Never Ending | Marvel Black!OC | [in rewriting]

CHAPTER TEN | PART C • Time.

Bucky's point of view

Whoever Janet is working with and whatever they're working on, that must be... great. I mean, I don't know, I'm no scientist like them. What brings excitement to a scientist this much?

"- Tell me, who is it?

- Howard. Stark. The Howard Stark."

Oh. Great. That’s... not what I was expecting. I mean let's face it and be honest: he's a genius, multi-millionaire, and the greatest industrialist of our time. I'm not really interested in what he does in general, that's not my interest at all but you know who's it is? Janet's. She's stating each one of his works right now and in detail. I don't even understand what she's saying because I'm no chemist, I'm no mechanic, no physicist, nothing. The only science knowledge that I have in mind is the one Janet tells me when she's talking about her work and researches, and to be honest they stayed in my mind only because I'm as mesmerized by her voice as I am by her face, and every single note that is coming out of her mouth stays in my mind like a melody. The thing is this time she's not talking about her work and she seems even more passionate about it, you can tell this by her little hands' movement or with her blinking. I know her by heart, and this little childish attitude plus her hair in this state... God, it's hard to keep attention on what she's saying this time. It's those little coiled ends caused by her still damp hair, the way it all moves in almost one single motion each time she shakes her head, the way the water droplets are sitting on top of her cloudy hair, making them even shinier. I can't help but just stare at them, then her face, then them again. I don't get to see her often like this, exactly like this. Jan' often has her hair just tied in a sort of bun, she says it's for work and since she's devoted to working and spends more and more of her time there, I only see her then when she comes to my house. Sometimes she let them down once she's there, maybe because it's uncomfortable for her to keep them tied all day, I don't know, but I absolutely love when she does it. I always notice how her hair then slowly goes from very loose to tight coils¹, it sort of occupies less space, and then she does that little finger detangling motion to loose them a little more again. Here it's kind of the same process but it seems to be faster, maybe because they're wet, I don't know, but it is still as mesmerizing. Janet slowly stops talking, crap. I think she noticed the staring.

"...and I lost you, didn't I?" she asks while tilting her head to the side and delicately laughing. My heart pace up again, I can't. I think she doesn't even realize how gorgeous she is while doing such simple things like this. It's just a head movement but it totally gets me. Her laughing smile is just as lovely, perfectly acted by her lips, one of her beautiful features again. I can't help but stare at them for a second, the wish to get closer comes yet again. Though, Janet told me her wish not later than yesterday, time is key, and now is not the right one. She says she doesn't need this at the moment, that her life is sort of fulfilled. But I could give her the world, doing even more for her, only if she led me the chance to do so. But that's her choice and I'm not saying that I don't understand it, it's just that it's hard to sort of put a limit to this give of happiness, it's hard and nearly impossible to don't cross the line between that giving of love and love. She's still looking at me lightly frowning, I should stop looking at her lips right now, focus back on the plate.

"Between the sort of magical serum you're doing or the... the ray thingy machinery? Not at all."

Janet laughs even more at my silliness, still exuding those delicates notes. Keep your eyes on the plate, James.

"- Okay, less of that. I got it.

- No no please do, I'm a good actor, I can pretend and play the... chemist? Biologist? You choose."

I finally lift my eyes up to Janet, she furrows her brows and is widely smiling at me, amused. A precious smile, it is.

"- I like the physicist more, Dr. Barnes.