𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 | bucky barnes

5: Apartment talks

"It isn't much," shrugged Cat, opening the door and walking through the small lobby.

"It's enough," said Bucky following her up the stairs. She went up two flights, stopping at the second floor. She turned to the left, walking up to 24 and pulling out the key from her pocket. She jiggled it in, and the lock clicked. She used the handle, but the door still didn't open.

Cat kicked the door, but it still didn't open. She looked at Bucky awkwardly, elbowing the door.

"It, um, takes a second," she said, her cheeks going a shade of pink. Under her cap, though, Bucky didn't see.

"Here," Bucky said as Cat stepped aside. He elbowed the door with his metal arm. It opened with ease.

"Thanks," said Cat, smiling.

Bucky shrugged.

The apartment wasn't much. It seemed to be a single room, other than the bathroom. There was a kitchen on one wall, with a folding table that had two chairs. A couch sat opposite it, and a table sat on the side of the wall with piles of books and papers on top of it. A dresser sat near the entrance, just next to the bathroom door.

"Pretty empty, huh?" Cat said. She took a blanket off the couch and stuffed it in the dresser hastily.

"Not as empty as mine," said Bucky.

"Well, you can take a seat, I guess." She gestured to the couch. Bucky sat, then so did Cat.

Bucky didn't say anything. Neither did Cat, for a couple more seconds. Silence was a vague way of communication.

"I think I have a lot more questions than you did."

"I would," replied Bucky.

"Why don't you, um, why don't you start from the beginning?"

"I don't remember much," said Bucky.

"Tell me what you know," she said. "The rest we'll find out together."

"Okay," said Bucky. "Um... I was a Sergeant in the army. I was captured by Hydra at some point, then Steve — Captain America — saved me and the rest of the... um.. oh, 107th. Then I went on another mission with him, and I, um... oh, so it was on a train, but I fell off into a ravine. That's when he thought I'd died."

"But you didn't," said Cat.

"No," said Bucky, looking down. "Hydra, um they found me, put something in me, removed my memories multiple times. Something must have happened to my arm in the fall... because now I have this."

Cat looked at Bucky as he took off the glove on his left hand. He flexed his fingers, and the metal shined in the light of the windows. She looked down at it and widened her eyes.

"You have a metal arm?" Cat looked down at it, turned her head to glance from different angles. She reached her own hand down to touch his, but stopped herself.

"Can I —" she looked back down at his hand.

"Uh, yeah," he said, holding his hand up for her. She took it, her thumb to his palm.

She was fascinated by it. She watched Bucky's wrist turn from side to side, watched the way the metal joints moved when he flexed his fingers. She was amazed.

"Winter Soldier or not, Barnes, I think the metal arm is pretty cool," said Cat, taking her hand off his.

Bucky smiled. "I think you're the only one," he said.

Then it was silent for another minute. It was funny, how Cat could tell when he was going to be quiet. It wasn't awkward. It let Bucky think of what to say next.

"Why would you still want to be friends with me, even be within a couple feet of me, after I told you who I was?"

"You know, Bucky," started Cat, looking at him, "I could ask you the same question. Like I said before, we're the same. We both have pasts we don't like to talk about. We're both afraid to get attached. We both were afraid to tell each other this. But we knew the other would probably find out anyway."

"I didn't think of that," said Bucky.

"Is there any more to your story?" Cat asked. "The last thing that happened, you died."

"There's more," said Bucky. "Parts that I don't really care to tell."

"Then you stop there," she said. "You don't have to say anything else until you want to."

Bucky was thankful for Cat's understanding.

"You know, there's another thing that makes us the same," commented Cat.

"What's that?" Bucky asked, turning to face her.

"People are afraid of us because we have the power to hurt them all the time, but in reality, we're only dangerous when we can't control it."

Bucky looked her in the eyes, then back down at the floor. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Cat smiled at the ground. Bucky wasn't watching her, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see her face. Seeing her smile made him want to, too.

"Why don't I meet you tomorrow," suggested Cat, "here, whenever you like."

Bucky took her up on her offer. "Okay," he said, "but why can't we meet in the market?"

"Well, if I'm caught, I'll be taken to some scientific facility that'll just want to do tests on me. And I don't think I'd like to go through that ever again."

"Then why did you come out the last few days?" Bucky asked, curious.

"I wanted to see you," she said.

So even after being exposed in a city-wide newspaper, having gone through so much, having wrongly trusted so many people, Cat still told him her secret. She still risked being caught to see him in the market. She had said they were friends, and she was sticking by it.

Bucky knew he had friends. But not ones he could remember.

"Pick me up some fruit or something on your way here," said Cat with a smile, as she stood by the door to see Bucky out. Bucky nodded and turned around to leave.

"And Barnes?" Catarina called. Bucky turned around.

"Yeah?"

"You may not remember Steve, but — for now, I'm here... if you need."

Bucky smiled at her.

a.n.:

hello all :)

I have had such a good week, and I actually can't believe people like this story?!? it makes me so happy to see you all commenting and sharing and adding to your reading lists

just seeing the little orange dot by my notifications makes me happy, thank you all so much

this one is definitely my favorite chapter in act one

also I'd like to know, what do you think of cat so far?

anyways, don't forget to vote!

molly ♡