The Grey Raven // Bucky X Oc (Discontinued For Now)

⠂Chapter 4⠐ |Astrid|

“Not the time,” I say swiftly, cutting my dad off. He shuts his mouth and gives a curt nod. I glance at the side-view mirror, watching Bucky sit silently, his eyes focused ahead of us. For a second he glances at the mirror, right at me, before looking up again.

Daniel pulls off the road at a well-known dock many people used for swimming. What looks like most of the small town is huddled together in a cluster, many of them looking out across the river. Even before the truck is completely stopped I open the door and hop out. Bucky drops down silently beside me, his body heat drawing me toward him.

I shake out of it and walk over to the shore, looking out as well. “How did they even manage to get out here?” I mutter. My eyes land on the cluster of rocks across the river. We used to jump off those.

I glance around, ignoring the curious gazes from people I used to know. “Where was it?” I murmur to myself. I squint further down the bank before jogging down, pausing at a familiar tree stump sitting next to the water.

“Trid! What are you doing?” someone shouts.

I freeze, my breath coming out of my lungs quickly. My hands clench against my sides but I refuse to turn around.

“Chris. Let her be,” I hear my dad call.

“Nah. Fuck that,” Chris says.

“Who’s he?” Bucky asks, coming to stand next to me.

“An old friend,” I say darkly.

The sand shifts as Chris loses his balance slightly, sliding down the bank. “What the hell are you trying to do?” he asks, his tone, as usual, accusatory.

I take a deep breath to center myself before turning around and facing him. “I’m trying to do what you failed to,” I snap.

“By doing what? Swimming across? I’ve tried that already,” Chris spits. He gives Bucky a wary look before trying to ignore him.

“Obviously you don’t remember how we got across every summer,” I say, my voice now calm.

Chris frowns, confused. “I didn’t swim often,” he says tightly.

I stare at him for a moment. “Oh. That’s right. You were scared of swimming anywhere where you couldn’t reach the bottom,” I say innocently, blinking excessively at him.

He gets a sour but embarrassed look on his face as his eyes shift. “So what are you planning on doing?” he asks, sounding less accusatory than before.

“I’m gonna swim across and use the path to get up to the rocks,” I say simply.

“Logan! No!” someone shouts.

Chris’ head whips around quickly. “Logan! Stay where you are!” he yells frantically.

I watch him and then realize, “Logan? Your oldest?” I ask, looking at the rocks again to find flashlight beams on a small boy trying to climb up them.

“Yes. Logan and Aiden are over there,” Chris responds, still sounding a bit frantic.

“Your son and nephew,” I comment quietly. I turn to Bucky. “Stay here. I’ll tell you if I need any help.”

He looks down at me. “Don’t hurt yourself,” he says finally.

“I won’t,” I respond. I turn back to face the dark, flowing body of water before quickly removing my boots and socks. “This is gonna be cold,” I mutter. Stealing myself I quickly pull off my sweater and sweatpants.

“Twinkie…” Bucky says slowly, seeming uncertain.

“I need some of my clothing to be dry when I get back,” I say simply, still facing the water. “Just don’t think about it. Like you used to,” I whisper to myself, my eyes closing. My body starts shivering from the cold air against all my exposed skin which is the last little push I need before quickly walking into the water.