Red Star ✴️ Bucky Barnes X Reader

13: Perogies & Plums

The duo had gotten some technology with ease. Shuri looked at them weird when they asked for "the oldest tech with internet you got", but after an awkward exchange about how the two really need to start learning about the Modern world, Bucky and Bowman were able to leave with a basic laptop and flip phone from the early 2000s.

As they approached Bucky's room, he stepped ahead of Bowman so he could reach the door handle before she could. With a smile, he swung the door open.

"Ladies first."

With a smirk, Bowman simply grabbed Bucky by the shoulder and pushed him in his room.

"Hey! What was that for?" He playfully glared.

Bowman simply smirked. "Ladies first."

"Ha-ha, very funny," He shot back sarcastically before sitting on his bed and opening the laptop.

Upon entry, Bowman immediately noticed the couch.

"Hey, where are your couch cushions?" She inquired.

Bucky slapped his forehead. "Ugh. I left them in Steve's room. I'll get them in the morning."

Bowman giggled at the turn of events before sitting next to Bucky on the edge of his bed

"So, Pierogi... Countries... of... orrrriiiiiigin." Bucky spoke aloud as he typed it into Google. Bowman flicked open the flip phone, connecting to the WiFi so she could also do some research of her own.

"So, it seems to be an Eastern European dish, usually associated with Poland." Bucky flipped through a few scenic photos of touristy places around Warsaw.

"What's that?" Bowman asked, pointing at a photo on the screen.

"Looks like a history museum," Bucky answered, clicking on the photo. The website listed several sights around the Warsaw area marked for their historical significance. They were broken into eras, with the longest section being dedicated to World War II and the Holocaust. Bucky scrolled past the whole section.

"Hey, why are you skipping that part?"

"Because that's a time I'd rather not reminisce." He simply responded. Bowman simply nodded in understanding before turning her eyes to the flip phone Shuri had given her. Bowman's eyes glanced between Bucky's screen and her own before focusing her attention on the phone.

It took Bucky a second to realize Bowman was no longer looking at the photos on his computer. "Hey, what're you looking at?" He inquired.

"Well, you didn't want to look at that part of the website." She shrugged. "But I'm curious. I just wanted to see if maybe I recognized something."

Bucky shrugged. "Suit yourself, but I can tell you all that stuff is wayyy before your time. I'd look at anything from the 80s or 90s, since that's probably closer to when you were born."

Bowman nodded, pretending to take his advice, but she continued scrolling through the World War II on her phone.

Bucky returned his eyes to his screen, deciding that if she wasn't going to look at those decades, he probably should. As he read, Bucky plucked something from his pocket and bit into it.

"What're you eating?" Bowman inquired.

Through a half-full mouth, Bucky tried to get out a response that was at least somewhat English.

"Plums."

Bowman giggled. "Where did you get plums?"

"The buffee upthairs." Bucky responded as he continued to chew his bite of food. Bowman simply shook her head while she returned to reading her article.

"Wait a second."

Bucky looked over at her phone screen, swallowing his food before speaking again. "What?"

"This." She simply responded, pointing to an old mental hospital from the 1930s.

Bucky stared at the screen, trying to see what she apparently saw. "What about this?"

"This!" She squealed, pointing at the photo again.

"Yeah, says it's called the Zofiówka Sanatorium... So?"

"I remember it."

Bucky was taken aback. "Wait, what?"

"I remember it!" She repeated.

Bucky merely shook his head. "That can't be right. You sure you're not remembering another vine-covered building?"

"Try it on your computer, I really think I'm onto something here!" She squealed.

Bucky looked at the light illuminating from her eyes. He hated to crush that hope, but knew she wasn't going to let this go. He simply sighed, looked at her phone, then typed the name into his computer to see what would come up.

"Okay, Zofiówka Sanatorium... It was opened in 1908, was a mental health hospital. Then the Germans turned it into a camp of sorts during World War II... After the war..."

Bucky froze as he read the words.

"... It was turned back into a mental health hospital between 1985 and 1998."

The two stared blankly at the words, their brains refusing to properly process that information.

"Wait, scroll down, what does that say?"

Bucky read over the next paragraph. "It was a rehab center for children and teens affected by drug abuse."

The two sat there in silence, piecing it together.

"So... I'm from Poland."

"Probably."

"And I had a drug addiction?"

Bucky looked back at the screen, double checking the paragraph before giving an answer. "Possibly?"

Bowman looked back at the screen in astonishment. "Then how'd I end up in Siberia?'

"I think that's a memory you're going to have to unlock for yourself." Bucky shrugged. "There isn't really a good way to Google 'how to get kidnapped by Hydra'."

He hoped the joke would lighten her mood, but she simply sat there, a blank slate for her face. She lifted her knees to her chest, pondering.

"Are you okay?"

Bucky had asked her this question several times now, but this was the first time she had an easy answer.

"I don't know."

Bucky pursed his lips, understanding the lost place she found herself in. "Well, it's a step in the right direction. We know where you're from, and where you've been, that's a start!"

Bowman continued staring off into space, the gears in her brain clicking louder than Bucky's words. "Do you think we'd be able to see a patient list from the sanatorium?"

"Why do you ask?"

Bowman turned to look at Bucky, which somehow snapped her back to reality.

"No reason." She responded curtly, quickly getting up from Bucky's bed and pocketing her flip phone.

"Thank you, so much, for just... Helping me. I appreciate it." She strained a smile, wrapping her hands around one of his and giving it a light shake. Without another word, she turned and left the room, making sure to close Bucky's door as softly as possible.

Bucky sighed. He knew she had a lot to think about, and that it was probably for the best that she did it alone.