CHASING GHOSTS | BUCKY BARNES

17

"You know what's more dangerous than staring down the barrel of a gun?
Making eye contact with someone.
Because while a gun could kill you, with just one look, a person could destroy you from the inside out.
With just one shared look, your souls can catch fire.
And that vulnerability will always be scarier than the barrel of a gun."

NADINE

It was the beginning of December and the only progress Nadine made with the sphere was eliminating the Mussolini gang from the list. She'd hit a dead end with the investigation at hand, which just grated her immensely.

Yeah, she really hated not knowing where the hell it was.

Nadine was back from a small side mission in Rio de Janeiro to a seemingly empty house. Steve, Natasha, and Sam had left around the same time they arrived from Germany, while Taj went to meet up with Dante. It seemed like Emilia, Kaia, Fong, and Bucky were gone as well. "Hello?" she muttered, bothered by how empty it felt without the ruckus. She'd gotten used to a full house, so the silence was unnerving. "I'm home!"

She was starting to get suspicious when Emilia appeared downstairs, dressed in some leggings and a blue top, a glass of wine in her hand. The Colombian shrieked when she saw Nadine standing in the kitchen. "Carajo, Dina, a little heads up would've been nice!"

"I did say I was home," Nadine drawled, giving the younger woman a shrug in response to her glare. "Where's everyone at?"

"If you must know," Emilia said, placing a hand on her heart in an attempt to calm it down. "Fong headed out to the clinic, Bucky's downstairs in the training room, while Kaia and I are going to sit by the pool and gossip while we get drunk. Wanna join?"

Nadine considered her options, but she ended up thinking about how she could use some training. After such a long trip, she definitely needed to stretch her limbs. "I think I'll change and go downstairs."

"Of course you will," Emilia responded sarcastically, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. The movement made the small scar just above her brow all the more visible. "Can't say I blame you."

"Screw you, Emilia."

The woman chuckled in amusement and pretty much strutted away from Nadine, waving a dismissive hand in her direction. "You wish!"

• • •

When Nadine walked into the training room after going on a quick jog to warm up, she found Bucky enjoying the salmon ladder. For the first time since Fong installed it, she hated it. Not because she envied his ability to do it with ease -although, she did- but because she couldn't stop staring. It didn't help that the shirt he was wearing made his back muscles visible and the veins in his flesh arm pop out.

It pissed her off.

"You know, doll," Bucky grunted as he reached the last one on the bottom of the ladder, dropping to the floor after he secured the pole. When he turned, he took one look at her and smirked, his teeth absentmindedly biting the inside of his cheek. "Staring used to be considered rude."

She scoffed, taking her shoes off and placing them in the corner. "I wasn't staring."

"Don't worry, I don't blame you," Bucky teased, before enveloping her in a sweaty hug, much to her chagrin. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," she grunted in annoyance. Though she enjoyed exercising, she loathed sweat. Sweaty hugs were even worse, even if they were coming from Bucky.

"Don't act like you didn't miss me saving your ass."

She scoffed, shaking her head in annoyance as she pulled her head back to playfully glare at him. "Oh, bite me, Barnes."