LUMINOUS | bucky barnes

five: the newcomers

Lumi yawned.

She had heard someone walking outside the door, although unusually quietly. And to add to that, James was nowhere to be seen. She recognised his smell that lingered, and the warmth as well, but he wasn't there anymore.

The creature had decided that it was a little too cold for her liking, so she buried herself further into the dark checkered blanket on the mattress, letting the scruffy material cover her curled up body.

Not that long later, Lumi heard footsteps in front of her. Sleepily, she opened one eye to check if James had brought any more food, but she was taken by surprise when a tall man in a mask walked right past her.

Not recognising him, she kept her head down but gave him a good sniff from where she was laying. The large dish he was holding in his left hand smelt very odd; she didn't like it very much.

While the man walked further inside the apartment, towards the fridge, the dog wasn't completely sure of what to do at that moment. Should she bark? Should she stay down?

She hadn't seen the man ever before, so she wanted to protect her territory. Although . . . her spot in the bed was too comfy and warm to leave by now, so she let the man be. James would sort it out.

At that thought, she let out another yawn, at which the blue clad man whirled around at, holding his colourful dish to his chest. Lumi's ears perked at the action, but she remained on the mattress.

Confusion overtook the man's eyes while his mouth fell slightly agape. This caused Lumi to cock her head slightly, also puzzled, but not as much as the man.

He lowered his dish, and Lumi wagged her silver tail.

New friend, she thought.

The tall man walked over carefully, inspecting the creature quickly. Of course, she was not a threat in this situation, as she had not yet attacked, but he remained cautious of the animal.

It was very quiet, distant, but Lumi heard a voice coming from the side of the blue man's face.

"Heads up, cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south."

The silver animal watched as the man in blue replied, keeping his eyes on her, "Understood."

Whatever or whoever it was, Lumi didn't care anymore as she smelt a familiar scent behind her. She rose from the mattress, her tail wagging as she awaited attention from the second man in the room.

The man in blue tensed up as he saw James standing a couple of feet away from him, quiet but cautious. His eyes moved from the excited dog at his side to James's deep blue eyes.

"Do you know me?" He asked, his voice sharp but comforting simultaneously.

Lumi yapped at James, wanting his attention, but still didn't even get a look her way. She then realised he was tense, and he wasn't usually tense. Her eyes went from one man to the other and she yapped again, puzzled.

"You're Steve," James said, "I read about you in a museum."

The dog's head snapped to the blue man as the stuffy voice spoke again, "They've set the perimeter."

Steve, who Lumi still didn't recognise, walked slowly closer to James, causing the dog to step in from of her friend, her eyes sharp as she stared st the man in blue. She felt the tension in the room, and decided to match it; if anything was to happen, she could protect her friend.

Steve saw the change in behaviour in the animal, but kept his grip on his shield and spoke, "I know you're nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be."

He took another step closer, casting Lumi's lips to rise as she bared her teeth as a warning.

"But you're lying."

James was quick to reply. "I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore."

"They're entering the building."

The man with the dish spoke quickly after that voice, "Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart," James replies, "good strategy."

Lumi cocked her head at that. She didn't fully know what Steve was saying, but James more so.

Soon, her ears stiffened as she heard footsteps above her. James heard them, too, as he looked at after the canine did.

"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."

So many things were going on that Lumi didn't know where to keep her attention. The voice from the blue man's ear, footsteps ahead and below, heavy ones, bearing closer and closer that caused Lumi  to be a unable to stay still.

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."

Buck?

The footsteps silenced, but now Lumi could smell them - lots of men's right outside the door of the apartment. Her heart beat so fast that it was almost deafening, and she could barely make out the sound of the voice and James taking off his glove.

"It always ends in a fight."

Lumi has never been in a human fight before.

"You pulled me from the river." Steve's voice was louder, impatient now, "Why?"

"I don't know."

Lumi whined lightly, to get James's attention; maybe he could tell her what to do, where to go, who to bite, who to bark at.

"Yes, you do."

The two men made eye contact, both knowing what was coming next. Albeit, the little silver dog looked between the two towering figures, her tail now falling between her hind legs as fear overcame her.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"