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2014
LOCATION: VALENCIA - SPAIN
— Ready?- Magna asked lowly, waiting, and felt her heart thudding as if she were afraid.
This could be it. The moment they finally found him. He could very well be on the other side of that door. Yeah, sure... her mind bitterly commented.
— I am if you are.- Sam smirked, watching as she plucked a bobby pin from her pocket and approached the door knob cautiously. He wondered, briefly, if she always carried bobby pins in her pocket and if they ever made it to her hair.
They had been chasing that lead for the past week. Eventually, Sam and Magna found a plausible location, but after the Italy fiasco the two didn't really care to keep their hopes up. Not too much, at least. Bucky Barnes was always one step ahead; it felt like the tracking was reciprocated, as if the latter was keeping tabs on them too, but they couldn't be sure. Whichever was the reason for their continuous failure, the man on the run mas making sure he wasn't found by anyone -- and he was succeeding, by the way.
Needless to say, Magna was a little bit more concerned about what might unfold once they came across the guy. She expected resistance, of course, -- Barnes was a wanted man, after all--, or a violent display of some sorts. Would they be able to convince him to trust their intentions? Would Bucky be willing to listen to them? Would he try to kill them instead and run away again? Was he even behind that door?
There was only one way to find out.
— Here goes nothing...- mumbled the brunette through the bobby pin that she held between her lips before snapping it in half.
Without a word Sam witnessed Magna kneeling down and beginning to vigorously work the lock with the hair accessory. She was excellent at it, a talent that would result in uncharacteristically short and uncommonly tense showers for Sam. The young woman was a prankster, and he was definitely too old to become the target of her moments of boredom. The prospect of Magna locking him up in a bathroom, naked, was terrifying.
As one of his eyebrow rose, she looked up at him and rolled her eyes, defensively clenching her jaw.
— My mom used to lose her keys a lot...- she mumbled by a way of explanation. As if she needed to lie. He simply chuckled and shook his head, allowing her to work her magic without interrupting her with witty remarks.
Magna busied herself, beads of sweat trickling from her temples like a river's rapids. Because the entire building was old, at first the bobby pin did nothing; It twisted loosely, uselessly, in the keyhole, which annoyed her. The latter kept sticking it in and wiggling it. She jabbed, and jabbed, licking her lips with concentration, feeling her throat get hot with frustration.
— C'mon...- she whispered to herself, growing anxious.
When she was about to let out a curse, give up and ask Sam to lend her a hand, Magna jiggered with the latch for a few seconds one last time. Suddenly, they heard a click. Sam rolled his shoulders in a nervous manner and pulled on the door handle. There was the sound of straining hinges, and it opened.
Sam saw their hunch had been right: messy, but with no recent indications of Barnes. One by one they checked the rooms, but there was, of course, no sign of him. No sign of him, or that he'd been there recently. Magna gave a snort of impatience and told herself to grow up and stop being an emotional wimp. They just needed to keep looking. Steve was counting on them.
— I'm getting so tired of this game of hide and seek!- Wilson heard her call out from the adjacent room. She was inspecting what she could only guess was supposed to be a bedroom, as there wasn't even a mattress, but didn't find anything helpful.
They drew a blank, again, it seemed.
— No, you just can't stand losing.-Sam loudly pointed out as he searched the bathroom for clues. She returned to the kitchenette and huffed, looking around, yet without asserting the opposite.
There wasn't much to look at, to be honest. The locations were progressively getting worse, and she worried about the Bucky's condition. He was probably running low on money and supplies by now. Barnes might have been able to evade them every single time so far, but Sam and Magna were gaining speed, and the latter didn't know how much longer he could misdirect them. They were getting better at tracking him down with each defeat and he knew that.
— It's official.- she grunted, checking for clues inside a trash can. How many times had she found herself digging through garbage cans in the past month? Magna didn't want to know. — This sucks.- she concluded.
— We'll find him.- Sam muttered moodily, emerging from the bathroom. He helped her with the trash, trying to read some ripped-up pieces of paper.
— Lack of sleep is making you delusional, Wilson.- she commented, frowning at some pages of relatively recent newspapers mixed with a few cereal bar wrappers and several plum pits. — I'm empty. You? Anything?- she tilted down her head, inspecting his hands.
— I gotta give it to him, he's damn clean.- he said, scowling at the garbage before tossing it back in the trash can.
— He's good.- Magna hummed in agreement and let out an exasperated sigh. — I swear, it's like he counts on us to come for him. That trash might not even be his...- she added, nodding to herself and flinching one eyebrow as she stared at the wall . — I think I hate him.- she mused out loud, and Sam chuckled humorlessly.
Sure, Magna knew a thing or two about tracking people down but Barnes was different. As an agent she had been asked to find several dangerous people before, but never a professional former assassin, scientifically enhanced and manipulated by an evil organization. It was ridiculous. It also made her feel unnervingly inadequate and totally out of her depth.
... The man has managed to stay under the radar for decades, for Christ's sake.
— Tin Man tore off one of my wings and kicked me off a tower.- Sam rebutted with pursed lips, hands placed on his hips. — So yeah, feel free to join the damn club.
The common denominator between Bucky and him was Steve. However, Sam couldn't bring himself to trust the latter's undying hope that the man his long time best friend had once been was still somewhere deep inside that mind of his. Wilson was Steve's closest colleague now, but despite he'd repeatedly backed Cap up, Barnes was complicated territory. He'd done awful things, and even if the brainwashing was gone, Sam could't ignore that Bucky was a ticking time bomb.
Yes, he'd agreed to help his friend look for his other friend, and Steve had shared a lot about Bucky with him, but that was as far as Sam's sympathy for his situation went; and the fact that Barnes had once tried to kill him undoubtedly put a damper on the prospect of ever being cool with each other. The idea was... what was the word Mags had used?
Delusional?
Yes, exactly.
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LOCATION: VALENCIA - SPAIN
HOTEL
THREE HOURS LATER
Absent mindedly humming a song from the radio, Magna covered her hair in a towel and put on a moisturizing face mask. Already in her pajamas, she took her suitcase and placed it on the queen size bed, rearranging clothes to kill time until the mask was ready. The brunette had just finished folding the last t-shirt when a soft knock on her door startled her.
She marched through the bedroom and threw open the door. Sam's smirk faded as soon as he saw her face, his expression now fully confused.
— ... 'Sup, American Psycho?- he teased and she replaced her shocked expression with an irritated one.
— Really?- she sighed dramatically. — Wow. Very funny.- despite her half-hearted effort of trying to shut the door in his face, the man smoothly held it open with one hand and brought the other one up, slightly dangling something in front of her. Her brown eyes lowered.
Sam was clutching a bottle, weighty and conspicuous, the wrinkled brown paper bag rough in his palm.
— Whatcha got there, Wilson?- she asked, and nodded at the paper bag before pulling the towel off her head and fluffing her damp hair. — Water, I'm assuming...?- Sam scowled but before the latter could mutter a reply, Magna gestured him to come in as she walked inside again to hang up the towel.
— It's the weekend.- he told her matter-of-factly with a shrug as she emerged from the bathroom, closing the door with his foot. She went to the bedside table, picked up her phone, checking for any texts from her parents and then leaving it to charge.
— Yeah, and we are nowhere closer to finding Barnes.- she pointed out, hands on her hips, watching as he plopped down on her bed, grabbing the remote control. — We are officialy out of leads, Sam.
— That's what the wine's for.- he commented as he nonchalantly flipped through the channels. Magna turned her head, glaring at him, and his cocky smirk just seemed to grow bigger. — Taking a night off won't make any difference, Mags.- he reasoned without taking his eyes off the tv screen, even when she walked up to the bed and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.
— At least get your dirty shoes off the bed, will you?- she huffed out an annoyed breath and shoved Sam's feet off the mattress, dropping them over the edge of the bed. He looked at up at her and chuckled to himself at how ridiculous she looked wearing that face mask.
— Can't take you seriously with that weird thing on your face.- he said, surveying her current appearance and gesturing toward Magna with the bottle in hand. — ... You look like a killer from a bad Slasher movie.
Magna narrowed her eyes at him and planted a fake smile before reaching for the first thing she could. With a grin, she quickly jerked the pillow out from under his head and slammed Sam's face with it. The vigorous movement caused the latter to almost drop the wine bottle on the carpet. However, Wilson managed to hold on to it, grunting as he instictively tried to dodge the impact with the other arm.
The pillow fell on his lap and Sam shook his head with annoyance, turning his most severe expression upon her; the brunette immediately starting to snicker, which led to full-out laughter.
— You're totally right. I think I'm ready for that wine now.- she said, very much aware that he was about to chastise her like a father would, and walked over to where her purse and jacket were hanging on a coat rack.
Magna looked back at him, pleased to notice Sam's scolding expression dissolve into a beaming smile upon her words.
— Say no more.- he agreed, and the brunette fished out of her purse a red pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Then, the latter heard the unmistakable (and satisfying) pop of a cork behind her and smiled to herself.
— By the way, this...- Magna commented and turned around, a cigarette hanging loosely from the corner of her mouth. She was pointing at her own face with the lighter. — ... Is a Korean sheet mask.
— If it's shit, then why use it?- Sam quipped, deadpan, and raised an eyebrow at her, watching the young woman make her way across the room and walk to the opposite side of the bed.
Magna immediately stopped dead in her tracks and shot him a skeptical look. Man, are you serious? Smiling down at his own silly joke, Sam then raised the wine bottle in the air in a proud and amused mock toast before taking a large gulp of its contents.
— What's up with these bad jokes?- she snorted, pulling open the curtains to the balcony doors to reveal the beauty of the city. — I'm telling you, Wilson. You're out of your game.- Sam frowned at the teasing words she shot him over her shoulder before pushing both wooden doors open wide. The brunette stepped outside, allowing in a cool night breeze.
— I ain't seein' your ass on SNL either...- she heard him call out from the interior. The young woman lifted the lighter to the cigarette and flicked it a couple of times before glancing over at Sam with a smirk.
— Oh, just you wait...- came her response, pausing for a drag, then exhaling slowly. Sam watched her shrug without looking back at him, and the gesture didn't sit well with him.
Magna sat down on the balcony floor and leaned her back against the doorframe with her knees to her chin, holding her knees together with her arms. Blowing out the smoke made her feel as if she was blowing away all the stress from the past week.
— Okay, Maya Rudolph...- he inspected the young woman's profile. Her eyes were closed, she was listening to the sounds from down in the streets. — I don't know why I'm asking you this and please don't bite my head off, but... you okay?
Upon the tentative question, she slowly turned her face to him, brows rising inquiringly as she met his eyes. They were no longer teasing, for they now brimmed with concern, and a touch of sympathy.
— Now you sound like my father...- she teased. On hearing that, the worry visible in Sam's eyes vanished a little. Again Magna squeezed her eyes shut, and her chest rose and fell on a long breath when she rotated her shoulders as though to relieve tension. She kept the cigarette in her mouth, busied her hands by squeezing them together, letting go, repeating the motion. — ... I just want to find him and go home. That's all.
— And we will.- he muttered. They were always close... but Barnes just disappeared. Nobody can find him, Magna wanted to confute, but she had no energy left. — We'll find him.- he said once more. Sam's voice was strong, but lacking conviction; he noticed it, yet chose to ignore it for his own sake.
— Yeah...- Magna replied quietly, not entirely sure she believed it, and without finishing it ground out her cigarette in the big glass ashtray she'd left there on the floor earlier that morning.
Still, the brunette managed to nod once at her friend before tearing off the face mask. She wadded it into a ball, aimed toward the trash can near the balcony doors and, with a flip of her wrist, arched it like a miniature basketball. The white mask hit its mark, and Magna's mouth turned up in a self-deprecating grin.
— Two points.- she murmured, her comment quickly followed by Sam's chuckle.
— What's the deal with those things anyway?- he tilted his head with interest, suddenly paying attention to the noticeable improvement of Magna's skin.
The latter's complexion looked glowy, glossy, far better than it did that very morning, for sure. He'd opened his hotel door at 6:30 AM that day to find her with a grimace, massive sunglasses on, two coffees in hand and a terrible temper matching his own. The two were never in the mood for chatting over croissants and coffee, so they always had their breakfast to go. Needless to say, there wasn't any functional communication between them until, probably, 10 AM.
— Would you like to try one?- she baited, grinning broadly like a mischevious cat as she stood up and strolled back inside, feeling her face fresh and smooth.
— Hell no.- he huffed and leaned back against the headboard, stretching his long legs out, reclining with his hands behind his head. The wine bottle, on the bedside table, sat there silently calling for Magna. The latter said nothing back and simply opted for fishing out of her suitcase another face mask before throwing it at him.
Wilson caught it mid-air and pointed a warning finger.
— No more throwing things.- Magna shrugged and silence fell between them. It was only after reading the instructions on the back that Sam narrowed his eyes and spoke again, this time in a bashful demeanor. — ... Does it, uh, hurt?- he reluctantly inquired.
— What do you mean, 'hurt'?- she asked, scrunching her nose with a tilted head. Then she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. — No. Of course it doesn't.
— How the hell would I know?!- he defended himself, and raised his hands in the air as if surrendering. He also muttered something else under his breath that Magna couldn't quite catch -- though it definitely sounded like the word 'asshole'. The brunette sighed deeply and sat on the bed by his side, patting his shoulder.
— Well, it doesn't hurt a bit. Just helps you look better... younger.... I guess... -her voice absently trailed off, as she reached for the bottle of wine.
— ... I could use some of that.- he mumbled to himself in no time, pondering the idea. She put her lips to the bottle and took a swig.
— ... But come to think of it...-she carried on immediately, with a casual tone. — Might be too late for you. I'm afraid you're old already. It's a lost cause.
— Asshole.- this time Sam was perfectly loud and clear. He rolled his eyes and took the wine firmly from Magna's hand. After a long sip Wilson returned it to her and opened the Korean face mask, ripping the pack open with his teeth. — Screw it.
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2016
LOCATION: CITADEL - GOLDEN CITY, WAKANDA
SEPTEMBER 23RD
— So yeah...- Sam gave out a little laugh as he knew she was smiling on the other end of the phone.. — ... Anyway, happy birthday, Halcón.- catching up, Magna made sure to tell him everything about the Dora Milaje training, living in Wakanda and even a little bit of her progress with Barnes.
— Muchas gracias, Secret Squirrel.- said his deep voice on the other end, speaking faulty Spanish, with more than a trance of American accent. Magna pressed her lips together and wisely refrained from making any teasing comments on it.
— You realize how dated that reference is, right?- she decided to ask instead.
The young woman took the phone and put it on her right shoulder, cradling it with her ear, so her hands were free to feel around her pockets for the key to her apartment.
— Cut me some slack.- he rebutted as she locked the door. — It's my birthday, remember?
— Yeah. I know.- the brunette replied, calling for the elevator. Her frown deepened, awareness sinking in. Almost growling in her frustration, she added, — I'm sorry that I can't be there.
Magna pictured him casually shrugging, with a lazy smirk on his face.
— It's okay, Mags.- there was a fraction of a second of stark silence on the other end of the line. — Ain't like we're throwin' a party...- he joked, as the elevator door opened silently and smoothly. — You're not missing out on much.
Magna could feel stupid tears well up in her eyes, but she didn't want her voice cracking as it was threatening to. After a long conversation with the three of them -- hearing their voices made her miss them even more--, Wilson had clicked the phone off speaker and held it to his ear. Now he could almost hear Magna's thoughts spinning, but before he could reassure her, she spoke again.
— I miss you, guys.- she swallowed the knot lodged in her throat as she stepped inside the elevator. Quiet, still air. Nobody there. Then, her low laugh cut through the static. — I can't get over the whole cake thing, though. Who would've thought Natasha had baking skills?
— She just wanted an excuse to eat cake.- he commented, and let out a soft chuckle. — My birthday was just a convenience.
— You know that's not true.- Magna countered with a sweet smile, watching the elevator numbers descend slowly.
— Yeah.- he said, after another lengthy pause. Dropping the volume, but maintaining the seriousness of his tone, Sam carried on. — We miss you too, Mags.- the sudden honesty caused a shiver to race down her spine.
The doors of the elevator opened and Magna stepped out immediately. The latter wanted to head toward the marketplace, so for a few blocks she followed the noises and movement in the distance. However, something changed within her and the brunette stopped dead in her tracks. Not enough, she decided, after saying goodbye to Sam and a heavy feeling settled in her chest.
Instead, she found herself heading the opposite way. With each block she walked, all the sad thoughts that entered her mind wouldn't go away, and she knew in the pit of her stomach something was not right. The more she thought about it the heavier and tighter the feeling in her stomach became. It was so bad she feared it would explode from the weight of her emotions.
She didn't know where she was going, she didn't know what she wanted, but the former agent felt the desperate need to walk, breathe, and get away from the crowds. Was it distraction she needed? Perhaps it was talking she seeked for? She had no clue. All she had were sad thoughts. There was no fixed destination, but Magna kept walking anyway.
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The sky was darkening as she made her way to the village on the outskirts of town, where Bucky lived. The winds smelt of heavy rain, but still, she walked on. When Magna had the hut in sight, she stood a while, looking at how strangely it blended into the multitude of similar coloured shacks on either side of the riverside.
She'd never been to Bucky's place at night, but the idea of being inside its cozy interior urged her feet to keep going. Magna moved slowly, approaching his space cautiously. But the sky belt out huge drops all of a sudden, and the brunette sprinted towards the hut intending to take shelter under the roof. It'd been quite a while since the last storm and her mind was joyously heightened when her skin was struck by the cold rain.
Magna stood facing the nearest hill, on the hut's small mud porch, her outstretched palms feeling the droplets. A few villagers were were hurrying into their homes, clanging door curtains shut and shuffling out of their sandals. Her eyes were on two of them, a mother and father -she figured- trying to convince a small kid --their son, perhaps-, to go back inside, but the little one ignored any adult orders and kept running around, enjoying the rain.
Suddenly, the young woman heard a deep voice coming from within the hut, behind her.
— You're gonna catch a cold.- the tone came quiet, serious.
— How did you know it was me?- she pursed her lips, making her way inside the warmth of the small room and meeting his stare. The hut's shape gave a strong foundation and kept heat inside, which Magna appreciated immediately.
It's not like I have a thousand people coming by, he wanted to retort playfuly, but ultimately chose not to.
— What are you doing here?- he said instead, showing a great deal of surprise at her presence... and perfectly concealed expectation.
— Well, hello to you too.- she murmured. Looking around, she spotted a small blackened kettle steaming above the fireplace, and seeing that her eyes were upon it, Bucky stood up and walked towards it.
— I was about to make tea.- he said, raising his eyebrow. A few mugs sat on the floor, near the fire, and he gestured to one, in silent enquiry.
— Mind if I join you?- she wondered, narrowing her eyes at him, oblivious to the man's unspoken gratefulness for her unexpected, --yet very much appreciated--, company.
— Well, you're already here and it's raining.-Bucky shrugged as he sprinkled some tea leaves into the kettle. His cheeky reply was followed by a quick shake of his head once he thought better. — I mean, uh, no, I don't mind.- he backtracked, furrowing his eyebrows. — Although, you don't strike me as a tea person. I mean, you're always drinking coffee.
— Ah, so think you got me all figured out.- she teased, moving slowly, breathing in the aroma of Bucky's place. Boldly, Magna sat on the the man's bed across from him and studied him as he prepared the infusions with meticulous motions, noting the tension in his shoulders. When he didn't say anything in return, her gaze fixed on the books she'd given him, sitting near the bed.
Quite the opposite, actually, he thought, glancing at her over his shoulder for a fleeting moment, making sure she didn't notice. Then, Bucky brought the two mugs closer and, with a steady hand, poured the tea into them. He glanced dubiously at the cup, then handed it to her with half a smile lifting the corner of his mouth.
— Here.- Magna was in profile to him as she took the battered mug. — ... Careful, it's hot.
— Thank you.- she smiled. As the brunette accepted the tea, her fingers brushed against his in the exchange, quite deliberately, Bucky was sure. The latter ignored the jolt when she stole a glance at him.
Desperate to avoid eye contact, the man turned around quickly to get his own mug. The small contact sizzled along her nerve endings, making her blush, and Magna hoped he wouldn't see. Then, she took a sip of the steaming tea. Bucky didn't have any sweetener to speak of, but it was fine as it was
— It's good.- she muttered under her breath, between sips. The former soldier only nodded in response and faced her again from across the hut, trying his darnedest to ignore the fact that she was there, casually sitting on his bed.
He seemed so distant standing over there, even though only a few feet separated them. At his expectant look, Magna realized she had no idea why she was there. She blew on the surface of the tea, buying herself time before taking another sip.
— So...- she awkwardly started, holding the mug between both palms, tilting her head thoughtfully.
She looked so vulnerable staring up at Bucky, her face cast in a golden glow. The firelight provided the room's only illumination, its orange gleam accentuating the angular beauty of her face.
— So.- he repeated, lowly.
Bucky knew it wasn't the wisest thing to do, but somehow his feet had a mind of their own. It wasn't even a conscious decision, but before he knew it, he was halfway through the room, and by then it seemed too abrupt to stop. Within seconds, he covered the distance between the fireplace and the bed in two long strides, and sat down next to her.
Shifting his body a little on the edge of the mattress, he was careful to keep a decent distance from her. Bucky watched her every expression as though he was afraid to let Magna out of his sight. Unsure of the best way to proceed, he concentrated on the beat of her heart instead, waiting for her to continue.
They wrapped their fingers around the warmth of the mug for comfort while they dedicated a moment of silent appreciation to the quietness of the night.
... Truthfully? the two were just trying to come up with something to say. Eventually, she sighed, and resignation lingered and hovered in the air.
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Out of nowhere, silence was broken, as they talked at the same time and made no sense at all, speaking on top of each other's voices.
— I don't know why I'm here.- she quickly admitted, in a voice so soft he might've had trouble hearing if not for his enhanced senses.
— One of the goats gave birth today.- he told her simultaneously, and a wide grin split Bucy's handsome features.
She blinked repeatedly as his words sunk in, and finally... smiled. The same smile that had originally hooked him into that mess. Magna and Bucky then laughed a little, in embarrassment.
— Oh? Did you...- fidgeting with her hands, she moistened her lips. — Did you assist?- again, she blinked, but this time she wasn't confused. She was amazed. Smiling hesitantly, and then with assurance and excitement, she continued. — How was it?
Bucky clicked his tongue and smirked down at her.
— Not gonna lie... kinda scary, kinda gross.- he shook his head, leaning his back against the wall behind the headboard. — But they are okay. It was... nice?
Magna would have probably burst out laughing in front of Bucky, had it not been for the cuteness of his admission. A super soldier scared of a female goat giving birth? Check.
— Can I see them?- she inquired sheepishly, with a small grin. — I mean, not now, obviously, but I would love to...-she nervously rushed her words as she spoke, clarifying the obvious, but Bucky interrupted her with a simple nod.
— Gotta check on 'em tomorrow.- he told her, shrugging, then took a sip of his tea. — We can go after breakfast, if you want.- her lips parted with surprise. Tomorrow? Breakfast? Did he mean..? Bucky could tell by the way she frowned slightly in confusion that Magna didn't expect him to respond as he did. — You take the bed, there's a hammock I can hang up there.- he continued, nodding at a corner of the hut.
Just as she was about to tell him there was no need, the room was suddenly lit up by a brilliant flash of lightning, followed by a booming clap of thunder so loud that it practically made the walls vibrate. Bucky raised an eyebrow at her, as if that made his point.
The hiss of hard rain hitting the roof could be heard as it doubled in intensity and she realized she wouldn't be able to get back to the city any time soon. The brunette pressed her lips together in understanding.
Softening her expression, she nudged his arm with her elbow, just a playful little move that made him grin.
— Tell me what to do.- Magna said quietly, meeting his eyes and regarding the man with amusement. Bucky blinked in a slow, friendly way.
— Don't pet them on the head. Makes 'em nervous, 'cause they can't see what you're doing.- he elucidated, staring somewhere outside the window, probably where the barn was, and then looking back to her. — So, instead of approaching them from top, try coming at them from the front, and petting the side of their neck just where it reaches the chin.- Magna nodded slowly, collecting the information and saving it for later. — ... They can see exactly what you're doing and are less likely to be startled.
Soon the conversation flowed easily, taking Bucky and Magna to unexpected territories which they happily welcomed. He had definitely learned a lot about farms, animals and seemed pleased to share his knowledge with her. Futhermore, he was happy she wanted to hear about it.
After a while, they also indulged in more playful back and forths. The pace of each question changed, and the goal soon became to answer as quick as possible, as honestly as possible. The little game of favorites, in their eyes, more an asset than a detriment. It was an easy way of providing and receving, the personal bits and pieces of information exactly what they needed to hear from each other.
"Favorite color?"
"Black."
"Figures... Mine's blue, I think."
"Favorite snack?"
"Pizza."
"I would've never guessed... That's hardly a snack, though."
"Fine. Cheese and crackers? That good enough for ya?"
Hours passed, and they also spoke, and read, and quietly contemplated things. They laughed when they felt good and things were going well, of course, and most of the time a gentle hint of laughter filled their discourse like the sensation of a light breeze on a hot day.
The night went by, cozy, quiet, warm despite the storm, and they began to get to know one another, utterly unaware that they were slowly tying themselves together by stuff too difficult to explain to someone new.
𝔸/ℕ: Happy Birthday, Sam! I meant to post this on Wednesday but this week was INSANE.
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♡ 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘!
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