The D in Apartment 23

The knock on Harry's door made her jump higher than ever. She walked over cautiously to the wooden entrance unsure whether to open it or not, her whole body shaking from fear and cold air as another knock rang out. "Maybe she's at work." Steve spoke out, it took moments for his voice to register but when it did she opened the door quickly looking down to hide her tear stained bruised face.
"Harry. Hey. I came to tell you... What happened? Are you ok? Who hurt you?" His concern flooded her with questions as he stepped closer to her causing her to flinch and step back slightly. Bucky and Steve both noticed and Steve quickly put a reassuring hand on Bucky's shoulder to calm him down. The trio fell silent as Harry still stared at the floor, Bucky slowly bending his knees so he was in her eye line. "Are you ok?" He whispered as she nodded her tears falling, he held out his arms for her and she wasted no time in jumping into them as sobs filled her body. Steve watched carefully as Bucky scooped her up in his arms and carried her into her apartment the crunching of broken glass underneath his heavy foot. He lowered himself on the sofa still holding his sobbing neighbour tightly whilst stroking her hair trying to ease her worry and pain. "What happened doll?" He whispered eventually, the younger girl sniffled as she wiped her eyes on the back of her hoodie sleeve before glancing up at him. He saw her black eye with a nasty looking cut underneath and her busted lip and it took all his strength not to squeeze his hands together, instead he carefully stroked her knee.
"Two guys broke in last night," she sniffled, hissing when a violent sob escaped. "I tried to defend myself but they were stronger than me." She whispered and he noticed the baseball bat she used for protection was discarded on the floor covered in blood.
"Tony can you and Bruce come down to Harry's bring your medical equipment. Hurry up." Steve spoke quietly into his phone as Bucky just held her.

It didn't take long for the heroes to arrive and even Tony felt his anger rise. Bucky carefully carried her into her room where Bruce could examine her properly. Making his way to the door to give her privacy Bucky stopped when he heard her soft voice telling him he could stay, taking a place at the side of her he stroked her hair as she explained what she thought were her injuries. "Two ribs are broken or cracked I think." She whispered as she undid the hoodie to reveal her bra covered body. Bruce carefully ran his fingers over the protective bones and could definitely feel the two in question.
"They are broke. Let me clean your eye up first." He whispered grabbing the cleaning alcohol and swabs, Bucky noticed the fresh bruising littering her body and he wanted nothing more than to kill somebody.
"Do you know who did this?" He asked her as she shook her head slightly before Bruce leaned over to clean the gash. "Don't worry we'll find them." Bucky whispered as she hissed in pain. When they went into the front room, Harry being bandaged up, they noticed Steve and Tony had cleaned all the breakages up and her room was looking back to normal.
"Thanks guys." She smiled politely at them as a fresh wave of tears hit.
"Anything for a friend." Steve smiled at her.
"Go pack a bag doc, we've decided your going on a vacation." Tony smiled as she looked at him clueless. "You can come stay with us until you have healed that way we can keep an eye on you." He smiled at her. "You too frosty." Tony looked over at Bucky who just nodded.

Soon after they arrived at the Avengers HQ where everyone else was. They had been told about what had happened and that they would be having a visitor. "Harry it's good to have you here." Clint smiled at her as she smiled back sheepishly, she was stood close enough to Bucky that he could feel the nerves shaking from her.
"Thank you for letting me stay." She offered as he shook his head that it was nothing.
"We've made a room up for you, got you one of the nicer no boy germ quilts." Natasha smiled at her as she laughed slightly.
"Come on we'll show you where it is." Wanda offered as they grabbed her bag for her and lead her to the elevator, putting her at ease instantly.
"Does she know who did it?" Sam asked looking over at Bucky and Steve.
"She just said some guys. I don't want to ask her in case it upsets her." Bucky spoke out clenching his jaw that someone could hurt someone so precious as Harry. "They better hope she doesn't know them anyway." He spoke again causing Steve's head to snap in his direction. He knew Bucky's feelings for the doctor were strong, but, he didn't expect them to be this strong. He was ready to kill somebody for the pain they caused her and that wasn't the Winter Soldier speaking, that was him.
"She has a baseball bat for protection and it was covered in blood. They probably used that when they broke her ribs so we picked it up and we're going to run some DNA tests and see if we can pull anything up from that." Bruce told the others holding the bat up carefully, it was still crimson and it made Bucky want to vomit at the thought of why it was like that.
"Let me know if there is anything we can do." Sam commented to the doctor and billionaire who were heading off in the direction of the lab.
"There is something. Keep frosty from killing anyone." Tony shouted back just before disappearing into the lab.

Natasha and Wanda had spent the rest of the day in Harry's room with her, watching films that would make them laugh and pausing them when it got to much for her making her cough out in pain. They were currently midway through The Princess Diaries 2, the one with Chris Pine in it, as they all swooned. "I have to ask, how was your date with Bucky?" Wanda asked looking over at the new female. "He hasn't stopped talking about it on this mission. He's started a list up about where else he can take you." Wanda spilled the secrets she was sure the assassin wouldn't want Harry knowing. She blushed as she realised he probably came round to tell her that he was back from his mission and she hadn't even asked how he was after it.
"It was the best date I have ever been on." She laughed a little blushing, "he just, well he's just... Yeah." She laughed nervously, painfully aware of how cheesy cliche she was sounding. The girls all chuckled stopping when there was a knock on the door and Bucky opening it slowly.
"Bruce has told me to give you this. Said it's some pain relief with an integrated healing factor or something." He held out the tray that it was in.
"We'll leave you two too it, it's getting late anyway." Natasha smiled nudging Wanda before the two disappeared out of the door, not before making kissy faces behind Bucky's back, causing her to chuckle. He waited until they'd gone before closing the door and moving closer to the bed, standing awkwardly at the side of it.
"You can sit down." She smiled looking up at him as he blushed taking a seat next to her slowly placing the tray in between them both so she could see the needle.
"He said you need to inject it into your stomach for the full benefit." He told her as she nodded.
"Will you do it? I know I'm a doctor but no one likes needles." She laughed to hide her embarrassment, sliding up the old football top she had on to reveal her bruised belly as he gently snapped the cap off the sterile needle. He placed his flesh hand on her stomach muscle stroking it gently with his thumb before injecting her with the liquid, biting his lip when she hissed out. "Are you okay from your mission? I forgot to ask before I'm sorry." She looked over at him as she felt the liquid run through her system.
"We're fine. It were an in out job this time." He smiled putting the tray on the bedside table watching her. "Wish I hadn't have gone now." He whispered looking down at the visible bruises causing her to bite her lip.
"Hey these will heal soon, saving the world needs you." She smiled stroking his clenched knuckles.
"You should rest." He whispered after a few moments of silence, her yawn agreeing with him. He helped her slip under the bed covers before leaning down to kiss her head softly. "I'm next door if you need me or anything. Just bang on the wall." He whispered stroking her hair softly before switching before switching the light off slowly and leaving her alone as the sedative mixed in with the pain relief began to work.

It was about 4 am when Bucky woke up to a soft and gentle knock on his door. He rubbed his eyes quickly rushing over to the door to see Harry stood there looking down at the floor, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "Harry is everything okay?" He whispered to her tilting her chin up slowly to look at him and he could see her tears welling.
"It's stupid, I'm sorry for waking you. It's just," she whispered, "scared." She finally admitted brokenly.
"Come on." He held his hand out for her to take and led her back into her room, pulling the bed covers back and motioning for her to slip under, he quickly followed her in. He put his arm around her carefully as she snuggled into the gap that was provided.
"Thank you Bucky." She whispered on the side near his ribs.
"It's okay doll, anything for you. He whispered. "No one will hurt you whilst I'm here I promise." He looked down to see her smile, her eyes closed as sleep crept it's way out again. He watched her for a while before he came to the conclusion; he wanted her to be his.

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