Ordinary (A Marvel Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight

"Frozen?" Bucky asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I laughed at the sheer look of disbelief on his face. He was clearly not expecting his night to go like this. After that night with the Chinese food, he had been walking me home after classes all week, staying at my place until late in the night. Tonight, he had agreed to sit down and watch a movie with me, since I was more tired than usual.

"It's a good movie!" I protested, a smile on my face.

"It's for children!" He argued, rolling his eyes in disbelief. He was clearly regretting letting me pick out the movie. In my defense, I had a very limited movie collection.

"That's very judgmental of you." I announced, reaching over to tap the space bar on my lap top, starting the movie. I had sold my TV the year before in order to pay for Banjo's vet bill, and I was forced to use my laptop whenever I wanted to watch something now.

"I'm not watching this." He announced, but he didn't move.

"Why? It fits! I mean, Winter Soldier?" I teased, "Get it? Winter soldier?"

He looked over to glare at me, making me break out into giggles. His face softened, and he trained his eyes onto the laptop screen. I yawned, exhaustion filling my body. I slumped over until my head rested on Bucky's thigh, my eyes drooping.

"Just let it go, Bucky." I told him through a yawn, a sleepy smile on my face. He looked down at me in surprise, but soon enough, he had adjusted, his hand slowly beginning to play with my hair. I relaxed even further.

"You should go to sleep, Emma." He told me, his voice rumbling.

"Shhh, the movie is on." I told him, waving away his concerns. No matter how tired I was, I would rather have him stay instead of going to bed. As we watched the movie, I felt him start to braid my hair. My eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You know how to braid hair?" I asked, a small smile on my face. Somehow that only made him more attracted to me.

"I had sisters." He told me in a low voice. "Whenever my mother had to work, I would end up getting them ready for school. I picked up some tricks along the way."

I turned to look at him as he tied off the end of the braid with a rubber band he had found on the table next to him. I smiled up at him, my eyes half closed with drowsiness. He gazed down at me, his blue eyes soft.

"I always wished I had siblings." I told him, "I was an only child and my parents aren't really around, like, ever." I paused to yawn. "Nico has really been the only family I have ever had."

"Nico?" Bucky asked, resting his hand on my hip, now that he wasn't playing with my hair. The action left me slightly breathless, causing me to take a moment before I could even begin to talk again.

"He's my best friend." I responded, "He's always been there for me. Watches out for me, you know?"

I yawned, moving closer to him, pressing my face into his side. I could feel him take a sharp breath before he relaxed again. I closed my eyes, mumbling slightly.

"You really should get some sleep." He told me, his voice hoarse.

I shook my head, mumbling out a response that I am sure he couldn't understand. He chuckled slightly, and I felt it more than I heard it. I breathed in his scent of mint and gunpowder, smiling slightly.

I opened my eyes and pulled away slightly when I felt a weight fall on the couch, accompanied by a meow. I felt a tiny paw on my calf and looked over to see Banjo making his way up my body. I smiled at him, but remained cautious. Banjo didn't really like strangers, and even though Bucky had been here every night for the past week, he still hadn't really met my cat.

I looked up at Bucky, only to see him watching the movie, unaware of the cat crawling up my body to come sniff at him. When Banjo finally reached Bucky, he sniffed at the metal arm that rested on my hip. I tensed, ready for him to attack, but he only started to purr and rub his face against Bucky's arm. Bucky looked down, bored, as if just realizing that Banjo was there. I watched in surprise.

"He likes you!" I exclaimed, my jaw dropping. "He doesn't like anyone!"

Bucky only looked uncomfortable, but he didn't move to shoo the cat away. I smiled, my face softening. If possible, Bucky was made even more attractive to me. I grinned up at him, rolling to hug Banjo to my chest. He laid there for a couple minutes, before beginning to squirm. I let him go and he raced away, disappearing behind the couch.

I looked out the window, listening to the faint sounds of traffic. I had opened it earlier to let some fresh air in, but I only grew chilly now. I hugged myself and turned to watch the movie.

As we watched, my eyelids only felt more and more heavier. I was ready to fall asleep right where I was by the time the credits started rolling. I sighed and sat up, leaning forward to shut the lid of my laptop. I stood up to put it away, feeling Bucky's eyes on me as I moved around the apartment.

A thud sounded from behind me, startling me slightly. A small ball rolled on the ground, illuminated by the moonlight. It didn't look like any of Banjo's toys, so I immediately tensed.

"Bucky—"

He looked up at the sound of my voice. He followed my gaze to see the ball on the ground, instantly paling. Without another word, he got up and flung himself across the room, flinging me into the wall and covering my body with his. He pressed my face against his chest, his hands coming up to cover my ears as he ducked over me.

Then, the ball exploded.