What Fades Away

chapter 14: trouble's coming

a/n: shower smut, oral (f receiving), dirty talk, switch!Bucky, angst

y'all are gonna get some answers, finally! thanks everyone for your likes, comments and being patient.

He stands watching the scene, hands shoved in his pockets to ward off the chill. Uniformed officers and reporters group together and speak in hushed tones. Crime scene investigators come in and out of the apartment, a first floor walkup that was more than easy for him to break into.

The woman's window had probably been unlocked for weeks and she had no idea. People can be so careless. He's never gone into someone's home before, but he likes the idea. He didn't even know her, just saw her on the phone by her window. She had a nice smile.

She was an easy one, soft and pliable in his hands and dead in a matter of minutes. Benign was the perfect word for her, something harmless. No fighting, no screaming. Just a sweet gasp the moment his knife cut across her throat. He looks around before adjusting himself, thinking about how pretty her lips still looked even after the light in her eyes faded away.

The rest of the night took much longer.

It's eight in the morning as Mara comes downstairs, a cardigan in hand as she makes coffee for the day. Bucky woke her up earlier at six when he went for a run, something he tries to do every morning they wake up together. She burrowed down into the covers until he finally gave up, kissing her forehead before heading out the door.

"Wondered where you were," Kate says from the couch.

"Jesus Christ," Mara says through clenched teeth before relaxing. "How long have you been up?"

Kate shrugs, her glossy hair falling over her shoulder. Her boots come off the coffee table with a thunk as she nods.

"Don't know. Early enough that I scared the Terminator too."

"You didn't scare Bucky," Mara says with an eye roll as she takes a sip of coffee. It's dark as hell, bitter on her tongue. She needs the caffeine for what they are going to be getting into today.

"I'm serious! I've been practicing my sneakiness and I swear his eye twitched," Kate exclaims, a broad grin on her face as she grabs her backpack off the floor.

"Before you ask, Yelena packed us this," she mentions casually. "I have no idea what's in here, but it looks cool, right?"

Mara sighs as they get onto the elevator, wondering if it's too late to just climb back under the covers.

A few hours later, Kate and Mara return with the envelope her mother mentioned, right where it was supposed to be. Mara's thankful for once that her childhood home never went on the market like she wanted. She changes into more comfortable clothes before flopping down on her bed. Her head bounces a little from the movement as she enjoys a few moments of peace and quiet.

Torres took the floppy disk, her father's handwriting still on the label, with the promise of having it cracked by the end of the day. Mara didn't even think her dad was capable of encrypting anything.

The door creaks open as Bucky walks in, pulling headphones from his ears. His towel is thrown around his shoulders and sweat soaks his sleeveless workout shirt.

"Find anything?" he says, a hopeful look flashing over his face.

"A disk drive. Torres is breaking into it now. He said it should be by the end of the day."

He pulls his shirt off and Mara fixates on the trail of sweat heading down his chest.

"Damn, Barnes. I don't think I've ever seen you break a sweat. Well, in the gym, at least," Mara adds with a sly smile.