Red Winter [Bucky Barnes]

Chapter Eleven: Hold Me

A few days later...

I groaned as I dragged my feet through the threshold of the apartment, trying to ignore the stabbing sensation in my feet. "Fuck," I grit through my teeth as I grab onto the door frame, my eyes clenching shut in an attempt to block out the pain. My feet hadn't felt like this in years, and tonight's rehearsal was straight from hell. I don't know what I had done to piss of Vera because was borderline sadistic tonight. 

"Here," Barnes whispers softly into my ear as he effortlessly lifts me in his arms, closing the door behind us. My eyes still closed, I wrap my arms around his neck, shifting to a more comfortable position. I bury my head into the crook of his neck, as if it was instinctual, like I had done it a thousand times before. 

He sets me down on the side of the tub and I try to ignore the urge to pull myself back into his arms. To my surprise, he starts to draw a bath, even going as far as putting some epsom salt in the water. While he does this I begin to unite my shoes, sighing when I see my socks soaked with blood. "Shit," I hiss as I peel off the sock, watching as my big toenail falls onto the ground. 

"Are you okay," Barnes asks as he looks down at my feet, his eyes wide with concern. His hand flinches as if he was going to grab my foot, but he restrains himself. 

I nod my head as I take off the other sock, "Never seen a ballerina after a long rehearsal before," I ask, trying to disguise the pain in my voice. "There should be a first aid kit in the medicine cabinet," I point up at the cabinet across from me, "after I'm done soaking my feet, I'll put on some ointment and wrap up my toes. This isn't the first time this has happened." 

I roll up the legs on my pants before placing my feet in the warm water, a moan escaping my lips as my feet hit the water. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I feel the muscles in my feet slowly relax. It had been forever since my feet had ached like this before, and for a moment I was sixteen again, hiding in the bathroom of the Red Room, hoping no one came in and saw how much pain I was in. 

"That must be some bath, huh," Barnes quips and I can picture the smirk on his face. He sounded very proud of himself, you could feel it radiating off of him. I say nothing but nod my head as I slump over, a sudden wave of extreme exhaustion overtaking my body. "Hey," Barnes snaps as he begins to rub my back, trying to wake me up. 

I groan as I sit up, my whole body aching, "I don't know what's wrong with me," I whisper as I look up at him. I feel sweat beginning to bead up on my forehead and all of the blood begins to rush to my cheeks. I had never felt exhaustion like this before, my arms felt like weights trying to pull my body down. I tried to keep my body sitting up, but a rush of nausea forcing my body to collapse in on itself, my arms wrapped tightly against my stomach. 

"Fuck," he mutters under his breath, "let's get you to bed." He swoops me into his arms again, but I couldn't bring myself to wrap my arms around his neck. A shiver overtakes my body and I find myself curling up in his arms, drawn to the warmth of his body. Sweat continues to drip down my face and my back and the apartment felt colder than anything I had experienced before. 

The moment he lays me down on the bed, I bury myself under the covers, pulling them tight against my body. Barnes crouches down beside me as he presses the back of his hand against my forehead, "Jesus Christ you're burning up, Katerina." He softly cradles my face in his hand, his thumb tracing small circles against my cheek. 

"What's wrong with me," I ask as another shiver runs through my body. I pull the blankets even tighter, hoping that some burst of warmth might magically appear. The winter I spent in Siberia didn't even compare to the chill that had consumed my body. "James," I mumble as I reach for him, craving the warmth from his touch.