After all the food had been consumed, (Barnes had taken an apparent, though unsurprising, liking to Caden's shawarma), the table was cleared, and Caden was found scrubbing the dishes in the kitchen. Bucky was beside her, carefully and deliberately drying each dish with a towel-- much to Caden's utter delight, it had been his idea to help.
"So, what do you usually do with Steve in the evenings when I'm not around?" Caden asked, up to her elbows in bubbles.
Bucky shrugged. "Nothing, not anything I remember. He would just talk to me."
Note to self, give Rogers ideas for activities to do with a recovering ex-assassin.
"Well, how about after this, what do you say we break open some icecream and watch a movie, hm?" She suggested as she finished washing the last fork.
Bucky looked over at her with a confused look on his face.
"What?" Caden asked, wrinkling her nose. "Fine, if you want to do something else, hit me up."
"I'm not going outside," Bucky muttered. "I can't, I'm not ready."
"Who ever said anything about leaving the Tower?" Caden asked.
"You-you said... A movie... the cinemas... Don't you have to go there to watch a movie?"
Caden mentally facepalmed. "Okay, putting aside the fact that you just remembered something small from your old life at a mere mention of a word," she winked at him. "You no longer have to go to the cinemas to watch movies," she explained. "They now have DVDs, DVR's, On Demand, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, U-Verse, and I am confusing you, aren't I?" She stumbled on her words at the look of confusion, mixed with slight annoyance, with a pinch of disgust, on Bucky's face.
"You lost me after the first one," Bucky muttered.
"I'm sorry," Caden said, stifling a laugh. "They are all really cool ways to watch movies these days at home without having to go to the cinema. They're pretty awesome."
After draining the water and drying her hands on the towel, Caden walked over the freezer, pulling open the door. "So about that ice cream, what flavor do you like, Sarge? Anything in particular? I can almost guarantee you I have it; this baby is dedicated to ice cream."
Bucky walked over to her, his eyes widening in surprise. "That's a lot of ice cream. You eat that? All by yourself?"
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not that gluttonous!" Caden said, faking a wounded look. "This is all extra from when Commander Hill comes to pay me a visit. Once she heard of my mutual love of this creamy goodness, she made it her personal duty to invade my apartment whenever she is here on business, and together we may or may not polish off a carton or two she'd bring over. Wanna know a secret?" She asked, motioning for Bucky to lean in. "Ice cream is Hill's single known weakness. I strongly suggest that you use that to your advantage," she whispered, patting Bucky on the shoulder.
"What kind of flavors do you have?" Bucky asked quickly, shirking away from Caden's touch as he remembered with slight unease the feeling he felt earlier.
A look of slight, real hurt on her face, Caden turned to the ice cream. "We have, Rocky Road, Strawberry, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peppermint, Spearmint, Chocolate, Vanilla-"
"I used to love vanilla," Bucky said fondly, crossing his arms. "I remember...." He trailed off, his brow furrowed.
Caden looked at him, silently urging him to continue.
"I remember... That... Steve and I both had Vanilla ice cream cones at Coney Island. Then, we went on... The Cyclone, and I remember he threw up. Everywhere." Bucky said, giving a short, dry laugh.
"And wasted a perfectly good cone, too," came a voice from the hallway.
While Caden merely jumped in fright, Bucky whipped around, ready to swing his metal fist at the intruder's face.
"Ya know," Rogers started, strolling out of the shadows, "I think you made me ride the Cylcone on purpose, Buck, just to see if I actually would throw up."
"Cap! How in the hell did you get in here?" She asked, throwing a glance at the front door, just yards away from the kitchen. It was locked. "Please, do tell us!" Caden said sarcastically, crossing her arms.
"You know that 'secret' elevator? Yeah, don't plan on it being so secret anymore. Compliments of the one and only." Rogers smirked, knowing very well Caden knew exactly who he was talking about.
"Damn you, Tony," She muttered, pulling out the ice cream. "Well, as long as you're here, you might as well stay," she said as she took out three bowls.
"Why are you here?" Bucky asked bluntly.
"Yeah!" Caden piped in, setting the bowls down with a sudden force and spinning around to face the two super soldiers.
"Why were you lurking in the shadows like that? That's not very noble of you, Rogers." She placed a hand on her hip, peering at Rogers.
Rogers chuckled. "I can't stay. Stark just wanted me to check-"
"Spy!" Caden interrupted, pointing a correcting finger at him as she started to put together the pieces. "He wanted you to spy on!"
"-On his 'darling baby cousin,' his words not mine," Rogers finished. "You know how he is."
"Over-protective... Exaggerative.... Reckless... A liar... Pathetic... Just to name a few things?" Caden started listing, and it was obvious she still harboured ill-feelings towards her cousin from the, several, incidents that had happened a few weeks ago.
"Now, Caden-" Rogers started.
"Don't 'Now, Caden' me," Caden said, growing more and more agitated by the second after she absorbed the fact that Stark was behind this rude, unnecessary, intrusion. "You're interrupting the very valuable time I have with James, and as we are already making more progress this evening than we have in these past two weeks, you can go tell Tony that we are perfectly fine!" She announced with a sickly sweet cheerfulness as she began to shove Rogers towards the front door. She had noticed Bucky's growing uneasiness since Rogers came on the scene, and she didn't want anything to go wrong on this otherwise smooth evening.
Opening the door, she ushered the Captain out. "Now, if you will excuse us, my patient and I have some unfinished business to attend to. It's been a pleasure, Cap."
"Caden, hold on a minute!" Rogers gripped his hand on the doorframe. "I needed to talk to you about one more thing."
"Guess what, it can wait until tomorrow during consulting hours," Caden said with fake enthusiasm. "See you next time. Bye-bye."
"But-" was all Rogers got in before Caden managed to slam the door shut.
"The strides my cousin takes!" Caden muttered walking back to the kitchen.
Returning to the kitchen, she was stopped in her tracks.
"Bucky, whatever is the matter?" She asked quietly when she saw the pale faced Soldier backed up against a wall, breathing heavily, squeezing his eyes open and shut over and over.
"He - your cousin - he doesn't trust me," he whispered.
"What?" Caden asked, shocked.
"That's why he sent Steve up here, because Stark doesn't trust me to be in the same room with you. And... He's right," Bucky said with a mix of emotions eminent in his voice. "I'm really a danger to this place, I know I am."
Caden snorted. "My cousin is almost never right when it comes to stuff like that."
"I could hurt you. I'm putting you, and everybody else in this place, in danger. I should leave," Bucky said, his eyes wide with fear.
"Bucky," Caden said gently. "You are not putting me in danger. I trust you. I would not be here if I didn't."
"I'm a danger to you," Bucky repeated. "I don't want to hurt you!"
"You are NOT!" Caden said harshly. "You are James Buchanan Barnes. According to the archives S.H.I.E.L.D. has on James Barnes, and more importantly, according to Steve, you aren't capable of hurting a fly. You have a gentle, caring nature. You won't hurt me, Bucky."
"Do you really believe that?" Bucky asked skeptically.
"What's more important, do you?" Caden shot back. "Then so do I," she said when Bucky dropped his gaze, staring at the floor. "Now, can we please eat this icecream before it melts?"
~~~
"Okay," Caden said squatting in front of the coffee table. "These movies, according to the internet, were very popular during the thirties and forties. Any of them particularly intriguing?" She asked, motioning to the display of old movies and T.V. shows, consisting of The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Shirley Temple, Tom and Jerry, and The Three Stooges.
Bucky studied them for a long time, picking up each individual movie and staring at it.
"I remember this one, I think," he said hesitantly, holding up the Wizard of Oz.
"You should hear Tony impersonate the Wicked Witch of the West. He does a mean cackle," Caden smirked.
"I think I watched this when I was a kid," he continued, looking at The Three Stooges. "They were known for being pretty stupid, weren't they? Seems like something Steve and I would like."
"So let's watch it then!" Caden clapped her hands together. "I'll just put it in..." She pressed the open button on the dusty, un-used DVD player, several times. "Oh, come on, you stupid piece of junk! Turn on!" She shouted at the D.V.D. player, hitting the top of it before having to forcibly open the slot. "Okay," she backed away with her hands in the air. "It's playing... I think."
"Great." Caden noticed the change in his voice compared to earlier, it was almost as if he were growing comfortable with her. "Are we still having the ice cream?"
"Aren't we getting sassy?" Caden asked, cocking an eyebrow, but a smile nevertheless appeared on her face. "One carton of Vanilla ice cream coming right up, Sarge," she saluted, laughing, before jogging off to get the ice cream.
And Bucky laughed, too.
Not the short, dry, lifeless one from earlier.
A real, honest to goodness laugh.
"Catch, James," she said upon returning, tossing him a spoon. "No need to dirty a bowl," she declared as she sat down with the carton of ice cream.
"You do this often, don't you?" Bucky asked, giving Caden the tiniest of smirks.
"Living the single life," Caden deadpanned, shrugging and taking a bite.
Pressing play, the familiar Stooges melody blasted through the Stark Surround Sound System.
"Curly is the best, besides Shemp. Did you ever watch Shemp? Wow, he is a character. Literally."
Caden rambled on and on before something freezing cold was crammed into her mouth.
"Just eat," Bucky instructed quietly, pointing at the ice cream, then at the movie. Caden muttered something unintelligible before complying sinking into the plush couch cushions.
~~~
A good two hours had passed. The ice cream was gone, the movie over. Caden stood up and stretched, yawning.
"Well, Barnes, we managed to eat a giant carton of ice cream and watch a two hour movie on the three stupidest guys in t.v. show history. So tell us, just how accomplished are we tonight?" She asked, hands on her hips.
"Accomplished," Bucky said simply.
"Well!" Caden declared. "I don't know about you, but I am exhausted after such an eventful day. I'm going to go to bed."
"Should-should I wait until Steve comes up to go back to my room?"
Caden mulled over the thought. "Well, just like the old man Cap really is, he is probably already in bed as we talk. But, the phone is right over there if you want to call him." Caden gave him a knowing smile as she pointed to an old-fashioned looking landline, something Stark had installed in all Rogers-related important rooms in the Tower, something aimed to make him more comfortable when he came to them.
Bucky looked at the phone uncertainly. "How do you know that nobody is listening?" He asked.
Caden blinked.
Rogers had said the exact thing when he came here.
"Uh, I- don't know?" Caden shrugged. "Hope for the best?"
"Hydra could be listening," Bucky said as closed his eyelids briefly, coming into conflict with fear for a split second.
"Well, I am fairly certain they aren't able to crack into any of Stark's security codes, and therefore unable to listen in on any conversations. But, I'll leave that up to you, because I'm going to go to bed," Caden repeated. "You are perfectly welcome to stay in one of my guest rooms, though, if you don't want to risk the phone."
"Really?" Bucky asked incredulously, as if he were shocked that Caden was being so... Nice to him.
Caden shrugged. "Yeah, go for it. You can take a shower here, too, get the smoke smell off of you... That's a pet peeve of mine, smoky sheets," she said as she walked into the bathroom, flicking on the light. "I know some people like it, but I hate the smell of smoke period."
"Why don't you like the smell of smoke?"
Caden stopped in the doorway, frozen. "I just- don't. That's why," she finally said, an unfamiliar sadness Bucky had never heard before creeping into her voice and overshadowing her face.
"Anyways," she continued, the sadness in her words and facial features masked once again and the usual carefree tone returning. "I'll show you how to work the shower." She pulled aside the black, hot pink, and white shower curtain, showing Bucky the hot and cold water options, soaps, shampoos, as well as pulling an old razor of Tony's from underneath the sink.
"No clue why it's in here, or if it even works, but use it anyway," Caden said setting it on the counter. "I'll have J. send up some clean pajamas for you."
"Yeah. Thanks," Bucky said, not knowing quite what to say after Caden's sudden mood change.
"I'll leave it to you then," Caden said as she closed the bathroom door.
Outside, the mask once again lifted as she slumped against the wall, closing her eyes and exhaling roughly as the thoughts of smoke brought the unwanted flashbacks back into her mind.
She'd done well earlier, when she was in a living nightmare when the microwave exploded, sending the thick, black clouds rolling into the open air. She kept herself occupied, refusing to remember. But this? She was unprepared, it had come on so suddenly.
She groaned, pushing her face into the crooks of her folded arms as if trying to force out the memores. Why did he have to ask? She knew he was only curious, but it did nothing to change the feeling that was still there. Sighing, she sat there for several minutes, occasionally scolding herself for even bringing the subject up when a particular flashback shot forth from her memory.
Finally, she stood up, making her way out into the front room.
"Hey, J!" She called for the electronic butler.
"At your service, Doctor."
"Send some more clothes up for our guest, will ya? PJ's this time, please," Caden said while she distracted herself by cleaning up the living room.
"Done, ma'am," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed as the elevator door dinged once again, revealing a stack of clothes.
"I don't know how you do it, J.," Caden marveled, picking up the clothes and inspecting them. "Hey!" She said when she shook out the shirt. "I got this shirt for Tony two years ago! And it still has the tag?!" She exclaimed, tossing the shirt down in disgust.
"I assumed that Sergeant Barnes might appreciate it more than Mr. Stark," J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested.
"You got a point there," Caden agreed before picking up the Under Armour shirt and pants and jogging back to the bathroom door.
"Sarge, got you those clothes" Caden announced, rapping on the door as she heard water still running. "I'll just leave them out here," she said, placing the shirt and pants outside of the door, and walking back into the living room to clean, a habit of hers when she was upset.
Taking her time, she spent a good ten minutes clearing up the ice cream cartons and wiping any melted cream off of the couch before it could soak in, all the while listening for any sounds coming from the bathroom. As the water turned off and the sound of a razor started humming, she had already moved into the kitchen, putting away utensils and throwing away trash.
Anything to distract her mind.
Finally, the door to the bathroom opened. Caden took a deep breath, a mask of a smile appearing on her face once again as she turned around to face the refreshed, clean shaven, super soldier.
"Thank you," Bucky said, looking down at his pajamas. "They fit." He gave her a small smile, a dimple appearing in his chin
Caden smiled back, suprised to be noticing it for only the first time. It had been hidden underneath his stubble, but now that it was all gone, she had to admit, it made the ex-assassin that much less intimidating, not to mention that it was just plain adorable.
Not to mention that they were a weakness of hers, shee'd always mourned her lack of any.
"I'm glad they fit," Caden said quietly. "You can give me those," she nodded towards the clothe in Bucky's hands. "I'll take care of them tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll show you where your room is." She decided to keep to small talk after seeing the way Bucky was studying her, a look of confusion still present on his face. It was as if he were trying to figure out what had happened to her to be triggered like that simply by the mention of the smell of smoke. She had hoped the shorter, quieter sentences would be able to cut to the chase, and to distract both her and Bucky from what had happened.
"You can stay in here," Caden said as she took the clothes from Bucky's hands, leading him to a bedroom and turning on the light.
Bucky looked around the large sized bedroom with wide eyes. "I can't stay here, Doctor Stark," he said. "This is too much."
"Nonsense, the room is yours," Caden said with a wave of her hand. She turned on the lamp beside the queen sized mattress, taking off the decorative throw pillows and unfolding the sheets.
Bucky turned to her, an eternally grateful expression on his face. "Thank you," he said. "I-I can't remember the last time I had a bed."
Caden furrowed her eye brows at his remark. The look on his face when he placed eyes on the bed bothered her. She knew he had been living under miserable conditions the first few months following D.C., but he had been here for two weeks. What had he been sleeping on at Rogers'?
'Steve has a hell of a lot of explaining to do,' she thought angrily.
"You're welcome, Buck," she said aloud, before stepping out and saying her goodnights. "I'm the last door at the end of the hall if you need anything," she said as she closed the door, leaving Bucky to his room.
After closing the door, she dumped the clothes she had been holding into the laundry basket and slumped to her room, practically falling into bed, the days events finally catching up with her.