Flawed

Part 6

"You two look like you had fun." Steve yawned and scratched his head.
"I haven't danced in almost 100 years, but I cut a rug tonight." Bucky grinned as Sofia walked ahead of him into the living area."Nice dress, Ma'am." Steve tipped an imaginary hat to Sofia. She was dressed in a intricately draped silk dress with a plunging back."I gotta say, I could get into the fashion from your guys' heyday." She did a little twirl."Not me. I forgot how scratchy this stuff was. Not to mention I didn't miss ties." Bucky pulled off the offending object and threw it at Steve."Ties are still in fashion jerk." Steve caught it as he was getting a glass from the cupboard. "Not for me." Bucky grasped Sofia's hand. "Thanks for the help planning." Sofia hugged Steve around the waist as he drank his water."I thought his first six months anniversary ever deserved something fun." Steve set the glass down and rubbed his eyes. "I'm goin' back to sleep. You can tell me all about it in the morning.""First ever? I thought relationships were long-term in the thirties." Sofia teased as Bucky twirled her into his chest. He danced her backwards down the hall to his room."No, see courting had just gone out of style and dating had taken over. We kept things casual." He raised an eyebrow. "You can stay down here tonight, right?""Yeah, I shouldn't have to work tomorrow unless Tony calls me."When Sofia had moved into the compound there had been a block of rooms for her on the same floor as Wanda, two floors above Bucky, Steve, and Sam. Tony had suggested even further spacing. The idea that they were living together was too out there, so they tried to give each other space. But more often than not they ended up in each others rooms."So you liked it?" Sofia asked as they entered the bedroom. Vali lifted his head from Bucky's pillow and then lowered it, falling back asleep."I didn't know they had places like that. It was nice."Sofia had surprised him by setting up dinner and dancing at an underground themed club. It was set up like a place from the thirties and forties. You had to dress the part to get in, then you spent the whole evening in character. It had given him a glimpse of what it would've been like to date Sofia in his day. It had made him nostalgic, a little wishful for the life he was robbed of. But he had Sofia, he had Steve. "Good." Sofia kissed him. "That dancing was serious. I thought the swimming had me in shape but damn." Sofia stretched one arm over the other."I was the one having to throw you around like a rag doll.""You have super strength." She gave him a withering look. "I think you're fine."Bucky shrugged and stripped out of his vintage suit. He looked over and saw Sofia carefully hanging up the dress. "Here." He took her one of his long sleeved shirts to pull on. The dress made it impossible for a bra so she was working with one arm draped over her breasts. "It's bugging you tonight?""No! No, it's not." She turned and sat on the bed to remove the garter belt and stockings. "You are just such a bad liar." Bucky sighed and threw back the covers. Vali grumbled and moved to Bucky's side. Sofia climbed in on the other side and scratched Vali's ear."It bugged me the day I went shopping for the dress. But it's getting the time of year it happened and I sort of...backslide in my whole confident thing." Sofia laid back.They never addressed their respective issues. Details came out here and there. Bucky had talked about his time in Wakanda and his time with the Commandos. Sofia had learned some things from his talking in his nightmares. Bucky knew Sofia hated thunderstorms and it had something to do with the scars. The sound of the thunder crack made her irritable and jumpy."Sorry, didn't mean to make the evening heavy." Bucky ran his fingers through the curls she'd done in her hair for the night."You didn't. I mean, instead of sex I'm going to tell you the mysterious origin of my scars, so yeah, you fucked up a little." Sofia traced one of the plates on his arm absently. "Huh." Bucky frowned."Anyway. It's not like it's some big thing. It was a car accident, that's all. I can't remember, most of it is what I was told or read about. It was my dad's first vacation in...like, ever. Not that Howard made him work all the time, but my dad loved his job. I was only four, all I remember is thunder cracking then the car jolted. A window broke and I got thrown from the car. I landed on my hip and slid across the gravel into a ditch. Again, I don't remember anything but the thunder noise." Sofia was laying on her back, one arm under her head as she talked. "That's why, huh?""Yeah. The car caught on fire, medics came, Howard and Maria came. I spent about seven months recovering. Luckily kids bones and skin regenerate quick. By that point I was 5, Howard sent me to this awesome school and that's about it." Sofia didn't mention that two years later Howard and Maria met the same end. That was the main reason she didn't want to tell Bucky about the accident. She had worried it would trigger some Soldier memories.Bucky was looking at the bedspread with his brow furrowed. Sofia gripped his shoulder and shook him."It was an accident. My dad had no ties to the serum and no one ever suspected HYDRA." Sofia pulled him closer and kissed him. But he was in his head now. "I love you James. I wanted to tell you because no one else has ever heard the story. Other than Tony."It was the first time either one had said it. Bucky watched Sofia turn out the light and curl up on one side. Vali whined, looking between his master and his mistress. "Good boy, keep an eye on her. I'll be right back." Bucky ran a hand over Vali's head then over Sofia's shoulder.Sofia knew he was going to be up all night. Cooking, reading, working out. Something to work the nervous energy out. He liked to be alone more often than not. Sometimes he would wake Steve. It was the same after missions.-"Steve."Steve made a noise in his throat."Steve."He groaned this time."Stevie!""I'm up! What?" Steve rolled over in bed to find Bucky perched in a chair next to the bed. "You knew about the Starks right?" Bucky was sitting with his legs spread, elbows on his knees and hands twisting together. Steve jolted up. He hadn't expected an episode tonight."Yeah." Steve rubbed his eyes and turned on the lights."Where did you find it?""It was in some intel I got while I was looking for you. I kept most of the details to myself.""Did you see Sofia's name ever?" Bucky's knuckles had turned white."What?""Kaiden. Sofia Kaiden. Or the last name Kaiden. In any mission reports.""Buck, no. I would've told you if I remembered something like that." Steve stood up and pulled on a t-shirt."I need to find out everything about Sofia's parents. Would Tony have Howard's personnel files from Stark Industries in the 80's?" Bucky looked up at Steve."I don't...probably. What the fuck is going on?""I think Sofia's parents were one of my missions.""No, no. You think that Tony would know something like that and not use it to keep Sofia on the other side of the world from you?" Steve frowned."Howard kept secrets. It's how Tony created a new element.""I'm not saying it couldn't happen. I'm just asking why. You know what? It's two in the morning. Can we sabotage your relationship in the morning? Right now let's go for a run. Go get your shoes...and maybe some clothes."