Chapter One: Angel Down
This was boring. Don was dying inside staring at her data sets. She scrubbed her hands down her face before hovering her mouse over the descriptive frequencies tab, choosing the option to analyze the mode of another variable. Her fingers tapped over her keyboard as she finished her assignment, writing up her last description painfully. She stretched her back, spine popping from its hunched position over the newest Stark laptop.
"Stupid null hypothesis." she grimaced. "Stupid double-negative language. Stupid statistical analysis." she submitted her assignment through the online portal, cursing at her advisor for requiring her to do a half-semester internship in experimental-biology. Statistics weren't what she wanted to be doing with her life, but being a bio-engineering MD, well, she had a zillion credits to fill. Her final year of med school was crawling by, and she couldn't wait for graduation to come so she could finally get her MD and submit her thesis for her PhD. She'd already been accepted for a position with the infamous Helen Cho, and couldn't wait to begin research with nanotech genetics.
The loading bar on her assignment finally hit a hundred, and her assignment went through, six days early. All she wanted was to get back to her dorm and shower, hopefully it would be hot instead of lukewarm. She groaned as she stood, peering around to see that the library was empty around her. Don shoved her green binder and her laptop into her backpack, violently closing the zipper over the explosion of papers and garbage inside. She shuffled her feet as she zipped up her knee-length parka, tossing the hood up and patting her pocket to make sure her lanyard was still there. She checked her phone, bleary eyes reading the clock.
Two in the morning. Damn, she was lucky the library had twenty-four hour access. She dropped her phone back in her pocket, pulling on a pair of mittens and slinging her backpack up onto her shoulder. She winced at how heavy it was, and made a mental note to take out her biochemistry book until she'd need it again. She strode towards the stairwell, the automatic lights turning on once she tripped the motion sensors. Her feet clanged against the metal stairwell, the sound echoing down three stories to the ground floor. She saw one person lingering in the lobby, furiously writing in a notebook with an anatomy book open in front of them. She wondered what they were up to, absently yawning as she opened the glass doors. Her eyes rolled as she saw that it was snowing, again, for the third time that week. She saw a group of students stumbling in the snow, laughing with unzipped coats and barely-hidden flasks.
A Friday night in a snowstorm and there were still parties going on. She shivered at their exposed skin, zipping her jacket up the extra two inches to cover her chin. Her breath puffed out in clouds as she trudged through the uncleared sidewalks. It was gorgeous out that night, with the fat flakes lazily settling in the quiet. She yawned again, peering around at the beautiful scene. She approached the crosswalk, pushing the button with a sharp jab. Humming softly, she almost didn't hear the crunching footsteps of someone approaching behind her.
Almost being the keyword.
Her hand slipped into her pocket, fingers deftly rotating the cap of her pepper spray. She glanced surreptitiously behind her, and the sight she saw made her forget about using it.
A gorgeous man was staring at her, and her eyes roved over him without shame. Piercing blue eyes, just the right amount of stubble, dark shaggy hair, and to top it all off the man was huge. She could see muscle definition through his red henley and nearly drooled. He was an angel. She barely noticed that his clothes weren't appropriate for the weather, though she did notice that he stepped closer to her.
"A doctor?" he rasped in a sinfully deep voice. His clear blue eyes flickered to the hand that was still in her pocket and clouded over with something like suspicion.
"No, not a doctor." she shook her head, and his eyes darted back to her face. "I'm, ah, a medical student though."
"I need help." he took another step forwards, the gravel in his throat a clear sign he hadn't been speaking much lately.
"Are you okay?" she asked, fear finally beginning to ice in her veins as she realized this man was a stranger.
"Fix it." he pulled the neck of his henley over his shoulder, revealing something that stopped her heartbeat. Scarred flesh met shiny titanium. There was a deep gash along the edge that would require stitches, but that wasn't what had caught her attention. The prosthetic moved and nearly rippled like skin, and she felt herself reaching out to touch it. His hand, the one made of flesh, gripped her wrist in an instant. Her eyes shot to his face in alarm, but his eyes were clouded with confusion. "Can you fix it?"
"I, um, hang on, come with me." she stuttered as she turned back to the empty road, waving him to follow her across. "I have some tools in my room, but they won't be professional. I think I should take you to the hospital." she glanced back to his prosthetic arm, mouth watering at the advanced technology.
"No hospital." he nearly growled, causing her to halt in her mad dash. Should she make a run for it? She looked down at the arm again. Damn her curiosity.
"Okay, no hospital." she muttered, leading him forward again. She noticed now that his shirt wasn't just red, but also darkened in spots with blood. "What happened? Did you get mugged?" she asked, glancing over his outfit again. The man didn't reply. He was a little worse for wear, but he was huge. The more she looked, the more definition she could see. He was, well, almost uncomfortably thick. It made her throat dry. Most guys she'd been close to were fit, but she'd never met someone who rippled with so much strength. Jacob was… she didn't want to think about Jacob right now. She shook the thought off as they finally reached her building. She quickly yanked her lanyard out of her pocket and pulled the key card out, swiping it in the slot. It buzzed red and she swore under her breath, swiping it through slower until it lit up green. The door clicked as it unlocked, and she pulled the handle, letting him in first.
The main floor of the campus apartments was basically just a sad looking lobby. There were a few busted up armchairs and a fireplace that didn't actually work. The trash bin near the door was almost full, and there was an empty pizza box on a table in the center of the room.
"Here, we can take the elevator." she walked over to the metal doors, grimacing at the grimy handprints over it. She clicked the up arrow and waited, the man standing just a foot behind her. She wondered if he did this a lot. He obviously knew he was at a medical college, since he asked her if she was a doctor when he approached. Maybe he didn't have insurance. No, he'd have to have insurance with that gorgeous prosthetic. It could have been new Stark tech, but she subscribed to all of the medical journals, so she would be aware of that. Maybe it was a prototype. It had to have been, it was too sophisticated. Money couldn't buy that tech, not unless you were a zillionaire.
She stepped into the rickety elevator, wincing at the way the doors squealed shut. The man didn't look nervous about the old elevator, so he must not have minded that it was a little worse for wear. She pressed the button for the fourth floor, and there was a loud clanging noise as it brought them up slowly. She took the opportunity to check him out again. He had snug black jeans, and as he shifted on his feet she could see the muscles in his thighs flexing. The man oozed pure strength, and she couldn't help but feel attracted to him. He was gorgeous and strong, why did that have to be so freaking attractive?
"Stupid social darwinism." she muttered to herself. She felt her ears turn red as he gave her a confused look, and she pretended she hadn't said anything. The elevator dinged, and she heard a loud pop as the doors strained apart. He walked out first, and Don noticed he was surprisingly light on his feet even though she was pretty sure he wore steel toed boots. She noticed, for the first time, that a small backpack was hanging from his metal hand. She wondered what was in it.
He was too old to be a student, she mused, leading him down the hall. Maybe he was a teacher's aide? Or maybe he was on campus for a seminar. That made sense, due to his bionic properties. She stopped in front of her door, and he halted immediately after her. He had good reflexes. She pushed her card into the door, swiping in and out a few times before the damn thing unlocked. Once it opened, she walked inside first.
"You can take a seat at the table, I should have a suture kit somewhere." she gestured at her two-person dining table. The apartment was nothing special, it was pretty basic for a campus dorm. She had a kitchenette, bathroom, bedroom, and main area. There was a convenient hall closet that held her sparse medical supplies, but her bedroom was where the real magic took place. She had years of robotics knowledge under her belt, and kept all of her mechanic tools in there. Most nights she passed out on the couch, so it didn't really bother her to attempt to keep her personal life separate from school. Once she pulled out the small kit and prepped her needle, she got a dark gray rag and wet it. "This might hurt." she warned, turning to face him. Her mouth dried as she saw him, his red henley gone and replaced with golden muscled flesh. She tried to swallow but her mouth was just too dry, and she slowly approached him, her eyes raking down over him shamelessly.
He was hot. He was big, but not grossly so, with great definition and a small trail of dark hair leading down to the front of his pants. She clenched her teeth, beginning to wipe the wound clean.
It was a long, straight gash, but not from something like a knife. If she had to bet, she'd say a jagged piece of metal had got him good.
"What's this from?" she asked. No reply again. "Okay then. Uh, I'm going to start now, do you want any painkillers before I do?" she pulled out an iodine swab, cleaning the surrounding flesh to make sure there was no chance of infection. He didn't reply. She sighed, snapping on some gloves and examining the wound. She moved quickly, trying to keep the man from losing any more blood. His skin fit together nicely as she stitched, the edges closing almost seamlessly. When she was done, there was just a long red line with dissolvable stitches sticking out. "Let me wrap it up." she held up a finger to him as he reached for his shirt. "Also, don't put that thing back on. It's filthy." she pulled out a roll of gauze and a linen bandage, fingers deftly covering the wound. She couldn't deny his skin felt amazing under her hands, hot and hard as his muscles rippled with each slight movement. He was a dream to look at, a true wonderboy.
She stared at his metal arm as she tied off the bandage. It matched his other arm perfectly, in length, width, and fluidity. It had a red star on the shoulder, maybe a manufacturing copyright? It almost looked like a Soviet symbol.
"Who made you this? It's amazing." she briefly touched her fingertips to the metal before his human hand snatched her wrist again.
"Don't." his eyes glared up at her, and she felt a jolt of fear go through her again. She gulped, pulling free from his grasp.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" she glanced down at the shirt on the floor, noticing the backpack next to it. "Um, do you have a change of clothes? I can wash what you have on." she offered, trying to change the subject. He hesitated before nodding. "You, you can shower too, if you want. Um, I just need to wrap your bandage with cling film to keep it dry." he nodded again. She turned to one of the drawers in the kitchen before grabbing the yellow package, successfully covering the bandage.
He stood then, so she led him to the bathroom. He took his backpack inside with him, but opened the door a second later to toss out his pants, underwear, and socks.
Huh. So he was a boxer briefs kinda guy. She wondered what his ass looked like in them…
"Snap out of it, Donnie." she whispered to herself. "You're acting like a highschooler." she scolded, scooping up his clothes and heading to the washer. She threw it all in with a hefty amount of Tide, hoping the blood would all come out. She started the cycle, thankful that she had her own laundry closet, because bringing the bloody clothes to the laundry room would be very hard to explain. She hummed to herself as she cleaned up the kitchen, disinfecting everywhere that may have gotten blood on it. Her brows furrowed as she looked at the chair. "What's your name…" she murmured to herself. Had she even asked? She didn't think so.
The bathroom door clicked as she mused, and she whirled around to see the man exit. His damp hair was pushed back from his face, a water droplet trickling down his chin to his neck, disappearing under the neckline of a dark gray crewneck. This was a thicker fabric, making him look bulky, but no less sexy.
"Um, I realized I forgot to ask for your name." she said, snapping her eyes back up to his face. He had been examining the room, but his sharp eyes travelled back to hers. Holy shit, it was like he was staring into her soul. "My name's Donatella."
"Donatella." angels sang as his lips pursed around the words, a flawless italian accent dropping from his lips. She blinked, trying to boot up the part of her brain that knew how to speak.
"Y-yeah, but you can just call me Don. Or Donnie." she cleared her throat, her voice wavering. "Donatella is a mouthful. S-so, your name?" she asked. He just stared at her. "Come on, I just stitched you up for free. All I want to know is your name." her lips turned down at the corners, and she scoffed inwardly at her inadvertent pout. His eyes roved across her face, clearly noting her expression.
"Bucky." he replied in that delicious rumble. He took a deep breath after he said it, and she watched his impressive chest heave.
"Do you have somewhere to go, Bucky?" Don asked. "A hotel, or a friend's house… I can call you a cab if you need one." she lifted her phone to him.
"No." he admitted, raking his fingers through that glorious mop of hair. It was curling slightly as it dried, small waves framing those beautiful eyes. How the hell could one person be so attractive?
"You can stay here." her mouth offered before her brain caught up. She froze, no, no, no Don, this was a stranger! He stared at her for a moment before giving a sharp shake of his head.
"No." she winced as he said it. She didn't want him to stay though! Or… did she? He was such a hottie, but also a complete stranger… Not to mention scary as hell!
"Okay, um, you can stay until your clothes are done though." she said. He nodded slowly, glancing over to the running washer. His stomach growled loudly. "Are you… are you hungry?" he glanced over to her suspiciously before giving another slow nod. He must have clenched his jaw, because his expression went from confused hottie to confused, chiseled greek god in a millisecond. "I can order a pizza." his eyes narrowed, and he looked out the dark window.
"Okay." he said softly.
"Are you allergic to anything? Do you not like anything?" she asked, scrolling through her contacts to find her favorite pizza parlor's number.
"No." he replied. God, it was like pulling teeth with him. She bit back a groan as she held the phone up to her ear. She quickly placed an order for an extra large pepperoni with an order of garlic knots. Once she confirmed her address she hung up and looked at him again.
"You can take a seat." she gestured towards the couch. He glanced at her warily before striding over, his long, strong legs pulling the dark denim tight over his backside. She gnawed on her lip, forcing herself to look in the other direction. "I'm going to shower quickly, I'll be out before the pizza gets here." she nearly ran to the bathroom.
She cranked the shower knob all the way up to boiling before gripping the counter, staring at her reflection.
"Get it together, you damn horndog." she hissed at herself. "Just because he's hot does not mean it's okay to ogle him like he's a piece of meat!" she scolded. She stripped quickly, shucking off her leggings and hoodie and wiping off all her makeup. Don stepped into the scalding shower, feeling her skin turn pink from the heat. She sighed as the water pounded away at sore muscles.
Why did she invite that man into her home? He was big, scary, and probably could kill her with a twitch of his pinky. And he had just been standing naked in this shower a few moments before. Rivulets of water would have streamed through his dark hair, down his broad, muscled chest and down to thighs that would-
"No!" she growled, cranking the knob all the way to the C, dousing herself with icy water. She yelped, but her dirty thoughts were thoroughly kept in check by the cold water. She quickly washed her hair and body, not bothering to shave her legs with the goosebumps covering them. She hopped out of the freezing stream as soon as she finished, her teeth chattering. She toweled off, shivering from the after-effects of the ice-water. "You deserved it." she muttered to herself. She knew it had been a while, almost a year since Jacob… She needed to keep it together for christs sake. She winced when she realized she didn't bring a change of clothes into the bathroom with her. She wrapped her hair up in a towel and tucked another one around her body before throwing her things from the day into the hamper. She unlocked the door and peeked out before rushing into the bedroom across the hallway, successfully avoiding the angel on the couch.
She dropped the towel and stepped into some underwear and a sports bra, then sliding on a large black t-shirt and a pair of gray woolen leggings. She yanked a comb through her frustratingly tangled brown hair and struggled into some warm socks, hoping to get rid of the chills from her shower.
"Dammit." she groaned as she smacked her funny bone into the wall, hissing as she rubbed the sore spot. She pursed her lips at her reflection, giving herself her daily pick-apart. She needed a nose job, and lip injections, and maybe some lash extensions too. If she could get cheekbone implants that would do wonders for her oval-shaped face and give her some more dimension. She sighed, pushing her hair back over her shoulders and leaving her room. Bucky was still seated on the couch, no longer staring out the window, but reading her thesis that she'd left on the coffee table.
"Did you write this?" he asked without looking up.
"Um… yeah, that's my thesis paper. I'm supposed to present it to the board in a few weeks so I can get my PhD." she noticed he was reading her section on robotic prosthetics. "So, your arm. Is it Stark tech?" he glanced up, finally, but his mouth was screwed into an unamused expression. "Can you at least give me a hint?" she sighed, exasperated when he didn't answer. He looked down, flexing his metal fingers.
"I can't tell you." he said. She opened her mouth, preparing to ask another question when the intercom at the door buzzed. She frowned, padding over to it and letting the delivery guy up. She rummaged through her purse, searching for a few bucks to leave as a tip. When he knocked, she finally found a five and a few ones and she headed towards the door. When she looked behind her, however, Bucky was no longer sitting on the couch. She whirled around, not seeing him anywhere in the main area. She opened the door, confused as to where the hell he had gone in the two seconds she had her back turned. Was this a dream? Some kind of sick perverted fantasy? Or worse, a sick joke?
"Here you go." the kid on the other side pushed the box into her arms, the bag of garlic knots sitting right on top.
"Thanks." she gave a polite smile, setting them onto the counter next to the door.
"I almost didn't get let up here." the delivery guy mentioned.
"Why's that, were they plowing or something?" she frowned, picking up the tip and handing it to him. It would make sense, since it was snowing, but usually they got started much later.
"No, I guess that there's some criminal on the loose." he shrugged, counting the bills before stuffing them into his pocket. "A bunch of suits stopped me, they thought he came through this area. They're asking if anyone has seen a guy with a metal arm. They seem pretty pissed that they lost him. Hey, thanks for the tip, have a nice night." the kid turned and walked down the hallway. Donatella stood there frozen.
"Criminal… metal arm…?" she murmured, in shock. She'd let a dangerous criminal into her home. The door slammed shut, a metal hand grabbing her elbow and shoving her face first into the door. She cried out as her head cracked against the doorjamb, feeling a strong body pressing her into it. Both of her hands were pressed between her back and Bucky, his metal hand holding her wrists together in a tight grip. His flesh arm was on her shoulders, holding her in place.
"Don't scream." he rasped into her ear. She felt her legs shaking as he pressed closer, his knees holding the backs of her thighs still. "I'm not going to hurt you." she wanted to tell him to say that to her pounding head, but thought better about saying any snarky comment at the moment.
"W-what d-do you w-want from me?" her voice quivered. "I h-helped you, p-please just take whatever y-you want." she felt him sigh, his breath warm against her cheek.
"I want," he took a deep breath, "to eat pizza." she blinked for a moment. Had she misheard him? He slowly stepped away, and she felt her arms and legs collapse like they were made of Jell-O. She curled into a ball on the floor, staring up at Bucky. "I'm hungry." he raised his eyebrows. The criminal, the wanted guy with a metal arm wanted to eat pizza? She would do what he said, then. She scrambled to her feet, picking up the box with shaking hands, bringing it stiffly over to the couch. She leaned over to set it down, but the paper bag filled with garlic knots slid off. She was too slow to catch it, but Bucky wasn't. His titanium fingers grasped the bag with ease, setting it on the table.
"H-here." she pulled a plate out of the cabinet, handing it to him.
"Thanks." he took it, sitting back down on the couch. She moved stiffly to the armchair, sitting perched on the edge as she watched him pull three slices out of the box and onto his plate. He finished one slice quickly, picking up the other before pausing to look at her. "Eat." he commanded. She stared for another minute, before his eyes narrowed and her shaking fingers reached out for the box. She lifted a piece to her lips, chewing slowly as she watched him cautiously. She barely tasted it, fear thrumming through her body at the memory of him holding her against the door.
"Why are they looking for you?" she asked. He gave her another look, swallowing his bite of pizza. He set the slice down and looked at her.
"I escaped." he opened the bag of garlic knots, and the smell made her stomach rumble.
"You were in prison." she concluded, taking another bite. He hadn't made any more moves towards her, and she was beginning to relax again. He hadn't killed her yet, which was a good sign.
"No." he shook his head sharply. She furrowed her brows. "That's not the police out there."
"The kid said the cops were-"
"It isn't the police." he turned his sharp gaze on her again, and she felt like a kid being scolded by their parents. He chewed his garlic knot before speaking again. "It's a cult. HYDRA. They had me prisoner for many years."
"A-a cult?" she squeaked. He nodded sharply. "How did you escape?" she asked.
"They kept me brainwashed. I was out, I was supposed to finish my mission and come back. My best friend helped me remember." he replied softly, his gaze clouding over again. "He told me I was Bucky. Then he killed my handler. Now they can't control me."
"How did they control you?" she leaned forward, extremely intrigued. He looked at her, wariness evident in his features. She sat back, realizing her mistake. "Did they threaten someone you loved?"
"I don't love anyone." she jumped at the sharpness in his voice. He set his plate on the table, standing up to peer out the window. He pulled backwards as if he had been burned, then yanked the curtains closed. It looked like he was done talking, but she needed one last question answered anyways.
"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" she asked, taking another bite. Those blue eyes whirled on her again, a frown tugging at the corners of his beautiful lips.
"You don't."