Winter Sun •Soldiers Series• [Bucky Barnes/Avengers] *Sequel to Soldiers*

Chapter 3: Promise?

I'm more than grateful to see Pepper and Natasha once we've arrived at the Tower. Sam has gone off somewhere and unsurprisingly, Tony has disappeared into his garage. "How are you, Lottie?" Pepper gushes and pulls me into her perfumed hug. I flutter my eyes close briefly in comfort, before leaning back to glance over her features.

"I'm feeling better." I smile at her, noting the bags under her eyes. "What about you?"

Natasha nudges Pepper knowingly as the woman gazes at the staircase that leads to Tony's garage. "Could be better," she mutters, the atmosphere thickens with bitterness from her words.

There is clearly something going on between Pepper and Tony, but Natasha is determined to make me feel welcomed and at ease. Instantly, she leads me over to the kitchen, where Pepper has previously prepared tea for my arrival. 

I cannot be more thankful for the mug of warm tea between my palms. I take a sip gingerly, savouring the assuring sensation in my mouth. Pepper smiles in satisfaction at the sight of me before excusing herself to some company's business, leaving Natasha and I alone in the kitchen for the sake of peacefulness. "The boys will be back soon," the Black Widow remarks, catching the glimpse of weariness in my eyes. "Don't you worry, Lottie."

I keep my silence. It's not very difficult for her to see that I am not pleased with Bucky's choice. "Nothing's ever going to change, is it?" I mutter, feeling the emptiness in my voice.

"Not for us, honey," Natasha heaves a sigh and gazes in distance over the rim of her mug, "Not for us." We stand noiselessly in the kitchen, shoulder by shoulder. Each of us too occupied in thoughts to break the silence, until Natasha opts to interrupt the griming atmosphere, "By the way, my name is Jennifer Crouch now. I'm undercover and all that. Oh, and I'm supposed to be French, too."

Natasha winks and speaks the last bit with a heavy French accent. I chuckle, "Please let me call you Nat. You're so not a Jennifer."

We're having a good laugh when the elevator's door slides open with a ring. Natasha's eyes light up immediately as she almost skids over to the elevator. "So, you survive, Barton," the Black Widow jokes and embraces her best friend generously. The corner of my lips lift in spite of the heart-warming scene, but when Steve steps out from behind Barton, my limps freeze. 

Captain glances around mindlessly, a confident smile accompanies his face. Then, next to him, Bucky comes in sight and joins the scene. My eyes are transfixed on him. I take in his features and outline, my heart kicking away as I realise he is safe and whole. Till now, I let out of a breath that I haven't noticed I had been holding. "You boys are efficient," Natasha complimented with a smirk, "Fury will be proud."

Grinning through the dirts on his face, Steve claps Natasha's shoulder and explains, "Hydra's been hasty these days. Especially since what's happened a few days ago." Steve's words echo in my head quietly, triggering flashes of memories; of when I was facing my own death in order to prevent Bucky's; of when I was just falling through the air, plucking into an unknown darkness.

"Lottie."

His voice snaps me back to reality. I look up, only to see Bucky locking gaze on me. His eyes glint with determination, and I know that all along, he is the anchor in me. He walks towards me steadily, his footsteps firm but quiet, like how he has always been trained to do. A legendary assassin he is.

I don't speak. I honestly think my voice is lost in me in this confusing moment. I am angry and frustrated at Bucky, but as my love approaches me, I watch the grin on his face grows. Something tugs at my chest, and my breath is taken away.

Once Bucky is near enough, he lands his hands on my waist. Gently, he lowers his head to look into my eyes, searching for the love that he so often finds in me. "Hello, doll," he greets softly, so no one but only me can hear it.

Reaching up, I trace a finger along the side of his face. Bucky closes his eyes in comfort and leans into my touch. "I've miss you, sweetheart," Bucky whispers, a smile playing at his lips. Undoubtedly, Bucky has changed much since I first met him. According to Steve, Bucky is more his own self now. Although sometimes there are still shadows of the Winter Soldier in him, but Bucky is recovering. 

"You were gone again," I decide to say. I keep my tone neutral as I draw my finger over the new scar on his cheek lightly. "And you didn't even tell me."

Sensing the darkened glints in my eyes, Bucky panics visibly and holds my hand. "I'm sorry, Lottie. You've just waken up and I didn't want to worry you." With his eyes on me, Bucky watches my expression tentatively as he brings my hand to his lips. 

"I know I'm being selfish," I say under my breath. Behind us, all of our friends have somehow disappeared. God knows where they are. "But I can't bear the thought of you risking your life again. I can't let anything happen to you, Buck."

Bucky touches my knuckles with his lips tenderly and gazes into my eyes. I stare at this man that I love with the whole of my heart. I realise I can never stay mad at him long. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you earlier on. But I just gotta go rid of this Hydra base with Steve. I gotta show them that it ain't wise to mess with my best girl. Look what they've done to you." Bucky leans back, his hands rubbing my arms before pulling me near him. I sigh in surrender and press my forehead against his chest. His heart beats against my mind, and I pretend it is the rhythm of mine as well. "I will destroy every Hydra base that we can get our hands on. I'm gonna-"

His voice turns a shade darker and colder as he hisses his vows. The haunting ghost of Winter Soldier hovers around me, causing a shudder in me. "It's okay, Bucky," I say quickly, laying a hand on his chest and feel him relax against me at once. "But please, don't do anything rash or dangerous because of me." Before Bucky can say anything else, I level gaze with him and cup his face so he cannot look away. "Promise me?"

Pausing, he ponders for a moment or two. Then, giving in, he sighs and gives a quick peck on my lips. "I promise, princess."

I grin at the smiling soldier. Even though my chest still feels heavy, I think I can sleep through the night thinking everything will settle back to normal again. 

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Well, this is a little build up chapter to my next one. I'm going to dig deeper into Bucky and Lottie's relationship, as well as some other characters' back stories as well:) Next chapter is going to have a lot of Bucky's fluff, so stay tune!:D x