CHAPTER SIX: LAUNDRY

WANDA - NEW YORK CITY MOTEL

Wanda sat on the toilet staring down at the fifth pregnancy test she'd taken today. The doctors had confirmed it, Agatha had confirmed it, the ultrasounds showed it, the four prior tests guaranteed it and yet she was still surprised when two blue lines showed up on the stick she held. There was no denying it anymore. She looked down at her stomach and lightly put a hand on it. There was a baby growing in there. She tossed the test into the trash can with the others and buried her face in her hands.

How was she going to do this? She had decided that no matter what, she was going to keep the child. However it was created, it was a life. It was her child. She looked around the dingy bathroom. She could barely afford anything as is based on her refugee welfare as a Sokovian resident, especially in New York. She wasn't sure what her long term plan was but she knew she wasn't going to take off on Bucky with this child. But, she'd need to find a job quickly. She didn't still want to be here when the child came. She washed her hands and walked out into her room.

Wanda hated how dirty it looked. Although she was very clean and neat and always kept everything organized, the stained carpet, chipped dressers and overall decor always made it look messy. She definitely needed to get out of here. She decided to grab a washcloth and one of the many bottles of disinfectant she had bought and spray everything down. She should be more careful now, right? She really needed to grab some books and figure out what she was supposed to be doing for the next seven months.

She scrubbed every surface she could and over sprayed if that was even possible. Afterwards she decided she should take her sheets back to the laundromat again for a fresh clean. She scooped up the sheets and carrying the load, opened the door to go out. To her surprise, Bucky was on the other side. She had run right into him and the sheets began to topple over out of her grasp. Bucky's reflexes were quick and he caught them, setting them up straight again.

"Here, let me get those for you." In a swift movement, he had shifted the sheets from her hands into his. Somehow it didn't look as big or as much when he held it. "You shouldn't be carrying a heavy load like this."

"It's just sheets." He gave her a look and she dropped it. His eyes glanced around the room and she saw him scrunch his face up a bit.

"It smells like bleach in here."

"I just finished a thorough cleaning. I wanted to make sure I disinfected everything." His face seemed to strain at this as he kept inspecting the room.

"That smell can't be good for you. If it's this strong and bothering me, it can't be healthy for you." She narrowed her eyes that his sudden interest in her safety with cleaning supplies.

"What are you doing here?" He sighed and put the sheets down for a moment as she shifted to let him step in. Bucky held out a bag to her.

"I got these from medical yesterday. Dr. Mallory said these are the… prenatals and vitamins you should be taking." Her eyebrows popped up as she slowly took the bag out of his hands and peeked into it. She pulled out a bottle of vitamins and kept looking to see more.

"How many pills do they expect me to take?" Surprisingly, Bucky gave her a small laugh.

"You know, that was my exact thought too when I saw it." They shared a small but quaint smile between each other before Wanda lowered the bag.

"I appreciate you doing this but you really don't need to."

"I'm not sure what we're going to do and I-I know," Bucky fumbled over his words, "this is strange and under some weird circumstances but that child is mine as well. I want to make sure that I'm doing my part and taking care of you." This made her take a small step back. She had known that Bucky was kind but she didn't know to what extent he wanted to be a part of this. Yes, technically this was his child as well but seeing as how he didn't have a choice in the matter, she didn't hold him accountable or expect anything of him. She walked over to the now exposed mattress and took a seat.

"I appreciate that, Bucky, but I don't want you to feel like you're responsible for any of this, especially me." He walked over to her.

"Look, I want to be there." His eyes showcased his raw honesty. "I'm not gonna leave you with this to deal with on your own. I'm here and I'm staying." Wanda just stared at him. Was this the man she had barely known only a short time ago? Her run-in with him had happened to be a coincidence that day and now here they were. She was having a child and he was here all in and ready to support her.

"Do you want this child?" The question surprised him, almost like he hadn't thought of that yet. His fingers fidgeted a moment before he answered.

"Yes." She nodded and let out a deep breath. When neither of them spoke for a moment, he moved over to the sheets and picked them up.

"I can grab these for you. Where were you heading?"

"I was going to take them to the laundromat down the street." He cocked his head in question.

"They don't provide room service?" he asked as he looked around the motel room.

"They might, but I don't trust them. Just looking at the state of this room tells me how much care in detail they really put into maintaining the rooms." Her answer seemed to bother him as he made a wary face.

"Do you need help with anything else?"

"No, I think I've cleaned everything but thank you. I just need to take that down the street is all."

"I'll take it for you. But you should get out of here and air out the smell of bleach. It's pretty strong." Now that he had mentioned it, she noticed that her nose seemed to burn. She should get out and get some fresh air.

She decided Bucky had a much stronger resolve than her and ultimately let him help. While he carried her sheets, she took the rest of her laundry and accompanied him to the laundromat. He took her basket of clothes from her though once they arrived and had everything going into the machines before she had a chance to say anything.

As he carefully took care of her laundry, she let herself just stare at him. He was so gentle and kind with her. She remembered what he had been like back when she met him with Steve. Truth be told she had been terrified of him and barely trusted Steve enough to let him be around her.

He had always been so stone faced and serious. She could barely believe this was the same man. She supposed though that he still appeared this way to everyone. Now that she thought of it, she never really did see him smile in public. The only time she had seen the side of him was in private or vulnerable moments that he had no choice but to be exposed to.

Maybe this was the side of Bucky that Steve knew. Maybe that's why he fought so hard against so many people to protect him. This was the real Bucky underneath all the scary Winter Soldier exterior. She knew bits and pieces about his past and it was overall just sad and tragic. She felt for him and everything Hydra had put him through. Seeing him now, he couldn't look less dangerous. He was pouring detergent for her loads and starting up the machines. He looked perfectly normal sans the metallic arm. She noticed he always wore a long sleeve shirt no doubt to cover it up.

Wanda noted the tired creases around his eyes that held so much history of pain and regret. That combined with his light hollows made him look exhausted most of the time. It was like he never had a moment to rest. He noticed her staring and looked down. She felt bad for making him uncomfortable and immediately looked away. She hadn't meant to analyze him like that, she just wanted to know what she was getting herself into.

Bucky had made it seem like he wanted to be a part of all this and she knew that if he was, he would become permanent in her life. That was a scary thought to her. Nothing stayed permanent by her side and as she looked at his slight tapping feet, she almost didn't want him to be. He deserved better.

Let me know what you guys think of the story so far!