Distressed // Steve Rogers

27 - Warned

The boom of laughter pulled them apart and Steve instinctively pulled Talia so that she was hidden behind him. His hand was still on her waist as he looked over at Thor and spotted a shock of red in the corridor. He gulped and Talia giggled. They'd been caught.

"You know Steve," Thor sauntered into the room, closely followed by Natasha. "If I knew this was what Stark meant by 'see if she's ready to talk' I would have come to get her myself."

The burly God of Thunder winked at Talia as her head popped around from behind Steve, a grin spread across her face. Beside Thor Nat rolled her eyes and smiled. She watched how her sister crept around Steve's frame, leaning slightly on him as if she couldn't fully support her own weight yet. Steve looked down at Talia with a soft smile, as if forgetting he was in a room full of people, instead focusing on her and only her and Natasha nodded slowly.

"Point Break," she sighed, "shut it." She turned to Steve with a stern look, trying desperately not to laugh. "Rogers?" His eyes snapped to hers, worry etched into his features like a road map of his emotions. "You and I are going to have a little chat some point soon." He nodded without moving. "Munch? You okay?"

Talia looked up at the man beside her. She swam in the sea of his eyes, knowing she would willingly drown in them. She traced the sharp edge of his jaw and the soft curve of his lips and she smiled. Her fingers entwined with his and he squeezed her hand gently as he watched her step closer to him still.

"I'm great Nat."

Talia meant it. All she had wanted in her time locked away was this: Steve's hand in her own, Bucky safe and alive, her sister before her. She was happy.

A pained chuckle snapped her out of her moment of bliss and she rushed to his side again.

"This is super cute everyone," Bucky groaned, "but did Thor say something about Stark wanting to talk?"

He stared up at Talia as her hands brushed over his hair again and his features softened, like she was his own personal pain medication; dulling everything except for her touch. His eyes drifted to his best friend, smiling sadly over at him from behind her and he sighed. How was it that everyone else seemed to know how Bucky felt before he did?

"Why are you awake Buck?" Talia soothed. "Are you in pain? I can get Bruce?" Her head snapped up to her sister, concern dancing in her eyes as her hands fluttered over him. "Nat, where's Bruce?"

"I'm fine Tal." Bucky gently took hold of one of her hands, stopping her from hovering it over his chest. "You and Captain Romance over there woke me up." He winked at Steve as he chuckled at his own joke. "I'm fine."

He felt her free hand press against his forehead, checking his temperature as he lay wounded and tired, before she gently stroked along the stubble of his jaw and smiled down at him.

As he watched her; desperately trying to look after him, guilt and worry pushing her to ignore her own pain for him, Steve watched him.

Steve saw the hint of confusion and sadness behind Bucky's eyes. He had seen it countless times before when he had been searching for his memories, for his identity, but this time it was different. When Bucky looked up at Talia there was a resignation where there used to be resentment and Steve felt his heart break a little. Bucky was in pain. Bucky was in pain because he was falling for Talia.

Bucky watched as she fussed over him, soothing him with whispered sentiments of 'you need to rest' and 'I'm right here' and he felt the familiarity of disappointment settle over him. Not everyone knew how he felt. No. He was sure of it, because looking up at Talia Romanoff now, he knew she had no idea what she had come to mean to him in such a short space of time.