Leave Me Broken [Winter Soldier] II

These Nights [Chapter 2]

           This rose other concerns, of course, but it was that name that sent chills down Ophelia's spine. Whether or not he was still HYDRA, and she suspected with his track record -and that he was seeking a biological weapon in the first place- that he was in fact still part of HYDRA. Ophelia knew that they were still out there, the Avengers had been seeking out all their hideouts over the last few years. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Her heart sunk knowing that Bucky was right; how could they ever face the real world and show the world who they were when HYDRA would take advantage of them the minute they were exposed. 

                 Despite the hour being late, Ophelia brewed herself a full pot of coffee. It wasn't every night she did this, many she would flop down on the mattress after a long shift at the diner and pass out until Bucky climbed into bed with her. But nights where she didn't work the day, like today, Ophelia never managed to get an hour of sleep until Bucky returned. At first, she would try and sleep, but simply shift uncomfortably until he came home. She had learned quickly just to bide her time and had found a love for books and current events while she waited for Bucky. 

          Her attachment to him was sometimes unhealthy, and so she distanced herself as much as she could so that he did not feel the need to constantly be there, but Bucky needed her too. It was worse in the beginning, after she had suffered through her withdrawal, she never wanted him to leave her side. As she got better, she began to go out on her own, take strolls down the block. Bucky had shown her that Bucharest could be their home. He made her feel safer than anyone in the world had even when he wasn't around. 

              Bucky was a man who needed someone to lean on, and Ophelia was happy to be that person. Some nights she stayed up until the crack of dawn listening to him talk, or would sit there with her arms wrapped around his torso, holding him close so that he knew she wouldn't leave him to fight this on his own. Those were nights that Ophelia adored, despite many of them ending in tears or pain for one or both of them. Getting everything out was healthy, but sometimes those nights drained everything out of her, and she would show up to work with black circles under her bloodshot eyes. Those nights were common at first, and dwindled to a few times a month. They had good nights too, nights where they were swept up in a passion only they could share together. Having a sweet thought burst into her mind brought a much needed smile to Ophelia's pink lips.

              She glanced out the window again and watched the city life; she had gotten used to it after all this time. It actually helped her feel comfortable now, knowing that despite being asleep or settled in for the night, there were always going to be people awake and happy, laughing and loving. There was never a truly dark hour, though she wasn't ignorant enough to believe that only good things happened in the world. People were killed daily, by HYDRA and by each other. The world was grim, but it had an elegant sort of beauty to it when she looked at it in the bigger picture. She liked Bucharest, it had been their home for almost two whole years now, but just like the motel back in Washington, she knew it wouldn't last forever.

             After scanning through the weather report in the paper, Ophelia tossed the paper down on the balcony outside. It landed a top a stack that had accumulated over the last few months. Anything on the Avengers, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, HYDRA files, SHIELD files, people who were different like her. She kept it all even though it sat outside on that balcony collected dust on the hot days, and growing mouldy and musty on the colder, rainier days. Some important clippings she took out, put them inside a journal Bucky had gotten her last November where they would remain in good condition. 

          There wasn't anything she could do to change the way the world was, the part she played in this vast world was certainly small, but she made up a big part in Bucky's life. And he certainly filled a very large void in hers. And yet there was still a void there, one that she knew would only be filled if she was surrounded by the other people she loved. She missed Steve, she missed Sam.