The Coffee Shop Girl ~ Bucky Barnes

Chapter 5

Bucky knew that Katia had realised he was there. Every so often she had cast a glance in his direction and once had offered a small smile that assured him that she was aware of his presence. He had been so sure when he called her that he would be able to deal with being around the team when she arrived, but it had been a tough morning for him - having woken up from nightmares and then needing to deal with Steve - and he had realised that he just couldn't face them.

Hiding in the vents was a trick that he knew Barton often employed when concocting and carrying out pranks, but Bucky also knew that it was a safe space where no-one would come looking for him, even if they knew where he was. It was easy enough to get into the system as there was a grille in the ceiling of the room Stark had allocated to Bucky and he had been able to pull it off without any problems whatsoever. Pulling himself up through the gap and returning the metal sheet to its original position, Bucky had quickly made his way towards the closest junction, where there would be more space for him to sit whilst he waited.

He sat there for hours before he heard movement beneath him and quickly made his way to the closest entry point as he checked who was there. As he gazed downwards, clumps of long hair fell in his face and he brushed them back impatiently. It was something that always annoyed him now that he had broken free of the conditioning. As the Winter Soldier, it had never been a problem because he was trained to ignore any distractions, but now that he was free it felt as though the locks gathered in front of his eyes more than could possibly be convenient.

He caught a glimpse of blonde hair flashing past the vent and knew that Barton was on the move, this most likely meant that Katia had already arrived or was expected imminently, and so he made his way through the vent system until he reached the kitchen. Falling silent as he arrived above the room, he was glad to see the group of people entering only a few minutes later. He was suddenly glad that he was out of sight; there were enough people in the group that he either did not know or did not really get on with, that he knew he would be panicking if he were actually amongst them.

Whilst everyone else bustled around the kitchen, Katia situated herself at the counter with a cup of some beverage or other - probably coffee based on what she had told Bucky about her dislike of tea. was dressed more casually than he had ever seen when she was at the coffee shop, wearing a tight yellow t-shirt over a pair of white denim shorts stitched with yellow flowers, and a pair of white closed-toe heels. She also wore a white watch, though Bucky could not really understand why as she couldn't read the time, and a necklace with a small gem at the end. She played constantly with the hanging flowery earrings she wore, which were accented by her hair being pulled up into a messy bun with little curls escaping at every opportunity.

Bucky suddenly realised that he had been getting closer to the grille as he watched and quickly pulled back before anyone could see him. Being spotted would entirely defeat the purpose of hiding in the vents but he also couldn't bring himself to return to his room quite yet. Pushing his hair back from his face again, he sat back and searched through his pockets until he found what he was looking for. Pulling his hair back into a bun using the elastic, he breathed a sigh of relief that the strands were no longer in his face, before pursing his lips as he realised that someone had to have noticed that. Stilling his movements entirely, he glanced down towards the room quickly and was glad to see that Katia was the only one sitting there, everyone else having disappeared to the supply room with boxes of various items.

It was at that moment that Katia glanced up towards him and gave a soft smile, confirming that she definitely knew Bucky was there. He was confused for a moment, wondering why she hadn't told anyone else about his presence, after all she had no reason to keep his secret for him. And yet, when the others returned to the room, she said nothing about him, instead entering into conversation with Stark about the most recent version of the Iron Man suit. Suddenly, he remembered what Natasha had told him the first time she had taken him to the café. People here understand what you've been through, they don't expect you to explain yourself or apologise.

Bucky had to admit that he struggled to believe Katia could have a history she was ashamed of, she had always come across so kind and welcoming that it was difficult to believe she could have killed people. Was that what had caused her to lose her eyesight? A mission gone wrong, or had it been deliberate, an attack by a person or group who wanted revenge for something? Whoever it was that had brought this upon the woman, Bucky couldn't help but feel a sense of hatred form in his heart at the faceless entity that had caused her so much pain. How could anyone have met the wonderful woman who had been so generous to him and not automatically like her? Who could have done something so horrible that they had actually ruined her future prospects, her chances at happiness in life?

That someone could have caused Katia pain on purpose, was an idea that made Bucky feel sick to his stomach. He took a few deep breaths before casting one final glance down at the woman he had been thinking about, having done so he started the return journey to his own room. Deciding that the only way he could get rid of any of his anger, was to demolish a couple of those specially reinforced bags Stark had designed for Steve and himself. Maybe then he would feel calmer.

'What do you mean you managed to destroy ten bags in an hour? How is that even possible?'

He could already hear Stark's indignant exclamation when he would find out about the destruction of his precious creations, but in that moment it didn't really matter to Bucky what the man thought of his actions, so long as he didn't put any more holes in the walls of his room.