Melioration ~ James Buchanan Barnes

O21 ~ Disguise

It's raining severely when you arrive in London. You have some contacts here that can help you hide from Hydra. 

If you can trust him, is something else. But right now, he's your only hope.  Because where else could you go without being noticed? This man is a runaway from Hydra as well and back then you helped him get out unseen. Nobody found out you helped him but maybe they're connecting the dots right now. You wouldn't be surprised.

A few knocks on the door before he opens, he smiles briefly and then invites you into his home. It's simple and plain but it'll do and it has everything you need to fulfill your basic needs. 

'Thank you, Jon. It's been a rough few days but we're grateful we can come here.' He smiles and waves it off. 'It's the least I can do for all you did for me.' After that he leaves to his own room to get you adjusted to the place.

'Are you sure Hydra won't be able to find us here?' Bucky asks you but you shake your head. 'I don't know. Probably.. but I don't expect for at least a few months.' Bucky sighs and plops down onto the couch. 'We're never going to be truly free, are we?' You don't really know how to answer that. 

'I don't know, Buck. We never should have made deals with them.' It's your own fault.. right? 'I never made a deal with them.. I almost died and they saved me from that. I guess they thought I owed them for the rest of my miserable life.' A sigh leaves your lips while sitting next to him. 

'I'm sorry..' He wraps his arm around you and presses you against him. 'You already said that..' You can't help but feel guilty, you can't seem to shake the feeling away. 'I know, it's just.. I was horrible to you and I feel incredibly guilty about that.. The only postitive thing now is that we met and ended up here.. The rest of the journey was pretty much shit.. well, except for that one night in Asgard of course.' You chuckle softly and hear how he agrees with you. 

'Yes, but after that was also pretty shit.' Referring to the fact you had to fix his bloody mind. 'I'm glad we got out alive, how about we go explore this city tomorrow?' 

'I would like that.' Bucky has seen a lot of the world but it was for missions only. It was never for fun or relaxation. You want to turn that around for him and show him that there is more in life than missions, torture and murder. 

~~~~

The next day starts early, with dyeing your hair a different colour, choosing clothes that blend in with the people on the street and thank heavens it's sunny outside so you can wear sunglasses. For Bucky you ask him to wear a long sleeved shirt so his metal arm doesn't really catch the attention of unwanted people. You place some sunglasses on his face and gently kiss him.  

'Let's go. Jon told me about a place that serves the best breakfast.' He nods, grabbing you tighter to kiss you again. You chuckle against his lips, whispering that you're hungry and that you should get going now before it gets too crowded. It's the weekend after all. 

Your jet lag is of course making you both tired but you want to do something today and maybe sleep it off by going to bed early tonight. Because you really should get your strengths back. 

'Wow, you guys really pissed off Hydra with that.' Jon suddenly speaks up, startling both of you. 'That's not the only reason, trust me. I don't even know for sure if they really know about us although I did forget about that camera in your vest so I think they know.' You mumble while also asking for a little money from Jon. 

'I promise I'll find a job here to earn my own but we want to check out that place you told us about.' He smiles and nods and hands you enough for breakfast for two. 'Enjoy, for what I've heard already, you deserve to relax. London has much to offer, make sure to just walk around and look at the architecture and the many tourist points. Be normal for at least a day.' Bucky laughs a little, mentioning that he hasn't been normal for over 70 years. 

'Let's give it a try then. I think you're a natural, Buck.' You say, grabbing his hand and pulling him with you out of the house and onto the street. 'Come, I'm really starving now.'