in which keela blake reunites with an old lover of hers and dives head first into chaos.
fem!oc
tfatws
highest: #1 in thefalcon
: #2 in supersoldier
: #4 in tfatws
SAM HAD STATED that he wants to go visit Isaiah Bradley and listen to his side of the story of his time as a hero. He had also specifically said that he wanted to go alone in order to avoid the risk of an argument taking place. Keela didn't protest once she had heard this, allowing him to venture off to the neighbourhood alone. She understands that he just wants to grasp a bigger picture to what really happened all those years ago.
Instead, Keela finds herself in Sam's hometown where she lounges around in the house with Sarah and the children. The two women already know each other due to the brunette often visiting the Wilson's, finding hope in her life from the family and feeling happier whenever she's around them in general. They treat Keela as family and that's important to her, especially after she's lost so much already.
The pair currently sit outside of the house on the wooden steps that lead to the front door with their bodies side by side. The sons are running around on the lawn nearby as they play games with each other, toys being sprawled out around them. Sarah and Keela are keeping an eye on them both while managing to balance a conversation of their own.
"How are you doing?" Sarah asks, a genuine question towards her friend.
"I guess." Keela admits with a sigh.
"Want to talk about it? I'm willing to sit down and listen, even if it takes all day." Sarah states.
"I just..." Keela begins before pausing to try find the right words. "I prefer being out and hanging around with the boys because it gets me out of the house and distracts me..."
"There's but, isn't there?" Sarah says, earning a nod in response. "Go on then."
"But during the mission, I've been reminded so many times about my time as the Winter Soldier. It hurts because I want to bury it deep underground, but there's this huge amount of guilt and trauma I get from it still." Keela explains.
"What has the therapist said?" Sarah asks, curious to know if she's been receiving the right treatment.
"Up until our last session, I barely spoke to her." Keela states. "It doesn't matter anyway since Walker stopped Bucky and I from going because he wanted us on his team."
"That idiot." Sarah mutters. "He can't be allowed to do that, surely."
Keela shrugs. "I don't know. The government probably thought he was going to get somewhere with us."
"Look, none of that was your fault." Sarah reminds as she shifts to fully face her friend.
"I still did it." Keela states, voice wavering as tears well up in her eyes.
"And, like I said, it's not your fault because you were brainwashed by those twisted psychopaths." Sarah continues. "Keela, your past doesn't define the woman you are today. We can tell that you're not the same person as you were during that time. You've been so strong through this all, dealing with the trauma and working on yourself. I'm proud of how far you've come."
Keela smiles at the woman as she listens to what is being said, heart warming at the kind words. A few stray tears roll down her cold cheeks as she struggles to fight them back. Sarah's motherly instincts kick in at the sight of this, tugging her sleeve down over her hands before dabbing the tears away. The two only lightly laugh as they realise what she just did.
"Thank you, Sarah." Keela quietly says.
"Now, on a lighter note, what about being with the boys makes you happy?" Sarah asks, trying to move onto another topic.
"Well, Sam has been helping me since the start and you know that he's literally my best friend. He always makes sure that I'm okay and would constantly check up on me, whether I replied to him or not." Keela explains.
"I'm glad you guys know each other otherwise we wouldn't have become friends." Sarah states. "And what about the other one?"
"Bucky." Keela tells her, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips at just his name. "I've known Bucky since childhood. Seeing him again just brings me comfort that I didn't completely lose everyone."
"So you two were close?" Sarah questions.
"Yeah, you can say that." Keela replies. "We were actually, uh... We were in a relationship."
Sarah pauses at the sound of this, her eyes carefully watching her friend. Keela's gaze has dropped down to the ends of her brown as she begins to twirl it around in her finger out of a nervous habit. That's when the woman notices that something else isn't being said aloud — she didn't miss that smile from seconds ago.
"You still have feelings for him, don't you?" Sarah says, almost blurting it out.
"Oh, I— Um..." Keela awkwardly begins, listening to her laugh in response. "Stop! This isn't funny."
"Yes, it is." Sarah replies as she carries on laughing (not in a mean way). "He's really got you falling for him, huh?"
"I mean... I guess you could say that." Keela finally admits. "Honestly, I don't think the feelings ever really left in the first place. I never even tried moving on and I just wanted to know if he was doing any better after multiple news reports coming out about him as the Winter Soldier."
"I get it. Being around him just kind of ignited that." Sarah says, showing her understanding towards the situation. "Why don't you try act on that feeling? Maybe sit him down and talk about everything."
"He's already acted on it." Keela states, pursing her lips as she looks at the shocked reaction in return.
"No way! I'm so happy for you, Keela." Sarah exclaims in excitement, pausing at the sight of her just sitting there. "What's wrong?"
"Well, um... He asked to kiss me so I obviously gave consent, and it was amazing. I thought maybe we would get a chance to talk about it because of this, but Sam and Torres came into the room. And then he kind of just got up and walked away to complete his own little mission. " Keela explains.
"Just give him some time." Sarah tells her, patting her shoulder gently. "He'll come around eventually. Then maybe you'll both sit down and talk this through. Figure things out, you know?"
"Thank you again, Sarah." Keela says as she gives her a smile. "I'm actually glad I've spoken to someone about this because it feels like pressure has been lifted off of my shoulders."
"I'm here anytime, you know that." Sarah reminds, returning the smile. "Just relax for now and make the most of your time here."
The brunette nods in response before leaning forwards and pulling Sarah into a warm hug. The woman doesn't take a moment of hesitation to wrap her arms in response, hand gently rubbing circles into her friends back as a way to provide comfort. Sarah knows everything that Keela's been through, and never once has she judged her for it.
