Mosaic (Bucky Barnes X OC / Winter Soldier x OC)

Chapter 29: Valeriy Ayers - Powdered Sugar (Part IV)

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"You're really worried about them," I noted out loud as I pushed myself into a sitting position next to Bucky. "What do you want to do more? Stay here or hang with the dogs? They probably left a trail of melted snow all over the place."

He didn't say anything, but his forehead ended up resting on my shoulder. So I pulled the comforter back around him.

"All over the place is an understatement. I haven't put a dent in the cleanup with the mini mops. They erase any progress made."

"We have mini mops?" I asked, completely swept away by curiosity.

"Someone made a mop version of a Roomba. I have control over a polishing version as well."

"How many people did you slip with that?"

"On the record, zero."

I ran my hand from Bucky's soft hair to his lower back. Steady and obvious so he couldn't mistake my arm movements for a slap.

"Those two know how to take care of themselves," I assured softly. "They probably know this mountain as well as I do. They're fine. They're tough too. You never have to worry about the dogs or the doors here."

"Doors are not matters that should trouble your mind, Mr. Barnes. They're all under my control."

'And when you're being passive aggressive, you make them weigh a fuck ton....'

"The dogs are perfectly fine. They're totally fine being little shits."

The black sand beach scene on the windows turned into a view of the main room. Long trails of water crisscrossed the floor. The dogs still chasing each other in circles. Large silver pucks were slowly moving across the tiles, erasing the wet marks.

'...Fuck, the cushions need to be cleaned too.'

"Yeah, I'm not letting that bloody mess into my room."

"I should go clean them up before they get sick," Bucky mumbled against my shoulder.

"They have a grooming room... somewhere.... Eve will take care of them."

His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer and closer until I was partially hanging over his shoulder.

'Okay. This hug is getting weird –'

A squealing giggle escaped me when the air whooshed past me. "Wha –? Where's the thing?" I asked, bouncing my hand up and down.

"I use my legs."

'What the hell does that mean?! 'I use my legs,' what?!?'

"...Have you been jumping off your bed this whole time? Your ankle can't handle that yet."

'I... don't want to answer that,' I thought, but my head dipped in a nervous nod. "Just a couple of times?"

I expected a scolding, but he merely sighed and stared up at my bed. No signs of him letting me back on my feet either. Just kept me sitting on his arm.

"Can we lower it?" Bucky suggested after a minute or so. "For a couple of months. Until you're healed. I'll be outside of your room. Nobody will come in here.... Or I can carry you on and off."

"It's only a couple of times when I forget I'm broken. I'm letting my bones heal. The faster they heal, the sooner you're going to let me work on your arm."

He couldn't hide his distaste of that sentence, lips frowning as he walked up to the wall of bioluminescent plants. "I can live with how that arm is now."

The cybernetic pointer fingers even twitched as he cautiously poked at a blue mushroom. The first one Amber made me.

"Let me have my fun solving a puzzle," I countered to which he sighed at.

The next thing he poked at was a flower. A glowing green one that had petals which snap shut whenever they were touched. The cybernetic arm retreated so fast, I couldn't even catch the blur.

A quick turn on the ball of his foot and Bucky marched right through the shelf door, which Eve so kindly opened for him.

The dogs froze the moment we turned the corner. Stood frozen there and staring at us.

"Oh get off the fucking counter!! The both of you! We prep food there!!!" I huffed.

Every time I tried to get my foot on the floor, Bucky would move his arm up a tad. Just enough to block my attempts.

Both dogs leapt off the granite countertop, landing with a thud each.

"Oh shit."

Reflexively, out of panic, I snapped the fingers of my right hand. The last thing Bucky needed was to be buried under all that snow encrusted fur. And I doubt I could handle their tackle.

The cast only made a clink sound while my bones wailed out a signal to my brain.

"Fuck! Oww...."

"Dumbass."

I tried not to move that hand anymore. Maybe the throbbing pain would stop. No luck.

Bucky's cybernetic came into my view. Almost closed around my metal coated fingers before he froze.

'Oh shit, the dogs.'

Unable to get onto my own feet to drag us away and with Bucky too busy clenching a mildly twitching fist, all I did was hide my face against his neck and waited for the pain to hit me.

Bucky barely swayed twice. One for each tackle of the dogs.

"Ughh, you're all cold and wet," I whined at the freezing wet fur on my leg. "Oh fuck! Zeph, Ix, go get cleaned up!! Now!" Punctuated with a snap of my left fingers and a point in a random direction away from us.

A bark later, claws scrambled along the tiles, moving away from us.

"I'm brimming with confidence that I leave my children's lives in your capable hands."

"Then help me find a replacement already," I snarked, dusting bits of rapidly melting ice off Bucky and my bare legs.

"Easier said than done. There's only so much training and experience can bring to the table."

"...Bucky?" I waved my good hand in front of his face.

No reaction.

Just a blank ass stare into who knows what.

A quick glance around, and none of the windows showed the snow. Only black sand and water. I doubt Eve would be messing around with him.

"The norepinephrine and cortisol levels on his skin aren't as high as they were earlier, if that helps."

If Bucky wasn't so attached to the monitoring bracelet, I'd have ripped it off his wrist. Nobody needed their own feelings violated. At least, he didn't.

"My guess would be that you broke him. Again. He hasn't done this around the dogs. Only around you."

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Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this part, please consider leaving a vote. They're very much appreciated. ^^

And a big thank you to TinselA/Bunny Carrot (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7591081/) and the Anonymous Fifth Beta for Beta-ing this chapter.