Eva Odinsdottir *On Hold*

Chapter 7

Bucky never took his hand away from Eva's the entire time he was driving. It made Eva slightly nervous, but she tried her best to not let it show. After parking the car and helping Eva out, Bucky leads her into a beautiful restaurant where they are quickly seated across from each other.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Bucky. This place is beautiful." Eva says as she looks around the room in awe. "You're very welcome." Bucky replies with a smile as he watches her. "Good evening, guys. Can I get you started with some drinks?" the waiter says as he suddenly arrives at the edge of the table. Eva immediately looks at Bucky nervously, prompting him to take her hand across the table and look up at the waiter with a smile. "Can we get some water, please? And a bottle of wine. Thanks." Bucky says kindly as the man nods and hurries off to get their order.

"Are you alright?" Bucky asks softly. "Yes, sorry." Eva replies shyly, taking her hand away from his. "Don't worry about it. How about you take a look at the menu and decide what you want to eat?" He says kindly, understanding how hard this must be for Eva. In the week that Eva has been on Earth, she hasn't really left the compound. He knows how daunting this must be for her. He remembers how hard it was for him when he got his mind back.

~time skip because I'm lazy~

Bucky leads Eva out of the restaurant, holding her hand tightly. The pair had shared a lovely meal, finding things out about each other that they didn't know before. Eva opened up about what life was like on Asguard, explaining how tiring it was growing up with Thor and Loki. Bucky explained briefly about his life, not wanting to scare her away by explaining who the winter soldier was. Eva knew he was hiding something but knew that if they were to get closer he would eventually open up to her.

On the walk back to the car, Bucky noticed Eva shivering slightly. He loosens his grip on her hand and takes his jacket off before wrapping it around her shoulders. "Thank you." Eva says quietly with a small smile. "Don't worry about it." Bucky replies, once again taking her hand and walking her to the car.

After the small journey back to the compound, Eva and Bucky linger outside the doors for a few moments. "Thank you for a lovely night, James." Eva says softly, looking into his eyes. "It's my pleasure. Maybe we could do it again a few times before you have to go home." Bucky replies, a slight hint of sadness laced through his words. "I would love to." Eva replies, placing a small kiss on his left cheek. Before she can pull away, Bucky places his lips on hers for a few seconds.

They smile at each other before Bucky pushes the door open, allowing her to enter first. They are immediately pulled from their haze as Thor makes his way over to them. "Did you have a good time?" he asks through a gritted smile. "Yes, it was wonderful." Eva replies happily. "Good. I'm glad." Thor says, still forcing his smile. "Well, I'd best get to bed. Thanks again, Bucky." Eva says before handing Bucky his jacket back and heading to the elevator.

As soon as the elevator door closes, Thor grabs Bucky by his collar. "I don't know what game you're playing, Barnes, but if you hurt my sister I will kill you." He says angrily. "Woah, man, calm down. I'm not going to hurt her. I really like her." Bucky replies as he holds his hands up surrender. "Loki spoke to me and told me to be accepting of the two of you. I want my sister to be happy, and I can see you have made her feel that way. But we will be leaving soon, and I don't want her to live with a broken heart." Thor admits as he sets Bucky down. "I understand that Thor. I really do. But, if we end up getting closer I'll be sharing that broken heart." Bucky replies, trying to make Thor understand that he shares the same worries. "Look, how about we see how the rest of our time together goes and if she decides to stay then I will protect her. I promise." Bucky says. "Do you think she will want to stay if you continue to grow closer?" Thor asks worriedly. "Maybe. Who knows what might happen? But at least let her decide." Bucky replies.

"He's right, brother." Loki says from behind them. "Surely you can sense how Barnes makes her feel. If she is happy with him, then we have no right to stop that. You can't let your past with Jane affect the life of our sister." He adds, walking closer to them. "If she decides to stay, we can come and check in with her. Just let her make her own decisions for once." He then says, placing a strong hand on his brother's shoulder. Thor sighs in defeat. "Fine, but my threat still stands." Thor says quickly before storming off to his room. "Thanks, Loki." Bucky says in relief. "Anytime. But you do realise that his threat is from both of us. My sister is the most important being in my life and I can't stand the thought of her being upset." Loki replies, earning a nod from Bucky.

The pair make their way over to the elevator in silence. As the door closes, Loki looks towards Bucky. "She's not going to hate the man you were, James. You should open up to her. She will understand. Look at me. Not once did my sister accept the fact that I thought I was a monster, and she will treat you the same. The past is in the past, you shouldn't dwell on how it might affect the future." Loki says, sending a reassuring smile towards Bucky as they walk down the corridor. "Thank you, Loki." Bucky says quietly before entering his room.