(2) Behind the Line: Battlefield || Bucky B. [✔]

xxii : Nowhere

.: BATTLEFIELD :.

You woke up in the middle of the dark with your back on a soft surface. There were grunts followed by heavy agonizing soughs coming from beside you. It got louder and louder each time until you were finally conscious enough to understand what was going on. "You're okay?" The mattress creaked from the slight movements of the figure next to you. "Winter." You reached for his arm but a strong force gripped your wrist.

All the noises disappeared.

"Nightmare?" You asked in a soft tone. He answered with a simple nod you could barely see in the dark.

With your free hand, you cupped his face and gently caressed him. You noticed how the beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead to his chin.

Slowly, the grip around your wrist loosened as you feel his breathing steadied.

"I killed them ...." He said in a whisper.

You warmly embraced him into a hug as empathy welled in your chest.

It's been a few days past a couple of weeks since you escaped from Vaughn. Surprisingly, he hadn't found you in Bucharest. It seemed that Bucky chose good hiding.

You had been staying in a small abandoned old house. Bed, shower, toilet, they were left behind in a decent condition. There were leaks on the ceiling but it was still holding up. With some touch up here and there, it should be well.

You looked at the window in the corner of your eyes and you could see the sky slowly changing color. The sky that was once colored in dark blue turned brighter as each second passed. The light slowly crept inside the room, basking it with fade sunlight.

~xXx~

You walked out of the bathroom with a towel in your hand. "I'm going to look for work." You said to the brunette man who was sitting on a kitchen cabinet while biting deep into a fresh plum. "Get ready, Winter. You know we have to find more money." You said. "We can't keep selling our stuff."

"Here. Eat some." Bucky took another plum from a plastic bag beside him and threw it at your direction. Without any struggle, you caught it easily. "Heard it's good for memory, so I bought some." He said when he saw your puzzled expression.

You bit the fruit. It was fresh and watery with hints of sweet and sour. The plum crunched as you gnaw on it. "Not bad." You smiled at Bucky and he returned the smile to you.

"By the way," he took something from behind his back. A book. "I found this in my bag. It was covered by a fabric, sewn to the bottom." He explained.

"What is it about?" You asked him curiously.

"I've only read the first few pages. I think it's a journal. It said, my name is Bucky. James Bucky Barnes." He answered.

You wonder how could he be so sure? It could belong to anybody, right?

"There are photos of us." He said as if he could read your mind.

"So ... we knew each other personally?" You questioned him. All this time you thought you were just partners under Vaughn. That's all you could remember. Well, but once again, there wasn't much you could remember though.

"I suppose," Bucky answered shortly. "I was wondering if we could read it together later tonight."

You looked at him in the eyes. Those beautiful eyes. How can you resist? "Sure. It's not like I have anything to do anyway."

~xXx~

By the end of the day, well, more like evening actually, you didn't get any job. You stopped at a public park and sat on a bench. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes.

It was as if all hope was lost. Now that you had escaped, what could you do? Was it pointless? This whole runaway ... was it pointless?

You had nowhere to go and you had no money. It's like the world's against you.

Suddenly you felt a presence coming closer to you. Your body tensed up. It stopped right in front of you and you could it's gaze piercing right at you.

Slowly, you opened your eyes. A man with dark hair and pale skin was standing there. He was more on the skinny side. "Are you alright, ma'am?" He asked in flawless Romanian.

"Y-yes." You answered with the same language.

"You look tired and down. Are you sure?" He asked again with concern clearly written on his face.

"I had a rather bad day." You smiled bitterly. "I couldn't find a single job for me to work."

"You've got ... financial problem?" He rechecked your words.

You simply nodded. "I ... ran away from home and I really need some money."

"Oh, you ran away with ... your boyfriend?" The stranger asked in curiosity.

"Yes ...." You confirmed.

The man suddenly handed you a paper bag. "Here." You looked at it dumbfoundedly. "It's just a couple of pizza slices." He sat down next to you.

"I can't take it. It's yours." You shooked your head. But he insisted and didn't pull his arm back. You have no other choice but gave in to his persistence. He's a determined one I tell you that. "Thank you." You said before you started digging in.

It was really delicious. The savory taste of pizza pleasuring your tongue. It was the best thing you had eaten for the past few days since you had to push your living cost to the minimum. You slowly began to feel drowsy, perhaps from the now full stomach. You were about to, once again, thank the man. But before you got to do it, you suddenly fell asleep.

.: BATTLEFIELD :.

Three months, huh? Sorry for the veryyyyy slow update 😔 School is keeping me busy and it's hard to find inspiration in the middle of everything. But, thank you for reading this far. This book has almost 2K and it's all thanks to you fellas! Love Ya 😉

Yours,
Elirara ❤