Serenity worked diligently on Bucky's arm as he sat and watched patiently. He wanted to speak, but he felt that if he did, he might break her concentration. For now, he floated between watching her and looking around the lab. He noticed the sketch books on the desk they were using. He saw the different suit and armor pieces, with the various notes he could not decipher. As he studied the art, he noticed a pair of eyes at the bottom. They looked familiar to him.
"Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to point out that you are a really talented artist." He stated with an impressed tone.
She looked up and over at the sketch book, her eyes widened a bit when she saw what page it was on. However, she hoped he would not recognize whose eyes they were. "Oh uh, thanks. I like drawing. It helps me to bring my thoughts to life before I actually bring them to life." She said as she turned back to continue her work.
"Do you have any other talents?" He asked, attempting to make small talk.
"Hmm, well, I used to ice skate a lot. My parents wanted me to go professional, but I didn't like the idea. I wanted to focus on school. Skating was just a way to blow off steam."
"Huh, do you still ice skate?" He asked, now curious about this new knowledge.
"If there is a rink around, I will always skate, but I haven't exactly been able to. I spend all of my time here and SHIELD doesn't really see an ice rink as proper use of space." She stated with a soft sigh at the end.
"Hm…yeah I guess so." He said, seeming upset to hear her response, "Where did you grow up?"
"Well, I'm from Brooklyn, but we moved out when I was about 10 years old." She sat up and switched tools, "My parents were both in the military. We moved every 2-3 years." Her voice was soft and almost sad when she spoke.
"Oh, what branch do they serve?" He asked, a bit more hopeful of this topic.
She took a long breath in and out before she spoke, "They were both Navy. Served for 10 years, before they…" She trailed off for a minute before she spoke again, "Before they were killed in action."
She continued to work on his arm, her once soft expression was not stiff. Bucky could see this and brought his other hand up, but returned it. He wanted to comfort her, but he did not believe himself to be the best person for that. She closed up the panel on his arm and put her tools back on the desk.
"Ok, it's all set." She said with a slight shakiness to her voice. She avoided eye contact with him as she put her tools back in the bag.
Bucky looked down, then back at her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."
She nodded, "I know. You didn't know, it's ok…it's just still hard to think about sometimes." She paused what she was doing and continued talking, "It's coming up on 8 years now…but it still hurts to think about."
Bucky stood up, unsure of what to say, but instead turned to place his right hand on her shoulder. He was surprised when she grabbed it. She kept her hand over his for a minute before she straightened up. She sniffed a few times and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. She removed her hand from his and he removed his from her shoulder. Zipping up her bag she turned and looked up him. The whites of her eyes, nose, and cheeks were slightly pink. However, it just brought out more of the green in her eyes.
"Well, enough of that, I'm really starting to bring the mood down." She said, trying to hide the pain of sadness she felt with a smile.
The two were once again staring at each other, but this moment was quickly interrupted by the door to the lab opening. They both turned to see none other than Tony Stark standing in the doorway. He looked over his shades and raised an eyebrow.
"Did anyone ever tell you to leave room for the Holy Spirit?" Tony asked as he walked into the room, pushing his glasses back up.
Serenity sighed as Bucky grabbed his shirt, quickly putting it back on. He turned back to Serenity and nodded, "Thank you very much Serenity. I will take my leave now." And promptly walked out of the room, giving a nod to Tony as he left.
Tony returned the nod and took a seat at Bruce's desk. He fiddled with the microscope, "So, are you and the bionic man…" He made a whistle sound and spun his finger around.
She glared at him, "No. I was just adding an upgrade to his arm." She leaned up against her desk, crossing her arms.
"Hmm, shame. The guy could probably benefit from a little slap and tickle." He stood up from the chair, "I just came here looking for Bruce, seen him?"
She shook her head, "No. He was here about an hour ago, but I haven't seen him since then."
He nodded, "Ok, I'll just wait around for him, I'm sure he will be back." He walked over to Serenity's desk and looked over her work, "Working on anything good?"
She turned and grabbed the sketch book, quickly closing it, "No. Just going through upgrades of the defenses and weapons. Boring stuff."
He raised his brow and grabbed a loose sketch on her desk. He held it up and took off his glasses. "New suits and armor for agents?"
She nodded, "Yeah, with the new access to vibranium, I have been trying to come up with different ways we can use it. I tipped Clint's arrows with it. This design has the vibranium laced in with the fabric. The Wakandans do it, but this is my take on it. This way, everyone can be protected."
He nodded, "Good. Looks good. I mean you need some serious help in the actual design. It's very simple, there isn't any flare." He sat the page down and grab a pen from his jacket. He began adding different touches and notes to the page.
She threw her arms up and sighed in frustration, "It's just fine Tony! Simple is not a bad thing, these people don't need to be stylish." She grabbed the paper out from under him and stuffed it back into her book.
"Au contraire. Being stylish is very important. I hope you intend to do so at my rehearsal dinner this Friday. And at the wedding. I will not accept simple. No ma'am." He stated while putting his shades back on. "Well, I should really get going. I don't feel like waiting around anymore. If you see Bruce tell him I stopped by."
"Will do." Serenity replied as she watched him walk out the room. "FRIDAY, you can turn the glass back."
"Very well." Replied the AI.
Serenity looked down at her clothes and pursed her lips. She had forgotten about the party. She had nothing suitable to wear. After the war he pushed the wedding up. She was surprised to be invited, but she was a close colleague of Bruce. So she supposed it was his doing, most likely.
She looked up and asked, "FRIDAY, where is Natasha?"
"She is with , they are heading this way now." Said the AI.
Serenity could see them both walking from the opposite direction that Tony had left. They entered the room and both smiled at her. She gave them a small wave as they walked over to Bruce's desk.
"So Bruce, Tony just stopped by." Serenity stated as she took a few steps closer.
Bruce made an uncomfortable smile and looked over at her, "Oh yeah. Thought he might. I didn't answer his calls earlier. Oops." He scratched the back of his neck as he leaned against his desk.
"Aren't you his best man for the wedding?" Natasha asked sarcastically, already aware of the answer.
He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Yeah, but I'm having second thoughts. I don't like the idea of being up in front of a bunch of people."
Serenity let out a laugh, "Getting cold feet is normally what happens to the bride or groom. Not the wedding party."
He glared at her, "I'm aware. Ugh I'll go…find him." Bruce stated as he kissed Natasha on the cheek.
He shuffled out of the room and walked down the hall, in the direction Tony went. As though he already knew where he would be. Natasha shook her head and looked over at Serenity, who shared a similar expression.
"So, are you still going?" Asked Natasha.
"I don't see why not. I'm not the biggest fan of Tony, but he isn't a bad guy. I'm sure the more people there that Bruce knows, would be a big help too." She stated while she began to clean up her desk.
"Yeah, it couldn't hurt. Got anything to wear?" Natasha asked with a slight smile.
"Uhh…" Serenity shuffled some papers around, "Yeah, I was actually gonna talk with you about that. You wouldn't happen to have anything I could wear, do you? It's just, I don't normally go to formal events. So I really don't have anything suitable."
She turned around to see a very pleased look on Natasha's face, "I have a couple of dresses in mind."
Serenity looked a little worried, but she set that suspicion on the back burner. At least she would have something to wear.
The next day had come and almost gone. Serenity's day was filled with everything except work. When she asked Natasha for a dress, she did not expect her to go all out. Not only did she have a dress, but the woman picked out shoes, jewelry, makeup, and hairstyle for her. She dressed her up like a doll today and Serenity was exhausted. Then, she had the nerve to make her spare the rest of day. Needless to say, she was beat, physically and mentally. She walked down the hall, dragging her feet. Her hair was in a messy bun and her tank top clung to her body from all the sweat. She leaned up against a nearby wall, no longer having the strength to move. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. It was only seconds later that she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Serenity." Said Bucky as he walked up to her.
She straightened up quickly, "Oh hey Bucky. What are doing?"
"I just got back from a run with Steve. You look..." He said, trying to find the right word, "…exhausted."
"Haha…Yeah, Natasha put me through the ringer today. She said that because of Tony's wedding, we won't be able to train for a couple days. So she just wanted to make sure we got every minute in today." She said with some new found energy.
"Oh, you are going too?" He smiled, "Steve is making me go. I don't exactly feel comfortable with it though." He rubbed the back of his neck and took in a deep breath.
Serenity nodded, aware of why he would be uneasy with going. "Well, it's nice to hear you are going. It'll be good, for all of us." She smiled up at him.
He smiled back, feeling slightly more at ease. He was about to wave goodbye, but Serenity took a step towards him. "Do you want to grab a bite to eat? The cafeteria should still be open."
He stopped and looked at her with a puzzled and surprised expression, "Uh…yeah. That sounds good."
She bounced on her toes a couple times, "Great!" She spun in the direction of the cafeteria and Bucky followed suit.
They were soon in the cafeteria, that was empty, except for the staff. They both sat down with their plates in hand. Both were piled high with spaghetti and meat sauce, with a few sides of bread. They took a seat at a table by one of the windows. She looked outside at the night sky. It was a clear night and the stars shined so brightly. They both began eating, neither one seemed to care how clumsy they both were. They slurped and chowed their food down within 5 minutes. After finishing, Serenity wiped her mouth off and Bucky did the same.
"Man, I don't think I have seen a woman eat so fast before." Bucky stated as he looked down at her nearly clean plate.
She shrugged, "I was very hungry. All I had today was a protein shake. Ugh." She rolled her eyes at the thought of it.
He laughed, "Yeah, they aren't the best."
She placed her napkin on her plate and looked back out at the night sky, "What a beautiful night, huh?"
Bucky turned and looked out the window, "Yeah." He took a second to see the view, but his eyes flickered back to her.
She let out a soft sigh, "So, how has it been acclimating to all this? The different era I mean?" She said, turning her sight back to him.
He placed his hands on his lap and fiddled with his thumbs, "Well, it's been interesting. I really liked living in Wakanda. Things were simple there. Here though, there is so much going on. Technology everywhere. It's a bit much sometimes."
She nodded, "Yeah, I can see that. Well, if you ever need some help, just ask. I'm always happy to be of assistance."
He leaned forward in his seat a bit, "Ok, umm…can I ask a question now?" He seemed so timid while asking.
"Of course." She stated, also leaning forward.
"What are those things in people's ears? At the gym I see people with these cords coming out of their ears that go into their pockets. What are those?" His expression was that of concern and confusion.
Serenity placed a hand to her lips, trying not to let a laugh slip out. She thought it was going to be a much more serious inquiry. "Headphones. Their called headphones. They allow you to hear music from a device, normally a phone."
His face was still expressing confusion, so she pulled her phone from the pocket of her leggings. She unwrapped the headphones and gave him an earbud. He took it, but just looked at her, unsure of what to do. She tapped her ear and then placed the other bud in her ear. He watched and did the same.
"Give me just a second, I'm trying to find the right song. How about something you may recognize?" She said as she scrolled through her music selection.
"No, play something new, what do you listen to?" He asked as he watched her scroll through the phone.
"Hmm, I listen to everything. I mean literally everything. It just depends on my mood." She stated.
"Ok, well, what's popular nowadays?" He asked
"Hmm, Ed Sheerdan is pretty popular right now. This one is called Photograph. Let's start with that." She pressed play and the strumming of a guitar began to fill their ears.
She closed her eyes and let the rhythm flow through her. She mouthed the words and tapped her foot to the beat as it came. He listened to the beat and then the words. He watched her intently as she slowly moved to the soft voice of the musician. She opened her eyes as the tempo picked up and smiled at him. She swayed to the music, until it slowly faded away.
"I figured that would be a pretty easy song to listen to. Want to keep listening? I have plenty of songs." She asked with a giddiness to her voice.
"Yeah, that was nice. What else you got?" He asked, finding her happiness refreshing.
They continued listening to various songs from all decades and genres. She told him about her favorite artists and the different concerts she got to see. A few songs Bucky liked so much, he asked for her to play them again. She laughed at the different reactions he displayed as different songs came on. Sometimes he would smile and tap his feet to the beat. Other times he would scrunch his face as a sign of dislike. They were there for so long, they had not realized that the staff had left. They were officially the only ones left. However, they continued to surround themselves with the music. Uncaring of the world around them.