Fire and Ice, Sugar and Spice

Chapter Eighteen-Vacation's Over

Chapter Eighteen

Vacation's Over

*Bucky's POV*

When I wake up Akilina is once again splayed across me like a starfish. I suck in my bottom lip and run my teeth over it to keep myself from chuckling. Gently as possible, I burrito her up in the comforter and leave her to sleep for a little longer. I go straight to the Morse code machine and start messaging. Even though I'm confident I did a good job with Liya's wounds, I'd much rather have her looked at by someone more qualified. When she gets up I'll change her bandages, that should stave off any infection for a while. I continue typing in code until finally I get a response. If I had to guess who it is, I'd say Natasha. Quickly, I grab a pen and paper and write down the message, then send my own. To avoid being found by the wrong people, I tell her to look for Russia on Mount Olympus. After moving to another cabin, I'll put out something red. That signifies Russia. Nat'll know to look for us in the mountains with a bright red something out front.

"Jame?" I hear Akilina call and my head jerks up, just finishing the message to Nat. Liya is standing in the doorway of the bedroom, rubbing one eye. Her hair is a wild mess and she says my name incompletely because of her drowsiness, but she still looks absolutely breathtaking. And it isn't like in the poems and stories where the girl is just beautiful all the time, that's bullshit. She's beautiful because I know her hair is messed up from laying on my chest and her eyes are crusty from the good night's sleep she just had. She's beautiful because I love her. I grin at her, until I notice the hand on her side and the frown on her face.

"Morning sonnyy." I call her affectionately and her lips twitch a little. "Are you okay?" I ask, standing up as she walks over to me. Instantly, my hands gently rest on her hips to steady her. She nods reflexively.

"I'm fine, just time to change the bandages. Which I can do by myself, by the way." She reminds me stubbornly. Sighing, I shake my head at her.

"Do you not realize that I may actually enjoy caring for you?" I ask, looking into her still sleepy blue eyes. She blinks a couple times, still trying to wake up.

"Does it occur to you that I like doing things on my own?" She asks and I chuckle.

"That, I already knew. Now, please just let me do it." I plead. After a moment, she nods. I kiss her head and guide her back over to the small breakfast table, noticing how she puts more of her weight on me than before. After she's sitting, I grab the first aid kit from beside the door and quickly come back to her. "Shirt?" I question. She smiles softly and lifts up the edge to rest just under her breasts.

"No bra, so this is as far up as we go." She sighs, her face wincing as she does. My lips lift slightly at her words, but I'm worried. Gingerly, I start undoing the wrappings around her ribs.

"This is fine. I finally got a message through to the team, by the way." Her eyes brighten at that while her knuckles tighten as she grips the table hard. I throw away the bandages and grab the trashcan, dragging it over to us.

"And?" She questions, her voice less vibrant than yesterday. Anxiety eats at me as I crouch down beside her and remove the final bandage.

"And they know where to find us. We should move further into the mountains, then hunker down and wait for the team to show up." I explain as I stare at the bullet graze, trying not to punch something. I grab another bandage and the wrappings and start resealing it, feeling her eyes on me the whole time.

"That's good." She breathes, careful not to move too much. "James," She says my name quietly, but I focus on my job. I can't look at her. "I know it's infected." My hands pause before continuing, then I rip it and gently press it to her uninjured side so it sticks. I look up at her eyes and sigh, nodding. "I've gotten enough wounds to know when they're healing right and when they aren't." Her expression is pained and worried, although I expect not for herself. She releases the shirt and it flutters back down in folds to her hips. Without me having to ask, she slips her arm out of the sleeve and through the head hole, so I can wrap her shoulder. I wait though. Reaching up, I run my knuckles across her jaw, then let my thumb ghost across her lips.