The ghosts we hide (Winter Soldier x OC)

Sixty

I must stand there for a good ten minutes, just staring at the closed door of the gym.

Did that just happen?

The room is empty now and quiet, giving me no reason to still be here. Yet I can't move, mesmerised by the memory. So long after he left and I can still feel the ghost of his lips on mine, as if his kiss will haunt me forever.

Turning my head, I study myself in the mirrors along one wall. Disregarding the obvious sweat and messy hair that follow a workout, my cheeks look flushed and my eyes shiny and there's just... something.

Something is different.

Can a kiss really change someone that much? Should it?

Letting out a sigh, I run a hand across my face before finally moving towards the exit. I can't stand around all day.

My feet sting on the way back to my room but my brain is too full to care. Everything around me seems fuzzy, as if my body is high on some sort of narcotic and can't focus on anything but the flashing picture of Bucky in my mind, his face still centimetres from mine.

I can't believe I kissed him.

What the hell do I say to him now?

I'm so lost in my own head that I don't notice the boy stood in front of me until I've walked into him.

Jumping back in surprise, I offer Peter a dazed smile and a muttered apology, suddenly angry at myself for being so preoccupied.

"What's got you so distracted?" The kid laughs, shaking his head.

Is it that obvious?

For a moment I feel as if everything is going to come rushing out, as if I've been holding a deep dark secret for years and not minutes and am finally cracking under the weight of it. But kissing Bucky shouldn't be a secret, should it?

No. But I don't want to share it quite yet either.

Biting my tongue, I shrug, folding my arms across my chest.

"What are you doing here so early?" I ask, changing the subject before my mind can spiral into an even deeper rabbit hole.

The kid meets my eyes briefly before flicking them left and right in a suspicious manner. He seems to check that there's no one around to listen and then lowers his voice a little for good measure.

"Well..." He starts, glancing around again before grabbing my wrist and tugging me urgently towards the bedrooms.

"Peter what...?"

He shushes me quickly, urgently holding a finger to his lips and widening his eyes. Getting the message, I shut my mouth and follow him silently.

He doesn't speak again until my bedroom door is safely closed behind us. I think if there was a lock he would have used that too, but alas I'm not that trustworthy.

I look at him expectantly, eyebrows raised and jaw set. Peter observes me for a moment before his lips pull up into a sly smile.

"We're sneaking out."

I watch his face, waiting for a hint of humour to creep into his eyes. When none comes, I let out a snigger of my own.