Mosaic Chapter 28: Bucky Barnes - Oasis, a captain america fanfic

AN:

I've out of order updated Chapter 11: VA - Ice Packs.

The scene where Val finds Bucky in the neighbour's house has her being stupid (I did not realize how out of character Val was until I edited it again... I don't know how I didn't realize this when I reread that part. Done that at least five times...). She's now stupid in her way in that scene and not stupid in a way that isn't her...

Chapter 28: Bucky Barnes - Oasis

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"How many are there?" I asked, exploring page after page, organized by faculty and number.

538 courses and counting.

"In English? A shit ton times… three-ish?" was Valeriy's less than useful reply. Paired with a shrug. She didn't even look up from another binder she's been working on. "So glad I don't have to piece together a schedule that doesn't involve waking up before dawn."

"You failed that goal every single term that wasn't online."

"Shhhh, let me keep dreaming."

"To which none of this matters with Mr. Barnes. As if I would disrupt his staggered sleep cycle," the A.I. ghost aimed right at Valeriy.

The head of dark red hair meekly ducked down. The movement shrugged her shoulders closer to her ears. A wince flashing across her face. She'd been wincing for the last four days.

"I have no idea what to study," I mumbled.

There were so many choices. A large portion of which I couldn't begin to guess what was being taught from the course name alone.

"What are you interest…ed…" her voice fading.

"…I… I can't even answer that question…."

"Going by how much time you spend staring at the stars, Astrology might be an option."

I added it to the list that consisted of only the word physics. Only there since it was the most interesting subject I had to study, and it didn't involve Valeriy having to drive out to grab a chemistry kit.

"I've created a page with all classes related to space. They might be of interest to you."

"What about the animal thing?" Valeriy tried.

"Zoology... It's called Zoology."

"What did you take when you were in university?" I asked before the bickering to could start.

"Computer… sciences…? Was too lazy to switch out when I started hating it…. Took ancient Asian civilization as my art credits. That was more fun? Everything was just regurgitation," she said, scribbling a few lines of notes into the back of the binder.

That was an option. Ancient Civilizations. Anything from the past hundred years the A.I. ghost had censored off the lists. But there were thousands of years of history. Maybe I could even learn about the dinosaurs.

My fingers navigated to the A.I. ghost created tab on the tablet resting on my knees. Astrophysics. Cosmology. Planetary Geology.

Things were so convenient in this century. So much information found in almost an instant.

More books than a library could hold now fit in a slim device no bigger than a children's book. No more misplaced books. Even textbooks were digital.

'Bonnie would have loved this,' and the drifting thought put a pause in my reading.

I quickly switched to a pen and opened one of the hand bound notebooks. Another little bit of information about my sisters.

Bonnie would have loved the tablet. And the internet.

I added another line that I would have liked this if I were a kid. A lot easier to read under the blanket.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

I didn't even have to look at this point. Didn't need to look up to reach out and catch a slim shoulder and pull back before another thunk.

A back flopped against my side. A head landing on my shoulder with another thunk.

"You need to stop doing that," I chided, and she only groaned in response. A hint more pain in the sound than mere frustration.

She downed half a glass of water and sighed. "Why can't info just be smacked into our heads?"

I could practically see her banging her head against one of the bookshelves here. If that were possible. Either way, the thought hadn't stop her from trying with the binders in front of her.

'By that logic, I wonder what I can learn if I hit my head against this?' I thought, staring at the tablet.

"Tape a binder to a door. I could help you test that theory out. You don't even have to lift a finger."

The young woman huffed indignantly with a pout on her lips. Her fingers combed through my hair, tugging layers of it to the other side of my head. Made a mess of my hair and she kept staring at the side of my head.

It's been odd with the new change. I missed the gentle scratches.

"…Val?"

"Hmmm?" she hummed.

"What are you looking for on the side of my head?"

I couldn't believe it took me this long to put it together. Nine days.

Valeriy quickly retracted her hands from me. "Uhhh… eyeballs…?"

Laughter echoed all around us. The A.I. ghost made use of every speaker I could hear. Including the other rooms, the tablet in my hands and the earbud Valeriy wore.

"…Eyeballs," I repeated.

"Tiny eyeballs…?" the young woman offered with a nervous grin, which only made the laughter louder for another eight seconds.

I bet her ridiculous mind read like one those binders she'd been trying to understand.

"Why would I have eyeballs on the side of my head?"

"Uhhh… you can catch things without looking at them?"

"Most of the surfaces here has a reflection…. I try not to… I can't switch it off. I don't want you to be uncomfort –"

"The whole tracking me whenever we're in the same room thing? And the dogs. You track them too."

"…Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. But even with your enhanced brain, it has to get pretty damn tiring, huh? Like at West Ed…."

"How…? How did you know?"

"I had a similar problem. Constantly gave me a headache. Five-ish years ago? We changed the surfaces in Soteria so an entire room can be seen from wherever you are…. But it's not so bad when we're next to you, yeah?"

She wasn't wrong there. I didn't have to strain to keep an eye on all three when they're leaning against me. Even the reflections made it easier.

"Still doesn't explain how you could see into the toaster from that angle," she mumbled under her breath. Lips pouting.

I could almost laugh at the memory.

"I couldn't. I tried. It didn't work. Was that why you thought I had eyes on the side of my head and started throwing things at me?"

"…Yeah…. Sorry."

I wrapped my arm around the silly girl's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "You're ridiculous."

When my fingers ruffled her hair, a lightness filled within my chest. Her shoulders dipped down. Muscles slightly tensing under my fingers, as if in pain.

Her hand gently shoved against my side, but she curled into me with a giggle. And then finally her nails scrapped along my scalp. Sent a shiver down my spine.

It's been five days since I last saw her smile that wasn't forced. This expression suited her better.

That bright smile when I first spotted her wolfing down a pulled pork sandwich.

87 days ago….

A white paw swiped through the air between us and smacked Valeriy's hand off my face. Zephyr even ended up trying to sit on her stomach until I moved him away. Before the two of them could get into some fight that involved tail whacking and flailing arms.

For now, he settled down and the full grown woman glared at him. She huffed and tapped on her phone screen until the A.I. ghost's laughter finally stopped. Then it was back to working on the binder. Something about different flight mechanisms from what she managed to figure out.

A fresh red mark could be seen on her left forearm. Darkening in color. It wasn't the only mark. Thick long bruises scattered across her arms and legs. Some purple. Some green. Some yellow.

'Did I used to be so fragile?'

Most of them from the dogs. They were rather rough with their limbs.

The little one on her forehead had barely faded. She learned not to leave her head above the binder rings in case she dozed off.

I traded the tablet and class summaries for one of the hand bound notebooks again.

Managed another smile (3) today. They're feeling less heavy. Easier when the situation allows for it.

Valeriy had a ridiculous theory that I had eyes on the side of my head. The reason behind the odd hair touches.

(I'm glad they didn't add eyes on me.)

I wouldn't know how I'd handle any more changes to my body at their hands….

Thunk.

Her head dropped.

Again.

This time, it didn't lift up repeatedly to bash on the binder. She was asleep. Passed out over her work.

Done often enough, it either had to be a bad habit, or she hadn't been sleeping as of late.

I pulled back her hair from her face, so she wouldn't wake from the irritation.

I pulled away Zephyr from her lap, so she wouldn't wake from trying to kick away the heat.

I pulled off one of the blankets she piled on me and wrapped it around her shoulders, so she wouldn't wake from the air conditioner's wind.

With a satisfied nod, I returned to the tablet and class summaries. Making notes on what was interesting and the prerequisites to each class.

The list was fast turning into a tangled web of arrows and words.

Don't tell Val about this program. I made this long before she started struggling with her scheduling. Never showed it to her or let her use it.

The words flashed up on the tablet screen. The A.I ghost.

My notes disappeared, and before panic could set in, I stared at the screen in confusion.

The classes were sorted by levels. The ones I wanted to take were in blue. The ones I needed to take for them were in red. The gray text might be classes I've met the requirement for if I took whatever's on the list already…?

On the side was a note of what degree I would be headed towards and the requirements still unfulfilled.

It's tweaked for your needs. All you need to do is input what you're interested in taking, and I'll set up the rest.

I pulled up the on screen keyboard and typed in a quick Thank you.

The program made it a slightly less confusing.

Slipped her mind to tell you, but Val had you set up to have all limits and penalties removed. You're welcome to take as many classes as many times as you wish and drop them whenever you please.

And that opened all the doors. Given enough time, I could take all the classes. Whatever the A.I. ghost deemed safe.

I added any class that sounded remotely interesting. Filled the program until that looked as messy as my attempt at sorting them.

A hum from above pulled my eyes from one screen to another. The A.I. ghost was lowering the television from its housing in the ceiling. I took a deep breath, waiting for whatever she wanted to communicate to me without waking up Valeriy. Whatever it was, she felt the need to use the television instead of taking over the tablet again.

The black screen lit up to a face. An Asian face. An Asian with a scarred smile on a blank expression. Lips parted, as if to say something, but no sound came through. Her dark eyes narrowed a tad before a series of clicks came from the speakers. Taps on the keys.

The white noise from the television muted and text appeared at the bottom of her image.

She asleep?

I gave a hesitant nod, opening my mouth to call out to Valeriy. It was her best friend on the screen.

Not yet.

Instead of typing more, she merely stared.

And stared.

I held back every movement under her analyzing stare.

I couldn't help my eyes from glancing at the eight petalled flower. It kept bouncing down into the screen from the upper left corner. Not at a consistent rate. Nothing regular about it. Had a slight sway to its movement.

As if it was staring too.

The Asian woman's eyes suddenly looked to the side. To the right. Her lips moving. Talking to somebody. Either somebody close by and at least 325 centimeters tall or the A.I. ghost.

Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.

(She means don't let Val dash off and go driving in a blind rage.)

The soft white noise started up again and, with an eerie grin, "Hi hi!" blurted through the line.

Valeriy's body jerked up. Her hand flying to her hip and grabbing at something that wasn't there. Her taser. But her other hand was already wound around a pen.

My muscles couldn't help but tense. Bracing for a stab.

"Wha? Huh? Amber…? What uh… wh-what up…?"

"There's good news and bad news," the other woman stated.

Now the eight petalled flower turned and stared at her. Staying lower and swaying by her head. A vine with three leaves joined the sway. Dropped down into the footage from the upper right corner.

"…Uhhh you're not mad at… me?"

"Mad at – What stupid thing did you do this time? What do I have to fix?"

Now the woman on the screen sounded irritated.

"Nothing since last time…?" Valeriy tried. Her voice barely even projecting.

The Asian woman heaved a sigh. "Good news first or the bad?"

"…The bad…? Might as well get started on the mess I have to clean up."

Now both of them were irritated.

'I don't want to be in the room anymore….'

Another two vines joined the swaying mass of plant parts. All dropping down from the top of the screen. One even bumped the Asian woman's cheek and was promptly waved away.

"Project Oasis – "

"I buried that," Valeriy cut in, devoid of emotion. Except she wasn't.

"Not anymore, it's not. It's too late to hide it again. Ayers made an announcement at the symposium."

Everything about the young woman was blank, but it didn't feel that way. Something contained just below the surface. Made every instinct I had screaming for me to run. Get myself out of sight. Far away where I couldn't hear any orders.

"The Ayers are bringing fresh water to the world. Pretty sure it's over losing Africa, or so I was told. Been a little hectic on my end since the announcement. Which is where the good new –"

"Losing – LOSING AFRICA!?"

I bolted to my feet, grabbed the dogs, and leaped over the fireplace. Sinking low to the ground to hide.

Even if there were a lit fire, I would have gone through it to get away. Had to hide. But the three of us were too big. Tails and legs poking out from the sizable column where the fireplace sat on.

"I just bloody got Africa back!"

Something made of glass shattered against the floor tiles as the young woman in the room continued to scream words.

All I could do was pull Ixie and Zephyr closer. Anything to make us smaller while we were stuck here.

No safe out.

The room was too big, too empty to slip to another area. We'd be spotted. The kitchen would have been our best chance at slipping away. The long counter would have provided cover if she wasn't right in between.

'I should have leaped backwards….'

Even if it took two extra seconds.

Now the closest option was the stairs, and that involved four seconds in the open. In her full view.

"Cheboi's our fucking in! I just had him moved into place! He's letting us mine the br –!"

"Mrrrrrowww!"

My head whipped around, gun drawn.

I was told to wait here. Alone.

At the sharp clatter, my gut dropped and my nerves readied themselves for the worst.

On the floor, broken into pieces was a vase that once sat on a column. On the column sat a feline.

"HOW IN THE HELL DID THEY EVEN FIND PROJECT OASIS!?"

"HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT PIECE COST ME?! JADE! CARVED FROM ONE SOLID PIECE!"

I saw the arm coming. Felt the slap across my face.

I didn't know what was to come, but all I felt were the ghost pains. It consumed my body. Every inch of skin. The flesh under it. The bones beneath that.

"I buried it under 'is eating shit a healthy diet!?' They had to sift through hundreds of shit studies I had made! The pictures alone should have sent them running!"

"Take the carving knife," the handler ordered.

My body listened. My hand refused to stop moving. My fingers wrapped around the hilt of the correct knife even when my nerves screamed for me to stop.

"Carve lines across your legs, working your way up until I say otherwise. No. Are you stupid?! The shower. Don't stain my hardwood."

The handler didn't follow, but that didn't matter.

An order was an order.

And I must obey –

"Hey…. Dead guy," the woman on the screen called out. Eyes staring down in my direction. With three swaying vines grabbing bunches of her hair and pulling up.

'Please don't draw attention to me. Please don't draw attention to me. Please don't – '

"You. The guy who's supposed to be dead a bajillion years ago. Yes you, hey. You need to calm her down."

I shook my head. She couldn't order me. She's not my handler.

"It should have never been found! It's fucking eating shit!"

"Or dart her. Preferably before she goes bolting out the door."

The dart revolver found itself between the metal fingers. Arms still trying to keep the dogs in our hiding place. My eyes following the pacing shadow in the reflection of the window. My ears tracked the sounds of her steps.

'I can do this.'

One dart and this was over.

'I can do this.'

"Who the bloody hell would look into eating shit!? What dumb fuck would think eating shit is healthy and look into it!?"

'I can do this.'

One dart and she'd stop screaming for blood.

'I can do this.'

The target was close. Unarmored. Precision unnecessary. Twitches in the fingers inconsequential.

'I can do this.'

Just one.

'I can do this.'

Target incapacitated.

'I can do this.'

"It should have never seen the light of day until I took o –…until I… I…."

At her pause in rage, I ducked back behind the fireplace. Scrambling to tuck all the dog limbs out of sight. Had to keep them safe.

But when I glanced up at the television above me, the Asian woman was glaring downwards in my general direction. Lasting only for two seconds before a sigh swallowed the expression. "A lot has changed since we came up with that silly little dream, hasn't it?"

"…Yeah…."

"Calmed down enough for a bit of good news?"

"What possible good news could there be!? They're fucking twisting our stupid dream! The last thing I ever wanted for it!"

"Are you finished with the ranting?"

"…Yeah, yeah. 'Kay. So what's the good – What the fuck is happening to your hair?"

Now five vines had a hold of the Asian's hair while they swayed and bounced. And the flower was staring downwards. Likely where I was on their screen.

"Was bored," the woman on the screen stated, trying to fight for her locks of black hair. "Read Harry Potter for the bajillionth time. Tried to make a Devil's Snare…. Ended up a little more than different from what I had in mind…. Started growing before I planted the seed…."

"If you're keeping it, bring it down to Mag Mell. We can't risk it reproducing on the surface with that growth rate."

"I know. I know. 'Protocols.' Now can we get to the good news?"

"Yeah. 'Kay. What's the good news?" the young woman behind me punctuated with a huff, hands on her hips.

"Took a few days, but I managed to get placed as project head. Make sure we do this properly. As close to what we wanted for Project Oasis. Did you think I wouldn't fight for our silly little dream?"

"…How did you…?"

"They couldn't figure out the self-destruction gene in our water purifying bacteria, but they were cracking it."

"They were impatient, so they let you take charge when you asked…."

"I can use the help. Managing a project isn't what I do. It might not be how we wanted this to go, but we can make sure things are done well enough."

"Sorry for the scream –…Bucky? Where'd you go?"

I couldn't help but flinch. Pulling Ixie and Zephyr closer. To be smaller. To fill less space.

"The dead guy?" The Asian woman pointed downwards. Having given up the fight against the now thirteen vines.

"Damn it, Amber. His name is Bucky."

My eyes squeezed shut at the approaching footsteps. One clicking against the tiles.

"Hey Bucky," the young woman called out, a scratchy whisper compared to the yelling. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I'm not going to hurt you, 'kay? Or them."

She sat down on the couch, keeping a comfortable distance from me and the dogs. Didn't corner us against the fireplace. She stayed to the left of me.

I could use that arm to block her. The metal plates could handle most things.

"What do you need to feel safe, Bucky? What can I do?" she asked calmly. A slightly forced smile pulled on her lips

Pull arm. Slam head into fireplace. Target incapacitated.

"You're still mad," I noted.

"I'm not mad at you, nor will I be taking out that anger on you. Or the dogs. 'Kay?"

Her smile didn't promise pain. No orders spilled from her lips. An open, outstretched hand. Not a closed fist. Not wrapped around a blade. Nothing sharp around us. Except for the corners of the fireplace.

'She's not them…' I had to remind myself and let go of the dogs.

Ixie barked once, tail wagging in my face.

Zephyr slid towards the windows after a failed attempt to tackle the young woman. Dodged with only a little scoot to the side.

The young woman only gave him a friendly pat on his shoulders. "Go comfort Bucky, will you?"

Both dogs nuzzled their heads against mine. Neither of them any bit gentle with their movements. It was like being buried by 173 kilograms of soft warm fur.

"Amber, I'll call you back in a few."

"'Kay, 'kay," waved the other woman. Hair still clutched by the vines. Another flower joined the group of twenty vines.

With a click, the screen turned black.

A blanket joined the mix, wrapping around me, and Valeriy's face popped up far closer than I expected. She quickly showed her hands, palms out to show me they were empty.

"Nothing will happen to you, Bucky. You're safe here," she assured with a soft smile.

I didn't realize I had reached out to her hand until delicate fingers tangled with mine. Warm against my skin. Her thumb sliding back and forth along mine.

All of it soothing my nerves.

I tugged on her hand and she went with the movement. Arms coming up to wrap around my head. Fingers carding through my hair. Knuckles digging into the muscles at the base of my skull.

And my muscles relaxed into the hug.

It's safe here.

"You're safe," Valeriy whispered against the top of my head. "No pain. No chairs."

She lifted our hands towards her face.

I expected teeth to sink into my skin again.

"I'm sorry, Bucky."

But it was a pair of lips pressed against my knuckle. Done so very softly.

Done so very softly.

"– those after him?" asked a muffled voice coming from behind me. Barely heard over the movements in the kitchen.

"Eve's been running interference," came Valeriy's reply in a soft whisper. Far clearer.

"Wasn't asking what she was doing." The voice of her friend's likely muffled from using the earbuds again. To keep the volume low.

"…I… I'm not doing anything with them…?"

"You're doing nothing…."

"Yeah…."

A doughy scent mixed with cinnamon wafted through the room. Along with the metal clanging against the stone countertops, she was likely having another go at baking.

'The cinnamon buns from the tube.'

"Not even looking into them?"

"Yup. Nothing."

"…I'm missing something. Since when do you not gather information?"

'She wrapped me up again…' I noted, from under a pile of tightly wound blankets. But as usual, she left my hands free to move.

"Urgh, it's driving me up the wall," Valeriy responded with a fwump of the oven door closing. "All I can think about are ways to dig up their little secrets and tear them to pieces. But I can't do much with eight year old info…. And from the sounds of it, they're a far bigger network than I thought…. Their reach is starting to feel bigger than ours."

"Eight years…. That company we looked into before your parents kidnapped me?"

"…Apparently…? At least that weirdo we spied on is one of them."

"What's stopping you? The old man wouldn't stop you if they're after the dead guy."

"His name is Bucky, Amber… and he asked me not to."

"He asked you… not to…. Dman, he's really one of us, isn't he? Okay, fine. I'll help him like you asked of me," stated in a tone that made my skin crawl.

"You're not mad about that?"

"I hate it. I hate that you asked this of me. I hate that I'm the one to do this. But I'm not mad at you for it."

"…I thought you were mad at me," Valeriy admitted barely above a whisper.

"Been busy untwisting our silly little dream, and then the whole dying children and Puppets thing happened."

"Right…. I'll get cracking on the proposals once I get all this oily stuff off my fingers."

"And maybe figure out a way for you to work around him asking you not to look into the six legged octopus gang."

"As much as I want to erase them from existence, I don't know if I want to loophole this one. We're safe here."

The faucet turned on, filling the silence between them.

'She wants… she wants to fight against Hydra…?'

The thought of facing them terrified me. If they didn't have answers as to how to fix what they did to my mind, I'd spend the rest of my days doing everything I could to avoid them.

I couldn't expose her to the horrors that made up Hydra. She'd break and change, and I didn't want that for her.

"…still hasn't moved… legitimately… going to hurt… how?"

I could barely hear her friend over the running water.

"I have some idea where he's coming from."

"But… enhanced. Similar… other dead guy… who's no longer…."

"You've got to stop calling them dead. They're not dead."

"…I'll try… and…you okay… him thinking that?"

"Ye – Where is this coming from?" Valeriy asked, the light tone dropping from her voice. She even shut off the faucet.

"I'd rather catch the problem before I'm picking up the pieces. Only a matter of time before I won't be able to find a fix to the messes you make of your body."

"…I haven't been so bad this time around? Bucky's put a stop to most of my dumber ideas… and prevented a lot of stupid accidents…."

'Most…' the word echoing in my head. '…What the hell did she do?'

Whatever it was, it could explain why her movements have been careful as of the last five days. Likely due to sore muscles.

"Your self-destructive streak better not pile up into one incredibly stupid stunt again."

"Uhhhhhh…."

I could hear all the bad ideas in Valeriy's pause. Mostly jumping off of high places. If she jumped enough times, that could explain the sore muscles.

"Need I remind you how sick you were for the months after you – "

"Please don't spike me with some weird thing. Bucky's eating the PROs too."

"His serum can handle it. Maybe some slight nausea."

"He's got enough going on. He doesn't need to worry about his food 'cause you're curious about his… wait, serum? As in the Rebirth thing –?"

"I do believe Mr. Barnes has come to," the A.I. ghost stated, putting an end to their conversation and their attention on me.

"Bucky!"

I turned at Valeriy's voice. Facing that beaming grin and all the panic and nerves she buried beneath it.

"Oh oh! I threw some cinnamon buns in the oven! Be done in about… I have no idea…?"

"Eleven minutes, give or take a couple."

"Thank you…" I said, folding the eight blankets wrapped tightly around me. A short task if the dogs weren't tugging at a corner every time I made a fold.

A glance up at the television and there wasn't much of the Asian that could be seen. She was covered under the vines. I couldn't tell where one began and another started. There were even thirty flowers swaying and bouncing. All of them facing the same thing. The woman, who was still calm. Irritated but calm. Even when her arm was being pulled out from under her chin at random intervals.

Valeriy made her way around the long counter. Careful on her left foot. Wobbly on the right. A glass of water in hand. The other trailed across my shoulders as she plopped down next to me. A toe nudging Zephyr's butt out of the way.

"Shit. It found a scalpel," said far too flat for a woman facing a plant swaying and bouncing a blade all over the footage. "Where's my plant eating bacteria?"

"I can't open the drawer. The vines are in the way."

"Amber?" Valeriy called out. Her knuckles white from how hard she clutched the cushion under her.

The Asian reached for the scalpel. Not a trace a fear on her face. No regard of the risks to being cut by the plant. "Give me that." A couple slaps against the vines and her fingers tugged the scalpel free. "Where's the torch?"

"Amber! Just 'cause you can't feel the fire, doesn't mean you're not actually on fire!"

"I'll be fine. Call me back when you're finished with him."

Before the footage cut out, her expression sent ice running through my veins. Eyes directed a tad to the left of me.

"Bucky…?" Valeriy called out, making me flinch.

"…I've angered your friend."

"Huh? Oh! A project just has her irritated." Her fingers buried into my hair. Her other arm wrapping around my shoulders. "…And she can be damn scary when she's annoyed. She won't hurt you either. Worse comes to worse, hide behind me."

"Chanelle tried that and Amber tickled the poor girl around you."

"To be fair, I hold no loyalties to that two-faced thief, and she was using me as a meat shield… and there are very few things in this world that I'm willing to stand in Amber's way for."

"…I'm not going to hide behind you," I muttered, leaning my forehead against her.

"Hey, I make a pretty good meat shield. I'm worth more alive than dead, and I'm not all that durable."

"That's not reassuring in the least."

Valeriy rolled her eyes and pulled me closer to her. "Amber's not going to hurt you, Bucky. She's not violent. She might tickle you though. If she's bored enough. That's all you have to remember when it comes to her irritated mood."

"If you don't…. How do you deal with your anger?" I asked.

Maybe if I knew what to expect….

"Mostly speed down trails and trying to break my records? Changing over to climbing though…. A bit safer? Neither really helps. Just end up more pissed when I don't break the records…."

That wasn't something I wanted to hear for a few reasons.

"That comes after some flying objects and screaming at people."

That explained the broken mug, which an attempt had been made to clean it. She missed a few pieces.

'I should pick those up before she steps on them.'

"Okay, I don't throw things at… bystanders…? And I don't yell at the wrong person either."

'Here they go.'

Another argument.

"Is that so. I recalled being yelled at quite often."

"That's 'cause you bloody piss me off quite often. A fucking chunk of the shit I have to deal with is no thanks to you."

"…I guess it can be seen that way. A good portion of the messes I have to clean up is due to you, young lady."

"Oi! Don't lump me in with the rest of the family. They'll always have you as a safety net."

"Oh that hurt. That's not something I have control over."

"Oh really now? Eve can't sway something her way? Do you think me so damn dumb? You – Sorry. Enough temper tantrums for a day…."

I hummed in agreement.

Valeriy's head tipped to the side, resting against mine. She huffed out a breath. "How are you feeling?"

I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm fine…. Will you be out for dinner?"

From how the past hour had gone, I'd be surprised to see her before tomorrow.

"I don't think… I don't kno – Oh, what the hell. I'll find the time. We shall dinner and you'll dart me, or I'll be spending the rest of the fucking night working with Amber."

Her hand quickly moved back and forth on my head, making a mess of my hair.

"And you better bloody dart me. I could use the sleep."

With a limp in her stride, she ran for her room.

"It's the three of us again," I said to Ixie and Zephyr.

"Not like I'm right here."

"…How does a long run on the perimeter sound?" I asked the two of them.

Ixie barked. tail wagging.

Zephyr was already halfway to the door.

"Fine, go where I can't follow."

.**.

AN:

And now we know what's going through Bucky's head when he, as Eve puts it, breaks. ^^

Feedback is very much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and or gave a favourited. They really make my day. ^^

A thank you to Tinsela and the Anonymous Fifth Beta for beta-ing this chapter. ^^

I hope you've enjoyed Mosaic thus far. I'd love to get feedback on what you think since it's a goal of mine to try and drag people into feeling what the characters are. ^^