#Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x Elizabeth Silvertongue | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

braveclementine · 6 months ago

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Chapter 14

Warnings: 18+ readers only, kidnapping.

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OCs: Elizabeth Silvertongue and Clementine Greenleaf. I also own Clementines' brother Donavan. The following OCs are owned by other Wattpad writers as this is a collaboration project. Their OCs are on the face claim page. I do not condone any copying of this.

I woke up, disoriented, feeling what felt like two warm weighted blankets were laying on top of me. My eyes fluttered open to find that both men had rolled over in the night, so that they were lying on top of me.

Steve was slightly higher up, my head tucked under his chin. The light coming through the window really made his hair look white blonde. His arm was wrapped around my waist, the other resting on my leg.

Bucky was lower however, his face buried into my neck. I could feel his soft breaths as he snored lightly. One of his arms was under my back, the other across my stomach, keeping me in his safe hold.

I breathed out, shifting on my side so I could admire Bucky's features. Watching how the sunlight reflected the panes of his face, the profile of his nose. His long, dark eyelashes casted shadows on his cheek bones.

"You're staring." He grouched suddenly, making my heart stutter in fear.

"You're beautiful." I whispered softly.

He scrunched his nose, letting his eyes flutter softly. His long lashes catching drops of sunlight on them, casting longer shadows across his cheeks now. "Beautiful? Punk, you hear that?"

Steve mumbled something incoherent, snuggling closer to me, clearly not awake.

"What time is it?" I asked, trying to find a clock.

The bedroom was very simple, very vintage looking with a mix of pale wood and gray walls lining the room. It was a very open room, not a lot in it besides a small mirror and a few tables. There was no closet, but rather a large, dark wood wardrobe in the corner of the room. Old-fashioned radiators sat underneath each window.

"Seven-thirty." Bucky mumbled, nuzzling into me as well. "Gotta say doll, it's nice waking up with you here."

I flushed, heart pounding a little at his words. He kissed the top of my head and then hit Steve's shoulder. The blonde grumbled, stirring, pulling me with him as he rolled over onto his other side. I let out a little squeal and a giggle as I ended up on his other side as well, his arms encasing me against his chest.

"Hey!" Bucky complained, reaching over his husband to try and get me back.

"Mine." Steve grumbled, knocking Bucky's hand away. "I wasn't ready to wake up yet."

"Punk you've slept in by two hours, don't want to get lazy now, do you?" Bucky jested, collapsing on Steve. "Besides, I'm hungry."

I giggled at that, "Let me make breakfast."

Steve finally opened his eyes, sleepy blues looking at me. "Are you going to burn my house down?"

"No." I rolled my eyes before hearing the growl that erupted in his chest at the action.

"Careful with those eyes doll." Steve whispered. "Someone'll have to teach you some respect."

I couldn't stop the whimper that emitted from me, cheeks flushing darkly. Steve smirked, waking up completely, rolling over once more to pin me underneath him.

"You look good beneath me." He purred softly, his fingers brushing my long curls out of my face.

Bucky chuckled, sliding out of bed and stretching.

I felt ruined, a mess, and he hadn't even touched me.

Then he pulled away, a smirk gracing his features, getting out of bed himself. "I'll make breakfast." He sauntered out of the bedroom while Bucky smirked.

"Your things are still in your room if you want to change your clothes." He chuckled, opening up the wardrobe to pull out a black T-shirt and jeans.

"Yep." I squeaked, scurrying back to my room. I took a quick shower, the smell of my almond soap consuming my senses. I also made sure to clean completely between the legs since the arousal was slick and plentiful. I was certainly going to have to do something about that.

After taking the shower, I dressed in a pair of long black jeans, pairing it with a cherry red v-neck shirt. I quickly did my makeup and hair before slipping on a pair of combat boots, tucking the ends of my jeans in, before grabbing a belt and sliding it through the loops as I made my way downstairs.

I could smell bacon over everything else, although the counter revealed a large stack of pancakes, along with a bowl of eggs, another platter of french toast, a smaller plate full of sausage links, and fresh fruit.

I also found two tall glasses of water because apparently neither of my Professors felt that they needed to put shirts on over their bare chests. Either by accident or by design, both of them were wearing sweatpants that hung off their hips, showing off their v-lines.

Maybe they were trying to kill me.

"I was thinking since we finished off the last Jurassic Park movie, you could give us something new to watch." Steve said, sliding the bacon off onto the last platter. Despite the stacks of food, I wasn't surprised anymore. They ate like freaking machines and if I wanted seconds I better get to the food first cause they never left anything behind. If I ever cooked for them, I was going to need a lot of food.

"Sure." I said enthusiastically. "Uh I could write some different series off and you could choose which one sounds most interesting?"

"Sure doll." Bucky said, already piling his plate up with pancakes. Steve smacked the back of his hand with a spatula, giving him that look that always made Bucky back down. "Want some pancakes doll?"

"Sure." I giggled, letting him put three beautifully made pancakes onto my plate. I also took two french toast, lots of sausage, and a bowl of grapes and left everything else for them.

I headed out to the living room before them, quickly writing down some series I thought they'd like.

-Indiana Jones -Hunger Games -Star Wars -The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings -Harry Potter -Jaws -Sharknado ;) -Men in Black -James Bond -Mission: Impossible -Maze Runner -Tremors ;)

I paused and then wrote another list which was TV shows

-Bones -Designated Survivor -Once Upon a Time -Big Bang Theory -iZombie -Lucifer -Batman 1960s

"Okay! I have the list." I said as they walked in. "I wrote out a lot."

Bucky looked at the paper as he popped a sausage link into his mouth. "What are the winky faces for?"

"They're kind've goofy, very obviously cgi monster movies." I said with a giggle.

"We've seen The Hobbit, it was very good." Steve said with a fond smile. "Also Star Wars and Harry Potter since both of them were very heavily recommended to us by friends. We were told we'd like Indiana Jones, but we just never got around to it."

"If you want we can start there first!" I said excitedly.

"Sure, why not?" Bucky asked, settling down next to me.

Steve had a newspaper, which had Iron Man on the front page. He tossed it onto the coffee table.

"What'd he do now? Good or bad?" I asked, gesturing to the paper.

"You don't already know?" Bucky teased. "You don't read up on the Avengers?"

"Eh I don't really care." I shrugged.

"Really?" Steve asked with a note of surprise.

I shrugged again.

"Why?" Bucky asked.

I sighed, "I just don't. . . I mean obviously they're heroes I just don't think they're doing it for the right reasons."

They were both silent.

"I don't know, it's an unpopular opinion." I sighed. "I think that they're great when it comes to world tragedies like alien attacks and things like that. But there are a lot of people who need help, right here. I know Iron Man donates a lot of money and they show up to charities but. . . we have Vets that are still homeless and I guess I just thought someone like Captain America would've done something about that by now."

I laughed slightly. "I mean, I met him once after the shooting. And he was nice, but he just seems like he doesn't want the job anymore. I mean, I can't really see anyone else having the shield but him, but, maybe he needs a break."

"Do you think the other Avengers- er- what about the other Avengers?" Bucky asked. They both seemed so interested on my take with the worlds' superheroes.

"I think that there's really only one person on that team that's really doing anything." I smiled a little. "The winter soldier."

"Oh?" Steve asked, a small smile on his lips.

I shrugged again. "When you watch the conferences, it's always Iron Man, Captain America, and the Winter Soldier who stay behind for kids autographs and hugs. Iron man and Cap always go off after some time, stay with the team but. . . winter always stays."

We sat in silence for a while, the two of them seemed lost in thought.

"And also, he needs a new superhero name. It's not fair to keep calling him what HYDRA called him and not expect him to have guilt every time."

I sighed, "Well maybe I'm biased into not liking them really."

"How so?" Bucky asked softly.

I laughed again, slightly bitter, curling up into Steve. "Before the trial, I had sent one of those letters to the Avengers, looking for their help. I don't know, I guess I just expected Captain America to show up and he'd magic Donavan off to some planet. I know now that the letter probably never even made it to the Avengers but still. . ."

I drifted off, feeling Steves' arms tighten around me. "I'm sorry sweetheart."

"It's fine. Now I know there's really nothing he could do anyways." I smiled. "It was just a fantasy. I do like the Avengers, I think they're great, I just don't feel the need to track their every move with the public. And if they could help with small things sometimes, like all the crimes that are committed in the big cities daily that would be nice. But then again, I don't know them. Maybe they do those things as themselves when they're not in uniform."

I put Indiana Jones on, snuggling into Steve more while I held Bucky's hand, falling into contentment.

: ̗̀➛

Elizabeth had retired back to her room for the evening while Steve and Bucky had retired to theirs. Steve felt restless as he shifted in bed, staring up at the wood paneled ceiling. Bucky rolled over, wrapping an arm across his waist, kissing the exposed skin of his collarbone. "What's worrying you doll?" Bucky asked softly.

"I didn't realize how much she really saw of me." Steve whispered. "Things I didn't even realize myself."

"Like what?" Bucky asked softly.

"That I don't seem happy with the job anymore. It's not that I don't love the Avengers Buck, I do, but I'm starting to realize-"

"You might not actually be able to do it all day?" Bucky teased with a small smile. "I'm not surprised. You seem so happy teaching the students."

Steve smiled, rolling over so he could be spooned by Bucky, the other man moving in closer subconsciously to hold him.

"Was she right about you too?" Steve asked softly. "I knew you were good with kids, you always were."

"So are you. And they love you." Bucky said softly. He paused and then said, "I don't know. I've never minded being called Winter Soldier by you guys. It's just a name to hide my identity. But a name change wouldn't be off the table."

"She's right about me too." Steve said, closing his eyes. "Next day we get off, I want to go and see the Vets. See if I can help them out. It shouldn't have taken me this long to do something like that."

"Don't take it to much to heart." Bucky whispered. "I know what you're really upset about is her story about Donavan."

"Tony said we got so much fan mail." Steve sighed. "He said he was even thinking about setting up a service for people who needed help. He went on one hundred solo missions. All of them were fake to just try and see him. He gave up after that."

"And the boy cried wolf." Bucky whispered, kissing the back of his head. "Go to sleep sweetheart."

Steve closed his eyes, unable to stop imagining a little girl outside of a court house, waiting for Captain America to save the day. He shoved himself out of Bucky's arms and out of bed. "I'm going to the gym."

He heard Bucky sigh behind him and murmur, "Oh punk." Before he closed the door behind him, heading downstairs to the gym.

ꨄ︎

I woke with a start. My face was scratchy, telling me I had cried at some point in my sleep, though I couldn't remember my dreams. My eyes were sticky, crusty with sleep which I painfully wiped from my eyes as I heard a strange noise, like nails on a chalkboard.

Goosebumps broke out on my skin as I looked around the room. The noise seemed to be coming from right in front of me and I remembered there were glass windows there, behind the curtain.

Nails on a chalkboard, nails on glass.

I slowly moved from the bed, my feet making no sound as they hit the wooden paneling of the floor. I padded over slowly to the curtains, my heart thumping heavily in my throat. The scratching squealed against the glass this time, making me jump backwards, a small scream emitting from my lips before I clamped them shut.

"Shake it off." I muttered out loud, jerking myself forwards again, jerking open the curtains open. "Jeez." I muttered again, laughing at myself, seeing the twig that was scratching against the window as it was stuck in the gutter.

I opened the window, plucking the twig out, tossing it down to the ground. I smiled, closing the window before I felt cloth cover my mouth, pressing hard against my nose and mouth.

My first instinct was to breathe in, but knew that if I wanted a fighting chance, I needed not to. I held my breath, knowing the chemicals were intruding my senses anyways. I kicked my leg back, colliding with something, hearing a man cry out in pain.

He wrestled me to the ground and I kicked my leg out again, this time hitting the small table that was in the room, knocking over the glass vase, making it shatter. I hoped they could hear me, but if they were fast asleep, it was possible that they couldn't.

"You're out of luck." An unfamiliar voice growled in my ear. "They're not even on this floor."

Fuck. Where had they gone?

My head was feeling fuzzy now, my eyelids feeling heavy. My hands scrabbled, trying to find purchase along the bed to pull myself up, but the cloth was applied to my face again, wet with fresh chemicals. I tried to recoil from it, but I was too fatigued as everything slowly went black.

: ̗̀➛

"Steve are you okay?" Bucky asked, watching Steve silently cook pancakes at the stove. He had never come back to bed so Bucky had eventually gone looking for him to find that he'd gone through three whole punching bags.

"You should go wake her up, she's going to be late for Sam's class."

"Bull, her class isn't for another three hours." Bucky argued. "Steve, just talk to me."

Steve sighed, giving up, putting the pancakes on a large platter, turning the stove off. "I. . . I keep seeing a little girl sitting on the steps of a courthouse. And she's just looking up at the sky. Waiting for me to show up."

Bucky sighed too, getting up and wrapping his arms around his husband. "You know if you had met her then, we wouldn't be with her now. And nothing would've changed Stevie, you know that. It was something the courts needed to decide, something that was in the laws hands-"

"Well they decided wrong, didn't they?" Steve asked angrily.

"Would you have really believed a young girl you had just met over the courts and parents and judges if you weren't biased to how you feel about her now?" Bucky asked softly. "There was no proof Steve. We only see it now because we love her, because they weren't hiding behind their facades they put up when others are around. We only believe her because we love her. And hell, I believe her because I do think she's right. But we have a new perspective, one we wouldn't have if we were there then. Okay?"

Steve turned around, smiling a little. "You. Are absolutely right. I just can't help it."

"I know." Bucky smiled, kissing Steve on the lips. "Now c'mon, she's going to be upset if she doesn't get enough pancakes. I'll go wake her up." He kissed Steve again, ambling off and taking the stairs three at a time.

Steve smiled as he turned back to the pancakes, feeling lighter. Bucky always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better.

"STEVE!" Bucky's voice roared through the house, anxious and adrenaline shot through Steve. "SHE'S GONE!"

Not in their own house!

Bucky tore down the stairs, a piece of paper in his hands. He slammed it on the island as he ran for the phone. Steve picked the note up.

It was a stiff piece of paper, thick fancy stuff. Written in a neat cursive were the words:

𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻. . . 𝓘𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷

𝓗𝓪𝓲𝓵 𝓗𝔂𝓭𝓻𝓪

The red enigma of HYDRA stamped on it.

"She fought Steve, the room was a mess." Bucky whispered as he dialed Tony.

"We'll save her." Steve said strongly. "Suit up." And he headed to the basement to get his shield.

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

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Chapter 23

Warnings: 18+readers only, slight angst, slight fluff, deep conversations

I woke up disoriented, looking around the dark, windowless room. There wasn't much decor in the room, including a clock, so I had no idea what time it was. The room outside was silent and I peeked out the door to see that Loki, Ivy, and Wade were wrapped up in each others' embrace, fast asleep, thankfully with blankets covering their bodies (thought admittedly Loki had a glorious chest).

I tiptoed through the room, quietly opening the door, and headed back to the elevators.

I stood in front of them for a moment, wondering if I should push the up or down arrow. Go down to the main room, or up to Steve and Buckys' apartment. I finally made my choice, waiting for the elevator to drop me off at my destination.

"Okay." I murmured, hesitating, before opening the door and smiling just a bit when I smelled pancakes. "Okay." I muttered again.

I had just closed the door when I heard Bucky roar, "GET OUT!"

I froze, heart leaping in my chest, thinking he had heard me. But I realized that wasn't the case when I heard Sharon's voice. "But James-"

"I'm serious Carter, get out of the apartment. I'm going to have Stark throw you out of this tower I swear."

"What a violent temper Winter." Sharon said in a patronizing voice. "This is why women always prefer Stevie."

My temper flared immensely and I found myself striding forwards and into the kitchen. "How dare you." I snarled, stalking forwards. Sharon was wearing revealing clothes again, and she blinked in surprise. Bucky looked just as startled, but also slightly flushed.

"Wha-"

"You heard him. Get out of our apartment." I spat.

"Just who do you think you are?" Sharon said nastily, trying to tower over me. My fist popped out, catching her in the throat. She let out a gasp, clutching her throat and stumbling backwards.

"Their girlfriend." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Get out. Or I'll sic Loki on you."

Sharon stumbled out of the room and Bucky turned to look at me. I didn't recognize the look in his eyes, but he strode forwards, kissing me hard and then whispered. "That. Was the fucking hottest thing ever." He kissed me again and I smiled against his lips.

But when he pulled away, I said seriously. "Buck. . . if you don't-"

"Wait." Bucky said quickly. "I just. . . I really want to explain what happened. Before you make any decisions."

"Okay." I whispered.

"When I said that we didn't need a woman in our relationship, what I meant was, we didn't need anyone else for our relationship to be happy, or to be in love with each other." Bucky said quickly. "But what I should have added was, just because we don't need anyone in the relationship. . . it doesn't mean that we don't want someone else either. Steve and I both want you Elizabeth, otherwise we never would've agreed to court you in the first place."

I smiled. "I figured as much." I kissed his cheek. "But I also want to talk to the both of you."

"Of course Princess." Steve's soft voice made me jump, spinning to see he'd been leaning against the wall. He was only wearing his boxers, his hair a mess as though he'd just gotten out of bed. "Although, who was Bucky screaming at?"

Bucky scoffed. "Sharon was trying to make love pancakes apparently." He tossed them into the garbage. "And then burned them. I could've at least eaten those."

"Well, before we eat, you should say what you want to say." Steve said, coming over and sitting down at the table.

I looked at both of them and was silent for a moment, trying to picture an unconventional life. Waking up in the morning to both of them, a ring on my finger from both of them. Steve wearing his boxers and making pancakes while the morning sun shone through an open window of our house. Bucky laughing as he came down the stairs, children hanging on his shoulders, laughing with him.

I pictured kissing Steve on the cheek while helping with the bacon, before feeding the kids and going out somewhere nice. Perhaps the zoo or the aquarium or the park, playing or teaching the kids, sharing experiences. Being a unconventional couple.

Then I imagined parents reactions and the fact that I could never actually get married. Was that something I could even live with? Could I put aside my one solid moral 'don't have sex before marriage' aside to live with men I loved forever.

It made me nervous, butterflies erupting violently in my stomach.

"Hey." Bucky said, taking my hand. "Just tell us, it's alright."

"Before I say this, I want you guys to know I do like you." I said, looking between the two of them. "But I think logically about things, people, and events in my life and logically. . . this relationship. . . well I can't see it progressing."

Bucky tilted his head to the side, looking confused, but Steve asked, "Can you explain why?"

"You two are married." I replied. "And you can't marry anyone else. And obviously, I'm not saying that even if we could get married, that we would do it now. But in the future, it is an impossibility. I just. . . I don't see-"

"You don't think we'll marry you?" Steve finished, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, obviously, no." I said, cheeks burning. "Considering-"

"Considering we know five Gods, the King and Queen of Asgard, the King of Wakanda, and Tony Stark, I'm pretty sure we could figure out a way for the three of us to get married doll." Bucky smirked a little.

"Yeah, Loki mentioned a planet he knew, but I mean, it's not Christian or Earthly or-"

"There are religions on Earth that allow marriage between more than one person." Bucky argued.

"Mostly one man with multiple women. And it's a logical response to the fact that a man can get several women pregnant at the same time in order to repopulate the Earth." The fact slipped right off my lips. We had learned about the Mormons quite recently in cultural Anthropology.

"Who cares?" Bucky finally asked. "If we're happy, isn't that all that matters? If I get to wake up with you between the two of us, what do I care about what others think or religion?"

I smiled a little, squeezing his hand lightly, which he had started holding at some point.

"There is one other thing." Steve said quietly. "Something that you must know."

"Oh?" I asked quietly because Bucky's grip on my hand had suddenly become painful.

Steve sighed, reaching forwards to take my other hand into his, lifting it up to kiss the back of it, before whispering against my skin. "Our super soldier serum makes us immortal. At least, as far as we can tell. Our hair will grow out, but that is the only sign that we change at all. It's like that Twilight movie except-"

"-except you can't make me into a vampire." I smiled a little.

"I want you to understand the cost of being with us." Steve whispered.

"Actually." I whispered back, "It seems that it's going to cost you a lot more if I'm the one you have to watch grow old and die."

Steve cupped my cheek. "It's worth it if we get to love you through it all."

I swallowed back my tears, connecting our lips lightly. "Then I'll stop thinking about logic and focus on my heart. How about that?"

"I like that." Steve murmured.

"Me too." Bucky said softly, reaching out and squeezing my hand again. "I love you. Both of you."

"Me too." Steve and I whispered together. Steve stood up, "Now, how about I make the pancakes this time?"

Bucky and I grinned at each other, "We'd love that Steve."

#Braveclementineworks #BraveclementineNovels #Novel #Project1940s #Steve Rogers #xOC #Bucky Barnes #Elizabeth Silvertongue #Sharon Carter #angst #fluff #18+readersonly #Stucky #Stucky x OC #deep conversations #Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes #Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x Elizabeth Silvertongue #Professor!au

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

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Chapter 21

Warnings: 18+readers only, pet names, fluff, angst

Firstly, can I just say, 'Thanks a lot Heimdall?' He just had to come down from God knows where (actually apparently he is a God so that's just confusing) and had to declare that my life was in imminent danger.

Naturally, this put Bucky and Steve into a mood. I could barely go to the bathroom now without one of them tailing me. I was dreading the moment when school started back up because I could only imagine the sort of security detail they were going to put on me there.

I felt terrible too, because Steve and Bucky couldn't even spend Thanksgiving at their own house, since Heimdall had said I needed to move into the Avengers tower. They said they didn't mind, that my safety was more important than Thanksgiving traditions but still, it certainly wasn't something I felt good about.

The others were trying to make me feel welcome, trying being the key word. Tony seemed very on edge with my presence, something Bruce was trying to get him to ease out of. My presence could raise questions about whether I knew of the Avengers secret identities or not, as well as raise more awareness as to where I was. So, I was not allowed out of the tower at all.

Most of the others seemed nice. Sam and Loki were the ones I was probably on best terms with. Sam and Loki had even taught me self defense until Steve had walked in on Loki pinning me to the ground and nearly took his head off with a shield. Loki turned invisible for a few hours to let Steve blow the steam off on the punching bags instead.

Although. . . I'm not sure it was the self defense Steve was furious about now that I think about it.

But, most of the others regarded me as a kid. Especially the people like Pepper Potts and T'Challa Udaku who I had as actual teachers.

I tried to keep in contact with Clementine, since I knew she had gone back home with Donavan, but Tony was quite against me having open communication since someone could hack my phone and track my location.

Thanksgiving morning came and the entire tower smelled like Turkey and stuffing. I had asked if I could help with the preparations, but Tony had a personal catering team that would prepare the entire meal, so there was no need for me. Instead, I contented myself with making a homemade pumpkin roll to eat solely by myself later.

That was what I was doing when I heard a sharp voice say, "Oh!"

I turned to see a Caucasian woman with blond hair standing there. She looked very surprised to see me here, probably as surprised as I was to see her. This was Steve and Bucky's personal floor, so the fact that someone else was in here was surprising.

"Who are you?" We asked at the same time. I noticed her hand slowly inching down her side. I was going to need to de-escalate the situation so I could avoid being shot at.

"I'm a friend of Steve and Buckys'." I answered, not sure where she was on the spectrum of knowing things. If she was aware I was a student, I did not want her knowing of our courting relationship.

"Just a friend?" She asked skeptically.

"Yes." I replied evenly.

"I've never seen you around before." She was still highly skeptical.

"Well, I've never been here before." I admitted. "It's only for my safety right now."

She frowned, "Oh. Oh I know who you are. You're the girl that Heimdall declared needed protecting, right?"

"Um, yes."

"Friends." She scoffed. "You can just say you're fuck buddies."

"We're no-"

"Look, a piece of advice." She smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "None of their past fuck buddies have lasted. And they've gone through quite a few. But in the end, the only ones they really love is each other. So, my advice? If you're looking for something long term, look somewhere else, cause you're not going to find it here and you'll waste your years."

She shoved off the doorframe, turning and leaving. "Happy Thanksgiving!" She called over her shoulder, the apartment door closing behind her.

I stared after her for a few seconds, feeling an uncomfortable pit twist in my stomach, staring at the closed door.

I had known, of course, that this relationship we had going on would not last. Logically speaking, it was impossible for it to last, as it was illegal to marry more than one person. The relationship did not work. So knowing that it would not last, was not new knowledge to me.

However, the very unpleasant way that she had put my situation was painful. I wondered if that was how the others viewed the relationship, and if that was why they didn't care to befriend me, the way I thought they might.

"Elizabeth?" I blinked, finding Bucky standing in front of me. He was bent slightly at the waist, looking into my eyes, concern in his own eyes. "Hey, you okay doll?"

"Uh, um, yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled. I forced myself to snap out of it and said far more cheerfully. "Sorry, must've been lost in thought."

"You sure?" I jumped, not having picked up that Steve was behind me. He also looked rather concerned.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." I laughed, hoping they didn't realize how off it sounded. I needed to shake off the womans' words. They were nothing new and hell, they might've even been said out of jealousy. No reason to be upset or question them or anything. Besides, if the relationship wasn't going to last, I didn't want there to be any fights in our fleeting time together.

"Sorry." I finally grinned. "I was just making a pumpkin roll. I got bored and Tony said he didn't need help with dinner cause he has professionals doing it for him. Which, honestly, I feel like family made is much better, but I suppose he could always surprise me. Tonight's dinner is good enough for a billionaire anyways."

I was talking to much and to quickly. As supersoldiers, I knew they had picked up that something was wrong, especially from the looks they were giving each other. But as Bucky simply said, "Well it smells good" and as Steve agreed with him, I knew they were going to try and figure it out another way.

"Seriously, guys, I'm fine. You just scared me, since I didn't notice you two at first, that's all." I sighed, touching Bucky's shoulder. "Really, I am super duper fine."

"If you say so." Steve murmured, wrapping his arms around me. "Your heart is beating quickly." He admitted. "Sorry for scaring you Princess."

"Yeah, sorry Doll." Bucky said quietly.

"It's alright." I smiled. "Now then, how about I teach you boys how to play Monopoly?"

ꨄ︎

I was halfway wishing that I had gone home for Thanksgiving. Nothing against Tony, the meal just wasn't what I was expecting at all.

I guess I had been expecting it to be like how it was at home. A proper dining room table set with the fanciest dishes and silverware that we had. We would all sit around the table, hold hands, say grace, then eat calmly there and then.

Avengers Thanksgiving was nothing like that. There were buffet tables, filled with food. Most people stood and ate in small circles and they wore dresses and suits like they were at a charity gala. I stood out like a sore thumb and I hated it. I wished someone had told me the dress code.

There was also a bar, which was running drinks out left and right and I took a seat nearby, practically hiding in the corner. Steve and Bucky had said they would meet me down here. I had thought I would be glad for the time alone, but now I just wished I had someone by my side.

Well, Gods seem to make wishes come true, as Loki approached me from my left side. "Elizabeth, I want to introduce you to-"

I heard a squeal and looked up to see Ivy on Lokis' arm. Ivy pulled me into my arms, making me laugh. "Good to see you Ivy." I glanced teasingly at Loki as the black haired girl pulled away. "So, this is your student pet?"

Loki let out the slightest of coughs. "Well, er, yes. Although I share her with Wade, admittedly."

I had no idea who Wade was, but it seemed like Steve and Bucky weren't the only polyamorous relationship in the tower.

Ivy looked gorgeous, wearing a silk, forest green dress, that was high on her hip. The two of them looked very. . . well sexy together. Both of them were rather tall, with long black hair, though Ivys' was definitely longer than Lokis'.

"Well, you two look very nice together." I offered, wishing I had something to drink. I looked at Loki, "Um, do they give people sodas or something?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Honestly, the fact that those two left you alone. Bartender, a rootbeer." He flicked his fingers at the man behind the bar who nodded once. Loki turned back to me while Ivy looked on amused. "And. . . there." He flicked his fingers at me and I looked down to see that I was now enveloped in a light purple dress.

"Nice." Ivy grinned, "You look beautiful."

I turned, looking for the mirror, and saw that I was wearing a lilac purple dress, held up by my breasts which was a style I was not used to wearing. There was a stitching of purple roses across my chest and waist. He had done something fancy and curly with my hair, pining up parts, letting other strands fall around my face. Pairing everything with white stockings, black school girl shoes, and a strand of double pearls around my neck.

"Oh. . . wow." I mumbled. It certainly wasn't something I would have picked, definitely not for a Thanksgiving meal either. But it was very beautiful, and I noticed it had a slight vintage style to it. "Thank you."

"So where are your boyfriends?" Ivy asked casually, asking the bartender for some fancy sounding alcoholic drink. Loki leaned across the counter, swiping the bourbon flask, pouring his own shot, reminding me very vividly of Damon from Vampire Diaries.

"I'm not sure." I responded as casually as I could. After we'd played four games of monopoly, they'd said they had to go and had left with the same warnings of staying safe and emergency contacts through F.R.I.D.A.Y. as they always did. "A meeting or something."

"Oh! There's Wade!" Ivy said excitedly, pointing across the room towards a man in a red and black uniform that I recognized vaguely as Deadpool.

"You might want to rein him in before he does something stupid." Loki drawled, swirling the whiskey around in his tumblr, watching as the somewhat superhero started to juggle knives.

Ivy swept away and Loki looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "What happened?"

"What?" I asked, flicking my eyes up to his, swallowing more soda than meaning to.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Norms, I'm not as stupid as Midgardians. What happened to put you in this mood?"

"Well I thought I was hiding it well." I mumbled, not answering his question as I finished the rootbeer. Loki signaled for another one.

"Fine." Loki muttered and I was startled as he touched my shoulder. His eyes had turned green, before he dropped his hand, eyes returning to blue. He sipped his drink and then said, "Don't let Sharon bother you, she's a complete bitch."

I blinked and then narrowed my eyes. "Hold on. . . did you like. . . read my mind?"

"I swear. . ." Loki muttered darkly. "Yes, of course I read your mind."

I glared at him. "That's highly invasive. I ought to sue you."

"No one would believe you." He yawned. "Anyways, Sharon. She's a bitch and James hates her guts. I wouldn't worry about her. Especially about how long your relationship lasts. She barely stayed with them for four months before they dropped her."

"Well she did say they dropped their er- 'fuck buddies' rather quickly." I mumbled.

"She was just trying to get to you. She's jealous, I think that's obvious." Loki huffed. "Besides, you're not their 'fuck buddy' as she so modestly put it. If that's all the soldiers wanted out of a girl, they wouldn't have chosen you."

I felt startled as I looked into his blue eyes. I hadn't even thought of that.

Loki tossed the rest of the drink back. "Now I'm going to go be with my girl. And if those soldiers aren't here in another five minutes, you come get me. I'll go find them and kill them for not being by your side."

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Thanks Lokes."

"No, that nickname is not sticking." Loki gave me a warning glance before walking confidently through the crowd to where Ivy and 'Wade' were.

I didn't have to wait five minutes, as Steve and Bucky showed up only one minute later. Steve was wearing a brown and beige suit and tie, which looked good on him. His fluffy blond hair was gelled back just slightly, giving it a darker look. He looked very pink in the cheeks as he looked down at me.

Bucky on the other hand, was wearing a red suit, with a black bowtie. He was not wearing gloves like he usually was, his black metal hand pairing with the suit nicely. He'd attempted to pull his long hair back like Steve, but had somewhat failed, making his hair look like it was bunched in a ponytail.

"You look beautiful, where did you get this?" Bucky grinned as he kissed my cheek.

"Loki illusioned it on me. . . I think." I said hesitantly. "It might disappear at midnight."

"I don't think he knows that fairy tale." Steve grinned, although Bucky shot the God of Mischief a glare from across the room.

"Ah yes, my glorious protector." I teased Bucky, reaching up and shaking his hair out so that he was back to normal. "Don't worry about Loki, he seems very smitten with Ivy."

"I love the dress." Steve said, softly. "It sort've looks like something from our time."

"I thought it looked vintage." I exclaimed, blushing a little.

"It's very beautiful. You're beautiful." Bucky said sincerely, though he still wrapped a possessive arm around my waist.

"So beautiful Princess." Steve said softly, gently pressing his lips against mine. "Come on, Buck and I have something we want to show you."

I let the two men lead me through the party room, before going out onto a balcony. Bucky wrapped a jacket around my shoulders, the two of them leading me over to a small garden area. There was a small fire going, though nothing huge and Steve put his own jacket down on the stone bench, before lifting me up and placing me down on it.

"We got s'mores." Bucky grinned, showing me the packages.

I couldn't help but smile too. "Really?"

"And hot chocolate and popcorn." Steve said lightly. "Thought you'd enjoy it. Especially when ten o'clock hits."

"Why? What happens at ten?" I asked, perking up in interest.

"Well telling you would spoil the surprise." Bucky smirked, picking up a roasting stick, unceremoniously shoving two marshmallows onto the metal pipe.

I pouted, "Bucky, you're abusing your marshmallows."

"Doll, they're marshmallows. Sweet little marshmallows that I'm going to roast over a fire, before I smush them between two graham crackers and chocolate." He said, his voice becoming dark and menacing in a joking way. "Before being devoured by yours truly. I think effectively ending their lives by impaling them is being nice."

Steve rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he neatly put his marshmallow on the end of the metal stick, putting it over the fire. "Wow Buck, you should've taught writing classes."

"I know right?" Bucky said in a 'I'm one hundred percent right' voice. "But the dumb bird got in the way."

"Do you hate him?" I asked curiously.

"No." Steve answered. "They get along well enough at least."

"But you don't like Loki?" I asked again.

"Look, Loki is better now, but I don't completely trust him. He did try to destroy New York once upon a time." Steve shrugged. "Leeway for being brainwashed by a Titan. But he is a God of mischief. Trust can only go so far with him."

I contemplated that. "Fair."

I pulled my marshmallow out of the fire, squeezing it between the graham crackers and chocolate.

"You didn't leave it in there for nearly long enough." Bucky shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "You're supposed to burn it so it turns black."

I stuck my tongue out, pretending to gag. "I'll pass, thanks. I prefer not eating carbon."

Bucky gasped dramatically. "Stevie, did you hear that? She called my perfectly roasted marshmallow carbon!"

"Now, now kids." Steve said sternly.

I giggled, snuggling up against Bucky, who wrapped his other arm around me. We ate s'mores until I felt sick, while they pulled out hot chocolate to sip, topped with marshmallows. It soothed my stomach a little and I appreciated it.

As ten o'clock rolled around, Bucky and Steve shifted over so that each of them were sitting on either side of me. Steve wrapped his warm around around my shoulder, while Bucky simply looped his metal, jacket covered arm through mine.

The outside patio lit up, nearly blinding me, with thousands of brilliant white lights. Looking upon them closer after I got used to it, I saw that they were all shaped like small snowflakes. Somewhere in the background, 'It's beginning to look like Christmas' started to play softly. I smiled at that, looking over at Steve.

"We uh, put it together ourselves." Steve murmured softly. "You said one of your favorite things about Thanksgiving is that it's the official transition into Christmas, which is your official favorite holiday. So we um, decide to officially make Christmas official for you."

"That's a lot of officials." I teased softly, before pressing my lips to his. "Thank you for this-" I turned to Bucky, kissing him too. "-both of you."

"C'mon, I want to wake up tomorrow with both of you in my bed." Bucky said, getting up from the bench.

"It is nearing Steve's bedtime." I teased again, standing up as well.

"Alright you two." Steve rolled his eyes, standing up, taking my other hand. I walked between the two Super Soldiers, hand in hand until we reached their bedroom. Steve shouldered open the apartment door open and all three of us stopped dead, taking in the sight before us.

The same blond lady- Loki had called her Sharon? - from before was in here. Her blond hair had been curled and styled, but what really threw me off was her outfit. She was wearing very vintage lingerie, probably something from Steve and Buckys time, in the colour of a nice pale blue.

I could smell apple pie, which was probably because that's what she was holding in her hands as she turned to face the door as it opened. I felt slightly disturbed, knowing that she had been in the apartment for some time to cook that pie. And also, knowing that she had probably been one of their exes that hadn't worked out.

That definitely explained her cruel and unnecessary words from earlier. She was jealous that they had moved on with me.

"Buck." Steve sighed, sounding mostly disappointed.

Bucky didn't say a word, his hand gripping mine harder. I was startled as he pulled me along, through another door, slamming it behind him as we entered the room, going through the other side door to where the kitchen was.

Bucky was furious as he pulled out glasses and I quickly took them from his hands since he looked like he was on the verge of shattering them.

"Bucky?" I asked softly, putting a hand against his arm gently. "Bucky what. . . who. . . what is. . . I don't really understand what's happening."

"That's Sharon Carter, niece of Peggy Carter." Bucky muttered, opening the refrigerator door so hard I was surprised it didn't come flying off the hinges like in the cartoon. "Steve's ex."

Ah, which implied that she had never actually had a relationship with Buck. Hence, Bucky's anger.

"You weren't with her too?"

Bucky huffed. "Hell no. Never liked the Carter girls, either of them. Peggy didn't approve of our relationship, tried breaking Steve away from me in favor of her. And Sharon is just the personified definition of 'bitch'. Sharon was someone Steve was dating before I was out of HYDRA. He probably would've married her if I hadn't recovered and we found our way together again. Steve tried to see if Sharon would want this sort've relationship, but she basically said 'hell no'. She still wants Steve though, this little show she's putting on isn't her first."

"Why can't she just be happy for him?" I asked, taking the eggnog from him since that was also in a glass bottle, carefully putting it in the three glasses.

"Because Carter girls always get what they want." Bucky muttered, more to himself than to me.

"Peggy. . . she successfully broke Steve away from you?" I asked softly.

Bucky was silent for a moment. "Not really. Steve talked it over with me. Explained that Peggy had explained that Captain America was a symbol and that he needed a woman by his side. He said that he didn't want to lose what we had, but that maybe publicly, Peggy was the key. She never broke him away from me in the sense that Steve left me, but she certainly broke him in a way that he's always believed he needs a woman too."

I sipped my eggnog awkwardly, knowing I was going to regret this next question. "You don't need a woman for this relationship to work?"

"No of course we don't." Bucky scoffed immediately. "It was just the two of us before and that was always enough. I love him and he loves me and that's all that there needs to be."

The kitchen was silent for a full five seconds before Bucky muttered. "Shit."

I bit my bottom lip, before blowing air out of my mouth.

"Doll-"

"Bucky, it's fine." I said nonchalantly, glancing over at him. He was looking at me with a hesitant expression. "I'm going to go uh, take a walk. Thanks for being honest with me."

"Wait-" Bucky said desperately as I hurried from the room.

Steve was just closing the apartment door behind Sharon, looking extremely annoyed when I entered.

"Hey Princ-"

"You need to talk to Bucky." I interrupted him, not in the mood for pet names. "Please? I'm going to go take a walk."

Steve looked startled as I yanked open the door. I heard Bucky calling for me again, but the door had already closed behind me, with a soft click. And I strode off down the hall without looking back.

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 17

Warnings: Angst

Bucky tossed back the bourbon that had been poured for him at the bar, slamming the glass back down behind the table. He barely tasted the old whiskey as it went down his throat, looking at the bottles of alcohol that sat behind the counter.

The bartender was a good friend of the Avengers, a retired agent in his sixties. He was serving customers left and right, but he always made sure Bucky was attended to. Unfortunately, being old made the man a true gossip and had been trying to get details out of Buck since he'd sat down.

"Everything good between you and Rogers?" He asked. His questions weren't meant in harm, Buck knew that. He was just trying to look out for his dear friends. But Buck wasn't in the mood to discuss him and Steve at all.

"Mostly. Hard mission, that's all." Bucky mumbled.

"Well, if you want to do shots I can get you something easier." Alfred said, reaching easily for a tumbler. "Or you can drink the bourbon like this."

Bucky couldn't help but let a small smile come over his face. Alfred was so particular about the way alcohol was drunk, it was fairly comical. Not to mention his serious disposition with his 6'6", thin frame.

"Of course Alfred. I'll take the tumbler." Bucky finally chuckled.

Alfred smiled as he poured the bourbon into the tumbler and then headed off for a new customer.

Bucky cracked his neck before he sipped at the drink slower. It didn't matter how many of these he had, he couldn't get drunk anyways. But he didn't want to go through Alfreds' entire supply either. If he wanted to drink a bottle, he could've just bought one at the store. And Stark always had some on supply anyways.

He remembered when he had first come to the bar, after being freed from H.Y.D.R.A. and after Shuri was done removing the words. After Thanos had snapped him to dust and after Bruce brought them back. And finding that since the moment Steve had saved him, he had been with Sharon Carter.

Of course, it wasn't like Bucky had expected Steve to wait for him. After all, he should've been dead. And then it had been two years being on ice and having Shuri experiment on him. Then five years as a pile of dust. So really, Bucky wasn't surprised that Steve hadn't waited. He never expected him to.

But it still hurt. Watching how Steve looked at the blond woman, the way he used to look at Bucky back in 1938. So he often got away from them, wandering the streets of New York. And he'd found the bar.

He stared down into the amber liquid, wondering what Steve was doing right now. They'd both panicked a little when they found Elizabeth had gone without a word to anyone. And Bruce had certainly been upset that he hadn't been able to run a checkup on her. But Loki had said he'd taken her to Sams' so he supposed she was fine. Sam would keep an eye on her.

Bucky quickly put the tumbler down, afraid he'd smash the glass to bits. Wouldn't have been the first time, and Alfred would've understood, but he didn't want to disturb the rest of the patrons.

It hadn't been his decision to push Elizabeth away, not really. He knew where Steve was coming from and agreed with him up to a point. But he wanted to keep her closer, not push her to Sam. What if the bird won her affection? What if he brought both girls into his fold?

No. Sam wouldn't do that, he knew that. His imagination was just running wild.

He sighed, picking up the glass again. He'd finish his drink and get home to Steve. Maybe he could talk Steve into not doing this. Especially with Rumlow still in town.

Suddenly, a hand came down, holding his shoulder tight. Bucky stiffened, especially as the voice turned out not to be Steves'. "Желание, Ржавый, Семна-" Bucky didn't even think. He swung around, decking the man in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. His tumbler of whiskey shattered to the floor, drawing every eye in the bar to him.

"Hey!" Alfred declared, striding out from around the counter. He was certainly impressive now, a whole six inches taller than Bucky, and Bucky had always been the tallest in the room besides Steve (and maybe Loki and Strange, but only by an inch or two). "What are you thinking? Laying hands on veterans in this bar? Get out!"

It was Rumlow of course, wincing as he pushed himself up off the ground. He met eyes with Bucky, sneered, and walked out of the bar without a word. Bucky gritted his teeth, feeling the metal plates in his arm shift.

"Sorry about the mess Alfred." Bucky said. "You got a mop-"

Alfred waved his hand. "I'll have young Mr. Grayson take care of it sir. That's his job after all."

Bucky gave a tense smile as conversation started back up around them, putting a $100 on the bartop. "Keep the change Alfred."

"Thank you very much sir. Have a good evening." Alfred said as Bucky headed out of the bar.

Bucky looked left and right, seeing that Rumlow was waiting for him, leaning against the wall next to the alley behind the bar. He smirked, raising an eyebrow, and headed down the alley. Bucky stalked forwards to see Rumlow standing there.

"I was wondering where the Soldat was hiding." Rumlow said easily.

Bucky said nothing.

Rumlow shrugged. "Relax, It's not like I'm going to oust you. That wouldn't benefit H.Y.D.R.A.s' plans for you."

He paused, waited, but still Bucky didn't say a thing.

"Anyways." Rumlow said as a car pulled up from the opposite end of the alley, walking backwards towards it. "Good of you to give the girl up. It just makes her that much easier to get to." He opened the door and the car backed up, disappearing into the night.

Bucky didn't think. He just turned, got to the car, and started to drive.

: ̗̀➛

Steve sat in the living room in the dark. He'd come home to find it like that, empty and dark. Buck was nowhere to be found, not even a note. Elizabeth's things were still in the bedroom and though Steve knew that he had to get them to Sam, he couldn't bring himself to actually pack them up.

They hadn't even been together for two whole days before she was taken. Honestly, that must've been some kind of record for the Avengers. And it wasn't like they had done much of anything except eat food and watch the TV.

But he missed her. It was like the house had lost all of its light from her being gone. All of its warmth.

He jumped as he heard his phone go off, having forgotten to turn the ringer off like he had planned to after coming home. It was Alfred from the bar and Steve picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Rogers, it's Alfred." He announced himself unnecessarily, but Steve appreciated it all the same. "That fellow I was asked to keep an eye on, the young man Rumlow, he was in here just a short while ago."

"Yes? Did he do anything?" Steve asked, leaning forwards on the couch.

"Well Mr. Barnes was in here as well." Alfred said.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, why hadn't he kept a better eye on Buck? What if Rumlow had been able to kidnap him? Was he going to lose everyone he loved?

"And?" Steve asked stressfully.

"Well Rumlow came up behind Barnes and whispered something in his ear. Barnes punched him across the face. He didn't say anything after that and left shortly after. He got into his car very angrily and sped off. I am just very worried about him Sir."

"Thank you Alfred, I'll see if I can reach him." Steve said, relief flowing through him. Bucky wasn't with Rumlow in the very least. But it was now a great possibility that Rumlow knew who Bucky was.

"Of course sir." Alfred said and hung up.

Steve immediately called Bucky and received him on the third ring. He could hear the noises of cars behind him, as well as the purr of their own car. "Buck where are you? Alfred-"

"I'm going to get her." Bucky interrupted, his voice firm.

"Get who?" Steve asked.

"Elizabeth. I'm getting her from Sams' and I'm bringing her home. And if you don't like it, you can sleep in the guest room, you hear me?"

"What did Rumlow say?" Steve demanded.

Bucky was silent.

"What did he say Buck?" Steve demanded again.

"He started whispering my trigger words Steve." Bucky whispered. He didn't sound angry anymore, he sounded scared. "He knows."

Steve closed his eyes, feeling the pit in his stomach again. "Shit."

"Buck-"

"He said he wasn't going to oust my identity." Bucky interrupted again. Steve heard a horn honk somewhere in the background and wondered just how fast and aggressive Bucky was driving. "Said H.Y.D.R.A. didn't want that. And he said he was going after her. I'm not letting her out of my sight again, do you understand me? She's ours. We should never have pushed her away."

"Buck-"

"I know you're scared of what'll happen to her." Bucky said, a lot softer. "I am too Stevie. But she's safer by our side. And we only have so much time with her Steve. I want to spend every moment with her. Let me Steve."

Steve smiled, standing up and turning the light on in the living room. "Bring our girl home Buck."

ꨄ︎

I couldn't sleep. Everything hurt. It felt like I was burning and I wondered if I should've stayed at the hospital anyways, despite Steve and Bucky.

Eventually, I couldn't stand it, slowly and stiffly moving off the bed. I slowly shuffled out of the room and down the stairs, feeling very warm despite the large and open area of the house.

I found that a fire was lit downstairs, Sam and Clementine fast asleep on a couch, a movie still playing on the TV. I smiled a little, before moving towards the kitchen. It was a beautiful kitchen, perhaps even more so than Bucky and Steve's. Everything looked like it had come from that Asgardian video game. . . God of War?

I opened the fridge, before pulling out the chocolate milk, shuffling over to the stove, pouring enough for two cups into the saucepan. I put it on simmer, putting the milk back in the fridge, wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm.

Suddenly, I jumped as hands put a coat around my shoulders. I spun around, a soundless squeak stuck in my throat at the fright, for I hadn't heard anyone moving on the couch.

Bucky stood, towering over me, a hand wrapped around my back, keeping me from backing into the stove.

"B-Bucky?" I whispered, sure I was dreaming. The dream was confirmed as he bent down, pressing his lips to mine. My hands clutched to the front of his shirt, pulling him closer.

"Come home." he whispered against my lips.

"What?" I asked, breathlessly, startled. I looked up at him, seeing that he looked distraught.

"Come home with me." He whispered again, holding me tightly. "Steve is waiting for us."

"Sure Bucky." I whispered, heart heavy, wishing it was real.

Suddenly, the lights turned on and I winced, covering my face with my hand. "Buck, what are you doing here?" Sams' groggy voice asked. I looked over to see him standing there, still in his day clothes, scratching the back of his head.

"I came to get my doll." Bucky answered, sounding proud.

"Wait am I still dreaming?" I asked, drawing away from Bucky's arms, staring at him dumbfounded.

Both Sam and Bucky looked at me confused.

"I'm pretty sure if you were dreaming, you wouldn't be in so much pain." Sam said, coming around into the kitchen, grabbing four cups. "Eggnog or hot chocolate Buck?"

"Either." Bucky said, sitting down at the table and it suddenly dawned on me: He was actually here.

I turned the stove off, mindlessly pouring hot chocolate into two of the cups, leaving some in the saucepan, sitting down next to Bucky on the side of the table. Sam grabbed a bag of marshmallows from the cupboard, tossing it onto the table just as Clementine wandered into the kitchen, eyes bleary.

"Oh." She mumbled in surprise, seeing that we were all sitting there. She sat down near Sam, taking a glass of eggnog, sipping it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously.

"I said I came to get you doll." Bucky said softly. "Steve and I knew we made a mistake the minute we left that room. We don't want you gone and it's a stupid way to protect you. It's not protecting you at all in fact. We both know that it was rash and this is also rash but we want you to come back home. Please?"

Uncharacteristically, Clementine said not a word, sipping her eggnog with much more enthusiasm than necessary. I could read her body language though, she was in clear support of me going with Bucky. Now whether that was because she just wanted to get freaky with Sam, or because she really thought it was better with them, I wasn't quite sure.

"Okay." I nodded. "Take me home Bucky."

Bucky didn't have to be asked twice. Without another word to the other people in the room, he had scooped me up, carrying me from the beautiful house. The car was running in the driveway and Bucky slid me into the passenger seat, before running around to the drivers' side.

He sped home as snow started to fall from the sky, reaching over, taking my hand. "We'll keep you safe doll, I swear it."

I looked over at him, reading the sincerity in his eyes. "I know."

He pulled up into the driveway about an hour and a half later. It really was a long drive from Sams' back to the campus.

"Sam told Clementine about what really-"

"I figured he would." Bucky nodded, getting out of the car, hurrying over and helping me out. I saw the curtain in the window swish down, telling me that Steve had looked for us.

He opened the door before we were even up to the front porch, coming down the steps and pulling me into his huge teddy bear hug. "I'm sorry E-" I broke his words off with a kiss, not giving a care in the world that we were out in the open. His hand cupped the back of my head, tangling in my curls.

"I get it." I whispered against his lips as I pulled away. Snow was starting to settle in his hair, melting, turning it dark. Steve turned to Bucky, pulling him into a heated kiss, making me feel hot despite the cold weather.

Steve turned back to me, holding out his hand, "Welcome home cookie."

I was home.

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 16

Warnings: 18+readers only, torture, angst

I wasn't sure what hurt the most. The first stab, the second, the third, or the last one. Ribs, arm, leg, and side. Each one seemed to hurt more in the beginning, but as time passed, some of them seemed to dull out and flair up. I had long learned not to move, because that would cause the pain to flair dramatically, especially in my hip and rib.

I was drifting heavily in and out of consciousness. I was hoping that someone would tend to the wounds after some time, but the man seemed content with letting me die of blood loss before he took care of me.

I couldn't imagine that Steve and Bucky were the same people as Captain America and the Winter Soldier. They seemed so different somehow. . . but I had to remind myself that I didn't even know the superheroes in the first place.

I supposed when I saw them, I would really see it then. And when they spoke, I knew I would recognize their voices. There was just no way I couldn't.

I knew that the fifth hour had drawn near as John came into the room, holding his fifth knife. It took time for me to focus on the knife, seeing that it was different from the other blades.

The others had been thin, sleek daggers. Smooth going in and almost no pain until I realized I'd been stabbed. But this one, this was clearly designed to hurt. There were teeth, sharp and jagged along the blade, the handle smooth and plastic like a kitchen knife. I knew it was going to hurt more than the others and tried to brace myself, causing pain to flare up through my entire body.

On the positive side, my headache was gone.

"I really thought they'd be here sooner." John whispered, dangling the fifth knife in front of my face. "But then again, I suppose they would've been here sooner if they hadn't come in with any uh. . . plane difficulties."

Plane difficulties? What could that possibly mean?

I hated the anticipation that came with the man standing here. One time, he had been here for only a few seconds before he stabbed me. Another time, he had waited an entire half hour where I was tense the whole time, just waiting. I knew we were closer to the hour mark this time, but I wasn't sure by how much.

I closed my eyes, deciding I would focus on the other things. Like the cold metal encircling my wrists, which hung weakly by my sides. The sounds of dripping water, each one making an excessive splat sound as they hit the stone of the floor.

I heard the man rustle, standing up, coming over to me and kneeling down. "I want your eyes open for this one." He whispered, one hand grabbing my jaw. He dangled the knife right above my right one as he jerked my chin up.

"Let her go." The voice sent jolts up my spine, recognizing immediately as not only the authority of Captain America, but also that of my Professor. I couldn't see him, but I just knew it was him and I knew that John Garrett had been right.

"Twenty seconds to spare Captain." John chuckled, standing up, twirling the knife in his hands. Now that he had released my chin, I could see the both of them standing there. They had complied with the order, neither of them wearing their masks.

If their identities were leaked, it was my fault. They'd never be able to teach again. It would kill Steve.

"What did I say?" John chuckled, throwing his arms wide.

"Stay with us doll." Bucky warned as my eyes fluttered shut again. I knew I shouldn't sleep, but I felt so damn tired.

"Hmm, that's probably my fault." John shrugged. "It's good to see you again Captain. The last time I saw you, I was just a little boy and you murdered my father in front of me."

A muscle was going in Steve's cheek as he looked at John. "Well, he murdered a lot of good agents."

"You said we could go with her." Bucky said. His gun was up, aimed at Johns' head, not wavering. He looked so different with the short hair and the different arm.

"I did, you're right, go ahead." John stepped to the side, moving across the room. Bucky didn't move, keeping his gun on his head while Steve rushed to my side, breaking my chains with his shield.

"Princess?" He whispered. The terror in his eyes was most prominent, his large warm hands cupping my face. "Look at me."

I did my best to focus on him, but I was tired. "Steve. . ."

"Shh, I got you." Steve murmured, quickly taking note of where I'd been stabbed. "I'm sorry Princess but these have to stay in a little longer. You've lost to much blood." He gently picked me up, making me bite my tongue to stifle my whine of pain.

"Your faces will be leaked to the world." John said with a smile. "Everyone will know who lies behind those masks. You think what I did to her was cruel? Wait till everyone knows she's with you. You'll never be able to sleep."

Steve walked out of the cell and murmured, "Hide your face sweetheart. It's not pretty out here."

I knew that he was trying to make sure I didn't see all the men he had killed to get to me, but I couldn't help but peek.

There wasn't a single body intact, as though they had gone through here with a chainsaw. Blood coated the floor so thickly I could hear it as he walked, could see the trail of bloody footprints he left behind.

"Here." I heard an unfamiliar voice say as we made it outside. "Lay her down here."

"We should've brought Banner." Steve said as he gently laid me down on something soft. "I need to go back for B-"

"We're here." Bucky grunted and I glanced around Steve to see Bucky standing with another dark haired man I immediately recognized as Loki, the God of Mischief. The plane door closed, the other man I hadn't seen yet getting into the cockpit, taking off.

"Okay." Loki murmured, stepping up. He put a hand against my cheek and I felt a coldness sweep through me, making me shudder. I closed my eyes, feeling a warmth shoot through me now, jolted into dreams and memories of being with Steve and Bucky.

When I came around again, I was in a warm, white walled room. There wasn't much space for the white walls though as metal racks were placed up against them, messily covered with what looked like junk to me. I could hear the quiet beeping of machines and the sound of someone breathing heavily. I could feel something particularly warm on my leg.

I groaned softly, rolling my head back and forth, hearing things crack and loosen. I looked down to see Steve was fast asleep with his head on his arms, his hand being the warm thing on my leg. Bucky was nearby, arguing with Tony Stark and Professor Banner in quiet undertones, looking passionate about something while Professor Romanoff and Loki seemed to be backing him up.

I wasn't surprised about Tony Stark. There had been rumors that he was part of the Avengers for years, because of how well funded they were and because he seemed to be one of the only people who could make an Iron Man suit. He'd never admitted it, but he'd never tried very hard to deny it either.

Bucky glanced over and was by my side in seconds, "Doll? How are you feeling?"

Dr. Banner was there too, though he was slower and a lot less frantic. "How are you feeling Miss Silvertongue?"

I stared at him for a second before blinking and murmuring, "Um, kind've. . . empty. Is that normal? Achy?"

"We've been feeding you nutrients through the vein, but you definitely need to eat and drink something." Dr. Banner continued while Professor Romanoff brought over a glass of water. "You'll need something rich in iron, so I hope you don't have an aversion to red meat?'

"Uh, no, no, I love steak." I mumbled, taking the glass from Professor Romanoff, "Thank you."

"Sure." Professor Romanoff said softly.

I looked around and then asked, "Where's Clementine?"

"Professor Wilson has been keeping her preoccupied for the past couple of days. We told her you got hit by a car and had to recover." Dr. Banner said, blushing sheepishly. "However, I understand that you two are very close and if you want to tell her the truth later, that is amiable."

Tony Stark seemed very tense, fingers digging into his skin.

"I'll probably tell her about the kidnapping." I said softly. "But I won't reveal your identities."

"Thank you." Natasha said softly. "Admittedly, we've been wondering if we should give you something to forget. But the soldiers are not very comfortable with messing with memories."

Bucky scowled. From what little I knew of the Winter soldier, I knew he had had his memories messed with. "Don't blame them." I whispered.

It was so strange. He hadn't replaced his arm, but he'd taken the wig off, giving him a very. . . well hot look.

"Um, wait, days? How many days?"

"Just two." Natasha answered.

I laid back in the bed again, snuggling into the blankets. The motion woke Steve up, who jolted when he saw my eyes are open. "Hey princess." He murmured, standing up. "Are you alright?"

"Sort've." I mumbled. "I have a headache again."

"We have painkillers." Dr. Banner offered.

I shook my head and then winced, "No thanks, I don't do pharma-" I paused and then started to panic, "How many drugs are in my body right now?"

"Elizabeth-" Steve said, quickly placing his hands on my shoulders.

"No, no wait." I muttered, reaching for the IV and Steve pinned my hands.

"You can't take it out." Steve ordered.

"But-"

"Miss Silvertongue, none of these will hurt you." Dr. Banner said firmly. "Almost all of the ingredients are natural. Chamomile, Peace Lily, those help you sleep. Feverfew for pain, a few other things. Nothing that will affect you long term, I promise."

I supposed I had no choice but to accept that. Steve slowly released my wrists.

"Here." Loki walked in with a small plate which had the steak along with another small covered dish. He put it down gently on the side table. He winked at me as he set it down.

"Alright, we'll leave you alone." Natasha said gently, pulling Dr. Banner and Stark from the room. Loki turned on his heel, disappearing into nothingness, leaving me with the two Professors who had settled into chairs next to each other.

The room was filled with an awkward silence until I finally asked slowly. "So. . . were your identities leaked?"

"No. Stark blocked transmission. Loki shut the cameras down. Barton wiped them."

"I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Don't apologize doll." Bucky murmured. "It's all our fault."

"We put you in danger." Steve sighed. The two of them shared a look, "It won't happen again."

"It's okay." I said with a soft smile.

"Here." Bucky said softly, picking up a box from underneath my bed, placing it gently in my lap. "We thought you would need this."

I opened it slowly and a smile spread across my face as I lifted my grandfathers' old handgun out of the box. "You had it?" And then as I looked at them, their words hit me. "Wait. . . where. . . what do you mean?"

"I didn't realize we have been caught onto." Steve said in a whispering tone. "Otherwise we would never have put you in such danger as being with us."

"Until the threat has passed, until we know for certain that we're safe-"

"We're breaking up?" I finished in a hard tone. I shut every wall down that I had, biting back tears, refusing to let them come to my eyes. My hands tightened variably around the gun, which I carefully and slowly placed in my lap.

"Yes." Steve answered.

No one talked for a while. I knew that if I did, I would break. I needed time to compose myself. Bucky was looking down at the floor, flesh fingers twisting in his metal ones. Steve however, seemed stone cold about it, his own barriers set in place.

I reached out, picking up my tray which of steak and mac and cheese. "I understand where you're coming from. I will see you in class later, Professors."

My dismissal was clear and though both of them flinched a little, they stood. "See you in class Miss Silvertongue." Steve said softly, while Bucky just nodded once, the two of them leaving the room together.

I closed my eyes once and then ate the steak with a heavy heart, feeling sick. Once the food was finished, I put the tray to the side and looked around. I was alone and I felt physically fine. I reached over, undoing the needles that were stuck in my arm, putting small bandages over them and then stood up.

I realized I didn't even have shoes, so I just walked out of the hospital wing, looking left and right.

"Breaking out?"

I jumped slightly, wincing in pain as the God materialized right in front of me. He smirked, but simply held out a hand. "I can take you home if you'd like. Unless you're looking for someone?"

"No, please, take me home." I murmured, not hesitating to take his hand. I closed my eyes before feeling fresh air on my face. I opened my eyes to see that I was standing on the porch of what seemed to be a resort.

"Where-"

"Don't be alarmed, this is Professor Wilsons' house." Loki said calmly.

I raised an eyebrow, "House?"

Loki's lips twitched. "He rents it out during the summer as a vacation house. Perks of working under Tony Stark, he loves to give his family houses."

"Family huh?" I mumbled, looking out at the beautiful scenery. This didn't seem anywhere close to the city, how did Professor Wilson always make it to work on time?

Loki surprised me by squeezing my shoulder gently. "The soldiers are doing only what they know: protecting those they love. It is not the most reasonable path to me, I feel that I can only protect those I love by keeping them closer. But the soldiers close themselves off, isolate themselves. It is very bizarre and yet, I recognize it as self-sacrificing."

"It's alright." I sighed. "I understand where they are coming from." I paused and then added, "And besides, we all knew that it wouldn't last, it was only for fun."

Loki tilted his head. "It was, was it?"

I sighed. "I already had feelings so I thought 'fuck it' and went with it. But they already have a civil union. I couldn't marry them, they can't marry me-"

"Under Midgardian law." Loki snorted. "You should simply come to Svartalfheim, they have the ability to bind poly relationships."

"I'm Christian." I mumbled.

"And yet you're talking to a Norse God. I really shall never understand Midgardians." Loki muttered.

I flushed darkly.

"Anyways," Loki said, turning and knocking on the door. "Give them time. They will know very soon they made a mistake. They'll come running back. Rogers in particular is like a Labrador. Loyal."

"Maybe." I mumbled.

"Let me tell you a story." Loki sighed. "How do Midgardians do it. . . ah yes. 'Once upon a time'. Well, Once upon a time, every Midgardian on Earth knew the identities of the Avengers. They knew the face of every single one, had fan pages and such things and of course, they still exist, but not the same as they do now. And then the blip happened and Midgardians know it happened, but they don't know it was because of Thanos, because they forgot Thanos too."

"How could we forget?" I asked as Loki knocked again in annoyance.

"It was an accident. Stark loves to experiment. When Banner snapped his fingers to bring those from the blip back, some of the experiments exploded. Midgardian stupidity I suppose. And everyone forgot who the Avengers were, because the Avengers were inside the building. It was good for us, in the end. Some of us were able to start over, myself included. H.Y.D.R.A. agents no longer knew who we were, but knew who they were."

"Rumlow?" I asked in realization. "That's why they kept acting like he was so dangerous."

"Yes." Loki said softly. "I'd stay away from him if I were you."

"So I'm one of the few people who know their identity?" I asked.

"Yes, which is why Stark wants an eye kept on you." Loki said as I finally heard footsteps coming from inside the house. "But I wouldn't have let you go home anyways. I wouldn't have let my. . . er girl? Girlfriend?" The God was going pink. "Woman I'm courting!"

I giggled. Loki huffed at me as Sam opened the door.

"Loki? Miss Silvertongue." Sam greeted me with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

I turned to thank Loki but he was already gone, green mist wisping away into the trees. "Um, I'm okay. Sorry."

"No, come on in. Clementine has been waiting for you."

I stepped inside, looking around. Everything was immaculately furnished with good taste. The living room had a high ceiling with wide support beams and a gorgeous chandelier. The furniture reminded me a bit of a hotel back home called Great Wolf Lodge. It had the same feel.

"How are you feeling Elizabeth?" Sam asked, gently, leading me through the house. Everywhere I looked, it was decorated like something in a movie. It was beautiful and some parts of it felt almost ancient.

"I'm okay." I whispered, looking at the stairs of the front entrance that would lead me upstairs. They were double sided, with a carved tree growing up to the second floor. I smiled a little, once again reminded of the hotel back home.

A feminine figure appeared at the top of the stairs and I braced myself as Clementine came rushing down them, nearly tripping, as she came to me. Sam quickly intervened, catching her before she could barrel into me and knock me over.

"Elizabeth!" She sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm okay." I murmured as Sam gently released her, pulling her into a hug, wincing a little at the pain. "I'm fine."

Clementine nodded, wiping under her eyes. "God I was so worried. I thought it would be Rumlow-"

"What?" I asked softly.

Sam looked sheepish. "I told her the truth. I couldn't lie to her."

I wasn't sure what the meant. Had he also told her about his identity? I figured I would just still play dumb on that one.

"Come on." Clementine said, sniffing, wiping underneath her eyes. "I can show you your room."

"I'll get dinner." Sam offered with a smile and went back through the hall we had just come from.

Clementine helped me up the stairs slowly, before leading me down a hall. There were plenty of rooms, eight at least down the hall we were at, on each side. It definitely felt like we were in a hotel.

Clementine opened one of them, leading me into a small, but nicely furnished bedroom. The bed in particular looked very comfortable and I wanted to collapse onto it immediately. I also seemed to have a balcony.

I also realized that I had no clothes nor belongings so I just crawled up on the bed, letting Clementine sit down next to me. The pain meds or whatever Dr. Banner had put me on was wearing off and I could feel individual spots of pain.

"Did they get the information that they wanted?" Clementine asked softly.

I closed my eyes. "Maybe, I don't really remember much. I just know that it was Captain America, the Winter Soldier, and Loki that saved me. And then a doctor patched me up but I was sort've in and out of it. And then Loki teleported with me here."

"Have you seen Steve and Bucky?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah." I muttered. "I don't want to talk about them Clem, please?"

"Sure." Clementine said softly. She leaned over, kissing my forehead. "Get some sleep."

"Yeah, I will." I promised, sliding under the covers. The comforter was nice, heavy, and warm, the sheets soft and silky.

Clementine turned out the light, turned back one more time to gaze at me, before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

1 note · View note

braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 13

Warnings: None.

"Oh, good morning Professor Barnes." I said in surprise, slipping into the passenger seat of his car. I felt a little awkward, one having expected Professor Rogers to be picking me up, and secondly because I had rejected Professor Barnes the night before.

"Morning Elizabeth." He grumbled, taking off before I had even gotten my seat belt on. His eyes darted constantly as we passed students and faculty and complete strangers.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" I frowned, staring at his face now. He didn't look like he'd shaved and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"No, I was on guard duty." Professor Barnes yawned.

I dropped my mouth, "Guard duty? On what? On us?"

"Yep." He said.

"What- why?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Wanted to make sure those scumbags really stayed away from you." He answered, rather bluntly in my opinion. Then again, he was answering all of my questions very honestly, which was surprising.

"No offense, but you're a teacher." I mumbled, sinking down in my seat, wanting to sleep. "You should get a police officer or something if you really want that."

"You forget I'm also ex-military."

"Retired."

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't keep you safe."

"Means you should, it's not your job."

"How long are they staying?"

"I don't know. Maybe two weeks?"

"Great, you're moving in with Stevie and me." Bucky said as though there wasn't any conflict with this at all.

"Pardon?" I asked, turning to look at him. He was speeding down the street, not taking care to notice the thirty-five miles per hour signs up as we went past them at fifty. "And slow down before you get pulled over by the police!"

"I thought you wanted the police to do their job?" Bucky jested, but not in a mean way, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smile.

"Whatever." I grumbled, already feeling lighter, despite the newest tragedy in my life.

We rode in silence until we were pulling up to the house. I saw the curtains twinge as Steve had clearly been looking out them, looking for us.

"Hey, um, sorry about last night." I muttered, cheeks flushing.

"Huh? About what?" Bucky asked, turning his dark blue eyes on me.

"Er- rejecting you." I mumbled.

He gave a short laugh, "Doll, I pushed my boundaries. You don't have anything to be sorry for. I should be the one apologizing. 'Cept I'm not sorry."

I laughed at that, opening the door.

"Besides," Bucky added, getting out of the car too. "Stevie and I have the same belief. Or had, until we got married. We completely understand. We're just not used to other people believing the same."

I smiled, "Plus, you're already married so if the two of you agree on someone, I understand that as well."

He smirked. "Steve and I have never actually agreed upon a dame before."

"I feel lucky." I teased back as Steve opened the front door. He too looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep last night and I stopped, putting my hands on my hips. "What did you do last night? Guard the back of the dorm?"

Steve looked like a deer in headlights until Bucky clapped him on the shoulder. "Nah, punk over here was researching those two dickheads."

Steve scowled, "Language jerk."

I sighed, shaking my head, "You know I had to grow up around Donavan my whole life. And Brock looks scary, but one good kick in the you-know-where spot puts him out of commission for a week. You don't really have to worry about them, that show last night was just to try and intimidate us."

"How's Miss Greenleaf?" Steve asked, closing the door behind us while he and Bucky shared a glance I didn't understand. It was like they thought Donavan and Brock were more dangerous than they really were.

"She's fine." I sighed, rubbing the back of my head, going to move towards my office, but Steve wrapped an arm around my waist. I gave a startled yelp as he carried me to the living room, where a breakfast had been laid out, the next Jurassic Park movie on the TV.

"Date morning." Steve whispered in my ear, before setting me down on the couch.

I blushed. "Um but-"

"I know." Steve murmured, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Let us court you Elizabeth. No sex, just days like this."

I was silent for a while, before I glanced up at Bucky. He smiled in a reassuring way and I felt something inside of me glow.

I wasn't sure how it would work. In the back of my head, I figured it was a waste of time. After all, they were married and it wasn't like I could marry two people. I almost always looked at a relationship for long term and I couldn't see this one actually going anywhere.

Yet. . .

I thought of Clementine and Professor Wilson. That relationship wouldn't be going anywhere either. After all, while it wasn't illegal for a student and Professor to be dating, it was certainly frowned upon and Clementine's life already had enough controversies as it was.

So. . .

"Okay." I whispered.

"Yes." Bucky hissed, before capturing the back of my head with his prosthetic hand, his lips latching onto mine.

It was euphoric, the way that his lips felt against mine. As cheesy as it was to claim that it felt like we were made for each other. . . that's exactly how it felt. His tongue met mine as both of us parted our lips.

Steve simply let us do our thing, resting his chin on my shoulder, occasionally tilting his head so he could kiss my neck, but otherwise was silent and unmoving.

Bucky finally pulled away, my lungs crying out in declaration as air moved through me again. Bucky chuckled softly. "You have to breathe through your nose doll."

I giggled and flushed darkly, before turning to look at Steve. Steve smiled gently, leaning in, caressing my lips with his. It was a much gentler kiss, safer, but sweet and fitting all the same. He nipped at my bottom lip suddenly, pulling back, before letting it go.

I felt like a mess, knowing I was slicked between the legs, my hair puffing out, and my lips felt swollen.

"C'mon, let's watch." Steve hummed, letting the fifth movie play. We were much quicker to snuggle up with each other. I was sandwiched between the two Professors, snacking on the finger-sized sausage links while they ate at least three platefuls of eggs, pancakes, bacon, and fruit.

As the movie came to an end, they did nothing but skip onto the sixth and final movie, which was one of my favorites since it brought back every amazing character. By the time that movie was over too, both of the Professors were snoring softly, their arms wrapped so tightly around me that I could not actually get up from where I was.

I contented myself to laying between the two of them, feeling safer than I had felt in a while. Everything that had gone on with Donavan and Brock, the near miss at the grocery store, and the boy I had shot. . . this felt amazing. This felt calm. This. . . This felt like it was where I was supposed to be.

I slowly drifted off to sleep, hoping that this could last just a little bit longer.

ꨄ︎

"So, if I can ask." Bucky said as we sat, replaying the sixth movie since they'd slept through a good portion of it, eating Panda Express while we did so. "How did you and Rumlow date?"

"Buck!" Steve scolded him.

"No, it's fine." I said, popping another piece of orange chicken into my mouth. "It's kind've stupid. It was a few years ago, I was sixteen-"

"Isn't Rumlow in his thirties?" Bucky asked, surprised.

"What? No." I laughed. "At the time, he was like nineteen I think? He's not that much older than us. Anyways, there was this dance and Clementine had a date and I didn't. Donavan introduced me to him. I didn't like Donavan, but Brock was hot and he was nice enough."

The glare Steve and Bucky sent each other when I called Brock 'hot' and I had to hide my smile.

"Anyways, we dated for a little while but I started backing off the more that he pressed to. . . well you know." I took Bucky's hand into mine as he clenched it tightly. "Anyways, at the same time, Clementine was dating this superb guy. We had planned to meet each others' guys and well. . . turns out Brock was with both of us."

"Dick." Bucky grumbled.

"Language." Steve said in an exasperated voice.

I smiled. "Anyways, Clem and I both dumped him at the same time and I don't think he's quite gotten over it. Donavan and him wanted double dates with similar girls."

"Then why didn't Rumlow date Clementine and Donavan date you?" Steve asked.

I bit my lip, digging my fork into the chicken and then muttered. "Er, because Donavan um. . . doesn't want me."

It took them a second but then Steve was on his feet, anger written all over his face.

"Punk." Bucky said in a warning voice, his arm having tightened around me.

"She can stay here too." Steve said immediately. "We have plenty of rooms. There's no way-"

"I'll ask." I said softly. "But Clem is sort've determined to ride this out on her own. . . with me by her side but she doesn't want outsiders in her business. The last time we tried to get people involved. . . she was the jealous sister who was badmouthing her angel of a brother. My parents believed her and they called off my arranged marriage with Donavan."

"Arranged marriage?" Steve asked, "That's still a thing?"

I laughed, "Sort've. Obviously, rare, but our families had it arranged when I was five. But they called it off. And I think Clementines' parents were sort've believing because they didn't have a problem with it and they've done their best to keep Donavan and Clementine separate since then. But since there's no evidence and Donavan is an angel boy. . . you know it's something they don't want to believe."

I finished off my Chinese food, completely relaxing into Bucky. He mindlessly stroked my hair, putting his own food down.

"Elizabeth," Steve said softly, sitting down and taking my hand. "Please stay here until they're gone. Please?"

I could tell it meant a lot to him, the earnest in his eyes. He seemed almost fearful and all I wanted to do was appease his worries.

"Okay." I whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Okay."

"Thank you." He breathed out.

"I'll have to go and get some things though." I said slowly. "I know it's Saturday but I think they're going to be here for a while so I need my school books and clothes. Things like that. And I need to talk to Clementine, which I want to do in person."

"You can take the car." Steve said, a playful smirk crawling onto his face.

Bucky shot up immediately. "Hello no! No one else is driving that car."

I pouted, "Are you saying I'll crash it."

"Yes." He said with zero hesitation. "Jeez punk, you really want to give me a heart attack like that?"

I giggled at that, kissing his cheek too. "So whose driving me?"

"I will." Steve started to say, but Bucky was the one scooping me up under his arm like I was a child.

"Nope, I'm taking her." Bucky said while I laughed.

"See you when you get home." Steve laughed after us, cleaning up the empty cardboard boxes. I should really look into where they sourced their chicken and vegetables and seeing if I was putting poison into my veins. But I also wasn't going to pass up a chance to eat with my hot Professors.

Stepping outside and into the car, it felt like a completely different world. Like the inside of their house was a fantasy land and we had just stepped into the real world. Driving back onto campus I thought of what everyone would say if they knew where I had been and what I had been doing. The names I would be called and the looks I would receive.

He pulled up to the dorm and turned the car off, "Want me to go inside with you?"

"Nah, I got it. Although I'll call you if I have a hard time convincing Clem to come stay with us." I said with a grin, getting out of the car before pausing, "If I take longer than ten minutes, come get me."

"Got it doll." He replied.

I headed up into the dorm and stepped inside. All of the lights were off and it was silent. It was obvious that Clementine was not here and I made my way to my dorm.

I started to pack a small bag, while also gathering my school things, when I noticed a note laying on my bed. It was written in purple ink, so I knew that it was from Clementine.

𝓛𝓲𝔃𝔃𝔂,𝓦𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓢𝓪𝓶 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓮. 𝓗𝓸𝓹𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭. 𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓼𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓪𝔂.-𝓒𝓵𝓮𝓶

Good, she would be safe then. I was glad. I picked the note up so that I could toss it somewhere else. Suddenly, the door behind me opened and I spun around to face Donavan and Brock.

"Where's Clementine?" Donavan asked dangerously.

"What the hell are you two doing here? How did you get into the dorm?" I asked angrily, feeling completely vulnerable. I really, really wished I had my gun, because these were two scumbags I wouldn't have nightmares about killing.

"Who is Sam?" Donavan growled. They had already read the message then. That wasn't good.

"I don't know." I replied. "Some guy she's been seeing, but she only told me about him last night!"

I wondered if I would survive jumping out the window. Probably not.

"Where are you going sweetcheeks?" Brock asked, looking at my packed things. "Are you staying somewhere else tonight? Why?"

I gritted my teeth. "Extra credit. I'm going camping. Bug off."

"Sure, sure." Brock said, edging around me. Despite trying to keep both of them in my line of sight, there was one on either side of me and I was not a fan of it. "That's why your school stuff is packed too."

"Why are you running?" Donavan asked softly. "I get it, Clementine lied to you about some stuff and you don't like me. But have I really ever done anything to you to make you scared of me?"

"Maybe I don't like child predators." I snapped.

"That's harsh, I'm barely older than you." Donavan sighed.

I slung my backpack onto my shoulders, grabbing my other bags. "I'm going to be late, move."

I hated the idea of them staying in the apartment after I left. I could only imagine them putting cameras up in the bathroom and our bedrooms. But I also didn't want to stay there any longer. I didn't want them knowing that I was staying with Bucky.

Brock grabbed my arm and I turned, wrenching it out of his grip. "Back off Brock. You know, if you're so curious why I'm scared even if you've never done anything to scare me, it's things like this. Even if you hadn't gone after Clementine, you both act like creeps. Now let. Me. Leave." I glared at Donavan and after a second, he stepped to the side.

I bustled past the two of them, wrenching the dorm door open and slammed it behind me. I hurried out of the dorm itself and then paused when I saw John in the hallway. He was opening up the door in front of him and looked over when he saw me. "Oh. Hey!"

"Hey." I gave him a stressed smile, and then heard the door open up behind me, telling me that Brock and Donavan had just come out of my apartment.

John glared at them over my shoulder and asked spitefully. "What are you doing here?"

I backed up just a little bit, edging around John and saw Brock glaring at him as well, while Donavan looked confused.

"What are you doing here?" Brock sneered. "Thought you were disowned. How did you afford this? Identifying as a girl?"

John blushed darkly and I felt a pang of sympathy although I continued to make my way towards the elevators, hoping all three of them continued to go at each others' throats.

"Better than what you're doing." John hissed, pulling his key out of the dorm he was going to go into.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Donavan asked as the elevator doors opened. I waited until they were closing to step inside, letting them close in front of me. I let out a relieved sigh, my head thumping against the metal wall.

The doors slid open and a tense Bucky was standing there, his shoulders relaxing when he saw me.

"Are you alright?" He asked, hoisting one of my bags over his shoulder, opening the door for me.

"Fine. It got weird though." I mumbled, forgetting that he didn't even know they had been up there.

"What?" He asked sharply as he opened the trunk.

"Well, Brock and Donavan were waiting in my dorm. Clementine's staying at uh, Professor Wilsons' by the way." I added, putting my suitcase in the back. "Anyways, I got them to let me leave but then we ran into John and I still have no idea why he's there, but apparently Brock and John know each other from somewhere."

"In the car." Bucky said in a tense tone, opening the passenger door which I slid into. His tense demeanor was making my heart race, like we were about to run from the law or something. He slid into the drivers' seat and said, "continue." He peeled away from the sidewalk, speeding down the street.

"Uh, so he said something about how John had been disowned and shouldn't be at the college cause he couldn't afford it or something like that. And John said it was better than what Brock was doing, but he didn't really expand on what Brock was doing exactly. It was just weird." I sighed, looking out the window.

I gave a start, feeling fingers wrapping around mine and saw Bucky was holding my hand. I laced my fingers through his slowly.

"We'll figure it out." Bucky murmured.

I looked at him for a long time as he drove. Finally, I said. "Bucky, they're just stupid college kids. You're acting like they've got some. . . higher purpose I guess. You don't have to over analyze it, I promise."

He just squeezed my hand tighter and said nothing more.

He helped with getting my things inside and then once they were settled into my bedroom, he led me down to where his and Steve's bedroom was, knocking on the door.

"Y-eah?" Steve called out, sounding distracted. Bucky pushed the door open and my breath caught in my throat.

He looked so fine, laying on his side on the bed. He was wearing glasses, which I hadn't seen him wear up till that point. His blond hair looked darker from the dim lights and he smiled when he saw the two of us, setting the book aside. "Hey."

"Hi." Bucky mumbled, leaning in to kiss him.

"Any problems?" He asked.

"No." I murmured, leaning awkwardly in the doorway. They looked perfect together and I couldn't help admiring the view.

"Come here doll." Bucky murmured softly, holding his hand out.

I took it, letting him pull me onto the bed, nestling down between the two of them. Steve tossed his studies onto the floor, rolling over to sandwich me in between the two men. I sighed, burying my face into his shirt.

"Is Clementine okay?"

"She's with Sam apparently." Bucky answered for me, mumbling into my hair.

"Good, he'll keep her safe." Steve yawned.

I really didn't mean to fall asleep between the two of them, but with their warmth and Steve's hand comfortably running down my hair and back, repeating that motion over and over again, I drifted off into a blissful sleep.

1 note · View note

braveclementine · 4 months ago

Text

Chapter 27

Warnings: None

"I don't like this." Bucky murmured for the seventeenth time of the car trip as I slowly pulled the car into the neighborhood I had lived in my entire life.

"Bucky." I said through gritted teeth. My nerves were already shot, especially now that I was feet away from my house. I had told my parents that I was bringing my 'boyfriends' to meet them. Yes, boyfriends with an s at the end, which had led to a slew of questions that I didn't know how to answer.

My mom, I wasn't to worried about. I already knew her reaction was not going to be a pleasant one. Our family was made up of devout Christians and I was pretty sure that my choice of men wasn't going to be accepted easily, if at all.

My dad on the other hand. . . I was going to hate disappointing him.

"Elizabeth. . ." Steve trailed off and then said, "You. . . I mean we can catch a plane back to New York."

"Damnit you two." I growled as I pulled up in the driveway, parking it angrily. "Give me a little bit of confidence that this is going to go well. That would be a lot better."

A text pinged on my phone as I sat there in the car. It was from Loki and it read

: 🇪🇻🇪🇷🇾🇹🇭🇮🇳🇬 🇮🇸 🇬🇴🇮🇳🇬 🇹🇴 🇧🇪 🇫🇮🇳🇪 🇰🇮🇹. 🇯🇺🇸🇹 🇧🇷🇪🇦🇹🇭🇪

I took a deep breath and then got out of the car. Steve and Bucky got out with me, helping me with the suitcases and we walked up to the door.

The house was a two story brick house with blue shutters and a matching door. A dead at the moment ornamental Japanese bush sat on one side of the sidewalk. Other dead plants lined the other side. It was definitely more beautiful in the spring and summer.

It must've snowed, because there were still salt crystals on the pavement, though not an inch of snow could be seen anywhere. The weather was also warmer, with the sun beating down on us.

I rang the doorbell, noticing the cute Christmas wreath on the front door.

I could hear the door inside creaking open at someone walked through and my brothers' face appeared in the glass window. He opened the door and said, "Hey."

"Hey." I replied back with a nervous smile. "Um, Paul, this is Steve and this is James."

"Hi." Paul nodded to them and then said, "Come on in. Moms' been going ballistic."

I cringed and then walked over the threshold, Bucky closing the door behind us. We moved into the living room, leaving the bags in the front hallway. My dad was sitting on the couch on the Laptop, looking at the Officer Tatum Report. He glanced over and said, "Hey Pumpkin."

Well that was a bonus.

"Hey dad." I said as he got up and came over, wrapping me in a huge hug, kissing the top of my head. Despite this feeling promising, I still waiting for his rebuke. I took the chance to introduce him however and he shook both of their hands silently, sizing them up.

I could hear footsteps on the stairs now and I tensed, anxiety threatening to eat me up from the inside out.

"Honey?" My mom called out before coming into view of the living room.

"Hey mom." I said hesitantly, smiling a little. She gave me a severe look, though she pulled me into a hug. I wondered if she could feel my heart fluttering like a hummingbirds against her breast.

"So these are your. . ." She drifted off, looking for the right word that would fit her views. "the men you're dating?"

"Uh, yes." I said. "Um, this is Steve and this is James."

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am." Steve said seriously, holding out his hand, and when mom placed her hand in it, he kissed the back of it formally, which actually made her blush a little. I felt myself relax a little. Perhaps they'd charm their way into this.

"Have you met my sons?" My mom asked, pointing her thumb over at the office door which was open. I could hear the sounds of my brothers using their keyboards furiously as they gamed.

"We were introduced to Paul." Bucky finally spoke softly. "Although Elizabeth has told us much about both of her brothers."

"Good." Mom said firmly. "I hope you understand though that you are not staying in my daughters bedroom?"

Bucky smiled and Steve replied quickly. "Elizabeth already planned to show us to her favorite hotel." He gave me a sideways look, "Uh I think she called it. . . Great Wolf Lodge?"

Mom rolled her eyes as I grinned. "We already made the cots up for you in the Solarium."

"Thank you ma'am." Steve said again.

"I hope you three are hungry, because dinner has already been made." Mom said, walking past us to go into the kitchen.

"Very much so." Bucky said eagerly.

"Boys! Set the table!" My dad shouted. And I hurried to help, hoping that everything was going to work out.

ꨄ︎

My bedroom hadn't changed from when I'd left it. All of the walls were covered in gymnastics medals and ribbons, along with one or two posters. I smiled as I sat on the bed, which was still made- though the sheets and comforter had been washed- the stuffed animals were piled up on the pillow.

My mom came into the room a few minutes later, turning the light back on as she sat on the edge of my bed, looking down at me. "Elizabeth, we need to talk about this."

"Yeah, I know." I murmured, feeling the sick pit in my stomach.

"I don't like what you're doing." She said flat out. "They are both very nice men, but you need to choose between the two of them. The other will understand and move on with his life and find himself another wife."

I bit my tongue, not even wanting to bring up their sexuality. "I can't." I whispered. "I love both of them to much. It's. . . unconventional-"

"It's sinful." My mom said firmly.

My stomach did flips. Despite all of Lokis' assurances that everything would be okay, the idea of my God looking down at me and seeing this sin made me want to curl up in a ball and let death come for me. Heaven or Hell I didn't want to disappoint anyone, and I had always done my best not to be sinful, to be Christian, to be perfect and good in the eyes of God.

And now, I'd failed. Big time. I had wrestled with this before, but once I was living with them, once I fell in love with them. . . when I was with them, I didn't worry about it so much. But they weren't here now. They were two floors down and I was in my bedroom, with my mom sitting on my bed like I was still seven years old.

My body actually felt like hot flashes were going through them, a buzzing noise in my head, my vision blurry. I think I was actually having a panic attack, although I didn't move an inch or let her know. I couldn't let her know.

I desperately needed them. But I couldn't say that.

I had to make a choice.

My phone buzzed again and I looked apologetically at my mom, but snatched the device up, grateful for the interruption. The buzzing noise was gone in my head at least, although something still held my heart in a painful grip.

: 🇮 🇼🇮🇱🇱 🇳🇴🇹 🇱🇪🇹 🇹🇭🇪 🇷🇪🇱🇦🇹🇮🇴🇳🇸🇭🇮🇵 🇬🇴 🇧🇦🇩🇱🇾 🇮🇫 🇾🇴🇺 🇫🇮🇬🇭🇹 🇫🇴🇷 🇮🇹. 🇧🇪🇱🇮🇪🇻🇪 🇮🇳 🇲🇪 🇰🇮🇹

I touched the cross that I was wearing around my neck in wonder, my hand shaking.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and both me and my mom looked up to see both of the soldiers in the doorway, worry on their faces. I quickly sat up and my mom set her mouth in a firm line.

"Steve! Bucky! What are-"

Bucky moved into the room slowly, kneeling beside the bed, completely ignoring my mom. He laced his metal fingers with mine and said softly. "I could feel your distress doll. I had to check on you."

I let out a shaky breath, squeezing his hand. Steve hesitated, baby blue eyes flickering between my mom and me as he tried to figure out what he should do. I knew he had enormous respect for my parents and didn't want to cross a line. But he also wanted to comfort me, which in and of itself was a comfort to me already.

And a sudden thought hit me, that hadn't hit me in a long time: Steve and Bucky were also Christian. How did they deal with it?

"Mom, can I speak to the two of them privately please?" I whispered, swinging my legs around so that I was facing them better.

Mom got up and said, "Five minutes," before leaving the room with the door wide open. I heard her go into her bedroom and then looked at the two of them.

"What's wrong Princess?" Steve moved forwards now, sitting down next to me while Bucky continued to kneel before me.

"How. . . how do you deal with this feeling?" I whispered. "This feeling of betraying God as a Christian? Not just for a polyamorous relationship but also. . . I mean, you know." I looked at them apologetically. "Being gay is a sin."

Steve squeezed my knee, almost making me laugh as I was ticklish there, but I couldn't laugh when it felt like my heart was now in my throat. "It wasn't easy, the. . . acceptance at first." He said slowly. "And acceptance isn't the right word. We knew that if crossed that line, Heaven was off limits to us. And we both believed so faithfully that we tried not to do anything. We tried so damn hard."

"We probably should've been stronger, especially for our time period." Bucky admitted. "But like all sinners, we gave in. And once we gave in. . . we never turned from our sin. And as. . . blasphemous as it is to say. . . I'm glad. I don't care. To be honest. . . the way I deal with it is that I just don't believe in him anymore."

I cringed, half expecting lightning to come through the roof and strike him where he stands. Steve flinched just the tiniest bit as well. Bucky sighed and continued, "I know he exists. Thor even proved it. But I don't. . . look Steve and I can't die anyways. But Thor still asked Odin to set aside a special place for Steve and I so even if we do die. . . we go to a special section of Valhalla. The Norse Gods don't have the same qualms of same sex couples as Allah, as God, as Buddha, as Brahma. . . so I guess if you asked me, I believe in Thor, in Odin, in Frigga, in Heimdall, in Loki."

Steve looked as shocked as I felt and Bucky looked apologetic. "Sorry Steve."

Steve shook his head slightly. "I still believe in God, Elizabeth. I believe in him fervently. And if I were to die, and appear before him in Heaven, his judgement is his judgement. And while the thought of Hell frightens me, saddens me, even though I know that eternity is longer than this fleeting- no matter how many hundreds of years we may live- I cannot regret loving Bucky or you at the same time. And that makes me a very selfish, sinful creature."

I had tears rolling down my face now.

"And so we come to the crossroads." Steve said softly. "You can stay with us openly, you can pretend to break it off and be with us behind closed doors, you can leave us completely. We'll always love you, and I know you'll always love us. But it is your choice, based on your faith, your beliefs."

"I love you." I whispered. "Even though I don't believe in this relationship. But. . ." I was going to choke. I was going to hate myself forever for giving in to the sin willingly. I almost wished they would kidnap me, force me to be theirs, that way I was sinning unwillingly. But that wasn't how this worked and I would have to choose a path of sin and love. . . or the other one.

'🇮 🇼🇮🇱🇱 🇳🇴🇹 🇱🇪🇹 🇹🇭🇪 🇷🇪🇱🇦🇹🇮🇴🇳🇸🇭🇮🇵 🇬🇴 🇧🇦🇩🇱🇾 🇮🇫 🇾🇴🇺 🇫🇮🇬🇭🇹 🇫🇴🇷 🇮🇹. 🇧🇪🇱🇮🇪🇻🇪 🇮🇳 🇲🇪 🇰🇮🇹'

"I believe in Loki." I gasped in realization, and with those words, something broke inside of me. A fountain of tears, for my lost religion, for my new realization. I had sinned.

And when I died, I would go to hell.

But. . . I had my boys.

2 notes · View notes

braveclementine · 4 months ago

Text

Chapter 26

Warnings: None

The pinging of my mother's ringtone made me sigh again, the same message she'd asked five times now showing up on my screen.

: 🇼🇭🇪🇳 🇩🇴🇪🇸 🇸🇨🇭🇴🇴🇱 🇪🇳🇩? 🇼🇭🇪🇳 🇦🇷🇪 🇾🇴🇺 🇨🇴🇲🇮🇳🇬 🇭🇴🇲🇪 🇫🇴🇷 🇨🇭🇷🇮🇸🇹🇲🇦🇸?

I felt bad for my mom who I had been ghosting. She was not aware of the restraining order I'd taken out on Donny or Brock, so she didn't understand why I wasn't answering her 'come home' text messages. Plus, Clementine was coming back home (only God knows why) and the fact I wasn't coming home with her (as of yet) was concerning to them.

Heimdall was against me going back home, which meant that Bucky and Steve were against me going back home as well. Heimdall said that while he didn't know if anything would happen upon going back, it was an uneasy risk.

And then he went back to fucking Asgard.

Asshole.

Despite Heimdall, despite Donavan, despite Brock. . . I was truly thinking of going back. I felt sick in my stomach when I thought of not going back home. I wanted my parents to meet Steve and Bucky. I knew they wouldn't approve of the relationship, but I needed them to know what I was going to do with my life at least. And that would be better in person, though not necessarily fun.

I couldn't bring myself to actually answer her message though, finally turning the phone off and tossing it to the side. I rolled over off the bed, leaving the room.

Steve was in the kitchen, grading papers with a look of concentration of his face so intense, that I was pretty sure he had no idea I was even in the room. I padded over to him and he looked up at me, smiling a little. "Hey Princess."

"Hi." I whispered, reaching out for him. He dropped the red grading pen, reaching out and taking me into his arms, cuddling me against his chest. Steve always seemed to understand exactly what I needed, and always gave it to me without asking.

I felt warm and safe here, tucked away against him. I closed my eyes, pressing my face against his chest.

"You okay?" He whispered softly, his breath tickling my scalp.

"I think so." I murmured, unmoving. He sat there, holding me for a good five minutes before I finally shifted, reaching up to kiss his cheek and got off his lap so that he could continue grading. I left the kitchen without another word and found Bucky fast asleep in the living room on the couch, his purple pen still tucked between his flesh fingers.

They had both been working late hours, so I wasn't surprised that he was exhausted. I wanted to move him just a little, lay him down in a more comfortable position, but I knew better. For one thing, I could never actually move him- not by myself. And for a second, Bucky had begged me not to be the one to wake him if he needed to be woken up, as he was afraid he'd be in a panic and hurt me.

Despite not believing this, I didn't want to hurt him either and knew that if I went against what he'd asked of me, he wouldn't be pleased. I hesitated, and then grabbed a blanket, gently letting it fall loose of its folded position, before putting it over him. I slipped the pen from his hand, putting it down on the rest of the papers.

There wasn't anything I could do for the awkward way he was laying. Not without waking him. So I simply left the room and headed back to my bedroom, flopping back down on the bed uselessly.

I felt to. . . depressed I suppose to actually do anymore homework, so I simply curled up on the bed in a ball, and went to sleep.

: ̗̀➛

Steve got up and stretched, placing the stacks of neatly graded homework back into their respective boxes. The apartment was quiet, although if he listened very carefully, he could hear Tony and Bruce talking in the bedroom below about someone named Rose. Bucky was snoring softly in the living room and Elizabeth. . . he couldn't hear her.

He walked over to the bedroom, peering inside and relaxed when he saw she was just sleeping soundly on the bed. Her homework was piled up around her, but he was glad that she was getting some rest, she'd been having a hard time recently.

He kept the bedroom door open so he could keep an eye on her, but walked over to the living room to check on Bucky. He was sleeping a little less soundly, his forehead pinched. A blanket had been placed over him, which Steve assumed had been Elizabeths' doing. His homework was still ungraded, but Steve knew that he'd get it done.

He heard a knock on the apartment door and hurried over, peeping through the eyehole before opening it. It was Sharon and he felt impatience and frustration flow through him. He backed away from the door quietly, not even bothering to answer it. She just knocked louder and called out, "Steve I know you're in there!"

He was going to have a threatening conversation with Tony about letting Sharon use F.R.I.D.A.Y. to track him down. He heard Bucky shift in the living room, so he wrenched the door open, stepping out of the apartment so the woman in front of him didn't wake either of them up.

"What, Sharon?" He asked, just barely to keep any exasperation out of his voice. He didn't hate her like Bucky did, he didn't think he could hate Peggys' niece ever, but he was finding it harder and harder to even tolerate her presence. He didn't like how pushy and easy she had become, throwing herself at him with every opportunity. Especially not when Bucky didn't like her and he would put Bucky's needs before his own. And definitely not with how she'd treated Elizabeth.

"We're needed down in the meeting room. Heimdall wants to speak to you and Stark." Sharon said confidently.

"Oh." Steve said, feeling relief sweep through him. He wished Heimdall had sent someone else to come fetch him though. "Lead the way then."

Sharon turned, walking back down the hallway, and Steve followed, wondering what Heimdall wanted.

: ̗̀➛

Steve got back to the apartment late. Heimdall and Stark had decided without anyone elses' input that Elizabeth could go back home for Christmas break if she so desired. Steve felt incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of their doll being out of state, even for such a short period of time as a month. Especially since he knew Donavan and Rumlow would be going back as well.

He was agitated as he walked into the apartment. It was still quiet, although he could hear pen scratching angrily on paper in the living room.

"Hey." He greeted Bucky softly as he walked into the living room, seeing the man was furiously grading papers. He wondered if he'd had a nightmare and he walked over to the brunette, reaching out to touch his hair. Bucky jerked away from him and Steve retracted his hand gently, knowing that sometimes Bucky needed time.

Except. . . that didn't seem to be what Bucky's aversion to him was. He glared up at him with angry eyes and bit out, "So how was it?"

Steve frowned, "Well I feel quite uncomfortable with it. I don't want her out of my sight for a moment-"

"That won't be hard. She never leaves your side." Bucky said scathingly. Steve blinked, unsure where the hostility towards Elizabeth was coming from.

"Buck- what are you- how can you be so angry with her?" Steve asked, looking over to see that Elizabeth was still fast asleep, looking incredibly peaceful. Her and Bucky certainly hadn't fought earlier and if she was still asleep he couldn't imagine she'd done anything to get him so angry.

"Gosh Steve, let me think." Bucky said sarcastically. "She's an absolute bitch-"

"Don't talk about her like that!" Steve snapped, furious now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth was stirring form their raised voices. "She's been nothing but loving towards you. She's the one who put the blanket on you while you slept-"

"I don't want her touching me!" Bucky snapped, standing up and tossing the blanket away. Steve winced, seeing Elizabeth sit up now, looking confused and worried.

"You better watch what you say." Steve snarled. "You really want her to hear you?"

"I hope so." Bucky's eyes glinted madly. "I hope she knows I hate her guts and will always despise her."

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Steve asked angrily. "She's been nothing but a perfect angel to you! I thought you loved her just as much as I do!"

Bucky let out a sarcastic laugh. "Love her? Where the hell are your brains. I love Elizabeth, not-"

"Wait what." Steve asked blankly.

"I love Elizabeth, I thought I made that clear." Bucky hissed. "And I thought you loved her too." Elizabeth got up off the bed slowly, standing in the doorway now, looking as confused as Steve felt.

"I do. . . wait who have you been talking about this entire time?" Steve asked blankly.

"Sharon." Bucky scoffed. "Who do you think I've been talking about this entire time?"

"Me." Elizabeth said softly. Her eyes were a little red and she had her arms across her chest, hugging herself. "Steve and I both thought you were talking about me. . . ha-hating me." Her voice cracked.

Bucky looked stunned and then heartbroken. "What? No, doll. Never." He moved forwards, pulling her into a hug, glaring at Steve over her shoulder which just left the blonde even more confused. So Bucky was mad at him? Why?

"What did I do?" Steve asked.

Bucky snorted, "You really want to play that game right now Steven?"

Steve flinched and looked over at Elizabeth, lost. At least she had seemed to be on the same page as him.

"Bucky?" she asked softly, looking between the two of them.

"He slept with Sharon." Bucky spat, sitting back down on the couch.

Steve felt icy shock wash through him, along with confusion and panic. Had he stepped into another world or something? A different timeline? He hadn't slept with Sharon in at least a year and a half. . . before Bucky made it clear he didn't want a relationship with her. He'd never slept with her after that.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, looking at Steve. "How do you know?"

"I didn't." Steve protested.

Bucky snorted, "What? So F.R.I.D.A.Y. lied?"

Steve looked up at the AI. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.? Did you tell Bucky I was sleeping with Sharon?"

"Yes Captain Rogers. When Sergeant Barnes asked where you were, I replied that you were in Sharon Carters' bedroom."

Steve was stunned, "Are you aware that I was actually in the meeting room with Stark and Heimdall?"

"Yes Captain Rogers."

Bucky frowned now, looking up at the AI.

"Then why did you lie to Bucky?" Steve asked angrily.

"I was programmed to use this response." F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded.

It was silent for a moment and then Elizabeth asked, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., where is Steve right now?"

"Captain Rogers is in Sharon Carters' bedroom, Miss Silvertongue."

"That bitch." Bucky snarled, slamming his pen on the table, going to stalk from the room. Steve probably normally would have stopped him, except he was furious himself. It took him a moment to realize Bucky had actually left the apartment already, Elizabeth running after him, telling him to wait.

Steve ran from the room, catching up with the other two as they took the stairs- Bucky to furious to wait for the elevator. Bucky slammed the door of the meeting room open, which now contained Sharon, Natasha, Sam, and Loki.

"You fucking bitch." Bucky snarled, grabbing Sharon by the throat, slamming her against the wall.

"Hey!" Sam and Natasha shouted, although Loki just smirked, leaning against the wall with his fingers touching his lips. Sam grabbed Bucky's shoulder while Steve just stood there, glaring at Sharon over the metal arm of his husband.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. get Stark down here now." Steve demanded, but it wasn't needed as Stark walked into the room and then paused, looking at the scene before him.

"Okay what the hell." Tony snapped, "Tin can, let her go. I'm sure we can find a peaceful resolution that doesn't result in happy- I mean sad murder."

Bucky huffed, letting off of the blonde agent. She coughed, falling to her knees.

"The hell was that about?" Natasha asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Bucky wrapped his arms around Elizabeth now, burying his face in her neck like she was a calming agent. She nuzzled into him sweetly, keeping him calm. Steve however, was still feeling rage.

"You want to tell Stark what you did to F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Steve demanded.

"What she'd do?" Tony asked quickly, protectively.

"She programmed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to tell anyone who asked for my location that I was in her bedroom." Steve snarled.

"Ookay." Tony said, looking at Steve in worry. He knew losing his cool would show a completely different side to the team that they'd never seen before. At the moment, he didn't care one bit. He just wanted Sharon gone. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. do a reset program for all of Agent 7's commands."

"Yes Mr. Stark." The Irish AI responded.

"It was just a joke Steve." Sharon muttered. "No need to get all bent out of shape about it."

Steve clicked his teeth together to keep from responding a brutal fashion. Stark would never let him live it down if he started to curse her out. Luckily, Bucky did it for him.

"Jeez, Rogers, wash his mouth out with soap later." Tony said before pointing at Sharon, "And you, need to get your ass out of my tower and go back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. You're banned from the property and quite frankly if you go near these three again in a way that is harmful to their mental or physical state, I'll put a hit on you."

Sharon gaped, "Did you just threaten me."

"Oh no, love." Loki whispered and Sharon jumped as he was suddenly inches behind her, holding a knife in his hand. "I'll threaten you. Leave them alone, or I'll cut your tongue out."

Sharon glared at him, before leaving the room.

"Thanks." Steve gritted out at Tony.

"I've been wanting to kick her out for forever." Tony shrugged and then nodded towards Bucky and Elizabeth, "Maybe you should go take a breather."

"Come on." Elizabeth whispered, holding her hand out which Steve took it like an anchor, letting her lead the two of them from the room and none of them spoke until they were in the elevators.

"I'm sorry Steve." Bucky whispered, looking down at the floor. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that."

Steve nodded, before pulling the brunette into a hug. Bucky clutched him tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just assumed and fuck I'm sorry."

"It's s'okay." Steve murmured. "S'okay baby. I would've jumped to the same, hurtful conclusion if the positions had been reversed."

"I shouldn't have believed it so quickly." He mumbled. "I guess I'm just used to getting hurt."

"No." Steve was practically rocking him now while Elizabeth watched with sad eyes. "I'll never hurt you sweetheart. I promise. I'm so sorry she's trying to break us all apart. It's my fault. She wants me and I'm sorry."

"Well, you are desirable." Elizabeth attempted a joke. Steve smiled and Bucky laughed shortly, before slowly pulling away and reaching out for her, pulling her into their sandwiched hug.

"Love you doll. I'm sorry you thought I was saying those things about you." Bucky whispered softly.

"It's okay." She said cheerfully, kissing his cheek. "We're okay now, right?"

Steve looked at Bucky before kissing him on the forehead. "Yeah, we're okay."

Bucky nodded, squeezing both of them a little tighter. "More than okay now."

"Good." Elizabeth said cheerfully. "Because I would like to receive some controlled pleasure tonight and I very much want you two with me when it happens."

And both of the soldiers moaned.

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braveclementine · 5 months ago

Text

Chapter 25

Warnings: 18+readersonly, mentions of blood kink (reader on period)

The first day back to school was not the best by any means. Not only did I feel the eyes watching me from not only the teachers/Avengers, but also the extra security (SHIELD agents) that Dean Fury had hired to keep an eye out on me and other potential targets. On top of that, I had started my period and was in quite a bad mood, as well as in physical pain. Plus, Steve seemed sore with me for some reason, feeling like he was avoiding me.

I was distracted during all of my classes, the hairs on my arms consistently standing up. I felt the security and Professors could be a lot more subtle and just stop looking at me. Even Ivy seemed to be informed because she found an excuse to walk with me after my classes and even studied with me in the library which I swear she had never done before.

To say I was frustrated by the time Psychology rolled around was an understatement. I half contemplated skipping Bucky's class since I figured he'd ben even worse than the others, but knew their worry would just peak more and they'd probably shut the school down and organize a search party for me.

So I headed to Psychology with heavy anxiety. Despite Brocks' threat to release Steves' identity to the public, he hadn't actually done it yet. I wasn't sure if it was just a bluff, or if perhaps the higher ups hadn't let him, but it worried me.

Bucky's class turned out to be the most relaxed of all of them. We talked about eating disorders and the how's and whys of such disorders. It stemmed a little bit into the healthy diets and unhealthy diets and he suggested that we all attempt a diet for one month and see if we felt better emotionally and physically after doing it.

"Miss Silvertongue, please stay behind, we need to talk about your last exam." Professor Barnes said as the class started to file out. Two of the girls in front of me started to laugh, quite rudely. Ivy glared at them and when the three girls were out of the door, I heard a slight screech of pain.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "I think Loki and Wade are rubbing off on her. Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"I want the security gone." I growled, my frustration rolling off of me in obvious emotional waves. "I can't focus. And I hurt."

"I know. Steve told me you were on your period. You're driving him mad."

"He's avoiding me." I said, hurt.

"Yes he is." Bucky nodded.

"Why? What did I do?" I asked, heart sinking. I felt like I was going to cry, my throat constricting. I wondered if I had pushed him to far with the food play.

"Nothing you did, really." Bucky shrugged. "It's just, he has a huge blood kink, you're on your period, and it drives him absolutely crazy. He's afraid his control will snap and he'll take you over his desk." He said this so nonchalantly that it took me a second to comprehend his words.

"He has. . . wait what? But how did he even know?" I asked, slightly dazed.

Bucky's lips curled into a smirk and his blue eyes met mine. "We can smell you doll."

I went red. "No." I whispered.

He chuckled.

"Oh God." I moaned, completely embarrassed. "Like a Vampire? Oh God Buck."

He tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"I'm so sorry. It must be terrible." I covered my face with my hands. I didn't even know how to fix this.

"Elizabeth, it's sweet smelling with a hint of sour copper." Bucky said, tugging my hands away from my face. "It doesn't bother me or Steve. Promise." He pulled me into a hug as I mumbled incoherent, embarrassing words under my breath.

I was so embarrassed, I quickly brushed the conversation away by changing the conversation, "So if I choose one of these diets, you'll also change, right?"

Bucky laughed, "Yeah right."

"Hey!" I pouted. "You can't eat ice cream or desserts in front of me!"

"Nope. I'll just eat them off of you." He teased, poking me in the side as we headed out of the classroom. I supposed we should try harder to act professional, but I don't either of us really cared.

"So how is Steve going to survive five days with me?" I asked as we headed out of the building, towards his car. He opened the passenger door for me and I slid inside. He closed it behind me, getting in on the other side.

"He probably won't." Bucky admitted. "And he's definitely not sleeping with us the first two nights."

"And this'll happen every month?" I sighed.

"Pretty much." Bucky admitted. "He has very good self-control Elizabeth, but when his head gets filled with to many fantasies, and you're right there, and he can smell you. . . well even he's not perfect. His mind will go blank and he'll feel guilty for the rest of eternity."

"I would just let him." I admitted.

"What?" Bucky asked, startled, looking over at me with concern.

I shrugged, feeling embarrassed. "I would just let him at that point. Then tell him I gave consent."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Bucky asked.

"Because I love him-"

"NO." Bucky said sternly and I went quiet. "Elizabeth, it would classify as rape and as much as I love Steve, and I love you, it's out of the question. You should never, ever do something like that. With Steve and I, sure it's different. Our headspace. . . is different but what if you weren't with us! You can't afford to have that mentality!"

"Sorry." I whispered.

He looked pained as he reached over, taking my hand. "I know you would go to any length to protect the people you love. But that is just one you can't do, okay? Besides," He said lightly, squeezing my hand. "I won't be letting you alone while you're on your period so you don't have to worry about Steve."

"I'm not worried about Steve." I said quickly. "And what about you? Does my blood not affect you either?"

Bucky laughed, "We're not vampires darling. It's not the smell of blood that gets him going, it's just what fuels him. Like I said, it means you're breed-able, which is the biggest turn on for him. The blood just fuels his blood kink, the 40s dress just spurs him on, and your consistently submissive behavior is the icing on the cake."

I squirmed in my seat a little, but my back ached to much to get super uncomfortable and I stayed slumped in the seat, my back pressed against the warmth of the seater.

"Admittedly, there isn't to much I know." He suddenly blushed, "Do you get weird food cravings?"

"I put hot sauce on my eggs, have a huge craving for milkshakes, and will eat banana peppers with eggs as well." I smiled.

"You do that anyways." He teased.

"Yea, but I will need a lot of spicy food. Can we get those hot wings again? I actually really want those now." I said.

"Of course we can." Bucky said, pulling out his phone.

"NO! When we get home James." I swatted at his arm. "You can't be on your phone and drive at the same time."

"Super soldier sweetheart." He teased, putting the phone to his ear to order 50 chicken wings to the tower along with two pepperoni pizzas.

He also managed to find a UDF- they were far more scarce in New York than Ohio- where he bought me a cookies n' cream milkshake with cookie dough added to the bottom. He grabbed Steve a vanilla milkshake, and got himself a strawberry chocolate mix.

"Thank you for spoiling me." I said as I sipped at the delicious drink.

He snorted, "If you think this is spoiling, just wait."

"I take it back, don't spoil me." I said quickly. I hated when people spent money on me. It made me feel itchy, like I didn't deserve it, especially if I couldn't pay it back.

"Yeah, Steve hates it when I spoil him too." Bucky sighed. "And I hate it when he spoils me. Or used to, anyways. Neither of us felt like we deserved what the other person was getting us. Me, especially. Now, we just know that we love each other. So if he gets you a diamond necklace for Christmas-"

I choked on the milkshake, "Please no. I'll feel so bad. I can't afford anything on that level Bucky. Please, please don't get me anything expensive."

"Alright, I'll talk to him about toning it down. Maybe a car instead." This time he winked so I knew it was a joke. I still shuddered at the idea of them getting me something over twenty dollars.

"You know I'd just be happy with books and a stuffed animal." I said. "Please don't spend more than twenty bucks on me."

"Our limit is twenty dollars?" Bucky asked, disgruntled.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Cause that's about all I can afford to get for you guys!"

"What, Steve doesn't pay you enough during the job?" Bucky frowned. "I'll talk to the punk about upping your pay-"

I choked again. "No!"

We argued the entire way back to the house and finally, finally Bucky relented and said he'd keep to the twenty dollar limit.

The pizza delivery guy had already gotten to the tower before us, so we found Clint in the lobby, eating the pizza, claiming he had a right to all of the food since he had paid for it.

"You put it on Starks' tab." Bucky deadpanned, grabbing the remaining pizza and securing my wings.

"Same difference, thanks for dinner." He joked, heading for the elevators. Bucky rolled his eyes as the two of us went up to our floor.

"Stupid bird." Bucky muttered. "Now what is Steve going to have for dinner?"

I blinked, "But there's still a whole pizza left plus those 11 slices."

"Your point?" Bucky asked blankly.

"It's fine. I'll share my chicken wings with him." I said happily, hugging the box of said wings against my lower stomach. The warmth helped the cramps- and it was just plain warm while it was cold in the elevator- and the smell of the delicious food wafted up and I let out a moan of want. Bucky shifted next to me, taking a deep breath.

"Watch it doll." Bucky muttered darkly as the elevator doors opened up. We headed back down to our apartment and Bucky called out for Steve while I headed to the living room to find some heating pads.

Steve was in the living room, looking frustrated. His students' schoolwork was spread out on the floor as he sat on the carpet, trying to get everything done.

"I may ask Tony to put an office in." Steve sighed, looking up. "Hey baby, how was school?"

"Good." I said softly, finding the heating pad in the drawer and curling up on the couch. Bucky came in with paper plates, a gallon of milk, and three cups. "Thank you Bucky." I said as he gave me a plate, also moving the coffee table right next to me so I didn't have to be uncomfortable as I ate.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked.

"'M okay." I mumbled, putting seven wings on my plate, opening up the blue cheese. "Cramps hurt though."

Steve didn't answer right away and Bucky kicked him lightly, jerking Steve out of his thoughts. "Sorry baby."

"It's okay." I said as he got up, sitting on the couch.

"Pizza?" Bucky shoved the plate of food right under Steves' nose, so that his senses were invaded by the smell of tomato, peperoni, and cheese.

Steve was still rather precautious around me, but since Bucky had explained it already, I didn't feel as bad. He also didn't go to bed with us, or the next couple of nights, but once I was on day four, he was back in bed with us, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his face buried into my neck. . . home.

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 15

Warnings: 18+readers only, torture.

I groaned as I became aware of my surroundings. I hadn't even been awake for five seconds and my head was already pounding, which meant I was in for a shit day. My body felt weird and awkward. There was a raw feeling in my throat like I hadn't drunk water in days.

"There she is." A completely different voice from the one that had nabbed me sang softly. I opened my eyes to see a middle-aged man standing there.

I was sitting on the stone floor of a dungeon, my wrists and ankles in chains. "Kinky." I mumbled sleepily, still trying to come around. Chloroform overdoses were dangerous and they had used twice the amount to knock me out faster. I hoped I wasn't in danger of dying from a stupid overdose.

"I have some questions for you." the man said, sitting on the stool that had been placed in my 'room.' He had sandy brown hair that was cropped neatly like a military cut. His eyes were a dark blue and he had a mustache, but his beard was neatly shaved.

"Can I wake up first?" I mumbled, lifting my hand up slowly to touch my forehead. "And water?"

"I can promise you Miss Silvertongue, a headache will be the least of your problems if you don't answer my questions correctly." He swore.

I sighed, blinking a few times. Everything still hurt, but I figured if my headache was the least my pain was going to be at, I should pay attention.

"It's your first year at college?"

"Yes." I mumbled.

"And your roommates?"

"Yes."

"Clementine?"

"Yes."

"And where is she staying right now?"

"I'm not sure. She said she was staying at Sams' but I've never met him and I don't know where he lives." It wasn't that much of a lie. It was what I had told Donavan and Brock at least. And I didn't know where Professor Wilson lived.

"Do you thinks she's at Sam Wilsons' house?"

I frowned since I don't think I was supposed to recognize my Professors' full name so easily.

The man sighed impatiently. "Professor Wilson."

"Why would she be there?" I muttered. "She's not exactly the type to stay at a Professors' house."

"No, that's you, isn't it?" His lip curled into a cruel smirk as my cheeks blushed a dull pink. "You know who I am?"

"No, am I supposed to?" I jested.

"Name is John Garrett the second." He said, another smirk crossing his face. "I believe you've met my son?"

I waited for his son to enter the room like in those fanfictions or movies, but no one came. "Yes, where is he?"

"Unfortunately, he has a sensitive constitute. He refuses to take part with us. So, I had to disown him." The man shrugged.

Suddenly the words between John and Brock were starting to make sense. But if that was so. . . did that mean Rumlow was also. . . well part of whoever had kidnapped me.

"Who are you?" I asked roughly.

"I just told you, I'm John Garrett the second."

I huffed. "No, your organization. Or is this some personal vendetta against your son for being somewhat friends with him?"

"Oh, I'm sure you've heard of us at some point. We're H.Y.D.R.A."

Well fuck.

"And, I think you can help us Miss Silvertongue." The man said, standing, grabbing a file and opening it, fishing out two photos. "You recognize these two men I'm sure?"

"Captain America and the Winter Soldier." I muttered, rolling my eyes at both the masked men. Captain America was in his normal red, white, and blue suit with his white winged cowl. The Winter Soldier had his silver arm with the red star, a black mask covering his eyes, his hair short and cropped military style.

"And I'm sure you recognize these two men."

I bit my bottom lip as he showed me Professor Rogers teaching at his chalkboard and Professor Barnes sitting at his desk, grading homework.

"Yes, you know I do." I whispered.

He held up Professor Rogers and Captain Americas' pictures in one hand, the Winter Soldier and Professor Barnes photos in the other hand. "You see what I see?"

I stared at the pictures and then back up at John. "No. What am I supposed to see?"

"They're the same person, right?" He asked dangerously.

"What?" I scoffed. I couldn't even help the laugh that came out of my mouth, though I sounded terrified. "You're kidding, right?"

"We'll see." He said softly, standing up again, turning as someone else came into the room, carrying a tray with a singular dagger on it, along with a phone. He handed the file to the lackey and took the knife and phone.

I could hear him calling someone as he put it on speakerphone.

"Who is this and how did you get this number?" An aggressive voice asked on the other side. He sounded somewhat familiar, but not enough for me to place the name of the person.

"Is this the Avengers hotline? I wouldn't hang up if you are. I have a. . . silver tongue here."

There was silence on the other side of the phone for a moment before the voice spoke again. "Continue."

"I'm willing to make a deal for her, I'm sure her boyfriends want her back in good condition. You can have her back when you find her, so long as only Captain America and the Winter Soldier come and save her. And, they save her without their masks on."

"What's the catch?" The voice on the other side asked. Where had I heard that voice before?

"Every hour you take to get here," He said, kneeling down next to me. "Starting now. . . I stab her." He did just that, stabbing me right between the ribs. I was so surprised that I was silent at first, eyes just popping out of my head, before my nerves let my brain know that I had, indeed, been stabbed. A scream ripped from my lips before I clamped my mouth shut, biting my tongue, drawing blood, muffled whimpers sobbing in my throat.

"Brave girl we have here." He whispered, standing up again, not removing the knife. I didn't bother, knowing that it was keeping the blood in, no matter how painful it was. "Remember, every hour." He hung up after that, walking out of the cell without looking back.

: ̗̀➛

"Is he losing it? Steve are we losing him?" Tony snarked, pointing at Bucky who was staring at the holograph that the call had popped up on. Though they had blocked the facetime so the caller wouldn't be able to see their identities, they had been able to see where Elizabeth was being kept, and had been able to see when he stabbed her.

Bucky hadn't moved an inch in ten minutes and even Steve wasn't sure he was hearing a word that was being said. In fact, Steve wasn't even sure if Bucky had blinked.

"Shut up Stark." Steve stressed, pacing. This was all of his fault. If he'd stayed in bed last night, he would've heard her fighting for her life. He would've saved her.

No, he and Bucky should've insisted that she stayed with them. Then they would never have even have had a chance at her.

"How'd they get into the house? That house is booby trapped five different ways till Sunday." Loki asked, arms crossed over his chest. He had never met Elizabeth, but he had his own little student pet and could only imagine how he'd feel if she ended up in the same place.

"We don't know yet." Bruce answered. "It looks like all of the systems were still up, nothing was deactivated, was it?"

Steve shook her head. "In fact we were going to ask Stark for extra codes while she was there. We definitely didn't deactivate anything."

"Yes we did." Bucky had finally come around, tearing his eyes away from the call, looking at Steve. "We deactivated the fire protocol for the table s'mores last night, just in case."

Steve went quiet, thinking of how happy you'd looked when you'd shown them how to make s'mores inside. They had indeed deactivated the fire protocol just so Tony wouldn't show up in his Iron Man suit to see if they'd burned the house down.

"Shit." Steve cursed.

"That wouldn't put the entire security system down, would it?" Loki asked incredulously, wondering just how flimsy Midgardian security was.

"It shouldn't have." Tony frowned. "The fire protocol shouldn't have stopped alarms from ringing if someone broke in."

"If that wasn't it, then what was it?" Bruce asked.

Tony frowned, trying to shift through everything and then his eyes widened. "They added something in at the same exact time you shut the fire protocol off. They were just waiting for it."

"How long do you think they've been stalking the house then?" Clint asked urgently.

"As long as she's been a target, probably." Steve murmured. "We've only been in a relationship for two days, but she's been working as a teachers assistant since the beginning of the school year."

"Did you really just openly admit that you and Elsas' henchman are in a relationship with the girl?" Tony asked.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and started to point, "Russian spy who finds out everything no matter how hard someone tries to hide it-" Natasha pretended to blush, flattered. "-two mind readers-" Loki and Wanda rolled eyes at each other, "-and you, Tony, who puts his nose in everyones' business. Tell me you didn't already know."

Tony shrugged, "Just didn't know you were freaky like that Cap."

"Okay, great, cool, please tell me you've found her." Bucky grouched at Tony. Steve immediately felt guilty for wasting any time at all.

"There's nothing to go on. We have a stereotypical dungeon." Tony threw his hands up in the air. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. matched it to three thousand identical locations. We have fifteen here in this area alone. And those are the ones that are documented."

"There has to be something." Steve said with a sigh, eyes twitching up to the clock again. Twenty minutes had already passed. You were strong, brave, but he wasn't sure how many knife stabs you could take. He didn't even want you to have taken the one you already did.

"Where's Strange?" Bucky asked. "And Wilson?"

"Sams' keeping Clementine occupied." Rhodey stepped up to say. "Figure it's better if she doesn't know her best friend is missing. . . for now anyways. Don't want her trying to go to the police or going after her brother and Rumlow."

"Strange is teaching class. We already sent quite a few subs in." Tony said in a warning voice. "We send in more subs and people will get suspicious."

"Apparently they're already suspicious." Bucky muttered, pacing back and forth.

"So what do we do, we can't wait Stark." Natasha said urgently. "She's not a super solider or a God. She might last. . . four or five more hours at the most if they're generous with where they stab her."

Bucky glared at her and Steve felt his heart tighten.

"Okay, okay." Stark muttered, pacing now too.

Bucky's head suddenly snapped up and he moved across the room towards Tony's desk.

"Oi, C-3PO, I don't appreciate whatever-" Tony quickly said, wincing as Bucky started messing up the order of his desk to unearth the tablet buried under paperwork. "Don't tell Pepper about the paperwork."

"Bucky?" Steve asked, trying to figure out what Bucky was doing. Bucky pulled something out of his pocket, attaching it to the back of the tablet, not paying attention to anyone else.

"Alright." Natasha sighed, handing over a folder. "Rumlow, Garrett the third, and Donavan Greenleaf are all accounted for. Garrett hasn't left the dorm and Tony can't get cameras on the inside, it's possible they've been disabled. Rumlow and Greenleaf are a lot easier, they've spent all morning on campus with that group they came over with from their college. We've already identified three of them as fellow H.Y.D.R.A. agents, we're not sure about the others."

"How many in total?" Loki asked, taking the folder to glance through it.

"Forty, it's a full class." Natasha shrugged. "It's possible that there's more in there or that they are there for some recruiting."

"I've got her." Bucky whispered, swiping the tablet to put up a map which showed a blinking red dot in the middle of nowhere, far away from them.

"How?" Every person in the room asked in amazement.

Steve however, already knew, "You put a tracking device on her?"

Bucky looked a little guilty. "It was for safety. I was going to remove it after Rumlow left."

Steve shook his head. "We'll talk about that later. For now, I'm just glad we've got her."

"One problem." Tony said, tracing the route from the campus to where Elizabeth was being kept. "It's six hours away."

"She won't make it." Natasha said in a warning voice, glancing over at Loki, then at Wanda. "When does Stranges' class end?"

"Forty minutes, by that time it's her second knife." Steve said in a tense voice, glancing at the clock again.

Tony looked at the clock too. "I hate to tell you Cap, but no matter if you're walking, flying, or driving, she's going to get a second knife anyways."

Steve slammed his fist against the table and felt a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be okay." Loki murmured softly, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly, before moving away, looking preoccupied, chewing on his bottom lip.

"We start flying." Bucky said. "We start flying there. That'll be what? Two and a half hours? When Strange gets out, he can portal onto the quinjet and portal us there. But at least if he gets held up and doesn't make it, we're already half-way there."

"Good thinking." Steve said. "Clint start the jet up!"

"Are you two sure you're okay with no backup?" Tony asked worriedly.

"You've got classes, don't you?" Steve countered, grabbing his shield and slamming it into his back rack. Bucky fell into step next to him, his guns strapped and ready. He'd already replaced his new Wakandan technology arm with his old H.Y.D.R.A. one. No one knew he'd had a new arm and it worked as a good excuse. He had also tucked his long locks under a military style haircut, which reminded Steve heavily of the 1940s.

"I'm coming with you two." Lokis' voice wafted through the air on the other side of Steve, nearly making the blond super soldier jump.

"Why?" Bucky grouched.

"You didn't even know I was here, did you?" Loki sounded smug. "So they won't either. Worst comes to worst. . . I can get your girl out."

Steve and Bucky were both silent until the jet came into view, Clint already in the pilot seat, clearly coming with them as well and not taking no for an answer. "Alright then." Steve said. "She's your top priority."

"Aye aye Captain." Loki snickered and Steve could hear him moving away.

"He spends to much time with Wade." Bucky muttered.

"Yes, yes he does." Steve muttered back.

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 10

Warnings: None.

"Okay where are we?" I asked, feeling very nervous. I was in Professor Wilsons' car with a blindfold over my eyes. I didn't feel uncomfortable though, mostly just curious.

Professor Wilson chuckled. "If I told you, then it would ruin the experiment." I could feel the car roll to a stop and then he climbed out of the car. I fumbled for the door handle, but the door opened before I got the chance, a hand grabbing mine.

"Easy." Professor Wilson said. I let him lead me by hand, feeling that we were walking up a grassy slope. "Alright, stairs."

We went like that until I knew we were in a building, yet he still did not remove my blindfold. I was led up more stairs and then we were walking for what felt like forever, before I heard a door open and I went inside the room.

"Alright." Professor Wilson said, taking my blindfold off and I took in the room.

It was very cabin-esque with brick and wood walls, blending into each other. A circular chandelier with large candles hung above the large bed. Built into the corner of the brick pillar was a small fireplace. The windows were large, though Professor Wilson quickly drew the blinds over them, before sitting on the leather couch, gesturing for me to sit in the armchair.

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

I wanted to sigh dramatically, but Bucky's voice rang in my head, 'It only works if you're open to it.'

"Okay." I murmured.

"How have you been feeling since the incident?" Professor Wilson asked.

"Fine." I answered automatically.

"Really? No nightmares, no panic attacks, no feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt, no insomnia, nothing at all?" Professor Wilson asked in a voice that sound extremely skeptical.

I felt weird. The room felt familiar to me. I knew I had never stepped foot in it, but it felt nostalgic. Like it was a part of a place I had been to, but hadn't been in. It was hard to explain. I felt comfortable here, but also weird because I shouldn't have felt that way, since it was a new place.

I hesitated and then admitted, "Nightmares, yes. But no panic attacks. Sometimes guilt and I can get anxious when I know people are talking about me. But um, for the most part I've really been doing fine."

"I've heard from my colleagues that you have an aversion to therapy. Is it therapy itself or therapists?" Professor Wilson asked.

"I just don't believe in therapy." I explained. "From what I've seen, therapists usually only end up telling you what you want to hear, even if it's the wrong advice. They're also very pushy when it comes to putting their clients on expensive medications."

"So therapists." Professor Wilson smiled gently.

I shrugged.

"Is this something that stems from your youth?" Professor Wilson enquired.

I wrinkled my nose. "Something else I don't like about therapists is when they prod into the past. I don't need my family analyzed to see if they were good parents or not."

Professor Wilson just smiled again, "That's not what I'm doing. But a lot of what we grow up to be is because of our past."

I hesitated. "When I was in High School, a boy I went to school with died on the lacrosse field. I didn't know him, never met him, but I remember watching it on the TV. The news reporter had said they were going to provide therapy for all of the kids and my dad scoffed. He went on to list all the kids he knew who got hit by cars and drowned or died in other ways. And he explained how none of them ever needed therapy and that todays' kids were soft."

"And so you believe that by going to therapy, not only are you weak, but you're also letting your father down?" Professor Wilson asked.

"Well, I'm not weak." I said stubbornly. "But the second part, not really. My dad actually suggested that I talk to you but I don't need therapy."

"It feels like you're trying to prove something."

"I'm not." I scoffed a laugh. "I can just brush things off better than other people. I'm not one of these weak snowflakes that can even handle being called the wrong pronoun on accident. I don't need you to tell me that it's okay to feel guilt over killing someone, even if I did the right thing. I don't need you to tell me that having nightmares is normal. I know it's normal so now I just deal with it. I made a decision and I live with the consequences. That's all."

Professor Wilson was quiet for a moment. I felt like his dark brown eyes were analyzing me and I looked away.

"It's a logical way of thinking." He finally said slowly. "Are you religious Elizabeth?"

"Yes." I nodded, lifting the cross that I wore around my neck on habit. "Methodist Christian."

He nodded. "Does that play a part into why you feel the way you do?"

I hesitated, unsure of his meaning. "You mean. . . why I don't. . ."

"Why you don't believe in therapy? Because you only believe in God?"

I frowned. "I've never thought about it like that. Maybe."

Professor Wilson nodded. "Did Professor Barnes ever tell you that he does therapy?"

"He said he did." I said slowly, not sure if this was really something I was supposed to talk to Professor Wilson about. "When he came back from war. He said he talked to you."

"He did, a little. But mostly, he talked to a Government psychologist who specialized in that mental disorder and could help him better than I could. I'm not really a therapist, Elizabeth. I'm more of a counselor. But out of curiosity, would you consider, by your terms, Professor Barnes to be weak for going to therapy?"

"No, but it's different." I explained.

"How so?"

"Because he did more than just kill a single person. He had to kill many people I'm sure. I'm sure that he saw terrible things and he went through terrible things. I mean, he's missing an arm for goodness sake! It wasn't just a little event that maybe lasted 5 minutes. He was probably there for years. So, it's different."

"Is it?" Professor Wilson asked softly, but it was clearly a rhetorical question, because he continued, "I want you to stay here for the night. I'll be back to pick you up in the morning. I want you to focus solely on what happened that day, and I want you to really come to terms with how you feel."

"I know how I feel."

"No, you've been pushing it away and not dealing with it." Professor Wilson said. "You've pushed it down because of your beliefs, you haven't even had time to really face it. That's where the nightmares come from, because your sub-conscious releases those thoughts while you're asleep. They will haunt you for a long time Elizabeth, believe me, I know. I was also in the wars. So was Professor Rogers and Professor Rhodey and Dean Fury and Professor Barnes. And there are others who have nightmares from things they went through that don't have to do with war. I mean, you've heard stories of what Professor Stark went through when he was kidnapped. We work together, but it's more than that, we're a family. So we see what these things do to each other."

I stayed quiet, letting him explain.

"Everyone looks at them, looks at us, and they see strong men because of how we're built, because of how we're portrayed in class and in public." He continued, standing up. "But that's not who we are at night. And you might portray yourself as fine and strong during the day while everyone's looking at you." He reached the door, opening it but turned to look back at me, "But at night, we both know that's a different story, when we wake up screaming into our pillows."

He closed the door behind him, leaving me sitting in the leather armchair to think.

: ̗̀➛

"You're positive?" Steve asked the woman behind the desk. "A female student reported a male student staying in one of the dorms. Goes by the name 'John Garrett'?"

"Sorry Professor, I just haven't see anyone." She shook her head, looking apologetic. Bucky opened his mouth to say something, but Steve stepped on his foot gently and simply said, "Well thank you."

"Sure." She nodded and sat back down behind the desk. It wasn't until after the two of them walked away, that she reached for her mystery novel again.

"Well of course she doesn't see anything if she's reading." Bucky growled. Steve knew that he was already very possessive over Elizabeth.

Steve sighed as they stood outside of the girls' dorm, pulling out his phone. "I'll ask Tony to look at the cameras. You alright Buck? You've been a bit jittery."

"I'm worried about her." Bucky mumbled. "I want to know what the grandson of a HYDRA agent wants with her. It's not like he's actually looking to make friends."

"Careful." Steve warned him. "We shouldn't be talking about this on the public streets."

Bucky bit his bottom lip as the two of them got back into the car. Steve hesitated for a moment, sliding his hand over to hold Bucks'. "It's going to be okay. We'll protect her."

"I know." Bucky whispered, squeezing his hand. "I know."

ꨄ︎

I tossed and turned, mentally hating Professor Wilson as my thoughts were consumed with the event of the shooting. I hadn't been able to see the mans' face because of the black ski mask he'd been wearing, but his eyes had been a dark brown. Maybe it was just my imagination, but there were flecks of amber in them.

I felt like I could feel the metal of the gun in my hand as I drifted off to sleep, wrapping around the handle. I knew I wasn't really, I knew it wasn't there, but it felt real.

My dreams were consumed with the shooting, except the man was no longer faceless, but at first wearing the face of the man who had tried to hurt me at the grocery store. Sneering and spiteful, before it turned into the face of John Garrett, his eyes wide with horror as he fell, eyes turning glassy as he died.

I jerked awake as there was a scream in my dream, panting. I was sweating, despite the room being only mildly warm.

"Fuck!" I huffed, throwing myself out of bed and started to walk towards the adjoining door to the bathroom to get a glass of water when a scream ripped through the air. It was muffled, far away from me, but I could hear it.

It wasn't a scream like someone was terrified. It was deeper, definitely manly. It sounded like the man was in pain and I froze where I was standing.

Where in the world had Professor Wilson brought me?

I hesitated, torn between staying in my room, locking the door, maybe even looking for a way to escape out the window. . . or going to find the man in pain.

I made up my mind quickly, opening the door slowly, looking up and down the hallway. I quickly hurried in the direction that the screams were coming from, before I stopped outside the door.

I could hear a man inside, muttering something, indistinguishable except for a few words like, "Wake. . . dream. . . alright. . ."

Eventually, the screams subsided and I could hear a second man panting inside.

Then I froze, recognizing the voices.

". . . hand was wrapped around her throat." that was definitely Professor Barnes voice, shaken though and hoarse. He had been the one screaming.

My heart went out to him for a second, feeling his pain, sympathizing, before another thought struck me.

They had no idea I was here.

I was in their house.

What had Professor Wilson done?

I hesitated as I heard Professor Rogers start murmuring words of comfort into his ear.

Professor Wilson had said that he would be back for me in the morning. So, surely the Professors knew that I was staying over. And Professor Rogers clearly had the situation under control, so I wasn't needed here. I had never been needed here. Professor Wilson was just proving his point.

I turned, deciding to head back to my bedroom that was designated for the night. I was only half-way to my room, when someone grabbed me, slamming me against the wall. I let out a scream, terrified, until I came face to face with Professor Rogers.

His eyes turned from angry to surprised in a matter of seconds as he took me in. One of his hands was holding both wrists in it, the other against my neck. I could barely breathe, his hand huge and tight around my throat.

"Elizabeth?" He asked in shock. Professor Barnes appeared next to him, his expression lost in the shadows of the hallway. "What are you- how- why-" He released my throat and hands and I took a deep breath.

"You- you didn't know I was here?" I asked in a small voice, suddenly terrified. If that was true, I could be arrested, thrown in jail. Would they press charges?

"No, why the hell would we? It's our house?" Professor Barnes asked harshly. I flinched a little as he spat the words at me. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest and I could practically hear the blood rushing in my ears. I felt like I was going to throw up and faint.

"P-Professor Wilson brought me here." I whispered. "I mean, he blindfolded me. . ." Okay that didn't sound good at all. "He just said that I needed to think and um, something about nightmares and screaming and that he would be back for me in the morning."

Steve sighed, walking away a few paces while Bucky scoffed. "Fucking bird brain." He said and then stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door so loudly I jumped. Tears pricked at my eyes and though it was dark, I looked down anyways so Steve couldn't see.

"I- I didn't know. I didn't know I was in your house." I whispered.

"I know. Come on, where did he put you?" Steve asked.

I shook my head. "I can walk back to the dorm. I'm so sorry Professor."

"Nonsense." Steve said firmly, gently touching my arm. "Show me."

I knew I wasn't winning the argument so I headed back to the cabin like room. I didn't bother getting back on the bed, now feeling like an intruder. I sat on the leather sofa instead, curling my feet up under me, resting my head on the arm.

Steve sighed as he sat in the arm chair. "So Sam was doing this for therapy reasons?"

"I guess so." I mumbled.

"He meant well, but he's going to have to hide from Buck." Steve rubbed a hand over his face again, looking exhausted.

"St- Professor if I had known that I was in your house, I would've let you know." I reassured him, still feeling sick.

"I know Elizabeth." Steve said softly, yawning silently. "Go back to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

I nodded as he stood up, slowly leaving the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

I just shifted further down on the couch, burying my face in my arms, crying myself to sleep.

ꨄ︎

For some reason, I woke up in a bed. I expected my face to feel stiff from the salt water, but I felt fine. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and saw that there was a note on the bedside table.

Come downstairs for breakfast when you're ready.

I didn't want to stay any longer than I already had, so I opted for skipping the shower. I was going to get out of the house and take an Uber and then debate on dropping either my classes or just dropping out of college period. I felt so embarrassed for some reason, and there was a constant pit in my stomach like I had done something terrible.

I was quiet as I headed down the stairs, made easier by the fact that Bucky was shouting at someone in the kitchen.

". . . COULD'VE BEEN IN SOLDIER MODE AND KILLED HER! YOU HAD NO RIGHT, LETTING HER INTO THIS HOUSE WITHOUT LETTING US KNOW!"

"Buck-"

"You wouldn't have let her see what she needed to see." Professor Wilson was the one he was arguing with. "You and I both know that."

"Yeah? Would her admitting she needs therapy really be worth the cost of her almost losing her life?" Bucky snapped.

I crept closer to the front door, wondering if they'd hear it.

"Steve was there, he would never have let you hurt her." Professor Wilson argued.

"Princess, we know you're out there. Come here." Steve suddenly called just as my hand landed on the door knob. Bucky and Professor Wilson cut off their arguing in the kitchen.

I closed my eyes and trudged into the kitchen, now regretting that I hadn't freshened up in the bathroom.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Steve asked.

I couldn't even look at Bucky or Professor Wilson, completely humiliated. I wasn't sure if I was angry with Professor Wilson, but anytime I even thought about looking at Bucky's face, my stomach dropped unpleasantly. I really didn't want to know how angry he was with me.

"Fine." I mumbled meekly. "I'm just going to catch an Uber-"

"Eat." Steve directed, pointing to the island. My face turned red, not just because he was ordering me around, but because I could feel two sets of eyes on me as they stayed silent, watching my every move.

I felt like I was cowering in my seat, shoulders hunched a little as Steve put a plate of scrambled eggs and three slices of bacon in front of me.

"Are you two also going to eat, or do you want to continue the screaming match?" Steve asked, his voice having a note of warning in it.

Bucky huffed, moving and sitting down next to me, while Professor Wilson said, "I have to get back up to the school. Elizabeth, we'll talk later."

"Yeah." I answered automatically as he moved out of the kitchen. My stomach rolled unpleasantly again.

"Asshole." Bucky snarled as Professor Wilson left the house completely.

"Professor Barnes, I'm so sorry-" I started immediately.

"Don't you apologize doll." He grumbled. "It's not your fault, that stupid bird-"

"Buck." Steve chastised. "He was just trying to help." Then Steve looked at me, "Listen, if you ever really did need a place to stay, then you are more than welcome here, as long as we are notified before hand."

"Thank you." I said, though I noted Bucky tensing a little and also knew that I would never take them up on their offer. "I will make sure to ask Professor Barnes if it's alright."

Steve smiled and Bucky relaxed, leaning over and pinching my side. I yelped. "Just call me Bucky, doll." He drawled, mischievous light in his eyes and I blushed darkly.

"Alright you two, eat your breakfast and then we can get to school." Steve rolled his eyes as he was already done with his breakfast, despite serving himself last.

Buck grinned and winked at me, before we both finished breakfast and headed off to school together.

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 9

Warnings: None.

I came to a stop, sitting down on the front porch step in front of my Professor's house, quickly switching out my tennis shoes for my high heels, which I pulled from my bag. I also quickly applied non-aluminum deodorant, placing a very thin sweater over my blouse.

I had walked to my Professors house, figuring it wasn't a safe idea to take an Uber since I had no means of protection. I checked my watch to see that I was twenty minutes late.

I quickly knocked on the door and after a few seconds, it was opened.

"Miss Silvertongue, I was worried." Professor Rogers said as he opened the door up and I quickly stepped inside.

"I'm sorry Professor, I miscalculated how long it would take for me to get here." I said apologetically. "I'll leave much earlier next week."

He paused for a moment, giving me a curious look. "How did you get here?"

I flushed, "I walked, Professor."

"You walked?" He repeated in surprise. Professor Barnes was just coming down the stairs, clearly only having just woken up, long hair tousled and completely shirtless.

"Yes sir." I replied a little meeker.

"Why?"

"I didn't have protection, sir. So I didn't take an Uber." I explained, feeling very rational.

"Well, that is completely unacceptable. I'll pick you up from now on so you don't have to walk." Professor Rogers said, turning and walking again.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked in shock, hurrying to catch up with him as he was already half-way up the stairs. "Really, Professor, that's completely unnecessary."

"Miss Silvertongue." Professor Rogers said sternly as we entered his office, turning to me for a second. I stopped so short that my back slammed into the closed door, leaving me effectively caged in between the wood and the man. "I refuse to let you walk, when it would be so much easier to simply pick you up. I expect no refusals, understood?"

"Yes sir." I murmured.

"Good girl." He said, turning away so that I didn't have to hide my face as butterflies erupted in my stomach. He moved behind his desk and smiled gently at me, "I've already prepared the binders for you."

"Of course." I breathed out, hurrying up the stairs, closing the door behind me. I closed my eyes, sliding down against the door, trying to get a breather. "Fuck me." I mumbled, before getting up and moving back to my desk.

I worked hard, but kept an eye on the clock this time, working only till my allotted time. If Professor Rogers was going to start driving me to and from 'work', then I needed to make sure I was only working from eight to eleven.

Once the clock hit eleven, I marked where I had left off with a purple binder clip, proud of myself that I had gotten five out of six binders completely finished.

I headed back down the stairs, finding that Professor Rogers was no longer in his study. Exiting the second floor and heading down the set of stairs to the living room, I could smell something delicious cooking and my stomach growled.

I followed my nose figuring I'd find Professor Rogers in the kitchen, instead finding both of them lip locked over the stove. My mouth dropped, watching the two men kiss each other slowly, sensually. Professor Barnes' tongue dipping into Professor Rogers. Their hands tight on each others' bodies. Immediately, I felt myself growing aroused and I backed up slowly.

Once I felt cooler, I approached the kitchen again, making my footsteps louder and paused in the room again. This time, they pulled apart, looking over at me.

"Don't burn the house down." Was all I said, my voice sounding amused.

Professor Rogers chuckled, pushing Professor Barnes out of the way, going and flipping whatever was in the pan.

"You hungry Elizabeth?" Professor Barnes asked, going over to the fridge.

"Oh." I said in surprise. "Um-"

"Everything's organic and non-gmo." He smirked at me as he brought out a rather large fruit dish, placing it on the table. "It's all from Stark farms."

Stark farms did have the healthiest food on the planet. Non-gmo, the livestock received no hormones or medications that could alter the meat or other livestock products. And everything was grown without pesticides. Plus, it was at a reasonable price that the normal American could afford. The only problem was, they only were usually sold at specialty stores. We had easy access to it at home because Jungle Jims was near my house and they were the biggest specialty store in Ohio.

"There's a specialty store around here?" I asked in interest, making a note to let Clementine know.

"No, in Itacha. It's about a four hour drive." Professor Rogers said, flipping whatever he was cooking onto a large plate. They looked like grilled cheese sandwiches, which were suddenly stacked higher than I thought they should. I raised an eyebrow.

"That's a lot of food."

"We eat a lot." Professor Barnes explained, popping a grape into his mouth, pushing the tray towards me. "Besides, I can hear your stomach growling."

I giggled, sitting down at the island counter, taking one of the grapes and popping it into my mouth too. "Well, thank you then."

Besides the grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit, there was also a tray of crackers, two different types of cheese, and pepperoni and salami slices. Like a Christmas or New Years' tray.

"Am I interrupting some sort of anniversary I don't know about?" I asked nervously, looking at the tray.

Professor Barnes laughed. "No. Punk just really likes these trays."

"So do you." Professor Rogers grumbled, gently putting a glass plate down in front of me. "We're going to move out to the other room to eat, if you want to join us. Help yourself to whatever you want."

"Thank you Professor." I said, watching the two of them stack food up on their plates and then head out of the kitchen.

Now that I was alone, I took a moment to appreciate the kitchen. Now that I was looking at it, I realized it was a retro kitchen and was surprised I hadn't noticed immediately. The cabinets were a pastel green, which matched perfectly with the red appliances and white counters. The floor was also tile, white with navy blue dots.

"Oh wow." I mumbled, looking over my shoulder. The retro style kitchen definitely clashed with the way the opening room looked more like the seventies.

I looked at the grilled cheese sandwiches and realized that not only had they been cut into triangles, but the crust was gone. I was immediately sold, putting three of the sandwiches on my plate. I also put a large amount of pepperoni, cheese, crackers, salami, grapes, and strawberries on my plate and there was still half leftover.

I carried my plate and cup of milk out to find them.

"Oh, punk, just so you know, I think she likes me better." Professor Barnes was saying, sounding very smug. "She called me Bucky a few days ago."

"Is that so?" Professor Rogers chuckled.

I smirked, shaking my head, and walked into the room. "Hey Steve. Professor Barnes."

Professor Rogers burst out laughing as Professor Barnes pouted. "You were saying jerk."

They had set TV trays up and I sat down between the two of them since that was where the empty tray was. A small part in the back of my head was wondering why I was so comfortable with this, with them. I had never had a teacher before that I would ever have thought doing this with.

I just. . . felt safe with them. Relaxed. Like they could take all of my problems away.

Strange that I felt that way, considering I barely knew anything about them. But I had always been able to have a feeling about people and be right about them. At least, I hadn't been wrong yet.

I blinked as I heard familiar music start to play and saw that they had turned on Jurassic Park. "Bucky!" I squealed, excited. "What-"

"Hush you." Bucky teased, poking my nose. "I want to hear this fantastic movie."

I smirked, digging into the food. I was positively vibrating with enjoyment, watching as the scenes unfolded before me. Once I was done, I put my plate up on the table, noticing that the boys had gone out for seconds, but I was stuffed.

Out of habit, I started to get very comfortable during the movie, and eventually wound up with my head resting against Bucky's shoulder without evening noticing it. I completely forgot that I was with two Professors in their house, feeling like I was with best friends instead.

Every time the Jurassic park music came around, I let out a giggle. I was just a total fangirl and it was probably best they had put this one because if it had been Harry Potter or Vampire Diaries, I wouldn't have been able to contain myself.

As the movie came to a close, I realized that we had all gotten super comfortable. My head was resting on Bucky's shoulder and his arm was around my shoulder. My feet were tucked up under Steve's leg, my feet keeping warm although I couldn't actually remember taking my shoes off. His hand rested on my calf, mindlessly stroking a single finger, almost in a circling motion though not quite. I wondered how I didn't feel it before.

"That was pretty good." Bucky finally said, though he made no effort to move. Steve on the other hand slowly stood up, picking up all three plates and moved back to the kitchen with them. I closed my eyes for a second, wanting to preserve this memory, though I knew it would never really be the same.

Then I slowly stood up, stretching. "Thank you for letting me stay for the movie."

"Anytime." Bucky said, getting up as well. He smirked at me and Steve came back into the room.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes." I said with a smile. "Thank you Pro- er- Steve."

"See you later." Bucky said, lifting his hand and then took the stairs two at a time.

"Bye!"

"C'mon." Steve said and we headed out of the house. He helped me into the fancy car, just as Bucky had my first time he drove me home.

"Oh, I meant to ask, is each room of your house designed after a time period? Because the kitchen is an adorable 40s, but the living room doesn't match at all."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Stark helped us with the house. Buck and I wanted the house to be a complete 40s remodel. But he added his own flair naturally so it's half 40s half 70s/80s cause he very much liked that decade."

"What do you like about the 40s?" I asked.

"The simplicity." Steve said.

"Makes sense." I said. "I love the kitchen. It's so vintage, but it's also authentic and it's beautiful."

Steve smiled.

"Oh!" I said as he was nearing the campus. How had a twenty-five minute drive felt like only five minutes? "Do you mind dropping me near the English building. I'm supposed to meet Professor Wilson in a few hours."

"Oh?" Steve sounded surprised.

"Yeah." I sighed. "I'm not sure for what, but he said it would help me. I'm thinking it's probably some therapy thing but. . . well maybe I should try it."

"I'm glad you're opening yourself up to it." Steve murmured softly. "If that is what Sams' up to in the first place. Maybe he's just going to try and steal you from me to do his grading."

I giggled at that. "Well, as long as he pays me decently I'll gladly take on more work."

"That reminds me." Steve said as he pulled into the parking lot, pulling out his wallet. "Here's your payment."

"Thank you Professor." I said softly, carefully putting the money in my bag. "Thank you for the ride."

"Of course." He hesitated and then said "Really, if you need anything, just call, okay?"

"Sure." I replied, smiling, climbing out of the beautiful car. Maybe I'd learn more about this car, I could see why guys were into this sort of thing. I closed the door behind me, deciding to listen to music as I headed into the building. I smirked to myself as I put on a Jurassic park playlist, the Jurassic Park theme song coming on first.

I found the small study room in the English department and saw that there were very few students in the room. Only three or four others, so there was plenty of places to sit.

I made my way into a corner, curling up on an armchair and put my laptop up on the movable desk. Immediately, someone sat down in front of me and I jolted a little, surprised.

"Hey." It was the guy from the dorm and I could feel some sort of pit in my stomach. I really didn't like the vibes this person was giving off.

"Hey." I murmured, pulling an earbud out so I didn't come across as rude. "You here to study too?" I wanted to convey that I was attempting to study.

"Not really. I just saw you coming in here and wanted to say hi."

"A bit creepy." I commented offhandedly, a small smile dancing on my lips.

He chuckled. "My apologies. I was just hoping to make some friends and you seem like you'd be a pretty good friend. I don't mean to come across as creepy."

'Yes you do bud.' I thought.

He pointed to my phone, "Can we exchange phone numbers now?"

'NO!'

"Yeah, sure." I said, letting him type his phone number into my phone. It was actually probably a good thing, now that I thought about it, because it meant I would have his name and number to give to Buck- Professor Barnes.

John Garrett. That was his name, I saw, as I took my phone back, seeing that he'd already texted himself.

"Do you study here often?"

"Yeah." I lied, knowing that my study spot was really the library. I would never be studying here again.

Suddenly we were interrupted by a young woman who looked like she might be mixed, standing in front of me. "Are you Elizabeth Silvertongue?"

"Um, yes." I said nervously, wondering who she was and what she wanted.

She looked over at John. "Scram kid."

John looked very taken aback, looking over at me and I just shrugged. He slowly got up and moved away, though still staying in the room.

"You looked uncomfortable." The girl said nonchalantly, sitting down in John's abandoned seat.

"Oh-"

"Helen Thrace." She said, holding her hand out. I shook it. "Anyways, really, I just wanted to say thank you for what you did a few weeks ago, protecting the class. My best friend Ivy was in that class and I just want you to know that I'm grateful she's still alive."

I could feel myself blushing and also felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

"Yeah um, no problem. You're welcome." I said hesitantly.

"Look, we got a group of us." She said, plucking my phone out of my hand, leaving me even more startled than before. "You're welcome to join us anytime." She handed the phone back and I saw that I had been added to some sort of group chat, already with the nickname: Brave.

"Thanks." I smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

She winked and then got up, leaving.

I decided to pack it up and leave since John was still hanging around. I managed to get away with just a quick wave to him, before darting down a hallway and then slipping into the womans' room.

Although I wasn't quite sure it would stop him. Nothing being girls' only had stopped him before.

I pulled my phone out and texted Steve before I knew what I was doing.

:Tell Bucky his name is 'John Garrett.' If he's confused, you can tell him he's the one that I said was 'the third'.

Then I slipped my phone back into my pocket, and waited till it was time to meet with Professor Wilson.

: ̗̀➛

Steve heard his phone ping a text as he stepped in the bedroom. Bucky was already lounging on the bed, waiting for him. They'd have loved to have their new doll between the two of them, but they were promising each other to take it slow with her.

"Hey." Bucky said, looking up as he heard him enter. Steve pulled the phone out of his pocket and his brow furrowed as he read the text message. Normally, he would've been ecstatic to receive a message from Elizabeth, but the contents of the message worried him.

"John Garrett." Steve said aloud and looked up at Bucky. "Elizabeth said that you and her were talking about 'the third'?"

Bucky frowned for a second and then nodded, "Yeah, a few days ago after Psychology she said there's been a boy in the dorm building she's staying in. Except our dorms are-"

"Gender split so he shouldn't be in there since he's not a female." Steve finished with a mumble. "Anything else?"

"Just that she had bad vibes coming from him and that he keeps pursuing her to be friends." Bucky said, his voice turning dark at the end. "Why?"

"His name is John Garrett." Steve said, watching Bucky's eyes flash with recognition. "John Garrett the third."

"So the bastard has a grandson." Bucky snarled, getting up off the bed.

"Buck, why do you think he's so interested in Elizabeth?" Steve asked suddenly. "If she's right and he's trying to pursue her."

"You have seen her right?" Bucky asked. "She's drop dead gorgeous Steve. And fucking innocent like nobodies business. You have seen the way others look at her, right?"

"You don't think she has bad connections though, right?" Steve continued, not wanting anyone to put Bucky in danger again. "That she's secretly HYDRA or something?"

"No way." Bucky said. "I had Nat search her. She's clean."

"What about her friend? Clementine?" Steve asked after a moment. "Maybe they've gotten them switched around, they look awfully alike."

"Mostly clean." Bucky shrugged. "Had a police report filed against her brother but her brother looks clean. Perfect records, scores, top athlete, Stanford acceptee."

"I'll head over to the dorm and take a look around. Maybe he's staying with a girlfriend." Steve said.

"I'll come with you, I want to know why the grandson of a HYDRA agent is here." Bucky huffed.

"Because they don't know any of us are Avengers." Steve sighed, thinking of how everyone had lost their memories of who the Avengers were after the blip.

"Are we going to tell her?" Bucky asked suddenly.

"Eventually." Steve nodded. "But not until-"

"Yeah." Buck nodded. "Okay."

"C'mon." Steve said, clapping Bucky on the shoulder, "Let's go."

2 notes · View notes

braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 5

Warnings: None.

I stared at myself uncertainly in the mirror. After telling Clementine my uncertainties on what to wear this morning, she'd taken me shopping and we'd put together an outfit. But now that it was all put together, I wondered if it was too revealing.

My blouse was white with a black ribbon tied in the front. I had tucked it into the black miniskirt I was wearing, that landed midthigh and was very tight. I was wearing long black stockings that ended just under my skirt. I was also wearing black heels, which made my legs look longer than normal, considering I was five foot three.

I had put my hair up into a bun again, a few stray whisps tickling my face. My makeup I had kept simple, covering the dark circles under my eyes, applying lipstick and blush dark to contrast the paleness of the shirt.

I decided to stop overthinking it, quickly grabbing my messenger bag. I carefully filled it with my laptop, extra pens and pencils, along with my phone, a pair of earbuds, and a notebook that I always took with me anywhere I went.

I checked myself one more time in the mirror. The messenger bag didn't really go with the secretary outfit I was wearing, but it was the best way to make sure I didn't lose anything. Maybe later when I actually had money, I would find a bag to match it.

I stepped out of the bedroom, hurrying over to the kitchen. My stomach growled, wishing that I had the ability to make fresh oatmeal, which of course, was impossible without a stove. I supposed I could've used the microwave, but since it threw off radiation when used, neither Clementine nor I used it.

"You look like a stripper." Clementine said without even looking up from her book as she laid on the sofa.

"Good morning to you too bitch." I said, rolling my eyes, grabbing a banana, orange, and apple. I put the orange and apple in my bag, going over to the fridge and grabbing a glass milk jug and a water bottle. I slipped the water bottle into my bag as well.

"Have fun, don't fuck your Professor you little slut." Clementine called sweetly over her shoulder.

"You're just jealous." I shouted back, "Love ya." Then I closed the dorm door behind me, heading through the small hallway. This time, it was someone else running into me as I turned the corner.

"Shit I'm sorry." A male voice called out and I looked up as I reached out to grab my milk jug. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I said, quickly bouncing up off the floor. I smiled awkwardly at the guy. "Uh, sorry."

"Yeah, no, my fault." He said. He was okay looking. Sandy brown hair and blue eyes. His face was a little rounder, but he was charming enough. "Uh, I'm John. John Garrett. Well, the third John Garrett."

"Elizabeth." I said softly and then said, "I'm going to be late so I'll see you around."

Never.

"Yeah, see ya."

I took the elevator down and then hurried along the sidewalk until I got to the history wing of the College. I knocked on Professor Rogers' door and waited, still aware that I hadn't even eaten my banana and milk. I quickly unpeeled the banana and was just taking a bite when Professor Rogers opened the door.

He stared down at me for a second, the fruit in my mouth, his eyes seeming to scan my entire body. I quickly bit off the piece, nearly swallowing it whole. "Sorry, I didn't eat breakfast."

"N-No it's fine Miss Silvertongue." Professor Rogers said. "Your outfit on-"

"Oh, is it alright?" I asked hurriedly, hating that I'd interrupted him. "Professor Barnes advised me on what to wear."

His confused look turned into a smile and he playfully rolled his eyes. "I see. Buck really helped you out?"

"Well, he said that if I wanted to impress you I should dress professionally, like a secretary. I didn't really have anything, so Clem and I went shopping." I said, blushing a little. "I don't know if Professor Barnes would be impressed with the fact I told you he advised me though."

"Well then, we won't tell him." Professor Rogers said and I nearly dropped my jaw when he winked at me. "Come in, finish your breakfast and then you can get started immediately."

"Of course." I said, stepping into the office, noting that he closed the door behind him. "Um, Professor?"

"Yes Miss Silvertongue?" He asked, standing at a longer desk in the back of his office, grabbing a stack of papers.

"Do you mind if um. . . we leave the door open?" I asked, cheeks flushing red again.

I wondered if he would take offense to my question, but he did not. Instead, he looked almost pleased with my answer and nodded, "Of course, my apologies."

I smiled a little, opening the door and then walked over to where I was going to be working.

"So," He said, putting the stack down on the desk, before fishing a separate piece of paper off his desk, handing it to me. It was a key to the pop quiz he'd given his Medival history class. "I'm sure you understand why you can't grade the American history sections?"

"Because that's the class Clementine is taking?" I answered quickly, "And you think I could potentially give her answers and or correct her tests because she is my friend."

"You catch on quick." Professor Rogers complimented and I felt his praise burrow into the depths of my heart. I could feel my cheeks blushing.

I was soon sitting down, grading the papers. It was very easy since he had made everything multiple choice, but I could see how it might be overwhelming with the amount of tests that were here. Especially since this clearly wasn't his only class.

Meanwhile, he sat at his desk, grading the American history class. I couldn't help but glance up every once in a while, seeing how delicious he looked. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off both his exposed forearms, and also just how big his biceps were under the tight shirt.

His brow was furrowed in concentration, blue eyes staring ceaselessly at the paper. His hand made neat, quick marks as he graded the questions.

It was actually good work. My OCD helped me enjoy it since it was a repetitive action. I lost track of time and even though Professor Rogers had originally said it would only be from eight to eleven, I ended up staying till two, never breaking focus.

I was so lost in the work I was doing, that I didn't even hear him call my name or leave the room. It wasn't until I smelt something delicious and felt something next to my elbow, did I jump, and look up at him.

"Here, I got you lunch." Professor Rogers grinned and I looked down to see a delicious bowl of fried rice with orange chicken on it. One of my favorite meals. "Wasn't sure what you liked, so I just got the most popular item."

"No, this is amazing, thank you." I answered quickly, scooping some of the fried rice into my mouth, followed by a piece of chicken. I nearly moaned from how good it was. Clementine was going to kill me.

I giggled at the thought and Professor Rogers looked at me curiously. "What?"

"Nothing." I smiled, before finishing the bowl.

"Here." Professor Rogers said, fishing out $90, handing it to me.

"Oh!" I said in surprise, before handing him the $10 back. "That's for you buying me lunch."

Professor Rogers shook his head, trying to press the $10 back into my hand. "The lunch has already been accounted for."

"Are you sure?" I scrutinized.

"Cute." Another voice said, making me jump back from Professor Rogers, only then realizing how close we'd been. I turned to see Professor Wilson standing there, a huge grin on his face. He winked at me before turning to Professor Rogers. "Stark wants to speak with the faculty."

"Of course." Professor Rogers rolled his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow Miss Silvertongue."

"See you tomorrow Professor." I said, quickly scooping up my things. "Professor Wilson." I smiled and then headed out the door. I smiled as I slipped the money into my pocket.

I got back into the apartment to see that Clementine had made us salads. I smiled, seeing her as she chopped up bits of salami and pepperoni and cheese, tossing them onto the beds of iceberg lettuce.

"Organic?" I asked as I put my apple and orange back into the fridge since I didn't need to eat them anymore.

"Nope, I got the box with the most sprayed pesticides on it that I could." Clementine jabbed, carrying the bowls over to the small eating area, rolling her eyes. "Of course its' organic."

I chuckled, tossing the $90 onto the table. "We're getting closer."

Clementine's teasing expression was immediately replaced with fondness, scooping the $90 off the table and murmured, "I'll go put it with the rest." She headed out of the room.

We were combing our money so that we could move out after college. She didn't want to go home, and I didn't want her to be by herself. Besides, I wasn't looking forwards to going home either.

I grew up in a normal family. Loving though fairly strict parents. Two annoying but loving brothers that lived with me, three other brothers that lived across the country and rarely saw. And of course, the seven rabbits.

Clementine had also grown up with great parents. But her brother was a monster, disguised as an angel. Everyone loved him. Amazing grades, great athlete, polite, kind, charitable. He was even good looking at 6 foot six, dazzling green eyes, and thick chocolate brown hair. He had every girl at school lusting after him, but he said he wouldn't have sex with someone he wasn't serious about- which just made them all swoon again.

Little did anyone know that he had his eyes on a different target- Clementine.

Since he was older by five years, he had been able to groom her from a slightly younger age. He had never been able to successfully take her, but there had been near misses, ones that she didn't even understand. Until one day, she told me about it, saying she thought she might be scared of her brother and told me.

I was able to explain it to her a little bit, and then talked to my own parents about it, though not mentioning who it was. My parents had been concerned and told me what to advise my friend: Go to the police.

So Clementine did. But it didn't work out. There was no proof and her parents were horrified that she had called the police on her own brother. They were afraid that it would ruin his chances at getting into college.

So nothing happened.

It wasn't that Clementines' parents were bad parents and they did love her immensely. After that, they did their best to keep their son and daughter separate. But my parents think that was just to keep Clementine from saying anything else. My parents would host sleepovers all the time so that Clementine could stay with us whenever she wanted. I knew they wanted to do more and I knew Clementines' own parents were curious, looking at their son a little differently. But without proof, nothing more could be done.

He'd tried to get me under his wing, though I would never accept him. But that was why Clem and I needed to move out. We weren't going back.

I watched as Clementine exited the dorm room, her eyes looking determined now. She sat down and we ate our salads, talking about the mundane things in life, enjoying the rest of the day together.

ꨄ︎

The building that Professor Rogers wanted me to work at on Sundays turned out to be his house. It was a gorgeous two story house that was on the outskirts of the city. It looked like it had been made solely from wood, with a gorgeous design in the front.

I was wearing a very similar outfit from yesterday and focused on not tripping over the stepping stones in my heels, before knocking on the door.

Professor Rogers opened the door, smiling. "Glad to see you Miss Silvertongue. Please, come in."

I stepped inside, looking around curiously. The inside was not exactly what I had expected from the house. The living room was extremely large, with an array of miscellaneous items placed around the room.

There was a wooden staircase that led up to the second floor, with a TV pressed against the base of the stairs. The furniture in front of it was a lovely blue and black pattern, which matched the rest of the furniture.

There were different sets of furniture settled around, along with lots of art portraits. The back wall was made almost completely of glass windows to see out into the surprisingly luscious backyard. I was surprised there were that many trees in New York.

"We don't spend a lot of time in here." Professor Rogers said, walking up the stairs and I followed. "It's more for entertaining the other Professors if they're over."

We?

Well, it would make sense if he was married, actually. He looked like the type of man who would have a lovely house, wife, and children. I wondered what she looked like. I was imagining blond, green eyes, and bronze toned skin.

"Anyways, I have my own office," Professor Rogers said as we walked past a set of double doors that were closed. He pointed to the door further down the hall. "And I have a side office that you can work in."

A door to our left opened at that moment and I felt like the breath was knocked out of me as I saw Professor Barnes standing there. He was practically buck naked in only his boxers. I couldn't help it as my eyes scanned up his toned chest, his bulging muscles, and then his arm.

His arm was a prosthetic made of metal in the colour of black with a gold lining lacing through it. I met his eyes, full of questions that I bit back when I saw how dark his blue eyes were. I could've sworn my undergarments were completely ruined now.

"Morning Buck." Professor Rogers said with a smile.

"Mornin'." Professor Barnes grumbled, shuffling past me, heading back the way Professor Rogers and I had come.

"He's not much of a morning person." Professor Rogers chuckled.

And then it hit me.

"You two are together?" I asked curiously, while my heart sunk a little. Not that I would've had a chance even if he was straight anyways but still.

"Uh, yeah." Professor Rogers said, blushing darkly. He glanced at me a little defensively. "We've loved each other for a long time."

"That's nice." I said with a soft smile. I hesitated and then asked, "Was he. . . I mean his arm. . ."

"Oh yeah." He opened the door to his office. "He lost it during an army tour. Fell off a cliff. It had to be amputated."

"It looks beautiful." I commented under my voice. A little louder I said, "I'm sorry he had to go through that."

Professor Rogers flashed me a smile.

I looked around the office. It was a beautiful room, fashioned out of wood. A long bookcase covered one side of the wall before the stairs, filled with books lined up. Glancing at them, they seemed to be organized in a specific way, though I couldn't quite tell the pattern.

The desk was oval shaped with two chairs in front of it, a nice leather chair behind it, the window opening up to show more of the backyard. A bird feeder hung outside the window, which a bluebird was eating from.

There was a sitting area on the other side of the room, four chairs around a coffee table. A small circular disc sat in the middle of the table, which Professor Rogers scooped up, putting in his pocket as he walked past it.

"Anyways, your office is up here." He said, starting up the stairs.

I was slightly overwhelmed by the size of the house. It was a very nice, comfortable place. Exactly how much money did he have? And if he could afford this, why in the world was he working as a teacher?

"You must enjoy being a teacher." I said, as I followed him up the stairs.

"I love it." Professor Rogers said. "Especially history. I think it's one of the most important subjects for students to learn. That way, it's not repeated, although more often than not, it ends up getting repeated anyways. People don't recognize the signs. But I suppose every teacher says that about their subject."

"Why does Professor Barnes teach?" I asked, pushing my luck. "He seems miserable teaching."

"Does he?" Professor Rogers asked, seeming surprised as he looked over his shoulder, before opening the door at the top of the landing. We were on the third floor now- which I hadn't even been able to see from the outside. Why did the house look so small from the front?

"Maybe not miserable. . ." I said hesitantly as I followed him into the room, "More. . ."

I drifted off, looking at the office that I was to be working in. The door that Professor Rogers had just opened closed, blending in with the rest of the wall, a painting hanging on it. There were large glass windows across from the beautiful desk I would be working at. I could see the backyard even better from here, noticing that there was a pool there. A comfortable looking divan sat in front of the window.

A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, matching the candelabra brackets hanging on the wall. A small table sat in the corner with a jade tea set sitting on it. The bookshelf's were a little more empty up here, mostly holding binders labelled with his different classes and a few Knick knacks.

The desk was clear except for a newspaper that was sitting on there. It was the newspaper that Tony Stark owned and I grinned. "Feeling obligated to buy your co-workers newspaper?"

Professor Rogers grinned back at me, picking the newspaper up. "What can I say? I'm a people pleaser."

I couldn't help but blush for some reason.

"Here's the binders which contain the different homework assignments." He continued, gesturing to the binders I had seen before on the bookshelf. "I thought that would be a little easier for you. I don't expect you to get everything done of course, just as much as you can before eleven."

"I'll get started right away." I said with a smile, moving forwards and picking up the one for the study of the Middle East. He moved through the hidden wall-door, closing it softly behind him, leaving me alone in the grand room.

I noticed that it had double doors that opened up into another hallway. This place was seriously a maze.

I settled down behind the desk, feeling a little surreal. There was no way this was actually real.

Smiling to myself, I started to work.

ꨄ︎

I stood up, stretching as I set the fourth binder aside. I still had some time before I started on the fifth and sixth binders, but I needed to use the bathroom desperately.

Professor Rogers hadn't shown me where the bathroom was, but I was sure there was probably one down the hall. I exited the double doors easily, moving down the hallway and then paused. All of the doors looked the same, so I was probably going to have to open all of them first.

I decided to knock on each one just in case and then when there was no answer, I would open it up and look. Most of the rooms on the third floor looked to be empty guest rooms. On the last one however, I squeaked, Professor Barnes standing on the other side of the door.

He looked down at me, an eyebrow cocked at me.

"S-sorry. I was looking for the bathroom." I stuttered out. He still hadn't put a shirt on, though he was wearing jeans now. I adverted my eyes away from his body. "Um, where is the bathroom?"

He stepped out of the room and I felt my back touch the wall as he turned to me. I swallowed thickly, looking up into his eyes now. The blue of his eyes was fascinating to look at it, it was so beautiful.

"Buck?" Professor Rogers voice floated down the hallway and I looked over to see his face turn from confusion to surprise.

"She's looking for the bathroom Steve." Professor Barnes said in a gravely voice, not moving an inch until he looked over at Professor Rogers.

The blond professor rolled his eyes and punched the brunettes metal arm. "Then move jerk. Miss Silvertongue, the bathroom is through that door." He pointed to the door Professor Barnes had just come out of it.

"Thanks." I squeaked, my face turning redder than it had been before. I turned and went into the room, closing the door behind me. I closed my eyes, wanting to scream and squeal at the same time.

Instead, I went to the bathroom in a hurry, not even realizing my hands were shaking until I had to push extra hard to flush the toilet. I sat back down on the covered seat, putting my face in my hands. I could practically feel the heat of my burning face against the sensitive skin of my palms.

"Breathe." I verbally coached myself, standing up in a determined sort of way. I washed my hands, refraining from splashing cool water against my face to preserve the makeup, and left the bathroom.

Professor Barnes was still standing in the hallway, observing me as I closed the door behind me. "I'm just here to make sure you don't get lost again."

My face went bright red and I said nothing, simply turning and stalking down the hallway, a little angrily. He had something against me, I could just feel it.

Professor Barnes trailed after me and as I reached the study door, I turned back to him, "Well I'm not lost. Thanks."

His lips curved, a smirk dancing there. It was probably the closest that I would ever get to seeing him smile. I huffed, "And put a shirt on."

Suddenly, he was to close again, my back pressed up against the wall once more. "Did you just give me an order?" He asked in a dark voice. I was both terrified and completely turned on. My heart started pounding in my chest.

"Yes." I said, though I sounded meeker than I had meant. "It's inappropriate of you to walk around half naked while there's a student around."

Professor Barnes leaned in closer and dropped his voice. "You're in my house, doll. You'll just have to get used to it." And then he pulled away, walking off down the hall.

I couldn't breathe, watching him as he walked away. I hadn't even noticed how tight his jeans were around his ass and thighs. . . damn he had thick thighs. . .

Not the time!

I forced myself back into the office, finishing off the two binders, before deciding to leave through the study door. Professor Rogers was in there and he looked up as I came down the stairs.

"Ah, you're done Miss Silvertongue?"

I was still very pent up and I was hard pressed to keep my cool. My smile was a little more strained and I replied, "Yes Professor Rogers. I graded everything except seven homework assignments where I could not read their handwriting at all. I marked them with the red paperclips in the drawer just like you had told me to do."

"Thank you Miss Silvertongue." Professor Rogers replied, thinking for a second, and then pulling out the $60 I had earned today. "I'll see you in class on Tuesday."

"Good-bye." I said and exited the office. I headed down the corridor, taking the stairs and then headed out the front door.

I sighed, pulling up my phone to see when the next uber would be able to get here. I jumped when someone cleared their throat behind me.

"Need a ride?"

"Oh!" I nearly yelped, biting down on my tongue as I turned around. Professor Barnes stood there- fully dressed darn it. . . I mean thankfully!- holding a set of car keys. I noticed he'd put gloves back on his hands. "Um, only if it's not an inconvenience for you."

"You're inconveniencing me by not accepting right away. Hurry up." Professor Barnes turned on his heel, heading towards the garage. I growled under my breath, before smoothing my face back over into a slightly sarcastic smile, following after him.

Professor Barnes opened up the passenger door of a car that to me, looked like a boxy rectangle. "You know anything about cars Miss Silvertongue?"

"They've got four wheels and get me where I need to go." I replied as I stepped into the car.

He closed the door behind me, getting in on the other side. I knew it was a luxury brand from the inside of the car. It wasn't exactly what I had thought it would look like from the outside being pure black, but the inside was blue and black. It didn't just look fancy, it looked almost futuristic.

"Are you always a smart ass?" Professor Barnes asked as he backed the car out of the driveway.

"Only when asked stupid questions." I muttered, looking out the window.

"This is a Rolls-Royce Phantom VII." Professor Barnes said, sounding proud. "Cars are some of the best things about this century."

I snorted, "How old are you?"

"Like thirty-eight or something. Who keeps track anymore." Professor Barnes answered flippantly. "Where am I dropping you off?"

"Anywhere on campus. I'll walk back to my dorm from there." I replied.

The rest of the drive was silent, until Professor Barnes was pulling over in a secluded spot on campus. I was glad for that. It would stop awkward questions of who was driving and who I had been with.

"Hey." Professor Barnes said as I went to open the door. "Me and Stevie? That doesn't reach a word to a single person on campus, understand? Including Miss Greenleaf. Got it?"

"Yes, I understand." I said softly. "I won't tell anyone."

"Good. Cause if you do, you'll regret it." Professor Barnes warned me in a dangerous voice, before smoothing it over and smirking. "See you tomorrow doll."

I quickly got out of the car before he could see my face had turned bright red, striding across the campus grounds to put as much room between me and my Psychology Professor as possible.

#Braveclementineworks #BraveclementineNovels #Novel #Project1940s #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #Professor!au #Avengers Professors #Elizabeth Silvertongue #Clementine Greenleaf #Stucky #xOC #Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes #Professor!Rogers #Professor!Barnes #Professor!SteveRogers #Professor!BuckyBarnes #Teachers assistant #18+readersonly

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braveclementine · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter 2

Warnings: None.

"Do you think these are organic?" Clementine asked, holding up one of the schools hard boiled eggs to the light, as though detecting something wrong with it.

"I doubt it." I said, the faintest of smiles on my face.

"We need to go shopping." Clementine huffed, putting the egg back down in the container, sliding it back into the refrigerator. We had come downstairs for breakfast, both of us dressed and ready for the day.

"Let's do it after school." I responded while she continued to search the cafeteria for something to eat. I sighed as I grabbed some scrambled eggs and sausage links. "Clem, you should just eat something. You'll get light headed if you go all day without eating something, especially since you threw your dinner out last night."

Clementine huffed about it, but got the boiled eggs and a water.

We talked about the classes we had that day, before we parted our separate ways and I finally separated from her for the first time since stepping foot on the campus.

The campus was huge and I immediately regretted not arriving a few days earlier in order to figure out where my classes were. My first class was British Literature with Mr. Wilson, and I barely made it before the bell rang, crossing the threshold, having the door be closed behind me. I quickly took a seat near the front, pulling out a notebook and blue pen.

Mr. Wilson was a five foot ten, black man, probably around thirty-eight or so. He had a clean beard and a great smile. I immediately fell in love with his energy as he spoke to the class and called attendance.

"Elizabeth Silvertongue?" Mr. Wilson asked, looking around the classroom.

"Present." I responded quickly, cheeks turning a little pink. He continued with roll call and I took the time to glance around the classroom.

It was not at all what I had expected of a college classroom, for the posters looked more like what I would've expected to see in a high school. Inspirational posters, posters with book quotes, posters with authors and quotes, that sort of thing. In the back of the room was another poster that showed the alphabet in cursive.

I noticed many of the students were on phones, some having air pods or earbuds in, giving Professor Wilson perhaps thirty percent of their attention. I turned back around, deciding to pay them no mind.

He started the lesson off after a gentle reminder to pay attention, which many of the students did not listen to. I diligently took my notes up until the time the bell rang, writing down that I would need a copy of Animal Farm for the first month of class.

I was both disappointed and also excited. Disappointed because I had already read and reviewed Animal Farm for ninth grade, but also excited because I loved the book and couldn't wait to share my ideas with the class. Despite my degree being in accounting, I had always wanted to be a writer.

"Have a wonderful day Elizabeth." Professor Wilson said as I packed my things up, being one of the last people to leave the classroom.

"You too Professor Wilson." I said politely.

"Call me Sam." Professor Wilson said, waving a hand. "No need to be so formal."

"Oh. Of course." I said, taken back, heading out the door. No need to be so formal? It wasn't formal, it was just polite. . . wasn't it?

My next class wasn't for another two hours, so I headed off, locating the school library which had a starbucks, panara, and some sort of chinese restaurant inside of it. I found the literary section with no problem- some things are constant no matter what I suppose- and found several copies of Animal Farm. I wished I had thought to bring my own copy, but I had thought we would be doing harder, newer books.

I checked the copy out for the rest of the month and then headed downstairs to see a long line at starbucks.

I would never understand the deal about them. Coffee wasn't the best thing in the world, in fact it was rather disgusting. And even if it was good, I wasn't sure why anyone would buy it for that much money, when they could buy a large pot at the grocery store and make it themselves for cheaper.

I did get an orange chicken and fried rice bowl at the Chinese restaurant, eating that quickly, before deciding to use my last remaining hour to see where the rest of my classes were.

It was a good thing too, as it took my fifteen minutes to find one classroom alone.

To finish off my day was biology with Dr. Banner and Psychology with Professor Barnes. The classes would be the same Wednesday. Tuesday and Thursday was The Survey of East Asian History with Professor Rogers. Small group communications with Professor Potts and The study of Cultural Anthropology with Professor Udaku was on Friday.

I found all of the classrooms except for the Psychology one easily. It took me forever to find the psychology classroom, before finding it tucked away in the corner of a building none of my other classes took place in. The door was shut and it was quiet in the hall.

I checked the name on the plate along with the room number, seeing that it was indeed Professor Barnes.

"Great." I muttered to myself, tracing the path from my biology class to this class in my head. I made a note on my piece of paper before the door to the classroom opened and I came face to face with the most beautiful man I had ever seen outside of animes.

His face was pale and smooth, his eyes baby blue. His hair was short and blond, his jaw chiseled and his nose perfect. He was tall, probably somewhere around the six foot range. He was dressed nicely in a baby blue button up shirt. An old spice smell with a mix of autumn leaves.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked, his voice sending shivers up my spine. His voice was hard to describe, neither light nor dark or heavy or breezy. It sounded. . . old fashioned. A specific cadence to it that I couldn't put a finger on.

"N-no." I stuttered out, glancing at the sign again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." He shook his head, offering me a smile. "I just thought I heard someone out here."

"Oh, well I had an hour of free time and I figured I would find out where all of my classes were." I explained in a rush. "um, so yeah."

"Would you like to talk to the Professor?" The man inquired, looking over his shoulder.

He wasn't the Professor? That was a pity, something I felt deep in my gut.

"Oh, no, that's not necessary." I said breathily, already heading back down the hallway, retreating a little. "But thank you, uh-"

"Steve Rogers ma'am." The man said.

"Mr. Rogers." I smiled a little and then turned, heading down the hallway, heart fluttering in my chest.

Damn he was fine.

ꨄ︎

Biology passed in a daze, something that I wished hadn't happened as Dr. Banner went in depth even on the first day on anatomy. I was glad that I had taken advanced anatomy in high school, otherwise I would've been completely lost.

I headed straight to Psychology after that, despite the thirty minute time period within classes, mostly in hopes of seeing Mr. Steve Rogers again.

I sat outside of the classroom, curled up in one of the armchairs that sat in the hallway. I was so deep in thought in my book, I didn't look up until I realized someone was standing in front of me.

I yelped as Clementine picked the book up out of my hands. "Clem!"

"Animal Farm? Let me guess, you have Mr. Wilson too?" Clementine said in a disapproving voice.

"Yeah." I sighed, reaching up, taking the book back from her. "At least this month will be easy. It'll help lighten the load for my biology class. Anyways, how are your classes going?"

"You'll never believe this." Clem said, perking right up. "I have Tony Stark for mechanical engineering."

"No way." I said, stunned. "He's a teacher?"

"Apparently." Clementine said, excitement lacing her voice. "This is going to be great! Anyways, how do you like the Professors so far?"

"Well Professor Wilson seems nice enough, though not super strict." I replied, closing the book, placing it back into my bag. "Dr. Banner was interesting and very clear. Wish he'd gone just a little slower, but I'll just have to study a little harder." I paused and then said, "And then there was a really handsome teacher that I don't have but. . ."

"Oh, do tell?" Clem said, a teasing smirk on her lips. "Whose caught Elizabeth Silvertongues' attention this week?"

I pushed her shoulder playfully before saying, "Mr. Steve Rogers. Hes' beautiful."

"Blond? Blue eyes? Pale skin?" Clementine smirked.

"You have him?" I asked, feeling jealous.

Clementine rolled her eyes. "Professor Rogers. He teaches my American History II class."

"Lucky." I muttered, sighing. "Maybe I'll switch my courses."

"Ha." Clementine laughed.

I grinned as the door to the Psychology door was opened and I was suddenly thrown for a loop once more. The man standing in front of us was tall, possibly even taller than Professor Rogers. He had dark blue eyes and a dark persona. His shoulders were back and straight, broad. His hair was a dark brown, which was cut short. He was wearing a gray striped suit, though he also had black gloves on his hands. Perhaps a skin condition?

"Hmm, new record." Clementine teased, making me jolt as students started to walk into the classroom, chatting with each other. "I think you just put two people on your hot list in one day."

"Shut up." I muttered, standing. Clementine smirked, nudging my shoulder.

The Professor however, stopped the two of us as we neared the door. "Don't sit next to each other. I would prefer no trouble in my classroom."

Smiles slid off both of our faces and we headed past him silently. In the classroom, girls were huddled in groups, giggling and laughing, a group of guys were roaring in the back as they looked at something on one of their phones. And in the corner, a girl and boy were making out without a care in the world.

"Yeah. . ." Clem scoffed. "We're the ones who're gonna cause trouble. Un-be-lievable." She stormed off to sit on the left side of the room next to the wall while I sat in the front row on the right side of the room.

Professor Barnes closed the door behind him with a final sort of 'snap'. He stood at the front of the classroom, hands in his pockets, just staring until the class slowly started to quiet down. His eyes seemed to meet each of ours and I glanced down at the textbook in front of me as he reached me.

"Now that you've all shut up, we'll get started." He said, his voice dark and cold.

The classroom was completely different from all of the others I had been in today. No one made a sound, the only thing to be heard was his voice and the sounds of pens and pencils scratching on paper as we wrote.

Occasionally, he would ask a question, before immediately directing it at me. I would turn red every single time and lightly say that I didn't know the answer, embarrassment eating me up from the inside out every time.

As the clock hit the time when class ended, Professor Barnes wrote the homework down on the board. I spent the last few minutes writing it down in my planner, barely noticing other kids leaving.

"See you in the hallway." Clementine muttered as she passed me, clearly wanting to get out. I capped my pen, starting to put everything away.

"Miss Silvertongue." A far more pleasant voice said, and I glanced up to see the blond haired man there once more.

"Hi." I said, nervously, now seeing that Professor Barnes was glaring at the two of us from over his papers.

"Did you enjoy the class?" His lips lifted into a secret smile, as though he knew exactly what had gone on in the classroom.

"It was very different from my other classes." I answered honestly and watched his blue eyes twinkle.

"You want something Steve?" Professor Barnes grouched at the front of the classroom.

Steve turned, crossing his arms over his chest. His smile was addicting, I could feel my own lips turning into a smile, just watching him. I swung my bag onto my shoulder so I could leave. "the team wants to get drinks tonight."

"If Sam is there I'm not going." Professor Barnes said, cleaning off the board in front of him.

I headed down the steps towards the door.

"Aw, c'mon Buck." Steve's voice continued as I exited the classroom, before trailing off as Clementines' voice took over.

"God what an asshole!" Clementine huffed, music blaring from her earbuds.

"How scandalous, you have earbuds in your ears. Whatever shall you do if you get radiation poisoning?" I teased.

"They're not Bluetooth wireless Elizabeth. They still have a wire." Clementine said, not noticing the sarcasm in my voice through her red hazy anger. I just smirked as the two of us walked back to the dorm.

ꨄ︎

"Well there we are." I said, putting the last of the food into the cupboard. We had done our best with getting organic, healthy foods, but without having a stove or oven, it was still going to be very hard to eat what we wanted. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Clementine sighed, closing the refrigerator door, wrapping all of the plastic bags up into a ball, throwing it into the trash. She reached up, pulling her hair out of the ponytail she'd put it into, letting it down. "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you." I said, watching her head off to the bathroom, before settling down on the couch, deciding to get a start on the Psychology homework. After two and a half hours, I stumbled to the bathroom, took my own shower, brushed my teeth, and then collapsed into bed, exhausted.

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