broken love // b. barnes

chapter eleven

more spice this chapter, read at your own risk!!

this was a pretty long chapter, so i split it into two different chapters. the update for the second part will come soon!

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they were all walking down the relatively quiet streets of madripoor, and the evening sun was hung low in the sky. there was an orange glow leaking out over the rooftops from the sunset, and the temperature was warm, making elaine feel nostalgic for the late nights brought upon by summer.

zemo had stopped the car awhile back, and they were now walking the rest of the way to sharon's place on foot. bucky took to the back while sharon and elaine walked at the front. zemo was next to sam, who kept a close eye on him the entire time; though it seemed zemo wasn't looking to make his grand escape anytime soon. it was clear his intentions were in line with theirs, as he could've easily driven away the moment he set nagel's lab on fire.

sharon's place finally came into sight, the tower standing tall in the dying light and looking much bigger now that they could see it more clearly.

everyone shuffled inside and walked up to sharon's office. sharon went straight to her bar and poured herself a glass of wine.

"can i have one?" elaine asked. sharon nodded and pulled out a second glass, pouring the wine then handing it to elaine. elaine accepted it gratefully.

bucky walked over to the couch and sat down with a low groan, rubbing his eyes as he lounged back. elaine walked over and sat across from him, crossing one leg over the other as she stared at him expectantly.

"what happened in there?" she asked. bucky's blue eyes were unwavering as he stared at her. "the flagsmashers found the serum nagel was recreating. they stole it, which is why they're so strong." he paused to cross his arms, while elaine took another sip of her wine. his eyes tracked her every movement, eyes darkening as he watched her tongue swipe out over her bottom lip to catch the excess wine on it.

"we got a name." bucky looked to sharon. "nagel said he was contacted by someone named 'karli' to help someone sick named donya madani." bucky said. he looked at her curiously.

"anyone have a clue who that is?" sam asked, eyes moving over everyone. they all shrugged, including sharon. "we can ask around tomorrow. there's a camp not far from here." sharon said. sam nodded. "feel free to stay another night." she said, before excusing herself from the room.

"i have a place not far from here, incase we need to stay here any longer." zemo spoke up, looking at sam and bucky. sam sighed and shook his head. it was easy to forget zemo was still rich after coming from prison. "of course you do."

"i'm going for a walk. i'll be back before it gets too late." elaine announced to everyone, ignoring the suspicious look sam sent her. she stood up and walked out the door, noticing the way bucky stood up soon after her.

she could feel his presence behind her, and when she went to go down the staircase, she felt a hand clamp around her forearm. bucky pulled her off to the side, free from sam's wandering gaze as he looked down at her.

his hand reached up towards her cheek, but elaine shrugged him off, ignoring the hurt look in his eyes. "no, bucky." she said quietly. he was staring at her in silence. elaine brushed past him, walking out the front doors and onto the streets. she was getting whiplash from the mixed signal's he was sending her. she needed a break.

the air was significantly cooler as she stepped outside, and the sky had darkened with grey clouds. she could feel a breeze had picked up, but she welcomed the chill.

elaine took out her knife and twirled it around between her fingers like she always saw bucky doing, as she raised her face to stare at the sky. madripoor was much quieter than new york, even with it being a city. there wasn't the usual people shouting and cars honking.