"IT'S HOT."
"It's Florida."
"It's still hot."
"It's still Florida."
Bucky smirked as he looked down at Martina leaning against an unsightly yellow cab with blue over-sized sunglasses perched on her nose, a tank top that allowed the sun's piercing rays to kiss her skin, and her hair clipped back so the salty ocean mist could tickle the back of her neck. She was fidgeting with the phone in her hand and her lips were puckered as they stared at the modest bungalow in front of them.
When Martina and Bucky had awoken the morning after Wanda unlocked her mind, they were determined to do what they had discussed the night before and find her aunt. They had left without little warning, picking up the clothes that Artemis and Steve had brought them, only throwing an apology over their shoulder as they ran out of the building and hailed a cab.
"Your nervous," Bucky stated, tightening his grip on her luggage as he leaned into the cab and paid the driver.
Martina chuckled awkwardly as she pushed her sunglasses up to her head. "Is it obvious?"
"It's going to be okay," he said, pulling her into his chest as they continued to stare at the bungalow. "We should go in."
Martina bit her bottom lip. "No need. I called beforehand so-"
"Mija! Te extrañé tanto!"
A shrill thick-accented voice pierced the humid air as an older woman who held an uncanny resemblance to Martina ran out the front door. She was wearing a pair of dinosaur scrubs and had her long honey hair bunched together messily on her head. Her deep brown eyes lit up with satisfaction as she ran up to her niece.
"It's been so long!" her aunt yelled, pulling Martina into her chest tightly as she kissed both her cheeks. Her eyes wandered to Bucky who stood awkwardly behind them and her jaw dropped. "And you brought a man!"
Bucky lowered the hem of his sleeve and adjusted his glove as he stepped forward and extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Martina's eyes widened and she looked disbelieving at Bucky's disarmingly charming quirk of his lips and confident voice. James Buchanan Barnes had emerged.
"A handsome and polite man," her aunt said, letting go of Martina so she could pull Bucky into a crippling hug that he had not initiated as she pressed kisses to both his cheeks. " Please, call me Carolina. Come on you two, it's too hot out here. There's Nestea inside!"
Carolina had grabbed the luggage out of Bucky's hands and was still chatting animatedly as she walked back into the bungalow, not seeming to notice or care that neither of the two was following her.
Martina turned around and raised her eyebrows at him.
"What?" he said, grinning back at her in a fashion that was severely unlike him. "Just because I don't feel like him doesn't mean I can't imitate him."
Martina huffed as she latched onto his arm. "I rather like you when you're yourself."
Bucky snorted as she led them to the bungalow. "As if I know what that is."
"Hey," Martina said, stopping short of the front door as she brushed her fingers against his cheek. "You might not but I do."
Martina led them inside and Bucky could not help but smile at the warmth he felt as soon as he entered. There was mismatched furniture that was spread around the quaint living room and the walls were adorned with different crucifixes and miniature Virgin Mary statues.
The living room led directly to a small galley kitchen which had the door to the back porch hanging open and allowing the sea breeze to fill the rooms.
"Mija!" her aunt yelled, coming back from the kitchen with two glasses of ice-cold tea. Her aunt handed it to them and motioned for them to sit on the lumpy orange couch. She picked up a magazine from the table and began fanning the back of her neck. "How are you liking Paris?"
"Oh, um..." Martina gulped audibly as she took a sip of the tea. She had always been honest with her aunt growing up, it had just been the two of them, and she didn't want to lie to her. "Paris is great. The program is awesome."
Her aunt beamed at the news. "That's amazing! When I didn't hear from you very often these last few months, I got worried. I figured you were just having a great time! You're so young and beautiful, it's good that you're having fun for once."
Martina suddenly felt like it was difficult to breathe. "Tía, there's something we need to-"
"Maldita sea!" her aunt shouted, reaching into the front pocket of her scrubs and pulling out her pager. "Ugh, I'm getting paged again."
Martina's aunt was a nurse, something she remembered very vividly from the times growing up where she would go almost days without seeing her and visit her in the hospital for their Sunday dinners.
"Are you on call?" Martina asked, feeling her nerves diminish as her aunt stood.
"Sí," her aunt sighed, coming up to Martina and ruffling her hair before placing a kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry Mija, I need to head back to the hospital, but this shouldn't take all day. I'll be back later tonight and we can talk all about your adventures!"
"Um, okay..." Martina said, clearing her throat and cringing slightly at the mention of her so-called adventures.
As her aunt grabbed her backpack from the front door rack, she smiled encouragingly at them. "You know the house. Make sure James gets settled in the guest room and maybe go to the beach?"
Martina nodded her head as she blew one last kiss at her aunt. When she left, Martina looked down at her feet and ran her hand through her sweaty hair.
"There's still enough time to talk," Bucky said, pushing up the pieces of her hair that had fallen out of her clip. "Why don't we go to the beach? It sounds...fun?"
Martina chuckled as she leaned her head on Bucky's shoulder and sighed. "Yeah, let's do that."
━
The sun was beating down mercilessly on the two bodies that were lounging on towels close to the water's shore.
For one of the bodies, the heat seemed to rejuvenate them and bring them a renewed sense of calm and centeredness.
To the other, it was just plain hot.
"I can't believe you grew up here," Bucky said, flexing his strong arms behind his head with his eyes closed. "It's nice."
Martina brought herself up to her elbows and pulled down her sunglasses to look at a sun-tanning Bucky. Neither of them had the common sense to pack any sort of swimwear, so Martina was forced to squeeze into a strappy white two-piece leftover from when she was sixteen, and she had given Bucky and old pair of her late uncle's swim trunks that were obscenely tight on him.
She was happy to see his metal arm shining brightly against the sun; he had only taken it off when he realized that they were the only two on the beach.
"Yeah," she said, forcing her eyes away from his bare chest as she sighed and pushed her sunglasses back up. "After the..." she gulped, feeling her chest constrict at the thought of what had led her to live in her beach paradise. She shook her head quickly and recentered herself. "Anyway, I really loved it here but I felt really suffocated."
"Really?" Bucky asked, turning over on his side so he could look at her.
"Yeah," Martina whispered. "I love my tía but she was like a helicopter parent, always hovering over me. I didn't have many friends growing up."
"Your aunt seems nice though," he insisted, lifting his hand to gently draw patterns on her arm.
"She is!" Martina said urgently, shaking her head as if she had said something terrible. "She is but even with her being on-call all the time, she still managed to make me feel like I was being kept on a tight leash. I even had terrible anxiety that I took medicine for. I was originally supposed to go to Florida State but Dartmouth was far away so I went there instead."
"I didn't know you took medication," Bucky said, trying not to sound like he was trying to pry. "You didn't tell Stark-"
"Oh, I don't anymore," she said dismissively. "After I left I felt that I didn't need it."
"You're implying that your aunt was the cause of your anxiety."
"No," Martina insisted again with a laugh. "No, it's just that I didn't like how they made me feel."
Bucky was curious as he too propped himself on his elbows. "Like what?"
Martina bit her lip trying to describe what she was thinking. "It felt like I was always set on low. I was happy and all but it was all muted. Leaving for college was like a breath of fresh air and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest."
"Sometimes I think it would be nice to be set on low," Bucky admitted, turning his head so he could stare at the crashing waves in front of him. "To not have to...feel so much."
Martina lifted her hand to brush away the hairs that were flying in front of his face.
"You were turned off when you were brainwashed. I know you don't really think that" she said, smiling tenderly as she watched the way the blues of the ocean water and the blues of his eyes were melding together. "Plus, if you were on low, you wouldn't be able to feel this."
She angeled herself so that her body remained in its place but her lips hovered against the shell of his ear, brushing lightly at the hollow of his throat, and pressing down at the corner of his jaw.
Bucky let out a low chuckle and Martina could see the goosebumps peppering his neck.
"See?" she whispered in his ear, sighing when his metal thumb brushed her neck. "Totally worth it."
Bucky sat up straight as he ran his hand down her arm. "Do I tell you enough how glad I am that we live in the modern age?"
Martina shook her head playfully as he began to push her hair to expose her bronze shoulder. "Only once when you saw me in that dress."
She could feel his laughter vibrate through her when he nuzzled his nose against her neck. "What a great memory."
"Bucky..."
"Now, this might sound extremely sexists, and I apologize in advance but this-" he began, toying with the strap of her bikini, "-would not have been at all appropriate back in my day."
"Bucky?" Martina breathed, her body heating up in an unfamiliar way as he began feathering her neck with kisses. "Is this Sarge taking over again?"
"No," Bucky chuckled, shaking his head as he brought his body over hers to hover above her, his lips diving back down to her cheek. "You said it yourself. I need to start figuring out who the new me is."
His mouth moved lower to trace the length of her collarbone and she felt her breath hitch when his metal hand began to move down the length of her figure, settling tightly on her waist.
"And the new me," he whispered, squeezing her waist as he hovered his lips over hers. "Likes doing this very much."
Martina gasped when she felt his cool tongue dart at the hollow of her throat and she arched her back as his hand began to finger the loose straps of her bikini bottom.
She let her hands run through his hair as she breathed him in, pulling him roughly and urging their chests to press together. She could feel his erratic heartbeat against their sizzling skin as her hands began to wander; clutching his broad shoulders, clawing gently at his chest, scratching his back, playing with the lining of his swim trunks.
She had felt herself become filled with heat before but the heat that was now consuming her was entirely different. Although it didn't feel threatening, it did feel dangerous. Every place his hands touched her skin left behind a searing mark on her. She shivered against his touch and felt a tightening in her gut.
There kisses grew feverish and sloppy. He groaned into her mouth when he felt her hot tongue lap at his. His hands were shaking from the sheer self-control it took to not slip his hand under her top. He settled to allow his thumb to brush the underside of her breast.
Martina pulled herself back, gasping for air when she felt her hands begin to heat up. "Well," she gasped, licking her lips as she chuckled nervously. "I really do like the new you."
Bucky shook his head softly as he dove back down, wanting to extend their infinite second next to the seashore, getting sand in places sand shouldn't be, and savoring their moment together.
━
Bucky and Martina had stayed outside by the beach, alternating between locking each other in their kisses and laying with tranquility with only their hands brushing.
"How do you think you're going to tell her?" Bucky asked, taking a bite of the pizza Martina had ordered for them. "What are you going to say?"
"Chew with your mouth closed, Bucky," she teased, laughing when she saw his face redden and painfully swallow his pizza. "And, I don't know. I've been thinking about it and there really is no good way to come out and say it.
"Say what, Mija?"
Martina choked on her tea and Bucky clapped his hand on her back to help her as she spat it out.
"Oh, Mija," her aunt cooed, dropping her backpack and rushing over to her. "Estás bien?"
Martina nodded her head rapidly as she waved Bucky's hands away. "Sí," she said, pointing toward the half-empty pizza box on the kitchen table. "We saved you some."
Carolina narrowed her eyes at her niece but sat down regardless, reaching over to take a slice.
While Martina watched her aunt eat, Bucky gently elbowed her stomach, tipping his head toward her aunt and urging her forward with his eyes.
"Fine," she mouthed at him, taking a deep breath as she cleared her throat. "Um, tía, I actually flew down to talk to you."
Carolina laughed as she took a sip of ice tea. "What couldn't you have said over the phone? I know the time difference is annoying but-"
"I haven't been in Paris for over four months." The words tripped over each other as Martina rushed out her statement, earning herself an amused sigh from Bucky as he leaned back in his seat.
Carolina's eyes widened, but then her eyes formed slits and she puckered her lips as she set down her glass roughly. There was a mixture of concern hiding in her chocolate eyes, but there was also a repressed anger fighting to be unleased. Overall, however, she was so deadly calm.
Bucky made a mental note: never piss off a tía.
"Qué?" she hissed, shaking her head at Martina. "Qué quieres decir con que no has estado en París?Dónde habías estado hasta ahora?"
"English, please," Martina squeaked, tipping her head at Bucky. "I-uh- why is this so hard? I found out that I can do something and I've been staying with Bucky and his friends...the Avengers."
"The Avengers?" her aunt said with a flash of fearful recognition.
Martina reached out her hand to her aunt. "I did something bad, tía. I did something really bad. Don't freak out or anything but I can sort of...kind of..."
"Fire."
If Martina was a violent person- or believed that she would hurt him more than she would hurt herself- she would have punched Bucky Barnes.
Bucky stared back at her with zero remorse as he tilted his head at her again. He was never one to circle around a point.
"Fire?" her aunt breathed, her tan face draining.
"Yeah," Martina said, hoping that her aunt wouldn't pass out, specifically since the woman was the only person with any semblance of medical training. "I can...set fire to things. I didn't mean to but I set fire to a neighborhood in Paris. I know this sounds crazy but-"
Her aunt reached for her tea and gulped down the entire drink before she pulled her hand away from her niece. "You did it again."
"Again?" Martina snapped, her jaw-dropping in shock. "You knew? Y-you didn't say anything!"
"Well, what was I supposed to say!" her aunt yelled back, standing as she paced in front of the kitchen table. "After the fire that killed your parents, you-"
"You know I killed mama y papa!" she screamed back, shooting out of her seat and pounding the table forcefully.
"Mija!" her aunt pleaded, trying to come closer to Martina, and frowning when she kept distancing herself. "That fire killed your parents; not you-never you! Don't make me say that again!"
Martina brought her hand to her forehead as Bucky grabbed her other hand. "Tell me everything!"
Her aunt shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek. She seemed so reluctant to tell Martina everything, but the pressure of two pairs of eyes staring at her seemed to push her over the edge. "After the fire, you lost your memory and I told you that it was a car accident and just kept saying it until your mind accepted it as fact."
"I'm going to ask you again! Why didn't you say anything!?"
"The meds were supposed to-"
"The meds?!" Martina yelled, snatching her head away from Bucky as she placed both her hands on the wooden chair in front of her. "You mean I didn't have anxiety?! You gave me those to dull my powers?!"
Her aunt nodded her head with an exasperated look on her face. "They were so tied to your emotions that I didn't know what else to do!"
"You could have told me!" Martina cried, her fists digging into the wood. "If you had told me, maybe I could have learned to control it! Maybe I wouldn't have stopped taking the meds!"
"You were so young, Mija," her aunt pleaded, putting her face in her hands. "I thought that the knowledge that you started the fire would break you."
"It already has!" Martina's palms were now starting to smoke lightly and char the chair underneath her. "My entire life has been a lie! No wonder I didn't have a temper growing up because you made sure I was too drugged up to notice!"
Her aunt didn't seem to hear what Martina was saying because her eyes were zeroed in on the slightly burning wood.
Bucky noticed it as well and he sighed as he reluctantly removed his glove and raised his metal hand to rest on the back of her neck.
"Cool down, doll," he whispered, brushing his thumb against her skin.
Martina closed her eyes at their sudden contact and she felt her rage sizzling away as his touch tethered her back to reality.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked down to see that the threat of fire had diminished. However, without the threat of danger, her rage was replaced by an overwhelming tidal wave of sadness. "How did I become...this? Who did this to me?"
"No one," Carolina said, her eyes brimming with tears as she watched how devasted her niece looked. "You were born like this."
Martina gasped and the pressure of Bucky's on her neck was so painful, almost as if reminding her to center herself.
"What?" Martina whispered, finding that her body began to move at its own accord as she slumped back down into the chair. "What do you mean?"
"Your parents and I knew," her aunt began to explain. "When you were a baby it was little things. You'd over boil the tea, turn candles on by yourself, it was harmless. Once, they pulled your tooth out and you set the curtains on fire."
"I don't believe it," Martina said, reaching behind her so she could reaffirm the hold Bucky's hand had on her. "I don't believe you."
"Believe it," her aunt said, a smile forming at the recollection. "They still loved you nonetheless."
Martina scoffed. "Well, how great that they loved me despite the fact that I'm a monster!"
"You are not a monster!" her aunt fired back sharply, pointing her finger at Martina. "We all just wanted to protect you and when you got older, we would explain things, maybe even figure out a way to stop it! But then the fire happened and I knew you could never know."
"That wasn't your choice!"
"It was too much!"
Martina held her face in her hands and felt the dampen with her tears. She was so sick and tired of crying, feeling like she had released enough tears in the last few months to fill an entire ocean. She was so sick of feeling ashamed of her powers, of thinking that they had somehow tainted her.
"I thought that this was done to me," Martina trembled, raising her head up slowly. "Now I know that I was born with this. It's a part of me. It's not going away anytime soon. I won't let it."
Her aunt let out a sigh of relief and shuffled to her so she could hold her hands. "I'm so glad you see it like that."
"You're so calm, tía," she said, allowing her aunt to brush her thumb against the top of her hand. "But you don't understand. I've killed people. Not just mama y papa, but other people with those very hands you're holding. If I had known earlier all this could have been avoided. None of them would be dead because of me."
The hand that was holding Martina's stilled as her words registered with her aunt. Her comforting smile turned into a grimace of mortification and her compassionate eyes were widened with terror.
Martina wasn't looking at her but she could feel the digust seeping into her skin. She quickly yanked her hand away and stood up, turning away from the table as she brushed away her tears.
Bucky's heart was torn in half for her as he stood and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked back at Carolina and shook his head. "Maybe we should talk more about this tomorrow."
"No," Martina stated, turning around with her lips set in a snarl. "I want to go now. I don't want to stay here for even another minute."
"Martina..." Bucky mumbled, shaking his head at her.
"No," she snapped, slapping his hand away as she didn't dare look at her aunt. "We're leaving. I'm gonna go outside and call a cab. Get our stuff Bucky."
There was a vicious slam of the door that followed Martina's departure. Bucky was about to moved toward the stairs to collect their bags when Carolina's hand shot out and grabbed his elbow.
"I didn't mean to," she whispered, her face contourted in agony.
Bucky wanted to yank his arm away from the woman who had lied to Martina her entire life and who held a good majority of the blame for all the lives that had been lost, but he couldn't.
Those four words pierced his heart because they had been the very same words muttered by a hysterical and heartbroken Martina.
The same words that had once been uttered by him.
"I know," he whispered. "She didn't either."
"I thought I was doing the right thing."
Bucky nodded his head as he gently took his arm back.
"We all do."
―A/N―
Hello, lovelies!
We have officially completed part one of Reveries of Spring! Yay!
PLEASE check out my SiriusxOc fanfiction, Loved and Lost. I have begun publishing it and it also follows my strict posting schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
So, if you love your friendly author and want to see her tackle more mature themes in a totally different experimental writing style for her, go check it out!
Until then & faithfully yours,
Bella.