The ghosts we hide (Winter Soldier x OC)

Fifty two

"Ok, cool." The kid nods, giving me a grin as his wide chocolate eyes take in my eager expression.

"Hey! Peter!"

We both turn to look as someone Peter's age waves from a few metres away, trotting towards us. The kid smiles at the guy, raising his arm to wave back before he falters, instead turning to me. A question burns in his mildly worried gaze, obviously unsure whether it's safe to introduce me to people or not.

I shrug, giving him a nod to show it's ok.

No normal person should recognise me, only the trained eyes of Hydra spies that could be lurking anywhere. I'm too good at my job to ever have had my photo captured on CCTV.

I was, I correct myself.

I don't do that anymore.

"Hey Rick, how's it going?" Peter greets the boy.

He's shorter than the kid by about a foot, roughly my height, with a round face and excitable eyes. He and Peter meet in a weird side hug that I assume most youths of today find normal, before stepping apart again. I'm aware of the boy - Rick - staring at me with surprise.

"This is Nyx." Peter says quickly, introducing me with a nervous smile. "I met her.. uhh... at the Stark internship."

I give Rick a nod, scanning his figure briefly before looking away. Instead, my eyes find a hunched figure by the railing to our left, looking out over the water.

The boy seems satisfied enough at Peter's explanation as they both jump immediately into conversation about some form of school competition coming up. I only listen with one ear, the rest of my focus on the man.

"I'll be right back." I say absently, lightly touching Peter's arm to gain his attention. I don't wait for his reply before drifting away, not wanting to interrupt their discussion further.

"Dude, what happened to MJ?" I hear as I drift off, two pairs of eyes following me.

I don't quite catch the kid's reply, but it doesn't matter, I'll ask him about it later. I want to know who this MJ person is.

Bucky doesn't look up as I settle myself against the railing at his side, though his inclined head shows he's acknowledged a presence beside him. His blue gaze stays set on the New York City skyline, tracing the jagged edge with his eyes. A light mist fills the air as he breathes, clouding the air momentarily before dissipating into the October chill.

I wrap my coat tighter around myself, defending my body from the polar weather.

"Hi."

Bucky seems startled by my words, his gaze snapping up to meet mine. To be fair to him, the people around us seem to have no sense of personal space, so I can't be disappointed that he didn't realise it was me.

A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he scans me, cerulean eyes cast into shadow by the black cap on his head.

"Hey."

I can feel the heartbeat pick up slightly in my chest though there's no reason for it. I offer him a grin in return, looping my arms over the metal railings and letting my hands hang in mid air. My shoulder flares up at the movement but I ignore it, forcing the pain to the back of my mind as usual.

In Hydra, you're lucky to get more than a few hours off duty before being forced to function normally again. This is nothing I'm not used to.

"The kid looks happy." Bucky remarks, eyes to his left.

I peer over his broad shoulder to catch sight of Peter as he talks animatedly with Rick. My gaze slides back to the super soldier as he turns to look out over the water once more, face set in a neutral frown.

"You don't." I chuckle, watching as his frown deepens for a moment.

He shrugs then, seeming to convince his face to lighten. "People."

I chuckle quietly, rubbing my hands together against the nipping breeze. I envy Bucky's thick leather gloves, even if they're only there to prevent people seeing that one of his palms lacks flesh. Despite him being pardoned, I don't doubt there would be mass hysteria if anyone realised that they were sharing a ferry with the Winter Soldier.

Good thing most humans are rather oblivious.

"So you hate everyone?" I ask, a teasing smile on my lips despite my heart still pulsing faster than it needs to.

Blue eyes scan my pale face with purpose, taking in every inch of skin.

"There are exceptions."

I look away momentarily, trying to hide my burning cheeks.

The image of the other night as I sat wrapped in his muscular arms invades my thoughts, consuming space in my brain until there's room for nothing else. I find his gaze again, his ocean eyes watching me with curiosity.

That only makes my heart beat faster.

His eyes seem to dare me to say something, and I feel like I should too, but my tongue remains still in my mouth, unsure of what words to utter. I'm not usually at a loss for words, yet it happens more frequently than I'd like around the super soldier.

Our gazes burn into each other for a long moment.

"Nyx!"

I break eye contact immediately, secretly glad for the excuse as I turn to see Peter beckoning me over, his friend gone.

I glance briefly back at Bucky, offering him a brief smile in the place of unsaid words before I walk back to Peter. I try to calm my now thundering heart, annoyed at myself for my lack of self control.

It doesn't help that the super soldier's eyes follow me the whole way.