Electric / Steve Rogers x OC x Bucky Barnes ✓

Chapter 71: It's Just How The World Works

MADELINE

We all leave Nat's room and go to get breakfast. 

I'm standing in the kitchen, watching Wanda cook, when I feel a shiver down my spine. 

I feel him before I even see him. I feel that he's close.

It wasn't like this before, it's like my senses are heightened because I've been depriving myself what I truly want for so long now. 

As I turn around slowly I see him standing at the edge of the kitchen area. He's in a black t-shirt, the metal arm gleaming in the sunlight streaming in from the window, and his dog tags hanging loosely around his neck. His hair is short, a light scruff on his face and he just stands there, frozen. 

He's standing completely still, his puppy dog eyes on full display as he watches me. His face is guilty, hurt and I feel my heart breaking a little at the sight of him. 

Before I can even react he moves around to leave and I look quickly at Nat and Wanda who both motion for me to go follow him. I make a split second decision and run after him.

"James.." I say quietly as I feel myself moving towards where he went down the hallway. He stops in his tracks as he hears me and I'm expecting him to turn around, but he doesn't. Instead he drops his head a little and looks at the floor. 

I catch up to him quickly and move to stand in front of him. 

"Hi," I say hesitantly. He looks up at me and I see all the emotions on his face. I've never seen him quite like this before. He looks.. broken. He's always been broken, but he's never looked it. 

"Hey," he says softly, his voice deep and hoarse. 

"Can we talk, later?" I ask. I wasn't even sure I was ready to do this a minute ago but having him in front of me, my heart is racing and my entire body is tingling. I want to fix this now. I'm finally ready to face this. 

"You sure you want to?" He says quietly, shuffling his feet. 

I move in a little closer and put my hand on his arm, the metal cool against my palm. As I do I immediately feel the electricity surging through me and it spurs me on. 

"Yes, I'm sure. We should talk." 

He glances down to my hand on his arm and a small smile paints his lips. 

"I'll come by your room. Is that okay?" I ask him as I try to read his face and his eyes finally meet mine. 

It's like being electrified, the feeling of once again being trapped in that steel-blue prison. And although I hate the hold he has over me, I feel instant relief to know I didn't lose this feeling. Even though I wished for the past two months that I would. 

He nods lightly, "Yeah.. just.. come by whenever you have time." 

I give him a soft smile and as he moves out of my touch and to his room, his familiar scent lingers in the air of the hallway and my fingers ache to be back in proximity of him. 

I walk slowly back to the kitchen. Nat and Wanda are still cooking but both turn their attention to me the second they hear me. 

"Well?" Nat says, her eyebrows raised expectantly. 

"I'm going to his room to talk later. When I'm ready. When I know what I'm going to say." 

"That's good Maddie! I'm proud of you. Now you just have to find out what you want to say," Wanda says with a smile as she continues cooking. 

"Yeah, and just make sure you don't get too caught up in those eyes of his and end up underneath him again," Nat says with a smirk followed by a chuckle. 

As soon as she mentions it my stomach flutters at the thought of being touched by him again. But once again, I know I shouldn't. 

But I can't help it. It's just how the world works.