The other Barnes

Refusal

   There were whispers coming from the kitchen. River and Emily stood in the hall trying to hear them.

   "Two more shield agents down." Tony sighed.

  "I want Emily to stay here at the compound." Steve whispered "Our house isn't safe enough."

Emily tensed up at the sound of that.

  "No!" She yelled, storming into the kitchen "absolutely not."

"I knew that was gonna go over well." Bucky said, leaning back in his chair.

Emily was fuming.

  "Em. It's safer here." Steve explained "Nat's staying here too."

   "Okay. But we have a home." She snapped "I'm not staying here."

  "Emily please." He started

"No."

Steve was trying to be calm but Emily kept fighting back. Refusing to listen.

  "God damn it Emily!" He yelled "Schmidt will kill you! She will take you away from me! Don't you understand that?"

He ran a hand through his hair. She flinched at the volume of his voice.

   "Steve, calm down." Clint said

  "I don't get why you can't just do this one thing without fighting back. I'm trying to keep you safe." He explained his voice getting louder.

Emily was panicking now. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Tears stung her eyes. Steve had never gotten angry with her before. The room seemed to spin as her vision got blurrier and blurrier. She started to go down.

  "Steve!" Tony yelled

Before Steve could react, Tony was up from his chair, which fell to the floor as he ran towards Emily. He caught her and sat down on the floor with her in his arms.

The frustration left Steve's body as he hit the ground next to her. He took her from Tony and pulled her his chest, kissing the top of her head.

   "Water." He whispered to Tony.

"What happened?" River asked, entering the room and seeing the three of them on the floor "is she okay."

"Panic attack." Clint said

"I scared her." Steve explained

He kissed her head again and gently shook her awake.

  "Drink this." He whispered as she sat up.

    Her eyes were still tearing up. He reached to move a piece of her hair as she took the glass and she flinched. He looked at her, shocked.

    "Em?"

Tony helped her stand up and she leaned against the counter.

   "I'll figure out the house." He sighed

He stood and left the room. She was scared. Of him.

"I scared my wife." He whispered

He could feel someone watching him.

   "She's already traumatized." Bucky said from the shadows "Screaming would be enough to trigger something."

"But I would never hurt her."

"Doesn't matter. In that moment you weren't Steve. You were an angry man and you were yelling at her."

   "I'm not angry." He said "I'm scared. I can't lose her. And if I thought it'd keep her safe, I'd take her far away from here."

"I know."

Steve ran his hands through his hair.

"I scared my wife." He repeated.

Her scared face played in his mind over and over and he punched a nearby tree.

"I scared her."

He punched it again, harder this time. Bucky heard a crack and moved closer to Steve.

   "Fuck!" Steve yelled as pain spread through his hand.

"Now look what you've done. Come on Punk. You're better than that." Bucky chuckled.