A Birdie Lost in Time | Bucky Barnes

|21|

"Okay," he nodded, drawing himself another. "Now, we can show each other our cards to see who wins."

She nodded, turning her cards over for him to see.

"My twenty beats your seventeen, sorry," he shrugged, looking up at her with that smile.

"Again."

And so, they played, again and again.

She liked the speed of this one, it kept her focused and calculating, deciding whether the risk was worth taking or not. It reminded her of the missions she'd been on, of drafting plans—but not just for Hydra.

With Sam, and Steve, and the blond woman. And now she thought there was a brunette woman as well. Or maybe she had reddish hair, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that there was another woman who she would see occasionally, her words tilted in an accent similar to the Russian, but not quite the same.

The Russian...

She pulled her thoughts away, focusing on the twenty-one she had in her hand.

"Flip?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, before dropping her cards and watching him with a look of victory.

"You're beatin' me at my own game," he shook his head, though his face wasn't upset. "How many hands is that now? Cause maybe we should go back to Go Fish so I have a chance at winning..."

Suddenly she had a memory, of laughter with Sam, while Steve watched them with a tired look.

"I have a game we can play," she offered.

"Alright," he cocked a brow, "what is this game?"

"I am not sure of the name, but we need to stand up."

He gave her a confused look, but conceded, stepping off the bed and she did the same.

She held the cards in her hand, moving—shuffling—the way the Soldat had.

Was it necessary to shuffle them?

She wasn't sure, but he had done it for both games they'd played, so she could only assume she should.

"What's the objective?" he asked, echoing her words.

She felt enjoyment rise in her chest—no, that wasn't the word... she was... excited. Not quite as excited as Doctor Green, but excited, nonetheless. Although she tried to tamp it down, not wanting to spoil the game.

"Ptichka?" he asked, voice light with a smile on his face.

She tried not to stifle at the name, instead holding tight to her excitement and looking at the Soldat dead in the eye before taking the cards into one hand and bending them into an arch.

"To pick up the cards," she said, before letting the cards jump from her hand. They flew into the air around them, dropping like leaves off a tree and she couldn't help the smile that came to her face at the sight of his.

He looked at her in amused confusion, head tilting as laughter escaped his throat.

The last of the cards dropped, and she felt her smile widen.

He is enjoying it.

So was she.

Her breath hitched, and a sound she hadn't heard before escaped her.

Her laugh.

She didn't have time to be stunned; she enjoyed it too much. It felt good—especially after the night and morning she had—and as the giggles didn't cease, she found herself leaning against the bed, a hand pressed to her tummy as she looked from the cards to Bucky.