Marley was lost in her thoughts when they reached Bucky's apartment and he guided her in, urging her to join him on the couch. She was barely holding on, blinking back tears. Bucky looked as if he were going to say something but instead wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest.

She sobbed into his chest. She felt Steve sink onto the couch behind her, his large hand rubbed her shoulder in a comforting way.

"Shhh," Bucky soothed her. "It's okay. I've got you."

His next words weren't meant for her. "Steve, I swear to God – "

"I know," Steve sounded tired. "I'm so sorry. We need to figure out what his play is. I've established that he knew nothing of Marley's existence before he came here with his brother, but she's his target now. I have to agree with Tony and Banner. Apparently, Loki has been on the run from this Thanos guy since the attack on New York. Loki was supposed to win him a planet and he failed. He's staying with Thor hoping to protect himself. And Marley…"

"He thinks she can save him?" Bucky sounded incredulous. "I don't want her anywhere near any of it. Steve, if there is anything you can do. Please. I don't want her in this."

Steve blew out an exhale. "I don't want her involved in this either, Buck. But…"

"But what?" Bucky's voice rose in anger.

"We may need her," Steve said quietly.

"Steve," Bucky's tone was pleading. "She's just starting out. She's just learning how to use this. She can't do it."

"Buck, you're right," Steve said after a moment. "I'll do what I can."

Bucky trembled beneath her, holding his anger in check. Marley swiped at her tears, trying to regain her composure. She started to speak, Bucky pulled back pressing a finger to her lips.

"It's okay," he whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Let me know what she tells you," Steve said quietly. "Let me know if you guys need anything."

Steve left and Marley pulled back, swiping at the tears that wouldn't stop coming as she gazed up at Bucky.

"Doll, breathe," Bucky whispered.

"I… need to go get… some stuff," she told him but then he shook her head.

"Repairs to your apartment are going to take a couple of days. I asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to have what you needed brought over here today so you wouldn't have to worry about it. You can stay here… long as you want to."

Pressing her forehead into his chest, she nodded. "Thank you."

"Hey," Bucky whispered.

Pulling back to look at him through teary eyes, she saw concern clouding his gorgeous face. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Neither is Steve."

That brought on fresh tears. "I'm not… scared for me, Bucky. It was what he showed me he would do to you."

"He was in your head? Threatening me?" Bucky's jaw locked. "That bastard. Is that why you got so upset?"

Marley bowed her head in shame. The awful images Loki pushed into her mind of what he could do to Bucky, to the others, had her fear escalating anew.

"Marley, listen, he wants what you've got. He thinks you can keep him safe from this Thanos," he explained. "None of us here will let him have you. You have to believe me on this."

Marley shook her head. "I'm not worth this."

"What? What was that?" Bucky demanded.

"I'm not worth this," Marley said clearly this time. "The reason I can do what I can is because I was meant to be a weapon for HYDRA. What? You're supposed to keep me safe from HYDRA, safe from Loki, and fight these alien guys? I'd rather you kept yourselves safe."

Bucky had a grip on her upper arms, staring her down. "I don't want to hear that."

"It's true, Bucky." The tears started again. "Especially you and Steve. You've been through so much just to still be here and have a chance at a happy life. I don't want—"

"Don't finish that sentence," Bucky told her, his voice softer. "You are worth it. I once said the same thing to Steve. He fought for me anyway. If he hadn't, I wouldn't even be here with you."

Marley yanked away from him, rising from the couch. She took a deep breath, feeling hot. Bucky must have felt the waves coming off her too.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his tone calmer.

"I'm not sure," she told him. "All of this, these powers, they are getting stronger."

"I know."

"What happens… what happens if I lose control of them?" Marley was afraid. "What happens if I can't stop it. I don't want to hurt anyone else. I wouldn't survive if I hurt you."

Bucky stood, walking up behind her and carefully wrapping his vibranium arm around her despite the heat. "There may be someone who can help if things get worse," he said by her ear. "Someone in Wakanda. She really helped me."

Marley angled her head so she could see him. "Really?"

"Really. Her name is Shuri. She pulled out all of the shit HYDRA put in my head that controlled me." Bucky pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "I don't know how much longer I would have made it without her. She healed me. We could always ask for her help."

Marley turned in his arms, gazing up at him. "Could she heal me? Could she take… all of this away?"

Bucky looked thoughtful. "Maybe. If anyone could do it, it would be her."

Marley swallowed hard. "What if she could?"

"Doll, if that's what you want, that's what I want," the sincerity in his blue eyes was unmistakable.

"You'd still want me?" The heat backed off as she calmed.

Bucky sighed, pulling her against him and holding her close.

"How can you even ask me that? I'm not in love with what you can do. I'm in love with you." He pressed a kiss on her forehead and looked into her eyes. "Selfish, I know, but I'd be fine if you didn't have those powers. You wouldn't be able to go on missions, be in danger. You could be here where I knew you were safe, waiting for me when I get back."

Bucky pressed a kiss to her cheek. "How about a nice cool bath to help you relax, make you more comfortable?"

Marley nodded. That sounded so good.

Marley wandered into his bedroom, not immediately seeing her things but when she began going through the drawers of his dresser, she found most of her belongings, right along with his, tucked neatly away. Stripping off her workout clothes, she pulled on her bathrobe and slowly made her way to where a luxurious bath waited. The scent of lavender was calming, welcoming.

Bucky kneeled by the tub, testing the temperature of the water. "You ready?"

Nodding, she peeled off her robe, he'd seen all of her now, and stopped when he winced as his eyes roamed over her.

Marley knew without looking that she was covered in bruises from Natasha handing her ass to her in sparring. And from him in more intimate areas. Guilt was a dark flash in his mind.

She gingerly climbed into the tub, sighing happily as the cool water was an absolute delight.

"I am so sorry, doll," Bucky whispered. "I'm sorry I –"

"Stop," she told him. "I'm fine. I mark up easily."

"But Marley –"

"If something had hurt or had been against my will, I would have said so and stopped you," Marley said, caressing his cheek. "Every bruise on me is there because I wanted it. Or because of Nat. So, stop with the guilt, please."

"I'm going to have some dinner delivered," he said as he rose from the floor, still not convinced. "Have a taste for anything?"

Marley smiled, leaning her head back. "Nothing that a restaurant can deliver."

Bucky smirked at her. "Don't start something you're not prepared to finish tonight, baby. You should rest."

"You should trust me to know what I need," Marley said in a teasing voice.

"You baitin' me, sugar?" His eyes had darkened.

Marley winked at him, grabbing the loofa he'd put out for her as she began to scrub away the tensions of the day.

Bucky wandered out to order takeout and she enjoyed the bath, washing her hair and pampering herself. It was the coolest, most comfortable she'd been all day.

When she'd finished her bath, she towel-dried her hair, wrapped herself back in her robe, and found Bucky in the kitchen sorting through endless containers of Thai food. The rich, aromatic spices had her mouth watering as he handed her the plate he'd made for her.

Marley laughed. The mountain of food on the plate was equal to three normal meals for her. For a super-soldier, she guessed it was a start. He ducked into the bath for a quick shower, coming back out in his gray sweats but no shirt. At least he wasn't self-conscious about going shirtless around her now. That was good.

Bucky found a well-done documentary on the second world war and sat on the couch to watch it with his own plate. He patted the space next to him, Marley moved over to join him. They were quiet as they ate but his mind was spinning.

He felt guilty about the bruises she wore, worried his more dominant nature was going to ultimately push her away. With everything that had happened today, he'd decided that they'd watch television for a while and then they'd get a good night's sleep. In his mind, he was taking care of her. His girl.

That he thought of her as his girl melted her heart. Marley did what damage she could do to the massive amount of food he'd given her, wrapped up the rest, and went to brush her teeth. Bucky believed she was getting ready for bed and that was just what she wanted him to think.

Bucky was relaxed on the couch when she came back out, taking his plate from the coffee table, taking it to the kitchen and he muttered his thanks.

He truly seemed involved with the segment on the European theatre of the war and really wasn't paying her any attention until she came to stand before him, slowly dropping her robe to reveal she wore nothing beneath it and sank to her knees before him.

Marley placed her hands on his knees and eased them apart, so she could move in closer. She'd managed to surprise him, grinning because she really didn't think it was something she could pull off.

"Breathe Bucky," she told him.

"Marley," he was about to say she needed to rest again even though the interest in his eyes and the images filling his mind told her the opposite, "what are -?"

She yanked down the top of his sweats, gently pulling him out all hard and ready for her.

Get some rest, huh?

Teasing his swollen head and slit with her lips and tongue, Marley had to keep from laughing when he hissed, his heavy thighs tensing on either side of her.

Blowjobs had never been something Marley had particularly enjoyed – up to this point. Grant had forced her to do it many times. She'd learned to become very good at it to finish him quickly, to hopefully get a respite from his unwanted attention and it had often worked.

It was something she knew from Bucky's mind that he was very interested in too. But for him, she would make it good. He'd done so much for her and that same experience she'd gained could also be used to pull him apart in the best way, she decided, slowly. She planned to learn everything that drove him wild and leave him breathless.

"Marley," her name turned into a harsh whisper and his hands slid into her hair, his finger pads caressing her scalp in a way that had goosebumps running down her body.

He was significantly bigger than Grant had been, but she made it work. Marley ran her tongue and lips all around the swollen head, ran her tongue along the sensitive underside up and back again. She discovered he really, really liked her mouth on his sac and that he wasn't delicate about it. She teased him mercilessly, not even minding that he was tugging a bit hard on her hair, and her heart soared with the chorus of gasps and swears she pulled from his lips.

"Oh, my god…" Bucky's hands and thighs closed around her hard when she swallowed him down, managing to relax and take a good portion of him down her throat. What she didn't manage to down, she worked with talented fingers, playing with his balls and applying the right amount of pressure.

"Doll… Marley… I'm not going to last much longer… so if you don't want to…"

Swallow? Good idea.

It had been her failsafe with Grant, a way to end it fast so she could tend her wounds or go cry. Oh, Bucky would like that, she decided. But she slowed down, made him wait. She went through her entire circuit of tricks and maneuvers again, learning a couple of things he liked she hadn't noticed before. When she slid him down her throat again, tears filling her eyes as she tried to hold her breath as long as she could, she gently pulled back and pulled in a breath.

When she pulled him back down and began to swallow around him, Bucky shouted his release, long and loud. His flesh hand tightly gripped her hair and his thighs were locked around her torso as he fucked up into her mouth, whimpering and groaning.

Marley swallowed everything he gave her, watching as he sank back onto the couch looking blissed out and disoriented. She was proud she could do that to him, to devastate him completely with pleasure.

"Bucky?" Steve tapped on the door to his apartment. "Everything okay?"

Marley snatched up her robe, buried her face in it to keep him from hearing her laughter.

"Y-Yeah," Bucky called, barely able to breathe. "M'fine. Sorry."

He yanked the robe away from her as she continued to laugh.

"That ain't going to work," he told her, grinning. "His hearing is even better than mine, doll."

Sitting back and running his hands through his hair, he shook his head as he stared at her. "Where did that come from?"

"It's what you wanted," she told him with a wink. When she went to pull on her robe, he pulled it away from her.

"Nuh-uh." Faster than she could think, he'd hauled her up from the floor and over his good shoulder. He gave her ass a solid smack as he carried her to his bed. "We ain't finished yet, doll. I'm ready for round 2."

When she bounced off the mattress of his bed, all freshly made with nice clean bedding, she giggled.

"I'm actually thinking about going to bed," Marley teased him, trying to get away as he crawled on the bed to stalk her. "I need to rest."

She'd almost made it off the side of the bed, when he caught her ankle and dragged her back to him, pushing her onto her back and pinning her to the bed. Marley loved this more playful side of him.

"You probably should rest," he said panting. "But I want you so much right now."

"Take me," she challenged him. "I'm not afraid of you and I'm not going to break."

When he lowered his head to claim her mouth for a kiss, Marley knew she had won.