Wings, Metal, and Frost

Lying Is Not Most Fun

Ellie soon realized that she should have made her own coffee when she saw that Zemo had taken Sam's statement literally. Not everyone knows what a person means when they say they'll have their coffee with ice, and Ellie didn't blame Zemo when he handed her a cup with hot coffee and 5 ice cubes. Sam thought it was funny and Ellie had to admit, it was a little funny. She didn't bother to correct Zemo because it really didn't matter, and besides, he was already plopping himself down on his couch to rest. 

There was a small island bar located between the kitchen and living room. Sam and Ellie drifted naturally to that bar and took a seat next to each other as if they were at a small cafe in New York. Sam tried the coffee and was impressed at the taste of the perfect brew; Zemo was one for surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant. Ellie dared to try her own cup of coffee and her face twisted into a look of distaste. It was a fine cup of coffee, but the ice cubes at the top had started to melt, creating a cold layer of watered-down coffee on top of the hot coffee. Sam couldn't contain his quiet laughter and Ellie set down her cup, having enough humor to smile as well. Their laughter died down and Ellie kept her eyes on her cup of coffee. 

"Bucky and I don't always do that," Ellie broke the silence and Sam raised his brows. "That little... argument, I guess, that we had back at Sharon's place was not normal. We usually come to a peaceful agreement without the fighting." 

Sam hummed another laugh at her words. "You know I was giving you shit, right? I know you and Bucky don't argue, and I wouldn't even call that an argument." 

Ellie looked up from her cup with a furrowed brow. "What was it then?" 

"A passionate disagreement," Sam made up a term. "And it's okay to not agree on everything. It's not gonna kill you. To be honest, I almost took Bucky's side before you came up with your compromise." 

Ellie gave Sam a baffled look. Sam was about to agree with Bucky that she should stay behind while they go into action. Ellie felt offended. Did both of them think that she was not capable of shaking off an injury? She was an Avenger for crying out loud, if anyone could walk it off it was her. She was just as capable as Bucky and Sam, she didn't need to be told by two men that she couldn't join them. Sam analyzed the facial expressions that washed over Ellie and he chuckled again with a shake of his head. 

"You're overconfident sometimes, you know that?" He stated. 

"How do you mean?" Ellie questioned. 

"I think you have the wrong idea about why Buck wanted you to stay behind," Sam explained. "I want you to realize that hours before your disagreement, we had watched while Sharon pulled a bullet from your torso. Bucky held your hand while you screamed in pain and fell unconscious right in front of him with your blood on you, your shirt, the table, and his hands." 

Ellie's mouth fell slightly open and she let out a breath. What had happened after they arrived at Sharon's place was a blur to Ellie, she remembered bits and pieces of it because her eyes were closed for most of the duration. She remembered the pain, the chaos, squeezing Bucky's hand, and his voice. In her fuzzy memory, she only screamed once. Maybe it was more than once. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the experience wasn't just scary for her, it was terrifying for Bucky. In Ellie's mind, she had an inkling that she might survive it, there was a fight happening inside her to keep her alive and she knew it. For Bucky, every moment that went by was the possible moment that Ellie could be gone. 

Ellie dropped her head in her hands with a guilty groan. "I'm so stupid..." 

"No, you're not," Sam argued. "You're just tough on yourself and don't know when to slow down. Bucky wants you to be safe. He loves you, a lot, and he'll do anything he can to make sure he doesn't lose you."