Kindred Spirits

Gentle Start

 (I know that was pretty short, but the next few chapters are going to focus on the time between the Captain America movies, as well as change some events that will take place over the next few movies)

  I came to a few hours later, my head a lot clearer and my energy mostly back to normal.  I could feel the cold of the concrete floor beneath me, the thin blanket on me doing little to negate it. I sat myself up slowly, eyes scanning the area around me. I found him sitting back against a stack of boxes, the rest of the warehouse relatively empty.

  "I remember you," it was quiet, barely above a whisper, though I could still hear him in the silence of our surroundings. I said nothing, letting him go at his own pace, his voice filling a void that had been empty since I thought he had died.

  "We were in a crowd," his brow furrowed as his eyes clouded in memory, "You gave me your bag, someone was... trying to... get a kiss?" He looked at me briefly, as if he was scared that he was wrong. I nodded softly, both to confirm and for him to continue. "You put up your hair... you beat him up, and his friends when they came towards you. I remember... I was shocked, watching you come towards me... You closed my mouth and left without sparing me a second glance."

  It was quiet as we looked at each other, our eyes cautious, yet hopeful.

  "I have somewhere we can go," I whispered, as if speaking louder would spook him, "It's safe, though if you want, we can leave the city, thousands of years on the planet have given me more than a few hiding spots."

  He nodded slowly, almost as if he was afraid to speak after earlier. I called my bike to me, which I assumed would take some time, though I couldn't be sure, since I wasn't sure where we were. It surprised me when it got here fairly quickly, and checking the coordinates on the bike, we were about a mile out from my bunker.

  "Hop on," I called softly as I swung my leg over the side of the bike. I waited until he jumped on behind me before deploying the nanobots to disguise us. I felt his arms tighten around my waist slightly while they moved, though he didn't say anything out loud. I gave his hand a light squeeze before putting it back on the handle, pulling out of the warehouse.

  I led him through the entrance, heading directly to the kitchen to make us some food. I called to him to sit on the couch, though he stayed by the entrance for some time before gravitating towards me as I stood at the stove. I didn't mind it, keeping him in my peripheral as I sauteed some chicken and veggies, a portion of white rice going in the rice cooker.

  "Do you wanna set the table?" I looked over at him, his body language stiff and uncertain. I set everything to low, before moving to show him where all of the cups, plates, and utensils were, grabbing a set for each of us and bringing it to the table. I showed him how to set the table, gesturing him to sit down while I grabbed my Brita from the fridge, pouring him some water before going back to the stove.

  Checking the chicken and veggies, I turned off the stove, placed some pot holders on the stove before bringing everything to the table. I grabbed his plate to serve him before doing the same for myself. I could feel his confusion as I acted as if this was completely normal, taking a seat  and starting to eat.

  "We can talk after you get some food in you,"  I said, looking at him while gesturing to his plate, "You can take seconds, I don't mind."

  I went back to my food, watching from the corner of my eye as he picked up his fork and started eating, slowly at first, though he quickly picked up speed the more he ate. I got up as he reached the end of his plate, serving both of us the last of the food before taking my seat again. He made an effort to slow down, though his hunger quickly negated any effort he made.

  I started cleaning up as he sat at the table, looking at his plate somewhat brokenly before I grabbed it. I brought the dishes to the sink, feeling his eyes on me as I started washing the dishes. I heard him moving closer, his steps deliberately heavy so as not to startle me.

  I finished washing the dishes and grabbed a couple of dish rags, showing him how to dry off the dishes, working silently as he slowly handled the plates and glasses while I put the pans away. I pulled him towards the sofa, pushing him onto the sofa while I put on one of the numerous vinyls in my collection.

  The soft and smooth tones of a piano began to float through the air as I moved back to the couch. I took a seat near him, making sure to give him space. I let the music dissolve the tension in my body, taking me to a time long before now.

  "I always wanted to be a musician," My eyes were looking towards the ceiling while my mind was miles and centuries away, "My father played the oud for a respectable family, and they allowed us to live on their estate. We enjoyed a very privileged childhood, the family paying for us to be tutored alongside their children. I followed my father while my brothers played with their sons. He could weave the most beautiful sounds together, invoke emotions, steal your worries away even if just for a few moments. He taught me everything he knew, he gave me my first oud when I reached 12 harvests. We would play in the desert nights, serenading the stars while everyone slept."

  Looking over, I found him breathing deeply, his body finally relaxed after the sheer amount of stress he was under from the past few days. I left him where he was, setting the lights low and changing the record player to my bluetooth speaker, letting more gentle piano music fill the silence as I finally settled to sleep.