The day had glided by them so fast neither could grasp the reigns. From Bucky's morning working out that he gave into, to Wanda strumming away at her guitar. Both of them rattled with the image from this morning. When Bucky was running, his head phones blaring in his ears, there wasn't one piece of him listening to the words. The soldier's mind weighed down with thoughts of the witch. How something so small changed and he ended up in her bed last night. Usually he was strong and independent, he hadn't felt an ounce of himself crave closeness to another person since long before Hydra took over his mind. Part of him understood why at first she was running from it, he kind of did too, but there was something about Wanda in particular. How she understood his mind, his past. With Wanda he didn't really feel alone inside, this was somethin he felt even before the war. Part of him always knew she was special.
They filled the day apart from one another which they both needed. By the time the evening rolled around a freshly showered soldier walked into the kitchen with a slight grin. Wanda was standing in front of the stove stirring something, she was still in her nightgown which made Bucky chuckle. "Pajamas still?"
Wanda didn't turn around but she did smile, "We're on vacation aren't we?" She peered over her shoulder and gave him a side eye which sent shivers down his spine. "Do you like shchi?"
The soldier's smile widened, "Um...yeah." He walked closer to the counter and leaned on it, peering over to see what was in the pot. "Did you make it?"
"Mhmm," Wanda nodded, stirring more, "I like to cook...it makes me feel, real."
"I know the feeling." He sighed, elbows digging into the marble, "Sometimes I feel like I'm not in my head."
"I'd feel like that too if Hydra brainwashed me." She looked over at him again, this time with a teasing smile. "Little things that people do, cooking, cleaning, playing the guitar..." She tapped the spoon on the pot, "Make's me forget I'm different."
"Well, it smells wonderful." He pushed away from the counter and walked toward the fridge, pulling on the door, and grabbing two bottles of sparkling water. "And I haven't eaten that since I was young."
"Bon apatite." It sounded funny with her accent, which made him smile even more.
After dinner Bucky loaded the dishwasher as Wanda treated herself to a long hot bubble bath. It was odd to have such a normal day, but as he leaned back against the couch and clicked on the large television his mind wandered to Steve. How he really got to live a normal life with Peggy and seemed like a happy and grateful man because of it. After that thought he grabbed his phone, dialed a familiar number, and pressed it to his ear. It rang a couple times before a soothing and familiar voice greeted him.
"Hey...yeah I know...listen, can we do lunch tomorrow? I need some advice...yeah yeah...listen I'll never live that down...I really appreciate it. Thank you...yeah...you too...bye." Calmness flowed through him as he set the phone back unto the coffee table.
After a long bath Wanda brushed her hair and crawled into bed, she didn't think about what Bucky was doing, she simply was ready to sleep in again. Hoping tonight would be nightmare-free she hugged a pillow close and sighed. Part of her wanted him to come into the room and join her, to hold her throughout the night again, but she wouldn't ask. Although she was strong, she knew that being shy was something she could house easily. It wasn't long until she felt herself drifting off into sleep, but then the nightmares came as easily as before. Things passed by her eyes so fast she didn't have time to make sense of any of it. In an attempt to focus her thoughts she jolted awake, turning quickly at the clock and seeing she had only been asleep for about twenty minutes, something that felt like hours.
After pulling her robe on again she headed down toward the lounge. There she found the television on, the news dancing across the screen. There were businesses that were just now re-opening, schools that planned make-up proms, a couple missing people. Bucky was sitting with his feet kicked up on the long sectional couch. "Isn't there anything better on?" She walked around and sat beside him, leaving just a bit of space between them.
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Red Winter: Aftermath
FanfictionLove and loss. Two very strong emotions that the world was feeling with the aftermath of the war. The world was healing, which was hard to do when so much happiness was flowing through their hearts. Those who had disappeared were home again, but the...
