Attachment Theory - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 28: let it out and let it in

How's the girlfriend situation?

Better. Took ur advice and we're spending more quality time together. Thx btw. I forget how much I love her when things get hella busy.

No problem, dude! I'm glad you took my advice.

How's ur boy?

He's good.

So far.

When r u back?

Dunno yet.

She closes the app and keeps texting Sapphire, who has been sending her dumb memes all morning. Alice tried showing Bucky one after his shower, but he didn't get it and kept asking if she knew the person in the picture. Maybe Sam will appreciate it.

Bucky reads the paper -- actually, it's more like he's struggling with the paper. She hears soft, but frustrated sighs as he reads and looks up occasionally to see his brow furrowed as he takes another bite of his breakfast.

"I don't understand half the stuff they're talking about in here," he mumbles after a few minutes. "I feel like I need a whole reference book to get all of this."

"What do you mean?"

He looks up at her with a raised eyebrow and an incredulous look. Alice chuckles.

"Okay, aside from the fact that you've been frozen for 70 years, what are you having trouble with?"

"What's Twitter?"

Alice shakes her head.

"You don't want to know."

"Facebook?" He asks. "Am I saying that right? I feel like I'm not saying that right."

"You're saying it right," she laughs.

"That name doesn't make sense."

"Facebook is where old out of touch people go to yell about things they hate."

"Sounds like I'd fit in there."

"God, I hope not," Alice mutters.

Bucky sighs and keeps reading, asking small contextual questions while he pours over articles. Alice does her best to answer his questions. It must be so overwhelming, she thinks, to have to catch up on years of history and world events all at once. Bucky is doing his best trying to digest things that don't make a lot of sense to him while simultaneously trying to find his own roots. It's admirable. Alice thinks he's the bravest person she's ever met.

Sam and Steve stroll into the kitchen and Alice smiles at them. Steve smiles back. This one actually reaches his eyes. Alice no longer senses the same tension between them.

"Morning, boys," she announces.

Bucky looks behind him and gives them both a small nod before returning to his dissection of the article he's reading. Steve pats Alice on the shoulder as he passes and murmurs a soft good morning. Sam pours himself a cup of coffee and jumps onto the counter while Steve munches on an apple.

"Did Bruce come by your room this morning?" He asks. "I saw him wandering around when I left the gym."

Bucky nods.

"Next session is Friday," he says softly.

Steve nods.

"Is there anything to do around here?" Alice asks.

"Tons," Steve replies. "There's always something to do around here."

"Something that isn't Avengers-related," Alice chuckles.