Soulmate [B.Barnes]

Twelve- Bucharest

*Eight months later*

It had been months since we escaped from D.C. Still knowing the avengers were hot on our trail, we laid low. Not going out in public unless we had to and only using technology for emergencies. We even paid the landlord in doing odd jobs around the apartment complex. But, of course, rent was only around $150, and we didn't have money. But both of us, being freakishly strong, came to an advantage. 

Notebooks were strewn around the apartment. There only being one small mattress and a couch. Bucky and I took turns until we were comfortable sleeping in the same bed together. That wasn't until three months ago when he had a nightmare and allowed me to calm him down. That was the night we connected. The night he remembered a lot about his past. About me. 

My memories came back a lot sooner. Having tricked Pierce into believing I didn't know anything meant they didn't go to any extra measures to ensure I was wiped. So I had almost everything back by now. Only a few things were still foggy. 

"Come on...Can we please go get some?" I whined, wrapping my arms around Bucky's shoulders as he attempted to flip through the channels on the small tv we had gotten from the elderly lady next door. 

"You know it's not safe, doll." He smiled, giving me a small kiss on my arm. I rolled my eyes, pulling his chin to face me. "Please, Buck. I'll even wear that stupid baseball cap you call a disguise." 

I could see him thinking it over in his head. Looking at me, grinning for a few more seconds before he finally agreed, "Fine. But no talking to anyone else."

"Fine." I jumped up, throwing on my boots and leather jacket. "Does that mean I have to wear the unrecognizable hat and hoodie disguise?"

Bucky laughed, pulling a hat on his head before placing one on mine. Then, straightening it out before kissing my cheek, "Yep. Still have to, doll."

"Fine. Let's go." We walked out of the tiny apartment, locking it behind us as we headed to the market across the street. 

"ce fac ei? sunt bune?" (How are they? Are they good?) Bucky asked the older woman, holding some plums in his hand. 

"sunt coapte. Sunt buni. Desigur!" (They're ripe. They're good. Of course) She replied, smiling at me as Bucky looked them over. I understood it. He was always scared HYDRA would find us. Like burst through our windows in the middle of the night or, in this case, poison food. 

"Sunt coapte. Desigur. Spune-mi despre...." (They're ripe. Of course. Give me about...)

They both exchanged the plums and money as Bucky tapped my leg, giving me the silent signal to look around for any unwanted company. I shook my head when he looked at me. I thanked the woman in Romanian, taking two plums for myself as Bucky took two. Walking back to the apartment was peaceful. We fought for 70 years. Finally, being able to have some food without chaos was nice. It felt...strange. But in a good way. 

"Where'd you learn to speak Romanian?" Bucky asked me, dropping a piece of fruit as a pigeon picked it up. 

"Oh." I tried to think back. Blanking at the memories. "HYDRA, I guess. It just came out."

I opened the door to the apartment, sitting down on the couch as Bucky locked all of the deadbolts. Twelve, to be exact. He sat down beside me, staring at the glitching tv screen I had turned on. Bucky was still a little rusty on technology. I had it mostly down except for phones. I could never get it to do what I wanted, and Bucky's metal fingers can't swipe on them. So we just opted out of that. 

"Have you remembered anything else?" Bucky asked, breaking the silence. 

"Yeah." I shrugged, "Almost everything."

"Everything?"

"Yeah. From my parents and Peggy. From Steve and the war. To you..."

Bucky smirked, "To me?"

"When we first met. When everything changed. When you walked me home. When you....tried to catch me." His smile dropped, making me instantly feel bad for bringing it up. 

"I remember." I looked up at him. "I tried to reach out for you. You were so close. Like if I had bent a little more, our fingers would've touched. But you fell too fast, and Zola-"

"Hey," I touched his arm. "I know. I could hear you. I could hear everything, James. I was still conscious when I fell."

Bucky looked down, "I should've jumped for you. If I had, Zola wouldn't have taken you."

"You can't change the past, Bucky. But you can make sure the future does. For the better."

Bucky smiled again, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as he pulled my body into his. I could feel the heat radiating off of him. Instantly being cooled down by the metal of his arm on the back of my neck. "Bucky...I just wanted to say that-"

He looked down at me, cupping my cheek with his hand. "Buck?" He looked at my lips, pulling the bottom one down slightly with his thumb. Suddenly his hand pulled my head to his. Our lips crashed together for the first time. We had both waited so long for this. 70 years waiting. 

Our lips moved in sync, his hand moving to the back of my neck to keep me in place as his left hand snaked around my waist. Pulling my body into his even more. His tongue delved into my mouth, devouring the inside. 

Then suddenly there was a knock on the door. Startling us both. No one knew who we were or where we lived. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me." I groaned, holding onto Bucky's shoulder. He stood, standing me up too. "I'm sorry, doll. God, you don't know how much." He mumbled. 

"Just stay in the bathroom as we talked about."

"But Bucky I-

"Please. I can't have you getting hurt."

I rolled my eyes, taking out the gun from my waistband. "Yeah. Yeah. On it."

I walked into the small bathroom. Trust me, and small was an understatement. Closing the door, I could hear a second voice other than Bucky. "Steve?" I opened the door seeing the captain himself was standing in our kitchen. 

"Steve?" He snapped around to look at me. I walked over, standing slightly in front of Bucky. I knew Steve probably wouldn't hurt him, but I wanted to be sure. I couldn't have Bucky getting hurt. 

"Your Steve," Bucky spoke, kind of like a question. I knew Bucky didn't remember everything. But most of the time, he would ask things multiple times. Needing to know he was right that he could remember. 

"You two remember me?" Steve asked, placing down a magazine sitting on the countertop. 

"it's coming back in bits and pieces for me," Bucky answered, pulling me a little closer to him. 

"I remember everything."

"What about you, Bucky, do you remember-

"What are you doing here? We haven't done anything." Bucky interrupted, standing in front of me like a pissed-off guard dog. I knew he had a right to be worried, but this was Steve. I knew he wouldn't purposely hurt. Bucky. No matter how much he hurt me in the past. 

"No one said you did." Steve looked out the window. "But there's someone who wants to talk to you two."

"Who? And why?" I questioned. 

"Can you just trust me on this?" Steve asked, earning a skeptical look from me. "That didn't work too well in the past. Did it, Steve?" I pulled Bucky a little bit away from him. 

"Tell us who and why. And we'll think about it." Bucky reasoned. 

"Please, Bucky trust-

"You have to give us a reason to trust you. Knowing you isn't enough. I need a reason. We need a reason."

We both stared at the captain for a moment before he sighed, "Nick Fury. Now that HYDRA is down. he has a...proposition." 

"And what would that be?"

"Joining the Avengers."