August had left the gala early.
Outside her stone home, the downpour marred the night sky, keeping her from being able to see much of anything across the clearing. She could vaguely see the fire flickering inside Bucky's hut, but that was it- no stars to pine for, no open air to breath in. Just the voracious storm and August's own thoughts.
How dare he. How dare he. She sat just inside her room, her bare feet occasionally getting splashed as water dropped out of the sky and onto her balcony. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, pulled close to her chest, dark eyes still staring out into the stormy night. How dare he drop a bomb on me like this.
It's not fair. None of it. He shouldn't have told me. I wish he hadn't told me.
Overhead, thunder crashed, briefly lighting up their clearing. For just a second she could make out his silhouette on the bed in his hut.
Twenty five years. I've lost twenty five years of my life, and now I'm trapped in a foreign country with only him for company. First he wanted nothing to do with me, and now this? This bipolar, erratic thought out of the blue? How dare he flip flop on me like this?
August's chest rose and fell quickly, the fabric of her gown tightening as she breathed.
That selfish, arrogant, narcissistic-
Lightning slashed the sky, lighting up the field once more. Outside, as the roll of thunder followed, August heard a high-pitched squeal.
Her heart dropped. Not again.
Standing up, she bolted out of her bedroom and down the stairs, tearing open the front door. In her adjacent pond sat a soaking wet, shivering pig, just barely illuminated by the light inside her home.
"Missy!" She yelled, squinting to make out the pigs figure in the low light. "Go home!"
Lightning lit the clearing once more, illuminating the pigs terrified eyes at it stared back at her. Her eyes traveled downwards, seeing the pigs hoof stuck in the soft mud of the pond.
Huffing with annoyance, she stomped over to the pig, the skirts of her fine gown dragging in the mud. August flicked her wrist, gently pushing the pond water to the side, and knelt down. She pulled the pigs hoof out of the hole, the pig backing away from the pond.
"Shoo!" She gestured at the pig. "Congrats, you made me ruin my dress. Now go home!"
The pig whimpered, still staring at her with scared, empty eyes. She rubbed her face, pushing her wet curls away from her eyes. Sighing, August began to march towards Bucky's hut, flicking her wrist to gather the pig up with wind and carry it her with her.
They maneuvered around the large earthen wall, August dropping the pig in the pen and closing the gate.
Again, lightning lit the clearing as she turned, and as she saw Bucky's silhouette watching her from his doorway, she nearly jumped straight out of her skin.
August nearly turned and stormed off, but shook her head as she instead marched over to him. She stopped less than a foot away from him, the rain beating down on her back.
They stared at each other in the darkness. Augusts chest rose and fell quickly, her hands balled into fists at her side, her lip curled as she stared at him. Bucky was completely still, his face unreadable. In the back of her head, she noticed that he had lost his suit jacket at some point, leaving him only in a white button-down and his suit pants.
"Thank you-"
"How dare you," August cut him off. "You bi-polar, selfish, arrogant, asshole."
Her black eyes bore into his dark blue ones, and for just a moment, he could swear that he could just make out the embers of the inferno that ripped and burned underneath her skin.
Bucky's throat visibly tightened as he swallowed a lump.
"Ms. Haze, I'm sorry-"
"You should be fucking sorry. I was finally moving on with the fact that you hated me, finally accepting it, and now this?" August gestured wildly, uncontrolled tiny sparks flinging from her fingertips. "Look around, Barnes. It's just you and I out here! Why must you choose to fucking torment me? Is this a joke to you?"
Bucky, growing frustrated, straightened up. His arms crossed over his chest.
"I was trying to be candid with you, Ms. Haze, and clearly I should have kept my feelings to myself. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Her arms fell to her sides, wet hair matting to her face. "Sorry doesn't cut it! Because now, instead of listening to my radio, or catching up on all the books that have come out in the last twenty-five years, I'm living inside of my head. I'm living up in my brain, every breath I take coincides with a new thought about you. That's not fair."
"So it was better for me to live with it? To burn myself alive just to avoid burdening your thoughts?" Bucky huffed, stepping closer to her. "You need to take a long, hard look in the mirror, Ms. Haze, and ask yourself- which of us is really the selfish one, here?"
She breathed heavily, the two of them practically touching now, chest-to-chest in the pounding rain. Her skin was hot to the touch, the only thing preventing an explosion being her own willpower.
"My name," She growled lowly through gritted teeth. "Is August."
The very thing. She stared at him there, through the downpour, only lit by the fire that burned behind him and the one that burned in her bones. The sensation of his chest rising and falling against hers. His wet hair, dark blue eyes, the way he was just looking at her.
Her breath caught in her throat. She leaned forward, eyes closed tight, her lips meeting his.
Bucky's arms fell around her, his hands gripping her waist, as if he was terrified that she might disappear in his grasp. August's hands gently found him in the lowlight, one resting on his chest, the other snaking upwards behind his neck and into his dark, tangled hair.
He guided her just inside the doorway, gently pinning her against the wall with his body. Her hand left his chest, her touch skimming over his torso, gently undoing the buttons on his shirt and pulling it off of him before pulling Bucky closer.
His body responded, shoulders caving in around her, his human hand snaking farther down her back, gathering the fabric of her skirts.
In a flash, his eyes shot open, and their liplock broke. He stood facing the opposite wall, breathing heavily, holding himself together.
"Go home," He breathed, propping himself up on the wall, still refusing to look at her. "Please."
August felt cold without his touch. She breathed heavily, holding the wall behind her for support, staring at his back.
"Buck..." She whispered, hurt.
"I can't hurt you." His voice cracked. "Please go home."
Tentatively, as if she were in a trance, she crossed the room. Her hand gently found his shoulder.
With his metal arm, Bucky grabbed her by the waist, pushing her against the wall. Her eyes were wide as he stared at her, his face unreadable.
A moment passed, thunder cracking in the distance.
"You could never hurt me." She whispered, gently laying a hand on his tensed abdomen.
"But what if I do?" He asked, his face pained. "August, what if I do?"
"Buck. There is nothing that you could do to me that I wouldn't let you." She could feel his chest rising and falling against hers, the two of them breathing heavily. "I trust you."
"Completely?" He asked, something changing behind his eyes.
August nodded.
"Completely."
After a moment, she leaned forward again. It was different this time- softer, fragile. The heat in her bones had ceased to a splendid warmth, taking over her entire body.
His hands found her waist again, his hips keeping her pinned between his body and the wall. Keeping his human hand around her waist, he gently pulled the band out of her hair and went about undoing her braid. Her damp black curls spilled down her back.
In a quick movement, Bucky picked her up, holding her with his metal hand. She moved with him, her legs wrapping around his waist as his human hand snaked up her skirts.
She gasped into his mouth as his fingertips traced circles on her thighs, lighting her skin ablaze in ways she never thought possible. He broke their kiss, peppering butterfly kisses across her jaw, down the swell of her throat, and onto her chest.
Her hands slipped between her knees and she tugged on the waistband of his suit pants, slowly undoing the buttons as her free hand supported herself on his shoulder. His mouth left her chest, the wet spots growing cold as they met the open air, his lips meeting hers again. As she finished undoing his buttons, her hand found his, and she gently guided his hand up towards the pulsing heat between her thighs.
His fingers slipped into her with ease, pushing his tongue into her mouth as she gasped. After a moment, Bucky gently peeled her off the wall, moving across the small room and setting her on her feet in front of the bed. He stood behind her, quickly undoing the zipper of her gown.
It fell to the floor, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. She undid the clasp herself, turning to face him.
His eyes danced up and down her frame, wide, his lips parted. She stared at him in equal- his unbuttoned pants, defined torso, broad chest, and the distinct line where his metal arm met his human flesh.
Using two fingers, August gently lifted his chin, meeting his wide-eyed gaze.
"August," He breathed, hands falling around her waist, pulling her close. Her bare chest on his, their breathing matched. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Taking his hand, August fell back on his bed, pulling him on top of her. She looked up at him, tucking his hair behind his ear, and nodded.
"I'm sure."