Hallowed (B. Barnes)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Bucky glances down at the file on himself that sits between him and Sydney on the bed, she's gone through the whole thing, absorbing all the information inside, finding out about the real him and everything he's done. And yet she is still sat there. Still here with him. He honestly has no idea what he has done to deserve her. Because of his past, nothing he has done even gets close to making him worthy of someone like her. He raises an eyebrow at her and she nods, finished with the file. He picks it up and climbs from the bed.

"So you think that people might come because of who you were?" she asks, he nods and sets his file on the dresser. "Because you were this...Winter Soldier guy?"

"Yeah, definitely" He answers and turns back to her. "I...thought that...when you...." he lets out a breath. She knows what he is trying to say, she understands now how he must have felt seeing her all bloody and bullet filled. That he feared his past had come right back to get him, by getting her.

"So we plan" she offers and pats the bed, he joins her. "Escape plans and stuff....that way, if it happens....we'll be ready" he leans closer to her and kisses her.

"God, I love you" he whispers against her lips before he pulls back. "But I already did that when I moved in here" he admits, she gives him a look. "We're good" he assures her. "I got us covered"

"Are you going to enlighten me?" she teases. "Or will it just be a surprise if it happens?" he chuckles and shrugs.

"Everyone loves surprises" he teases and kisses her nose.

"Not everyone" she counters. "Plus, you know, I'm fast enough to just....zip us out of here" she adds, he raises an eyebrow, she nods back at him.

"Show me," He tells her. She sighs a little and then nods. He's asking questions. He's curious. This is a good sign. She moves, at vamp-speed, pinning him to the bed and displaying her vampire face, hissing down at him. Bucky stares up at her. She seems to pause a little, realising that she might just freak him out.

"Was that too much?" She asks him.

"No" he assures her, his eyes tracing her face, she then rears back and frowns, shifting her hips slightly.

"Are you...." She cocks her head pulling back slightly. "Seriously turned on right now?" Bucky actually pauses to think about it before he nods.

"Yeah" he admits. "Yeah, I am..."

"Is it the veins or the fangs?" she asks him.

"It's you....with the fangs....and the veins..." he sighs a little. "It's really hot..." she shakes her head and leans closer to him.

"You're such a dork" she whispers warmly against his lips, he shrugs a little and pulls her closer to kiss her.

"You love this dork" he teases against her lips, she nods and lets out a soft breath. Because she really does love him. He strokes her arm as she snuggles into his neck. He smiles to himself. This is all he wants. Her. A life with her.

.........

Halloween is not Sydney or Bucky's favourite time of the year. People hiding behind costumes. Lying about who they are. It doesn't sit well with either of them. But their friends are throwing a party and they are going in costume. It's been a month since both of them admitted their secrets, and it's never been better between them. Now that hidden part of them is out there, they have nothing to hide. It's all out there in the open and they are both still in the relationship and it is still going strong. Sydney takes a breath and glances over her shoulder.

"Hey, James, are you ready to go?" Sydney asks as she pulls on her knee-high boots. Her cat costume almost done. She could have gone for the whole vampire thing but she thought it was a little on the nose.

"Yeah, just a second" He shouts back from the bedroom.

"I thought women were supposed to take the longest getting ready" she teases and then stands to look over her boots just as Bucky leaves the bedroom. She raises an eyebrow at him and looks over his costume. It's all black and doesn't remotely resemble anything. "What is that?" she asks him. "You're supposed to be wearing a costume" He smiles at her, revealing fake vampire teeth. Sydney rolls her eyes and sighs a little. "Are you serious?" she asks him, he shrugs and moves towards her.

"Come on.....are you not tingling seeing the fangs?" he manages to get out through the plastic teeth. She laughs and looks at him.

"I am actually totally surprised you are not dressed as a goat" she admits.

"Whoa, hey, you love the goat stuff" she sighs and smiles.

"Yeah, it's grown on me" She admits as he pulls out the fangs and stretches his jaw.

"I just wanted to do something that showed I was okay with the vampire thing...." he admits, she smiles softly at him.

"Yeah?" she asks, he nods. She pulls up the skirt of her dress to show she's wearing one of his thigh knife holsters. He lets out a choked noise and smirks.

"That's the hottest thing I've ever seen" he teases pulling her closer, she chuckles.

"So you know I'm okay with the whole.....reformed assassin thing" She offers him. They share a look. He nods and kisses her forehead. Loves her even more for this. Solidarity among monsters.