You Make Me Glow - Bucky Barnes POV

Chapter Eight - The Hideaway

The drive is long and it starts quiet. The partition is rolled up so the driver can't see or hear you, but you still feel strange saying anything in a runaway car. You sip your water and silently cringe as your gulps seem to echo in the small area around you.

You turn your attention to the window, resting your head on the glass and watching the outside world whiz by. You've already left the city area and are now driving through rural country, with big fields and barely any housing. You weren't paying attention, but you wonder if you've left the state.

You finally decide to break the silence. You turn to Bucky and gesture to the window, "I can't remember the last time I was out in the countryside."

He turns to look at you, almost as if he's having trouble processing what you just said. Then he looks out at the view and raises his eyebrows. "Wow! I guess I really wasn't paying attention. I wonder where we are."

"Did they give you any ideas of where we might be going?"

Bucky shakes his head and shrugs. "Not a clue."

You lean back in your seat and stare up at the car ceiling. "I can't tell if we've been in the car for twenty minutes or three hours." You flash him a quick smile. "I'm glad I went to the bathroom back at my place."

He laughs, then gives you an uneasy look. "I didn't."

"Oh no!" You point at his empty water bottle and gasp. "And you drank water!"

Bucky's eyes dart around in fake panic. "I might need to roll down the partition and scream at the driver to pull over for an emergency."

You laugh. It feels good to let yourself relax and share a smile with someone. I'm really glad he came along. The thought kind of surprises you, but you don't brush it away like you might've before. You are happy he's here with you. He makes me feel safe.

...

You and Bucky quickly start picking up conversation and it flows like you've known him for years. It's like you both perfectly understand how to make eachother laugh; your humor perfectly matches his dry wit, and you soon see a more comfortable side of him that you haven't before. He's smiling and making faces full of expression, and you realize this is the first time you both have REALLY spoken. There's been small talk here and there, but it's like this car ride is a peek into his true self. You like it a lot.

Before you know it, the car is pulling to a stop and the partition is being rolled down. "This is your stop," the driver states, their face expressionless behind their black security glasses. 

You pull the lever on the car door and step out, reaching to grab your tote bag of stuff but Bucky grabs it for you. You can see that you're still in rural country by the fields in the distance, but the building you're pulled up to is in a woodsy area, and it resembles a cabin.