Wings, Metal, and Frost

Inhale

"Is that all?" He finally asked when she was done. 

"You just need to follow orders and stay on task," Karli said. 

"Are we done here?" 

"As long as you keep this plan a secret, yes." 

Henry's face softened to a false sentimental expression that almost had Karli fooled. "As always, sweetheart." 

~

As Henry walked out of the alley and disappeared into the streets of New York, he pulled out his phone and typed up a message to his boss in Madripoor. 

This is her plan...

____

~Brooklyn, 6:30 pm~

When they returned home, Ellie was the first to shower while Bucky made a sandwich. He wolfed it down, then made two more. One for him and one for Ellie. Ellie walked out of the bathroom wearing one of Bucky's t-shirts. It was big enough on her to look like a nightgown, though it barely reached the top of her knees so she wore shorts underneath. Bucky snorted at her appearance. Ellie entered the kitchen and helped herself to the sandwich Bucky had made for her. 

"It's a good look, you should wear that out sometime, doll," Bucky commented. 

"Oh yeah?" Ellie laughed. 

Bucky nodded with a smile and finished his second sandwich before he headed to the shower. Ellie finished her sandwich and sat on the living room couch. She rested her back against the armrest and stretched her legs across the cushions. It felt good to be back in the apartment. Even if it was for a short buffer time while they waited for their next move. Their mission had suddenly become a slow game of chess after what John Walker had done. 

Ten minutes later, Bucky had exited the bathroom and Ellie was a few pages into a new sudoku puzzle book. Ellie started completing sudoku puzzles in 2010 after she saw one on Tony's coffee table and it piqued her interest. She had been solving puzzles and math problems since she was 15. She assumed the knack for equations and numbers came from her father, as she would sit with him at the dinner table as he filled out accounting papers from the bank. Eventually, he allowed her to help him with the quick addition and maybe if she didn't freeze everything she touched, he could have gotten her a job at the bank as a teller. Ellie couldn't do much alone in her house other than be remarkably intelligent when it came to numbers, riddles, and other quick-thinking activities. If she were more eloquently spoken without a stutter she might have won a radio quiz show if she wanted to. 

Bucky joined her on the couch and lifted her legs to rest them on his lap. Bucky let out a relaxed sigh as he leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Ellie glanced up from her sudoku, filled in a number, then closed the book and set it on the coffee table in front of them. 

"While we're here I think we should have a debrief," she said.

Bucky's forehead crinkled and he peeked one eye open to look at her. 

"About what?" He asked. 

"Everything we haven't talked about yet," Ellie explained. "I think it occurred to the both of us that we aren't great at communicating some things." 

"Like what? You talking to Reed?" Bucky fully opened his eyes and Ellie raised her brows in challenge. 

"Or you letting Zemo out of jail without consulting Sam and I," she said. 

Bucky paused and nodded once. "Touche." 

"You first," Ellie offered.

"Okay," Bucky breathed in. "Were you ever going to tell me about the arm?"