Troubled Mind | Bucky Barnes

Part 2

The next morning, before the sun was up, Alexi found her way to the kitchen and was pulling food out of the fridge. The pile had grown quite large when suddenly she heard someone enter the kitchen. Instinctively, in one quick motion, she grabbed a large knife from the block on the counter, closed the fridge door, and held it up to defend herself.

Bucky raised his hands in front of chest, surprised. "Easy."

Alexi, not putting the knife down, stared at him for a moment. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Who are you?" Bucky answered clearly annoyed that the knife was still pointing at him.

"I'm the one with the knife."

"You don't want to test me," he said almost amused by the situation.

"I was about to say the same thing," she fired back.

Bucky sighed and walked around the counter, even turning his back to her for a moment. "You must be the house guest."

Sensing he wasn't a threat, she lowered the knife. Bucky eyed the pile of food on the counter. "Hungry?" he asked sarcastically.

"I haven't eaten for 3 days," she replied turning back to the fridge.

"So, that's why you're hostile. Have we met before?" he asked eyeing her. He leaned to see her better, but her face was turned away.

"Don't think so," she answered, not looking up at him.

"Got a name?"

"Alexi." Her responses were curt and cool.

"James", he said sitting down on a stool at the opposite end of the counter. "My friends call me Bucky, but you can call me James."

Without pulling her head out of the fridge, she replied, "Don't worry. I won't be calling you at all." Clint walked in to hear the tail end of their conversation. He looked at each of them curiously.

"Good morning," he said apprehensively. The sun was up now and she heard movement from the floors above.

"Good morning," she looked up with a smile. She turned to Clint and continued in a meaningful tone, "Thank you for the water yesterday."

"No problem. You're up early," Clint said addressing them both.

"New bed," Alexi explained.

"Making breakfast?" Clint asked seeing all the food she had pulled out.

"Not really, I don't know what I'm doing," she sighed.

"Can I help?" Clint offered.

Raising her hands up helplessly she answered, "It wasn't part of the training."

Bucky chimed in at that moment, "What was? Hostility?"

"We're trained to sense danger and it's radiating off you, James," pronouncing each letter of his name with disdain.

"Good. You should be afraid of me," he said looking pleased with himself.

"Please. I could kill you from here in a split second." She brushed him off.

"Why don't you try?" he said standing up from his stool like a challenge.

Clint stepped between them. "Let's not have show and tell today, kids."

Tony walked in at that moment, "Are we having a party no one told me about?"

"Almost starting a war," Clint answered.

Seeing Alexi and Bucky still shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. "Are the kids not playing nice? Let's have some coffee first."

Alexi turned away from Bucky, "I could do coffee." She looked around for a coffee pot just as Steve entered the kitchen. Overhearing the word coffee, he opened a cupboard and handed her the bag of grounds and a French press.