18+ WARNING MINORS DNI
Bucky has to leave the next day after Alice books some hotels for them to stay in along the way to D.C.
"You don't just show up and ask for a room?"
"Maybe at a roach motel, but we're trying to avoid those."
"Right."
He lingers in the doorway, kissing her even though he said he "had to go" about an hour earlier. The bruises on his face and torso have completely healed, and she runs her fingers through his hair, holding his hand until he walks away and they finally have to break contact. The second he leaves steps into the elevator, she misses him.
It's kind of sad.
They agree to meet up that night, just before 5:00pm, so she has a few hours to kill. Bucky wants to drive through the night, he says the drive will keep his mind off of the nightmares. Alice worries about him. It can't be healthy to stay awake for that long - but then again, he said he's been asleep for most of his life.
Alice showers and styles her hair in big loose curls. She knows they'll be driving all night, but she still wants to look nice for him. It's been a long time since she's wanted to put this much effort into impressing a guy. She's packing a duffel bag on the coffee table while she watches TV when Sapphire comes home, dramatically slamming the door behind her.
"Hey, I thought we could --" she stops and points at the bag. "Are you staying at Bucky's tonight?"
"Actually, we're going on a little vacation. Startiiiing tonight."
"Where?"
"Washington D.C."
Sapphire grimaces.
"Why? There's nothing fun there."
Alice panics, trying to come up with a lie to cover her ass. She wants to tell Sapphire the truth, but the more people who know about Bucky, the less safe he is. The last thing she wants to do is jeopardize his security when he's already constantly looking over his shoulder. He pretends the pressure of being on the run doesn't affect him, but every time there's a knock at the door, he jumps up and his eyes fill with terror wondering if this is going to be his last day as a free man.
"Mostly we just wanna drive across the country. You know, before the end of the summer."
"You're driving?!" Sapphire makes a disgusted face.
"What's wrong with driving?"
"Stuck in a sweaty ass car all day? No thanks. I'll take the plane ride."
Alice shrugs. Sapphire senses that something's off and that makes Alice nervous. She watches as her best friend crosses her arms over her chest, and her eyes narrow as she tilts her head.
"How long have you known this man?"
"As a person?" Alice asks.
"Romantically."
Alice sighs.
"Not long," she mutters.
"And you're going on a vacation..."
"That's what couples do, right? It's a normal couple thing."
Sapphire sits down on the couch.
"I guess that's true. How long are you gone for?"
"Two weeks."
"Two weeks?! Who the fuck am I supposed to watch TV with for two weeks?"
"Jeff."
"No, he likes those shitty action movies. Who's going to re-watch bad romantic comedies while we drink prosecco?"
"I'll be back in two weeks!" Alice promises as she sits down and hugs Sapphire, who pouts.
"I'm just gonna miss you."
"I know, babe. I'll miss you too."
Sapphire scoffs.
"No you won't, you'll be fucking that gorgeous man for the first time."
Alice gulps.
"Not for the first time," she whispers.
Sapphire gasps and stands up, jumping up onto the coffee table.
"What are you doing?!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION SO I'M JUMPING-- YOU GUYS DID IT?!" She leaps back down. "Tell me everything. I want graphic details. How big is it?"
"I'm not telling you that."
"Fine."
Sapphire runs to the kitchen and Alice turns around on the couch, watching her. She pulls the fridge door open and grabs a large carrot, holding it up. Alice is so glad Bucky isn't here. Sapphire wouldn't hesitate to pull this shit in front of him and he would absolutely die of embarrassment. He'd probably try to throw himself off the balcony.
"Is it like this?!"
"Sapphire..." Alice warns, knowing the effort is futile.
"OH NO WAIT!" She pulls out a cucumber and waves it around. "Like this?!"
" Sapphire !"
She's not listening. Once she gets into this mode, she rarely does.
"No, you know what?" She puts the cucumber and the carrot back into the fridge and pulls out a massive zucchini. "This is it. I know this is it." She squints. "Yeah, judging from his height and how muscular he is... this is definitely it. Am I right?!" Alice stares back blankly and Sapphire looks down at it, her lips curling into a small smile. "You lucky bitch."
"I'm not going to say anything but that's probably the closest to the real thing."
Sapphire slams the fridge door and collapses on the floor. Always with the fucking drama.
"I KNEW IT!"
Alice laughs, putting her head in her hands. When she looks up, Sapphire is standing over the couch staring at her, her face just inches from Alice's. Alice yelps and jumps back.
"What the fuck?!"
"Second question," she announces. "Was it good?"
"Yes. It was amazing."
"How many times?"
"Twice so far."
"What was it like?"
Alice sighs, her cheeks burning.
"Soft. Slow. Really romantic."
Sapphire jumps over the top of the couch and sits down next to her.
"I know I'm with Jeff, but if you guys ever want a third person to jump in there... just know Jeff and I aren't that serious."
Alice rolls her eyes and shakes her head. She puts her hand on Sapphire's knee.
"I appreciate the offer."
"I thought you would--"
"But it's a no from us."
"For now, right?" Alice laughs and Sapphire collapses into giggles, hugging her. "I'm just kidding. I'm proud of you, Ali. You finally got some good dick, and he's cute. And really sweet."
"You really like him?"
"I do. He's in my good books again."
"I'll be sure to let him know."
Sapphire leans over and looks at the box that her mom brought over.
"What the fuck is this?"
"My mom's in town. Cleaning out the old house, I guess. My dad's fucking useless. He's living in some villa in Sicily fucking my stepmother--" she gags just thinking about it.
"Yeah, I saw it on Instagram. How old's his new wife?"
"Twenty. He wants me to call her mom."
"Gross," Sapphire mumbles as she looks through Alice's old ballet stuff. "Your mom -- your cool mom -- is still trying to sell that place, huh?"
"Yeah. I've offered to help clean it out for her, but she insists on this strong independent woman shtick. She's too old for it. I just wanna take care of her."
Sapphire scoffs.
"You know your mom won't let you do that. Besides, she's probably just using it as an excuse to come and see you."
"Probably." Alice sighs. "I should pack."
"You want help?"
She smiles.
"That'd be nice."
The first thing Sapphire does is put on some music. The second thing she does is force Alice to abandon her duffel bag in favor of a suitcase, and then she goes through all of her lingerie, throwing in everything that she deems "cute." Alice puts her hands on her hips.
"Where do you think I'm going to have the time to wear these?"
"Make time," Sapphire mutters. Alice grumbles. Half of her suitcase is practical clothes while the other half is lace teddies and underwear.
"I don't know why you're packing this stuff for me," she laughs. "He's seen me in some of this stuff at the club."
"The club and the bedroom are two different places, babes. Trust me. He'll appreciate it."
"Most of these just end up on the floor anyway."
Sapphire grins.
"Unwrapping the present is the best part."
Alice chuckles. They finish packing, making sure Alice has everything, including her self defense weapons (she's pretty sure Bucky has that area taken care of - metal arm, lots of knives, they'll probably be okay without her neon pink pepper spray, personal alarm, and a little purple folding knife. But she packs it all just to make Sapphire happy. Sapphire even chooses her outfit for her tonight. A short, flowy bright red dress and a leather jacket. Alice looks at herself in the mirror.
"This is cute."
"You should let me dress you all the time," Sapphire replies.
"I might just do that after I get back."
The apartment buzzer goes off and Alice looks at the clock. 4:55pm. She smiles.
"It's him."
She and Sapphire run toward the intercom, but Sapphire gets there first and presses the intercom button.
"Hi, Buckyyyyyy!"
Alice hears him laugh and it melts her heart.
"Hi, Sapphire."
"Come on up."
Alice grabs her stuff and hears a gentle knock on the door, the normally harsh tapping sound from bare knuckles is muffled by his leather gloves. Sapphire whips the door open, grinning at him. Bucky looks like a deer in the headlights. Poor baby. Even though Sapphire likes him, it's not going to stop her from annoying the shit out of him. It's her love language.
"Well, hello! Alice tells me you're taking her on a roadtrip."
"Yeah." He looks at Alice. "You ready?"
"Yup!"
Sapphire stares up at him, her arms crossed.
"You take good care of her."
Bucky smiles.
"I will. I promise I'll bring her home safe."
"That's what I like to hear, Buchanan."
Alice hugs Sapphire on her way out.
"I'll text you, okay?"
"You'd better. I don't want to go completely crazy here."
Alice smirks.
"I think you'll be just fine, babe. I'll see you in two weeks."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Bucky takes Alice's hand and they take the elevator downstairs and walk outside. She doesn't recognize his car. It's still black, but it's a massive dodge charger - not too flashy, but it definitely looks expensive. Alice doesn't ask where he got it. She has a feeling he wouldn't exactly tell her the truth anyway. Bucky takes her suitcase and puts it in the trunk, along with the rest of his gear as Alice climbs into the passenger seat. To her surprise, there's a small teddy bear sitting in the front seat holding a heart between its paws. She stands up straight and holds it up.
"What's this?"
He shrugs.
"I thought it was cute and bought it for you."
Alice's knees wobble.
"Buckyyyy!" She rushes toward him and flings her arms around him. "You're the sweetest."
"I was going to get you flowers, but I didn't think they were practical."
"I love him."
He smiles, blushing profusely as he closes the trunk. They get into the car. There's a hookup for her phone. She sighs softly.
"Thank God," she mutters as she takes her charger out of her purse and plugs it in. He chuckles as he puts on his seatbelt while Alice is scrolling through Spotify. "What do you feel like listening to, gorgeous?"
He chuckles.
"Anything. I only ever listened to '40s music."
"Okay, so you're pretty much open to anything."
"Yeah."
She scrolls through her options, humming to herself, trying to figure out what she should play while Bucky starts the car and begins to drive out of town. Nicki Minaj might actually send him into cardiac arrest. Britney Spears? Maybe in an hour or two. S&M by Rihanna? Again, heart attack central.
Finally, she lands on Queen. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy. It kind of reminds her of him. It's melodic enough to keep things interesting and probably won't give him a stroke while he drives. Bucky glances down at her phone, his eyebrows raised. Alice giggles.
"You don't like it?"
"No, I do. Who is this?"
"Queen." Her cheeks burn. "This song reminds me of you."
Bucky laughs and shakes his head.
"Really?"
Alice rests her hand on his thigh and smiles.
"Yep."
Bucky bites his lip and brings one hand down from the steering wheel to hold her hand. Alice can't seem to decide between looking out the window and looking at him while he drives. He looks almost serene, except for his eyes. They're always stormy; there's always something behind them that makes her heart ache. They drive for hours. Alice falls in and out of consciousness, still holding Bucky's hand. She wakes up when the car comes to a full stop for too long and Bucky brushes her hair back.
"Alice?"
Her eyes open.
"Huh?"
"I have to stop to get gas."
She looks around. They're at a truck stop.
"How long have we been driving?"
"About six hours," he tells her. "We're in Arizona."
"Wh-- oh shit." She stretches and yawns. "I should get out and stretch my legs."
"Sure. I filled up. I just have to pay."
Alice nods and grabs her phone, cigarettes, and lighter out of her purse. Her hips ache from sitting for so long. She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep. She gets out of the car and leans against it, lighting her smoke as she tries to wake up. She runs a hand through her hair, looking around. There's a guy in a big rig leering at her. Alice grimaces and turns away from him, walking away from the car to give herself some distance.
"Can't even have a fucking cigarette in peace," she mutters.
She unlocks her phone and sends Sapphire a text.
In Arizona. Sucks here.
"Hey," a voice from behind her calls. Alice turns around. It's the guy from the truck. He has short greasy hair and one of those handlebar mustaches that make him look like his main hobby is riding a unicycle and sexually harassing women. A real charmer. His white t-shirt is stained with sweat and various condiments, same with his jeans. She sighs.
"What?" She snaps.
"What's a pretty little thing like you doin' out here?"
"Fuck off."
He smirks.
"A little thing like you could get hurt out here." He motions to his truck. "It's safe in there with me."
These fucking men.
"I'm with my boyfriend," she replies, disinterested and annoyed. Maybe he'll get the hint now. "He's getting gas."
"I don't see him around."
She crushes her cigarette on the ground and snarls. She's had it. She deals with men like this all the time in the club - too handsy, think they're boyfriend material when they should probably be in therapy. Or jail. She gets paid to be polite and laugh it off, but all she wanted to do was have a cigarette and stretch her legs. She can't even do that in public.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? You think you can just walk up to every woman at a truck stop and harass her or proposition her to blow you? Not on my last FUCKING day on earth!" Alice opens the car door and grabs her pepper spray. "Guess what, motherfucker--"
The trucker grabs her by the shoulders and slams her against another vehicle out of sight. Alice yelps loudly.
"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" He hisses, pulling a knife out from his back pocket. Her heart pounds and she tries to wrench herself free from his grasp. "You're gonna do whatever I tell you to do, is that clear?"
She gulps and sees Bucky storming toward them, his face twisted into a vicious snarl. Alice smiles and looks up at the trucker.
"You just made a big mistake."
"What?"
"What kind of flowers do you want at your funeral?"
"What the fuck are --"
Bucky grabs him by the back of the jacket and throws him off of her. The knife he was holding clatters to the ground. Bucky kicks it out of the way, bending over to pick him up like a ragdoll and slams him against his car.
"You touch her again and I'll kill you," he growls. "You touch any woman ever again and I'll hunt you down like a dog. By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you were never born. Understand, xуи́ло? она моя." Bucky wraps his hand around the trucker's throat, his jaw clenched and twitching. Alice watches as the guy's face turns purple from the lack of oxygen. A low growl rumbles in Bucky's chest. "Tell me you understand."
"Bucky, you're hurting him."
"He deserves it."
Alice walks over and puts her hand on his shoulder as the trucker's eyes bulge out of his head.
"Bucky, please," she whispers. "Just let him go." She leans over and whispers in his ear. "There's a better way to do this."
As much as she wants to see this prick pay for what he's definitely done to other women, she doesn't really feel like bonding with her boyfriend over a corpse disposal. They can find much healthier ways to get to know each other better.
Bucky looks up at her, confused, and then back at his left hand that's currently choking this guy out. He releases him and steps back. The trucker gasps for air and scrambles off the hood of Bucky's car. His wallet falls out of his back pocket. Alice scoops down to pick it up. The man lunges for it, but all Bucky has to do is flinch and he stops, terrified. She rifles through it until she finds his driver's licence.
"Robert McMillan. Hmm. Now I have your address, so if you ever do this to another woman again, my boyfriend here can make good on his promise to make you wish you were never born." She tucks his licence into her bra. "I'll just be keeping this."
"I need that to drive."
Alice shrugs.
"I don't really give a shit. You hurt women, you pay the price. I bet you ten bucks I'll find you on a sex offender registry somewhere." His eyes go wide and Alice shakes her head. Pathetic. She snaps her fingers and points at his truck. "Get the fuck out of here."
Robert's eyes bounce between them. Bucky looks like he'd like to finish the job he started, but before he can make a decision, they both watch Robert run to his truck and start it up. He peels out of the parking lot. Alice grins at Bucky who doesn't look amused.
"Are you okay?"
"Yep."
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
She shakes her head.
"You seem to have great timing when it comes to creepy dudes."
"Yeah, well, I heard you yell." He wraps his arms around her and pulls her in toward him. "Let's just hope he's the last one we meet along the way to D.C."
"Thanks for being my hero," she whispers as he strokes her hair.
"Always," he promises.
They get back in the car. Alice tosses the creep's licence into her purse and Bucky drives for the rest of the night while she drifts in and out of sleep. It's hard to stay asleep with all of the bumpy roads, but she tries her best.
She wakes up when he stops the car in the middle of the night and leans his head back. They're on a pitch black highway. She can't see anything outside, only the darkness that engulfs them. There's no sound other than crickets chirping.
"Bucky?"
"I just need to close my eyes," he whispers. "Just for a bit."
"Let's lie in the backseat. We can both sleep."
He opens one eye.
"It would be more comfortable, don't you think?"
He takes a deep breath.
"Yeah. Yeah, definitely."
He gets out of the car and Alice waits for him to climb into the backseat and (barely) stretch out. His soft chuckle is music to her ears.
"Sometimes I forget how big I am."
I don't, she thinks.
Alice giggles and climbs into the backseat on top of him. He holds her tightly and they both squirm, trying to get comfortable. They finally find a position where Bucky is sort of sitting up with his back leaned against the back door and Alice is curled up against him with her eyes closed. He takes his gloves off and shoves them in the pocket of his jacket so that he can feel her hair as he runs his fingers through it. Eventually, they manage to fall asleep.
She wakes up to the sound of him shouting in his sleep. Alice cups his face in her hands and kisses his cheek.
"Bucky?"
"I don't -- I can't!" He whines. "Nononononoooo!"
"Bucky!"
His eyes pop open and Alice holds her breath, waiting for the Soldier to make an appearance. He doesn't. It's just her Bucky; his eyes filled with terror and sweat clinging to his forehead. She shifts her body so that she's sitting in his lap, facing him. He's breathing hard and pulls her as tightly toward him as he can. He rubs her back as though he's soothing himself.
"Bucky? Are you--"
"Nightmare," he whimpers. "Bad."
"How bad?"
"Not the worst, but not the best. The best nights are when it's just darkness and I don't dream at all."
She doesn't ask what the nightmare was about, not wanting to force him to relive it. It could just make things worse. She places soft kisses along his jawline and his neck.
"It's okay. You're safe. You're with me."
He breathes deeply, the way she taught him, the occasional sob escaping his lips. He holds onto her like a life raft. Alice lets him run his fingers through her hair, look at her face, and feel her hands to make sure that she's real and he's not dreaming. He kisses her fingers, breathes in the scent of her shampoo and perfume and rocks her from side to side as he calms down. She looks up at him, into those tortured clear blue eyes.
"Thank you," he whispers. "For taking care of me."
"I --" she swallows thickly. Don't saaaaay iiiit! "I like you a lot."
"I like you too," he whispers.
Suddenly, he kisses her. It's desperate and wanting, his breath shaking in his chest. Alice squeaks softly, but embraces it. His hold on her becomes domineering and he lets out a raw moan as she rakes her fingernails down his chest. Bucky breaks the kiss, breathing hard as he runs his hands up and down her arms. She can feel his cock pressing against her, straining against his jeans.
"I need you again."
She's worried he's using sex as a distraction from dealing with his issues, but she doesn't know any other way to help other than to be there for him in any and every way she can.
"Is this a good idea?" Alice breathes as his lips hover above hers.
"I don't know." He closes his eyes. "I just want to forget -- I forget best when I'm just focusing on you--"
She cuts him off with a soft and sweet kiss. Bucky moans into her lips, his hands inching up her bare thighs. He smells like leather and remnants of gasoline, and she can taste cheap gas station coffee along with the cigarettes they smoked during the drive. It should be the grossest combination in the world, but it's him, so it doesn't matter. Her fingers tangle in his hair as she grinds down on his hardness. She gasps with surprise when Bucky's fingers slip inside of her panties and he finds her clit, rubbing it in slow, gentle circles.
"Is that it?" He breathes as Alice shudders, trying to suck on his earlobe.
"Yes," she whines. "Yes, Bucky, don't stop."
"You sound so pretty. Păpușă frumoasă."
"What does that mean?" Alice asks.
"Beautiful doll."
She whines. She's close already. All it takes is him speaking fucking Russian or Romanian in that gorgeously husky voice and she's practically coming on his fingers. Alice feels her cunt aching and clenching around nothing. She needs this release just as much as he does. She reaches down and unzips his jeans, pulling his cock out and stroking it slowly. Bucky's eyes light up and he swipes his tongue across his bottom lip, kissing her again. Her entire being sings and burns only for him. She feels the sudden and cruel absence of his fingers, and then the sensation of being lifted up and slowly lowered onto his cock. Her mouth is ripped from his and she lets out a loud moan as her head falls back and he bottoms out.
She doesn't waste any time as her hands rest on his shoulders and she begins to fuck him, rolling her hips so that her clit rubs against denim. It shouldn't feel as good as it does, but then again, nobody makes her feel like this. Bucky's head dips to nip at her throat, marking her and leaving tiny red indents behind from his teeth. Alice is in heaven as he runs his lips along her jawline, eventually finding her mouth and capturing it in a domineering kiss. His hands firmly hold her waist as he begins to take back some of the control. Gently, of course. He's always gentle. But this time, he's holding back a little less. He forces her hips to move faster and faster until she presses her forehead against his, mouth hanging open while she whines and babbles incoherently.
"I can feel you," he rasps. "You're close. You pulse around me when you're -- shit ."
She giggles, feeling her pussy flutter around him.
"So are you."
Bucky smiles, his cheeks red. She can only see the tiniest rim of ocean blue in his eyes. Alice begins to move her hips faster and faster, unable to hold herself back any longer. Bucky's head slams against the window and his eyes close as he lets her do the work.
"Don't stop," he begs. "Please. God, Alice, I need this."
"I won't, baby," she promises. "I'm gonna make you feel so good."
He tries to get a sentence out, but it's cut off by a loud moan as he comes, his hips jerking upward violently. His body stills and begins to tremble. Alice doesn't stop, her own climax just seconds behind him. She closes her eyes, letting it wash over her as she moans his name and they collapse. All Alice can hear is the sound of their breath as it rushes in and out of their lungs; all she can see are the steamed up windows, and suddenly, her leather jacket is stifling. She sits up to take it off while Bucky stares at her with a crooked smile and a glint in his eyes.
"It only gets better with you," he says softly.
"What? Sex?"
He shakes his head, his eyes bright for the first time in a long time. She doesn't see the anguish, the pain, or the fear that plagues him. Alice knows it'll go away, but for now, it's nice to see him just a little carefree.
"Everything," he breathes.
~~~
Translations:
xуи́ло = dickhead
она моя = she's mine