Bucky-bear

The Avengers Compound was a chaotic and complicated place on a good day. When one was rushing to find the medical suite, it’s not the easiest of places to navigate.

“Whoa!” Iron Man, still in the suit, said as Steve ran right into him. “Who are you and how did you get in here?”

Steve holds up a badge. “I’m lost,” he admitted.

Stark took his badge and squinted at it. “Steve Rogers,” he read. “That does not fully answer my question; exactly why are you here? Who let you in?”

“It says right there,” Steve insisted, pointing at his pass. “Can you show me to the medical whatever? I’m looking for my boyfriend, he got hurt today but I don’t know where I am let alone where he is –”

“Okay, okay, okay, okay,” Stark cut him off. “Who’s your boyfriend?”

“Bucky,” Steve said.

Stark said nothing for a second. His mask was very hard to read.

“Okay, it’s this way,” he said at last.

Steve let out a sigh of relief and followed Stark back up the hallway, the way he’d come. Stark’s suit was loud and noisy and in his already anxious state, Steve wished he could make it a little quieter. 

“Bucky’s a nickname, gotta be,” Stark said. “Because I don’t know a single Bucky on my team.”

“It is,” Steve admitted.

“And how did your boyfriend get you clearance to get into here without me knowing?” Stark pressed.

“I don’t know,” Steve said, “he just gave me the pass a while ago and told me it was for emergencies. How far is it?”

Stark just pointed ahead. Steve noticed a sign on the wall and gasped softly before breaking into a run.

“Hey, hey, be careful!” Stark called after him.

Steve swiped his badge at the entrance and darted into the medical suite before the doors even fully opened. It looked like he’d just walked into a real hospital; there were nurses and doctors and patients in gowns or wheelchairs. Steve knew the Avengers medical suite was both for treating injured Avengers and staff and for advanced medical research, but the size still overwhelmed him. He looked around for a minute, then stepped up to a front desk and gave the nurse there a tense smile.

“I’m looking for room 47B,” he said, offering them his badge.

The nurse just took it, typed something into their computer, then swiped the badge. “It’s down that hallway,” they said, handing his badge back, “take the left-hand corridor and it’ll be on the right.”

“Thank you,” Steve said, already hurrying away.

“Hey, hold up!” Stark called behind him.

Steve glanced over his shoulder briefly and paused, anxious to keep going. “What?”

Stark clanked over, still tall and menacing in the suit. “I’ll walk you,” he said.

“Fine,” Steve answered, taking off again.

He followed the directions, and soon found room #47B. Steve ducked past the curtain blocking the doorway without hesitation, while Stark was just behind him.

“Bucky!” Steve gasped as he saw his boyfriend. “What did you do!”

Bucky glowered, a typical expression of his. He had his leg covered in plaster from the foot to the upper thigh, his chest was wrapped in bandages, and his right arm was in a sling.

“Fell off a building,” he said gruffly. “Told you.”

Steve tutted worriedly as he hurried closer and pushed himself onto Bucky to hug him gently. Bucky patted his back stiffly with his left hand.

“Hold on!” Stark’s voice cut in. “You’re shitting me!”

“I’ve already been discharged,” Bucky just told Steve, “so help me into the chair and we can get out of here.”

Steve looked around and found Bucky’s discharge paperwork first. He picked that up, pushed his glasses up his nose, and started reading.

“Honey,” Bucky sighed, “you don’t need –”

“Shush,” Steve interrupted. 

“Barnes,” Stark said, suit thunking as he entered, “you have a boyfriend.”

“Yes,” Bucky answered shortly.

Steve looked up from the paperwork, now confused.

“And he calls you Bucky? ” Stark demanded.

Bucky groaned. Steve glanced between them, frowning.

“You said you told them about me?” he asked. 

“I said I told them I was in a relationship,” Bucky grumbled. “You told him my name’s Bucky?”

“How was I supposed to know they didn’t know?” Steve countered. “You don’t gush about me at work, Buck? I’m hurt.”

Bucky glared at him. Steve smiled and leaned down to peck his cheek, then resumed reading his paperwork.

“I must be dreaming,” Stark said. “This does not compute. The Winter Soldier actually has a significant other? And he’s this guy? ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve and Bucky retorted in unison.

Stark made a few, vaguely electronic noises through the suit. “You’re a –” he began, gesturing absently to Steve. “You’re a regular person! And you’re cute! And a man! ”

Bucky’s glare intensified. “Stark,” he growled.

“And he’s Barnes! ” Stark scoffed.

Steve looked at Bucky, then back at Stark, then just shook his head and turned back to the paperwork, pushing his glasses up again. Stark made a few more tinny, confused sounds.

“You look like you teach kindergarten!” he added.

“Actually, I teach middle school,” Steve said.

“That makes no sense!” Stark said, high-pitched.

Steve ignored him. “Bucky, you broke your leg in four places?!”

“I broke four different bones,” Bucky said firmly. “And one of them is in my ankle.”

“Did you jump off the building?” Steve demanded.

“Yes,” Bucky grumbled.

Steve looked up at him, his mouth hanging open. Bucky glanced at him, then pinked up a little and looked away.

“Don’t gimme that look,” he said, “the building was gonna explode, it was jump or blow up.”

“Ohmygod,” Steve exhaled, closing his eyes. “Stop talking. I don’t wanna hear anymore about you blowing up.”

“I’m dreaming,” Stark repeated. “How did you two meet? How did you break through Barnes’s cold metal heart in order to become his boyfriend? ”

“He does not have a cold heart,” Steve said angrily, “and we met in a park, and I would appreciate it if you stopped interrogating us on our relationship, my boyfriend almost got blown up today.”

“Okay, I did, too,” Stark grumbled. “Did you know he likes collecting vintage grenades? And bullets? And he regularly scares new recruits?”

“He’s a teddy bear,” Steve countered shortly. 

“He is not!” Stark argued.

“He’s my Bucky-bear!” Steve said firmly.

Stark grabbed his helmet and made several confused noises. Bucky exhaled, resigned. Steve did not permit him to question him any further.

“Can you help me get him into the wheelchair or are you going to stand there?” he asked.

“Stand here,” Stark said quickly, backing up. “Barnes and I agree on one thing and it’s not touching people.”

Steve sighed and accepted that; he put down the paperwork, then grabbed the nearby wheelchair and maneuvered it closer. Bucky had one good arm and one good leg, albeit on opposite sides of his body, so hopefully he’d be able to get into it without too much difficulty.

“This isn’t going to fit into my car,” Steve said fretfully. “Neither is your cast! How are we getting home?”

“There’s a van waiting,” Bucky answered him, shuffling off his bed. “Put the brakes on.”

Steve quickly braked the chair. Bucky got onto his good leg, grimaced, and hopped on it while holding up his immobilized left leg. Steve held out his hands, but Bucky just grabbed onto the chair with his left hand and hopped on one foot until he could drop into it. He immediately hissed in pain, hugging his ribs. 

“Bucky,” Steve cooed pitifully, “I’m so sorry all this happened, it’s awful!”

“‘S fine,” Bucky said, his teeth clenched. “Can you do the –”

He gestured at foot rests. Steve hurried around his front and swung the braces into place, then fiddled with the sides until he could raise the right one up. Bucky grabbed his leg with his left hand, grimaced again, and lifted it onto the pads. Steve adjusted the peddle until Bucky’s foot was cradled, then put the left one in place and picked Bucky’s other foot up for him.

“Will you be able to push me?” Bucky asked.

“Uh,” Steve started, pushing up and looking at him. He grimaced, too. “Yeah, yeah, I –”

“Stark, call a nurse, will you?” Bucky said beyond Steve. 

“What’s wrong with your boyfriend?” Stark countered. “Why can’t he push you?”

“‘Cause,” Bucky snapped. “Get a nurse.”

“Bucky, I can –” Steve tried to tell him.

“No,” Bucky insisted. “Stand there and look pretty.”

Stark sighed, then left. Steve softened a little, smiling. Bucky’s scowl flickered momentarily. He picked up Steve’s hand with his prosthetic and squeezed it gently. Steve moved closer and wrapped his right arm around him gingerly, bending to kiss his hair. 

“We match,” Steve murmured to him. “One arm for both of us.”

Bucky reached up and covered his hand again, looking up to smile at him properly. “How is it?” he asked. “Did having to drive up here make you worse?”

Steve shrugged lightly; he had a combination of scoliosis and fibromyalgia, which, together, gave him regular doses of moderate to severe chronic pain. 

“I put some pain stuff before I left, so it was okay,” he explained. “I’ll take a double dose when we get home.”

Bucky leaned to the side and kissed his hand, then squeezed it again. Steve stepped behind the chair and leaned on it, then wrapped around Bucky’s shoulders and kissed his cheek. Bucky turned his head and Steve gave his lips a quick kiss.

“Are you in pain?” he asked softly.

“They gave me the good shit,” Bucky explained. “So, just a little.”

Steve smiled tightly. Bucky touched his face for a second, then the curtain was being pulled back and a nurse entered.

“Ready to go?” they asked.

Steve stepped aside as they walked up. He grabbed the paperwork and a bag of Bucky’s things, tucked them under his right arm, and let his left hang at his side as usual. The nurse took them out of the room, then down the hallway and they left the medical suite altogether. The nurse pushed Bucky all the way to the exit, which took half the time it took Steve to get to the medical area in the first place, where a van was already waiting for them. It had a ramp and the nurse just pulled Bucky’s chair into the car, then locked the wheels into place and buckled Bucky into the chair.

Steve got into a regular seat and put down the armrest to brace his elbow on. The driver got out to help the nurse fold up the ramp and shut the van doors, then as the nurse left, the driver got back in the car and turned the engine.

“Can I have an address?” they asked.

Steve leaned forward to recite it. Bucky still looked grumpy, but Steve knew that was all because he disliked people knowing where they lived.

Bucky slumped in his chair most of the ride, his eyes shut. He was still awake, though. The drugs probably made him sleepy, but Steve also knew that Bucky’s anxiety would keep him from being able to sleep until they got home. Steve couldn’t reach him, so he stuck his feet out and made contact with Bucky’s right leg, just to touch him.

The drive took another two hours. Steve had gotten there in an hour and a half and traffic wasn’t that much worse than before. In Brooklyn, they parked and their driver got out to release Bucky’s wheelchair.

“Get me inside, will you?” Bucky asked them gruffly. “Don’t make him do it.”

The driver glanced at Steve, then just nodded and closed up the van. Steve grimaced and reached back to massage his neck before getting out his keys to unlock the gate. He unlocked the front door, then opened it, jaw tight as his shoulders and spine protested. Bucky usually opened the door for him. Their driver pushed Bucky inside and Steve let the door shut behind him.

“That way,” Bucky said, pointing down their hallway. “We got the first floor.”

The driver just nodded and started towards it. Steve shook his keys out again, finding the key to their door. Bucky tapped a metal finger against a metal part of the wheelchair, making it sing softly. Steve went first and stopped at their door, then opened it and held it. The driver pushed Bucky inside, got him into the living room, then pulled back and stepped out again.

“Thank you,” Steve told them, holding the door still. “We really appreciate it.”

“Sure,” the driver said, nodding. “Have a good night.”

Steve let the door shut, then exhaled and turned to face Bucky. He’d already dropped his right foot to the ground and was scooting his chair forward with it.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked.

“Gotta pee,” Bucky grumbled.

Steve took off his coat, then shook out his shoulders and grabbed the handles of Bucky’s chair. He started to push, closing the distance between the middle of their living room and the bathroom.

“Babe!” Bucky protested. “You’re not supposed to –”

“Shush,” Steve told him, angling the chair to guide Bucky’s extended leg through the doorway. “You’re not going to make your bones worse being stubborn.”

“You’re not supposed to do that, either,” Bucky insisted.

Steve bent over him and kissed his cheek shortly. “Shut up,” he said fondly.

Bucky grumbled under his breath. Steve got him into the bathroom, then squeezed between the chair and counter and put down the foot rest for his right leg. Bucky grabbed onto the wall with his left hand, then stuck his left leg out and pushed up onto his right foot. Steve held onto his hips to steady him and Bucky hopped awkwardly to the toilet.

“Do you wanna sit –” Steve started.

“If I sit, I don’t wanna get up again,” Bucky said. “Honey, can you –?”

Bucky grabbed onto the shower doors and leaned on his right foot to keep his left, though bent slightly at the knee, off the ground. Steve wordlessly pushed his sweatpants and boxers down for him, then gently took out his dick and pointed it. Bucky grimaced at him. Steve raised his eyebrows.

“I touch your dick all the time,” he said. “And I touch my own dick to piss. Just go.”

“I hate this,” Bucky growled, looking up at the ceiling. “Stevie?”

Steve smiled, fond, and looked away. Bucky sighed, then started to urinate. Steve kept his dick still and did not look. After almost a minute, Bucky was done. Steve looked down again, then grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed at the slit to dry it up before flushing. He put it back in Bucky’s pants, then settled them on his hip again. Bucky hopped backwards and Steve guided him until he could drop back into the chair.

“Lemme wash my hands,” Steve said. “Then I’ll get you out.”

Bucky just grunted. Steve squeezed past the chair again, then washed his hands quickly. He got behind him and pulled the chair free, carefully angled him, and got him back into the living room.

“Go take your meds,” Bucky said. “And bring the numbing shit so I can put it on you.”

Steve bent and kissed his cheek, then just did it.

Bucky disliked being disabled, that much was evident. Steve had lived with similar issues his whole life, but Bucky was somehow more stubborn than he was about his independence. Steve let Bucky smear lidocaine gel over his shoulders, neck, and back, then helped him get from the wheelchair into the recliner. Bucky sighed as he dropped his head back and Steve just propped his broken leg up with pillows.

“I’m gonna order supper,” Steve said. “You stay put.”

Bucky just nodded. Steve leaned over him and kissed his forehead, then went for his phone to order dinner.

“I wanna sleep in our bed,” Bucky said.

“You should sleep in the chair,” Steve countered. “I’ll sleep on the couch so you can wake up when you need to go to the bathroom.”

“No,” Bucky insisted, “I wanna sleep in our bed so I can still spoon you.”

Steve smiled at him and shook his head. “The chair’s closer to the bathroom,” he said. “And you’re not supposed to move any more than necessary.”

Bucky glared. Steve pulled the wheelchair out of reach.

“Brat,” Bucky grunted. “I can’t hold you in the chair. Couch’s no good for your back. Shit’s no good.”

“We’ll see how you are tomorrow night,” Steve said, getting on the sofa. “This is perfectly comfortable for me, Buck, I’ll be fine.”

“No good,” Bucky muttered again.

Steve got up and kissed his cheek. “I’ll order sushi?” he said coaxingly.

Bucky still glared. Steve cupped his chin and pressed a long, slow kiss to his lips.

“Do it because you love me,” he offered, “and I don’t want you to suffer.”

“I’ll suffer,” Bucky countered, “‘cause I can’t cuddle you. That’s suffering.”

Steve smiled and kissed him again. “I don’t want you in pain,” he said gently. “And the doctor said you need to move as little as possible. We’ll cuddle as soon as your ribs are better, okay?”

Bucky grunted again, scowling. Steve grabbed the TV remote and switched it on. Bucky needed a distraction, at least. Steve pulled a footrest up and used it to hold up his arm so he could curl his hand up under Bucky’s unbroken knee. That tugged the corners of Bucky’s lips up.

“There,” Steve said. “Pick something to watch.”

Bucky took the remote from him. Steve grabbed his phone and opened Grubhub, already picking out their favorite sushi place.

“Mythbusters,” Bucky decided, opening Hulu. “I want spicy tuna.”

“You always do,” Steve answered with a smile.

“And Miso soup.”

Steve rubbed his thumb into a tendon under Bucky’s knee as he set up the order. Bucky loaded their show and the Discovery logo and intro played over the TV. Steve placed the order, then dropped his phone onto the carpet and settled his hand on top of Bucky’s thigh. Bucky reached down and picked it up, just to squeeze it.

“Can’t believe you told Stark my nickname,” Bucky grumbled.

“Can’t believe you didn’t tell them you’re gay,” Steve countered.

“They assumed,” Bucky huffed. 

Steve just smiled and squeezed Bucky’s thigh gently. Bucky squeezed his hand back.

“Love you,” Bucky said gruffly.

“Love you, too, Bucky-bear,” Steve teased.

Bucky groaned and Steve laughed.