A Birdie Lost in Time | Bucky Barnes

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"So, I thought we would stay another night?" Sam suggested as he brought their lunch tray from the hall.

"Another night? Why?"

"I want you to be comfortable when you get to my sisters. I know it's stressful going into an environment you don't know, so I thought giving you another day—or longer if you need it—would be good."

"But your family..."

"Will be fine. I don't want to thrust you into something, and I know that by bringing you with me so quickly I already have... I'm hoping this eases you into it, I guess. But it's up to you."

She dropped her gaze to the table...

He was trying to help... and if he thought this would help then it probably would.

So, she nodded. "Another night sounds fine."

Although, from the back of her mind came a thought.

He probably doesn't want you screaming and waking up the house.

She bit down on her molars, barely nodding in thanks as Sam passed her a plate.

He also probably wants to make sure you're not going to hurt anyone.

She grabbed her fork and stabbed a radish, her mind becoming a torrent of cutting thoughts. So much so that after eating a few bites of her lunch, she quietly excused herself and slipped into her room.

Beneath a mountain of suffocating covers she found herself hoping the roaring of her heart would muffle the voices inside her head that were telling her she was making a mistake. A selfish mistake that could end in someone getting hurt.

But they were right; she was a dangerous burden. She should be working through her problems alone.

⁂

She felt like she was dragging her feet as she emerged from her room a little while after dawn.

She had fallen asleep twice over the last eighteen hours, and both times she'd been woken up by nightmares. And through some miracle she hadn't woken up Sam, so rather than risking leaving her room in the early hours of the morning, she waited to a slightly more reasonable hour.

With all of the grace that Hydra had trained into her, she moved silently to the coffee pot, filled it, and hit brew before sending Bucky and Steve quick 'good morning' messages.

As soon as the pot was finished, she poured herself a mug and took it to the balcony, settling herself on one of the cushioned chairs and letting the morning sun warm her skin.

She stayed there as the sun crawled through the sky, and at some point in what she figured was the afternoon, the door behind her slid open and Sam walked out.

"Hey," she mumbled, looking over to him.

"Hey, feeling any better?"

"I'm alright. When do you want to head out? I figured you would want to be on the road already."

He nodded, letting his eyes move from her to the city that sprawled around them. "I thought we could stay another night. Give you some more time."

Her shoulders tensed.

This was why she wanted to be alone; she was holding him here. Changing his plans. Stopping him from seeing his family.

"I don't want to keep you."

He turned back to her, moving to lean his back against the rail. "And I don't want to put you into an uncomfortable situation. Another night is alright—actually, I think it's a good idea."