THE FADING FALLEN ● Bucky Barnes X OC ● 18+ ● ENGLISH [COMPLETE]

Chapter 5

Tony cashed in a nod or two in agreement, as none of them could comprehend why they were getting to see her toes.

"He's a little weird about it, but he's kinda right..." Clint took a sip of his beer and looked at Emilia.

She could only smirk suspiciously in response and began to move her fingers lightly.

Slowly, the branches of the tree began to grow, rustling and crackling. They literally snaked through the air towards the group.

"By Hellheim's gods!" exclaimed Thor as he saw the tree vines coming closer and closer. Steve and Bruce, unlike the others, did not flinch at the sight.

While Agent Hill and Dr. Cho also stiffened a bit, Natasha too watched the scene in a relaxed manner.

She knew about Emilia's skills and recently offered to train with her.

The offer was more than accepted. Although she was relatively slim, she lacked stamina. A few more muscles could never hurt - especially as part of the Avengers.

As the thin but strong branches wrapped around the leather handle, Emilia tried to lift Mjölnir with her mind.

But she was unable to do so, no matter how hard she concentrated. She didn't want to harm the tree and decided to let it be.

"Well, it seems I won't be the next ruler of Asgard."

Emilia let the tree grow back to its origin in a few seconds and looked at some incredulous faces in front of her. She couldn't help but grin.

At the sight of this small group of extraordinary humans - and a god - she felt something familiar.

They were talking, drinking, laughing, and acting like it was the most normal thing in the world.

The feeling of family spread through her and she enjoyed it.

The smile on her lips faded when, out of nowhere, she saw Bucky's face in front of her.

He was sitting in that miserable chair in which he had been tortured more than once. Alone, lost, and robbed of everything that made him human.

There was no question that deep inside him, somewhere, was still his old life. His dreams and memories proved it.

She thought she detected something else in those crystal clear blue eyes as well. What it was, though, she simply couldn't say. The only thing for sure was that this something made her nervous. Not in an unpleasant way. More in a curious and expectant one.

For a moment, she thought back if among the many screams that echoed through the corridors of the old bank building was one or two belonging to him.

Before she let herself get too wrapped up in the idea, she glanced over at Steve, who was talking to Bruce.

'Steve is the only family he has left ...'

Maybe Bucky hadn't lost everything.

Constantly, in her mind, she went over all she knew of him. Every little detail, every piece of information.

The reason was what preoccupied her far more often than anything else: as if in continuous loop, the moment when she could not help him played before her eyes.

It frustrated her that he was still out there somewhere and didn't want to be found. Her research did bring up some leads, but they all came to nothing.

The soldier from the 40s, of whom no one knew for sure whether he was actually still somewhere in the unpredictable and ice-cold fighting machine, worried most of the Avengers.

So did the sudden shrill sound that boomed through the Tower, followed by the mechanical voice of a slightly different fighting machine named Ultron.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or I was a-dream."

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