Two Sides of The Same Coin: Grumpy x Sunshine

Nothing New

You gently exhale, pressing an ice pack to your jaw as your mind runs rampant with Rumlow's words.

You're not free.

They're scared of you.

You'll never be one of them.

"You okay?"

Your head snaps up to see Bucky standing in the doorway of the MedBay. Bruce and Dr. Cho told you that your jaw wasn't broken, just bruised. After their thorough examination, they handed you some very effective pain killers and an ice pack and you'd been here ever since, just silently replaying the events of today. "Define okay," you quip, ice pack still pressed to your jaw.

"That's fair."

"What are they going to do with him?"

"The Raft probably. They'll try to get as much information out of him as possible before they ship him off."

"Are you okay?" he asks again.

"What made you change your mind?" you ask, cutting off Bucky's question.

"What?"

"About me," you amend. "What made you change your mind about me? Why did you stop hating me?"

"I never hated you," he corrects, taking several steps toward you. He didn't look at your face before Rumlow was taken out of his custody, he didn't need another reason to want to pull the trigger. "I didn't know you."

"But what is it about me?" you ask, frantically searching for anything to cling to.

"I don't know," he admits. "Every time I try to figure it out- I can't. It's everything. Everything and nothing at the same time. It's just...it's you."

Your eyebrows furrow as you try to figure out how to take Bucky's word. It should've been comforting that Bucky wanted nothing from you, just you, but all you could think was that maybe, Rumlow was right, maybe one day you wouldn't be enough. And what would happen then?

"They mess with your head- that's what HYDRA does," he says, answering your silent worries and runaway thoughts. "Don't let them. Easier said than done, I know. But if anyone can, it's you."

"I'm fine," you assure him, shaking off the fear and doubt. "Rumlow's just got a mean right hook."

Bucky lowers the ice pack from your cheek, silently looking at the inflicted damage. His fingers lightly trace over your bruised cheekbone and split lip. "I could kill him for that," he quietly breathes.

"Please don't."

"I won't," he promises, his eyes squeezing shut as he remember the unbridled fear and panic when he heard you were missing. "I was just so worried about you. So fucking worried."

"I'm right here. I'm okay."

Rattled to his core, completely out of his mind with worry, Bucky makes an uncharacteristic show of affection when his lips lightly graze the bruise covering your cheek. He rests his forehead on the side of your head for a moment before he presses another kiss to the corner of your mouth where your lip is split. Your breath hitches when his lips press against the corner of your mouth, just barely grazing it.

He hesitates, knowing this is not a good idea. That this is terrible timing. He shouldn't be doing this.

Just a breath away, you decide for Bucky by slightly turning your head and closing the distance with you. As if all the tension and the palpable pining had finally boiled over, Bucky's restraint snaps.

Even though your mouth aches and you can still faintly taste the blood in your mouth, you're overcome by the sensation of Bucky's lips on yours. His hands move away from your face to rest on your waist, pulling you even closer to him. You follow his lead, dropping the ice pack completely, your cold fingers twisting around the hair on Bucky's nape. You'd seen this in movies plenty of times, but there was nothing that could compare to actually kissing Bucky.