Friends with Fire // Bucky x Oc (Discontinued For Now)

• 10 •

The next morning, with very little purpose since I can’t go back to Italy easily, I meditate for an hour, do yoga for another hour, take a shower, then make myself some pancakes. While eating I briefly go through the many Instagram notifications that had piled up overnight, replying to a few comments on my post.

I spend about two hours cleaning the house and putting things away before deciding I need to get some more food if I’m going to be staying longer than planned. I pull on a jacket and shoes and grab my phone and wallet before exiting the house and walking toward the supermarket a few blocks down.

After a few minutes, my pace slows slightly and I inhale a bit more deeply, confirming that what I could smell was, indeed, smoke. I look around quickly and spot a small cloud of nearly black smoke rising above the tops of a few buildings. Sirens sound and I watch as a line of fire trucks speed past me.

I reach the intersection they had used to turn and hesitate, willing myself to just keep walking. “You’re not a hero, Reese,” I whisper to myself, staring at the smoke, which is a lot closer. But you can at least help, the other part of me responds.

My hands ball into fists at my side and I close my eyes, taking a few deep breaths. I let out one long sigh before turning and quickly walking toward the smoke. The shrill whine of sirens gets louder and louder as I get closer until the emergency vehicles come into view.

“We can’t get inside!” I hear a fireman yell. “Get the hoses ready!” he shouts.

Luckily, everyone is distracted enough by the building that no one sees me duck under the caution tape. It’s a bit harder to get to the building itself but I eventually manage to slip past a pair of police officers, walking through the fire. The gentle caress of the flames is all I feel and I quickly make my way through the smoke-filled building, following the sounds of people yelling.

As I come across patches of fire I walk through them without hesitation, knowing they don't affect me at all, along with the smoke slowly winding its way into every open space inside the building.

“Help!” someone yells, sounding nearby.

The person keeps yelling, making it easy for me to locate the door they’re trapped behind. “Move away from the door,” I shout. I wait a few seconds before kicking it down and looking inside the room.

A couple, and what I assume to be their son, are huddled in the far corner, on the floor. “You’re not a firefighter,” the man says, sounding disdainful even though I’m trying to help them.

I quickly look around and spot a sink. I hurry over to it and grab three kitchen clothes, soaking them in water. “Cover your mouths with these and follow me,” I instruct, holding out the wet clothes. They oblige, though the man is a bit hesitant. I lead the way from the room and slowly back through the burning building, subtly moving flames out of our path.

“Through there,” I say, pointing at a crumbling doorway. “Hurry!” I chide, shooing them in that direction.

“Thank you,” the woman says as she passes me, her voice slightly muffled.

I nod slowly, watching until they’ve safely made their way out of the building. “You’re not done yet,” I remind myself, turning back around. Time fades away, and the only thing on my mind is getting everyone out of that building before they die. I lose count of how many people I led through the inferno but every single person thanked me profusely, giving me more and more motivation to keep helping people get out.

“Help! Please! My daughter is stuck!” someone shouts, their voice a bit hysteric.

I hurry to where the voice came from and find a young man rushing back and forth alongside a large burning piece of wood. He hunches over, getting overtaken by a fit of coughs. I rush over to him and catch him before he can topple over. “You need to lay down,” I say, slowly lowering him.

“My daughter!” he exclaims pointing at the wood. “She’s stuck back there and I can’t reach her!”

“Stay here,” I command, standing. I turn to the wood and intensify the fire already covering almost all of it. After a few impatient seconds, the wood burns down enough for me to step over it and to the other side.

A young girl, maybe about ten or so, is flat on her stomach, tears leaking out of her eyes. As soon as she sees me the tears stop and her eyes go wide. “You walked through the fire,” she whispers, her voice almost lost in the roar of the conflagration.

My eyes flick over the room, trying to figure out what it is. “Living room?” I mutter to myself.

“Are you a fire goddess?” the girl asks, staring up at me with awe-filled eyes.

“Erm…” I look around again, trying to avoid her question. “Your dad is on the other side of these flames. I need to get you to him,” I say, looking down at her. I squat down so I’m at her height. “Do you know where the kitchen is?” I ask lightly, staring at the curious expression on her soot-streaked face.

She points at a doorway, her eyes staying on my face. “Don’t leave me!” she exclaims as I start to stand, her hand flying out to wrap around my wrist.

I could have easily broken her grip but don’t and look at her again. “I’ll be right back. I promise,” I say. She keeps me in her grasp for a few seconds longer before releasing me.

I hurry into the kitchen, narrowly avoiding a wooden beam aiming for my head. Everything is covered with flames and dark, heavy smoke fills the room, making it a bit hard to see everything. I shoot my hands out to either side of me and the flames scramble back until they’re only on the very edge of the room.

I spot a kitchen towel and grab it, soaking it with water, before returning to the girl, releasing the flames behind me.