The Siren (Bucky Barnes x OC)

Part 14 - A Song of Avoidance

A/N: So sorry this part took a while longer then normal to write and publish. It's currently the last two weeks of my Semester for Uni so I had lot of assignments to get done which left very little time for writing :(

"Where are we heading?" Maya groaned from the back seat as her wounds healed slowly from the explosion.

"Airport,' Zemo stated bluntly. "We've got a lead."

"You're not gonna move your seat forward, are you?" Sam complained to Bucky, who was sitting in the seat in front of him.

"Nope," Barnes replies almost smiling.

"Wait," Maya interrupted the start of their argument. "I need to grab a few things from my apartment in High Town."

"I thought you said we didn't have any friends in high town," Sam looked to her curiously.

She smirked at him, still clutching her side in agony. "I lied."

"Alright, I'll drop you and Bucky off at your apartment," Zemo explained the plan, making a sudden sharp turn to the left. "Sam and I will make sure the way is clear for the both of you to get to the bridge just outside of Madripoor where we'll pick you back up at. Make it quick. If you take more than twenty minutes, we're leaving without you."

Maya's face dropped at her Uncle's final sentence. Not once had he left her behind. Not once had he not put her first. Not once had he let her be put in harms way. Until Madripoor. Ever since they had made contact with Selby, Zemo's love for Maya had apparently been scattered to the sea breeze.

The car came to a halt outside a very expensive looking apartment building. Maya ripped the door open and stepped out. Her injuries now mostly healed. "Give us thirty minutes," she said to her Uncle without so much as glancing at him. Zemo didn't argue with her, taking note of her sudden shift in mood.

"Alright, but not a moment longer," Zemo agreed. He knew when to pick his fights. "I don't plan on being someone's pay day." The sound of the car engine revving alerted Maya to Sam and Zemo's departure, that and the silent brooding presence of Bucky next to her. She blankly gazed at him before marching up the stairs, through the glass doors, and into the elevator with a brief nod at the security guard in the lobby.

Bucky stepped into the elevator, the closing doors almost clipping his back. "Jesus, you couldn't have waited just a second longer for me?" Maya ignored his question, refusing to acknowledge him all together. It was easier to shut down then to face the consequences of their previous nights action. "You're doing it again," Bucky stated blandly. "The ignoring your problems until they miraculously disappear game." 

God she hated how well he could read her. She finally looked up at him, keeping her facial expression neutral and uninterested. "You know we have to talk about it eventually," he continued.

"No," Maya replied, breaking eye contact with Bucky whilst stepping out of the elevator and into her apartment. 

It was  a simple apartment containing the bare necessities. A kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and couch. The shelves, benchtops and bookcases were empty. No decorations, no photo frames, no sign of life. Maya beelined for her bedroom grabbing a large duffle bag from the lounge room as she went. 

"Wow, someone really settled in here," Bucky laughed sarcastically taking note of the bareness of the place. Maya shot him a look that would normally make people walk in the opposite direction. "You don't scare me, May," he stated giving her a nickname.

"Why not? Buck." She used his nickname like an insult. 

"I've seen the woman you are underneath this façade."