Please read author's note at bottom.
The sun wasn't even up when Ivy went down to the superstore.
She had woken and gotten dressed in white shorts, a mint green blouse, and a pair of wedges before she hopped into her car and had driven down to the nearest clothing retailer. The ghost seemed to be a large or medium, so she bought three cotton t-shirts and sweaters and pants and threw the bag onto the table beside the ghost. It was quite the funny sight, seeing him curled up under the small, pink sherpa blanket, one hand nestled under his pillow. The entire scene seemed quite innocent.
Ivy tilted her head, her candy pink lips puckering in confusion. Where was his dagger?
She lifted his pillow.
Oh. Not too innocent anymore.
She bit her lip and turned to the kitchen to make breakfast. What, exactly, did he want to eat? Did ghosts (Ivy, despite every instinct in her body screaming at her that he wasn't a ghost, was satisfied with the lie that he was) even need to eat? Maybe he was just eating yesterday as an indulgence.
She settled for cereal and milk, and decided to give him eggs if he decided he felt like it.
Ivy bit her lip as she turned on the TV to finish the Spongebob episode; she hadn't had a chance to do so last night. She sat with her legs crossed on the floor, trying to ignore the fact that the ghost was snoozing right next to her with a dagger under his head and corn flakes on the table.
"Just what is that noise?" A sleepy voice grumbled beside Ivy, and a surprised squeak slipped past her lips as she turned to look into the ghost's glaring blue eyes.
"Uh... Spongebob's laughing," Ivy offered weakly. He responded with a lazy smirk, that, once again, made him look human.
"Want food?"
"I don't know," he responded simply. "Do I need food?"
"Way to be straightforward, Master Oogway," Ivy muttered as Bucky's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What, you don't get it? Everybody's seen Kung Fu Panda."
Once again, the ghost's only response was silence, so Ivy simply sighed and swung her legs around to stand and get him his cereal.
"Here," she said, all but shoving the bowl and spoon into his waiting hands, and he started eating slowly, eyes trained on the TV. He looked like he was about to ask a question, but decided against it.
"What?" Ivy asked, picking a Cheerio out of his bowl. He looked down at her hand.
"Do you always have a tendency to steal food?" he asked.
"Rude," Ivy replied although it was true. He smiled stiffly.
The ghost was lifting the spoon to his mouth when the doorbell rang. Ivy looked at her companion quizzically and quickly hopped out of her seated position to answer.
"Miss Bennett?" the well-dressed man at the door asked formally.
"Yeah. Why?"
"I'm Special Agent Gregory Toole, and I have reports from your neighbor who claims you may have leads on Captain America's attacker. May I please have a look around?
Ivy froze. Why, oh, why did she always end up stuck in these situations with shady guys on her doorstep and insisting they enter her house without her consent?
Giggling in the most ditzy manner possible, Ivy leaned against the doorframe seductively (that is, she prayed she didn't look like a hyena with heat stroke) and batted her lashes over half-lidded eyes.
"Oh, so you want to look around, hm?" she asked girlishly.
Special Agent Gregory Toole obviously caught her flirty undertone because he shifted uncomfortably and poked at his shirt collar as he cleared his throat.
"Er, yes, Miss Bennett. You see, it's imperative that we-"
"You know, Mr. Special Agent Gregory - can I call you Greg?" Ivy said as she lifted her voice on the words 'special agent', "with all this S.H.I.E.L.D. business going around, I haven't been able to look for the metal armed guy." She lifted her voice again at 'look for the metal armed guy'. Fortunately, the ghost seemed to get the picture because she heard scampering up the stairs.
"What was that?"
"Just my dog," Ivy lied smoothly. She twirled her hair around her finger. "But I promise he won't disturb-"
"I believe I need to go now, Miss Bennett," he said abruptly, face reddened. "Thank you for your time."
With that, he scurried away as Ivy's smiled dropped, and she slammed the door.
"Go!" she yelled up the stairs as she leaped to her room.
"What is it?" Bucky asked.
"He'll probably be back with a female agent, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters aren't that far away. We need to run while we can." Ivy threw her clothes into a suitcase. "Did you take the clothes I bought you out of the plastic bags?"
"No," he said hurriedly. "Wait, we? You're coming?"
Ivy paused. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am."
"But why?"
"I work for S.H.I.E.L.D., my friend."
"Up until yesterday, you thought they sold weight-loss pills."
"Nuances. They were still super creepy back then, and they definitely wouldn't hesitate to take me in for questioning if they find me still here."
"Nobody saw you with me."
"That lady did. Her kids did. Anyone looking out their window did. Besides, you'll need my help."
"How?"
"Eh, we'll figure it out later."
Silence again.
With a huff, Ivy bounded downstairs and threw their bags into her car. "Hurry up!"
"Where are my weapons?"
Ivy cursed under her breath as she hopped over the car door and into the kitchen. She kicked open the locked cabinet and fished his knives, guns, and his "What the crap is that?!" out and deposited them into his waiting hands.
The pair climbed into the front seat as Ivy started it up and tried to pull the top up.
"We don't have time," the ghost barked. "Let's go!"
"Well, the thing's not starting!" Ivy growled as she smacked the steering wheel and the gas pedal.
"Just let me drive!"
"You? You're like, ninety!"
The garage went quiet until Ivy spoke up again.
"Yeah, that's right. I looked you up last night, James Buchanan Barnes. I knew you looked familiar. You're Oliver's favorite section in the Captain America exhibit."
"James Buchanan Barnes?"
"Um... yes?" Ivy felt all her bravado melting away. Maybe he wasn't James Buchanan Barnes.
"That's what he called me," Bucky said, eyebrows furrowed and head tilted.
"Huh?"
"The man on the plane."
Ivy stared.
"I'm driving, like it or not."
He was about to respond with what better have been an "okay" when a slamming car door crushed the words in his throat.
"Go."
Ivy didn't need to be told twice. She slammed the gas and sped out of her driveway.
"Hey!" Special Agent Gregory Toole yelled as the car missed him by just a few inches. "She's got him! Carol, follow that car!"
"Where, exactly, are we going?"
"Hydra's lead base," the ghost said, looking behind him.
"Whoa, wait, what?"
"Hold this," he said, shoving all his weapons but one gun into Ivy's lap. With two clean shots, he took out the front two wheels of Gregory and Carol's car and sent the car up in flames and an abrupt halt.
"Holy crap!" Ivy shrieked. "Wait, we're going to Hydra, but you just took out two agents who are chasing us; whose side are you on?"
The ghost tucked the gun back into it's holster with a scowl.
"My own."
And I sing "Hallelujah!" I've finished the chapter!
Okay. So, I'm on vacation in palace where there's no wifi. I'll update when I find any, but updates will probably be slow for the next month or two.
Also, I've mentioned this on my other stories, and I may have already done so on this one, but you can use my OCs if you like. There's a complete list on my profile, and Ivy and Oliver are already on there.
Lastly, the inconsistency with ghost/Bucky is intentional. I'm sure you smarties can figure out why. With the right observation skills, it isn't that hard.
Thanks for reading, and please review!