Marvel Oneshots

Ao3 | A Matter (of Life and Death) | Part Four: Again and Again and Again

It seemed like an average evening; Bucky was working on his second knit hat of the day, glancing over at Peter's homework every now and then to watch his progress. Steve was dozing in and out of wakefulness on the couch, and the TV was playing cartoons in the background. Bucky cleared his throat and Steve jolted up with a start, wide-eyed.

"What? What's going on?"

Bucky's lips twitched, and he looked at Steve fondly before his face slid back to seriousness.

"I have therapy now."

"What?" Steve asked, confused.

Bucky set his knitting needles in his lap. "Therapy, pal."

Steve blinked. "Are you serious?"

Bucky squinted at Steve. "Are you going to be an asshole about it. Because flying Sam would not approve."

"No, no," Steve said quickly. "I... just... I wasn't expecting that. I'm really proud of you, Buck. You're really going to therapy?"

"No. I was joking."

Steve seemed to be trying not to let his face fall. "Oh."

Bucky quirked his lips up. "Double joke. Yes, I'm going to therapy."

Steve brightened again. "That's really great! What time? Where?"

Bucky glanced at the clock. "Three point two minutes. Here."

"Oh! Should Peter and I leave? We can go up to the common floor..."

Bucky hesitated before inclining his head slightly, but when Steve moved to get up, Bucky snagged his sleeve.

"Not yet."

Steve settled back down, offering Bucky his hand. Bucky laced their fingers together carefully; some of the tension left his shoulders. When the door buzzer rang, the plates in his metal arm shifted and his grip on Steve tightened.

"I'll get it," Peter offered, and Steve nodded gratefully.

Peter closed his math textbook and got to his feet, straightening his shirt and hurrying across the room to open the door. Behind it stood a woman about Peter's height; she had warm eyes and wavy black hair that framed her face. She smiled compassionately at him and held out her hand.

"I'm Kalpana Lal. I'm here to see Mr. Barnes?"

Peter shook her hand carefully. "I'm Peter. Bucky's right over there."

He stepped to the side so she could come in, closing the door behind her. When he glanced to Bucky, the man looked frozen, gripping Steve's hand hard enough that anyone else's bones would've cracked. Steve stood up without pulling his hand out of Bucky's grasp.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," he said. "I'm Steve."

She gave him a warm, friendly look. "Please, call me Kalpana. It's a pleasure to meet you."

And then, to Peter's surprise, she sat down on the floor, settling cross-legged on the soft carpet, near Bucky but not too close. Bucky looked faintly startled to be looking down at her; he let his fingers slither from Steve's and his hand fell to his lap with a plop. She regarded him kindly, but not with enough scrutiny to be deemed threatening.

"It's good to meet you in person, Mr. Barnes. I'm Kalpana."

Bucky was silent for nearly thirty seconds before he spoke, very quietly. "Bucky."

"Bucky," Kalpana corrected herself. "Would you like Steve and Peter to stay, or go somewhere else?"

Bucky glanced over to Steve.