peace [bucky barnes]

9

The next couple of days passed by in a blissful blur for Eden.

She had called Penny the minute she was out of Bucky's sight, relaying the night's events in ecstatic squeals and exclamations of disbelief while Penny listened in awe. She couldn't be happier for Eden, clutching her phone to her ear with the hugest smile on her face in a rare moment of stunned silence.

Eden had gone home practically floating, the anxieties that had weighed her down the last few days completely forgotten as she greeted a slightly miffed and hungry Saffy. As she was portioning a hefty dinner for her, her phone buzzed on the counter, lighting up with a text.

<B> are you home safe?

She collapsed into childlike giggles, grin permanently burned onto her face as she typed out an immediate response and also text Penny a quick screenshot.

<E> Yes thank you Bucky :) I had such a good time, thank you again x

She'd barely put her phone down when it lit up with his name again, alongside a string of random capital letters and emojis from Penny in reply.

<B> good. i did too :). when can i see you again?

After that, Eden had offered to cook dinner for him at the weekend, not wanting to seem too eager by asking to see him the very next day (despite how badly she wanted to). He agreed straight away, the prospect of a home cooked meal appealing greatly to him after living off takeout and cereal for the last few months.

That was how Eden found herself at 6pm on a Saturday trying to chop onions and peppers with shaking hands, nausea settled in her stomach as she glanced nervously at the clock every few seconds. She was hunched over her kitchen counter, Taylor Swift blasting from the record player atop the cabinet beside her front door, trying to hum along to the songs while simultaneously avoiding chopping off the tip of her finger, swallowing her anxiety as best she could.

Saffy was sprawled out on her back on the balcony, the sliding glass door opened to give her access, basking in the last remnants of sunshine that fell on the apartment as the day came to a close. Eden couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her, the golden glow of the setting sun lighting up her orange fur, arms outstretched above her head on the concrete. The scene soothed her nerves slightly, though not enough to stop her hands from trembling, so she decided to give up on the chopping for the time being.

She wiped her hands on a dishtowel, letting out a sigh as she picked up her phone and rested her elbows on the counter. Chewing on her lip, she dialled Penny's number, foot tapping on the floor with impatience as she waited for her to pick up.

"Hey, Ed, you okay?" Penny answered after a few rings, at which point Eden almost hung up out of frustration.

"No, Penny, I'm not. Far from it."

"Eden, come on." Penny's tone was clear even over the phone, image of her deadpan face popping into Eden's mind. "You sat with this man for four hours the other night and have been texting him since and you still haven't run out of things to say. What could be bad about this?"

Eden shook her head, brain overrun with awkward and dangerous problems, most of which were not exactly rational. "He could be a murderer? Could tie me up in my apartment and kill me?"

"In the high likelihood that does happen, I know his name and we have all of his details on file, so he would be caught immediately," Penny replied, biting back laughter as she heard Eden tut. "I know that isn't great for you, because you'll be dead, but at least we'll catch him."

"Hilarious, Pen, thanks." Eden rolled her eyes, resting her chin in her palm. "What if things are awkward and we run out of stuff to talk about? What if he hates my cooking? What if I don't like him as much as I did the other day and just want him to leave? What if-"