Bucky was silent. Stunned. You were standing right in front of him.

"My instructions were very clear, I did say -" Tony was interrupted by Bucky suddenly rushing up to you, his hands going to your face, his eyes looking over you, desperately trying to pinpoint any type of wound, mark, or cut.

"I'm fine." You muttered, trying to pull his hands away. "Bucky I'm FINE!"

He dropped his hands, frowning at you.

"Fine?" He said, his voice cracking slightly. "Fine?! What I saw was not fine!"

"Well I'm fine now!" You yelled back, making his mouth snap shut.

"I thought you were dead."

"I'm clearly not."

"You couldn't even tell me you were alive?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I fucking care!" Bucky shouted.

You filed away your shock at his statement quickly enough to quip back. "Well, protecting your feelings isn't exactly high on my priority list right now." You turned to Tony. "I still don't understand why he's here?"

"He deserves to know." Was all Tony said. But his eyes were flitting between you and Bucky, like he was trying to work something out.

"So being deep undercover from Hydra doesn't include the person that we know used to work for them?" You scoffed, folding your arms across your chest. "Makes total sense."

"I didn't say anything." Bucky spat, but you ignored him.

"I told you earlier he didn't need to be here." You walked over to the corner of the room, where there was a blue sofa, and sat down, crossing one leg over the other, your arms still across your chest. Tony looked at Bucky and gestured to the armchair next to you. Bucky slowly walked over to it. Then Tony sat on the opposite armchair.

The three of you were sitting in a triangle, neither you or Bucky looking anyone in the eyes, and Tony trying to catch the gaze of both of you.

"He's staying as your bodyguard." Tony finally said, breaking the silence.

"Is he fuck?!" You blurted out.

"It's not a negotiation." He responded, and you tried to stare him down, but he wouldn't budge. "He didn't leak anything."

"How do you know?"

"Because I wouldn't do that." Bucky said, playing with his fingers. "And I wouldn't even know who to leak it to anymore."

You scoffed, flicking your hair out of your face.

"If it's not him, then it's someone else in your little Team, Tony. No one else knows I'm here. No one else asked to stay behind while you went to Peru. No one else knows my real name." Tony snapped his eyes to Bucky. He'd tackle that situation later.

"Actually," Tony slapped his knees before standing up, walking around the back of the armchair and leaning his hands on it. "I seem to remember you attending a party not too long ago, talking to anyone you fancied, isn't that right?"

You shrank down in your seat.

"You also kept going to the canteen for coffees, out of the compound to see Thor, out on a date-"

"How did you-"

"Please don't think I'm that stupid." Tony sighed, shaking his head at you. "I told you, staying in the lab kept you safe. You pushed that rule. Now, you're not safe. So Barnes is staying as your bodyguard. Permanently."

"No."

You and Stark whipped your heads round to the soldier, both of you stunned that he was refusing.

"I'm sorry?" Stark asked. Bucky looked up at him.

"No. I'm not looking after someone when I don't know the reason." Bucky explained.

"You will, because that is what I've ordered you to do." Tony spat back. Bucky stood.

"I don't blindly take orders anymore. You want me to do it? You tell me the truth." Bucky's voice was even, but it was far from calm. "I'm not putting myself in danger for someone who hasn't told me the whole story."

His eyes flicked to you, and you looked away, finding a very interesting spot on the wall to focus on. You heard Tony sigh.

"Kid."

You breathed in.

"Luka!"

"What, Tony? You think I'm gonna spill my life story to Robocop? As if."

"Well you're not leaving until he agrees, so if you're not gonna talk, get comfy." Tony stood up straight, buttoned up his waistcoat, then gave a knowing look to Bucky, before heading to the door, and leaving.

The slam of the door echoed through the walls. The mechanical clicks that followed told you that you were locked in. Again. Just like your whole life.

It was deadly silent for a few minutes. You couldn't even hear either of you breathing. You could just feel the thump of your heart hitting painfully in your chest.

The sound of a sharp inhale caught your attention. You looked at Bucky to see him rubbing his hands over his face.

"I've been going crazy." You heard him mutter before his hands dropped, and he turned to you. "Fucking crazy. I had no idea where you were, no idea if you were okay, no fucking idea what happened. And now," He laughed, but there was no warmth behind it. "Now, you're being an even bigger brat than when I first met you."

"Shut up."

"Or what? You're not going anywhere. Neither am I. I'm not in the fucking mood for our little game," Your breath hitched in your throat, and you looked away again. "So I'm just going to wait."

You saw his figure sit back down in the armchair in your peripherals. You refused to look at him directly.

After another few minutes of neither of you speaking, the uncomfortableness was eating away at you. You suddenly stood, shaking the excess energy out of your hands and walking the length of the room. Then you walked back.

It was kind of helping.

Bucky watched you pace across the room 5 times before he needed to stop you. He stormed up to you, grabbing your arm just above your elbow, and pushed you back into the wall. You stared up at him.

"What, gonna kiss me Barnes?" You teased, sarcasm dripping from your words.

"I told you, I'm in no fucking mood. Now, tell me the truth, Luka."

You swallowed hard. You could tell from the way his voice carried your name that he wasn't messing around - he was fucking pissed.

"What do you want to know?" You finally whispered. He dropped hold of your arm. He debated your question.

"You have powers."

You stared at him. Then raised an eyebrow. "That's not a question." You said bluntly. His eyes narrowed.

"How do you have powers?" He rephrased.

"I fell into a river and got electrocuted by mutant eels."

"You're lying."

"No shit. I just have them. Next question."

He rubbed his hand over his mouth and shifted on his feet a little.

"Why are they after you?" He asked.

"Because they're Hydra." You rolled your eyes. "Anything with an ounce of mutant, they'd kill for. I assume so they can be all powerful, but you'd be better placed to guess."

"Don't fucking push me.."

"I don't know what you want!" You shouted, pushing past him and storming into the room. "I have powers, the bad guys want me, I have to stay secret, they found out. You know as much as I do right now!"

"Oh really, I do? I know all the other times they tried to kidnap you? Why they want you and not Banner, or Steve? I know how you got your powers, how you came to know Stark, how long you've been in the compound with none of us knowing?!" He shouted back. You stared at him in silence. "One thing I do know is that you're arrogant and selfish."

"Oh, talk dirty to me Barnes." You said, rolling your eyes.

"This is not a game." He snarled as he stepped closer to you. "They're after you. I know them, they won't stop. Which means that if I'm stuck by your side the whole time, then I'm in danger as well. And all you care about is protecting whatever secrets you have instead of trusting a single person."

"Yeah well I never asked you to look after me the whole time!"

"But I will, cos I'm a fucking idiot that to look after you, to keep you safe!"

"Well I don't want you to." You went to walk to the door, when he grabbed your arm (again), and pulled you back.

"Don't you get it?" He asked, his voice softer, his eyes looking between yours.

"Get what?" You said, trying to wriggle your elbow out of his hand. His grip was strong. He exhaled.

Then he was kissing you.