A Place for You & Me ・Bucky Barnes

dark january

January comes and the new year is cold as ever. James and Sam were at the cusp of capturing Karli until their plans were thwarted by John Walker. They had no choice but to abandon the mission for the time being. James came back a few days after the new year. 

~

Birds are heard chirping, stirring Zoe out of her sleep. She rolls over and rests her head on James' chest. He was already awake, but was enjoying the quiet morning. He plants a kiss on her forehead as a way of saying 'good morning.' Atlas is at the foot of the bed, patiently waiting for his breakfast. Zoe yawns and stretches, getting up for the day. After feeding Atlas, she gets herself ready for the day. Since James has been back, he has been mainly staying at her place since he doesn't know when he'll be called back. He makes her coffee as she is getting ready. After pouring her cup he hears an audible cry from her bathroom. He goes to the door.

"Zoe, you okay?"

Silence is heard, then a sharp cry. She opens the door, tears flooding from her eyes. He grabs her and holds her, feeling her body shake. 

"What's going on? Talk to me."

"Mama V.. she's.. gone." Zoe then wails and falls to the floor, James holds her there. Her body continues to shake and she weeps. He holds her closely, rubbing her back. 

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," is all he could think to say. He couldn't believe it. 

~

A funeral is held and James attends with Zoe. She gives a small speech and spends the rest of the day in grieving. Knowing the family was going to bury Mama V in the same cemetery as her father and sister, Zoe decided to skip that portion of the ceremony. Because of the tragic loss, Zoe made the decision to close the dance school for the time being. 

January was always a hard time for Zoe since the sun went down early, but this year was by far the worst January she had experienced. James was with her every step of the way, supporting her in every way he could. He made sure she had meals to graze on throughout the day, even if she said she wasn't hungry. James even watched Youtube videos on how to take care of black hair without Zoe knowing, and he helped condition and detangle her mess of curls. No words could express the joy she felt knowing Bucky had put in extra effort to take care of her (cuz honey, black haircare is a whole process). On the days she felt like staying home, he made sure to take her out somewhere, even if they only stayed a few minutes. 

~ 

A week passes and Zoe has mostly gotten back to herself. She took time to grieve Mama V, but ultimately opens the dance school back up. She thought it wouldn't be fair to the students for the school to close when Mama V taught Zoe all that she knew. Of course, James was very supportive of it and so was the family of Mama V. 

Through it all, Zoe thanked James countless times for supporting and comforting her.  Every day was a fight with anxiety and depression as she worked through the loss of her dear friend.