Chapter Four: PRBLMS

"God, I need some sugar." Don moaned as she closed the door behind her. Her rotation at the clinic that day had been especially brutal, but it was her last one of the week. She worked Monday through Wednesday, but had classes Thursday and Friday, keeping her busy as all hell. She glanced around the living room, frowning when she didn't see her new 'roommate.' "Bucky?" Her stomach twisted with worry. She tentatively walked towards the bathroom, hearing the shower running. She sighed in relief. For a moment, she thought he'd left. The campus had been quiet for a few days, no sign of any HYDRA agents, but he hadn't mentioned leaving. Maybe he felt safe. Maybe he wanted to stay.

He had warmed up to her a bit over the few days they'd been together, and they had a little routine going. She would wake up, grab breakfast and bring it back for them, then she'd get in her scrubs and leave for work. While she was gone, she'd order food and send it to her room for Bucky, making sure to note for them to leave it outside the door. Then, once she got home, she would flop on the couch before starting something for dinner, whether it be microwaved meals or takeout. Then she'd do some homework before putting something on the TV for them to watch. Sometimes she'd doze off in the living room, and Bucky would apparently carry her to her room and put her to bed. It was sweet of him, but she wouldn't mention that to him. God forbid she give him a serious compliment.

She had just finished changing out of her dirty scrubs when Bucky came out of the bathroom with damp hair and only a towel tied around his waist. He blinked at her, stretching his shoulders as heat steamed off of his glorious golden skin. Her eyes fell on the stitched wound, or, well, the place where the wound had been.

"It's gone." She jumped forwards, fingers tracing over the seamless skin. His hand moved up, wrapping his fingers around her wrist, halting her caress of his warm chest.

"I heal fast." He replied, dropping her hand. She smiled sheepishly.

"I'll say." She murmured, eyes taking in the view.

"You can stop checking me out now, I'm going to get dressed." he mentioned dryly. This sort of banter was normal now, and she gave him a cheeky grin in reply. He disappeared into the living room to grab some clothes from his bag.

"I should get you a suitcase, living out of a backpack is unnecessary." she frowned, tapping her chin. He shot her a look as he re-entered the bathroom.

"A backpack is easier to take on the run, a suitcase is too bulky and difficult to transport." he said as he opened the door. He was wearing one of the newer pairs of jeans she'd bought him, but had on the same dark gray crewneck that he'd wore the first night. He looked so handsome in these unassuming colors, it was incredible.

"I have a proposition for you." she strode behind him as he walked back to the kitchen to peer in the cupboards. They were very low on groceries.

"My answer is probably no." those blue eyes peeked over to her as she hopped onto the counter. She laughed at that, his surly attitude endearing to her.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to come grocery shopping with me. Since, you know, you've eaten me out of house and home in the four days I've let you stay." she rolled her eyes, and he closed the cabinet he had been rummaging through. All he would have found in there was some crackers and peanut butter, which were good, but the prospect of newer, better food seemed to appeal to him. His eyes lit up for a moment before the reality of the situation hit.

"How am I gonna get to the grocery store? I'm a wanted criminal." he replied dryly. She gave him a sneaky smile, rushing to her bedroom in a millisecond. When she returned, he gave her an exasperated look. "You're joking." he deadpanned as she handed him her ideas. A pair of fake hipster glasses, a black beanie, and a red scarf.

"With your beard and your hair tucked up, nobody's gonna recognize you. The glasses are just because I think you'd look hot with them on." she shrugged. He rolled his eyes and flipped his head down, stuffing his damp hair into the hat in one swift movement. He pushed the glasses on next, then wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"I look stupid." he sighed, shaking his head. "The baseball cap would be better."

"They're expecting you to dress under the radar. But if you dress like a snob, they won't look twice." he frowned at her reasoning, fiddling with the ends of the scarf. He eventually caved.

"You know, you're smarter than you look." he smirked, tugging his hoodie on over his sweater and slipping his boots on.

"Don't flatter me that much, I was wrong about my whole hipster-librarian fantasy. Glasses don't suit you." she frowned at the fake lenses with a sigh. He gave her that special look that she liked to think was reserved just for her, the one that made him look constipated and frigid at the same time. "I like the scarf, though. Red is quite striking on you." she mentioned, grabbing her parka and zipping it up to her neck. She slipped on some snow boots and grabbed her purse, leading him out the door. He had put on a pair of gloves, which helped to conceal his identity perfectly.

"If this doesn't work," he said lowly, pressing himself tightly to her side, "I want you to run to a populated area and leave me." she felt a shiver run down her spine at his nearness, but quickly composed herself.

"I can handle myself. I'm great with pepper spray." she waggled the canister in his face before shoving the outside door open. The light was beginning to dim, and she led him towards the parking lot for her building. Her black Mercedes coupe was parked in her designated spot, and she hit the button to unlock it without attracting any attention, and there were no obvious HYDRA agents lurking nearby.

"This… is your car." he halted at the hood, his hand reaching down to smooth over the shiny black paint.

"Yeah, she's new. I gifted her to myself when I landed an internship I'd been pining for." she swung the drivers side door open, sliding into the leather seat with practiced ease. He stared for a few moments on the outside of the door before getting into the passenger seat. She started the engine with a satisfying hum and pulled out of the lot, heading towards the supermarket. "Before you ask, you can't drive it." she mentioned as he poked around the interior.

"I wasn't going to." he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I haven't driven a car in seventy years. I'll stick with motorcycles." he huffed. She eyed him indirectly. Huh, the man in a motorcycle jacket, those thick thighs gripping the seat… it suited him. Sexy and dangerous. When she pulled in the Target parking lot, he had that look on his face again.

"Do you not like Target? Everyone likes Target, come on." she turned to face him after parking.

"There's a lot of people here and only one exit." his eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure if this is the greatest idea…" he trailed off, crossing his arms over his chest. She touched his arm gently.

"Look. Nobody's going to expect you to just waltz into Target for chips and dip. Now, we have to move fast, because I'm getting hungry and cranky. I'll buy you anything you want as long as you just get inside the building dammit." she swung her door open with her statement and stepped back out into the frigid air. He quickly followed, tugging his hat lower over his forehead and pushing his glasses up. But immediately he began to walk with some sort of imperceptible change, and she knew that if she hadn't known who he was she'd think he was just some douche that liked kale and ate hummus for fun.

"Where to first?" Bucky swiftly grabbed a cart for her.

"Hmm… oh, one minute." she left his side for a moment, walking into the heaven that was the clothes section. She fingered a slinky, sparkly purple dress and he sighed as he walked up behind her.

"We came here for food?" he reminded her, his tone holding exasperation tightly.

"Yeah, I know, I just love this…" she frowned at the piece before putting it back. "It wouldn't suit me, though." she turned, coming face to face with a mannequin in a bikini. "Oh, that's so cute!" she gushed, picking up the two piece off the rack.

"What do you need a swimsuit for?" Bucky nearly groaned, picking up a strappy bikini with a look of confusion.

"Spring break is in a week." she shrugged, then put that piece down too. "I don't think that would look right on me either." she sighed, leading him away from the clothes.

"What do you mean these wouldn't look right on you? You look good in anything." he murmured, following close behind her with the cart. Her lips pursed as she glanced back at him.

"Yeah, right." she gave a soft laugh. "Thanks for believing in me, but I've got a specific body type that requires hours of trial and error with clothes. I think I'd know if I look good in just anything."

"Prove it." Bucky stopped, turning the cart back around towards the clothes. "Put the dress on."

"I'm not gonna-what are you doing?" she demanded as he threw the dress in the cart before going around and picking out more things.

"You already picked out my clothes, so I'm doing the same for you." he squinted at a shiny black miniskirt and tossed it in with the other things.

"Buck. We're here for food!" she trailed helplessly behind him. "Oh, hell no that is so not my style." she grimaced at the low-cut wrap top he'd put in the cart.

"Don't care." shaking his head firmly, he pushed the cart over to the swimsuits again. "You're trying it all on." he put the same swimsuit she'd discarded earlier into the cart and headed towards the changing rooms.

"Well, I'm not showing you." she jogged after him, a whine tinging the edge of her voice.

"Oh yes you are." he shoved her into a room with the clothes and shut the door. She could see his feet from under the stall and she sighed, deciding to pair the skirt and the top together to start. She blinked at herself in the mirror after she wrestled the tie into something decent. She looked alright, but this was nothing that she'd ever have picked for herself. The skirt was short, something she was used to, but extremely tight against her ass, and it made her curves look more pronounced. The top amplified her cleavage slightly, not excessively. She wouldn't pair these together in the future, but she would wear them separately.

"Um, I don't want to show you, but I like them." she called through the door, wringing her hands nervously.

"Just come out." he sighed, an exasperated tone taking over his voice. She frowned at herself in the mirror, noting the exposed skin, but said to hell with it.

"It's not the greatest outfit that I've seen." she stepped out of her small changing cubby. His eyes roved over her, something unreadable in his expression.

"Not bad. I want to see the dress now." he shooed her back inside, causing her to sputter. What had gotten into him? He was too stubborn for his own good. She shucked off the outfit and slipped into the dress and stopped, staring at her reflection. It was all purple sequins, and it was stunning.

She'd thought the tight fit wouldn't flatter her body shape, but it somehow created curves where there weren't any, and while she usually hated the way sleeveless styles made her arms and chest look, she had to admit her modest décolletage looked amazing.

"Are you ready yet?" Bucky called in. She rolled her eyes, picturing him tapping a watch on his wrist with a sour look on his handsome features.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses." she muttered, unlocking the door and opening it, nervously tucking her hair behind her ears. This time, his perusal of her was much slower, starting from her toes up until he met her eyes. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were darker, less animated. "So? Does it pass your test?" she demanded, uncomfortable with the amount of time it had taken him to answer.

"It's perfect for you." he admitted, looking down at the dress again. She felt her face heat at that, what the hell did he mean by perfect for her?

"Okay then. I hope you didn't plan on seeing the bikini, I'm trying that on in here by myself." she warned, shutting the door again and shimmying the dress off.

"That's fine." his voice was lower, quieter than before. Her eyebrows furrowed at that, but she put on the suit anyways and shrugged at her reflection. Not bad. If she dieted a bit and did some squats, she'd look pretty damn okay in it. Her boobs were a lost cause at that point in her life, though, so she ignored the fact that she didn't have much in the cleavage department. Once she was back in her normal clothes, she met Bucky back outside the dressing room.

"Okay, ready to get some grub?" Don asked, tossing the clothing into the cart again. Bucky nodded at her, and they moved towards the produce section of the store. She picked out some fruit, and Bucky pointed out that there were some plums that he'd like, so she threw those in the cart too. She grabbed milk, eggs, bacon, ground beef, some frozen pizzas, a loaf of bread, and some beans before heading over to the snack section. Bucky was like a kid in a candy store, looking at every brightly colored bag of treats like it was treasure. Of course he'd wanted to try just about everything, so she tossed that all in the cart as well. After picking out some nice sugary cereal and a bulk bag of mini candy bars, she was all set.

"This seems like a lot." he frowned, looking at the full cart. She paused at the liquor section, holding up a finger before hunting down a bottle of tequila. "What's that for?" he asked as she threw the alcohol in the cart.

"Forget my troubles." she shrugged and continued down the rest of the aisles back towards the checkout. "Oh." she stopped, and he almost ran into her with the cart. "Oh Bucky, that's so perfect." he groaned as she ran into the men's clothing section and rummaged around the rack before pulling out a leather jacket. He blinked at her before letting a slow smirk slide across his face.

"You really love dressing me up, doll." he grinned with a slow shake of his head. She saw a woman pause and look at him appreciatively when he gave her that look, and she fought off the urge to growl mine at her like a rabid dog. She threw the sexy jacket into the cart and guided him to the checkout aisle at last. Once they'd finished bagging up their excessive amount of groceries, Bucky pushed the full cart behind her and helped her load everything into the trunk. It was pitch black outside by that time, and she shivered at the chill the air seemed to have taken with the absence of sunlight.

"Put on your new jacket, it's freezing out here." she scolded him, and he pursed his lips before ripping the tag off the zipper and sliding it on over his broad shoulders. Oh. Oh that was nice. She knew the leather was fake, save the animals and whatnot, but there was something so rugged and handsome about how he filled out that jacket. She wanted to feel that jacket on her bare skin, and she shivered at the thought. Donnie get yourself together she scolded herself as he pushed the cart into the return space. The way his body moved and stretched the jacket was almost sinful, and it felt inappropriate to watch him looking like that in public. She wondered what he'd look like shirtless with just that on, open to reveal his chest underneath.

"Are you gonna get in?" Bucky had returned, when he had she had no idea. She took a deep breath and hopped in the drivers side, squeezing the steering wheel before starting the car up. She watched him slide in the passengers side out of the corner of her eye, that sultry leather and those long legs taking far too much of her attention. "Are you okay?" he had turned to look at her, confusion prominent on his face, even in the darkness.

"Yeah, just cold." she shivered again, and he seemed to buy it, turning to face out the front windshield again as she backed out of her space. The drive was silent save for the radio playing softly, and she quickly got back into her parking space on campus. "Think we can make it in one trip?" she asked quietly, unbuckling.

"I'm sure we'll manage." he replied, getting out faster than she would ever be able to. She popped the trunk and he grabbed almost every bag except for one, the chips, and then walked back towards her building as she scrambled to follow. She dangled her measly light bag behind him, his arms not even straining with the effort of the groceries. She swiped her card through, cursing when the damn mag strip didn't register. She swiped two more times violently as Bucky watched her, a look of amusement playing over his face.

"These stupid cards never work." She groaned in relief when the light finally lit up green, unlocking the door for them. Bucky stayed quiet as he followed her towards the elevator. She hummed, tapping her toes to a beat that she couldn't think of the words to, and gave a jaw-cracking yawn. She stepped into the elevator, and Bucky followed close behind.

"Oh, hold the elevator please!" someone called from the front door. Bucky's hand shot out to hit the door close button, and Don quickly jabbed the open button. She shot him a look and he glared at her as the girl stepped into the elevator with them. He shifted closer to Don, arms crossing over the bags. The rickety elevator went up the shaft, and the girl in the elevator with them glanced above them suspiciously. She had short red hair and pale skin, and was absolutely stunning. Once they got to Don's floor, they exited the elevator and the girl did too. She walked past them when they stopped at the door, though, but that didn't stop Bucky from watching her disappearing around the corner.

"You don't have to be rude, you were just gonna close the door on her." Donatella scolded him. He shoved her inside the apartment as soon as she got it opened and he slammed it shut behind them.

"She wasn't a student. I think she works for SHIELD." he growled, tossing the groceries on the counter.

"She had a key card for the building." she mentioned. "How do you know she wasn't a student? She looks familiar to me." she began to put things away.

"This is bad, very bad." Bucky muttered, pacing and ripping off his disguise. "I'm sure it was an agent."

"Okay but how do you know?" she pried again.

"I just do." he snapped, whirling on her. "Can't you trust me on this?"

"Who is SHIELD? I thought you were on the run from HYDRA." she frowned at a bag of Cheetos, stuffing it into the cupboard.

"They're a recently fallen branch of the government." he sighed, stopping. "I've got to get out of here." Bucky muttered, heading for his bag. Her stomach sank.

"You're leaving then?" she tried to hide her panic, but her voice cracked partway through her sentence. He paused, turning to look at her.

"I don't think you should be caught up in this." he said slowly. She fought to keep her reaction neutral, but was slowly failing, and she turned to face the groceries again.

"I guess." she shrugged, dumping out the paper bag filled with fruit. "But aren't I already involved? If that woman really was a secret agent or whatever, then she saw us together."

"Shit." she heard him mutter, and she turned just enough to see him collapse onto one of the kitchen chairs. She hesitated before speaking again.

"Look," she sighed, "my spring break starts in a week, and I have four free skip days left from my clinicals. I take my classes online, so we can leave tomorrow and go hide out somewhere. How does that sound?" she coaxed him. He thought it over, his eyes going distant.

"What if tomorrow is too late?" he murmured, looking up at her. She could see the fear, the worry brewing there, and her breath hitched when he realized that worry was for her.

"It won't be. The government has to go through a shit ton of protocols before they can do anything on a college campus, because there's private law enforcement here that they have to tiptoe around. That's why the HYDRA people who were supposedly law enforcement couldn't enter any buildings, they didn't have any warrants." Don explained, pulling out some ground beef and a pan. "Since we've decided to stay here for tonight, I'm thinking tacos. I'd also like to drown myself in tequila before we go on the run, thanks." she started cooking, and Bucky watched with a sunken expression. She unscrewed the cap of the alcohol, taking a deep swig with a grimace. "Want some?" she offered the bottle. He reached out and pressed the bottle to his plump lips, throat moving almost in slow motion as his eyes became lidded. Don felt a flare of heat rush through her body at the sight, but she laughed at the face he made.

"What the hell is that?" he coughed out, wiping his mouth.

"The best and worst alcohol of all time." she took another sip, smiling at the burn. "I used to do body shots all the time at frat parties, they really fucked you up after like five in a row."

"Body shots?" his eyebrows furrowed. She grimaced as she thought of the best way to explain it.

"Its, well, you take a shot of tequila from somebody's belly button, lick salt off their chest, and then you have to use your teeth to take a lime wedge out of their mouth. Saying it out loud sounds quite gross to be honest, but when you've downed half a bottle of vodka anything is fun." his face was pensive for a while.

"I might've liked college." he leaned back in his chair as the beef sizzled in the pan. She gave a sharp bark of laughter at the thought of Bucky doing body shots, and then she thought about doing one off him… and then doing him-no Donatella, bad Donatella, that's enough of those thoughts. She knocked back another shot to try and erase the image from her mind, but it pretty much just helped fuel the fire.

"Can you chop up some lettuce and tomatoes? They're in the fridge." she gestured to him, and he nodded before quickly getting up. He had to lean around her to get the knife from the block, and he placed a warm hand on her hip to steady himself, his chest brushing her back. The tequila flared through her veins at this, and she had to hold her breath to keep calm. He moved a short distance away and began his task, but her body was thrumming with awareness of how close he was to her. He was calmly slicing the tomato, his metal hand holding the flesh gently. When he finished, he held the metal up to his mouth to suck some of the juice off.

Jesus Christ was he trying to kill her? He finely chopped up his slices and slid them into a small bowl, moving on to swiftly shred the lettuce. His shoulders rocked with precise movement and effort as he leaned over the counter, and she forced herself to focus on the pan in front of her. She glared down at the meat, stabbing her spatula through it to make sure the beef would be cooked completely.

"Are the shells in the cupboard above the refrigerator?" he asked her once he had finished what she'd asked.

"Yeah, this is almost done so we can get out some sauce and cheese and sour cream." she nodded to him, and he pulled out the condiments before reaching up to the cabinet. She almost screamed, wishing she could put her face into the hot pan to stop herself from looking. His shirt rode up, revealing a strip of that smooth muscle, his jeans pulling taut against his thighs and ass. The view was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and he turned to set the box of shells on the table. He arranged everything before sitting again, and Don grabbed a hot pad, tossing it onto the table and setting down the sizzling pan. Then she pulled out two glasses from the cupboard, setting them down in order to glug hefty amounts of tequila into them. Bucky made a face, but sipped it without complaints.

They ate quietly, but the inside of Don's head was roaring. Halfway through their meal, Bucky had a small piece of sour cream on his lip, and she wanted to vault across the table and wipe it off. With her tongue. God, was she some kind of animal? Her reactions were getting ridiculous at this point. She chugged the rest of her glass, pouring herself another large portion. His silky soft hair kept falling into his gorgeous eyes, and he'd push it back with that gorgeous tan hand, his long fingers running through the strands and ruffling them. She had just about given up on life at that point when he paused, giving her a suspicious glance.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" he murmured, eyes flickering to her shaking hands as she gulped.

"L-like what?" she squeaked, gripping her glass tightly to stop her tremors. "I'm just t-thinking." she defended herself when he didn't reply.

"About?" he coaxed, those lips pursing in thought.

"I h-have to call the housekeeper t-to warn them that we're g-going to be staying there for a few d-days." she was grateful she could think on her toes. She'd assumed that they could escape to her house in Cove Neck. It was secure, and had been sitting empty while she'd been at school.

"Where is home for you?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"It's near here, but I live in a gated community." her stuttering had stopped thank god, but her thighs squeezed together at the sight of his arms when he crossed them tightly. "So it's private… and they won't be able to just… you know… follow us." she finished lamely.

"We can't stay there long." he mentioned.

"Where else do we go?" she frowned, taking another sip of her drink.

"Bucharest."

I really love this story so much. I'm glad you guys seem to enjoy it as well, we're nearing the halfway point for this story. Thank you all for your kind words so far, it means so much to me, I've been writing this for a while :)