Lost + Found [Bucky Barnes] ✓

Chapter 30

After twenty minutes of zigzagging around the streets of Athens, Bucky turns onto a small residential side street lined with cars and comes to a stop. There's an old man on the corner smoking a cigarette, but - besides him - the neighborhood is completely empty. Across the street, a garage area is gated off with a few chairs are clustered under the veranda next to it, and each level of the surrounding buildings have some sort of balcony jutting out from each level of the residences. I'm not sure if they're houses or apartments, but I see a laundry line hanging from the railing of one of the balconies. That, coupled with the purr of an air conditioner, tells me that they aren't as empty as they seem.

Bucky hops off the scooter first, forcing me to relinquish my steadying grip around his waist, and I hurry to follow him. He heads straight to the corner of the street, checking around the building carefully, before turning and heading back toward the main road.

"Where are we going?" I ask, wincing as I jog to keep up with him.

He glances back at me, slowing his pace ever-so-slightly, before pointing ahead, "There's a bus station up there. We need to get out of the city."

Frowning, I grit my teeth and press my hand against the side of my abdomen. A warm, sticky substance coats my fingers, my muscles quaking against the pressure, and I pull my hand back to see the crimson stain of blood covering my palm. The woman managed to squeeze off a shot back at the Square, but it only grazed my waist. I know enough about medicine to know that I'm not in any danger, so I pull my adjust my jacket carefully to cover the wet spot growing on my navy t-shirt, and follow after Bucky.

Several lanes of traffic separate us from the other side, with cars zooming down the street with little regard for safety. Part of me is worried Bucky might have us cross here - jumping the barriers and dodging cars like Frogger - but he turns to the left, and I spot a large walkway bridging the highway. Stairs spiral up one side, where only a few pedestrians linger, and he eagerly bounds up the steps two at a time.

My lungs are burning from effort, and my side feels like a thousand knives are pressing into my skin, but I push on after him. Soon, we've crossed to the other side of the road and enter the bus station. KTEL Kiffisou is swarming with people, most of whom are lined up against the sprinkling of shops waiting for their buses to arrive. Bucky beelines for the information office, keeping his head down and his hat pulled tightly over his eyes, before speaking to the ticketing agent.

"δύο εισιτήρια για την Πάτρα," he tells her, keeping his voice low.

The woman sighs, clearly loving her job, and asks, "τι ώρα?"

"πρώτη διαθέσιμη," Bucky replies, sliding a fifty euro note toward her. "κράτα τα ρέστα."

She smiles, her eyes suddenly bright, and punches in a few buttons on her computer. Soon enough, she slides two freshly-printed tickets toward Bucky while eagerly taking his cash.

"14:00," she says in Greek, pointing toward the clock.

It's 1:50PM now, so Bucky smiles and nods before muttering his thanks in Greek. He turns to me, pressing his right hand against the small of my back, and guides me away from the office.

"You speak Greek?" I ask quietly.

He nods, "We're going to pretend that you do too, so just smile and nod. When we get to the bus, I want you to laugh like I told you a joke. Let me do the talking."

There's nothing I can do to argue with him, so I don't. Instead, we head straight for the bus and I smile and nod like we're enjoying a conversation in hushed tones. Bucky's deep voice is softer than usual as he speaks to me in Greek, and - even though I have no idea what he's saying - I love the way it sounds. When we approach the driver, his blue eyes meet mine and he gives me a miniscule nod before murmuring another phrase. He chuckles, keeping his face turned to mine as he hands the tickets to the driver, and I let out a nervous laugh.

Soon enough, we've boarded the bus and selected our seats. I take the window, leaning my head against the glass, while Bucky glances around at our fellow passengers before settling into his aisle seat. His metal arm is pressed against my right side, his hand tucked into his pocket to keep it hidden, and I grimace as he accidentally bumps my wound.

Sucking in a breath, I sit upright and adjust ever-so-slightly while Bucky turns to look at me.

"You okay?" He asks softly.

I nod, forcing a weak grin, "Yeah. I think my whole body is covered in bruises though." 

He watches me closely, and I can feel his blue eyes analyzing my face. He's so perceptive, I know there's a chance that he knows something is wrong, but if he doesn't then he doesn't show it. Instead, his blue eyes look tired as the corner of his mouth curls up in a small smile. 

"It's going to be okay, Chloe," he assures me. "Just get some rest." 

*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE

Comment + vote! 

I wanna see all of the comments (all of them!) because Lost + Found is now ranking in Fanfiction! That means, aside from my newest books (fragile and the Marvel one-shots), all of my books have ranked on Wattpad! 

Thank you so much for that! I never expected this to happen, and I'm so thankful for all of your love, reads, and support. 

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