The road was a clear one-way. The target was at the front and there were 3 more tailing it. In a few swift movements, Bucky revved up his motorbike and took the three tailgates out and swerved his bike to a stop. He took aim on the target, readying himself to fire when he spotted something in the distance — a tall blonde figure standing in the middle of the road, all the way across.

Chloe stood tall and confident on the road, watching the car racing towards her.

So many thoughts ran through Bucky's head in those seconds and they all brought him to the verge of a good spiral. The ex-Winter Soldier…spiraling.

And yet Chloe remained like a statue on the road, waiting.

Eventually, the car was forced to swerve violently off the road. A bright blue wall appeared out of thin air and the car crashed straight into it.

The blue glow in Chloe's eyes faded seconds after the blue wall came down. In a few more minutes, the sound of Bucky's bike drew closer.

"Chloe!" His voice was filled with anger. He got off his bike carelessly and stalked over to her. "The hell are you doing here!?"

Chloe wasn't phased by his anger and merely looked to the side. Their targets were climbing out of the broken, crashed car. "Speeding things up, what else?"

Bucky grabbed her arm and turned her attention back to him. "Get out of here!"

"I'm gonna need you to stop," Chloe said calmly, her fingers digging into his flesh hand gripping her arm. "We got what we needed."

Bucky knew she was right. The targets were secured and he would easily transport them back to Valentina, but that was not the point and Chloe knew it.

"She told me the mission and I wanted to help," Chloe said like she had read his thoughts. "The quicker we do, the less you have to see her face, right?"

Her smile, while beautiful as always, didn't help the situation. Bucky still hated that she was there. Unfortunately for him, Chloe was very apt at upholding his hard stares. They no longer phased her.

"I'm bringing them back. You get out of here," he said with a finality in his voice.

"Seriously?" Chloe sighed, annoyed, and watched him head off towards the crashed car. This man and his ideas…

"Go home, Chloe!"

~0~

It would be days later when Chloe heard about Bucky again. She expected him to pop by her place for a better explanation about his poor attitude at work but according to Valentina, he was going to be very busy for a while.

Chloe waited an appropriate time before deciding enough was enough. She tolerated Bucky's choices but not when he crossed lines and this was one of those moments.

She knocked on his door one evening, letting him know that she was not going to leave until he let her in and they talked. Just like she knew him, he knew her and he knew that she was not kidding.

And so Bucky opened the door and there she stood, confident and yet clearly annoyed with him. The fact he was still sporting fresh cuts and bruises did nothing to calm her down.

"Guess that means you finally finished the mission?" she said on her way inside.

Bucky closed the door behind her and walked in behind her. "I was going to…call…"

Chloe turned around, shooting him an 'are you sure about that?' kind of look. "Acting like we've never done this before is not going to get you out of trouble, James." She turned away and walked into the hallway, disappearing.

Bucky sighed to himself and rubbed his forehead. He was in deep trouble, that much was obvious, but he had really hoped he would get at least another morning to come up with better words for her.

Chloe returned a few minutes later with a first aid kit that she herself had left under his bathroom sink. Despite not living together, her touches were still very prominent in the apartment. She had no idea how special they were to Bucky.

"Sit down, sergeant," she ordered casually and pointed him to the couch while she opened the kit.

"You know it's not necessary, Chlo," Bucky said, and yet he was still walking over to the couch anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, 'I heal super fast'," Chloe playfully rolled her eyes, "No need to rub it in."

Bucky half smiled at her. She sat down with him and looked him over. He had several little cuts along his cheeks and prominent bruises on his flesh arm.

"Dare I ask what the hell was Valentina's mission this time?" she said, inspecting the cuts on his cheek. Most of them were superficial (either that or they were already healing).

"A hell of a mess," Bucky said, leaving it at that.

"Bet it would have been less of a mess if you had let me help you," Chloe muttered and shot him a sharp look. He had the good sense to look guilty. She smirked. "You are so adorable when you look like that." Bucky rolled his eyes, but she could see the faint blush on his cheeks. She chuckled. "Come here you dunce."

She scooted closer to him; she already had everything set up with the kit. It wasn't the first time they did something like this. She turned his head to the side. "This might sting a little…"

Her warning was futile as the moment the cotton ball touched his skin, he hissed.

"Suck it up already." Chloe dabbed the pad around his cheek, ignoring every hiss that Bucky gave.

"I get the feeling that this is a form of revenge…" Bucky mumbled, side-eyeing her as best as he could in his position.

"Maybe…" shrugged Chloe, "But you'll never know."

Bucky's lips spread into a smile. Of course. "I am sorry, you know…"

"Mm, and just like the times before and like you'll be when you do the same thing again."

A slipped through Bucky's lips. "Chlo…"

"You do the same thing every time there's a mission for us," Chloe said, replacing the pad with a new one. She turned Bucky's head to the other side and started on his other cheek. "You boot me out of every mission we're put together in. You always find a way."

"That's not true…"

"Then try to sound convincing at least, because you sure as hell don't sound like it. I love you, but I also have my limits."

"I know…"

"You told me to go home…"

Bucky winced. Yeah, he totally had.

"Like I was some little kid." Chloe put the pad down on the table and looked at him expectantly. "Did I do something to make you think that I can't handle a joint mission with you? Contrary to what people think about me, I'm not an airhead. I'm smart, I know how to handle myself on a mission. I know what I'm doing."

"I know, I know," nodded Bucky.

"Then why do you act like I don't?" Chloe raised a brow at him, expecting to hear a perfect answer from him that would explain his attitude every single mission they were paired together. "I don't get it. I thought we were the perfect pair."

"We are, I — it's not you, Chloe, it's me," Bucky said, leaving Chloe to laugh bitterly.

"Because that's what every girl wants to hear!"

"Chloe—"

"No, I-I don't understand you!" Chloe got up from the couch. "We're a team in every sense! We're dating, we're ex-Avengers, we're in sync about everything and yet the moment we hit a mission — boom! — you push me out!"

"You're exaggerating…" Bucky said weakly and he instantly regretted it.

"I am not!" she snapped. "Every single time we get assigned a mission, you either take off before me — like this last time — or you purposely give me something to do that inevitably forces me to stay behind! I can list every single mission but I can see you're exhausted and truthfully I don't want to waste my breath! All I want is for you to give me a reason!"

"You want a reason?" Bucky rose from the couch and seized her left arm.

"What are you doing!?" Chloe exclaimed as he pulled her sleeve up.

"These are a week old!" Bucky pointed at the litter of bruises on her arm.

"Yeah, and?" Chloe ripped her arm out of his grip. "I kicked his ass for it!"

"They're still here, Chloe, that's the point I'm trying to make! Every time you get a bruise or a cut or any other kind of injury, it stays there! It doesn't go away like mine do!"

"Yeah, because I don't have enhanced healing—"

"That's the point!" Bucky shouted irritably and silenced Chloe. "You don't heal fast which means if you get drastically hurt, you might not make it out and I'll be damned if I let that happen!"

Silence stretched between the two afterwards. Bucky seemed regretful about his outburst, not wanting to have placed that kind of burden on Chloe and much less senseless guilt. He loved her to bits and pieces and it killed him every time she got hurt. In their line of work, it was inevitable but he could make it so that it wouldn't happen. Yeah, he would find any excuse to get her out of a mission if he could.

"You are so stupid, Bucky," Chloe said with a heavy sigh, "But you're my stupid boyfriend…"

"What…?" Bucky expected a heated argument after his confession, not Chloe draping her arms over his shoulders and bringing them closer together.

"You have got to lighten up. I appreciate your gestures and your intentions but like I have been saying over and over, I can handle myself."

"I know, but I just want to make sure that you're okay all the time…" Bucky said, pressing his forehead against hers. "Every bruise and cut on your body is a moment where I didn't protect you."

"You're reaching," Chloe said with a light scoff. "We work in a very difficult environment. I'm in it as much as you are. You cannot blame yourself every time I fall and" — she pressed a finger against his lips as he went to interrupt her — "I'll remind you that for every time I've fallen, I have gotten back up."

Bucky nodded silently. She was right. She was very strong and not at all cowardly. She'd insert herself into any fight if she was needed, with or without powers. "I'm sorry, Chlo…"

"I know you are," Chloe whispered, "And the best way to make it up to me is by letting this go. By letting us work together, side by side, like the great team that we are."

"Do I really have to?" Bucky scrunched his nose. "Is there any chance I can interest you in a normal 9 to 5 job?" Chloe deadpanned him long and hard. "Right…" He cleared his throat. "Just had to try one more time."

Chloe rolled her eyes playfully. "You are such an idiot…and I am so in love with that same idiot…" She set her sights back on him and ultimately smiled. "I don't mind you taking care of me every once in a while but I want us to be 50/50 out on the field. Please?"

Bucky nodded at her. When she looked at him like that, with her big blue eyes, he couldn't say no to her. "Dammit…" he muttered.

Chloe laughed and gave him a big kiss on the lips. "Idiot!"

"Yeah, yeah," Bucky sighed.

Chloe pulled her sleeve back up and suddenly smirked. "I mean, if you're that concerned about my injuries, you can always kiss them away, you know?"

"Oh, really?" Bucky raised an eyebrow at her, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, medically speaking, that works like 90% of the time."

"You are not a doctor, Chloe."

"I'm giving you a full pass to make out with me right now after you pissed me off and you're worried about logistics?"

"Good point." Bucky grabbed the sides of her face and dove for a kiss. He could hear her muffled giggles, feeling it against his lips as well. It definitely healed his injuries quicker as well...

A/N:

As always, I have AO3/Wattpad accounts under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow!