White | B. BARNES

Chapter 25

📍 Bucharest, Romania | June 2016

A day after Sapphire's flight, a knock on the door was heard, which made Bucky tense.

He stepped slowly, coming forward to it, "Who is it?"

"Llama," a familiar lady's voice said.

"Llama what?"

He heard a groan of aggrivation behind the door, "James, we talked about this already. You say 'who'."

Bucky chuckled at his constant mistakes on these knock knock jokes, before unlocking the knob, "Llama who?"

"Llama in!" She shouted.

Bucky opened the door, seeing his doll.

"No wonder you don't have friends," he said, hugging her than bringing her in.

She scoffed while hooking her arms around his neck to hug him back, "You're my friend. My very old friend."

"Mhm," Bucky said, burying himself where her neck and shoulder meet, inhaling her scent.

"Well, this doesn't look like 'I won't miss you' to me," she said, running her hands through his hair.

"I lied," he replied, holding her tighter.

She closed her eyes, basking in his presence after a long flight back home, plus the stress that meeting caused her.

"So, what was it all about?" Bucky asked as he pulls away from her.

She groaned, plopping down their sofa.

"They wanted me and the Avengers to sign the Sokovia accords so that they can tell us when or when not to attack if there is destruction. They did it to 'avoid' more deaths," she sighed.

"What does it have to do with you? You're not an Avenger," Bucky said in bafflement.

"Somehow, they saw me in Washington helping Natasha, Sam, and Steve. They want me to sign, so in case I help them, I'm under their commands too," she told him, getting pissed off again.

"Well, did you sign?"

"Of course not! It's like signing another jail sentence." She exclaimed. "They had other agenda in asking my signature. He told me that I cause destruction being a criminal and all," she rambled.

"He said that?" he asked.

"No, but that's what he is implying."

"You're not that," Bucky said to her as he felt her getting mad.

She scoffed, "Well, he doesn't think so!"

"Well, I don't," Bucky told her sternly.

Sapphire turned to him with a sad smile, "And that's how everyone who knows me, views me."

"I don't," Bucky repeated. "It's kinda you and me against everything else, remember?"

"I just wish this doesn't end in another fight. We're fine here, and I don't want anyone to disturb it," she said sadly.

Bucky put his metal arm at the back of the couch and embrace her to his side, "It always ends up in a fight. I just hope that you won't give up on me until the end of it."

Sapphire look at his sad eyes as she leaned her head to his shoulder, "I won't."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I already told you I'm going to hold your hand come what may. I hate people who break their promises," she told him sternly.

"I love you, Doll, more than you'll ever know," Bucky said against her forehead after pressing a kiss.

She closed her eyes, feeling bliss.

Little did they know chaos will knock on their door sooner than expected.

A few days passed by, Bucky told Sapphire that he'll go to the market and buy some plums.

"Ce fac ei? Sunt bune? Dă-mi șase, mulțumesc, (Romanian: How are they? Are they good? Give me six, thank you)" Bucky told the vendor.

In a black cap and casual jacket, Bucky walked along the streets, scanning around. Across the street, he spotted a young vendor in his 20's at a newsstand watching him.

Bucky glanced away, then looked back at the man, who's still watching him. He watched him ran from his kiosk.

Bucky went over and picked up a paper. On the front page, there is surveillance- photos of a man and the head line says: 'Winter Soldier cautat Pentru Bombardmentul din Viena'.

Bucky glanced around tensely and began running home.

After dressing up, she turned on the radio on top of the fridge.

With her washing the dishes, she heard the news anchor speak in Romanian about the signing of the Sokovia Accords.

She tensed once she heard Bucky's name labeled as the criminal for bombing the event in Vienna.

She heard the door opened and she knew it wasn't Bucky.

In his dark blue, armored suit with his shield on his arm, Steve is in a small apartment, seeing the familiar lady wearing black in contrast to her pale skin and white hair.

"You knew all this time?" Steve asked accusingly to the woman who faced him.