Grade A American Beef

The creaking of the floorboards was what finally pulled Darcy from the light, miserably cold sleep she'd been in. The digital clock on the bedside table announced that it was a little after one in the morning and the numbers cast a greenish glow over Bucky where he stood in the doorway.

He shuffled from one foot to the other, hesitating a moment before deciding to creep closer to her and the bed.

“Dude, what are you doing?” she stuttered out.

Bucky jolted in surprise before sheepishly running a hand through his hair. “I could hear your teeth chattering all the way in the living room. Wanted to come check on you.”

“Yeah, no kidding, it's fucking freezing. Get in here and be my space heater, Barnes,” she commanded, her body violently trembling as she spoke.

“You sure you want me to?” His hangdog expression was a little overkill, she thought. She'd roll her eyes at him if she wasn't shivering so hard she was having trouble focusing them.

“I'm too cold to care. Just get in the bed and we can talk when I'm warm.”

As soon as he settled into the covers, Darcy could feel the heat radiating off his body from several inches away. She tucked up against his heat, tangling her legs in his, burying her face into his chest, and shoving her hands up under his t-shirt to curl into the heat coming off his belly. “Sweet Christmas,” she groaned as Bucky jerked and let out a yelp.

“No wonder your teeth were chattering. You're ice cold, honey.” He brought his arms around her, tucking her even tighter to his chest and rubbing his palms up and down her back and arms.

When she found herself suitably toasty with full feeling in her extremities and a cessation in the full-body tremors she'd been previously enduring, she tilted her head back to look Barnes in the eye. “On a scale of ‘mildly irritated’ to ‘let's go bury land mines,’ exactly how angry with me are you at this time?”

“I'm not angry, Darcy. Just disappointed that you would think so little of your own safety and importance,” he replied softly.

“Oh god, have you been taking ‘disappointed dad’ lessons from Steve?” she groaned, thunking her forehead to his chest.

He smirked against her hair. “Who do you think he learned it from? I've been giving him that same damn speech since we were kids.” Bucky gave a short groan of horror. “Dear god, I have a type.”

“What? Small and feisty?”

“No. Kind and brilliant, but with zero regard for their personal safety. Between the two of you, I'm gonna have a coronary. I'm an old man, my heart can't take it.” He placed his hand over hers where it was already resting over his heart.

“Don't pretend you don't love the excitement of stepping in to save our bacon and retaining the ‘I told you so’ privileges.”

“I do love the ‘I told you sos.’ And I'm pretty fond of your bacon.”

Darcy snorted. “Yeah. I remember. My heart shaped bacon.”

Bucky made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. “I'm gonna stop telling you things if you keep making fun of me for it.”

She arched up to press a kiss to his collarbone. “Sorry,” she said and then dropped her voice to nearly inaudible, “notsorry!”

“I can still hear you, Darcy,” he said, pinching playfully at her rear.

“I haven't a clue to what you are referring, Sergeant Barnes,” she cackled, wiggling against him and away from his lecherous hands. She snaked her arms around his neck, playfully tugging at the strands of hair at the crown of his head and leaning in to kiss him sweetly. He must have showered while she was sleeping because she could smell the subtle scent of his bar soap and shampoo. Some mixture of honey and citrus layering over the god-given scent that was 100% Bucky.

He sighed into her kiss, rolling onto his back to pull her atop him. She tipped her forehead to his, just breathing him in, and then with one last press of her lips to his, she pushed back on her forearms to peer down at him solemnly.

“Babe, I am sorry for taking my safety so lightly. Believe me when I say that I've learned my lesson. Thoroughly.” She grimaced and ran a hand over her throat in demonstration. “As soon as we get back and have all this sorted, I'm marching my butt straight to the self-defense classes. I'll even take some extra instruction from Nat.”

“It wouldn't hurt to take some lessons on using firearms as well.”

“Uh, let’s take this journey one violent discipline at a time. Let me master kicking ass with my body before we add in weaponry.”

“If used properly, your body can be considered a weapon.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a slow once over. “Maybe your body,” she muttered.

He chuckled and pulled her close to his heart, rolling them back to their sides. “Yours too, with time and proper instruction.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips quirking up into a smile against her skin when she let loose a loud, jaw-cracking yawn. “Go back to sleep, Darce. I'll stay to keep you warm.”

“Mmm, you better. ‘Night, Bucky.” She murmured, already half asleep at the suggestion.

“Goodnight, doll.”

***

“Good morning, doll!” Bucky chirped cheerily in her ear.

Darcy groaned, turning a bleary eye to the digital clock. “Barnes, 5am is not morning. What is wrong with you? Go away.” And with that she promptly rolled over onto her belly, crooking one leg and pushing her butt up slightly.

A large hand came down to slap her rump firmly through the layers of blankets, causing one surprised blue eye to pop open. She turned her head on the pillow so she could give him an affronted glare and slice at him with her sharp tongue only to be beaten to the punch.

“Oh good, you're awake,” he said from where he was kneeling over her at the edge of the bed. Fully dressed, she might add. What the hell?

He tossed a bundle of clothes at her, patting her rear one last time, and then clambered off the bed to head towards the door. “Get dressed,” he called over his shoulder. “Breakfast is in ten.”

What? What was happening? It was nighttime for goddsake.

Darcy decided to ignore Bucky's prompting, pulling the covers up over her head and snuggling back down into the mattress. If he wanted to start his day at 5 in the morning, far be it from her to stop him. But like hell was she going to join him. She'd get up when she was good and ready.

Bucky had a differing opinion on what “good and ready” meant, as it turned out.

Exactly ten minutes later, he returned to the bedroom smacking the bottom of an empty pot with his prosthetic hand and making an absolutely unholy racket. Darcy flew up into a sitting position, clutching at her furiously pounding heart.

“What in the name of all things sacred are you doing?”

Bucky dropped his hands, the pot dangling innocently by the handle in his flesh hand. “I'm waking you up. I thought that was obvious?”

“Yes, but why?” Darcy whined.

“You promised me you'd learn how to defend yourself. Training starts today.” He arched an eyebrow at her, just begging her to try and argue with him on this topic.

Darcy just stared at him. “But it's...it’s not...it’s still nighttime.”

“Consider me your new commanding officer, Sergeant Barnes. Day starts a little earlier in the army, sweetheart.” He crossed his arms over his chest, pot still in hand and feet planted solidly against the wood floor, the very picture of immovable will.

Honestly, the whole “commanding officer” thing would definitely be ringing her bell if it weren't for the fact that he was using it to get her ass out of bed instead of into it. Maybe she could change tactics…

“You always make a habit of finger diddling your subordinates?” She crossed her arms underneath her breasts and lifted a saucy brow.

Desire darkened the cool blue of his eyes as he stalked towards her. He lifted one knee to rest on the mattress, leaning in until he was mere inches from her face. His eyes darted down to her mouth and then back to her eyes, a slow smile pulling up the corners of his soft mouth.

“Only when they say please.” His mouth lingered dangerously close to hers, but before she could grab him he leaned back out of reach, tossing her clothes into her lap again and walking back towards the door. “Get dressed,” he commanded, leaning against the doorframe with his back to her. “We’re going running.”

Darcy groaned. No. Fucking running was the absolute worst. People kept telling her about the “runner’s high” but in all the years she'd been alive she'd never experienced such a thing. It sounded like a bunch of cultish bullshit in her opinion.

“Look Sarge, if you wanted to give me a workout, I'm sure you could help me work up a decent sweat right here with your hands and your mouth and your c-”

“Darcy. Behave yourself, woman. I'm not changing my mind so stop torturing me. Please?”

Darcy glared a hole in the back of his head but eventually relented. “Fine.” She ripped his hoodie and her t-shirt over her head in one go, snatching up the sports bra off the bed and pulling it on. “Go grab me another bra. If we're running, I'm gonna need two or I’ll end up knocking myself out.”

Bucky choked out a surprised laugh but ambled off to the living room to retrieve what she needed. She had on the athletic pants and was stuffing her feet into her socks when he came back, a sports bra dangling from his metal fingers and running shoes hanging from the other. She took both from him and finished dressing in record time, more interested in getting warm than avoiding exercise at that point.

When she'd finished, he grabbed her hands, hauling her off the bed and leading her towards the little breakfast table set in one corner of the open kitchen. He sat her in front of a steaming bowl of what looked like canned soup. Darcy wrinkled her nose.

“Trust me, doll. They fed us way worse when I was in the army. We’ll go to town today for a grocery run after we’re done with your training.”

Darcy grunted and shoveled a spoonful of soup into her mouth. It wasn't the worst thing she'd ever tasted but it certainly wasn't bacon and eggs. “I don’t remember enlisting,” she mumbled with a pointed glare.

Bucky cheerily ignored her complaint, dipping down to peck her on the cheek, hands settling on her shoulders and briefly rubbing some of the tension from them. He wandered off to rummage through his bag and wash the handful of dishes that were piled up in the sink while she ate her breakfast. She didn’t eat much of it. She wasn’t all that hungry since her body was still screaming at her to go back to sleep.

When she’d finished, Bucky pushed her hands into a warm pair of military grade gloves. They were too big for her small hands, but considerably warmer than going without. He also pulled a black beanie onto her head, tugging it down over her ears and carefully tucking away loose wisps of hair that hung in her face. She let him dress her, sitting like a lump of sullen lead.

“You’re pretty cute when you’re pouting, Lewis.” He zipped up her jacket and then ran his thumb over her full bottom lip that was definitely jutting out more than was strictly necessary.

Darcy leaned away from his touch and rose from her seat, giving him a wicked case of side-eye. “I gotta pee. And brush my teeth.” She squeezed past where he was still kneeling in front of her chair, narrowly escaping the game of grab-ass Barnes seemed interested in playing.

She smacked his hands away, backing quickly towards the bathroom. “No. No bacon for you, Barnes.”

Bucky's eyes lit with challenge, his muscles tensing like a cat about to pounce. Darcy's eyes widened at the change in his demeanor and she turned tail and ran flat out to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door just in time. Hah, take that, asshole.

Bucky chortled and called to her through the door. “At least your instincts are good. It's probably the only thing that's kept you alive this long!”

“Go away!” she shouted, but the heat in her voice couldn't quite cover her pleasure at his somewhat backhanded praise. That's right, buddy. She might have muscles like a wet noodle, but she was sharp enough never to be caught off guard. Can't learn that on a wrestling mat.

Darcy took care of her necessities and then exited the bathroom, pulling her gloves back on as she went. She was halfway to the living room when she realized that Barnes was nowhere to be seen. It was then that two arms came down around her, trapping her arms to her sides and lifting her feet a few inches above the floor.

Bucky's warm voice rumbled in her ear. “Instincts mean nothing unless you have the skills to back them up. That is something you can learn on the mat.”

Oh crap, she must have said that part out loud.

She wiggled futilely against him, but his arms were as immovable as steel bands. Well, one steel band and one vibranium. He chuckled warmly at her efforts, bringing his lips down to kiss and suck lightly at the juncture of her shoulder and neck.

Darcy went limp, recognizing when she'd been properly beaten and gave in with good grace. The blow of the loss was significantly lessened by the way Bucky's hot mouth was moving over her skin.

“Does this mean we’re going back to bed?” she gasped out hopefully when he sucked at a particularly sensitive spot.

“Mmmm, no,” he hummed against her. “Just getting you warmed up. It's important to get your heart rate up and your muscles stretched out before running long distances.”

“Oh?” she muttered, eyes rolling back in her head. “Fascinating.”

He smiled against her and lowered her gently back to the floor. He loosened his arms around her, sliding one hand low over her belly, fingers skimming lightly over her pubic bone before settling high at her inner thigh. He pressed against her leg, urging her to widen her stance on the floor and then brought his metal hand to nudge gently at the small of her back until she was bending over, her pert ass pressing appealingly back against him.

His hands settled at her hips, thumbs massaging at the tendons there that were pulled tight. “Perfect,” he rumbled low in his chest, and then stepped abruptly away from her. “Stretch out those hamstrings,” he chirped, swatting her rear in approval and causing her to sway forward slightly to catch herself on outstretched arms.

“What?” she exclaimed, blood rushing to her face due to her inverted position.

“You heard me. Don't want you pulling or tearing any muscles. Stretch ‘em out.” He gave her his most winning smile.

“No good, dirty rotten, shit-eating, son of a motherless goat,” she muttered, bending into the burn of her taut muscles. She went through a few basic stretches that even she knew, and then stalked over to the rug in the living room, dropping down to the floor to start a basic sun salutation. Yoga was one of the few “exercise” type activities she enjoyed on occasion.

Bucky sat at the kitchen table, watching as she moved through the poses, his eyes darkening with each rotation. Darcy glanced up at him from where she was pushing up into upward facing dog.

“See something interesting, Sergeant?”

“I don't know what the hell you’re doing, Lewis, but it is damn near pornographic.”

“It just looks that way to you cause you're a dirty old man who hasn't seen any action since World War II.”

“I believe the rug you are currently violating would tell a different story.” He quirked an eyebrow at her.

Darcy suppressed a teeny smirk, trying to channel her inner zen when she responded, “I believe I was the only one to see action on this rug because somebody was being shy.” She arched her own eyebrow at him as she lowered herself into a plank, watching as his cheeks pinked and his eyes danced away from hers.

When his eyes stayed averted and he didn't respond to her teasing, she finished her routine and rose from the floor. She went to stand in front of him, hands going to either side of his face. She kissed him sweetly, softly, her lips moving over his with a tender mercy she hoped he understood.

“The minute you're ready to end that dry spell, you let me know. Until then, I'm content to let you defile me however you want on every solid surface of this cabin. K?”

Bucky swallowed hard and nodded.

“Good,” Darcy said with a toothy grin and a firm pat to his jaw. “I think I'm all warmed up now. Let's get this suckfest over with.”

She turned for the front door with Bucky on her tail. She hunched her shoulders against the biting wind that tore at her exposed skin as soon as she opened the door, the sky still an inky black. She whimpered and turned to look at Bucky with pleading, pitiful eyes.

“Get moving, Lewis. It’ll help with the cold.” He swatted her backside, effectively pushing her out the front door and onto the porch.

“Hey! No! You don't get to touch the bacon anymore. If I have to suffer, so do you!”

“Tell you what, doll, if you really want me to keep my hands to myself, then you start running and we’ll play a little game of keep away. We’ll only run for half an hour, unless I catch you. Every time I catch you, you have to run another ten minutes.”

“No, no, no I don't like this game.” She back away from him, hands stretched out to ward him off.

“Ready…”

“No, come on Bucky, there's no way I can outrun you-”

“Not with that attitude. Set…”

“Please, I'm gonna end up having to run until I drop dead!”

“Hey, I don't make the rules, sweetheart.”

“That's not true! You literally just made them!” Darcy's voice went shrill.

Bucky gave her one last wolfish grin. “.... Go!”

Darcy squeaked and turned, stumbling over her feet before breaking into a dead run down the dirt road leading away from the cabin.

She listened to the steady thump of his boots against the thin dusting of snow on the ground behind her, keeping a consistent gap between them. He didn't even seem to be trying to catch her, just keeping a nice smooth jog.

“Make sure not to stray off the road, hate to see one of those gorgeous legs blown off.”

Darcy yelped and skidded to a halt in the middle of the road, eyes darting to moonlit shrubbery on either side. She yelped again when Bucky's hands suddenly made a grab at her backside.

“Keep it moving, soldier! That's another ten minutes!” He took off jogging down the road again, not even turning around when she started flinging insults at him.

“Better start running, soldier, or I'm upping the penalty to twenty minutes! And you shouldn't talk about a man's mother that way, Lewis. Have some goddamn manners,” he called out.

Ooh, that motherfu -

“If I have to come back and get you, you’re gonna regret it.” The bastard didn't even sound out of breath.

With a huff and a stomp of her foot, Darcy took off running again, her breathing already turning ragged. When she finally caught up to him (really, how the fuck did he get that far with so little effort?) she threw a weak punch at his arm.

“You...cheated!” she gasped out.

“Can't cheat when you make the rules. Besides, it was a lesson in focus. And there should be a ‘sir’ in there somewhere when addressing your superior officer.”

Darcy stumbled over a tree root, barely righting herself before she could fall over. When she'd gotten her feet back under her, she turned to him with a glare. “Yes, sir,” she gritted out.

Bucky glanced over at her from where he was easily keeping pace. “That's more like it. Get out ahead of me again, no lollygagging!”

Darcy gave a feral growl and pushed her already burning legs to pull out ahead of him by about ten feet.

They kept a steady pace until Darcy inevitably grew too winded and had to stop, only for her rear to be tapped by a wandering supersoldier hand. It was the absolute suckiest game of tag that she'd ever played.

She didn't even have any music to listen to while she ran. Fuck her, this whole thing was awful. But she had made a promise. And she'd keep it, even though she was sorely regretting it.

He ran her from the cabin to the front gate and back again, over and over until the sun rose in the sky and her legs finally did give out and she stumbled towards the ground. Strong arms came down and around her before she could face plant into the snow, lifting her up and flipping her into a bridal carry.

Darcy’s lungs seized, trying their damndest to get oxygen to her screaming muscles. She went limp against him, her head lolling onto his chest as he carried her back down the road to the cabin.

“I...hate...you… so much ...right now,” she forced out between gasps.

He bussed a kiss across her sweaty forehead. “I know, baby. I can live with that though. I'd rather you hate me and be able to make it out alive if you're ever attacked again,” he murmured, his voice a warm caress in her ear.

She nodded, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. “Please tell me we’re finished.”

“We’re finished. For now.”

“Oh god,” she moaned, causing Bucky to chuckle into her hair.

“We’ll work on weight training tomorrow. And then the day after that we’ll start going over basic self defense moves. Then running again. Rinse, wash, repeat.”

Darcy gave a half sob, half moan. “You’re a bad, bad man, James Barnes.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” There was only the barest hint of bitterness in his tone as he stomped up the steps of the front porch.

“One time I tried to make a voodoo doll out of the hair from Angie’s hair brush. I lit it on fire and dumped it in a trash can out behind Dad’s shop. There were flammable things in there. Things went boom. I lost both my eyebrows and it took a month to grow them back.”

Bucky stared down at the woman resting listlessly in his arms and then threw his head back with a roar of laughter. The power of it forced him to lean against the front door, eventually sliding down to land on his ass with Darcy still cradled in his arms.

“Sweetheart,” he wheezed, brushing tears from his eyes, “that’s the best thing I’ve ever heard in my life. How old were you?”

“Seven.”

He dissolved into another round of laughter, his whole body shaking with his mirth. “God, remind me to send our kids to boarding school before they turn seven,” he sighed.

Darcy’s face split in a wide grin. “Oh, so we’re having children together now? I was unaware that that was on the agenda. Should I start picking out wedding dresses or are we going the nontraditional route?”

Bucky sobered up, eyes going wide and ears turning a spectacular shade of red. “That’s not-” Bucky cleared his throat, “I wasn’t implying that...I mean, not that that is unappealing, I’m just saying-”

“Calm your tits, Barnes. I’m just yanking your chain. We gonna sit and freeze on the front porch forever or were you planning on taking me inside?”

Bucky blinked slowly at her, distinctly unamused by her teasing. “I oughta make you walk, you wicked woman.”

“That’s a bad idea. I’m pretty sure I’d just fall over.”

Bucky grunted and rose to his feet, opening the door to the cabin and carrying Darcy to the couch. He set to work getting a fire started for her while she peeled off the layers of sweaty outer clothes.

“Well I smell horrible. I’m gonna go take a show-WHOA!”

Bucky’s head snapped around to see Darcy down on all fours, halfway to the bathroom. “Darce, you alright?!”

“Yup, just got a severe case of jelly legs,” she called from her crouched position.

He moved to her side, rubbing low at her back. “Do you want me to carry you?”

“Yes please. Just lay me out in the bathtub and leave me to die.” She sank all the way to the floor, allowing the cold hardwood floor to soothe her heated cheek.

“I can't do that. I'm fully invested in your well being now.”

“You should reconsider your investment decisions. My body is broken now. Put me out to pasture. Stick a fork in me, I'm done,” she mumbled miserably into the floor.

“I'm a believer in the old adage ‘you break it, you bought it’ so I think I'll keep you around a while longer. Come here, you big baby.” He scooped her back into his arms, making his way to the tiny bathroom and sitting her down on the edge of the bathtub.

He eyed her in consideration. “You think you can stand long enough to shower?”

“Nope.”

“Bath it is then,” he said, leaning over to open up the tap. He let the water run over his hand until it reached a comfortable temperature and then stoppered the tub. “Need some help outta those clothes?” he asked, gesturing vaguely at her and trying to come off as helpful and not lecherous.

Swing and a miss.

Darcy arched a brow, a knowing smile curling her lips. “Not really. If you wanted to see me naked, Sarge, all you had to do was ask.”

He met her gaze in challenge. “Alright then. I'm asking.”

“What's the magic word?” she sing-songed.

Bucky crept the scant few inches to her side, his hands settling at her waist as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I can recite pi to the first 150 decimal places.”

“Hmmm, yep, that’ll do the trick. Help me outta these pants, Sergeant Barnes.”

“Much obliged, ma’am,” he smirked, thumbs tucking into the waistband of her athletic pants. She gripped the edge of the tub, lifting her backside so he could slide the fabric down her legs.

He tossed her pants into a corner then turned his rapt attention to her bare legs, hands skimming over the creamy skin of her thighs. She purred at the contact, head rolling back on her shoulders as his hands slid up the length of her body.

His fingertips caught at the hem of her shirt and he peeled the fabric from her sweat dampened skin. Next came her sports bras, which she graciously helped him with. Soon she was bare before him except for a pair of soft cotton briefs. He brushed fingertips along their edge, low on her belly, watching as the muscles of her stomach twitched in anticipation. He drew his tongue over his lips, his breath coming out in a stuttered rush.

“So now you start breathing heavy? You couldn't have done that while we were running and made me feel like a little less of a schlub?” She tilted her head at him, looking down to where he knelt between her thighs.

He grinned at her wickedly. “Sorry.”

“Hah, I don’t buy that apology for one-.. oh!” Her voice petered out as Bucky leaned forward to lick a stripe from her bellybutton to the bare skin between her breasts, his tongue doing a clever little flick at the end of its journey.

“You were saying?” His hot breath fanned out across her skin, his hands settling low at her hips, fingers digging into her ass to keep her balanced on the edge of the tub.

“Mmm, I forgive you,” she breathed.

He made a pleased sound in the back of his throat and leaned forward to drop a kiss to the valley of her breasts, then patted at one hip. “Alright, doll. Think you can stand long enough for me to get these off you?” He crooked a finger into the plain cotton panties.

Darcy frowned down at her poor, overused legs. “Yeah, probably.” She gripped tight to his shoulders and hoisted herself up, legs quaking precariously under her weight.

Bucky swallowed hard, a slight flush rising on his throat that had nothing to do with the warm steam billowing out of the tub. He steadied her against his side, rising up higher on his knees to wrap an arm around her hips. His free hand he drew up the length of one thigh, his fingers sliding underneath the thin cotton. He was a little embarrassed at how much his hand was shaking when he gripped the little scrap of fabric and tugged it down towards the floor.

Heart thudding furiously in his chest, he let his hand and eyes wander slowly up the entirety of her, completely bare before him. Fuck, he didn’t deserve this. Darcy was so pretty and sweet, soft in all the best ways, looking down at him with those kind blue eyes. It was too much, so he turned his face into her belly, eyes shut tight against the swooping feeling in his chest, and tried to focus on breathing, hoping she wouldn’t notice the way his arm was whirring furiously around her waist.

Fingernails scraped lightly at his scalp and to the nape of his neck, and then her hands kneaded at the tension between his shoulders. Her voice filtered down to him. “Come on, Barnes, you haven’t even gotten to see the back half yet. It’s the best part.”

He chuckled into the soft flesh of her stomach and her muscles jerked a bit from the tickle of his scruff. He sucked a steadying breath through his teeth and then smiled up at her. He rose up from his kneeling position to stand, careful to keep her from falling and then turned her slowly away from him to face the tub.

“You’re right. It’s definitely the best part,” he said thickly, his hand moving to cup her gorgeous backside of its own accord. Holy shit, he didn’t think he’d seen a rump so gorgeous that hadn’t been scientifically engineered in a lab.

“That’s right, Barnes. This ass was a gift from god, not from some german scientist’s funky Kool-aid. Take that, Captain Tightass!”

Bucky blushed furiously at his slip of tongue. “I’ll make sure to pass that message along to Steve.”

Darcy sniffed primly, eyeing him over her shoulder. “See that you do.” Her legs gave a particularly violent shake and Bucky’s hands darted out to grip her elbows and hoist her against himself. “If you’re done checking out the goods, I would very much like to lie down in that tub now.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he said, nipping lightly at her neck. He helped maneuver her trembling legs over the porcelain edge of the tub and lowered her gently into the steaming water.

She hissed and sighed as the hot water spread out over her aching muscles, leaning back against the chill of the porcelain. She scooched her butt down enough to dip her head fully under the water and then popped back up, slicking her wet hair back and brushing water from her eyes. She gave a sigh of ultimate contentment and opened her eyes to see Bucky kneeling beside her and staring at her with hungry eyes, lips parted just enough to see his tongue working against his teeth. It sent a sliver of heat straight to her gut.

She watched as he extended a hand towards her face, the metal digits sweeping over her cheek and lips and then resting at her chin. He leaned in to kiss her then, sweeping his tongue across her top lip and sucking it into his mouth. She groaned into his mouth, the feel of his flesh hand darting into her hair sending her heart skittering in her chest.

“You’re gorgeous, Darcy,” he whispered against her mouth. “So beautiful.” He leaned back on his heels, his eyes drinking in every detail of her face.

She smiled sweetly at him, extending her hand to cup his face. The little droplets of water that clung to her hand slipped down his face to hang at his jaw like shed tears. She brushed the wetness away with a slightly apologetic glance and then sank back against the tub, exhaustion cresting over her like a wave. Her eyelids felt weighted, sliding down over her eyes without her permission.

She felt Bucky’s hands recede from her person and her eyes opened, disappointment shining in their depths, only to relax when she realized he was lathering up a washcloth for her. She closed her eyes again, sighing deeply at the first soothing sweep of the cloth over her neck and shoulders.

He scrubbed at her skin with firm but gentle strokes, soaping her up while simultaneously massaging the tension from her body. He took his time, making sure to cleanse every inch of skin, even running the cloth between her fingers and toes. The last action had her jerking her feet from his slippery grasp with a surprised giggle, momentarily waking her from the relaxed stupor he’d put her in.

He even washed gently at the apex of her thighs with only the slightest teasing. She’d popped an eye open at the action, raising a brow at him. His only response was a wink and a rakish grin before he returned to his task.

The absolute best part was when he went to wash her hair. She damn near fell asleep right there in the tub, his fingertips massaging shampoo into her scalp. This was almost better than sex, she thought. Almost.

She must have dozed for a few seconds because the next thing she knew, a pair of lips were pressing into her forehead and a warm voice was speaking lowly in her ear. “Darcy, sweetheart, you awake?”

“Mmmyeah,” she muttered thickly. She heard his quiet chuckle and then the gurgling of the drain as he pulled out the stopper. When the water got low enough, strong arms came down around her shoulders and under her knees and suddenly she was being lifted up and out of the tub. He sat her down on the closed lid of the toilet, wrapping a towel around her shoulders and using another to wring out her hair.

He left her slumped on the toilet for a quick minute to retrieve clean clothes for her. He dressed her, huffing out laughter at her uncooperative leaden limbs.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“‘S alright, honey. I ran you ragged this morning.”

“And made me run in the dark with land mines,” she pouted.

“There weren’t actually any land mines by the road. I placed those elsewhere.”

Darcy’s eyes went wide in betrayal. “So you did cheat!”

“Just the first time,” he said around a shiteating grin.

“You fucker,” she muttered, reaching out to backhand him. He easily dodged the blow and her hand landed weakly in her lap again.

He picked it up, pressing kisses to the inside of her wrist. “Is that any way to talk to your superior officer? I oughta make you run another ten laps.”

Darcy gave a pitiful groan and tilted forward to melt against him. “Please, god, no.”

The bastard just laughed and lifted her fully clothed body to his chest, wrapping her legs around his waist and carrying her out of the bathroom. He brought her to the couch, laying her gently against the cushions and covering her in a thick blanket. She watched him with heavy eyes as he stoked the fire and added a few logs.

He knelt down beside her, pushing damp hair from her face to kiss her cheek. “I’m going to make the grocery run. I’ll be back in two hours or less. If I’m not, call Steve on the sat phone and have him get his ass here asap, alright?” His voice brooked no room for argument.

Darcy blinked and nodded at him dumbly. He leaned back in to kiss her full mouth and then made his way out to the Blazer. The faster he got this done, the better, considering the last grocery run he’d made had not gone so well. He tugged his jacket tighter around him and paused to put his gloves on, hiding away the telltale glint of metal.

He made it to town in record time, ignoring the jolting of the elderly shocks on Big Blue in favor of getting down the dirt road faster. He found the tiny little supermarket, tossing the essentials and perishables and a few other items he thought Darcy might like into his cart. When he’d finished his shopping and checked out at the, thankfully, automated machine (small talk was not his strong suit, he avoided overly friendly checkout girls like the plague) he had enough foodstuffs to last them for at least three weeks. The less they made appearances in town, the better.

He made a quick stop to gas up the Blazer and grabbed a few things from the hardware store and was back on the road. He tried to drive a bit slower on his way back, not wanting to wreck the cartons of eggs he’d just bought, but each passing minute brought a keen ache in his chest and a need to see that Darcy was alright.

His foot edged down on the accelerator.

When he pulled up to the cabin, he grabbed his sidearm, exiting his vehicle to make a slow rotation around the house, making sure none of his jury-rigged alarm systems had been disturbed and then crept up to the house to peer in the window. From his spot he could see Darcy still on the couch, conked out and drooling onto the sofa cushions. He bit back on the laugh that was pushing at his throat and took his first easy breath since leaving her a little over an hour ago.

He tucked his pistol into the holster at the small of his back and tromped back out to unload the car. He brought the groceries in as quietly as he could, setting them on the kitchen table between trips to the car. When he had everything unloaded, he stripped off his jacket and gloves and went to work putting everything away. He was pleased to see that none of the eggs had cracked during his journey, though there was one loaf of bread that was a bit more squished than he would have preferred. Oh well, it’d still taste fine. It was worth it for the peace of mind of being by Darcy’s side sooner.

With everything put away, he decided to wash out the ancient coffee pot and get some coffee brewing. Within seconds of the percolator bubbling and gurgling, Darcy rose straight up from the couch, turning her head with laser focus to the machine. He watched as she rolled herself onto the floor, standing on wobbly legs to hobble over to the kitchen cabinet, pulling down a coffee cup and pulling a kitchen chair out to sit directly in front of the brewer where it sat on the kitchen counter. She watched the coffee intently, breathing a sigh in relief when there was enough to pour into her mug.

She scuttled back to the kitchen table, dragging her chair behind her in one hand and clutching the cup of coffee protectively against her in the other. She sat. She sipped. And then she let out a long, explicit moan that had his pants fitting a little tighter.

He shook his head out of the gutter and busied himself with his own cup of coffee, dumping in sugar and creamer like it was going out of style before sinking into his chair next to hers.

Darcy reached out to pat at the back of his hand, muttering out, “Glad you made it back alright.”

“Yes, I could see that you were just eaten up with worry at my absence.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and took another sip of her coffee, a teensy smirk lifting the edges of her lips. He chuckled and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together and enjoying the simple peace of being together.