TWO DAYS LATER

★ ★ ★

Bucky had been in and out of consciousness ever since the night he was shot. The amount of morphine and anesthetics were given to him in far greater amounts than needed for the average human being; after all, not only was he a big guy, he was a super-soldier.

Once he was completely through undergoing surgeries to remove the bullet and its fragments from his abdomen, he was left with a broken rib. For the brief hours that he had been somewhat conscious, he was so drugged that he had no idea who he was, let alone what had happened and what was going on. He couldn't function at all, so Natasha had stepped in to keep an eye on him in between surgeries since Steve had already dedicated his time to sit with Marlena.

Bruce had finally lessened the dosages of anesthetics and Bucky was finally coming to when Natasha returned to his room in the infirmary with a coffee. Bucky forced his eyelids open and he took in his surroundings, not noticing the pain in his abdomen until he sat up.

"Shit," he muttered out, causing Natasha to turn away from the nightstand where she had set her coffee cup down.

"Barnes, you're alive! It's a miracle!" Natasha joked sarcastically, knowing that Bucky would probably give her hell for it later.

"Am I? You sure this isn't hell? 'Cause it sure feels like it." Bucky winced, his hand moving to the bandage covering his shirtless torso.

"You better not have that attitude when you see Marlena," Natasha said calmly.

Marlena.

All it took was the mentioning of her name and Bucky was practically rolling himself out of the bed to stand.

"Woah there, Buck, Doc says you gotta stay here a while longer. Wouldn't want to rip out your stitches." Natasha put her hands on his chest, pushing him back into bed, only Bucky wouldn't budge.

"Last time I checked," Bucky ripped the IV out of the fold of his elbow, "I don't take orders from Banner. I have to see her. Now." Bucky looked at her seriously before nudging her aside and walking to the door.

His injuries only slowed him the slightest bit, the pain being the worst advocate of his pace. He held onto his bandaged abdomen as he walked, nearly stumbling over some cords on the floor.

"Last time I checked, you were shot in the abdomen being a dumbass and now you have a broken rib. So," Natasha moved in front of him again, her facial expression turning serious, "get back in that bed—before I make you."

"I knew redheads were feisty, but I didn't know they were this bad. Move out of my way, Nat." Bucky brushed her threats off and continued pushing himself to the door.

"Barnes, don't," She warned again, her hand pressing him back.

"You don't—I need to see Marlena," Bucky pleaded with her, his eyes going soft at the thought of Marlena being alone in her room, "you wouldn't understand. I need her."

"Oh, I wouldn't understand, huh?" Natasha scoffed, dropping her hand and taking a step back from him. "I was the one who found Steve on the bank of the Potomac, unconscious and bleeding from stab wounds and gunshot wounds—that you gave him, by the way."

Bucky's jaw clenched as she reminded him of his biggest regret in life—hurting Steve. His eyes left hers and fell to the floor as he relived the memory. He felt just as guilty—if not more guilty—than the day it all happened. He had dived into the water and pulled Steve's seemingly lifeless body on shore, knowing deep down that he couldn't let Steve die, even if he didn't quite remember him.

Natasha must have noticed how deep her words cut into him, because she was taking a step closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder before he could respond.

"I'm sorry, Bucky. I shouldn't have mentioned that. I-I know it wasn't your fault," she sighed, willing for his eyes to meet hers, but instead his gaze stayed fixated on the floor. "It's just I was so upset and so angry when I found him like that. . .so I do understand."

"It's okay, Nat. It's the truth. That was on me, and I still hate myself for it," Bucky admitted, still clutching his abdomen.

"That wasn't you, Buck. Don't beat yourself up over the past, especially your past. You had no control over who you were or what you did. Besides, that isn't what I'm getting at here," Natasha said, finally capturing eye contact with him. "I know how you feel; you want to keep Marlena safe, you want her with you all the time."

Bucky nodded, feeling an overwhelming desire to find Marlena and pull her into his arms. He needed that right now—he needed her.

"Remember when I told you that I felt the same way about Steve as you feel about Marlena?"

He nodded again, a few stray hairs falling in his face, thinking about the day he was crying and Natasha was comforting him—the day Maria Hill had told the group that she was giving up on the search for Marlena.

"I have never told him; I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to. But I do know that if I was in your situation, nothing could keep me from seeing him," she spoke lowly, hoping that no one other than Bucky would ever hear her confession.

"Then let me see her," Bucky whispered, his blue eyes searching hers for any sign of her letting him leave the room, "please."

"Alright, big guy," Natasha sighed, stepping to the side. "But, please don't you dare do anything to rip out your stitches. And tell Mar that I miss her and I'll come see her soon."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Romanoff. And I'll tell her." He offered her a gracious smile before padding barefoot across the floor to the door, his metal hand twisting the knob. "Oh, and Nat," he turned back to her, "you really should tell him how you feel. You two deserve a win."

Natasha looked down, the corner of her lips pulling upwards, and, with that, Bucky left the room and went to find his girl.

As he roamed down the hallway, Bucky looked in the windows of other infirmary rooms, only to see faces of strangers. The infirmary was strictly reserved for employees at Stark Industries, so Bucky knew that every room was occupied with people who were at Stark's Halloween party. He couldn't help but feel bad for them—maybe he could've prevented so many of them from getting hurt if he wouldn't have gotten shot.

Then again, if he wouldn't have gotten shot, there was a high probability that Marlena wouldn't be breathing right now.

"Bucky?" A voice sounded from behind him, farther down the hallway.

Bucky turned, frowning at the sight of Bruce heading his way. As he neared Bucky, he pulled the pair of white latex gloves off of his hands and shoved them into his pockets.

"Tony told me Natasha was supposed to be keeping an eye on you," he stated, eyeing Bucky closely, somewhat shocked that he was standing upright.

He hadn't exactly taken into account how quickly it would take a super-soldier like Bucky to regain consciousness after he lowered the amount of anesthetic intake.

"She was," Bucky replied in a rush; all he wanted was to find Marlena's room.

"You weren't supposed to wake up yet."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm very much awake now." Bucky exhaled, hoping that Bruce would leave him alone and let him find Marlena.

"I didn't mean it that way, it's just—Steve had promised Marlena that she could be there when you woke up." Bruce sighed, now feeling guilty for not checking on Bucky himself.

"That's okay, I'm going to see her now," Bucky stated.

"Ah," Bruce nodded, then shook his head, taking a step closer to Bucky, "I'm afraid I can't have you meandering around like this, though. You do know that your rib is broken, right?" he asked, eyeing the bandage on Bucky's torso.

All Bucky wore was a pair of gray sweatpants, which he really didn't want to question who exactly had dressed him during his sleep. He looked down at the bandage, the pain feeling worse every time he even glanced at it.

"Broken? Are you sure?" Bucky asked, now understanding why he felt like hell.

Not only was the gunshot wound hurting, but it even hurt to inhale or exhale to deeply. Walking in this condition wasn't exactly a walk in the park either.

"I'm positive," Bruce replied, pulling his glasses down the bridge of his nose. "You really shouldn't even be walking, Bucky. How about you go back to your room and I'll bring Marlena to you. Her condition is nowhere near as critical as yours."

"No, I'm fine. I feel fine. I'll just go find her. It'll be fine," Bucky stuttered out, not wanting to make Bruce angry by resisting authority.

After all, making Dr. Banner angry could prove to be worse than the night of the party.

"You keep saying you're fine, but your wincing tells me otherwise," Bruce forced a nervous chuckle.

"I feel—look, I just want to see Marlena. Okay? Then you can send me back to my room, drug me, do whatever the hell you want. I just need to see her," Bucky huffed out, becoming rather annoyed at the fact that everyone was trying to tell him what to do.

"Okay," Bruce hesitated, "okay. Be quick. And will you just—please, just be careful, okay? If I have to redo those stitches, I might turn green."

"Got it, Doc." Bucky nodded knowingly before turning to head back down the hallway.

Room after room, there was still no sign of Marlena; that is, until Bucky came to the end of the long hallway. He poked his head in the doorway, first noticing Steve who was sitting up in the infirmary bed, his eyes watching the television screen intently.

And then he saw her; he saw Marlena laying down, her head laying on Steve's lap as if it were a pillow. The blankets were wrapped around her, her brunette locks splayed out messily. Her hazel green eyes were watching the television sleepily as she cuddled into Steve, his hand smoothing down her hair.

Bucky felt the slightest flame of jealousy developing within himself. It should've been him that Marlena was cuddling into, not Steve. However, Bucky knew he was overreacting; Marlena and Steve had grown to become close friends ever since they met. It was almost a brother-sister relationship and Bucky knew he didn't need to read into things. But still, he wished it were him instead.

He stepped into the room, glancing at the television and then at Marlena, "Even in the infirmary, you've found a way to watch Star Wars." Bucky smirked, his blue eyes watching as she took notice of him, her own eyes lighting up.

"Bucky!" she beamed, pushing the blankets off of her, standing up and rushing over to him as quickly as her aching body would allow her.

Steve smiled subtly as he watched Marlena rush to him, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for not having kept his promise; though, it wasn't his fault Bucky woke earlier than planned.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, but not as to hurt him; she was well aware of his condition. She was immediately met with warmth and comfort as he enveloped her in his strong arms, his lips pressing to her forehead softly.

"How are you, babygirl?" Bucky sighed into her hair, feeling an overwhelming sense of comfort with Marlena in his arms. She fit so perfectly there; he never wanted her to wander out of his reach.

"Not too good, but I can't complain now that you're here," she replied, her face pressed to his chest.

Bucky rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head again, "I know exactly what you mean."

"You weren't supposed to wake up until I got there," Marlena huffed, pulling away enough to look up at him.

"Sorry, sweetheart." He chuckled, his hand cupping her cheek.

"You're sorry? You're the one who took a bullet trying to protect me; if anything, I should be the one apologizing," Marlena corrected him, her lips turning down into a frown as she remembered him getting shot. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" she asked, looking down at the bandage over a small section of his torso.

"Yeah, it hurts, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're okay." Bucky gave her a reassuring smile.

Marlena stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to Bucky's. The kiss was much needed—desperate even. She had felt like it had been ages since she'd seen him, mostly because he'd been in and out of surgeries the past few days and she was limited to her room in the infirmary, and occasionally, the hallways if Tony allowed it. Their lips moved together, Bucky's flesh hand holding her chin while his metal hand rested on her back.

"Ah," she winced, pulling away from the kiss.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Bucky asked quickly, his eyes scanning her cautiously.

"My back," she muttered, causing him to remove his metal hand from her immediately, "I have another spinal fracture."

"Mar, I'm sorry. I didn't know," he sighed, feeling especially guilty.

Even if he hadn't been the main cause of it this time, her spine had fractured in the same place as it had when he'd had a nightmare all those months ago and accidentally hurt her.

"It's okay, Buck." She shook her head, planting a short but sweet kiss to his lips once more.

Steve cleared his throat, standing up from the bed.

"Buck, glad to see you're okay, pal," Steve smiled anxiously, patting Bucky's metal shoulder, "but I'll leave you two alone. I'll go see what everyone else is up to."

"Thanks, Steve. Hey, listen," Bucky glanced down at Marlena and then back at Steve, who was now halfway through the door, "you should go talk with Natasha."

Steve's cheeks flushed pink, but he simply nodded and walked briskly out of the door and down the hallway.

"What was that all about?" Marlena asked, cocking an eyebrow up at Bucky.

"Long story," Bucky smirked, leaning down again, "and now is not the time."

He caught her in another kiss, his lips moving in sync with hers as if time stood still around them. This time, he was sure to be careful with his hand placements so that he wouldn't hurt her, but it was hard for him to cut off the physical contact.

The sound of the movie, however, caused Marlena to pull away again.

"What is it this time?" Bucky asked, a goofy smile on his face as he peered down at her. He was so in love with her that it physically hurt him more than the gunshot wound did, but he wouldn't trade that feeling for the world.

"Nothing—it's just," she chewed on her lower lip as she glanced at the television and then back at him, "Vader and Luke are about to fight."

"You're such a nerd," Bucky teased her, pulling her in for one last, quick kiss. "It's cute."

"It might be one of the most important scenes in movie history; I can't miss it," she retorted, pulling him over to the bed.

She climbed in, sliding over onto the side that Steve had been and Bucky climbed in beside her, spooning her petite body. His right arm stretched across her, his hand on her stomach with his fingers splayed out.

"I love you, Mar. I'm sorry that this happened." Bucky sighed as he watched her, though her eyes were now fixated on the television.

"It's okay," Marlena replied, she twisted her neck to look at him, "I love you, Buck."

Bucky smiled, kissing the side of her neck softly, causing her to flinch because it tickled. He only chuckled at her actions and repeated it just to see her do it again.

However, his head snapped over to the doorway at the sound of a snicker.

"I think I'm going to have to check myself into the infirmary now, too. I'm feeling nauseous." The smart aleck comment gave away that it was Tony, without Marlena having to peel her attention away from Star Wars.

"Shut up, Tony," Marlena mumbled, interlocking her fingers with Bucky's.

"I see someone let Metallica out of his cage. Who am I going to have to fire for this outrage?" Tony replied again with yet another smartass response.

"Yeah, that," Bruce came into the room behind Tony, "that would be me. In my defense, I told him to be quick."

"Well, he sure looks comfy, doesn't he?" Tony sassed back, only being especially smart aleck today because of his lack of sleep.

"Oh, Mar, I almost forgot," Bucky spoke, electing to ignore the comments of the supposedly smartest people in Stark Tower, "Natasha said she misses you and she'll come visit you soon."

"When?" Marlena chimed, curious as to when her best friend would make an appearance.

She loved Tony and Bruce, however she missed Nat lots. Steve also seemed to be a little grumpy after not seeing her for two days, which only made Marlena more curious as to what was going on there. Bucky's comment to Steve previously also aroused her suspicion.

"Is now soon enough?" Natasha grinned, coming in the room and brushing past the scientists.

Marlena's smile grew wide, her eyes bright. She was in a room full of people that cared about her, and there were even more people that cared about her within this very building, which made her especially happier than she had been the past few days.

Bucky's arm pulled her closer into him after Tony and Bruce dismissed themselves, leaving them alone with Natasha.

"Steve didn't find you, I suppose?" Bucky raised an eyebrow, running his metal hand through his hair.

"Is he looking for me or something?" Nat asked, glancing over her shoulder at the door.

"Yeah, like, right now." Bucky grinned.

Natasha shook her head in disapproval at him, though her low chuckle was enough to give her away. It was then that Marlena realized how oblivious she had been; Steve and Natasha had feelings for each other. She immediately wanted to beat herself up about it for not noticing before, but now all she could do was sit back and think about all of the signs she had neglected to acknowledge.

It seemed as if Bucky and Marlena weren't the original lovebirds in the tower; and something told Marlena that soon enough, they wouldn't be the only power couple residing in Stark's Tower.