Cry of Rage

Pushing past Pepper and Tony in the hallway Bucky just walked away from Gwen’s hospital room.

“Hey, Bucky where you goin?”

Tony called after him, but Bucky didn’t respond and just walked farther and farther away from them. When he to the elevator he looked at the button then to the door next to the metal double doors, he took a few steps over to the other door, opened it and walked down the stairwell.

In minutes he was in the lobby and left the hospital. Standing outside on the sidewalk in the middle of New York, he looked around trying to find out where he was. After looking around he started to walk up the street towards Grand Central Station.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Bucky got back to the tower he went straight to the 30th floor, the gym. Him and Steve had done many sparing sections in there. Boxing was Steve was different now from back in the 40s, he wasn’t the ‘90 pounds soaking wet’ kid from Brooklyn anymore.

“Steve you don’t have to do this.”

“Buck, I want to.”

Bucky rolled his eyes at his friend as he wrapped his hands. Bucky turned away from his friend and started throwing punches at the punching bag. Getting a few good hits in Bucky looked back at Steve and saw that he was ready to go.

“Ready?”

“Let’s go.”

Again Bucky rolled his eyes and got started with their sparring session. It lasted about 10 minutes before Steve had to stop. He walked over to the wall and fell to the floor and started coughing.

“Don’t cough up a lung.”

“Jerk.”

“Punk.”

Steve smiled and Bucky threw his towel at him.
~*~*~*~*~*~

Bucky threw another punch at the large black punching bag in front of him. He had been down here since he came back from the hospital late last night. His mind had been on Gwen ever since, now that he thought about it when wasn’t he thinking about her. She had been the centre of his thoughts for almost a month. It all ranged from why she was even willing to help him to how good she looked even in the morning before she’d have her cup of coffee.

He was about to throw another punch when the sound of Gwen’s voice echoed throughout the room. Bucky froze like a statue as he listen to her talk.

“Buck, it’s Gwen. I’m not sure that you want to talk to me right now, but I wanted to say that I’m sorry. Last night, I wasn’t sure on what to do. I guess after finding out that the last guy I was with was apart of HYDRA and was going to kill me, don’t blame me that I’m not so forward with guys. But, I understand if you don’t want to see me, or talk to me, or work with me anymore. I get it… I just wanted to know if you were safe… Bucky, I truly am sorry.”

He just stood there of a moment and looked at the punching bag. His brain made another rash decision and he quickly removed the boxing gloves from his hands and ran to the elevator. Once inside he hit the 39th button and didn’t stop until the door of the elevator shut and it started moving upwards. As the metal box took him higher and higher up the Avengers Tower Bucky’s mind kept replaying what Gwen had said over and over again.

The doors opened to Gwen’s floor and he rushed out and down the hallway to where he knew that he would find her. As he walked closer and closer to her bedroom he could feels his stomach down flips inside of him. Arriving at her door he took a deep breath before opening in. Looking inside the room was dark, but he could make out the lump on the bed was Gwen.

“Tony, go away. I don’t want to talk-”

She said sitting up and turning her head to look at the door, but stopped when she saw Bucky instead of Tony.

“Bucky.”

All of the air in her lungs felt stuck as she looked at him. He walked over to her bed and got on it and stood on his knees in front of her. Her eyes never left his as she felt his faces cup the sides of her face. When his lips came in contact with her’s this time she closed her eyes. Just as quick as the kiss happened it ended. Bucky moved his face away just enough so that their lips were not touching.

“If you don’t kiss me in the next three seconds I’ll know that his was a big mistake and we’ll both forget that this even happened.”

Gwen just pushed her face against his again and kissed him back. She moved her hands up to his hair and pulled on it as they kissed. Bucky’s hands went delicately to her neck. Slowly he laid her down on the bed. As the kiss got deep and then Gwen pulled away and let a hiss of pain.

“I’m sorry.”

Bucky said as he looked at her shoulder. Gwen let out a little giggle and looked up at him with a smile on her face. His blue eyes looked at her and smiled too. He took his left hand and moved a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“I need to rest, Buck.”

He smiled again and laid down next to her and wrapped his left arm around her. Gwen closed her eyes and kissed his arm. Bucky looked at her with amazement in his eyes. She had never been scared of his arm, the arm that nearly killed her almost a month ago. This arm has done so many horrible things in the last 50 years.

“Sleep tight, doll.”

Bucky said kissing the top of her head. Gwen giggled and moved closer to him. After a few minutes Gwen was asleep in his arms. Bucky was still awake and listened to Gwen’s breathing, every now and again she would let out a little snore.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwen woke up and didn’t feel Bucky’s arms around her anymore. She sat up and looked around but Bucky wasn’t there. Maybe she dreamt about kissing Bucky. Getting off the bed she walked over to the door and walked out into the hallway. Going down to the living room and saw Bucky in the kitchen.

“Hey.”

He looked over at her from the fridge and smiled. Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and smiled.

“Hey.”

Bucky closed the the fridge door and walked towards her. As he walked towards Gwen felt self conscious all of a sudden. She looked down at her clothes and wished that she would have changed her clothes, they were wrinkled and there was still blood on her deep maroon tank top.

She looked up when she felt Bucky’s hands on her arms, she meet his eyes and her face went red and she looked down at her feet again. Bucky chuckled and lifted Gwen’s face so she looked back at him. She bite her lip and tried to look away. He chuckled and gave her quick kiss on the lips.

“What time is it?”

She asked with a let giggle. He turned his head and looked back at the oven or microwave.

“Two in the afternoon.”

Gwen let out a groan and tried to walk away from Bucky. But he kept his hands on her so she stayed there.

“Where you going?”

“I want to change.”

“You look fine.”

Gwen gave him a look and pulled away again, this time Bucky let her go. When his hands left her she walked back down the hallway and to her room. Once inside she hurried over to her closet and looked from something to wear. Grabbing a black caragian and a colourful tank top than running over to her dresser she pulled out a pair of skinny jeans. When she was dressed she quickly did a braid in her hair then left her room.

“I was wondering if you-”

When Gwen walked back into the living room she saw that Bucky wasn’t the only person in the room anymore. Tony was sitting on the arm of the couch with a beer in his hand.

“Gwendolyn, just the person I wanted to see.”

“What do you want Antony?”

“You sound cheaper for a person that was shot less than 24 hours ago.”

“What do you want?”

“I can’t a friend just come and visit another friend to have a friendly conversation?”

“Cut the shit.”

“Bruce is here and wants to have a session with you.”

Gwen let out a groan and glanced over at Bucky who gave her a small smile.

“If Bruce is here, where is he?”

“Bathroom.”

“Then the million dollar question is why are you here?”

“Well, I’m already a millionaire, and it’s because I’m bored. Have fun. Mind if I take the Sergeant? I want to check out his arm again.”

Gwen wanted to shout at him that she minded and that she wanted him to get the hell out. But she had other patients other than Bucky and Tony in a weird way was her landlord.

“Go a head. Tell Bruce I’ll be in my office when he’s done.”

Tony smiled and took a drink of his beer as he got off the couch. He looked over at Bucky as the super soldier watched Gwen walk down the hallway. A smirk came to his face as he watched him. Then he heard footsteps coming towards them. He looked up and saw Bruce walking towards them.

“I heard Gwen. Where’d she go?”

“Office.”

Bucky said as he looked over at the other man in the room. Bruce thanked him then walked down the hallway. Tony walked over to Bucky and wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulder and lead him over to the elevator.

“Bucky, I think it’s time we talk man to man.”

Bucky gave Stark a confessed look as they stood waiting for the elevator. Tony did say a word until they were inside the elevator and the doors shut.

“What do you think of our little Gwendolyn?”

“Gwen? What about her?”

Tony let out a laugh and shook his head. He glanced over at Bucky and gave him a look as he drank his beer.

“You know what I mean, Serg.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwen and Bruce talked for a hour in her office about what he had been up to in the last few months. He had been back over in India working with the sick people of the growing country. Soon the conversation changed to what happened in DC. Gwen told Bruce everything that happened there a little over a month ago, from Fury’s ‘death’ to her not being sure of Brock was alive.

“Wow, that seems like some intense shit.”

“You’re telling me.”

She looked over at the older man and then to the window that he was looking out.

“I was wondering if you could do a favor for me Bruce.”

“It depends.”

Both him and Gwen ripped their eyes from the window and looked at each other. Gwen made a mental note that Bruce did look older. He always did when he came back from India. The stress from his work and the never ending battle with the angry green rage monster inside of him at aged him dramatically every time Gwen saw him.

“I was wondering if you could talk to Bucky? He is still a tad bit unstable and doesn’t have complete control over the Winter Soldier. You seem like a the more qualified person to talk to him about it than me.”

Bruce gave her a light smile and wrung his hands together in his lap as he thought about it.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Thank you, Bruce.”

“Anytime. So Steve has been gone on a mission?”

“Yeah. Him and Sam have been gone for almost a week now. I don’t know where or when they’ll be back. Bucky told me the other day that he’d want to go on a mission to take down HYDRA, but I don’t think he’s ready for that.”

Bruce satyed quiet and wanted for Gwen to finish off what she was talking about before he gave her his opinion.

“If reading a file about him being apart of HYDRA can set him back into the Winter Soldier, than going out to a HYDRA base and tracking them down will not help him. Is it bad that I just want to keep him here forever and just make sure he’s safe? He has been through such horrible and inconceivable things in his life he should just become a hermit. I don’t know if I’m the right person to help him, you know?”

Bruce shook his head with an amused smile on his lips as he listened to Gwen.

“That’s why he has you to help him get to that level. Hell, that’s why we all have you here. Gwen you have helped all of us. Do you really think that normal people could save the world from alien invaders and have been okay? It’s not any different with Bucky. You can help him become a functioning person of society. Look at me, I’m back to saving lives in India and I have won the inner battle with the other guy. Bucky is lucky to have you by his side. I’m lucky.”

Gwen smiled and looked down as her face turned a light shade of red from the complementing words of the doctor in front of her.

“I’ll help him too. Don’t worry your pretty little head.”

“Thank you, Bruce. I needed that.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Spill your guts. I know you like Gwen.”

Tony said to Bucky as they stood in his lab. Tony had completely forgotten that he was going to look at Bucky’s arm and he has just been hounding the super solider for the past hour about Gwen.

“She’s a nice girl.”

“Come on, man. I’ve seen the way you look at her. Or should I just see if there’s anything on the security cameras.”

Bucky’s eyes grew wide as he’s head shot over to look at Tony. He saw that the man had a devilish smirk on his face, knowing that he had gotten a bit of information from Bucky by him not saying anything.

“Yeah, I like her. She kinda likes me, too. Just don’t butt into this, it’s our personal lives.”

“It’s my tower I want to know what goes on inside it.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and picked up a screwdriver. He didn’t look at Tony anymore, he was too embarrassed and angry at him to do so. It was him and Gwen’s personal lives and decisions that he was asking about. And this wasn’t something that he'd want to talk to the super hero about in the first place.

“Weren’t you going to take another look at my arm?”

Tony rolled his eyes and finished his beer before walking over to the super soldier and did want he said he was going to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwen and Bruce were sitting on the couch watching some science show that Gwen didn’t understand, but loved hearing Bruce geek out over what was being said in the show. She was about to get up and grab a snack when Tony and Bucky walked out of the elevator.

“Can one of you grab me a snack?”

“You have two legs, get it yourself.”

Tony said walking into the kitchen, ignoring Gwen’s request.

“I’ve been shot. Get me some damn food, asswipe.”

Tony’s head whipped around and glared at the young woman on the couch. She had a shit eating grin on her face and he let out a groan as she went to the snack cupboard. He grabbed a box of chocolate fudge pop tarts and threw it at Gwen. Catching them she yelled a thank you to him as she ripped open the box.

Bucky walked over to the couch and sat down next to Gwen as she stuffed her face with the sugary goodness of fudge pop tarts.

“You met Bruce, right?”

She asked with a mouth full of pop tarts as looked over at Bucky. He nodded and looked at Gwen as she eat her food. Tony came over to the living room and sat in the armchair and watched the science show. After about 10 minutes he stood up and walked back to the elevator.

“Not to say that this wasn’t fun,but I have more important things to do.”

“Because you’re so much smart thanus, Tony.”

“But I am.”

Gwen waved him off and made some kind of noise of annoyance towards him as he left.

“You are so lady like you could be the queen of England.”

Bruce said with a laugh. Gwen smiled and leaned back into the couch.

“Better believe it, Banner.”

Gwen felt something resting on her shoulder and saw out of the corner of her eye a metal arm was resting there. She looked over at Bucky and smile. He was already looking at her and gave her a smile when she looked his way.

“Wanna a pop tart?”

She asked holding out a piece that she had broken off from a whole one. Gingerly Bucky took and it and brought it to his mouth. When he chewed it his eyes went wide.

“This is amazing.”

“Do you even know what’s in those?”

Bruce asked looking over at the box in Gwen’s hands.

“Pure magic sprinkles that a unicorn princess dropped on rectangles of chocolate?”

She suggested as she chewed on another pop tart. Bruce rolled his eyes and looked back to his show. Gwen laughed and continued to eat the rest of the pop tarts with Bucky. When the show ended Gwen grabbed the remote and flipped through the guide.

“I love this movie.”

“I am not watching a chick flick.”

Bruce said when the movie Clueless showed up on the TV.

“If you don’t like it go find Tony.”

Bruce laughed and got up and did just that, leaving Gwen and Bucky alone, at last.

Notes