HYDRA has already locked away one secret - the infamous assassin, the Winter Soldier.
But what about it's other secret? An underwater base, stationed in the middle of the most feared area of the ocean, the Bermuda Triangle. There, HYDRA conceals it...
Tania inhales slowly, an attempt to calm herself. "Okay," she tells him. "I feel just tired... My head still hurts."
Bucky nods in understanding. "Yeah, I know those headaches are pretty stubborn." Then, after a moment, an idea crosses him. The smallest of smiles begins to form on his face.
"Do you like tea?"
Tania looks at him, taken by surprise at the questions seeming irrelevancy. "I-I don't remember tea," she admits softly.
"Well, how about I make you some?" he suggests, standing up slowly. "There's a specific kind of tea that always helps with my headaches. I'd like to make it for you... if you'd let me."
Bucky extends his hand to help Tania up, to which, after a small smile, she accepts. He gently brings her into a standing position, where his hand continues to linger in hers.
"... That sounds nice," Tania says after a moment. She is the one to break the grasp of hands between the two, but Bucky doesn't mind - it took him a long time to get used to any contact after his time with HYDRA, and he still doesn't like it very much. He knows he should be careful with giving Tania space, but at the same time, all he wants to do is hold her hand, rub her back, and tell her that it's okay to feel everything she is feeling, and that Bucky knows how it feels and still feels it to this day. But, he knows he can't do this.
Instead, Bucky makes her tea. Ginger tea, to be exact.
Tania watches from the barstool as Bucky begins making the tea. Heating the water on the stove, searching for the packets of tea, then finally depositing it in and waiting for it to finish. No one has ever made Tania tea before, so she can't help but feel slightly shy at the attention. When Bucky places the steaming cup in front of her, she looks down and mutters a soft, "thank you."
Bucky smiles at her. "No problem... I hope you'll like it. It always seems to help me."
Tania gives a gentle smile as she encircles the mug with her hands, feeling the warmth begin to calm her. She carefully brings the mug to her lips, taking a small sip with her lips parted. The warm tea feels wonderful as it cascades down her throat, and she smiles.
"I like tea," she says, looking at Bucky and smiling.
Bucky smiles happily, then looks away, as if feeling shy all of a sudden. Slowly, the smile fades, and his expression grows almost solemn.
"Is everything alright?" Tania questions, then takes another sip of tea.
Bucky looks back up, clears his throat quietly. "Yeah... yeah, it is, I just, uh..." He sighs, and Tania sees him loosen a bit. "Basically all my life has been the past seventy years is hurting people, so... it feels odd to see someone smiling at me, I guess... Like, really, happy smiling."
Tania looks down shyly, the hints of a smile still toying at her lips. "... I suppose it will surprise you when I say you have been the first person to make me smile like that in a very long time."
Bucky looks up sharply, taken aback by Tania's words. He gapes at her for a moment before smiling gently, exhaling through his nose, almost as if laughing. A rosy color comes to his cheeks, and he hopes that Tania can't see it.
"That surprises me a lot," he admits. "I'm... just really glad I can make you smile. You deserve to smile after, you know... everything."
"... You deserve to smile, too," Tania tells him. "I like when you smile, it's very sweet."
Bucky doesn't know how to respond, so he simply looks down to the ground, his blush making his entire face feel warm. "Thank you," he mutters shyly, after a moment. He isn't sure what's making him so shy with being complimented - Steve told him he used to be such a flirt. Now, it's as if he doesn't know what to say if someone compliments him, and certainly doesn't know how to compliment someone else. And apparently, to Tania, all this is very noticeable.
"You get shy, you blush, when I say your smile is sweet," she blatantly points out, smirking.
Of course, this only makes Bucky blush even more and get even shier. "Thanks for pointing it out," he says softly, looking down.
Tania lets out a slight laugh, taking another sip of the warm tea. She smiles at Bucky. Bucky smiles at her. All is well...
For now.
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