Trapped and Vulnerable - BB x R (1)
You sighed heavily, taking your reading glasses off and placing them on the glass of your office desk. Stitching up a bruised and battered Steve Rogers was the most interesting thing you’d done all day, and even then he healed so quickly the wounds were practically already healing when you finished the last stitch.
You mentally chastised yourself for wishing you’d been busier. That usually involved setting dislocated joints and broken bones (and that one particularly noteworthy time which involved removing a foreign object from an embarrassed Tony Stark) and you didn’t want to accidentally wish harm on any of the Avengers, whom you’d begun to think of as friends since joining the medical team nearly a year ago. The only person that you still had trouble with - Bucky Barnes.
You’d read his file almost a hundred times. You’d learnt everything there was to know about him, but he refused to let you in and discuss anything other than his medical needs. You’d almost fallen off your wheelie-chair 4 weeks ago when he’d come in and asked to you look at his sore hand. An x-ray later you’d diagnosed him with a fractured index finger, strapped his injured extremity to his middle finger and then he’d stalked out of the room without another word.
Looking at the clock on your laptop you realised the time was now 5.15pm and you were free to leave the office and spend the rest of the day eating pizza in your pyjamas in front of the television as per your usual Wednesday routine. Gathering up your things, you slung your black tote bag over your shoulder, switched off the lights in your office and headed down the corridor to the elevator. As you walked, a door to your right opened and out popped Bucky. He’d obviously been training as his long hair was tied up in a low bun and sweat glistened on his handsome face.
“Bucky” you acknowledged tightly, continuing your journey to the elevator.
“Y/N” he said, equally as tense. After pressing the silver button on the wall the double doors to the lift opened up and you and Bucky stepped inside. It was so silent you could hear the beating of your own heart as the doors slid shut and the two of you slowly started to descend.
“How’s the hand?” you asked, looking at him out of the corner of your eye. “you never came back for your 3 week check up”
“It’s fine” he murmured, and you noticed the grip on his gym bag tighten slightly. “Didn’t want to bother you”
You opened your mouth to lecture him on the necessity for follow up appointments when a loud squealing noise echoed throughout the elevator and the lights surged violently before going dark as the lift came to an abrupt stop. The jerking sent you stumbling backward, but a soft arm kept you upright.
“You okay?” Bucky asked quietly and you nodded, only able to see his silhouette in the darkened metal can. “This is just perfect” he grumbled.
“I’ll see if anyone picks up on the emergency phone” I offered, picking the red receiver off the wall and listening to the dial tone.
“I honestly think this is the first time anyone has ever called this phone” came Sam’s amused voice from the other end of the line after a few moments of silence.
“Well we’re trapped and it’d be ever so lovely if you could fix whatever mechanism decided to shit itself to get us out of here” You said in a faux-sweet voice. Sam chuckled into your ear.
“I hate to break the news darlin’ but Bruce, Vision and Tony are all out on that tech-giant mission thing the rest of us were deemed to dumb to be a part of. Steve’s about as useful with technology as a toddler so I’m afraid to say you’re stuck until they get back tonight”
“That’s hours away! We’re going to get hungry”
“You keep saying we - whose stuck in there with your boring ass?” He teased and you snorted derisively.
“Bucky” you answered and as soon as the words left your lips Sam exploded into laughter on the other end. It was so loud you swear you saw Bucky flinch on the other side of the elevator. “Oh shut up, pigeon boy” you spat before hanging up the phone.
Pulling your phone out of your pocket you switched on the torch, allowing more light into the lift.
“Pigeon boy?” Bucky asked quietly, and you were about to roll your eyes when you noticed the corner of his mouth turned up into the ghost of a small smile.
“Well he has the same sized brain as one” you shrugged before settling down on the floor. “You should sit, we’re going to be in here for a while”
Bucky sighed loudly but did as you said, crossing his legs and leaning against the opposite wall.
There was a long pause as you stared at the ceiling, wondering if you could pop the hatch open you’d be able to escape the awkwardness into the vent system Clint loved so much and actually get home.
“All the vent are welded shut” Bucky said out of nowhere and your head snapped to him. He nodded towards the ceiling before flicking his bright blue eyes back to yours. “You can’t get in or out”
“Alright, then we’ve got to entertain ourselves for a few hours until Tony gets home” you offered and he rolled his eyes.
“You already know everything about me. You’ve read the file” he said defensively and you felt yourself blush slightly. Looking down into your lap at your hands, you sighed quietly. That was one problem you’d found in your job; once people realised you knew their past they didn’t want you as part of their future. Steeling your nerves you looked up to meet Bucky’s gaze. Holding it firmly.
“I know your past, sure. I know all about you and Steve, Hydra, everything” you acknowledged with a shrug and you noticed Bucky’s eyes narrow slightly. “But that stuff isn’t who you are” you said softly. “I’d rather know your favourite colour. How you have your coffee. What you want for Christmas. The best date you ever went on” you reeled off. Once the words stopped spilling out of your mouth you felt your cheeks burn with a furious blush. Bucky had always made you nervous, which made it hurt even more when he pushed you out.
The tense silence crept back up on the two of you, but after a moment it was broken by the stoic soldier.
“My favourite colour is yellow” he said quietly and your eyes flickered to him. He wasn’t looking at you, he was playing with a loose thread on the hem of his black t-shirt. “Pale yellow, like sunlight” he murmured and a small smile crawled onto your face. “I like (eye colour) too” he added, his eyes flicking to your face. The intensity of his gaze made you blush again, but something niggled in the back of your mind. My eyes are (eye colour). “What’s your favourite colour?” he asked gently and you smiled wider.
“Purple” you supplied quickly, and Bucky’s face seemed to warm at the quickness of your response. “But I have a soft spot for blue as well” you tacked onto the end and you swear he almost laughed.
Feeling brave you stood up and moved to sit next to Bucky. He shuffled slightly to the side, keeping a few inches gap between the two of you. “Come on then. How do you take your coffee?”
“Black. Like my soul” he deadpanned, earning a shy giggle from you. If you’d looked to the side you would have seen a proud smile on the handsome Avenger’s face. “You?”
“Heaps of milk and 2 sugars. What do you want for Christmas?”
“Dunno” he answered honestly. “Haven’t had any ‘things’ for a long time” he murmured. “what do you want?” he asked, attempting to get the attention off himself. You pursed your lips in displeasure at his avoidance, but thought it better to let him keep some things private.
“A watch” you answered after a moments consideration. “Tony accidentally sat on mine and shattered it last time he was in the office”
“Didn’t realise his ass was that big” Bucky snorted and you chuckled again.
“When covered in metal it certainly packs a punch” you laughed and your heart fluttered when a deep, gravelly chuckle came from Bucky. “Can I ask you another question?”
“I have a feeling you’re going to anyway” he teased and you felt heat colour your cheeks again.
“Why do you avoid me?”
The question hung like a fog in the air, the silence only broken by a soft sigh from Bucky.
“You know everything” he started nervously, his hands playing aimlessly with the edge of his shirt. “and every time I see you, I see all of the worst aspects of myself reflected back at me. I just wish you saw me like the others. Not Hydra’s puppet” it hurt your heart to hear Bucky say that about himself. Gingerly you reached out to place your hand on top of his. He froze slightly under your touch, but surprisingly didn’t push you away.
“I don’t see you like that at all, Bucky” you murmured softly and his eyebrow twitched at your words. “When I look at you, I see someone brave, smart, funny and yeah, a little bit damaged, but someone who deserves peace. And forgiveness” you said gently and Bucky looked over at you, an expression you’d never seen in his vibrant blue eyes. “You need to forgive yourself first though”
“You’re sweet” he said warmly, his eyes fixed on yours. “Naive” he added jokingly, and you snorted a laugh “but sweet”
“Well if you’re not going to see the best in you someone needs to” you murmured, heart racing in your chest.
All you could hear was the thundering on your pulse in your ears as you and Bucky inched closer to each other. Your lips were only a centimetre from his when all of a suddenly the elevator jerked again, throwing the two of you back into the wall. The lights blazed back to life and a loud voice echoed through the PA system.
“Came home early to save your asses from boredom and potentially cannibalism” came Tony’s arrogant voice. “No need to thank me. Although I do accept food and booze as payment and also as an insurance policy to guarantee further rescue missions. Tony out”
Slowly the elevator started to move towards the ground again. Bucky stood and wiped his hands off on his pants before offering his flesh one to you. Still blushing slightly, you accepted it and let him pull you to your feet.
“So, getting trapped in an elevator. Not the worst thing that happened today” you chirped as the doors opened at Bucky’s floor.
“Only with you, doll”