Death Where is Your Sting? - B. Barnes

Chapter 34

"You think everything is okay?"

"You wanna be the one to walk in on something, be my guest, Torres. I for one am not taking that chance."

Joaquin scrunched his nose at the thought of Bucky and Ray...together. "I didn't think about that. Gross."

Sam laughed. "Give them some space. Bucky will let us know if anything happens."

Torres ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't get it, Sam. We've been searching these files.  There's nothing. No leads at all. It doesn't make sense. Have you heard anything from Agent Carter?"

"No. Nothing yet. They started interrogating the guards but it'll take a while to get them to talk."

"Maybe we should tell her. About Ray. If she knew what to ask-"

"Bucky would short circuit."

"It won't be any better if she...if we can't..."

"Yeah. I'll try to reach Strange again. Keep searching through the records."

"I'm on it."

~<>~

Ray inhaled deeply as she slowly surfaced from her nap. She smiled at the feel of Bucky's metal arm draped over her waist, his breath tickling her cheek. She opened her eyes, turning her head to face him, meeting his blue eyes. "Hi."

"Hi." A lazy smile crossed his face as he brushed her hair away from her face, his fingers tracing down her neck, along her side, grasping her hip and pulling her towards him. "Beautiful."

She giggled. "Cheesy."

"All part of the Barnes charm."

She smiled and kissed him. "What a charming way to wake up."

He snorted at her and she giggled again. "Now who's being cheesy?"

"Me? No. I'm not cheesy. I'm just a Ray of sunshine."

Bucky shook his head and let out a deep laugh at her antics. "God, I love you."

Her face dropped. "What?"

"I - Ugh. Sorry. That was too much." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "You just barely remember me and I go and say -"

"So Sam was right."

Bucky's head swiveled to her so fast she thought he'd pull a muscle. "What?"

"That night in the basement that I...when Sam came down to clean up, he was trying to convince me to trust you. And he told me 'I'm pretty sure he's actually in love with you.' And apparently, he was right."

Bucky groaned. "Don't tell him that. I will never hear the end of it."

Ray laughed and turned toward him. "Say it again?"

"I...I love you?"

"You sound unsure."

"No, I...just don't know if you're...if it's too much. You're barely getting your memories back and - "

"I don't deserve it."

"Neither do I."

"We're quite the pair, Barnes."

"Hm. That we are." He took a breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just blurted - "

"I love you too."

"Ray, you don't have to- "

"I think...I think that's why I couldn't kill you. That first time after we were captured? Your eyes. I think I could tell. And I didn't want to kill you. I think that's why I could remember you, your name, even when I couldn't remember mine."