Bucky raises his hands in defeat, releases an exasperated sigh as he slumps back on the driver seat, shaking the car a bit. Good thing the Feds are still having a field day below that they didn't notice it. Bucky is starting to get angry at himself for being a fool, thinking that things are starting to look up for him. But no. His first mission as Bucky Barnes is a bust, thanks to the woman he trusted to be on his side.
"For the record, there's only one detail I kept from you," Natasha says.
"Oh, just one. How nice," Bucky says with sarcasm.
"David Moss is an undercover agent for the FBI," Natasha blurts out.
"Oh, now you're willing to share. A little late, don't you think?"
Natasha rolls her eyes and gives up explaining because he is obviously too mad to actually listen.
Bucky watches from his seat as Natasha tries to control her own temper now, her eyes ahead watching the mess below. Good thing Bucky realizes that he is badly handling the crisis right now. Yes, he still believes he is the wronged party, but he admits that he reacted poorly, especially when Natasha made an effort to explain. So he becomes civil and breaks the silence.
"Is he a cop? And what did Fury mean when he said Moss would be taken care of?"
"No, he's a real lawyer. The Feds turned him and I don't think Fury knows he's undercover," Natasha replies coldly, eyes still ahead. "That's why I jumped into his case so I can keep an eye on him too. I don't know what Fury meant by what he said and I don't usually ask when he says that because he would have told us if he wanted us to know."
"So the Feds double-crossed Fury?"
"I wouldn't say it like that. Neither Fury nor the FBI share action plans with each other anyway. So there is a huge probability that the Feds don't even know we're here. Moss must have given them enough push to go with it. Moss is good, I'll give him that."
"How come?"
"Fury would have foreseen this if he had even the slightest whiff of who Moss really is. But he didn't, which means Moss has outwit and outdone the guy."
"So how come you know who he is?"
"I had an informant years ago, who, before we shipped overseas with a new identity, entrusted me with a list of names he thinks I need to keep an eye on. I cross-referenced each and found David Moss. And before you ask, no, Fury doesn't know about the list."
"Why didn't you tell you him or at least talked about Moss before we left?" Bucky says. Natasha turns to him and sees that he may sound and look civil, he is still angry inside.
"He is undercover, James. The fewer who knows about him, the more chances he has of surviving out there. I was hoping he'd walk away safely tonight and then make plans with Fury, like arranging something for him in southeast Asia where he can sit by the beach and drink coco water all day. I guess that plan is busted too."
"Maybe he'd still want that."
"No. It's too late now. The Feds most definitely offered him something already in exchange for - this," Natasha says and points at the mass arrest going on in front of them.
Bucky finally sits up and looks down at the clearing. He can't believe his first assignment is a bust and he is sitting in a piece of junk. He glances at Natasha and sees she is wringing her fingers with a defeated look on her face. She is angry too - at herself.
"I'm not mad, Natalia."
"I know, but you're disappointed and that's worse."
"For the record, I'm not disappointed because my first assignment's a total disaster, I'm disappointed that you still can't seem to trust me."
Natasha doesn't respond anymore, there is nothing left for her to say after what he said. She just nods her head in understanding and swallows the lump in her throat.
Bucky feels like she's controlling every urge not to cry and he hopes she succeeds because it would hurt to see her in that state knowing that he is the one responsible. They spend the next minutes in silence, watching more vehicles with flashing lights start to park outside the yard. The Feds lead the suspects outside and load them in security trucks.
"There's nothing left here for us to do. Let's go," Natasha finally speaks after a while. Bucky agrees and they cautiously crawl out of the car and down their pile. They walk back to their bike but instead of turning on the engine, Bucky just pushes it first so as not to draw attention to themselves. He pushes it as Natasha gingerly follows behind until they exit the yard from the side opposite of the clearing. Bucky hops in followed by Natasha and the bike roars into life. They speed off on the highway but Bucky notices that Natasha doesn't hold onto him for support.
It is already one o'clock in the morning when they landed back in the Facility and they go straight for a debriefing with Fury and Hill. Needless to say, no one is happy. But Fury surprises everyone when he doesn't make a big deal out of it, saying that it is still a win in his book. He'll definitely have a word with the Feds but all is good. Thank god, Bucky thinks to himself.
When the debriefing ended and they've filled out the necessary paperwork, all what Bucky wants to do now is sleep in his bed, back at the 'Rogers Ranch'. But he isn't sure how to get home since he can't order a jet and give Steve's location and he doesn't have a car. So he is secretly grateful when Natasha decides to forego immediate rest and drive them back home.
"Let's get out of this uniform and head out in twenty minutes," Natasha tells him, but in a cold tone that sent shivers down his spine. It's not scary, it's not angry, it's just - plain and expressionless. He opens his mouth to say thank you but closes it again because they're still not technically in speaking terms. Well, he's not in speaking terms with her. Good thing Natasha didn't seem to expect any reaction from him.
Obviously, the drive back home is difficult. The silence in the car and the silence of the outside world is driving Bucky crazy. Natasha hasn't spoken to him nor glanced at his direction since they've left the Facility, so once in a while he glances at her to check on her. She's tired, sleepy and she's going a little over the speed limit, which Bucky can tell is the manifestation of her emotional state. She doesn't look she's upset but she's transferring her distress to her Corvette.
It's already five o'clock in the morning when the Corvette swings into Steve's driveway. Bucky is happy to see that the lights are on. She must have told him that we're on our way home, Bucky concludes. They're grabbing their bags from the back seat when the front door opens and out come Steve in his running clothes. He has a huge smile on his face that made Bucky forget the crappy night he had. Steve gives him a big hug and then a proud tap on his shoulder. He returns the warm gesture with a smile. From Bucky, Steve goes to Natasha and pulls her into a tight hug, Natasha almost disappearing from underneath his shoulders and arms. Natasha drops her bag and hugs him back tightly.
"Hey," Steve whispers in her hears while her face is still buried in his neck. After a few moments, Steve withdraws from the hug and picks up her bag. "I have a surprise for you."
"Steve," Natasha tries to protest, her voice exhausted and hoarse. "I'm really tired and -,"
"I know. That's why this surprise is perfect," Steve says with an excited smile.
Bucky envies Steve at that moment, seeing how good he is with Natasha. He looks at her who's trying to keep her eyes open to keep up with Steve's enthusiasm. Steve jogs back to the house followed by Natasha and Bucky. When they step inside the house, a wave of calm envelopes Bucky. It sure feels good to be home, he happily tells himself.
"Come on."
Bucky sees Steve heading for the stairs, motioning Natasha to follow. They reach the second floor and Steve goes to the first door from the stairs, the master suite. With an excited face, he opens the door and nods to Natasha to come and look inside. Natasha stops by the doorway and lets out a very audible gasp. Steve doesn't say anything but keeps his smile on as Natasha slowly steps inside the room. Bucky moves to the doorway to look and he too gasps a little.
The master suite's new floorboards are already in place, a single bed, a side table and lamp lean against the center wall with a window, to the right wall is a dresser and to the left beside the bathroom door is a vanity table. The furniture are second hand but still look good. Natasha walks to the dresser, to the vanity table then finally sits on the bed.
"It's not really finished yet. I'm scheduled to install the curtains and a ceiling lamp today. If you had come home in a few days, it would look so much better. But the bathroom's done, plumbing and all," Steve explains.
Natasha notices a photo frame on the bedside table and realizes it's a charcoal portrait of her, her curly hair just below her jawline. She turns to Steve with a pleased smile. "I can't remember how long it has been since my hair looked like this."
"I think more than five years ago."
"Of all the haircuts that you've seen me in, this is what stuck to you? Really?" Natasha asks with a smile.
"We were on a flying a city and I led you guys in a battle with no exit plans. And then you stood there, at the edge with me, and didn't blame me for anything. You just smiled at me, looked at the clouds and enjoyed the view."
Natasha's smile broaden at the memory and her eyes start to water. She stands up and walks to Steve for another hug. "Thank you," Natasha whispers and sniffs simultaneously against his chest.
Even though Bucky is still crushed by the events of last night, he is still thankful that Natasha is back home with them. She could have gone to Clint's, but no, she's here. But he is not going to pretend that everything is alright either, even now that Steve is around. He knows deep in his heart he cannot stay mad at her forever, but he is going to need time to process things. He is too disappointed both at Natasha and himself to deal with the rift now. So he puts on a brave face.
"Nice work, Steve," Bucky finally says and gives Steve a congratulatory pat on the back. Steve and Natasha break away from their hug.
"How about, I'll just go for a quick run while you guys freshen up then we can have breakfast?"
Bucky is ready to answer but Natasha beats him to it. "Thanks, Steve. This is really great, but it was a long night. I think I'd like a sleep first," Natasha apologetically tells Steve, her eyes still glazed with tears.
"Of course, sorry. Yeah. Welcome home," Steve says, realizing his over enthusiasm. He is about to pull the door close when Natasha stops him.
"Can we have chicken turkey sandwich for lunch, though?" Natasha asks Steve sweetly to make sure she didn't disappoint him, not after everything he has done for her. She already has one soldier disappointed in her, she can't afford to have one more of those.
Natasha breathes easily when Steve smiles and says, "That's a good idea. I'll take care of it."
Bucky watches as Steve closes her door. A part of him wanted to say something like 'sleep well' or 'see you later' and he almost had if he didn't feel a sudden ache in his chest when he saw Natasha's face before the door closed - she looked devastated. She has kept a poker face since they left Nevada and throughout their drive home, that Bucky has failed to gauge her true emotional state. He can see the devastation on her face which means that her cold and steely facade is shattered and gone. Bucky feels his pain has doubled now because he's angry at himself too.
"I assume you'd want to rest first, too?"
Bucky snaps out of his thoughts hearing Steve's voice. He immediately gives him a smile and nods. "Yeah, man. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not and don't worry, I have a surprise for you too."
"Really?" Bucky asks in excitement.
"Yeah," Steve beams at him and pulls Bucky into a hug. "Welcome home, Buck."
Bucky waits as Steve disappears down the stairs before going inside his room adjacent to Natasha's. He throws his bag on the floor, removes his shirt and boots, and plops himself down on the bed, the springs making different sounds underneath him like out of tune piano keys. He tries to check if he can hear Natasha from the other side but he unconsciously drifts off to sleep, with his own sad heart beating the last thing he hears.
When Bucky opens his eyes again, the first thing he sees is blinding light. His window is open and the midday light is already pouring in. He groans as he adjusts to his surroundings. His alarm clock says eleven forty-five. He is surprised to have slept for at least five hours considering everything. He is so exhausted even though the only physically tiring thing they did was travel and he didn't even drive! But he knows exactly that his exhaustion is caused by something else and he is not sure how he is going to explain it if Steve notices it. I'll cross that bridge when I get there, Bucky tells himself.
Bucky stretches his entire body and jumps in the shower. After that, he brushes his teeth and looks at himself in the mirror. He notices his stubble and remembers how it felt when Natasha grazed her fingers on his chin. He liked every bit of sensation that shot throughout his body that night and he admits, he wishes to feel that again.
Bucky takes a deep breath and heavily sighs. "That's not going to happen anytime soon, jerk," he tells himself with a frown on his face. He dresses up and heads out of his room. He stops by Natasha's door, presses his ear on it and hears the shower running. He sighs again and goes for the stairs. He finds Steve preparing the table.
"I hope chicken turkey sandwich is okay with you. I forgot to ask you what you want -,"
"Of course. It's nothing like the hot dogs in Coney Island, but hey, you still make a mean chicken turkey sandwich!" Bucky exclaims with a reassuring smile.
"Good. I was worried there for a bit. Anyway, come, let me show you your surprise."
Bucky follows Steve to the backdoor, through the backyard and finally to the garage which is detached from the house. It used to be a barn but is now a gym and where Steve's SUV and bike are stashed away. Steve opens its roll up doors and reveals an old Harley Davidson bike that looks like it has just been saved from the junk yard. It suddenly reminded Bucky of the pile of motorcycles in the Nevada wreck yard, his crappy night, and Natasha crying.
"It's vintage. 1950s-ish. The engine still works but needs a little tuning up. I know it's banged up and I thought you might want to put your back into it and have your own!" Steve explains, a huge proud smile on his face.
Bucky pulls Steve into a hug. "Thanks, man."
"Besides, I thought it's about time you have a hobby," Steve says with a chuckle.
"You're probably right," Bucky responds with his own laughter.
They hear the back door squeak open and see Natasha emerge from it. She's in a pair of sweatpants and plain t-shirt. She's barefoot but still walks out into the porch with a faint smile on her face. Bucky remembers her face last night and so his heart flutters a bit to see her smiling again. She has dark circles underneath her eyes but she's still beautiful.
"So you finally told Barton where you are," she says.
Steve looks at her not sure how she knew that, since Clint promised he won't tell her that he's been at the Rogers' Ranch. Natasha sees the question on Steve's face.
"Little rusty there didn't drive himself all the way here. It has been sitting in Clint's garage for seven years."
Steve raises his arms in surrender and laughs. "Alright. You caught me. I saw it there years ago and I asked if he'd be open to selling to it. He said he wouldn't think of selling it except to me. So he came up here two days ago with little rusty here and even helped in your room."
Natasha's smile widen a bit more as Steve continues. "It looked so sad just hiding out in his barn so here it is!"
Bucky lays a hand on Steve's shoulders and says, "Thanks, man, really. This is great!"
"You're welcome," Steve replies as they head back to the house. "Let's have lunch!"
When Bucky reaches the porch, he steals a glance at Natasha hoping to see up close the smile she had on moments ago but his heart sinks to see that Natasha has put on her poker face as soon as he reached the porch stairs. He sighs, feeling a bit idiotic about it and follows Steve inside the house.
Bucky is the first to sit by the table as Natasha and Steve finish setting the table. He and Natasha haven't said anything to each other yet and he is sure Steve will notice it soon and then the questions will begin. He knows that's going to happen but he wants it to be later than sooner. He hasn't sorted his thoughts and emotions yet. He watches Natasha laughs with Steve like she normally does and he realizes he misses to be at the receiving end of that.
"Alright!" Steve says as he sets down condiments beside Bucky's plate and sits at the end of the table. Natasha sits opposite Bucky, setting a bottle of pickles on her way down. Bucky suddenly realizes that he is indeed hungry, as a matter of fact, he is starved. He can't believe that the last meal he had was in the quinjet on their way to Nevada which was at least twelve hours ago. He splatters his sandwich with cheese sauce. He doesn't know what people put on their chicken turkey sandwiches but Bucky Barnes puts cheese sauce on all of sandwiches. He takes a huge bite.
"Come on, Buck. Take it easy," Steve says and chuckles at Bucky's bulging cheeks.
Natasha however takes a normal bite of her sandwich, puts it back down on her plate and stares at the window overlooking the driveway as she chews.
"How is it?" Steve asks.
"Huh?" Natasha turns to Steve and continues with a rushed smile, "oh, it's amazing. Thanks." She then takes another bite and stares back at the window.
Steve turns to Bucky and sees him focused on his sandwich, a little too focused that he keeps his eyes on nothing else but it. Then Steve takes another look at Natasha and realizes she has been avoiding eye contact with anyone since this morning. Steve's smile disappears. He drops his sandwich on his plate, props his elbows and forearms on the table and asks, "So, that's the deal, huh? I have to always ask first before you two start talking to me."
Bucky looks up at Natasha but Natasha keeps her eyes on her plate.
"So, what happened?"
