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“I remember kissing you, why do I remember kissing you?”
Natasha snorted where she stood between Clint and Sam and Steve had to admit, Bucky’s face was priceless.
They had been informed that Dr Cho and Dr Strange had been working with a Wakandan medical team to take care of the survivors of the attack. Most importantly, they had let them know that one Darcy Lewis was stable and awake, any damage taken care of by modern medicine well ahead of anything they had dreamed of having at their disposal.
Steve had not known of the budding relationship until he had dug the two of them out of the rubble with his friend cradling her small, bloodied form to him where he had been shielding her as best he could under the collapsed building.
At the time, they had all thought it had not been enough. She had barely been coherent, bleeding from her nose and ears, unconscious before they even got her into a transport.
Skull-fracture - swelling - brain damage.
They had all had those thoughts and after the threat had been eliminated, it had been all he could do to keep Bucky together.
“I should have seen that charge before it went off, Steve! It’s exactly the kind of hit they had me do.” He had slammed the door of his locker shut after tensely sorting and cleaning through his weapons and gear. None of it had protected the girl up in medical or anyone else.
-“We can’t save everyone, Bucky. You were the one who used to tell me that.”
“We were at war! We were soldiers!” There had been a wild look in his eyes he had not seen since the Winter Soldier had been beating his face into a pulp on the heli-carrier.
Instead of saying anything, he had wrestled him into a rough hug and after a very short grapple, Bucky had collapsed against him.
“Why’s it gotta be her?” He had choked out.
Steve had just pulled him ever closer because he had known there was nothing to say.
“She’s good people, Steve. She doesn’t deserve this.” Bucky had whined into his shoulder, choking on a sob.
He was just glad to find her looking so awake now, considering she still sported bruises and even bandaging on her head, she certainly looked very much alive.
“Did I dream that part? The rest is really hazy but I could have sworn…” She was still staring at Bucky, who was obviously at a complete loss to where to look himself.
“Did I kiss you?” Darcy asked again, with much more alarm in her voice.
“You did.” He admitted haltingly, still not meeting her eyes. “You said if you were gonna die, you wanted to go out in style.”
This time it was Sam who chuckled.
“Huh.” She looked thoughtful.
“Alright, there are too many people in here and healed brain tissue or not, you are supposed to be resting, young lady.” Dr Cho shooed them all out even though both Sam and Clint complained about the ‘cliffhanger’ this would leave them with.
“Wait, let him stay, just for a bit.” Steve caught Darcy’s words because, well, what else was super hearing going to be good for if not to eavesdrop?
He had had to live through hours of sly looks and ribbing when they had been driving to a German airport even if they had been on the run back then. (Never mind that him and Sharon had called a halt to things because frankly….the whole niece/aunt thing had been a little weird.) It was only fair for him to gather material to retaliate.
He stalled a little and turned just in time to see Darcy pull down Bucky by the hand she had caught to stop him from leaving with the others. Steve did not bother to hide his grin at the fact that it was his left hand, nor at the kiss he only caught a glimpse of before the door was falling shut to block off his view.
***