Branded For Ruin

Part 4

           You trudged out of Dr. Earnest's office, your eyelids threatening to shut. You just wanted to curl up on your couch and shut the entire world out. Dr. Raynor's office door was still closed, so you would be walking down the stairs alone. Usually you didn't mind being alone, but there was something about Bucky that made you feel like humanity wasn't the worst thing in existence.

Walking to the stairs, you were glad you were going down instead of up. Going down always seemed faster. As you were walking down, you noticed another person on the stairs. Anxiety started to spike in your chest as you recognized who it was.

"Mark? Wh-what are you doing here?!" You said cautiously backing against the wall.

He smiled and slowly walked toward you. "Hey, never thought I'd see you again. It's a small world after all."

"S-stay away from me." You said as your breathing began to quicken.

Mark chuckled. "Aw, come on, Y/n. It's not like we're in the forest anymore."

"Y-you tried to kill me!" You retorted trying to steady your breathing. "How did you get out of jail?"

He was a few inches away from your face, his hand went up to your face and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. "Oh, sweet thing. I have my ways."

~~~~~

Bucky gave Dr. Raynor a quick bye, before exiting her office. His blue eyes scanned the area for you and frowned when he didn't see you. Picking up his pace toward the stairs, he figured he could catch up to you if he hurried. He didn't know why he was drawn to you, but it wasn't a feeling he was opposed to, which was hard to come by. Hearing your distressed voice, he sped up. His tennis shoes made little noise as he hurried down the staircase.

He saw a man close up to you, he could see discomfort and fear written all over your body. Furrowing his brows, Bucky grabbed the man and pulled him away from you harshly. The man began to cuss, but Bucky didn't care, he began seeing if you were okay.

"Did he hurt you?" Bucky asked softly, his eyes scanning you.

You shook your head, not trusting your voice. Bucky nodded and turned toward Mark. He grabbed Mark by the lapels of his jacket and pushed him against the wall.

"If I see you near her again, I won't hesitate to hurt you." Bucky growled before releasing Mark.

Mark glared at Bucky and made his way up the stairs. Bucky turned back to you, his eyes softening. You were surprised by his sudden burst of protectiveness, but thankful, nonetheless.

"Thanks." You said as you guys began to walk down the stairs.

"No problem. Who was that guy anyway?"

You closed your eyes and sucked in a breath trying to repress the bubbling memories that were threatening to spill over. "Uh, no one worth talking about."

Bucky eyed you for a moment, before nodding his head. If you didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to pry. A comfortable silence settled over the two of you as you walked down the stairs the rest of the way. Bucky held the door open for you, and you guys walked into the pouring rain outside. Reacting quickly, Bucky lifted his jacket over you, shielding you from the pelting rain.

"I can walk you to your car, if you'd like." Bucky said gruffly.

You were surprised by this man's amount of kindness. Most men would walk by you without giving you a second glance, let alone give you protection from the rain or walk you to your car.

"I would hate to bother you." You said quietly.

He smiled. "I offered. Come on."

He followed you to your car, making sure his jacket was shielding you the whole time. Once you arrived at your car, you looked up at him to thank him, but the words got caught in your throat. He was completely soaked, water was dripping off of him, his shirt clung to his body and his hair was a mess, but he seemed happy. For so long you had been avoiding people because of a darkness that lied in everybody, but he made you realize that kindness still lives. Once you realized you were staring, you cleared your throat.

"I, um, thank you. For everything that happened today."

"Just doing what any guy would do." He said with a shrug.

You shook your head. "Maybe back in the old days, but definitely not nowadays."

Saying your goodbyes, you guys parted ways, a strange feeling swirling inside both of your chests.

~~~~~

You closed your house door with a sigh. Mark was here. What if he figured out where you lived? Bucky wouldn't be here to stop him. You had no idea why Mark was here or what he wanted to do, but you needed to be prepared for anything. Locking your door, you went around your house locking all the windows. Thunder rumbled loudly and lightning crawled across the sky like a spider. You squeezed your eyes shut as a memory took over.

"Go Y/n! I'll keep Mark at bay!" David yelled over the pouring rain and roaring thunder. "Get the others to safety!"

You watched as David stormed toward Mark and tackled him to the ground. Mud splashing into the air. A flash of lightning illuminated the scene of Mark and David fighting. You turned toward Jerry and Rose, the other two survivors of the crash and told them to run. Drops of rain blurred your vision as you ran as fast as you could. Fear pounded through your chest as you tried to get away from Mark.

~~~~~

Bucky opened the door to his apartment, water dripping from his clothes onto the carpet. Alpine was resting on the back of the couch, seeming unfazed by the horrible weather outside. He tossed his keys on the counter before retreating to his room to take a shower and change into some dry clothes.

Stepping into the soothing hot water of the shower he sighed. His muscles relaxed under the water and Bucky savored its warmth. One of Bucky's favorite parts of the day was standing underneath the water and relaxing from the day's activities. He began washing his hair, it was easier to wash now that his hair was short, but he kind of missed the cover his long hair provided him. His thoughts turned to you; a smile unconsciously formed on his lips. He wanted to get to know you better, but he didn't want to get you caught up in his complicated and scary past. On the other hand, Dr. Raynor did tell him to start making new friends.

Bucky got out of the shower and tugged on some comfortable clothes. Picking up his phone, he noticed a few texts from Sam. Turning off his phone, he wandered into the kitchen to get him and Alpine some dinner.