Bound To You (Bucky Barnes X OC)

Boom

Jade coughed and managed to bring herself to her feet as the sound of sirens filled the air. Smoke invaded her lungs and she could barely see through the haze that filled her small New York apartment. Pieces of the ceiling crumbled above her from the explosion and the floor creaked in protest. She tried to move towards the door, but stumbled over a chair that had fallen over. Her head caught on the corner of the coffee table and she immediately felt a wet trail of liquid begin to run down the side of her face. She reached her fingertips to her temple and when she pulled them back they were stained red.

"Fuck." She mumbled.

Pain seared through her skull as she tried to steady herself. She sat up and began to do a check over her body for additional injuries. As she pulled herself back to a standing position, her front door slammed open and startled her.

"Jade! Jade!"

Her neighbor, Steve, yelled as he tried to find her through the thick smoke. Panic filled his chest as his eyes swept the smoke filled room for her. She coughed and tried to step towards the sound of his voice, but as she began to move she became lightheaded. Sinking to her knees, Jade spoke into the rolling smoke that surrounded her.

"I'm okay, Steve."

At the sound of her voice, Steve came rushing over to her, trying to avoid her belongings that littered the floor. Steve firmly grabbed her wobbly form and began looking her over for injuries. He immediately transformed from her adorably dorky neighbor into America's first Avenger, Captain America. When Jade had first moved into the complex five years ago, she kept to herself, never speaking to anyone unless spoken to. However, when Steve moved in a year after she did, that started to change.

Jade would often run into the tall blonde in the hallway on their way out in the morning. Steve always gave her a friendly smile, whereas hers was the tight lipped smile you would give a stranger you passed on the street. His eyes were kind and, as hard as she tried not to, she couldn't help but to enjoy seeing him each morning. She tried her best to keep a distance from him in the beginning, but he pestered her everyday until she began to enjoy his company.

Little by little he chipped away at the walls she had built up. Walls she thought had been built out of steel with a concrete center. Walls that somehow the chipper super soldier had all but busted through to reach her battered heart. She found herself happy to see him in the mornings and to walk down the four flights of stairs with him.

As they became friends, they began having weekly dinners or movie nights when Steve wasn't on a mission. She helped him acclimate to the world after being frozen since the 1940's and he gave her a shoulder to lean on after being alone for the last thirteen years. They had each provided comfort and companionship for the other and had built a strong friendship along the way.

"You're not okay. Your head is bleeding pretty bad and you can barely sit up." Steve tenderly touched the wound on her head causing her to wince in pain.

"It's just a scrape. I tripped over a chair and banged my head on the table. I'll be fine. What the hell happened?" Jade questioned before coughing again.

"I have no idea, but we need to get out of here. The building isn't safe."

As Steve finished his sentence, a chunk of Jade's ceiling fell next to the pair. Jade jumped and grabbed onto Steve's shoulders, burying her face into his chest. Before Jade could protest, Steve scooped her into his muscled arms as if she weighed nothing. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he glared at her and she immediately halted her movements. The stern dad look always made her feel like a petulant child who was about to be scolded. Instead of fighting him, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight as he began walking out of her apartment.