Hearts on Ice (2/2)
Series Summary: You absolutely loved shadowing at Dr. Framer's physical therapy clinic. Except for whenever Bucky Barnes, injured star hockey player, came in for his 4:30 appointments.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader
Warnings: Violence, creepy Brock Rumlow
enemies to lovers | college au | athlete bucky
part one
*****
Your mind raced with thoughts as you made your way back to your friends, hoping they wouldn’t notice the change in your mood.
“What happened? What did you say?” Wanda asked excitedly.
“Did you shove him?” Natasha leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
You opened your mouth to tell them that you couldn’t find Bucky, but the tears that started to form in your eyes spoke before you could.
“Oh, honey,” Wanda turned her body to face you, both girls grabbing onto your hands. “Is this a bathroom situation?”
You started to nod, but quickly shook your head. “No, we can’t leave. You wanted to watch Pietro’s game.”
“I can watch my dumb brother play dumb hockey any other day,” Wanda offered you a cheerful smile, holding her hand out.
“It’s Best Friend Bathroom Break!” Natasha tried to brighten the mood as they led you to the bathroom, earning a small chuckle out of you.
“Wow, wonderful alliteration, Shakespeare.” You wiped away tears.
In the bathroom, surrounded by the dull hum of hand dryers and the flushing of toilets, your friends formed a protective circle around you.
Natasha leaned against the sink, crossing her arms. “Alright, spill. What did that idiot do?”
You took a deep breath, recounting the scene with Bucky, the random girl, and his hurtful words. Wanda’s face shifted from concern to an expression of fiery determination, and Natasha’s eyes blazed with anger.
“That dickhead!” Natasha pounded on the sink, earning a couple glances. “Men are just unbelievable. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“He’s clearly still upset about what happened earlier,” Wanda drew soothing patterns on your skin, her voice much quieter than Natasha’s was. “He’s acting like this because he’s hurt, and he’s confused about his feelings. So he’s resorting to his popular hot boy facade. I’m not making any excuses for him, but I want you to understand that he didn’t mean anything he said. Don’t take his words to heart.”
You nodded, appreciating Wanda’s insight. It was a bittersweet realization that perhaps Bucky’s actions were fueled by his own inner turmoil . You chuckled weakly. “Best Friend Bathroom Break is turning into a therapy session.”
“Damn right,” Natasha flipped her hair dramatically. “Now, are we gonna let that asshat ruin your night?”
Wanda nudged you with a comforting smile. “Let’s turn this night around. We’re going to get back out there, enjoy the game, and have a blast at the party afterwards. Screw Bucky and his drama.”
🎕
You gripped Natasha’s arm, hoping she remembered the promise she made in the car to not lose you. As expected, Wanda was long gone, probably giggling somewhere with her British boyfriend, Vision, so you held onto Natasha like a vice.
You had already made accidental eye-contact with Bucky multiple times during the short time you had been here, and you absolutely refused to have Bucky see you alone, confirming his words that you were indeed a loner, so you hung onto your friend like a lifeline.
Natasha, being ever perceptive, flashed you a comforting grin and led you to a group of people standing together. You recognized some of them: Maria, Maria’s girlfriend, Carol Danvers from your humanities class, Jane Foster from writing, and Darcy Lewis from political science.
The group greeted you and Natasha excitedly, and Maria pulled you in for a tight hug. “Sorry I left you with Bucky for so long. My business went a bit into overtime.” She winked at her girlfriend, who pushed Maria with a giggle.
You pretended to throw up all over Maria’s jacket, and Darcy snorted. “Me too, girl. I’ve been stuck watching them grab each others’ asses for the past twenty minutes.”
“You’re just jealous you don’t have anyone to grab your ass.” Maria stuck her tongue out at Darcy.
“Quiet, peasant. I don’t allow anyone’s crusty hands anywhere near my scrumptious butt. It’s VIP only.” Darcy crossed her arms over her chest with a playful shove.
“Hey, I’m gonna go find a bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Natasha leaned into your ear.
“Yeah, sure. Want me to come?”
“Nah, it’s okay. I might ‘accidentally’ bump into Steve Rogers on my way there.” She winked at you and you poked annoyingly at her stomach.
“Ooo, someone’s got a cru-ush,” You sang teasingly, but were quickly shut up by a swift kick to the calf.
“Don’t get too lost!” Natasha called over her shoulder as she cat-walked away.
“I could say the same to you!” You called back. As you turned back around to join your friends in their conversation, you noticed Peter Quill in the corner of your eye, waving at you excitedly.
You waved back, a smile tugging at your lips at his childish expressions. You weren’t sure if you had any romantic feelings for him, but he sure would be a fun friend to have.
He beckoned for you to come to him, pointing at Scott and making a face, like I can’t stand this guy, come help me!
You laughed silently as Scott swatted at Peter’s hand, accompanied by a string of passionate-looking words. “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna go talk to someone real quick.”
“Don’t wander off too far!” Maria warned with a smirk. “Natasha would probably kill me if I lost her best friend.”
“I think I’ll be able to walk across the room just fine, Maria,” You said as you made your way over to Peter and Scott. As you dodged drunk college students and handsy couples, you accidentally bumped into a hard wall of muscle.
You turned around slowly, praying it wasn’t Bucky. It wasn’t. It was Brock Rumlow, who was looking you up and down in a way that made your skin crawl.
Bumping into Bucky would’ve been better.
The very first time you attended a hockey game with Wanda, she was quick to point out Brock on the ice and tell you to stay the hell away from him. Sure, she pointed out Bucky too, but that was just because he was a player. But according to her and Pietro, Brock was just flat out a creep.
“Sorry,” You apologized quickly, turning around in hopes of speed-walking away.
Long fingers grabbed your wrist harshly, forcing you back around. Oh, fuck me.
“Hold on,” Brock smirked evilly, which for some odd reason reminded you of a Disney villain. “I don’t recognize you.”
“Um, okay?” You half expected him to pull out an evil villain scroll to add your name to his hit list.
“You look so stiff, no wonder you’re running into everyone.” He looked you up and down once again, clearly judging the jeans and sweater you had on.
Before you could defend yourself and point out the fact that he was actually the first person you ran into today, he continued talking.
“No drink in your hand, wearing that, running into everyone,” Brock nudged you roughly. “I can tell this is your first party.”
You gave up on correcting him, knowing he would keep yapping. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll take you under my wing. Wanna try some of this?” He sloshed the drink around in his cup, throwing an arm around your shoulder.
“No, thanks. I don’t really drink.” You shrugged his arm off, taking a step back.You were honestly surprised he actually gave you the chance to speak.
“You don’t drink? And you’re at a college party?” He stepped closer. His breath smelled like stale beer. “Bullshit.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t either,” You shrugged. “Save your kidneys early on.” You shocked yourself with your calm demeanor, especially since your mind was racing and praying that Natasha would randomly show up and tackle this weirdo from behind. Or at least sic her hunky blond crush onto him.
He narrowed his eyes, and you felt a shiver run down your spine as Brock’s predatory gaze intensified. It was evident he wasn’t used to someone rejecting his advances, and the dangerous glint in his eyes sent warning signals through your body.
“Kidneys are overrated anyways,” he replied with a sinister chuckle, his attempt at humor sending a chill through the air. He leaned in closer, close enough for you to cringe at the feel of his beer and Dorito breath on your skin.
The dimly lit room provided little comfort as you gravely realized that absolutely no one was watching. No one cared. Panic surged through you. Despite the people bustling around you, jostling and bumping into you, no one paid any attention.
“C’mon, take a sip.” He raised the cup, his arm snaking around your waist to hold you still.
You writhed around, but his death grip had you firmly planted in place. “Don’t touch me!”
“Stop being lame,” Brock raised the cup to your lips. “Just a sip.”
Your breath caught in your throat and your body went numb.
Just as he started to tilt the cup, you managed to knock it out of his hand with your thrashing. The drink spilled all over his shirt, and his grip on you loosened in surprise. Seizing the opportunity, you quickly pushed yourself away from him. As he reached out to grab you again, you shocked yourself by sending a well-aimed elbow jab straight to his neck.
As he doubled over and held his neck, you kicked him in the balls, earning a painful groan out of him. Yet, the victory was short-lived. As you turned around to get the hell out of there, he stomped down on your foot, and you winced in pain.
He managed to grab your wrist once again, his eyes fiery with rage. “You bitch,” he snarled angrily, spit flying from his mouth.
He tugged at your arm violently, leading you behind him with a bruising grip. You tried to plant your feet firmly in the ground to stop, and he suddenly turned around, leaning dangerously close to your face.
“Stop fighting, sweetheart,” he sneered, grabbing your waist. “The less of a fight you put up now and the easier you make it for me, the nicer I’ll be to you upstairs in bed.”
You slapped him across the face with your free hand. “You’re disgusting.”
He winded his arm back with anger, but suddenly, there was a blur of motion. You were forcefully ripped out of Brock’s clutches, and a large frame was standing between you two, gripping Brock’s collar with white knuckles.
Bucky.
“The hell you think you’re doing, Rumlow?” The rage in his voice was enough to send a shiver through your body. Bucky’s words echoed through the room, and everyone looked over.
Great. Now they wanna look?
Brock smirked, looking weirdly amused despite being stared down by a fuming Bucky Barnes in front of a crowd of people. The atmosphere crackled with tension, a palpable sense of anticipation settling over the room. The music seemed to fade into the background, leaving only the low hum of conversations and gasps.
“I was just having a little fun with the new girl,” Brock replied, his tone insolent. “Sorry man, didn’t realize she was your whore.”
Faster than you could blink, Bucky delivered a swift, bone-rattling punch to Brock’s jaw that sent him stumbling backwards. The room erupted in gasps, cheers, and ‘Do it again, bro!’s as the blow connected with a merciless crack.
Bucky advanced, and you managed to catch a glimpse of his face, seeing a side you’ve never seen of him before.
His face was red with fury, his jaw was clenched with anger, and dangerous emotions danced across his face. The icy blue storm in his eyes brewed violently.
Your body was frozen in place as you watched Bucky throw punches repeatedly onto Brock, who was now on the floor. Bucky climbed on top of him, his giant shoulders covering Brock’s battered up face from your view.
In the corner of your eye, you caught sight of Steve Rogers pushing through the crowd, towering over everyone, authority radiating off of him as people cleared his path. He seemed to be the only one brave enough to get in the way of Bucky’s wrath, reaching down to pull his best friend off of a writhing Rumlow.
Wanda and Natasha suddenly appeared on either side of you and each grabbed a hand, tugging you out of your daze.
“Come on honey, let’s go home,” Wanda said gently as the two girls led you to the front door, away from the fight.
“But Bucky-”
“He’ll be okay, just let him cool off,” Natasha reassured you.
You turned your head, catching a glimpse of Bucky thrashing mindlessly in Steve’s steady arms, a string of curses leaving his mouth that would make his mother smack him upside the head. He suddenly caught your gaze on him and he stopped flailing, his expression softening immediately with concern and care.
“Bucky,” you whispered quietly, knowing he wouldn’t have heard you, and you almost swore he whispered your name back.
Before you could succumb to your desire to run up to Bucky and smack him, tell him to stop looking at you like that, throw yourself into his embrace, and kiss him (yes, all in that order), Natasha’s comforting hand on the small of your back brought you back to reality as she led you out the door.
🎕
You glanced at the clock, your foot tapping and hands fidgeting.
4:27. Bucky should be here for his appointment in 3 minutes, assuming he was on time (which he usually wasn’t). You hoped his doctor had suddenly surprised him with a ‘Congrats! You don’t need physical therapy anymore!’ sometime earlier this week.
“Mr. Barnes will be here soon,” Dr. Framer said as he walked past you. “Could you go to the storage room and get some of the thicker resistance bands for his exercises while I finish up with Mrs. Davis?”
Thanks for crushing my hopes, Doc.
You obeyed the doctor, heading to the dimly lit storage closet and making a beeline for the resistance bands on the top shelf, but not before kicking a door stopper into the way so you wouldn’t get locked in.
You eyed the brown box on the top shelf, knowing there was no way in hell you were going to reach that. You looked around for help, but the dusty gray stepping stool that had a permanent home in the corner of the closet was nowhere to be found.
Screw it, you thought as you jumped for it, getting close every time but not quite being able to reach it. You hoped no one walked past the storage closet and saw you jumping up and down like a wasted rabbit, but of course, the universe was always against you.
“Need help?”
You spun around to see Bucky Barnes standing in the doorway, looking annoyingly amused. Your eyes immediately flickered down to his bruised up knuckles, and he seemed to notice, hastily shoving them into his pockets.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
Bucky, however, didn’t seem to mind your reply, strolling up to where you were standing and casually picking up the box off the shelf, placing it in your arms with a grin.
“Show off,” you grumbled.
The door suddenly shut with a loud slam, and you looked at Bucky in horror.
“Did you move the door stopper?”
“What door stopper?”
You groaned, dropping the box to bury your face in your hands. “Wonderful.”
“Calm down, Drama Queen. My phone’s right he-” Bucky patted his pockets, looking at you sheepishly. “I think I forgot it.”
“And mine’s in my bag,” you groaned.
“It’s fine, let’s just bang on the door. We’re right next to the waiting room anyways. The front desk lady will hear us.”
“Shannon never wears her hearing aids unless someone’s in the waiting room,” You shook your head. “She says everything sounds too annoying.”
“Fuck, no one’s in the waiting room, I just walked past.”
“And Dr. Framer’s finishing up with another patient right now,” you sighed, leaning against the shelf and sliding down onto the floor.
Bucky sat down on the floor next to you, and you pretended to ignore the slight flutter in your heart from the close proximity. Awkward tension filled the room as you both obviously were thinking about the same thing. You had so many things to say, to ask, to express, but nothing came out.
“Who the hell designed this stupid thing?” Bucky gestured towards the door.
“Probably someone with the same IQ level as you.” You caught the slight smile on Bucky’s face as you two fell back into the familiar comfort of arguing, ignoring the questions that were bound to be asked.
“Yeah sure, let’s see who’s still laughing once I break down this door with my athletic prowess and save the day.”
“How about we dial down on the heroic acts, superman.” You immediately regretted the words once they left your mouth. Bucky seemed to catch on to your unintentional reference to his fight with Rumlow. Tension filled the air once again, and you wanted to kick yourself.
“We, uh, should probably talk about that-” Bucky nervously rubbed his neck.
“I heard you and that girl talking after I left concessions,” you blurted out, unable to stop the word vomit.
Bucky grimaced, and you watched his eyes fill with guilt. “Yeah, I knew that would come back to bite me.”
“Care to explain, Barnes?” You looked over at him. “I honestly thought we were kind of getting along, but then you randomly got all pressed when Peter and Scott came in, and then you called me a nerd with no friends.”
Bucky shifted uncomfortably, the regret clear on his face. “Look, when that Quill guy came along and started flirting with you, I got . . . jealous.”
“Jealous?” Your eyebrows shot up. “Why? We aren’t even, uh, a thing.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been good with this stuff.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking down. “Seeing you with someone else just got under my skin, I guess. I saw you smiling at him and laughing at his jokes, and it got me all messed up. I wanted you to look at me the way you were looking at him.”
“Oh.” You were quiet for a bit. “What about with that girl?”
Bucky winced. “I was . . . saving face, I guess? I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was bothered by the Quill thing, so I pretended like I didn’t care.” He took a deep breath, turning to look you in the eye. Sunlight streaming from the small window in the corner danced on Bucky’s face with elegance, showing you something you’ve never seen on his face before.
Vulnerability.
“After I saw you and Quill, I guess I was just really upset, insecure, and confused about my own feelings for you, so I basically ran to someone else. And the first person I saw happened to be Dot. I just needed to feel wanted, you know? Like a sense of validation.”
You nodded slowly. “Look, Bucky, I get it. Emotions can be messy, and we don’t always make the best decision when we’re upset. But honesty goes a long way. You should've told me instead of running away. I had no idea what was going on inside your head.”
“I know.” Bucky looked ashamed as he fiddled with his fingers, his eyes trained down.
“But I’m really glad that you’re telling me this now.” You took his hand gently, an unfamiliar feeling rushing over you. It was the feeling of being able to do everything without fear when Bucky was by your side. His warm hand in yours was comforting, a connection that reassured you in ways words couldn’t express.
He scooted closer with a warm smile as you two settled into a comfortable silence, the low hum of the air conditioning being the only noise in the background.
“Look, Steve sat me down this weekend and knocked some sense into me. Then he called me Ma, and she knocked some sense into me too. I’ve been an idiot, but I’m working on it, for what it’s worth.”
Your eyes met his, and a small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. “Well it’s a good thing Steve has some sense to spare. I appreciate the effort, Bucky.”
“Yeah, he’s got plenty to go around,” he chuckled, his thumb rubbing gently across the back of your hand. “I want you to know that I really care about you. I want to make things right.”
As a smile spread across your face, he continued. “I don’t want you to think that I take you for granted. You mean a lot to me, and I want to be better. For you.”
You squeezed his hand gently. “You mean a lot to me, too, Bucky. More than I ever realized.”
“I thought you hated me,” Bucky teased with a smirk.
“I thought so too.” You sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll have to get rid of my ‘How to Handle Bucky Barnes: The Irritating Assshat’ survival handbook now.”
“Impressive. Does it come with a ‘How to Handle my Irritating Crush on Bucky’ chapter?”
“That’s a work in progress.” You smirked. “Didn’t exactly expect to find myself having a heart-to-heart with you in a dusty closet.”
“Life’s full of surprises,” he remarked, a deep warmth in his eyes.
“And you, James Buchanan Barnes, are the most unexpected one,” you admitted, your tone softening.
“You stalker,” he gasped accusingly. “Digging through patient files to find my full name?”
“Oh biscuits,” you rolled your eyes. “Looks like you caught me.”
“If you wanted me that bad, you could’ve just asked, Doc.”
“I’ll be sure to add that lovely advice to the handbook. How does this sound: ‘Hey Bucky, I’ve secretly been harboring feelings for you. Wanna go make out in the storage closet?’ .”
“I’m pretty sure I would’ve appreciated the honesty,” he laughed.
“You’re impossible.”
“You love it.”
“Debatable.”
“I think you meant to say dateable.”
“You're pushing your luck, Barnes.” You nudged him playfully.
“Admit it. I’m growing on you.”
“Like a stubborn weed.”
“A weed you secretly enjoy having around.”
You feigned annoyance, but the giddy feelings in your chest told a different story. “Don’t get too comfortable, Barnes. You’ve still got a long way to win me over completely.”
“Challenge accepted.” He leaned his back against the shelf with a content sigh, smiling with closed eyes. After a moment of silence, Bucky scooted even closer, pressing his warm body against yours.
He grinned bashfully. “You’ve probably figured this out by now, but I really like you, Doc. Like I really really like you. Talking to you just feels so natural, you know? I feel . . . fuck I’m trash with words.” Bucky took a deep breath. “I feel at home. With you.”
Your heart skipped a beat. “You feel at home when I’m being mean to you?”
Bucky chuckled, the sound echoing in the cramped space. “It’s like . . . I don’t know, you challenge me. Keep me on my toes. But it’s not just that. It’s the way you are, the way you see things. I feel like I can be myself around you, no pretenses. Plus, I know you’ll call out all my bullshit. Like my mom and Steve.”
“That’s a tough crowd to be compared to,” you teased, feeling a pleasant warmth in your chest.
Bucky nodded. “Yeah, but you belong up there with them.”
You smiled, resting your head on Bucky’s shoulder. “I like you too, Barnes. Even though you annoy the crap out of me.”
Bucky laughed heartily. “Scout’s honor. You look so cute when you’re annoyed.” He gently raised your chin with his hands, dipping his head down to look you in the eyes. “All that fuckboy bullshit? I’m tired of it, baby. I only want you.”
“Are you sure you wanna be stuck with the bland vanilla, Barnes? Too late, no take backs.” You teased him playfully, ignoring the rapid beating of your heart.
“You’re more than just bland vanilla,” Bucky frowned, thinking. “You’re . . . spicy pistachio.”
You snorted at Bucky’s unexpected description. “Spicy pistachio? Is that your attempt at a compliment?”
He grinned, his eyes lighting up. “Absolutely. It means you’re a rare and exciting flavor, something I didn’t know I needed until I tried.”
“Well I’m glad you’re such a fan of spicy pistachio, Barnes.”
“The biggest fan.” He looked at you with such gentle care, you thought you would melt under his gaze.
You shoved his shoulder roughly, averting yourself from his deep stare.
“What was that for?” He feigned a wince, just to give you some satisfaction.
“On behalf of Nat.” You just had to make sure you got the shove out of the way before your brain completely surrendered to his sweet talk.
He just smiled knowingly.
You couldn't help but glance down at his roughed-up knuckles, and guilt flooded through you. Bucky noticed, lifting your chin up once again with his gentle touch. The reassurance in his eyes said it all: Don't worry about it, baby.
“I never said thank you for what you did at the party last week.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” he said as he leaned in closer. “Just doing my job.”
“Your job?” You raised your eyebrows. “And what job might that be?”
Bucky’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Guardian of the spicy pistachio, of course.”
You laughed, your cheeks suddenly heating up when you realized how close Bucky’s face was to yours. He came in closer, if that was even possible, his eyes gazing into yours with deep admiration.
“You’re so annoying.”
“Only I can get you so riled up,” Bucky smirked. “It’s truly a gift.”
“Yeah,” your voice got quiet. You forgot the snarky reply you were about to retort back with. “Only you.”
His eyes flickered down to your lips.
“The spiked fruit punch at your party sucked,” you added as your brain malfunctioned. “It made Wanda sick.”
Bucky leaned closer. “Noted. I’ll let Thor know.”
“You should really consider investing in some Febreze. The whole place smelled like sweat.”
“Noted. I’ll tell Steve.” He leaned in a bit more, his lips almost brushing against yours.
Amidst the closeness, you couldn’t help but let out more observations as your mind raced. “Also, your playlist needs a serious upgrade. I think I heard ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at least three times.”
Bucky brought his hands up to rest on your cheeks, leaning in even closer. “Noted. I’ll tell Sam.”
“Just kiss me already.”
“Noted, baby.” Bucky finally closed the gap between you with a smile as your lips met in a sweet, long-awaited kiss. His soft lips moved gently and his thumbs caressed your cheeks lovingly.
The world outside the closet seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you in a moment suspended in time, finally acknowledging the feelings that had been swirling beneath the surface.
As the kiss deepened, you pulled away slightly, a playful glint in your eyes.
“You know, I think this is the most action this storage closet has seen in years. We should charge rent.”
Bucky chuckled against your lips, “In that case, we should give it a good show. You know, make the experience worth its money.”
Bucky pulled you into another kiss, his laughter merging into the warmth of the moment.
The door suddenly opened, light entering the dark closet as you and Bucky pulled apart frantically, scrambling for excuses. Dr. Framer was standing in the doorway with multiple emotions changing on his face. First surprise, then confusion, then a knowing smile directed at Bucky.
“You know, I could always tell you had a crush on her.”
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