Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

xliv. 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

LANDING IN an empty field near the small town in Bucharest, Evelyn had the jet autopilot itself back to headquarters as she stepped off of it. Staring at it going, Evelyn pulled her hood over her head as she placed sunglasses on her face. She walked briskly toward the apartment where she had told Bucky to go. Walking through the market, she kept her head low as she noticed a stand full of fruits. Without realizing it, she migrated toward the plums, struggling to figure out what to say.

"Cât costă?"

(How much?)

The man behind the counter told her the amount, and she bit her lip knowing her money was in her bag she had left for Bucky to bring to Romania. She shook her head at the man at the realization she had no money on her.

"Mi-am uitat portofelul," she said with an apologetic expression.

(Forgot my wallet.)

The man smiled at her, picking up three to put them in a small bag. "Gratuit. Sa ai o zi minunata," he said as he handed them to her.

(Free. Have a wonderful day.)

"Mulțumesc," she replied with a polite smile.

(Thank you.)

Rushing off, she made it to the apartment complex in no time. She knew this one was one of the smaller rooms she had rented due to the fact that Bucharest was hard to find anything that was any bigger and still considered hiding with who she was. Once she made it up the stairs, she knocked gently on the door of the room he was supposed to be in.

No answer.

She did not expect anything less.

Looking down at all of the stairs she just climbed, Evelyn really just wanted to sit down. She knocked again and added, "James," to which the door opened immediately as she was pulled inside.

As the door slammed shut, Evelyn was pushed against it. Her eyes went to his blue ones as she let her gaze flicker to the metal arm keeping her in place. "It's just me. Evelyn Vanna Stark." Bucky's eyes moved quickly as he searched her own eyes. "Hey, I brought your favorite."

She held up the bag, and Bucky finally dropped his metal arm and let her go. He backed away slowly. "I'm sorry. I've been nervous alone."

Evelyn nodded. "I came back as soon as I could."

"What happened to your face?" he asked her quietly as she walked into the dusty apartment. She placed the bag on the counter.

Evelyn turned to face him, taking in his frame. He wore jeans and a tanktop, showing he had been sleeping or had just woken up. She bit her lip as she neared him, hesitating as she looked up at him. "Can I hug you?" she asked quietly, not wanting to move to fast since she had been gone for a few days. Bucky stared at her before nodding. She wrapped her arms around him, sighing out in relief as she breathed in Bucky's familiar scent. Her forehead rested on his chest as his arms wrapped around her. "Fought robots. Exploded Sokovia."

Bucky let out a breathy laugh. "Is that all?" he said as he let his chin rest on the top of her head.

"I helped create an android called Vision. Met twins with special abilities. One died," she revealed. "The Hulk is gone. Thor went home. Steve," she heard him suck in air quickly. "Steve misses you so much. He knows I'm with you."

"You told him?"

"He figured it out."

Bucky kissed her head once before letting her go. "You should go lie down. Rest."

"What about you?" she asked softly, her doe eyes gazing up at him. He resisted the urge to kiss her. "C-Can you come lie with me?"

Bucky hesitated before nodding. She walked to the small bed, glad it seemed big enough for the pair. She noticed the ruffled sheets, so she fixed them before kicking off her shoes and leather jacket. Yawning once, she laid down with a smile to Bucky. He awkwardly laid beside her before finally growing comfortable enough to put his arm around her waist.

"What did Steve say?"

"He just wanted you to be safe... happy. He's wants to talk to you," Evelyn admitted. "Maybe you could—"

"Maybe," he cut her off. "Sleep, Lyn."

Evelyn turned to face his chest, moving to rest her head on it. Looking up, she kissed the exposed skin of his neck. "Thank you for being here," she whispered as her eyes closed.

Bucky's lips twitched as he said, "I'm not going anywhere, doll."

In the next few days, Bucky and Evelyn found a routine again. This time, Evelyn was talking to Tony and Steve a lot more due to the fact that she had missed them over the year of running around with Bucky. She even spoke to Wanda to keep the woman close since she knew Wanda felt alone without her brother.

Bucky had been writing a lot more than normal in his small book. She caught him looking at the photo of Steve dressed as Captain America more often than not. Sitting by his side, she reached over to her phone. Evelyn opened the messages to show Bucky Steve's most recent conversation with her, which explained about the nightmare he had about the train and losing Bucky. Bucky shut his eyes after reading it before asking her to tell him not to hold guilt for that.

Evelyn paused before saying, "Why don't you tell him?"

"I can't, Lyn," Bucky growled out, standing and stalking off to the bathroom—really the only place for privacy in the small apartment. She sighed, resting her head in her hand as she thought of a way to get Bucky out of the mood he was in. She disliked when he grew angry at himself, which caused him to get angry at her. She heard a smash inside of the bathroom, so she stood with a sigh and walked over to the door.

Knocking once, she whispered, "I'm sorry, James. I didn't mean to make you frustrated with me. I'll drop it."

The door opened, and Bucky walked out with a glare. "I'm frustrated with myself, Evelyn. God, you don't know what it's like," he snarled. "It's like he's still in there!"

"Who?"

"The Winter Soldier," Bucky said with narrowed eyes. "He's clawing his way out. Wanting to go back to Hydra. Wanting to protect you all the same. It's a constant battle just to stay fucking sane!"

Evelyn kept her voice steady. "Okay," she said. "Just... I won't talk about Steve anymore. Okay? It's just you and me here. You and I, James."

Bucky nodded, gripping his hair before letting it go roughly. He stepped away from Evelyn. "I need a walk."

He stormed off, and Evelyn rested her head on the wall as the door slammed after he grabbed his jacket, gloves, and hat.

Sliding her back down the wall, she sat on the floor as she grabbed her phone. Dialing Steve, she closed her eyes. She kept her voice steady as he answered, not wanting him to know anything was wrong. She just needed someone to talk to.