avengers x reader-ish, bucky x reader
summary: after serving as a hauntingly talented holistic agent for special agent maria hill, you were transferred to the avengers tower to "keep them from killing themselves". your name was quick to get lost in the affectionate and apologetic doc's slipping out from your teammates busted lips after you sternly scolded them for their self-destructive habits. having been their personal practitioner for nearly a year, you've fallen into a steady, comfortable routine with the worlds mightiest heroes... especially with one in specific.
warnings: reader is female! fix-it fic. everyone is alive. and happy. very 2012 avengers vibes. also reader is a holistic doctor? reader has glasses!
hulk hated medicine. he hated the way pills tasted and lost his mind at the sight of needles.
but, bruce couldn't be left unattended to. he needed some sort of medicinal salve that would treat his wounds and soothe the big guy. gnawing on the tip of your finger, you furrowed your brows in busy concentration.
four strips of bark were laid neatly across the marble table-top in the far corner of your office. willow, pine, witch hazel, and birch. they all held anti-inflammatory properties, and each could act as natural pain-killers. combined with aloe and maybe some herbs from wakanda, you could procure a pretty gnarly ointment for banner—
your head fell forward with a sigh. "if tony scorched his eyebrows off again, please tell him i am out of rosemary."
rubbing at your eyes with the butt of your palm, you begrudgingly slid the bowl away from you and turned around to face steve.
steve's lips upturned into a crooked smile. "thankfully, he's out of town with pepper." he tilted his head, pulling bucky out from God-knows-where and shoving him into your office. "sam hit bucky head-on with redwing. again."
bucky—ever the charmer—shot you a toothy grin. if it weren't for the blood smeared across his face, you would've smiled back. propping a hand up on your hip, you shot bucky a disappointed grimace before glancing up at steve. "did they fight?"
"sam started it!" bucky barked, crossing his arms over his chest.
you huffed—both out of defeat and slight befuddlement at his childish antics. "yeah? he started it? and what'd you do, you finished it like a big strong boy?" you mused, tilting your head as you stared down at the pouting super-soldier.
steve chuckled. "actually, sam won this time."
"boo, if you're gonna come into my office with an injury, at least be victorious." gesturing to the exam table, you made towards the large medicine cabinet tucked away by your desk. "sit down before i drag you onto it myself, barnes."
"don't be too hard on him, doc, he can't help himself." steve mused.
"punk," bucky scoffed, hopping up onto the exam table. "i used to be the one pullin' you outta fights, remember that? hell, i still do."
you couldn't help but laugh as you gathered an array of botanical medicine and waddled towards him. "he's not wrong," you hummed, smirking at steve as he leaned against the doorway with a chuckle. "and it's extremely annoying to deal with, both of you!—" you narrowed your eyes as you grabbed bucky's chin and dabbed at the blood under his nose with a towel. "steve dives into danger, bucky dives after him, both of them come out covered in blood and i am the lucky lady who has to patch them up."
"you'd be so bored without us, doc," bucky hummed with a goofy smile that made your stomach flip.
you gently squeezed his face. "if by bored you mean rested, then you've got that right."
steve's eyes widened slightly. "ouch, here i was thinking you loved us."
bucky snickered, eyes trailing your gentle movements as you prepped the antiseptic ointment. technically he didn't need any of this. he was a super-soldier, a busted lip and bloody nose was next to nothing to him. but he liked the way you were so careful with him despite your rough exterior. anytime he came into your office, he was met with some sort of negative expression. be it a frustrated outburst at his recklessness or quiet disappointment—you never seemed happy to see him. but bucky was always happy to see you. he was putty in your hands, and boy did he love your hands.
in spite of the callouses and scars that littered them, they were impossibly soft. they tended to him gently, intentionally—never causing harm or grasping for control. they guided him to stabilize his mind and soothe his body through various stretches and grounding exercises.
even now, with your lips pinched into a quiet pout, you handled him kindly.
bucky blinked, clearing his throat as his face went hot. "sorry."
"how about you make it up to me by not re-busting your face open, yeah?" you mumbled, fingers gliding across his jaw as you applied an antiseptic ointment to his cuts.
"aw, but i like when you throw bowls at me for interruptin' you."
steve snorted. "it's how he flirts, bear with him."
you flushed, turning away from both of them as you grabbed a few bandages. "oh, so the heart palpitations are chemistry and not stress from your self-destructive habits? i was wondering why my chest was doing that silly thing."
"aw, you think we have chemistry?" bucky cooed, propping his chin up on the palm of his hand as he propped his arms against his thighs.
unnoticed by the two of you too enamored with one other to realize, steve slipped out from your office and scuttled off down the hall.
"i knew i shouldn't of said that," you snickered, cheeks rosy as you stepped towards him, bandage in-hand. "no more talking, i need to get this on straight."
you raised a brow, tapping a finger against his forehead. "ah, no. no talking or i'll throw more than a bowl at you, sarge."
bucky's lips wobbled as he swallowed a snarky comment and saluted you.
you shook your head with a half-smile as you smoothed the bandage over his cut. against your better judgement, you kept your fingers curled loosely around his jaw. "you're lucky i like you. if i really thought you were intolerable, i'd have poisoned you by now."
an undeniably smitten grin stretched across bucky's stupid stubbled face.
