Cruel Fate | Bucky Barnes

WORTH LOOKING UP TO

"Whose recipe is this?"

Zemo came up behind Anna in the kitchen. He peeked over her shoulder to see the food she was cooking in the pan.

"My dad's," she answered, "He said my mom taught it to him when they first met."

"Ahh...a family tradition."

She nodded and stirred in the pasta with the grilled chicken. She poured the special sauce over it and added veggies.

As she plated the dishes, she heard Sam and Bucky bickering as usual. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Zemo eavesdropping as well.

She knocked him out of it by nudging his shoulder. She handed him two plates to deliver while she took the other two. They made their way over to the couch the pair were sitting on.

She plopped herself down next to Bucky and began eating.

"What did the kids tell you?" Bucky asked Zemo. They waited in anticipation as the man faltered.

He sighed, "The funeral is this afternoon."

Bucky scoffed, "You know the Dora's coming after you. In fact, they're probably lurking outside right now. Keep talking."

"Leaving you to turn on me once we get to Karli?"

Zemo laughed it off and sipped his tea. Anna internally admitted that he was being smart to keep his leverage. It's what she would've done too had she been in his position.

Bucky angrily stood up and came close to Zemo. He stole the man's glass from his hand and threw it against the far wall.

Anna's eyebrows lifted in shock. But she kept shoving food in her mouth as the tense interaction continued.

"You wanna see what someone can do with leverage?"

Sam spoke in a calming voice to his partner, "Take it easy. Don't engage him."

"No, no," Anna argued, "I wanna see this."

Sam rolled his eyes and stood up. He inserted himself between the rivaling pair.

"He's just gonna extort you and do that stupid head tilt thing."

Anna laughed loudly despite the tension. Sam continued to calm down the situation by claiming to call Sharon for help.

Zemo smirked and walked away. Bucky grit his teeth in frustration and turned to Anna, who looked as causal as ever.

"I'm impressed," she stated, "Normally, you would've torn off his arms."

"I told you-"

"You're not the Winter Soldier anymore," she interrupted. She rolled her eyes and stabbed at the chicken on her plate, "Yeah, yeah, I know. But I have a different perspective on who you are. You're the guy who shot me five times. Once in the knee, remember?"

She knocked on the healed knee as a gesture. He sighed regrettably and thumped down next to her on the couch.

"I also remember you bought a huge ass magnet and stuck it to my arm so I couldn't move."

They both laughed at the memory, still fresh in their minds.

"You have to admit it was clever."

He nodded in agreement with a wide smile. He reached over and picked at the food on his untouched plate. He thoughtlessly popped a piece of chicken into his mouth before pausing.

He pointed to the plate with furrowed brows, "You didn't poison this, did you?"

She rolled her eyes and stood up to place her own dish in the sink. Bucky watched her walk away with a twinkle in his eye.