Notes: Haiiiiiii my dudes! Hope you're all doing well, and Happy November! (even though I'm 12 days late wow this is embarrassing). So, there's some good news, and that's that my exams are going to be OFFICIALLY OVER this week! :'))))) Prettttttty much, this means that I can start writing a whole lot more and hopefully update every week (orrrr DEFINITELY every second week). You guys have been so patient with me, even when I went on random dry spells without any explanation, so thank you sosoososos much for that, m'loves :'))))
ANDD ALSO, I completely forgot about the fact that it was the 1 year anniversary for this story until the absolutely wonderful LaVieBoheme87 reminded me, so thank you SO MUCH darlin! xxxxxxxx I seriously can't believe that you guys have been so awesome and stuck around this long, but it makes me unbelievably happy, so thank you :'))) Here's to another year .
SO without further ado, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Have a wondrous week, and I'll catch y'all on the flippity flip :')))) Much love,
- M
Chapter 26
It occurred to Bucky at around 3:36 am that he would, for the first time in almost 70 years, be sleeping with a woman.
'Sleeping', of course, took on a very literal sense in his mind. His last time with Mia had been a too-brief encounter that had ended with him leaving before a full two hours had elapsed. But on this particular night, he'd gotten to experience an entirely different facet of life, one in which people enjoy one another's company without worry of time or duty. They'd talked well into the early hours of the morning, and would probably have continued to do so if Bucky hadn't noticed Mia's eyes drooping shut every few minutes. Reluctantly as ever, he'd encouraged her to fall asleep.
So, here they were; Mia's head resting snugly atop Bucky's chest, her breathing even and undisturbed. Strange as it may have seemed, Bucky took those moments to simply look at her in that state, wholly content and without worry of the world that surrounded her. The longer he beheld the sight she showcased, the stronger he felt the pull of sleep call to him. And while he desperately wanted to give in, there was a problem.
In his months since escaping from HYDRA, he'd displayed a great deal of progression with his ability to fall asleep without awaking in a fit of rage or a nervous fluster. At the start, he couldn't last more than half an hour without the slightest sound jarring his senses to attention. But thankfully, as time went on, he'd grown more and more able to last a few hours of unbothered slumber. And whilst it'd been more than two months since his last unfortunate episode, it didn't detract from the fact that it was still very, very possible.
So, in his foolishness, he'd decided to resist the call to sleep for as long as he could. But given the rigorous operation he'd spent the last 3 days dedicated to, as well as the tiresome evening he'd spent with his girl, his body yearned for a taste of true rest. And when 45 minutes went by of doing all that he could to stay awake with a warm body snuggled to his, the sweetness of respite was too alluring to resist.
His only hope was that he didn't wake to regret it.
X
Later that day
11:29 am
When Bucky awoke, the first question that crossed his sleep-rattled mind was why on Earth there was a bright pink pillow under his arm. As his eyes wafted tiredly to the room he was in, it took him a long second to settle his confusion, and rather, replace it with the knowledge that he wasn't sleeping in his own apartment.
This was Mia's house.
He ran a heavy hand over his eyes before turning to see if she was at his side, only to find the rest of the bed empty. His brows furrowed as he leaned up on his elbows, peering into the walk-in wardrobe to see if she was hidden in there, but to no avail. It was as he swung his legs over the bed and groggily got up that he heard the unmistakable humming of a woman floating through from the kitchen, a sound that brought a small smile to his lips at once.
Mia had gotten up half an hour before, and had been so utterly floored by the fact that Bucky had slept at all that she'd decided to leave him be for a while. She wasn't naïve, and after studying little else for the last 4 years, she knew the difficulties that on-duty and ex-militants were known to have with regards to sleep. For him to feel comfortable enough to have some shut-eye, even for a short while, was something she didn't dare take for granted.
Mia's mission had been to uphold the tone of domesticity they'd been enjoying as best she could. After cleaning herself up, she'd managed to find the matching black tank that went with her silk shorts, and changed into it to seem just that little bit more put-together. Her hair had returned to its naturally wavy state, and that only added to the homely vibe she was going for. At the present moment, she'd taken to the kitchen to have the fella' knocked out in her room awake to the scent of homemade manoush, Arabica coffee and, of course, Nutella sandwiches.
Humming along to a song that was playing softly in the background, Mia didn't realize Bucky had walked into the kitchen until she saw him smirking at the sight of her in the morning (well, afternoon) light. "Hey, hey, hey," she said cheerfully. "Look who decided to wake up."
Bucky smiled softly as he looked to the various dishes set out at the table. "Got a whiff of some of this and couldn't stay away."
He walked towards Mia, who was smiling giddily to herself when she said, "Well, I figured, y'know, it's the first time you've stayed the night, which more importantly, means that it's the first time I get to make you breakfast." She tilted her head cheekily as she said, "Didn't wanna disappoint the boss-man."
Bucky smiled his usual lop-sided grin and flitted his eyes unashamedly over her state of dress. "Don't think that could happen."
Mia smiled mutedly and ignored her cheeks as they flared to an unhealthy temperature. When she turned to look at him, she knew the thought that was on his mind, and the reason he continued to dawdle near the comfort of the doorframe. "There are some spare toothbrushes in the main bathroom and some towels in the linen cupboard if you wanna freshen up."
He nodded. "I'll be quick."
She smiled. "I'm counting on it."
And quick he was. Within 10 minutes, Mia had packed away the unused dough and prettied up three plates of divine manoush. Freshly toasted bread sat alongside a bottle of Nutella, with two cups ready for a taste of the only coffee she liked to drink.
"This smells incredible." Bucky came to sit next to her at the table and took a moment to oversee the sight before him; a mouth-watering meal sat temptingly in the midday sun.
And, y'know, the food didn't look too bad either.
"It's nothing," said Mia with a smile. "But you should probably prepare yourself for another life-changing moment in the form of 100% hazelnut-ty goodness spread on charred toast."
Bucky smirked as he saw the deceptively innocent bottle of Nutella. "I don't know, I think this one's gonna disappoint me."
Mia quirked a brow. "Are you doubting me?" She shook her head. "Are you doubting Michele Ferrero, the greatest Italian baker known to man?!"
He laughed at her outrage. "I'm not puttin' my money on it, that's for sure."
Mia scoffed, because clearly this deranged child had no idea the whirlwind of emotion he was about to feel the moment he got a taste of God's gift to mankind. "Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait."
Bucky furrowed his brows, not bothering to ask who Henry Higgins was and why his girlfriend never quite offered logical thoughts in moments of…well, just in general, really. Nevertheless, he watched as she lathered the chocolate spread onto a warm slice of toast. She licked what was left from her thumb and smiled giddily as she gave it to him, her eyes watching him intently as he appraised it.
"Okay. Are you ready?"
Bucky rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I think you're being—"
"Uh-uh-uh," she shushed. "No opinions until you've tried it, c'mon."
And so, with a sigh, Bucky Barnes brought the toast to his lips and took a bite…
…And he emerged, a changed man.
Mia leaned back in her chair as he stopped chewing, not needing him to say a word when his reaction was like that.
She would gloat regardless.
"Y'know, I hate saying 'I told you so', really, I'm not into it. But…" She rested her chin on her hand and said smugly, "You just…you make it so easy."
Bucky looked at her and didn't say a word. Instead, he took another bite and maintained his silence for the entirety of the sandwich, partly because he was enjoying it, but mostly because he knew nothing got a rise out of Mia like not acknowledging good food she introduced him to.
"Well?" she asked hastily. "You can't just eat it, I need an assessment."
Bucky grinned a little but didn't give in. "S'alright."
Mia squinted. "Alr…Alright?"
"Yeah, it's okay," he said, fighting back the urge to crack a smile at her outrage.
Mia's brows knotted. "…I can give you a minute to re-think your answer."
He shrugged. "Nah, I'm stickin' with it." When Mia was seemingly at a loss for words, he teased, "You got some shares in their company or something?"
Mia shook her head. "I don't underst—How are we supposed to be okay after this?"
Now it was getting tough for him to keep the gag going. Rather than having to look her in the eye, he took another piece of toast and began to spread a generous amount of Nutella on it, leaving her more confused than she had been before.
"Wha…"
He took a deliberate bite and wordlessly urged her to continue, but the heroine of our story had caught on by this point.
"You're takin' the mickey," she shook her head disapprovingly. "Disgraceful."
"I'm not," he said with a small laugh, effectively breaking his cover. "I'm not. It…it wasn't all that, Mia."
"That's it?" she asked. "That's your final verdict?"
Bucky nodded, because hard as it might've been, he couldn't give her the satisfaction of yet another new-world delicacy that he'd fallen for in an instant. Mia sat back and smiled knowingly, because there was no way in Hell he'd get out of this unchecked. One way or another, she'd get his admission, whether he liked it or not.
The two of them dove into the rest of the food she'd cooked up, laughing heartily as Mia told Bucky about khaala's reaction to her scathed neck, and he did the same. They drank Mia's hand-filtered coffee, and Bucky was sure he'd never downed a cup of anything so quickly before in his life. They sat in their seats for more than an hour and long after the food had vanished, talking about nothing and everything and basking in the normalcy of it all. By golly, mornings like these were hard to come by.
"It's probably Wilson," said Bucky as he checked his phone for an incoming call.
Mia sing-songed, "I think someone's missing you."
Bucky frowned. "Don't." Mia giggled maniacally to herself as Bucky picked up the phone, telepathically warning Sam that he better be calling for something important on the one day he had with his girl. "Barnes," he answered sternly.
"Damn, look who's bein' all official and soldierly in front of his missus," said Sam, prepared to annoy his teammate as much as he could in the little time he had. "Bet she's got a thing for a man in a uniform, doesn't she?"
Bucky closed his eyes and shook his head. "What d'you want, Wilson?"
"That's it? No 'good morning'? 'How are you'? That's just rude, man," said Sam seriously. "And I'm not gonna tell you shit 'til I hear something."
Bucky sighed. "I'm hanging up."
"I'll call again," he gloated. "Don't think I won't."
Mia didn't know what Sam was saying, but it must've been delightfully frustrating if it made Bucky glower the way he was. "What's he saying?" she mouthed.
Wanting to get this over and done with as quickly as possible, Bucky asked reluctantly and with as little emotion as possible, "How are you?"
"Well, I'm doin' just fine, sugar. And yourself?" Sam asked sweetly.
"Fine," he replied through gritted teeth, ignoring Mia's muffled laughs in front of him. "You gonna tell me what you want?"
After spluttering out a string of laughter, Sam settled down and informed, "Alright, Ice-Boy. You've gotta come back in."
Bucky's face fell. "Are you fucking serious?"
"100%. "
Bucky let out a small breath. "I can't."
"Uh-uh, Captain's orders, Frozone. We've got a debriefing at 14:00," said Sam, loud enough for Mia to hear through the receiver. "You better get your pants back on and get to HQ."
As soon as Mia understood that he'd have to leave yet again in the middle of their day, she shook her head at him pleadingly and said without words how much she wanted him to stay. Bucky swallowed and stuck to his guns, "I can't make it, Mia's leaving tomorrow."
Sam sighed. "Listen, man. I get why you wanna stay, but Romanoff's flying in from Capitol Hill for this. Cap wants a run-down before we head to New York…"
Sam kept talking and Bucky was listening intently as well, but it wasn't much of a surprise when his attention faltered as Mia touched his knee with her foot, her eyes glued to his bashfully. She leaned in slowly and brought her leg higher on his thigh, making him flinch a little and feel his throat go inexplicably dry. Of course, he could've stopped her when she rose from her seat and closed the distance between them, even moreso when she hooked a leg over his and made herself comfortable. Now in his lap and carding a hand through his hair, Sam's voice had faded to a murmur in the background, and Bucky wasn't in any rush to discourage her.
She brought her lips to the side of his jaw and lay an innocent kiss just beneath it, feeling his body relax and somehow tense at the same time. She smiled a little triumphantly when his vacant hand curled at her waist and kept her there, his grip on the phone slackening by the second. She shifted a little and felt him twitch, leaving another kiss at the corner of his mouth before saying softly, "Please stay."
Bucky shut his eyes and let out a sigh, about to tell Sam that regardless of how important this debriefing might've been, there was a far more pressing matter at hand. But evidently, he was taking too much time to make a decision, and just as Mia heard Sam ask 'are you even fucking listening?' through the phone, she eased it from his hand and ended the call.
Simple.
Bucky looked up at her and said feebly, "That could've been important."
"You're right." Mia's lips quirked into a cheeky grin. "Not as fun as this, though."
"No, it's not." And with that, Bucky leaned up to capture her lips in a kiss, holding her close as she shifted in his lap. Mia's hand clung to the collar of his shirt, knotting it in a fist as they moved a little faster still. Bucky's hands, both flesh and metal, held the back of her thighs and trailed along her legs as a strap of her tank fell down her shoulder. He diverted from her lips to her collarbone and made her giggle from the scruff of his jaw, feeling a new wave of nervousness as she held him tighter and leant her head back in open invitation.
If it weren't for the fact that his phone had somehow managed to sneak its way onto his lap as well, neither one of them would've noticed that it began ringing again. Mia was intent on ignoring it, and so was Bucky as his hand snaked under the front of her thin tank. She felt a shiver course through her as his cold left arm coiled around her waist and held her firmly, so much so that neither of them realized that the phone had stopped ringing.
…For about 7 seconds.
"Leave it," said Mia a little breathlessly.
Every fibre of his being was urging him to listen to her, but a nagging thought in his head reminded him that Sam had mentioned something about New York, and in an instant, he was reminded as to why they were going there in the first place.
When Bucky halted his motions, Mia looked down at him with hazy vision and reached down for the phone, more than ready to give Sam enough incentive not to call back for a day or two. "Sammy, for the love of God, why?"
"Okay, first of all, it's rude to hang up on people, Mustafa," said Sam in his most motherly voice. Mia rolled her eyes and laughed despite her animated frustration. He continued, "And second of all, we need him to come back, kid."
Mia let out a long sigh and was about to dismount as she gave Bucky his phone back, but his hand no sooner pulled at her wrist in protest. Smiling chummily, she rested her forehead to his chest, now hearing the gradual decline of his heartbeat as he listened to what Sam had to say.
Bucky cleared his throat. "What'd you say this was about?"
"You'll find out when you get here. The Windsor safehouse. You have half an hour."
Bucky sighed defeatedly. "Alright." He asked, "Where's Tasha getting in?"
"The East Strip. Her jet lands in 10."
Bucky nodded. "Okay. I'm on my way." It seemed as though he was about to hang up, but the brightest of ideas sparked in Mia's mind, and she wasn't about to let Sam end the call without at least agreeing to her one condition.
Snatching the phone from his hand, she asserted, "I'll let him go if I can have him back by dinner."
Bucky looked at her a little wide-eyed, not quite used to her demanding things, particularly when the 'thing' in question was him. Sam snickered, "I'm not making any promises."
Mia clicked her tongue, "C'mon, Sammy. That's more than 6 hours away. What could you possibly wanna do with him that's gonna take more than 6 hours."
Knowing that that'd get a bit of a rise out of him, Mia laughed as Sam said, "Ey, don't do that."
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
"Make it sound all 'Brokeback' and shit. I don't wanna do anything with fuckin' Vladislav, everybody else does," he said defensively.
"So, you just wanna…spectate?"
Sam groaned and failed to start a coherent sentence before muttering, "I'm not doing this shit with you, kid. Just tell him to come, and you can have his dumb ass back by dinner." He continued fiercely, "And by the way, why's he the only one invited to dinner. What, y'all get jiggy one time and you suddenly forget about everybody else?"
Mia shook her head. "Sorry, Big Bird—"
"C'mon, man," he complained.
"—You're gonna have to wait 'til New York. I promise I'll make you a giant plate of whatever you want when we're there, zero waiting period."
Sam mph'ed. "No take-backs?"
"No take-backs."
He hummed in agreement. "Alright, then. Y'all can procreate by 9:00."
Bucky's eyes widened as he listened in, but Mia simply thanked Sam and hung up before springing out of his lap and grabbing his hand to hoist him up. "I hate to do this, Sarge, but you've got a meeting to attend."
Bewildered, he mumbled, "Yeah, you seem real cut up about it."
"I'm not," she smiled. "This actually works out better. You go do your thing, plan missions, take down some foreign crime syndicate, whatever you've gotta do, and I am gonna go get some groceries for tonight."
He quirked a brow. "So, you weren't kidding about dinner?"
She looked at him with unmasked seriousness. "I would never joke about dinner." She grabbed the dishes from the table and said over her shoulder, "Hope you like Malaysian."
"Don't think I've ever had it."
Mia smiled, "Well, then, prepare your body and soul for what's to come."
Bucky nodded obligingly. "Copy that. Should I…bring something?"
"Nope, just an empty stomach." Mia noticed Bucky's hesitance in going and getting ready, because apparently this debriefing brought on a kind of nervousness in him that the others didn't. There was a slight unease in his eyes that only surfaced in moments of true reflection, and she could only wonder what had him in such deep thought. But rather than prying for the time being, Mia touched his hand and smiled softly. "Hey," she paused, "Whatever it is that you're gonna go do, just know that it isn't the end. It's just part of…all this." She shot him an earnest grin when he looked up at her. "It'll all work out."
And judging by what was ahead, he needed to know that.
…Perhaps now more than ever.
X
"So, wait…she's been talking about her graduation since before Syria, and you…forgot about it?"
Bucky rolled his eyes at Nat's incessant questioning. "She didn't tell me when it was."
"You could've asked." Nat shook her head, "Her brother and aunt aren't just here to get some DC sunshine."
"And if Mel hadn't said anything, his dumb ass still wouldn't have had a clue," added Sam ever-so helpfully.
"Mel makes a better boyfriend than you do," declared Nat.
"Thanks," Bucky muttered. "Can we get to the part where you tell me why I'm here?"
At that moment, Steve walked back into the living room with a couple of files in hand and a worried look on his face. Sam sipped his coffee and mumbled, "This is gonna be fan-fucking-tastic."
Steve dropped the files in front of Bucky and Nat at the dining table, shaking his head and deciding there and then, "We've gotta tell Tony."
"Oh, dang, he just went for it," whispered Sam, effectively beginning his silent commentary for the remainder of the meeting.
Bucky's heart dropped as the words fell from his friend's lips, because of all the things he didn't want to do when they went to New York, having to meet Tony Stark was pretty damn high on that list.
"We don't even know if this means anything yet," reasoned Nat, referring to the files carded in front of her. Bucky opened the one closest to him and oversaw saw reports, photos and activity logs, all regarding one man that'd made his way onto their radar in the last few weeks.
"Strucker might not be a threat right now, but I'd rather know that for fact before another city gets floored, not afterwards," said Steve resolutely. "We can't go forward without Stark on this one."
"How do we know Tony hasn't already got his eyes on him? He knew about Syria without a satellite feed or suits on the ground. Germany's got both," said Nat.
"We took his plane, Nat. Twice," said Steve. "It was only a matter of time."
"So, what are you suggesting?" asked Sam.
Steve swallowed, his eyes flitting to the only person in this equation whose future would gravely be impacted by their decision. "We go to New York, show him what we've got. If necessary, we engage. If not…we'll be glad we knew for sure."
"And when you say 'we', I'm assuming…" Sam tapered off.
"All of us," assured Steve. Bucky looked to his friend and felt a looming sense of helplessness as he repeated, "All of us."
Both Sam and Nat were clever enough to know when their presence mightn't be required for the time being, so they excused themselves to the next room. It seemed all too soon that Steve was sat in their place, his eyes scanning Bucky wearily, just wanting to know what troubled those thoughts of his. "You don't think we should do it."
Bucky looked at the colourless photo of Strucker clipped to the file. Here was a man that'd committed countless crimes and had a past that Bucky was sure he'd once been acquainted with. Strucker was textbook crazy, and that should've frightened him.
But the true cause of his fear sat safely atop Stark Tower in a city hundreds of miles away.
"I don't know what to think," he admitted. "But nothing good's gonna come from me seeing him."
"He already knows you're here, Buck," said Steve. "If Tony wanted to find you, you can bet a safe house like this wouldn't have kept him away."
"I can't," he said, his voice livid as distorted pictures replayed in his mind of a night shrouded by darkness, the roar of an engine, the sound of metal leveling wood. He'd been walking on a gravel road towards a car he couldn't quite remember. But the prayers for help that left the lips of a man he'd once known and a woman who remained faceless to him…
…He'd never forget that.
Steve reasoned, "We're on the same side, Buck. He knows what you've done since you've been with us, he's not unreasonable."
"They were his goddamn parents, Steve," said Bucky heatedly. "Reasonability has nothing to do with it."
"You don't know him," reasoned Steve, desperate to get his point across. "He'll understand."
"He shouldn't have to," he said with leaded words. "And I don't expect him to."
The room took on a silence of its own as they both quietened down, raking their brains for the best way to go forward. To Steve, it was simple. In the years that he'd known Tony, they'd had their fair share of differences. They argued and bickered, perhaps moreso than anyone else on the team. But when it came down to it, when push came to shove and there was a task to be accomplished, nothing would taint his objective.
Not even having someone like Bucky on the team.
"You should do it without me, Steve."
He shook his head. "That's not an option. And the sooner you realize that you belong in all of this, the better it'll be."
"Maybe in your world," he said quietly. "But…not theirs."
Steve got up from his seat and scooped up the files, making his way to the door and ignoring his impulse to march to New York at that moment and sort things out. But that wasn't what Bucky needed; what he needed was time to understand that this team they'd formed, this comradery they'd managed to rebuild over the course of months together wasn't temporary to Steve. Bucky needed to know his friend didn't consider his existence some neat Sunday comfort. Now, more than ever, Bucky had become a final piece of his old life, a reminder that though everything had changed, it could still be the same.
And regardless of the horrors that he knew Bucky relived of that fateful night upon a highway road, Steve was sure of one thing;
It'd be difficult, and rightfully so. But in the end, Tony would be there.
"I'm not saying it'll be easy." Steve dawdled at the door with his back to his friend. He spoke resolutely, as a Captain would, unwavering on his stance. "But I'm not doing this alone."
And in his voice, Bucky could hear exactly what he meant. It wasn't about Strucker or the mission. Hell, it wasn't even about going to see Stark. No, it was about the lifetime that they'd missed out on, one that they'd been promised when they were kids. Growing up and old by each other's side, battling everything with the faith that they'd be together. It'd been lost for so long, and now, in this twisted new reality, they had a chance to steal it back.
All Steve knew was that neither the Avengers, nor his mantle as Captain America would keep him from the future he wanted.
X
"You want duck feet?"
Mia shook her head, trying for the 3rd time to get the message across to the man behind the counter. "No, sir, I said plucked beef. Y'know, thinly cut beef?"
The short Vietnamese butcher looked at her blankly. "No sell duck feet. Must buy duck leg."
Mia shut her eyes and wanted to backhand the man behind her who kept 'accidentally' rubbing against her in the small, stifled shop. "Sir, listen, on Google it said that you have very good plucked beef, y'know, for a Malaysian dish?"
The butcher waved his hands in protest. "No, no, this not Malaysia shop. This Vietnam shop."
The noise in the shop and the creep behind her finally gave Mia enough reason to say a brief 'thank you' before pushing roughly against him and making her way out of the butchery. She let out a deep breath and was sure she'd probably inhaled half a gallon of poisonous fumes in the dingy alley-side shop, muttering to herself as she walked down the footpath in search of another place she could find what she needed.
"Bloody Google, plucked beef," she shook her head. "That's the last time I choose convenience over quality, that's for flippin' sure."
Almost positively looking like a woman on crack as she talked to herself on her journey to the car, Mia decided that she'd have to drive more than 2 minutes down the road from her apartment to find some quality meat for her dishes. She ended up hauling Abu to the mall a few miles away, going through her mental checklist of groceries that she'd find along the way.
Within 45 minutes, she'd tagged and bagged all the vegetables, spices and hunks of meat she'd set out for, with her trip to the butcher resulting in a 5 minute explanation as to which dishes she'd be cooking for her boyfriend. Mia had talked excitedly and without taking a full breath as the charming old lady at the till entertained her enthusiasm, the giddiness of cooking dinner for him practically radiating from her being.
This would be another little milestone for them. He was coming over for dinner for the first time, and boy was she prepared. As she got home, she rummaged through her closet and found a maxi dress that'd been ignored for too long, along with another little tib-bid she'd bought right after coming back from Syria.
Once the food was simmering and the house was tidied up, Mia sat comfortably on the ground and set out a paper towel in front of her, along with a glove for her right hand. It'd been more than a year since she'd put henna on anyone, but it was one of the few hidden talents she was really proud of. Not only was it a tradition for momentous occasions and celebration…
…But it also just looked really fucking cool.
The hours ticked by and before too long, Mia was washing off what remained of the darkened dye on her hand, leaving a gorgeously intricate design that trailed from the tip of her finger to just beyond the ridge of her wrist. It was another little part of her culture that she adored, and after she donned the maxi and straightened her hip-length hair, it tied the look together in a most lovely way.
"Ah, shit, shit, mother of coconuts—" winced Mia as she quickly rid her hand of some hot oil specks under the cold water. She glared at the dish that'd violently attacked her and swore under her breath until she heard the buzzer sound. Shutting the tap off, she sped to the phone and answered immediately with a grin, "Hello?"
"I'm here to see a Miss Alfiyan," said Bucky with a hint of a smile in his voice.
Mia beamed, "Well, I'm not sure who you are, sir. My usual visitors don't even bother to knock before they come in, let alone call from the front gate."
"Thought it'd be good manners," he said cheekily. "Or would you prefer I scaled the fire escape again?"
Mia laughed before clicking the gate open, "Come on up."
In the approximately 2 minutes she had to fix herself up, Mia ran to her room to straighten out a few kinks in her dress and smoothed down the frazzles in her hair. She spritzed a bit of her favorite perfume on before giving herself a contented nod and hurrying back to the kitchen.
She'd set up a small table just in front of her charming balcony so they'd be overseen by the moon that twinkled that evening. A soft summer breeze filtered in, but when she heard the knock on the door, she felt her skin shiver for another reason entirely.
With a few steps, she opened the door and expected to see Bucky, but instead, was met with a stunning bouquet of flowers in front of a hidden face. "Oh my God," she gasped. "You…wow, you didn't have to."
When Bucky lowered the flowers, Mia's expression promptly fell as she got a good look at him, a freshly shaven face with his hair slicked back stylishly. His eyes seemed brighter, somehow, and there was colour in his sunken cheeks. He looked younger…or maybe that wasn't the right word. But there was promise in his glance and mischief even in his soberness. It was as though, slowly, he was regaining the youth he'd once lost.
"Oh," she faltered. "Sweet Moses."
Bucky's eyes soaked in Mia as she stood before him, draped in a white maxi that looked almost Cyprian in nature and fell loftily to the floor. The colour against her bronzed skin looked striking, as did the slit that teased the inside of her left leg (he'd noticed she had a thing for dresses with slits, as well as breaking a man's resolve by wearing them on a near constant basis).
But he sure as Hell wasn't complaining.
"Hi," he said a little boyishly.
"Hey," she smiled giddily. Bucky leaned down to steal a kiss while Mia was still somewhat in a state of shock at his new look. She took in the white formal shirt he wore casually under a navy blazer, matched with a pair of slacks. "I feel severely underdressed."
"You're lookin' a dime, darlin'."
Mia promptly laughed and covered her eyes. "Oh, my God, you sound like every busboy in an '80s flick I've ever seen."
Bucky shrugged and said, "Sounds complimentary."
"Oh, it is," she assured. "Come on in."
She took the flowers from him and couldn't help but fawn at the gorgeous arrangement as she walked to the kitchen. He trailed a few steps behind her as she confessed, "I don't think I've ever gotten flowers before."
Bucky's brows furrowed slightly. "That doesn't sound right."
She laughed. "It's true. I mean, Freddie Carter stole some daisies from Mrs. Hinton's lawn in 7th grade for me, but…" she smiled charmingly. "These are a little better."
Bucky pocketed his hands and said, "Well, thank God I beat out Freddie Carter."
"Did he have you quaking in your boots for a second there?" she guessed smartly.
He nodded seriously. "I was prepared to go the distance."
The two of them let out laughs as Mia told him to go grab a seat while she brought the food out. He took off his blazer and rolled up the sleeves of his crisply ironed shirt, a borrow from Steve that he'd have to thank him for. Before he knew it there were 3 dishes laid out on a fresh white tablecloth in front of him, with the curtains blowing softly in the night air to his left. He watched as Mia quietly went about her motions, bringing out glasses and lighting a candle, a gesture that made her cheeks grow in colour for reasons beyond his understanding.
"How was the debriefing?" she asked as she placed down two cold drinks by each of their plates.
Bucky nodded. "Long."
She smiled. "Sounds like a ball." She gave him a napkin before clapping her hands together and clearing her throat. "Considering that it's 8:30, I think we oughtta' get started before the sun makes a guest appearance. So, Mr. Barnes, are you ready for some not-so-fine dining?"
Bucky smiled endearingly. "I sure am, kid."
Mia nodded and lifted the first lid on a steaming pot of noodles. "Okay, this one's called mi ayam, it's chicken noodle soup with enough spice to break a rib or two."
"Wow."
"And this one's called ikan bakar." She lifted the top to uncover a gorgeously wrapped filet of fish in a quaint banana leaf, seasoned to perfection and surrounded by lemon and herbs. "It's pretty much just grilled fish."
Bucky's eyes widened just at the range of vibrant colours that decorated each dish, let alone the fact that she'd spent the better part of her day actually making all of it for him. He watched, slightly awe-stricken, as she lifted the lid for the final dish and said, "And our last choice for this evening is nasi goreng, or better known as 'fried rice'. I'd go into the science of it, but I think you get the jist."
Bucky shook his head for a few seconds before looking Mia dead in the eyes and saying, "You didn't have to go to all the trouble."
"Trouble?" she laughed. "Cooking's the one thing that I actually really enjoy, this was the farthest thing from a chore, I promise." Bucky nodded reluctantly before Mia continued, "C'mon, no formalities. What can I dish out for you?"
And so the two of them began their evening meal with a strange sense of calm, sat across from each other and talking about things as though they were the last two people around to do so. The moment Bucky had a taste of the food she'd prepared, he had to admit to himself that adore her as he may, her ability to plate up a dish from 10 different ingredients played no small hand in his feelings towards her. Age old as it was, the key to a man's heart was still through his stomach.
"Did you talk to khaala yet?" he asked as he dished out some more nasi goreng.
Mia nodded. "Yeah, she was over the moon. God, even on the phone, she just…sounded so happy. Said her and Zeyn are settled into the apartment they've rented and Arsala's a delight, so…I guess I couldn't ask for much else."
"When's your flight tomorrow?"
"Bright and early, unfortunately. It leaves here at 9:00am, so I'll probably have to be at the airport by 7:30."
He looked up at her. "Any idea how long you'll be staying for?"
Mia shook her head and finished her bite. "Honestly, I don't know. I told Nora that we'd be gone for a while, she's hired another college kid to help out for the summer anyway. And besides that, I don't know if khaala or Zeyn booked tickets for Sydney or not, but…I guess I'll be back when they do." She dished out some more mi ayam before asking, "What about you guys? Any idea how long?"
He shook his head. "All depends."
"On…?" she asked with a smile, but Bucky didn't seem to reply in kind. In fact, it seemed as though that was the moment during the night where he seized up, withdrew ever-so slightly. Mia didn't pay it much mind at first, but as their dinner continued and it became clearer that there was something weighing heavily on his thoughts, her concern only grew.
The pair finished off their meal after a while and moved their party to the couch. They splayed themselves comfortably, but try as he may, Bucky only listened half-convincingly when Mia told him about her program and the reasons it'd been held up. He nodded and asked a question here or there, but he found himself feeling increasingly sick, almost crestfallen. His thoughts drifted to the man he'd be meeting in the next 48 hours, one who'd just been a child when he'd lost everything he held dear.
Lost, and the blame rested firmly upon the shoulders of our story's hero.
"Buck?" asked Mia with a soft hand to his shoulder.
"Hmm?" he asked distractedly.
She smiled. "You still with me?"
He nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, sorry. What…what were you saying?"
Mia's face spoke only of worry as she put her glass on the floor and turned to face him, a hand on his forearm as she said, "Something's bothering you."
He shook his head immediately, "No, it's…s'nothing."
She looked at him warily and asked softly, "Who're you foolin', Buck?"
There were half a dozen ways he wanted to reassure her that nothing was wrong, that he was simply tired or sleep-deprived or just a little under the weather. But regardless of what he said, she just knew. And it was plain as day that she wouldn't press him for an answer, but her worry wouldn't waver by his sad attempts at appeasing her.
Neither one of them spoke for a while, but Mia knew she'd just have to wait. For someone with so much noise in his head, it was no wonder why things tolled him the way they did. And in reality, she knew that whatever troubles he harbored were likely far beyond her scope of help. But that didn't change the fact that sometimes, all we need is to have another living, breathing person hear the sadness that plagues our minds. Somehow, it makes us feel a little more sane.
When Bucky broke the silence, Mia didn't quite know where it would go. But clever as she was, there was no way in God's good Heaven that she could've known what was to be heard.
"I don't remember my birthday," he said quietly, his eyes glued to the patterns on the rug. He swallowed, "But I've never forgotten a life I've taken." Mia remained unmoving as he continued, "I never knew the people I killed. I just…followed out the order, no questions asked. But there was one…" he trailed off. "And I knew who he was the moment I saw him."
Mia felt inhuman chills graze her skin as he uttered his next words. And suddenly, the pieces fell into place.
"Howard was a friend. We'd fought alongside each other for months. I…I knew him, I'd seen him, clear as I'm seeing you now." His eyes filled with something akin to disgust as he said, "And when he saw me, said my name on that road, I recognized him." He turned his head slightly in Mia's direction. "And I killed him anyway."
Mia's grip on his hand hadn't slackened in the least, and she wasn't sure whether it was to comfort him or to anchor her own shock. Either way, she listened with as keen an ear as she could, and prayed silently that the burdens of his past be lifted from his shoulders.
"A kid lost both his parents on the same night. His…His whole fucking world, Mia. Gone, like that." He shook his head. "And they want me to see him, ask for his help. Go there, and make like nothing happened."
When Bucky grew silent for a few long moments, Mia asked quietly, "Does he know?"
He swallowed. "Steve thinks so. The files that got out, but…can't know for sure."
He shut his eyes and took comfort in the reprieve of the dark. Saying these things aloud for the first time was strangely taxing, perhaps moreso than freeing. Because now the truth had escaped his lips and floated tauntingly in the air around them. It was as though that memory was somehow made even more real. Now, no matter how hard he wished it to be, it would never be a forgotten story.
Surprisingly, Mia found herself in a foreign state of calm, because this was what she'd been doing for the last few years of her life, understanding the motions to follow when someone experiences grief. Her only strife was that it was him, that someone so dear to her had to bottle the feelings he'd kept. She knew he thought of himself only as a lost cause, but the truth was clear to her. And just like Sam had told her the very first time they'd met, no one was beyond saving.
"Y'know, my father was a Muslim." Mia nodded as Bucky looked over at her. "He married my mom who was raised Catholic, it was really common back in our city. They were both pretty devout their whole lives, believed in all the stories that came with faith." Bucky looked at her curiously, clinging to her every word and waiting to see where it would take her. "But their favorite one was the story of Moses. Know about him?"
Bucky nodded and said quietly, "Part the seas."
"That's right," she said. "Everybody likes to focus on that part of it. But for some reason, my parents always told us about his life when he was younger." Mia shifted slightly to face him, her knee tucked under her, their shoulders touching. "Legend tells us that people throughout the land knew him to be pious and honorable. He was a man of his word, showed bravery and kindness. Was pretty charming too, from what scriptures write," she joked lightly, gaining a weak albeit real smile from him in return.
Mia swallowed as she narrated further. "But there came a time when he faced real hardship. He did something the people of the city couldn't believe he was capable of." Mia wet her lips. "He murdered an innocent man."
Not having grown up in a house that gave much credence to faith, Bucky was hearing this story for the first time. From what little he'd known of the Abrahamic prophet, he'd assumed only tales of valor and triumph over formidable foes. But the thought of a crime as heinous as murder attached to the name of a revered man was strange. Somehow, it felt wrong. Nevertheless, his interest only grew as she continued.
"The entire city erupted into chaos. They demanded his sentence to death, overturned every cobblestoned street in search for him. But he'd fled, fearing for his life. He ran and trekked and stumbled his way to a nearby town called Madyan, wanting to stay alive but knowing in his heart that he deserved death." She shrugged, "What else could a murderer possibly hope for, y'know?"
Bucky felt chills course through his bloodstream, seeing all too well the reflection of his own story in the tale she told so earnestly. Her words flowed, "He was lost for a long time, Buck. Didn't know what to do with himself, felt as though he'd managed to lose everything. His brother, family, his home. It was all gone, because of a tragic, tragic mistake." She smiled feebly, "But before too long, fortune and fate saw things change for him. And somehow, through means beyond our control, things started to look up."
Mia smoothed her thumb over the back of his hand and watched herself. "He fell in love with a girl from Madyan." She smiled shyly as she said, "It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. And they made each other happy, the kind of happiness neither one of them thought they'd get back."
Bucky felt his heart grow heavy at the words she spoke, almost as though they were the only two mortal who could know what it felt like to have lost hope. What she was saying didn't feel like a tale about a man who'd lived centuries ago. Somehow, it felt like a story that only he could understand.
"And soon enough, he was reunited with his brother, his closest comrade," she said knowingly. "He told Moses about the oppression that their people were suffering at the hands of a tyrant. And regardless of what'd happened, how much he felt like no one would forgive him for what he'd done all those years ago, he knew where he needed to be."
Bucky swallowed and asked quietly, "What happened?"
Mia's eyes softened. "He used the good that was in him, the good he thought he'd lost. He fought alongside brave soldiers, as well as ordinary people, all to achieve the same goal. And eventually, just like it always does…" she smiled. "Goodness prevailed."
As Mia curled her hand into his, Bucky let out a breath he felt he'd been holding onto since he'd walked into her home. There was honesty in her eyes and belief laced in her smile. Tale or history, she believed in what she was saying. And unmoving as they were, Bucky could feel the walls that surrounded his thoughts give way to rays of hope. Small, but undeniably lasting.
"I don't want you to think that just because your past was decided for you that you can't choose where you go from here," said Mia with certainty. "I don't think it's gonna be easy with Stark, and I'm being honest. But Buck, there are things that are bigger than either of you that you're working towards, an entire future that could be changed. And someday, he'll see that."
The two remained quiet for what seemed like an eternity, simply taking in all that had transpired and the gravity of what would happen in New York. Bucky thought about it, and he knew his mind wouldn't veer too far from it until he met Tony himself. But if the night had achieved anything, it was clarity. When he walked in to Mia's apartment, he wouldn't have guessed that a story that dated back more than 2,000 years would be a means for solace, and yet here they were. He looked up at her and cracked a smile that she returned in kind. His hand rested on her curled knee as he said, "Y'know, these days…I'm really wonderin' what I'd do without you, Mia."
She smirked. "You'd do just fine. Better than fine, might actually get more done," she joked. Bucky shook his head unbelievingly, and Mia brought a hand to his freshly shaved jaw, bringing his eyes to meet hers. "Listen…A lot's gonna happen over the next few weeks, Buck. And I wish I had a way of knowing whether it'll be good or bad. But either way," she said with guarded determination. "We'll be okay, you hear me?"
He nodded once. "Loud and clear, doll."
She drank him in for all that he was in that moment on a summer's eve. Charming and broken and hers, only hers.
"We'll be okay."
X
JFK Airport, New York
"I'm so tempted to take an Uber instead of waiting another minute for you, Zeyn," complained Mia as she sat on a ledge at the entrance to JFK Airport. "It's been a whole hour, man."
"I went to the wrong terminal entrance, kid. It's not my fault this fucking airport's the size of Sydney and Melbourne put together," he said over the phone.
Mia sighed. "Well, just stay on the line so that—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Mia felt someone prodding at her shoulder, and sure enough, it was the fella' she'd been waiting for since she got off her plane that morning. "Habibti," he said animatedly as he engulfed her in a hug that depleted her of majority of her oxygen supply. As he let her go, Zeyn pulled his little sister's cheeks up into an exaggerated smile and said, "Cheer up, kid. I'm only an hour late."
Mia squinted childishly. "Y'know how many New Yorkers can push into you without saying 'sorry' afterwards in an hour? A whole lot, Zeyn." She ran a hand over her ribs, "I'm 98% sure I've sprained a lung because of this one lady at baggage claim, Jesus."
Zeyn smiled and scooped up Mia's bags before nudging her to follow him. "Alright, alright. It's my bad for not being on time, but I had some things I had to do."
"Some 'things'?" she asked with a laugh. "This should be good."
Zeyn smiled to himself, because the reality was that this would be good, but he couldn't tell her anything as of yet. However, the time would come soon enough. "How was your flight?"
"It was great, actually. I sat next to this old lady that was playing Tetris on her phone the entire time, and the flight attendant asked her to switch her cell off but she wouldn't. So, after 15 minutes the air marshal came and he had to forcibly remove it from her, it was kind of incredible."
Zeyn looked at her, slightly alarmed. "O…kay." He cleared his throat. "Right, that reminds me, did khaala tell you anything about today?"
Mia furrowed her brows, "No, she just said you'd take me to the apartment and we'd go to aunty Arsala's from there."
He nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right." Within 5 minutes, the Alfiyan siblings had made their way to Zeyn's rental car, and Mia almost choked on thin air when she saw what he'd gotten stuck with.
"There are easier ways to retain your virginity, bro," said Mia through broken laughter.
Zeyn looked at her unimpressedly as he unlocked the car. "You're a fucking comedian." He opened the door to the lime green and pink-striped Prius that'd be his for the next few days. "I booked in a Corvette, and they gave me Dolores fucking Umbridge's weekend car instead."
By this point, Mia was laughing uncontrollably as she held to her luggage's handle for balance. "What the…wait," she wheezed. "What the hell happened? Why couldn't you get a Corvette?"
"Some idiot crashed it last 2 days ago. It's completely totaled now." He sighed mournfully, "It was either this or a tandem bike."
Mia covered her mouth to keep from shrieking with laughter at the thought. "This might be the greatest day of my life. My God, who broke the Prius news to you at the rental place?" At that, Zeyn's expression grew a little cheeky, and Mia knew exactly where this was going. "Okay, on second thought, I really don't wanna know."
"Hey, c'mon, you'll appreciate this. She was an absolute dimepiece, I mean, good God. You should've seen her, Mia. I was losing my…"
As the Alfiyan siblings left the airport's vicinity, they entered onto the road that Mia suspected would lead them to their apartment building. They talked absently for a while before Mia began asking questions about the city, seeing as though Zeyn had been to New York four times while she'd never been at all. There were constantly conferences and international seminars taking place about martial arts entrepreneurship, and through that, Zeyn had managed to strike up some really solid friendships with a few of the most influential MMA managers in the country.
"This is a lot further than 5 minutes," said Mia when she realized they'd been driving for more than half an hour. "You sure you remember where the apartment building is?"
Zeyn nodded reassuringly and said, "I just have to stop off for something first."
Thinking nothing of it, Mia opened up the packet of chips she'd bought on the plane and simply soaked in the emergence of the gorgeously characterized city around her. The first thing she noticed that was different from DC was that the peaks of most towers stemmed beyond the visible cloud-line in the sky. There was a lot more greenery on the streets than she'd pictured, as well as stores that looked both colonial and brand-new at the same time. As signs began to appear of the CBD being less than 5 minutes away, Mia got her phone out to take at least 300 photos within the first hour of her arrival to New York.
If one thing was for sure, it was that she'd be falling in love with this city in no time.
"And, here we are," said Zeyn as he pulled up on a busy CBD street. He unbuckled his seat without so much as an explanation before hopping out of the car and making his way to the sidewalk. Mia watched him curiously and did the same when he gestured for her to follow him.
"Uh, I don't mean to be annoying, but where are we going, man?" asked Mia confusedly.
"You'll see," he offered simply. "Just follow me."
The two walked for 5 minutes, with Zeyn intent on reaching his destination as quickly as possible and Mia soaking in the ambience of The Big Apple. "Jesus Christ, look at how massive everything is."
Zeyn smiled as he walked another 100 meters or so, before finally halting in front of, what looked like, an established boxing gym. The quaint sign on the outside said 'Royals Ring', and as Mia came to stand next to him, she asked, "Is this where you wanna train while we're in NY?"
Zeyn turned to look down at his little sister as she watched the fighters who were training inside. Her eyes followed the movements of their attacks and defenses from beyond the glass like a Grade A creep, but her attention was easily occupied when it came to things like this.
She'd grown up so much, but even in the last year that she hadn't lived in Australia, Zeyn knew he'd missed out on too many things. His trip to the States had done lots of things for him, but mostly, it'd put his priorities into perspective. Mia was such a constant source of happiness in his life, and while phone calls and Skype sessions mend the distance a little, there's nothing quite like having family at an arm's distance. The last few weeks had made him realize that if he did go back to Sydney, back to the way things had been and without his best friend by his side, he wouldn't last a day.
And so, he'd made his choice.
"Wow, they're good," she admired.
When Zeyn didn't reply, she looked up to see him smiling slightly, the strangest expression on his face. "Are you okay?" she asked with an unsure smile.
Zeyn nodded quietly, and Mia was about to turn her attention back to the fighters when he said the most bizarre string of words. "They're about to get even better."
Mia laughed instinctively, but when a long moment went by, she asked for clarification, "Wait, what…what d'you mean?"
Zeyn didn't say a word, rather, he smiled cheekily and waited for the coin to drop. Mind you, it took a lot longer to happen than he'd anticipated.
"I don't…I don't get it," said Mia, genuinely confused by the entire situation.
Zeyn turned to his little sister, about ready to divulge a secret he'd been keeping for the last 3 weeks and more than happy to be rid of the responsibility that came with hiding it. With a hopeful look in his eye and the excitement of a brand-new endeavor giving him all the confidence he needed, he said:
"You better get used to flying DC to New York, kid."
X