When Sparks Fly

Tea

When we get back to the house we are all a little less than happy. It didn't take us but about five minutes to walk there from the house and we stay quiet for most of that time, "we got nothing, what about you two?" I sit on the couch.

Bucky shakes his head, "no one's talking about Donya."

"Because Karli is the only one fighting for them. She's the only one actually helping. And she's not exactly wrong."

"What do you mean?" Bucky sits next to me.

I turn so my back is the to arm of the couch and my arm is propped up on the back of the couch, so I can see Sam, who is sitting on the other couch, and Bucky. "For five years people have been welcomed into countries that kept them out using barbwire. They had houses and jobs. People were happy to have others around them to help rebuild. It was the whole world coming together, peacefully. Then it goes right back to the way it used to be. Hate and anger, separation and..." I sigh, "to them, at least Karli is doing something."

"You really think her ends justify her means? Then she's no different than him," Bucky gestures to Zemo, "or anyone else we've fought."

I look between Bucky and Sam, "Buck, I don't expect you to understand what it's like to be a woman in a man's world. But this may be the only way she's heard. Trust me, she's different. She isn't motivated by the same things."

While we have been talking Zemo had been making some more tea, walking over to us with the tea on a tray when it is finished. Bucky looks up to him, "that little girl. What'd she tell you?"

Zemo looks between the three of us, before sitting the tray on the coffee table, "the funeral is this afternoon."

"You know the Dora's coming for you any minute. In fact they're probably lurking outside right now."

I chuckle, "oh, most definitely."

"So, keep talking."

"Leaving you to turn on me once we get to Karli. Hmmm," Zemo shakes his head, "I prefer to keep my leverage."

I scoff, "and I'd prefer to keep the tan I get when I visit Wakanda, but that doesn't happen either."

Bucky gets up and walks around the coffee table to Zemo, grabbing a cup out of his hand and throwing it against the wall, causing me to jump a bit. Zemo looks to Bucky as if he's more hurt about the cup being broken then he is scared of him, "you wanna see what someone can do with leverage?" Bucky stares him down.

I get up and slowly walk over to the boys, "trust me, you don't wanna know what Buck can do with leverage." I shrug, "or maybe you do? I don't know what you're into." Bucky just continues to star at Zemo as I place a hand on his shoulder, coming up behind him, "hey, take it easy."

"He's just gonna extort you and do that stupid head tilt thing," Sam stands and walks up behind Zemo, when Sam makes this comment Zemo straightens his head, "let me make a call."

As Sam walks away, Zemo looks between Bucky and I, "you want some Cherry Blossom tea?"

"No," Bucky shakes his head, "you go ahead." Bucky glances to me before he walks away.

I take a deep breath and shake my head, "I'll be right back." I jog off after Bucky. When I find him he is sitting on the end of a bed in the bedroom I had gotten changed in earlier. "Hey," I call out softly, closing the door behind me. Bucky doesn't answer, he doesn't even look up, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just pissed."

"Yeah, well, Zemo has that effect on people."

"Not on you," Bucky looks up to me.

I chuckle, "no, he does. But the difference between you and me is that you run hot, when you're stressed. Or when people remind you of your past."

"I don't around you."

"Because you didn't know me when you were the Winter Soldier. Where as Zemo literally tried to control you. Trust me, he pisses me off too. I just don't show it. There's no point."

"Do you really think what Karli is doing is right?"

I cross my arms and lean against the door, "yes, I do. I don't agree with how she's doing it. But she's making a difference. And causes like hers need public attention, sympathy to get what they need or want, and no one other than who they were helping knew about them until the bombings."

"They could have made demands without the bombings."

"And do you think anyone would have listened to them?" I shake my head, "Bucky, Karli is a young woman, almost a child. No one would listen to them anyway, without even taking that into consideration, and they damn sure wouldn't take them seriously once they found out Karli was the one running things."

"Why not?"

I take a deep breath, "before we met, I was working with Rhodes, under Senator Ross. Ross would only talk to Rhodes, he would address Rhodes, and he would only acknowledged Rhodes, unless I pissed him off."

"Maybe it was just because you were new."

"You don't stay 'new' for two years." I shake my head, "and even before my program no one listened, no one cared. I learned early on that you have to keep your head down and your voice low, until you have what could destroy them, that's the only way they listen."

"And when you say 'they,' I'm guessing you don't mean the world."