Certainty (A Bucky Barnes Fanfic)

━◦○◦4.2: Grave◦○◦━

episode 4 - The Whole World is Watching

Bucky wasn't sure how he expected Walker to not find them. Maybe it had been a naive hope that the idiot would keep to his own territory. Maybe he had just assumed Walker would be slower. He followed Zemo through the streets, his hands in his pockets. The little girl at the front hadn't even acknowledged him and Sam, but Bucky didn't know why he expected otherwise. It wasn't like two strange American men were welcome by displaced individuals. Shamara--in hijab--walked beside him. Walker hadn't been able to recognize Shamara in hijab at first, and now, he was even more suspicious of her.

"It'll be a fight to keep Walker back," Shamara said in Arabic.

"I think he speaks Arabic," Bucky glanced back.

"I think I don't care if he understands me."

"That's my girl," Bucky joked in his old voice, the one that women had found charming "back in the day."

He waited for Shamara to still, to react at least a little bit. But ever the spy, she just laughed. Her expression didn't budge. Frick. He shouldn't have tried that. It was a cheap way of pushing at their recent conversations, especially when she was trained not to react.

"What was that whole thing in the forties?" She tilted her head at him. "Like the whole 'best girl' 'little girl' thing? Or is that something I just got from black and white movies."

"Heck, if I know. It was what people said, but I don't know why," Bucky's forehead furrowed. "You watched black and white movies?"

"It's how I was taught English. My Scottish teacher got sick of us girls every afternoon. He was older. Would turn on old American movies while we did our homework."

"That's adorable."

"Yeah," Shamara looked forward, her gaze growing heavier.

Bucky tried to think of the Arabic words, "Were you . . . close? With the others?"

"As children, we were close. But two died. After that, we tried to stay distant. Then we received the injections, and it was much easier not to care."

"It wasn't a scenario like . . . ," Bucky glanced over his shoulder again.

"I'm pretty sure they were just decided to be too weak, so they were gotten rid of somewhat subtly," Shamara moved closer to him.

"Yeah?"

"Both died in their sleep."

It took a lot for Bucky to be truly horrified after everything he had seen. And that did it. He stared at Shamara, his throat tightening. She kept looking at the ground, her fingers splayed and tense on her thighs. Bucky wanted to squeeze her hand, but couldn't make himself reach for her. Not with Walker and Lemar behind them. He settled for stepping closer.

"I'm sorry," he patted her shoulder.

A ghost of a smile brushed Shamara's face, and she kept speaking in Arabic, "Interesting. I think you pat me when you are uncomfortable."

Bucky gave her a dry look, "Probably."

"Not because I am shorter than you."

"You are."

"It's not a good enough reason."

"If you haven't noticed, affection makes me uncomfortable. Exceptions apply," he nodded at her.

"Hmm. Well, you didn't pat me when you kissed me," Shamara's lips twitched as she said it.

Bucky wasn't sure what reaction she was looking for, "Figured it would make it too obvious."