hardest to love: bucky barnes

six.

The next morning I woke up around nine and got ready for breakfast, setting on a matching pair of black biker shorts and sports bra to wear. I laid in bed a little longer than usual, still feeling sad from last night. I already know someone's gonna ask where I went last night so as I laced up my shoes I thought of an excuse that I haven't already used. When I headed out the door and down the hall I passed Natasha's room and heard James voice.

"I need to tell her Natasha." He said as I listened behind the door.

"She isn't ready to hear it yet, Barnes." She said angrily.

"She deserves to know."

"Just drop it."

What did I need to know? And why can't I know? Where the only two questions running though my mind as I continued on my way downstairs. I walked into the kitchen and saw Steve making waffles. I sat at the table with Wanda,Vision and Peter as we waited for the others to come down.

"Hey Val." Peter said with excitement.

"Hey Pete." I said messing up his curly brown hair before sitting down next to him and Wanda.

Peter talked to me about his new Star Wars Lego spaceship that him and his friend Ned built last night. I felt bad because I stopped listening when the other came down to join us. James sat across the table next to Sam and Natasha. He doesn't even bother to look at me. What the actual hell is wrong with him?

I needed to find out what was happening, and I knew exactly who to go to.

I was spaced out for most of breakfast as they all had talked about last night. Tony must have noticed I was quite.

"So, where did you disappear to last night Val?" Tony questioned causing the attention to fall on me.

"Needed some fresh air then went to bed." I said looking Tony in the eyes so maybe he would believe me. I guess he did or maybe he didn't and just decided to drop it. That was till Sam opened his mouth.

"Bucky left too, Don't tell me you guys are having a little rendezvous?" He said chuckling causing some of the others to laugh as well. Not James though.

Wanda covered Peters ears and I reached for the small knife in the holster under my biker shorts and fling it at the wall, missing Sam on purpose.

"Next time, It won't go through the wall but instead you're skull, Wilson." I said before returning to eating the waffles on my plate as he continued to laugh with the rest of them.

"Hey, no throwing knifes or threatening to kill each other before noon." Tony said before getting up and taking the knife out of the wall.

"Anyways, no. Valentina and I aren't having a 'rendezvous'. I didn't even see her last night, I went to go box downstairs." James said, again not looking over in my direction.

Once we finished breakfast I headed upstairs to grab my phone and headphones before my run in the park. On my way to get them I stopped by Wanda's room.

"Hey Wanda, Can I ask for a quick favor?" I asked after softly knocking on her door.

"Sure, Come in." She said sitting on her bed.

Before I could even sit next to her she already knew what I wanted. Responding with a quick and simple, "No. I'm not reading Nat's mind."

"Why not? You just read mine." I questioned the pretty red head.

"She can always tell when I'm in there and honestly, it scares me a bit." She said.

"Ugh." I groaned falling back on her bed.

"Just go talk to her."She shrugged.

"No." I got up quickly.

"Why not? You guys have been through so much together."

"Exactly. So we shouldn't be keeping secrets."

After a moment of silence, I said thanks to Wanda and continued to grab my stuff and go on my run. On the few days off we get, I enjoy going on runs by myself usually in Central Park then get coffee somewhere downtown. Today was nothing different, except that I couldn't stop thinking about what happened this morning.

Once I left the coffee shop, I headed back to the tower and took a shower, trying to let it go a little. I relaxed the rest of the night while watching movies, I even took a nap. I decided to skip seeing everyone at dinner, I can always eat later plus I wasn't up to acting social right now.

When I woke up it was midnight. I figured everyone was sleeping by now or at least in their rooms so I slipped on some black tights and a black bodysuit then put my ballet slippers in my bag and headed down to the training room.

Empty. I turned on the lights in the small room next to the training room and placed my bag on the bench. After a few minutes I started stretching when I felt eyes staring into my back. When I looked in the mirror, I was proven correct.

James.

"Just staring at me doesn't help make it any less weird." I said still warming up, trying my best to ignore his presence.

"I heard you leave you're room. I figured you would be down here." He said as he look a seat on the bench.

"So you're watching me now?" I raised a brow at him.

"Why did you not come to dinner?" He said ignoring my last comment.

"I fell asleep." I said starting the music on the small speaker I always brought with me.

"Mhm." He said watching me work on the dance I've been trying to learn.

Time passed while I tried to ignore the wondering eyes near me. At one point he even approached me, placing his hands on my waist and leg. His metal arm caused goosebumps up across my skin, he noticed but didn't say anything about it. I looked at him surprised by his movements but he ignored me while fixing my posture as I then saw us in the mirror.

"Maybe, try it like this." He said backing off of me to watch his work.

I nailed the turns and for the first time in what felt like forever, I smiled while dancing again. When I looked over at James, he was smiling at me too.

"Where did you learn about ballet?" I questioned as I finished and started to collect my things.

"I read a lot to catch up on the things I missed." He said helping me grab my stuff.

"Maybe you aren't so bad after all." I said shutting off the lights as we headed upstairs.

I decided to take the elevator since my feet were hurting and James joined me. The short elevator ride was silent until we got off.

"Goodnight James." I said looking down as I exited the elevator. That's when I left him touch my wrist so I turned to look at him.

"Goodnight Valentina."