Țuică | 18+ {Bucky Barnes}

Chapter Seven (Rusted)

Hey loves!
No warning for this chapter.

As always Thank you, Thank you Jesse_Winter_Soldierfor beta reading! 

Bucky sat nervously waiting, watching people as they walked by. His leg bounced up and down as he waited to see that fiery red hair. He caught a glimpse, watching as she walked by the window of the small café; his heart rate picked up. What was that about?

She looked beautiful; her red hair braided rested on her shoulder, a few strands framing her face. Dressed in a simple pair of light-washed jeans, a green shirt, and a cream-colored cardigan, her messenger bag pulled over her shoulder. She smiled brightly when she spotted him, walking over to the table.

"Hey.", she said, sitting down.

"Hey.", he replied breathlessly. Clearing his throat, he stood up, "I'll go order, uh, what would you like? "

"Coffee please, milk and honey. Thank you." She smiled.

Bucky nodded; he walked over to the counter.

Rori watched him; she could sense his nervousness. She didn't need to read him to see it, the way he shifted from foot to foot, the way he stuffed his hands in his pockets, glancing over his shoulder to look at her. He had taken his time to dress in dark jeans and a white shirt with a black bomber jacket. He had shaven, his smooth jaw and cleft chin prominent. Dark ball cap hiding those beautiful steel eyes.

She watched as he walked back with their orders.

Bucky cleared his throat, "Would you mind if we sat outside?" he glanced around.

Rori smiled, nodding, "Yeah, it's a beautiful day anyway." She looked around, noticing there were more people now than we she arrived.

They walked outside together, Bucky grabbing the door allowing her to take the lead. They walked to the furthest small iron table from the door; the tables sat under a large awning. Small vases with wildflowers sat in the middle of the tables; they were small, intimate spaces. Rori sat down with her back to the door. She couldn't help but notice Bucky had maneuvered his chair, so his back was to the brick wall of the building.

Taking a sip of her coffee, "I was surprised to hear from you."

Bucky took a deep breath, "To be honest, I was surprised I called." He took a drink of his black coffee, eyes moving around the small space. "I haven't decided if I trust you or not." He cleared his throat. "But after yesterday, I realized that maybe getting some help wouldn't be bad."

Rori gave him a comforting smile, "I'm not excepting your trust right out of the gate, but I would like to let you know that Steve is the one who hired me to track you down. He knows I found you, but he does not know the location."

He narrowed his eyes, checking her face for any hint of deception, "And why haven't you told him?"

She shrugged, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms, "There is a reason you ran from him. I'm assuming you ran not only from the U.S government and Hydra but also your friend, figuring if you put enough space between you two that he will be safe from you."

Bucky sat back in his chair, staring at her. Who the hell is this woman? "How could you possibly know any of this?"

He watched as she reached forward, grabbing the newspaper on the table, "I know things; it's my job to know the people I am trying to help."

Bucky shook his head, "No, that's not good enough. I want to know how you know these things."

Her sapphire eyes looked at him over the newspaper, "I have a certain gift set that allows me to tap into people's feelings."

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he studied her carefully. "Empath?" he asked.

She nodded, chewing on her lip nervously, waiting to see if he would bolt and disappear. Steve would most likely have an MI. Could that even happen? Would his body heal itself as it was happening? Several moments passed as Rori was lost in thought.

Bucky slid a gun across the table towards Rori. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him then at the gun.

"What's with the gun?" she asked, licking her lips nervously.

"Protection.", he said, simply lifting his coffee cup to his lips.

"Protection? From whom?" She looked around the Cafe, dropping the newspaper she was previously reading on it.

He sighed, putting his cup down crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Me."

She blinked a few times, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"Bucky, I don't believe that you will hurt me."

He looked away from her blue eyes slowly licked his bottom lip before pulling it in with his teeth.

Rori looked him over; she could feel confusion anger; he was afraid.

She put her hand on the newspaper, pulling it towards her, "If it will make you feel better." She discreetly concealed the gun in the paper before sliding it into her bag.

"Thank you.", he said. The relief was flooding off him.

She sat forward, elbows resting on the table, eyeing him curiously. "Why is that important?" A finger gesturing to her bag.

Bucky mimicked her posture, his steel-blue eyes looking into her soft baby blues. "It's a Hydra thing."

He took a deep breath, eyes flickering around the Cafe before continuing, "If my handlers weren't armed, I was required to provide a weapon for them."

Rori took a sharp breath. "You provided a weapon that could be used to put you down potentially?"

He nodded, not breaking eye contact with her.

"How often do you still go in and out?" she asked, pulling her coffee cup to her lips.

"Doesn't happen much anymore; the longer I go without ECT, the more I remember.", he answered, leaning back into the chair.

"Is that why your write everything down?" she asked, looking at the edge of the journal sticking out of his jacket.

He laughed, "Nothing gets past you, huh?" A smile graced his full pink lips. "Yes, I don't know how long I'll be me. I don't want to lose these memories." He fiddled with his thumbs. "Some I wish I could forget."

Rori felt sadness and regret roll off his body, "We don't have to talk about it anymore, Bucky."

He looked up at her, "Why are you doing this? Being so kind to someone like me."

She shrugged, "I told you I'm good at helping people, and I think you're one of those people who deserve my help." She smiled at him. "Thank you for trusting me."

A smirk that would have made her knees weak if she were standing fell upon his face. "Well, I wasn't sure if I should or not. Because you have betrayed Steve by not telling him you found me."

"It's obvious you aren't ready to see him yet. Would you rather I tell him?" she asked.

"No, I'm not ready. The words are still up there." He tapped his temple. "It's not safe to be around me."

Rori smiled, leaning forward. "I'll take my chances."

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-Sif