@winterrisen ‘ we can go back to hating each other tomorrow. ‘ enemies to lovers + one of them is hurt prompts
WHEN THE PHONE RINGS A QUATER AFTER ONE, she’s not shocked that it’s johanna’s number that lights it up for the upteenth time. but the urgent 911 text right before she answers has katniss already shuffling to put on her boots, a huffed yeah on her end before the other begins to speak. bucky may gotten himself into a fight tonight at the bar, and all i’m saying is he’s got a pretty bad gash on his cheek but he won’t let me near him. he won’t go to the doctor, katniss, and well ... you’re the only one that grump will even talk to sometimes. the phone is hung up and shoved into her back pocket, slipping on her leather jacket before finding her small self made med kit. she hates doctors, hates the medics at S.H.I.E.L.D ---- and bucky? well. he’s got too much pride.
new york city is cold, it usually starts to feel brisk right before the winter really hits. prim always liked the autumn, going to central park and gazing at all the changing colors of the leaves - how she’d laugh at katniss’ rosy cheeks from the cool air - so she buries herself down in her jacket, vowing to meet outside of bucky’s brooklyn apartment. it’s only a few blocks away, and a shortcut through an alleyway. when she gets there, she holds johanna’s gaze, who looks like she is absolutely peeved with the events of the night. she passes her by with a good luck, girl on fire. that boys just looking for a fight.
‘’ ... bucky. ‘’ he won’t even look at her, which ... fair. they’re usually having some form of back and forth going on anyway, like a spark in a powder keg, bouncing off each other until one of them ends up going off. she stands at the bottom of the three concrete steps outside, hands shoved into her pockets. ‘’ okay, we’ll skip the formalities. i know you don’t want anyone around, but you need to at least let me look at it. ‘’ it’s not the first time she’s had to rush to aide him, and sometimes that day still seems to play in the back of her mind. what would have happened if she wasn’t there? the scar had healed up pretty nicely, and things seemed to .... calm, for the most part. well, as calm as a tornado and a volcano could be. johanna calls it a spark, but katniss just shrugs it off.
the door opens, and katniss is about to turn away and go back to her own place before she realizes he’s holding it open for her - and she nods, slipping in before following him up the stairs to his place. every building seems to look the same, with tons of stairs that never seem to end - and once they’re to his place he toes the door open. again, there is little to no speaking, which means he’s probably still mad at what went down or himself. still, she slips in and greets alpine, kneeling down to scratch under it’s chin. ‘’ hey, girl. ‘’ she’s met with a series of purrs, and then katniss slips off her jacket by the door and follows bucky into the kitchen where he sits at the table.
in this light she can see the damage, the blues and purples from the bruising around the wound and the deep gash - which looks like he was struck with glass. she’s careful as her fingertips touch to his cheek, noting that he doesn’t even seem to flinch. instead, he’s just staring at her - not even breaking as those grey meet his gaze, and someone once said that the eyes were a portal to the soul. there’s so much said, so much left untouched, so many secrets still hiding in the depths of stormy blue that she clears her throat to look down, grabbing the med kit and swallowing thickly. ‘’ ... you want to tell me what happened? ‘’
to her surprise, he does - but it’s met with a shaky breath before it all starts coming out. she nods and shakes her head, teeth chewing at her bottom lip as she cleans the wound of all the old blood. he’s a ghost story, the way he talks about war and fighting like it has been ingrained into him - and she knows ... she knows what they talk about. the avengers, shield, the higher ups. bucky barnes was the winter soldier, but that’s not who he is right now. right now, he’s a man who got into a bar fight, and katniss doesn’t see him for the monster that they will ever paint him to be. besides, who else rescues little chipmunks and affectionately names them and visits them often?
‘’ i’d tell you this stings but you’d probably look at me funny again. ‘’ it’s a special salve that she’s made herself from resources from shield and the field - her mothers interest in botany and medicine coming to be helpful more more than ever. it’s got reparative properties that should help seal up the wound and keep him from needing stitches, and her fingers coat themselves in it - bringing it up to his face. there’s a .... moment though, where katniss pauses, the soft brush of a thumb just under the slit of his cheek. ‘’ you are, without a doubt, the biggest pain in my ass. i don’t even make house calls for johanna this much. ‘’ when bucky goes to respond, she presses her fingers against his cheek, coating the wound with the salve. it’s warm, and stings - and after a few moments of her applying it liberally all around and on it, it seems to bring the swelling down a tad bit. it’ll need to be covered and have ice placed on it, and in the morning she’ll have to check to make sure it’s worked. but even as it’s settling, her fingers don’t move just yet. he feels so incredibly human at her fingertips . . . it’s a wonder he’s survived this long.
‘’ ahem. you uh .. you need ice. or a bag of frozen peas. i’ll go -- get some. ‘’ he probably has neither, but to the freezer she does - opening the door to find ..... it nearly empty. there is a bag of frozen fruit in there that seems like it’s been sitting for a while now, and when the door is closed he’s moved to the couch to be with alpine who, like every other time, looks in absolutely bliss to be around bucky. if only buttercup would ever greet her with the same enthusiasm. she’s got some gauze in one hand and the fruit in another, and she sits on the arm of the couch. ‘’ you should really let me put the gauze on before alpine starts to clean your face. ‘’ there is no fight with that, bucky and alpine coming over so she can press it to his cheek with ease. she holds up the bag of fruit as an offer, but he doesn’t take it - arms preoccupied with the ball of white fluff in his arms.
‘’ . . . okay, fine. guess i’ll do it. ‘’ she slips down on the couch, expecting him to sit next to her - and he does, sorta, half sitting half laying with alpine still tucked into his arms. sometimes he’s . . . unpredictable, like now, a sort of quiet understanding and softness in the late night. they’ve both been known for hardly sleeping, but there’s an edge of fatigue that seems to tug at his shoulders. there is no more fight left in him, and eventually katniss is being used as a pillow. there’s only a slight protest, pressing the cold to his cheek in hopes it says what her mouth won’t - but instead, she’s greet with her name, a whisper just in the night.
katniss . . . we can go back to hating each other tomorrow.
with his head in her lap, alpine tucked in his arms, a bag of frozen fruit pressed to his cheek ------ she thinks there’s is a whisper of a smile tugging at his lips, tired eyes falling shut. for a moment, everything seems to be at peace - and for the firt time in a long time, new york city doesn’t seem to be as loud as the uneven hammer of her heartbeat. her lips part to speak, but nothing comes out, and all she can do is hold the frozen bag to his cheek.
