Lovers in Arms | Bucky Barnes

Part 30

Sweat drips off Karol's nose as she finishes her 10th mile on the treadmill. Lady Gaga is melodious playing through her headphones as she turns the speed up to max speed. She relaxes and stops thinking about all the things going on in her life right now. She starts to feel the rhythm of the run, her heartbeat, her shoes on the belt and the music in her ears, short after she enters her runner's high. After a few minutes of running at the top speed of the treadmill she stops. While wiping the sweat from her forehead she closes her eyes, leans her head back and sighs.

Two have passed since Bucky pulled her from that well, and she has been slowly turning into her old self again, making peace with what happened to her, and secretly planning her revenge on Rumlow. She promised herself, and others, that this time she wouldn't do it alone like she did with Pierce. Bucky, Steve, Natasha and Wanda are all in to help her. She even got Sam's support for her revenge.

Bucky has been scolded by Shuri because he damaged his brand new arm. Even though it was superficial damage, Shuri still wasn't happy to see it and immediately fixed it. That's why he lost it for a few hours and at the same time he learned that it was detachable. He was slightly offended. Karol just thought it was funny.

They spend their evenings talking, curled up on the couch. They talk about everything. Their past and future plans, friends and family.

One evening Bucky arranged some drinks and snack for both of them. He placed it on the table and sits down again. The lights are dimmed and candles are lit. Karol likes what he did for them. It feels cozy and she is curled up on the couch wearing just an over sized, off the shoulder t-shirt. It's almost a dress, so big is it on her. She is covered by a warm blanket he grabbed for her. She's not cold, but it's just so snug and soft.

"Tell me more about your family." She asks him.

"Well... It's so long ago since I saw anyone from my family." He takes a sip from the whiskey he just poured for himself and Karol. "My mother died when I was just a child, and my father died in an accident while in basic training. Soon after I lost touch with my siblings. My youngest sister Rebecca was sent to boarding school and we got separated when the war started."

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be. Tell me about your family."

"My family? Well, I grew up in Morristown and my father owned a steel factory there. We lived in a huge house with a lot of bedrooms and me and my sister used to play hide and seek. The place was perfect for hide and seek. There were so many place you could hide, wardrobes, corners, and it had multiple floors." Bucky enjoys how she is telling her story. She's telling it with her whole body. She flails her arms and her eyes sparkle.

"Connie, my little sister, wasn't good at hiding, but she always tried her best. I often let her win otherwise she wouldn't want to play the game anymore."

"My father was such a great father. He and mother didn't always agree. If we weren't allowed to do, or have something from mother, we tried it with father. He always allowed us to do everything." Karol tilts her head and smiles. She grabs the cold glass with whiskey from the table and takes a big sip.

"This is nice." She whispers after a long pause of silence.

"Yeah, it is." He replies.

Bucky hasn't touched her since the day he saved her. He knows Karol needs to process what happened and wants her to be ready to take the next step again, on her own time. He desperately wants to touch her, but he patiently waits for her.

Karol is waiting too, not for Bucky, but for her normal state of mind to return. She was so freaked out because of what happened and needed some time to relax again. She almost is fully settled, but she can't wait anymore. She lets the blankets roll off her and scoots over to him. He shifts in his seat and sits up straight.