Eyes of Fire | Bucky Barnes

27

Bucky looked over the river in front of him, taking in the way the rising sun glistened over the water. The reflection of the clouds and the tiny plants around him were crystal clear.

He shifted his balance against the old fence, eyes slowly shutting and head tilted up into the sunlight as he took a deep breath. He'd only been here for a few moments or so, positioned next to the entrance of the forest park trail, waiting for Uxolo to arrive. They'd planned to explore the woods for a few hours or so, see the way the morning sun called the mammals to attention.

Today's activity had not been an immediate choice on either of their parts. Usually, Uxolo came to him with ideas; various parts of the country she wanted to show him; or they brought to fruition different things that came up in conversation. The last time he'd seen her, she'd asked what he wanted to do.

Bucky didn't want to think about his past, didn't want to try and remember the person he used to be, before everything. He didn't want to think about what that Bucky would've liked to do, because he no longer existed. He figured such a realization had been at the core of all of his work with Uxolo.

That added another layer a difficulty, though, because even if he wasn't pressured to try and replicate the man who had existed all those years ago, he had to figure out who he was in the here and now. And in the here and now, Bucky was a broken, hurt, trauma-infused man with nothing better to do than fight against someone who had no interest in fighting back. At least, not in the way he'd been trying to egg on.

So, when she looked for an answer, he gave her the first thing that popped in his head.

"James."

Bucky's eyes fluttered open at her voice, torso twisting to face her. Her form was dressed in one of those traditional country-patterned dresses, though this particular style he had not seen before. He definitely hadn't seen it on her. Maybe it was new.

"Hey. Uxolo." He said when she was close enough to him.

She grinned up at him.

Uxolo.

Bucky had yet to master the Xhosan rhythm paired with her name, but she thought the foreign intonation caressed each syllable in a way that was just as lovely. And she made sure to tell him that often.

"Shall we?" She asked after a moment, bending a bit at the waist and motioning towards the trail in front of them.

****

"I told you it would be worth the walk." Uxolo announced, smug, as they finally reached the small pond she'd been raving about since he'd told her about wanting to go on a nature walk. He'd really wanted to run; him and Steve used to race each other all of the time; but he knew she wouldn't have been able to keep up, so the walk was enough. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

She was right; the scenic bluff was definitely worth the trek out of the city in the daylight.

"It is." The corner of Bucky's mouth wavered, "Will ya' tell me what's in the bag, now?"

"Oh." Uxolo smiled, bringing the bag up from where it'd been dangling at her side. "You noticed, huh?"

He hummed in the affirmative, rounding the pathway to get a good look at the small pond before facing her fully. He heard her ruffle around in the plastic bag for a moment, pulling a decent-sized loaf of wheat bread from within.

Bucky shook his head, amused. It was very well within any expectations he had of Uxolo for her to go out of her way to trek to a nearby body of water and feed the wildlife tiny pieces of bread.

She undid the little knot at the top and began ripping tiny pieces from the end. She tossed them randomly along the surface of the water, humming a random tune as she did so.

"Is it really the time for that?" Bucky almost laughed, reminded of the songs Snow White would sing to call upon all of the forest animals.

Uxolo laughed, as if struck by the same imagery, and wandered back to give him a couple pieces of bread. He took it while murmuring out a thanks, tossing his pieces a bit further into the lake to reach the other ducks and birds not along the shoreline.

"I doubt they'd want the healthy stuff you have. I'll bring them white bread next time." He commented mildly, watching as a brown-spotted duck approach the bread carefully before bending to pick it up.

Uxolo tilted her head as she stared up at him, "You would... want to come back with me?"

"I want to."

The words still felt strange on his tongue. Still new and unfamiliar, but natural.

Honest.