2 Months Later

You were grateful for the handrail as your body doubled over in pain. It was uncomfortably cold in the main hall, and in this dark hallway even more so aside from the orange flow of a small chandelier hanging above, and you tried to turn your body away from Pietro as much as you could. You couldn't bare to allow someone to see you like this. It only made it more real.

Being transparent and finally voicing out what you have been going through the last few months ago only served as a sharp reminder that none of it had been a dream.

"You have to tell me what the hell is going on."

Desperation and worry tainted Pietro's voice as he reached for your arm.

"If you don't tell me what's happening, I'm going to have to call someone." He continued.

You ran a hand up your face and ran it over your hair. You could feel the edges of your finger tips moisten from the tears it had picked up along the way and you could taste them as they continued to flow down your cheeks and onto your lips.

You simply couldn't breathe.

"No, no…" you repeated, trying to stop him from calling someone else. You reached blindly for him to keep him still and in place.

Pietro's head tilted down to watch your face as you fought to catch your breath.

"You've gotta talk to me. You're scaring the shit out of me." He says, "Y/N…" he adds softly.

"I - I'm sorry, It's just finally all hitting me at once." You managed to squeak out. You began to feel faint and your left arm shot out next to you as you tried to lower yourself down onto one of the gorgeous marble steps.

You felt the heat of his body as he sat himself next to you. You watched his black and sharp dress shoes from behind blurry tears, feeling the warmth of his hand as he took yours into his.

"What's hitting you at once?" His voice was soft. You eventually caught your breath and you let out a long breath, "Who hurt you?"

36 Hours Earlier

It was hot. Scorching, fiery hot. So was Bucky's skin where your arms wrapped around his neck and where the back of your thighs hit his legs. He was so close to you; you were both so close you melted into each other.

Sweat ran down his face as did yours.

"You've gotta cum." His voice was husky and rough, curving out into a begging whine. His breath hit your cheek as he panted.

This was raw.

You knew it wouldn't take much longer for your orgasm to hit you.

When did you start crying?

Why hasn't he said anything about it?

"I can't, Bucky." You cry. He takes your face in his hands, grunting as you bounce over him just right. You could feel his searing rod inside of your cunt and you could feel the softness of his flesh palm just over the curvature of your jaw. Hot tears streak down your face as you continue to take him into your hot core; into your deepest crevices. His head was bent backwards at almost a ninety degree angle just to look up at you. His features were tense, on the edge of his own orgasm just like you. Your tits rubbed up and down and over his chest, mixing in with your sweat, "I can't," you suddenly sobbed, reaching down for the tops of his arms by his shoulders, and looking him in the eye, "I don't want to. I don't want to cum anymore." You repeated over and over again, still bouncing and chasing your climax. Your lips were swollen from being bit by your own teeth. Despite your desperate plead for this to end, him inside you still felt amazing and you were just as desperate for your orgasm and for the temporary immense pleasure it would give you.

You sobbed even harder, digging your nails into his flesh, when you feel the phantom touch of his fingers on the hills of your hips, trying to stop you.

"You're crying. I can't do this when you're crying," he grabbed your hips, trying to halt their movements altogether, "Stop!"

His tone was strong and demanding, any trace of lust, gone.

But you couldn't stop. You continued to gasp, looking down at his face as you continued to fuck him.

Your face broke as you tilted your face to the left. You wondered if his heart was just as shattered as yours right now. You begged for it and you searched his blue eyes for answers, bringing your face in closer to his.

"Kiss me. Please." He swallowed hard and you tightened your arms around his neck, "Show me you care." You panted into his face, clenching your teeth, "Give me a sign."

His face softened.

He stopped his movements and you practically whimpered. You freeze when he raises his hand to carefully brush the side of your face with the back of his flesh hand. His eyes fall down to your lips.

He was finally going to do it. After three months of torture, he was finally going to kiss you. He was finally done with the games.

His lips were just a millimeter away from yours when his body became a white halo.

You looked at your hands in horror as he dusted under your touch, your face crumbing into a painful cry.

You reached for his cheek which then also disappears.

"Please, no." You cry, sitting up.

No.

You weren't straddling his thighs.

In fact, you were fully clothed. A black set of pajamas covered you from head to toe. A bright white comforter draped over your midsection as you grasped it. Holding on any tighter, you were afraid your nails would break.

Reality dawns on you.

You were in bed, and judging by the moon high in the sky just outside your window, it was still pretty late at night, too.

You had many hours before morning.

"Hey," Bucky's soft voice behind you startles you and you look over at him. He wore a white shirt and he was resting on his vibranium arm, rubbing his right eye with his other hand, "You alright?"

His question was sincere and he looked worried, quickly eyeing your nails gripping onto the sheets.

You swallowed thickly, nodding.

He let his arm drop and he looks at you curiously, not believing you. Not with the way you looked stricken.

You didn't like how sweet he'd become towards you after you became friends, and you certainly even more didn't like it right now. Not when you had been so close to receiving something he didn't even know he didn't give.

Not when it had been fake.

"Bad dream?"

His question was one with a not so simple answer. The dream itself turned out great towards the end. The fact that you had woken up is was made it horrible. It hadn't been real. In your dream, he had wanted to kiss you. After months of sex, he was finally giving you a kiss.

You look away from his curious eyes.

"Yeah." You lied.

He sits up even further now and you look away and towards the window. He watches you as you fall back down, letting your head hit the soft pillow.

You let out a long breath.

"Do you want me to grab you some water?" He asks.

You shake your head, pulling the covers farther up your body and closer to your chin.

"No, no I'm fine. Thanks."

"I don't mind, if you're not okay." He says after a moment of silence.

You breathe in harshly through your nostrils, making them flare.

"I said I'm fine."

You feel a gentle touch on your forehead.

"You're sweating." He whispers.

You swap his hand away, possibly too harshly.

"Bucky, really. I'm not thirsty. Just a bad dream."

"Okay."

It's been two months since you had agreed to be friends with benefits, a heartbreaking truce that both of you knew would lead to a horrible path.

The only good thing that has come out of the last two months was your growing friendship.

Tomorrow was your last day working the bar, having found a job at the tower as a secretary to a lawyer named Mr. Hyde, which ironically given his name, didn't appear to be affiliate with Hydra. Your nerves were on high.

It's also been about four weeks since Bucky pulled more intel on Ashen and his men, finding out about an occurrence of a possible transaction that would happen at a ball.

You would go and Bucky would stake out.

Your emotions towards him had also done a complete one-eighty …again.

Up until a week ago, you had been doing fine. Your friendship with Bucky made you happy, and you had been keeping your emotions controlled, as well as your feelings. But you didn't realize until the last few days how miserable you truly still were.

You knew that there was nothing normal bout what was going on between the both of you. It was unhealthy. Your relationship was toxic and unhealthy.

You also weren't stupid. You knew he was keeping you at arms length for a reason. Him continuing to sleep with you, despite it being friends with benefits, did mean something come from him.

Not to mention that now that you've actually gotten to know each other, you knew that your previous like for him from before wasn't just superficial.

Getting to know him even more and vise-versa had been a horrible mistake.

It was harder to hate him and it made it easier to care.

You perked a brow as you watched him get off the bed and walk towards the direction of the kitchen.

"I said I'm fine." You grumble, turning over to your right side to watch him.

"I know, I'm still getting you some water, though." He said back to you.

You sigh, watching him disappear into the hallway.

"Fine." You mumble under your breath, throwing the blankets aside. You crawl to the edge and walk after him.

He perks a brow at you when he sees you walk in. He really was there pouring you some water in a glass.

He smirks.

"The whole purpose of this was for me to bring you the water." He says, handing you the glass.

You smile at him as you take it and his heart flutters inside his chest.

Two months was all it took for him to finally start doubting every doubt he ever had about allowing himself to love again.

Two months and you've crawled up deep inside his heart.

"I needed to stretch my legs anyway." You say quietly before taking a sip of your water.

He watches you as you drink the water, his skin flaring at the sight of you. He stretches his arm to grab the cup when the ridge is still against your lips.

You furrow your brow at him in confusion.

"Slow down, there." He says gently. He grabs the cup away after your last sip and you dart out your tongue to lick one of the drops away.

You were very confused by the way he was watching you.

"You okay?" You ask.

He looks at you one more time, searching your eyes and wondering if maybe you had been wrong again and did still have feelings for him.

For someone like him.

A murderer. An assassin. A horrible man.

"I'm fine."

That next Morning

This was different.

You had christened nearly every surface of the apartment and in every position you could imagine.

You had even done it where you are doing it right now, on the chair in the kitchen, but somehow it was different.

Maybe it's because you weren't being rough. You can't remember when you have ever gone slow, let alone, just sat in his lap to keep his shaft warm inside your pussy.

He was connected to you so intimately yet neither of you were moving much except for the occasional roll of your hips - which he would then moan in response to - or the flutter of your walls.

You've also never been this close before unless if you count the first time you ever straddled him months ago or your dream.

Your arms were hooked around his neck and you were looking at each other, talking.

Fucking and talking.

"Tell me something else about you." He says with a smirk, wrapping his left arm tighter around your waist.

You smile, looking away and reaching over to grab a blue berry.

Fucking, talking, and munching on blue berries.

"Like what?" You ask, throwing the berry into your mouth.

You turn back to him smiling. He's looking at you so intensely that you break away and move your gaze down to his nose. You could feel his breath hitting your chin.

"Anything," he says, "Like what's your favorite color? What did you want to do if it weren't for the fall? Where would you be right now?"

His questions shock you.

They were personal and they show interest in who you are. Not that you both never shared things now as friends, but they were never like this.

This was different.

You wrap your left arm tighter around his neck, "That's quite a lot of questions."

He pulls you in tighter, too, gaze following down your face, "Just answer."

You pop another berry.

"Fine. My favorite color is teal."

He gives you a funny look and you tilt your head to the other side, puckering your bottom lip.

"Teal?" He looks away, as if deep in thought but also simultaneously personally offended, "Hm. Okay."

You squeeze your walls around him, giving a roll of your hips as you do so.

Bucky hisses.

"What's wrong with teal?" You ask with a moan.

"Nothing. Not judging." He says.

"Alright, then. What's yours? Better not say black."

The edge of his lips perk up.

"No, not black. Close second, though," he grabs your waist with his other hand as he continues to roll you over him, "Blue, I guess? I don't know. Maybe I don't have one." He says breathlessly.

You stretch out your tiptoes to the floor as you try to use it for leverage. You continue to give him some gentle eight figure rolls before stopping briefly again.

"I wanted to be a astronaut when I was five," You say gently, a raw away look clouding your eyes, "When I was fourteen that changed to doctor."

Bucky's right hand caresses your left thigh as his left one goes to your mid back. Your arms are still around his neck as you both stare at each other.

He has an unreadable look in his eyes and you're not too sure if it scares you or not. The way he was looking at you wasn't good for your heart.

"Then?"

"Stopped there. Never wanted to be anything else."

"Did you try to pursue that?"

You shook your head, tilting your head down where you could see both of your belly buttons and him entering you.

"I went to community college for a few years. Did my pre requesists there for nursing first, but then after my second year I decided to take a break and just focus on myself. Took some small jobs here and there, tried to take care of myself. By the time I was ready to go back, the world went to shit."

There's a long silence after you say that. You eventually lean your head forward, letting the side of yours graze his. You start up the momentum of your hips again.

The overwhelming emotions flowing through Bucky is too much for him to bear and he takes it out on your skin through the indents of his flesh fingers on your skin and through his harsh gulps as he tries to shove whatever you were doing to him down. He shoves his face into the crook of your neck.

"Well, maybe after we save the world and everything you can go back to there. Be a doctor."

You're stunned at his words. No one in your life really supported you. Even when you told your parents about your plans, they had tried to convince you to go to law school and stick to politics like them.

"Maybe," your voice breaks as you say it, "And when I'm working you can come in with a broken hand or something right? And I can treat you?" You finish quietly.

He doesn't answer you. He can't because he's not optimistic about him being in your future. Not because he doesn't want to be in it, but because he doesn't think he deserves to make it that far.

But, God, how he wants to be. He breathes harshly into your skin, trying to help thrust into you as the pleasure grows.

You groan as you feel the tip of his cock hit your cervix and you quicken your pace over him, letting go of his neck and running your left hand through the back of his head.

All that can be heard is both of your rapid breathing and occasional soft moans.

It was never like this.

Bucky can feel hot tears pricking begin his eye lids.

"You know you've surprised me. You blow me away."

You cry a groan at his words. Your heart pained and you felt yourself closer at his words. At your friend's words. Your co worker's words.

"Why do you say stuff like that?" You ask quietly.

"Like what?"

"Almost like a boyfriend." You feel him go rigid underneath you and fear creeps up your spine. "You have to be careful sometimes with how you word stuff. Especially when we live together like this. You said we would go our separate ways after this. Even if we're friends now."

Bucky pulls away from your neck and he stretches his legs out and his back farther back against the chair. He takes your hips in his hands and bounces you over his dick. He watches the spot you guys meet with deep concentration and with a mix of emotions you've never seen him wear for you before.

"Bucky." You say.

He sits up straighter and brings you flushed against him again. This time his forehead lands on your collarbones and his eyes are tightly shut.

He doesn't know what's happening to him. You were right. He needed to relax.

But how could he?

"Y/N I—" he whimpers out as he feels his end approaching. You flutter once more around his cock and he wants to cry out at how good it feels.

How good you feel.

"What is it?"

You run your hands up the side of his head and into his hair as he continues to reach his orgasm, as you continue to bounce over him. You can feel the heat of his mouth as he hugs you so tightly to him that it's practically touching the top of your boob now, sliding down.

He swallows down thickly.

"Nothing, I just, you have to promise me you'll be careful out there." He can't believe he's saying this. He can't believe that he still doesn't think he can make it. He can feel the tears in his throat, "please." You squeeze your walls at his words, "oh, fuck."

You let him take his pleasure from you, and you let him hurt you like he always has.

He's moaning and muttering like mad when you feel him cumming.

"Why were you so mean to me?" You whisper as he cums into the condom.

He doesn't answer you. You don't know if it's because he doesn't want to answer or because he didn't hear you through his euphoria.

He continues to cum with one more grunt and a last thrust.

His head falls against you. His breathing is rapid and you've never felt him tremble so much. You both stay like that for a few more moments. He doesn't lift his head from your clavicle and he doesn't stop trembling.

Your eyes linger down to a little mole just to the side of his neck near his shoulder.

This felt different because this was intimate. Everything you both knew it wasn't supposed to be.

You go to push him away when you feel his hands pull you in.

Tears fill your eyes.

What the hell were you doing to yourself?

What the hell was this?

You go to respond when he begins to finally get up.

"We should get ready." He mumbles.

You grab your shirt off the table and slide it on.

"Yes."

Washing his face with cold water over the bathroom sink, he hears you behind the door.

He wonders if you're wearing a dress, and if so, what color.

Red. You'd look good in red. Or black.

He dries his face with the towel as he continues to hear you rummaging, followed by two knocks on the door.

"Your suit is on the bed. I'd like to shower when you're done doing god knows what."

His brows furrowed together comically and he quickly throws the towel down, letting it fall to the floor.

He swings the door open to see you in a messy bun, one of his white t shirts, and underwear.

"You're not ready?" He practically shouts.

You give him a blank look.

"I've been waiting for you to get out. I'll be fast anyway, Bucky."

"I didn't take that long." He says with puppy eyes, walking around you.

You smile.

"You did, it's fine we have time."

He grabs his suit off the chair and walks over to the A.I.

"We have about an hour. Hurry it up. Chop chop."

Another heart flutter.

He's been dressed for twenty five minutes. Wearing a suit for the first time since nineteen thirty eight was not easy for him. He was lucky he remembered how to still tie a tie.

He's tapping his fingers against the chair and the tip of his left foot. He sighs.

He shouts your name.

"Come on."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," You say impatiently, swinging the bathroom door open and walking down the hall, "you're acting like a kid, Bucky."

You put your lipstick tube in your red velvet hand wallet, slamming it closed when you look up to see him.

You smile.

He looked gorgeous, and also like he'd just seen a ghost. He felt his palm sweat up as he eyed you in your black little number.

"This your first date since the thirties?" You ask playfully, walking up to him. You watch as his eyes continue to remain on you, still like a ghost, "I'm kidding. Relax." You're trying desperately to contain the heavy beating in your chest when you're in front of him. He towers over you like this.

You place the wallet down on the table and he continues to watch you. He clears his throat.

"You—you look great." He stutters out.

You smirk, reaching over for your coat.

"Great?" You ask teasingly.

No. Beautiful.

"Yes."

You finally turn to face him fully and can feel his gaze over your body.

It was always just your body. You feel your heart break.

"I-uhm," you raise your hands to his tie and he watch as his Adam's apple bobs up and down, "your tie is crooked." You whisper.

He lets you fix his tie, allowing his eyes to trail down to your lips for the first time. Were they always that perfect?

When your gaze leaves his tie and raises to meet his own eyes, it's intense.

You finish fixing his tie. He can feel his breathing pick up and you start to panic when you feel his hand grip your arm when you turn to grab your wallet.

"You've got on black. You match me." He says hoarsely and just above a whisper.

You feel your heart plummet.

"It's actually to match Pietro."

Something happens to Bucky at the mention of another man's name. His back goes rigid. His heart grows cold. He feels like he's going to fall over. He feels like his whole world just did.

"Who?"

He knew who. You spoke of your bar friend almost all the time. You were good friends and Bucky was fine with that because he didn't seem to be a bad guy and was pretty much cleared in the Hydra department. He didn't know that Pietro liked you, though. At least not like that.

You let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"You know Pietro, Bucky," You say quietly and not in the mood for games, "he's been asking me out for a while now, actually. He was invited to the Gala as part of one of the auctions. I thought I deserved this. I've never been on a date before. So I said yes."

Bucky still doesn't know how to feel. Suddenly, he feels nauseous.

"Oh." Is all he can muster to say.

"Yeah, so you're right. If we can get going fast that would be great." You add quickly, quickly snatching the coat and throwing it on, without another glance at Bucky.

Bucky was frozen to the spot, peripheral looking at you in your pretty dress and heels… for a man. For Pietro.

"Bucky—" your arms drop at your side, exhausted.

"Do you think that's the best idea? I mean, tonight out of all nights? You and I both know we're going with the purpose to find the transaction—."

"Yeah. I know that," You cut him off, "You're right. He's still going and I'm going to say hi to him. And maybe share a dance or two. You can watch from the balcony."

He clenches his teeth together and his jaw ticks.

It had been fine when you both arrived.

Bucky handed you your ear piece and you quickly diverted to the opposite direction as him, picking up your dress, and walking up the tall steps.

You swallowed hard as you watched the many people talking and laughing. The air conditioned room and the smooth jazz filled your ears as you walked into the entrance of the building. The floors below you were marble and there was a huge chandelier hanging above at the top of the tall ceiling.

"You in, buddy?" Bucky's voice rang through your piece.

"I'm here, Picasso," You entered the ballroom and quickly grabbed a flute of champagne that one of the butlers were handing out, "I'm here." You mumbled and then took a sip.

"Easy on the alcohol." His tone is a warning. Quickly you look up on the second floor where there are more people, "Stop being obvious. I'll tell you when I see his men, okay?"

You give a small nod and a smile to the air, knowing he can see you.

You dart your eyes around as the music grows louder.

You continue to sip your champagne, grabbing a stuffed mushroom from another guy holding a different tray.

You hear your name being called from behind you and you spin around to see Pietro smiling and walking over to you.

He stops right in front of you with a bright smile.

"God, you look amazing."

"Thank you." You smile back, blushing.

"Still wish you had let me pick you up, though."

You clear your throat, hoping Bucky wasn't listening to any of this.

"Yeah, but my place was a mess and I didn't want to involve you with that."

He lets out a heartfelt chuckle.

"With messiness? Please." You smile shyly, "you truly are stunning. Is it alright if I buy you a drink."

You frown.

"I already grabbed one of the champagnes. It's not free?"

He slides his hands into yours.

"Not at the bar. The good stuff. Come on." He leads you to the bar where he buys you a drink.

"So what took you so long to finally let me take you out, huh?" Pietro asks jokingly.

"You know, like, life." You say, taking a sip of your whiskey, "and stuff. I'm sorry it took so long, though. You're so sweet." Pietro smiles at that.

"I'm going to need you to stay sober tonight, don't let him buy you another." The gruff voice comes in through your ear piece.

You smiles quickly falls off.

"So what else do you do when you aren't bartending?" Pietro asks.

Your mouth gapes open as you look for a response.

"Uhm, eat. Uhm, I like to watch movies—"

"Oh, yeah? What's your fave?" He asks, cutting you off.

You were thankful for that.

"I like Titanic."

"I have never seen that once with you." The voice perks in through your ear piece again.

"Titanic is a classic, for sure. Can't get enough of that Leo. Still can't believe that boat sank." Pietro says.

You let out a loud laugh.

"I'll hand it to you, that was funny." Another song started playing and you looked at the floor where some couples were swaying. You looked over at Pietro, "hey, would you like to dance?"

He takes your hand and leads you to the floor.

He's got one hand on your hip and the other holding your hand as he sways you to the music.

It's romantic and it's nice. For a moment you even forgot where you were.

Hydra's city.

No, this was a nice dream. This was a nice moment compared to what you had been going through the last few months. This was a man who respected you, who, when he slept with you, would do it because he had genuine romantic interest in you.

Pietro respected you.

He wouldn't take your virginity like you were some cheap whore.

Whore.

"Wish that was me?" The voice pierced through your ear and it made you sick to your stomach.

No, no I don't. Because you would never do this.

Tears filled your eyes and Pietro's face fell as he watched you.

"I'm kidding, Y/N. Relax. Just like you were kidding with me right before we left, right?" His voice in the ear piece was sincere but they still hurt you, "Come—" before he could finish, you dragged Pietro behind you towards the back.

"Where are we going? Y/N, wait." You ignored Pietro as you kept pulling him towards god knows where. Until people began to dwindle from tens to twos, until you eventually found a hallway to the left. You pulled him behind you where there was no one.

"Y/N, what is going on?"

"Kiss me." Pietro gaped as he looked at you and then at your lips.

"What?"

He needed to be the one to do this.

"I want this." You say, left hand going to the side of his neck as you bring your body flush to his.

Pietro looks down at your lips again and he leans in. His right hand goes to the side of your head, cupping you there.

When you feel his lips touch yours, you naturally sink into it.

Pietro deepens the kiss, moans as his thumb travels to your jaw where he holds it there gently. Slowly he tilts his head, asking for permission with his tongue where you let him in.

It feels like nothing you ever experienced before. But it made sense, you never experienced this before. You deepen the kiss this time, shoving him against the wall where the handrail begins to dig into his back. He lets out a moan.

You start to pull away and he gives you one last peck before you can.

Your first kiss.

"Wow." He says, when he opens his eyes.

"Yeah," You squeak out, "wow." You clear your throat, "give me one second. Stay here." You tell a still dazed Pietro.

You climb two steps down and then turn the corner. You shove two fingers into your ear where you see the little black ear piece and pull it out. Shutting it off you slide it into your bra.

You knew Bucky would kill you for this, but you need a moment. Just a minute or two.

Heart still hammering away after your first of experiences, you face the stairs again.

Pietro is smiling at you.

"Look, not that that wasn't amazing," he smiles starts to fall off and he stretches his arm out waiting for you to grab onto his hand. You take it and climb up a few more steps until you are face to face. He searches your eyes, "are you okay?"

It's the first time someone has asked you that.

"You were crying a few moments ago and then you pull me away and ask me to kiss you. I was going to do it eventually, but—you're not okay are you? I remember when I saw that bag of yours with the heals and cuffs, and then you kept putting me off, and then you wouldn't let me pick you up…"

You knew where he was going with this and you raise a hand to stop him.

"Look, before you go there—"

"Are you with someone else? Is there someone?"

Tears fill your eyes at his question.

"No," you weren't lying. You began to shake your head as you thought about his question and your answer, "no there really isn't."

Next, you completely fell apart at his mercy. After three months of being used, you fell.

"You have to tell me what the hell is going on."

Desperation and worry tainted Pietro's voice as he reached for your arm.

"If you don't tell me what's happening, I'm going to have to call someone." He continued.

You ran a hand up your face and ran it over your hair. You could feel the edges of your finger tips moisten from the tears it had picked up along the way and you could taste them as they continued to flow down your cheeks and onto your lips.

You simply couldn't breathe.

"No, no…" you repeated, trying to stop him from calling someone else. You reached blindly for him to keep him still and in place.

Pietro's head tilted down to watch your face as you fought to catch your breath.

"You've gotta talk to me. You're scaring the shit out of me." He says, "Y/N…" he adds softly.

"I - I'm sorry, It's just finally all hitting me at once." You managed to squeak out. You began to feel faint and your left arm shot out next to you as you tried to lower yourself down onto one of the gorgeous marble steps.

You felt the heat of his body as he sat himself next to you. You watched his black and sharp dress shoes from behind blurry tears, feeling the warmth of his hand as he took yours into his.

"What's hitting you at once?" His voice was soft. You eventually caught your breath and you let out a long breath, "Who hurt you?"

You took a deep breath.

"I can't."

"Y/N talk to me what the hell is going on with you? Obviously, this is serious enough to where it's gotten you like this. This isn't normal, whatever it is, it's obviously tearing you apart."

You ran your hands through your hair at his words. He was right.

This was not normal.

You sit in silence for a few moments, and after you've calmed your breathing just enough, you talk.

"He's destroyed me."

He takes your hand in his.

"Who?"

You take another deep breath, shaking your head.

"This guy. My friend? I don't even know anymore."

"Friends don't hurt each other like this. I don't think the person you're talking about is your friend."

You sob at his words.

"I get that. I freakin get that, okay? I'm not an idiot —"

"— never said you are—"

"—but you don't understand. On some weird messed up level we get each other, and I think there's something there that I'm meant to find but he's just broken me so much I don't think I have the strength anymore. I don't have the strength to keep it going or keep it from stopping, either."

"I was already broken but he made it worst. And then after countless nights of belittling me and making me feel used, he starts to say these things and playing with my heart in the worst way— I hate him. I really do."

"Y/N. This sounds incredibly toxic and unhealthy. If he's treating you so badly, you need to get away from this guy."

"I've tried —!"

"Does he hit you? Is he violent?" Pietro throws the questions at you like darts.

"What? No. Nothing like that."

Pietro takes your face in his hands.

"You've gotta run, Y/N."