haven ; 𝐛. 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 , 𝟏

007. get to know

SEVEN—GET TO KNOW
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ANNOYANCE SURGED THROUGH my veins, prompting my next decision to stomp after him quickly, following him down the hall. It probably wasn't my finest idea.

"Hey!" I called after him, frustration ebbing into my voice. When he didn't stop, I planted my feet and curled my lip. "What, so you're just gonna ignore me this whole time?"

He whirled around, a dark look on his face that almost gave me pause. "It's for the best," he sneered, turning Steve's previous words around and smashing them in my face.

Rolling my eyes, I retorted, "how is this supposed to work if we don't know anything about each other?"

His shoulders slumped, but only an inch. "If you haven't noticed over the past few days, I'm not particularly versed in getting to know people." He scowled. "Besides, it wouldn't do any good." He began to turn around, but I was insistent.

"What's that supposed to mean?" My attempt at losing the venom in my tone had worked, but it didn't stop the annoyance at his sour mood from winding around in my body. "What do you mean, it won't do any good?"

Bucky's eyes slowly blinked up to mine, such a profound mix of emotions held in their depths that I didn't know what to do. His stormy blue irises burned with anger, aimed directly at me, but the shades of guilt and longing that floated beneath the mask only confused me even more. He was such a complex person, I couldn't even begin to understand the person he was, or who he'd become. 

"My only friends just left me with a stranger whom I hardly know. So forgive me for being a little hesitant to cuddle on the couch and watch movies," he snarled, the mockery in his voice crawling over my skin, electrifying it.

"Look, I get it. It's hard to see them leave without--"

He shook his head sharply and hissed, "you have no idea how this feels. Don't try to act like you know me."

"Then why don't you tell me about yourself? If we're going to be stuck in this house together, we may as well know some things about each other."

He scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not interested in playing twenty questions while my friends are out there risking their lives for my sake."

"It must feel good, to have some friends so loyal that they'd do anything to keep you safe," I said softly, my memories of Sam doing the same thing for me popping up in my head.

Bucky looked at me with his dark eyes. "It doesn't feel good," he spat, "I don't deserve to be saved. The more you realize that the better off you'll be." He shook his head, his next words so soft it seemed as if he didn't want me to hear them. "You can't even fathom what it feels like to be the reason for all of this." 

Without letting me respond, he stalked off, down the hallway and turning into one of the empty bedrooms. Recognizing just whose bedroom it was, I put a hand out. "Can you stay out of there, that's--"

He whipped his head back to glare at me, cruel amusement flickering in his eyes. "Why? Is it precious Sammy's room?"

The tone of his voice smacked me across the face; the implication of his words hit me hard. "No," I retorted. The strength left me as I continued, "It's my brother's."

Bucky didn't say anything. He just blinked, standing there and staring at me, his eyes sliding up and down my body. Without betraying any emotion through his gaze, he suddenly was walking briskly toward me, so fast I almost stepped back to avoid a collision. But his eyes left mine, staring somewhere over my shoulder as he stalked past me, back towards the living room.