her so… giddy? But her voice contradicted her movements and the glaze that covered her eyes. He hesitated, but when he tried to lead her into a car, Bucky knew… he had to stop him. 

Whatever he was seeing was wrong. So very wrong. 

“Hey,” His voice cut through the air like a hot knife as he made deliberate strides towards the pair, cool eyes resting on his friend, the woman he trusted more than almost anyone right now. “Why don’t you let the little lady go,” James almost growled, his hand moving to pull the stranger’s off the thin Stark as he inserted himself between the pair. glaring darkly. 

“Tat, you okay? How many’d you have?” Bucky asked shortly as he kept a mean glare on the other male, his metal arm pulled back slightly and fist balled as he carefully guided Tatiana behind him. 

Her eyes were hazy, Bucky’s voice pulling her gaze to him as she grinned. This wasn’t her normal drunk behavior. Even after several drinks, the petite doctor was understated. She tended to keep to herself, drunk or not, and most certainly wasn’t one to stumble out the door of her favorite bar and get in the car with a silent stranger. Nor was she the type of woman to throw her head back and grin at Barnes dopily. 

“Hey handsome,” She slurred, dainty hand reaching up towards his face as she snorted. “I was just thinking about you, you know?” She mumbled, head lolling clumsily before she moved behind Bucky obediently. Her legs didn’t want to hold her, but they stayed underneath her slim body, for now. 

“This doesn’t concern you, buddy,” The sandy haired stranger said, his eyes darting around for an escape, an opening something. “She came with me willingly. She could’ve said no if she wanted to stay.” His voice was hard, laced with hostility. He looked… erratic, panicked. 

“So just go on with your night and leave the lovely miss alone, yeah?”

As he spoke, his hand moved, pushing his shirt back gently. His hand shook, his lips pressing thin as he looked at Bucky with wild eyes. His hand grabbed something and in the night, the light of the bar seemed to glint off of something metal tucked into his belt just beneath his hand.

Bucky didn’t move from his place in front of Tatiana, his icey blue eyes looked more like steal that had caught fire as he took in her behavior. The man knew better than to guess she was just plastered, it was too early for that, and even if she was plastered she would have never willingly stepped behind him if she truly was in her right mind. The words spilling from her lips only proved to James that she was not herself. 

‘Drugs’ he thought before he caught the small metallic glint of what seemed to be a blade at the stranger’s hip. ‘Bad move’, the dark thought rang in his mind before he let his fleshy hand press to the thin doctor behind him, keeping her close as his concealed metal arm braced in front of him, the bright metal covered by his  jacket and a leather glove. 

“I  don’t think so, buddy,” he spat out. “Unlike you, I know her. I know how she behaves when she’s drunk, and when she’s sober. You have no idea who you’re messing with so I’d suggest moving along before I make sure you don’t walk away. “ 

Winter trailed just behind him, the crueler side of James foaming at the mouth as rage curled in his stomach, his lips downturned in a scowl. “Now, make your choice. Try me. I’ve killed people when I was calm, imagine what I’ll do when I’m pissed.” 

The stranger began to sweat, swallowing thickly. Common sense said to walk on, keep the hunt for another day, but his pride disagreed. Who did this guy think he was, walking up her and trying to insinuate himself? Nah, that wasn’t gonna fucking fly. 

“You think you’re a tough guy? Yeah? Then come the fuck on.” He lifted the glinting blade of his knife between them, bloodshot eyes fixed on Bucky now. “I’ll cut you to pieces, then take your bitch home anyways.”

That’s when the crash hit. All at once, Tatiana felt sick, skin flushing as her chest grew tight, rivulets of sweat dripping down her skin as she shivered. Cold… christ it was so cold. Where was her jacket? Her stomach churned as the world seemed to fold and unfold around her, only one constant holding her thoughts. Bucky’s voice… Bucky…

He was… talking about…killing someone..? No… Bucky wouldn’t. 

Winter.

Stumbling forward, half blind, ignoring the violent protests of her body and the knotted twisting of her stomach, she threw her arms around Bucky, holding him tight. Fear gripped her. She couldn’t see!

“Bucky– don’t. Please, god, don’t kill him, please, don’t…don’t kill anyone!” The words felt easy, but sounded breathless, barely a helpless whimpering of a plea. God.. she was just so tired.

Without much movement, James let his metal arm flick upwards, the clink of both metals clashing chaotic. Not giving the man a chance to get in a hit, Bucky let his arm fly against the males wrist, sending the knife flying.

The words of Tatiana’s plea ghosted the Sargent’s ears as he shoved the creep back towards the wall, taking note of every feature he could. Greasy black hair and stone grey eyes. Hooked nose and a five o'clock shadow. A scar on his neck about the size of a dime. Things he would need for later.

“Tatiana, let go. ” The Winter Soldier’s words were cold and clipped before he pulled away, careful not to knock her over as he shed his jacket, dropping it over her shoulders before he dove into beating the dumb bastard. Not enough to kill him but he’d think twice about this shit.

Turning to walk towards the blade, the man kicked it into the gutter before picking the younger Stark sibling and carrying her away, so he could hail a cab, he could call the police, and get her home.

“You’ve got to be smart, Tat. I’m here though. Just breathe. ” Bucky’s voice had softened now that they were away from danger, low and strained as anger and worry coiled up his stiffened spine.

When her prop left her, her knees buckled, the forward motion of Bucky hurtling her towards the ground. The world around her moved too fast for her to process. Before she knew it, a cold feelings had washed over her knees and palms and all she could see was the gray and white of the frosty sidewalk.

What..?

The sounds of Bucky beating the handsome stranger to hell and back sounded less like flesh and flesh and more like muffled gunshots in a far distance. Nothing sounded right, nothing looked right, and she still felt so sick.

Cold… She was so cold. So…why was there sweat dripping from her brow?

Like a beacon in the night, Bucky’s are came to save her, pulling her from the depths of a gray world so she could see his face. She could hear him talking, and she knew what he was saying, but… It still made no sense to her addled mind. Faintly, she could comprehend gentle reassurances, but that was it.

“My hero,” she mumbled softly, a dull smile dusting her features before she gave in, nuzzling his shoulder once before her eyes succumbed to their growing heaviness and she drifted off.

Bucky frowned as she fell asleep, settling her in one side of the cab, gave his address after not finding her key on her, and then settled in for the drive. Carefully, he wiped her brow as the sheen of sweat collected, holding her gently and lightly letting his fingers trail over her arm. 

Once they were at his home, he paid the driver and got her inside with some difficulty, holding her purse in between his teeth as he carried her to his bed. Locking up before he set to  changing her carefully. His hands shook as he removed her outfit and replaced it with a pair of his shorts and a dark tshirt. Tucking her in, Bucky whispered a soft ‘goodnight. ‘ Dimming the bedroom light, he made sure her phone was plugged in on the nightstand, the hall light was on, and she had three bottles of water near by. 

When morning came, Bucky was leaned on the counter in his kitchen, the scent of coffee, bacon, and pancakes filled the entire apartment. The window that overlooked the already crowded streets of NYC was cracked open while the winter solider puffed at a cigarette, his blue eyes tired. He hadn’t slept. despite trying.  He had ended up walking back to his room where Tatiana lay to check her temperature and make sure she was sleeping well, his hand had often rested against her neck as he checked her pulse every twenty minutes, the rest of the time was spent checking the locks.  

When Tatiana awoke, it was with hazy eyes, the world around her blurry, but familiar. As she blinked a few times, her vision cleared and she could see a simple bedroom, with a wooden wardrobe right in front of her. If she glanced up, she’d find her phone within arms reach.

Reaching up to grab it, she winced, moving to sit up. Her skin ached and her blood felt like fire. What… What had happened? She couldn’t remember. The last thing she recalled was sitting down for a drink at the bar. She’d been there so many times; she felt safe there. On screen, she had various missed calls from her brother and Steve, groaning when she read them.

‘You still okay to drive back?’ - Steve

'Cutting it close.’ -Tony, 1 am

As the texts went on, they got more frantic, driving an exhausted groan from her burning throat. Had she gotten sick? Who…who had she slept with? She was almost certain that she knew them. The room was… Eerily familiar.

Climbing out of bed on quaking legs, she dropped her phone on the bed and stumbled out of the room. Bracing a hand on the wall to keep her upright, she found her way down the hall and into the main area, freezing at who she saw there.

Oh my fucking god…

“Barnes?” She asked, rubbing her forehead and staring at him. Oh no, no, anyone but him. Why this? “Uh- well, I can’t lie, I wasn’t expecting that. Listen, I want to lead this by saying that… I- I don’t normally do things like this, I swear.”

James glanced up and rolled his eyes slightly, holding a hand up to silence the thin beauty before him. She really looked stunning in his clothes…

“Don’t worry, you didn’t sleep with anyone. Bettin’ you don’t remember what happened, do you, doll?” He asked as he straightened and tapped out his smoke in a nearby ashtray. Pulling her food onto a plate, he slid it onto the small table that sat between the counters and the wall.

“D'you find your phone?” He asked as he set to making her coffee, setting it down with her plate, along with the creamer and sugar tin. His eyes flicked over the young woman, she looked spooked. He knew how ill she must feel…

“You’ll want to call your doctor anr get a drug screen.. when I saw you, you weren’t yourself. Not sure what you were on but… The guy behind it is in a holding cell.” Bucky spoke matter of factly, the worry etched on his face was unadulterated, he didn’t have the energy to joke or pretend he didn’t care.

He cared more than he should for someone who would never see him as more than a pity case.

James had been wandering the streets of New York on his own for hours, his black hair tied in a low bun to keep the locks out of his face, the leather jacket he wore clung to his body like a glove. Blue eyes skimmed over the happenings of the late night wanders, people just as lost as he was, it seemed… 

Every now and then he would meet eyes with strangers, loners like him, those without purpose and those running from demons and ghosts that clung to their lives, he would nod and nothing more as he passed by, unsure of where he was walking to. He had been cooped up for a while, not having the strength to leave his room at the compound. It had been a hard few weeks… 

The sound of a voice he knew like honey in tea caught his ear, trained eyes falling on Tatiana with ease… A stranger was gripping her, the giggling doctor he knew seemed out of rights… He’d never seen her so… giddy? But her voice contradicted her movements and the glaze that covered her eyes. He hesitated, but when he tried to lead her into a car, Bucky knew… he had to stop him. 

Whatever he was seeing was wrong. So very wrong. 

“Hey,” His voice cut through the air like a hot knife as he made deliberate strides towards the pair, cool eyes resting on his friend, the woman he trusted more than almost anyone right now. “Why don’t you let the little lady go,” James almost growled, his hand moving to pull the stranger’s off the thin Stark as he inserted himself between the pair. glaring darkly. 

“Tat, you okay? How many’d you have?” Bucky asked shortly as he kept a mean glare on the other male, his metal arm pulled back slightly and fist balled as he carefully guided Tatiana behind him. 

Her eyes were hazy, Bucky’s voice pulling her gaze to him as she grinned. This wasn’t her normal drunk behavior. Even after several drinks, the petite doctor was understated. She tended to keep to herself, drunk or not, and most certainly wasn’t one to stumble out the door of her favorite bar and get in the car with a silent stranger. Nor was she the type of woman to throw her head back and grin at Barnes dopily. 

“Hey handsome,” She slurred, dainty hand reaching up towards his face as she snorted. “I was just thinking about you, you know?” She mumbled, head lolling clumsily before she moved behind Bucky obediently. Her legs didn’t want to hold her, but they stayed underneath her slim body, for now. 

“This doesn’t concern you, buddy,” The sandy haired stranger said, his eyes darting around for an escape, an opening something. “She came with me willingly. She could’ve said no if she wanted to stay.” His voice was hard, laced with hostility. He looked… erratic, panicked. 

“So just go on with your night and leave the lovely miss alone, yeah?”

As he spoke, his hand moved, pushing his shirt back gently. His hand shook, his lips pressing thin as he looked at Bucky with wild eyes. His hand grabbed something and in the night, the light of the bar seemed to glint off of something metal tucked into his belt just beneath his hand.

Bucky didn’t move from his place in front of Tatiana, his icey blue eyes looked more like steal that had caught fire as he took in her behavior. The man knew better than to guess she was just plastered, it was too early for that, and even if she was plastered she would have never willingly stepped behind him if she truly was in her right mind. The words spilling from her lips only proved to James that she was not herself. 

‘Drugs’ he thought before he caught the small metallic glint of what seemed to be a blade at the stranger’s hip. ‘Bad move’, the dark thought rang in his mind before he let his fleshy hand press to the thin doctor behind him, keeping her close as his concealed metal arm braced in front of him, the bright metal covered by his  jacket and a leather glove. 

“I  don’t think so, buddy,” he spat out. “Unlike you, I know her. I know how she behaves when she’s drunk, and when she’s sober. You have no idea who you’re messing with so I’d suggest moving along before I make sure you don’t walk away. “ 

Winter trailed just behind him, the crueler side of James foaming at the mouth as rage curled in his stomach, his lips downturned in a scowl. “Now, make your choice. Try me. I’ve killed people when I was calm, imagine what I’ll do when I’m pissed.” 

The stranger began to sweat, swallowing thickly. Common sense said to walk on, keep the hunt for another day, but his pride disagreed. Who did this guy think he was, walking up her and trying to insinuate himself? Nah, that wasn’t gonna fucking fly. 

“You think you’re a tough guy? Yeah? Then come the fuck on.” He lifted the glinting blade of his knife between them, bloodshot eyes fixed on Bucky now. “I’ll cut you to pieces, then take your bitch home anyways.”

That’s when the crash hit. All at once, Tatiana felt sick, skin flushing as her chest grew tight, rivulets of sweat dripping down her skin as she shivered. Cold… christ it was so cold. Where was her jacket? Her stomach churned as the world seemed to fold and unfold around her, only one constant holding her thoughts. Bucky’s voice… Bucky…

He was… talking about…killing someone..? No… Bucky wouldn’t. 

Winter.

Stumbling forward, half blind, ignoring the violent protests of her body and the knotted twisting of her stomach, she threw her arms around Bucky, holding him tight. Fear gripped her. She couldn’t see!

“Bucky– don’t. Please, god, don’t kill him, please, don’t…don’t kill anyone!” The words felt easy, but sounded breathless, barely a helpless whimpering of a plea. God.. she was just so tired.

Without much movement, James let his metal arm flick upwards, the clink of both metals clashing chaotic. Not giving the man a chance to get in a hit, Bucky let his arm fly against the males wrist, sending the knife flying.

The words of Tatiana’s plea ghosted the Sargent’s ears as he shoved the creep back towards the wall, taking note of every feature he could. Greasy black hair and stone grey eyes. Hooked nose and a five o'clock shadow. A scar on his neck about the size of a dime. Things he would need for later.

“Tatiana, let go. ” The Winter Soldier’s words were cold and clipped before he pulled away, careful not to knock her over as he shed his jacket, dropping it over her shoulders before he dove into beating the dumb bastard. Not enough to kill him but he’d think twice about this shit.

Turning to walk towards the blade, the man kicked it into the gutter before picking the younger Stark sibling and carrying her away, so he could hail a cab, he could call the police, and get her home.

“You’ve got to be smart, Tat. I’m here though. Just breathe. ” Bucky’s voice had softened now that they were away from danger, low and strained as anger and worry coiled up his stiffened spine.

When her prop left her, her knees buckled, the forward motion of Bucky hurtling her towards the ground. The world around her moved too fast for her to process. Before she knew it, a cold feelings had washed over her knees and palms and all she could see was the gray and white of the frosty sidewalk.

What..?

The sounds of Bucky beating the handsome stranger to hell and back sounded less like flesh and flesh and more like muffled gunshots in a far distance. Nothing sounded right, nothing looked right, and she still felt so sick.

Cold… She was so cold. So…why was there sweat dripping from her brow?

Like a beacon in the night, Bucky’s are came to save her, pulling her from the depths of a gray world so she could see his face. She could hear him talking, and she knew what he was saying, but… It still made no sense to her addled mind. Faintly, she could comprehend gentle reassurances, but that was it.

“My hero,” she mumbled softly, a dull smile dusting her features before she gave in, nuzzling his shoulder once before her eyes succumbed to their growing heaviness and she drifted off.

Bucky frowned as she fell asleep, settling her in one side of the cab, gave his address after not finding her key on her, and then settled in for the drive. Carefully, he wiped her brow as the sheen of sweat collected, holding her gently and lightly letting his fingers trail over her arm. 

Once they were at his home, he paid the driver and got her inside with some difficulty, holding her purse in between his teeth as he carried her to his bed. Locking up before he set to  changing her carefully. His hands shook as he removed her outfit and replaced it with a pair of his shorts and a dark tshirt. Tucking her in, Bucky whispered a soft ‘goodnight. ‘ Dimming the bedroom light, he made sure her phone was plugged in on the nightstand, the hall light was on, and she had three bottles of water near by. 

When morning came, Bucky was leaned on the counter in his kitchen, the scent of coffee, bacon, and pancakes filled the entire apartment. The window that overlooked the already crowded streets of NYC was cracked open while the winter solider puffed at a cigarette, his blue eyes tired. He hadn’t slept. despite trying.  He had ended up walking back to his room where Tatiana lay to check her temperature and make sure she was sleeping well, his hand had often rested against her neck as he checked her pulse every twenty minutes, the rest of the time was spent checking the locks.  

The cottage they were at had been Tat’s for years. Despite the fact that it had been completely empty, she still shelled out the money for constant upkeep. What she didn’t tell Bucky was how she’d gotten it. Her converse-clad feet never stopped moving.

This cottage had been an early wedding present for Tatiana from her brother. The last time she’d been here was the day that would’ve been the last one of her honeymoon. She’d been blitzed out of her mind and in her drunken grief had tried to burn the place down. Now, she was grateful that she hadn’t. Despite the bittersweet burn being here left, she could think of nowhere she’d rather get away to, and for that matter, no one she’d rather get away with. It had happened slowly, behind her back, her frienship with Bucky. She’d never expected it to, but it had fallen into her lap, and now, she had one of the closest friends she’d ever known.

“That’s easy,” she laughed, her feet still following their trodden path. “Time travel. No money can buy something that doesn’t exists and in all attemps had proven impossible.” Her hair was tied in a messy bun, the loose strands framing her face falling to about chin length. This game was a favorite, something concocted in their therapy sessions in order to make Bucky feel more secure and less like he was being interrogated. The Question Game, they called it. You kept going, asking and answering questions untill someone ran out, then, they lost and owed you a boon.

“If you could have any dish from the 40’s that doesn’t exist today, what’d it be?” She fired back, pausing to cast a glance over her shoulder, the sun giving her skin a soft glow and lighting up her amber eyes as she looked at him, a small smile culing on her lips. Nothing could take away the pain of losing Danny, and she would never forget loving him, but… Did that mean she could never love again, or…was their still hope for her?

Nodding, Bucky listened as she explained, chucking at the thought. It was simple, yes, but it was still odd in his mind that it was what came to mind when dreams were in question. There were still so many mysteries that came with Tatiana Stark, but over time James had slowly inched his way inside the walls she had built. 


His relaxed hand moved, sliding through his freshly groomed hair as he thought. there were many foods that had been continued, altered but things didn’t change that much. Brows furrowing, the military man let his lips purse as he thought. 

“Well, I guess that’s a bit harder to say… It’s not something you couldn’t make, most don’t though… but, I’d have to say icebox honey and lemon cookies. “ He said with a small chuckle, his hand sliding from his hair to his neck. “My nan used to have a batch in the cookie jar and another roll in the refrigerator to make real quick if the grandkids were coming by.” 

Letting his eyes trail over the short beauty, he smiled, blue eyes meeting amber ones for a split second before his gaze flicked to the cloud spotted sky, picking out a few random shapes. Things had been relaxed these days, it felt safe, and normal. Like they were just two crazy kids taking it one day at a time… No war to fight, no battles to win…

“You’ve got to have a favorite Disney princess, right?” He inquired as his brows raised. The Stark sibling was very much like her older brother, but there were always surprisingly simple things that set her apart, and showed just how gentle, genuine, and feminine the woman could be. Even when kicking her brothers ass. 

The gentle curl of her hair often reminded him of that, or the carefully painted eyeliner she wore. The intensity of the red lipstick she had worn every day since he had met her…. 

She was so beautiful.

And so out of his league. 

“Jasmine.” She answered with a grin, standing still in her spot for a long moment. She couldn’t help but look him over and just… appreciate how he looked in that white t-shirt and jeans. It was probably one of the simplest outfits but damn if it didn’t get the softhearted young doctor warm under the collar.  He looked so good it ought to be a sin. Maybe it was. Hell, what did she care? She was an atheist.

Keep reading

The question that came off the doctors lips after a good bit of stumbling and rambling made the sergeant’s eyebrows quirk, a smirk slowly building onto his face as he though back to the old days. He had dated quite a lot of pretty girls and handsome boys in his youth… There had been many times he would throw away his responsibilities just to run the town with someone. It was fun. 

Those had been the good days, when he didn’t have to worry about someone saying a magic set of words, taking his life into their hands. Turning him into a monster that had murdered—

‘Too deep. Stop. Back to the question.’ 

“Well,” James laughed, a small blush burning his cheeks as he tore his mind away from the cliff that overlooked seas of guilt and pain, years he had lost to H.Y.D.R.A. People he had lost because of them. Blue eyes flicked back to Tatiana, his body shifting so he was better facing her, 

“Oh yeah, of course. Loads of dates all the time, in fact I’m on one right now. “ The sarcasm dripped off his lips, a bit of resentment for Tony and Steve both as his smile dropped from his face, his hands fidgiting before he pulled the cardboard pack of smokes from his jeans, tearing it open and pulling one free. Next came a lighter as he glanced her over. 

“I don’t exactly leave the compound without a shadow or someone with me. Dates would be kind of awkward, but,” the dark haired male’s voice trailed again as he lit the cigarette, taking a deep drag before releasing the grey smoke into the air, letting his finger hold the filter with an uncharacteristic gentility. 

“If you’re offering, I won’t say no.”