Fine Line (Bucky Barnes x OC)

Digging Deeper

True to his word, Bucky began digging into Luna's past. He was frustrated to only find basic information about her recruitment to SHIELD, her skill set, and past missions she had been assigned to. Any information prior to her time with SHIELD had been either removed from her file or sealed tighter than Fort Knox. What the hell was she hiding? It couldn't be that horrible or Fury wouldn't have recommended her. He needed Nat and he needed her now.

Bucky walked to Nat's room, passing Luna's on the way. She would be at training right now and should be there for a few more hours. He looked around and the hallway was empty. Bucky picked the lock on her door and gently shut it behind him. He rummaged through her drawers, looking for anything that might help his search. After two years, the team knew next to nothing about Luna which he found odd.

He found a small, blue metal box tucked away in the corner of one of her drawers. It was strategically covered by papers and random items that had been tucked into the drawer. He glanced towards the door and then picked the lock on the front of the box. Inside were a few letters from a woman named Emily and some worn photos. He looked through each, seeing a beautiful blonde woman with green eyes, holding a smiling, raven haired little girl with the same eyes in almost every photo. Bucky flipped the pictures and saw Emily and Luna neatly scrawled on the back.

The last photo of Luna was different from the others. She was maybe eight or nine. This time, she wasn't smiling. She was stoic and there was a bruise on her cheek. She was standing next to a man with raven hair and eyes so dark they looked black. His mouth was pressed into a hard line and a beer bottle hung loosely in his hand. Luna stood about a foot away from him, arms wrapped around her body and eyes downcast. He flipped the picture over, hoping this one also had names written on it, and saw Luna Woods and Emmett Woods written in sloppy letters.

His stomach turned at how different the picture of Luna and her father was compared to the one with her mom. She was withdrawn with her father, and the bruise on her cheek made him want to throw up. It was plausible that she had gotten in a fight at school or bumped into something, kids did that all the time. But the closed off stance and the distance she kept between herself and the scowling man in the photo told him something different. What the hell had happened to her as a kid?

Bucky reordered the pictures and picked up the letters. The first was written on the day Luna was born, explaining how much she was loved and cherished. The second was written on Luna's first birthday and talked about how smart and wonderful she was. There were letters all the way up to her seventh birthday, but then nothing else. Each letter contained hopes and dreams Luna's mom had for her.

Bucky felt a wave of guilt crash over him for invading Luna's space and reading letters that were so personal, but it seemed like the only way to find out any information about her. Luna kept to herself and didn't socialize with the team much. Tony liked to host 'team building' nights, which were mostly an excuse for the team to drink and have fun. Bucky could count on one hand the amount of times that Luna had joined them. It was exactly once and she barely stayed for five minutes.

It was the first 'team building' night Tony had hosted since Luna became part of the team. She walked into the living room an hour after everyone else and, upon seeing the copious amounts of alcohol Tony had provided, turned around and went back to her room while mumbling about 'fucking alcohol' and how it 'ruins everything'. Since that night, she avoided any team related things unless it had to do with missions.

Bucky replaced the letters and photos in the exact way he found them, closed the box and ensured it was locked, then placed it back into her drawer, hiding it like it had been when he found it. He walked towards the door but froze when he heard the handle jiggle. Luna was back early and he was about to get caught snooping. He hurried into her closet as she entered her room. He watched through the crack in the door as she sat her phone and earbuds down on her dresser then began pulling clothes from the drawers.

She pulled her tank top off over her head and then discarded her joggers, tossing both into the hamper at the end of the dresser. Bucky felt his breath catch and his heart race as heat flooded his body. His hands itched to trace her curves, momentarily forgetting the hell she had put him through. He averted his eyes quickly, but found his gaze wandering back to Luna who was now standing half naked in nothing but a sports bra and panties that barely covered her perfectly round ass. When she slipped her sports bra over her head, Bucky forced himself not to look as she turned towards the closet. He had met his creepy quota for the day and he refused to stare at Luna as she finished undressing.

He heard the bathroom door shut and the shower start, but waited a moment to make sure Luna didn't walk back out. After a couple minutes, he emerged from the closet and made his way to the door. As he passed the bathroom, he heard Luna softly singing to herself in the shower. Her voice was smooth and rich. Bucky felt as if silk was caressing him as the soft strains made their way through the closed door and wrapped around him. It was beautiful and he found himself wanting to linger a bit longer to hear more. He gave his head a stiff shake and then exited her room.

What the fuck was that, Barnes?

Bucky was confused at why, even if it was for the briefest of moments, he forgot how much he disliked Luna. Instead of dwelling on the matter, he made himself focus on his original mission. Finding Nat and utilizing her hacking skills. Thanks to his mini investigation in Luna's room, he now had her parent's names. That had to open more doors, right? He knocked on Nat's door and waited for her to respond before he walked through the door.

"Hey, Barnes. What's up?" Nat was sitting on the bed with some files scattered around her.

"I need your help." He grabbed the chair from her desk and turned it around to straddle it.

"With what?" Nat asked cautiously, finally giving him her full attention.

"I want to do some digging...into Luna and her past."

"Oh no, I'm not doing that." She leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Come on. We know nothing about her! I grabbed her arm on the last mission to get her moving after she zoned out and she flinched. Tony seems to like pairing us as mission partners, so I think I deserve to know who I'm stuck with!" Bucky defended his reason

"I'm not doing it, so get that out of your head."

"Doesn't it irk you how distant she is with everyone? How are we supposed to trust her if we know nothing about her?"

"We were all like that at first, Bucky." Nat tried to defend Luna.

"Yeah, at first. But it's been two fucking years, Nat. We should know more than just a brief paragraph about her work history. Please, Nat. My only other option is Tony and I rather not ask him if I don't have to." Bucky pleaded.

"Don't you dare go to Tony!" Nat exclaimed. "Fine, I'll help you, but I'm only going to share what I think is relative. I'm not giving you any ammunition to torture her with."

"I would never!" Buck faked offense.

"Get out of my room, Barnes. I'll let you know what I find." Nat went back to looking at the files on her bed.

"Thanks, Nat. Just dig as deep as you can. If it helps, her parent's names are Emmett and Emily."

Nat looked up at him and furrowed her brow.

"How did you find that out?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Doesn't matter. Thanks again."

Bucky left her room before she could question him further with a satisfied smirk on his face, knowing Luna's secrets wouldn't be hidden for much longer.

A/N: Enjoy besties! Next part will be up around the middle of next week. 😊