Daylight | Bucky Barnes x OC

xvi. pulp fiction.

The two of them watched the movie intently. Once it finished, Bucky was quick to ask questions about the pacing and the ending, which Rory was more than happy to explain and talk about.

They went to their separate rooms to get a few hours of sleep before the 6am alarm woke them both abruptly. Truthfully, they were both exhausted even if they didn't say it so neither of them were overly eager to get up. Regardless, as soon as it was needed - they were both up and awake and ready to go. They were quiet as they put the bags into the car and without any fuss, they were off towards Spain.

It was going to be a long journey but luckily, the roads were quiet so they weren't held up in any traffic and due to it being summer, it was light out, so they weren't driving in total darkness. Aurora put her playlist on to fill the silence as they made their way to Spain.

"You okay?" Rory asked Bucky, glancing over at him in the passenger seat.

He looked at her with a shrug "Guess so." He replied.

Aurora arched her brow "You know, we have another five hours in the car. If there's... anything you want to talk about, I'm here." She said in a soft tone, adding a small smile.

Bucky looked at her, he could see the sincerity in her eyes as she said that. Whether it was the exhaustion or the weight of everything from the last few weeks, he finally felt like he had to talk to someone about what he was going through. "I've just... not been sleeping well" He began.

"More nightmares?" She asked.

He nodded "And they don't feel like nightmares, it feels real. I think.." Bucky paused.

"Hey, if you feel comfortable telling me, you can," Rory said with a nod.

Bucky inhaled before deciding to confide in her "I think the nightmares are just recollections of the things I've done." He admitted "And the things.. the things HYDRA did.. to me" He concluded. Although he hadn't told her anything in detail, it felt good to tell someone. He could tell by the way she engaged with him that she genuinely cared about him.

Rory had some idea of the things he had done to him by HYDRA, but she was aware he was with them for nearly 70 years. There was probably a plethora of darkness that she had no idea about, but she was prepared to be there for him when he was ready to talk about it or remembered new things. She wanted to be there for all of the bad, the good too, but Aurora wanted to be the person Bucky felt like he could talk to about anything whether it was in the car or in the middle of the night when things got too dark. She wanted to because... well, let's just say he was her friend.

Aurora instinctively took his hand and locked her fingers in his, it wasn't a conscious choice she made, more like an impulse. She half expected him to pull his hand away, but he didn't. He looked at her, but she was too fixed on the road to notice. "Whatever happens next, the darkest thoughts you have of the worst things you've been through, I'll be here." She said, noticing that their fingers were still interlocked. It felt so natural and safe in a way, so neither of them broke the small bit of intimate contact.

Bucky said nothing, his eyes stung slightly at the realisation that she really was on his side and he wasn't alone in the world anymore. 

Rory kept her hand in his until they eventually hit a bit of work traffic and she had to use the hand to change gear. They didn't say much, but they didn't have to. They were at a point where silence was comfortable and they didn't have to talk all the time to know that the other was there, they just knew.

After about another hour, they reached the border to Spain to be met with a huge backlog of traffic. Bucky noticed how busy it was and how the inspectors were searching all of the cars, and even making some people get out to be patted down. Rory looked at him "Hey, it's okay. We've got this, I promise" She said in an encouraging tone.