Believer || Bucky Barnes

7. Lights up

AN: its been a while I knowwwwwwwww, finally i'm updating- I've been super busy with moving and university but hopefully I can pick this story back up. one big change to this story will have is I've decided to write in 3rd person rather than 1st just because. so enjoy :)

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BUCHAREST

Alex had to keep her wits about her, trying to find a man who had gone awol from the government was hard to do especially when he was so good at it.
He had phoned her, asked her to come see her. His voice sounded urgent and he spoke in tongues, never telling her what was going on or where to go but she also heard everything she needed to know.
Now she was wandering around in a country she had never stepped foot in before trying to find a man who is a ghost. She walked with authority through the city centre, her footsteps perfectly timed like she had practiced this a thousand times before. She had to blend in, look like a local and avoid being recognised. She doubted the sun glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose really did much to hide her face. But hopefully no one gives two shits if they see her.
She was tailing a man, a tall one with long hair covered by a red cap and a glove covering his right hand. She knew who it was, she could recognise his stature from a mile away. The shady looks and the hesitance in his movement gave him away.
The clouds parted over the Romanian city, the hot rays beating down on paved streets. Children ran around happily in the warmth of Summer but to alex she felt like a she was having a nuclear meltdown. Her insides felt like they were frying themselves, her skin stuck to the inside of her jacket. She needed to get out of the heat as soon as possible before she over heated and passed out. The point was to be inconspicuous, fainting in the street defeats that point. She finally had Bucky in her grasp she couldn't give up now.
She followed him around a corner making sure to keep a big gap between them he wasn't stupid, he would know when he was being followed but her efforts weren't enough clearly because he managed to dip away into the crowd. She lost sight of him and began to panic. She was swimming in a sea of people, bodies pushing against each other, her lungs felt trapped. She knew she had her out of the crowd and find Bucky but she felt stuck unable to move past the tightness in her chest and the swelling feeling in her stomach. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she began to suffocate in the crowd of people. The heat got to her head and she lost her focus on finding Bucky. Her knees were about to buckle when a strong arm pulled her from the crowd, guiding her away from the main bulk of people.
She turned to look at her saviour and as suspected she saw the long hair smothered by a cap guiding her towards the small street market. The panic attack rising in her chest settled back down. She felt comfort beneath his touch, the smell of the fresh vegetable and fruit stalls was a welcomed one.
"You're a very hard man to find" alex mutters as they slow their pace down.
"I'd hope so"
They stop by a fresh fruit stand and she immediately begins plucking at peaches, her fingers running over the soft flesh of the fruit.
"What's going on James?" Asks alex, handing over a few plums to the street seller so she could weigh them.
"So you live under a rock too?"
The street vender hands alex the peaches in a brown paper bag and she hands over a handful of coins she had left.
"mulțumesc" Bucky interjects smiling kindly at the vender before walking away.
Bucky guides alex over the a newspaper stand and holds up the front cover.
"What? What is it" she takes it and stares intently at the paper. The front cover had a very blurry picture of what looked vaguely like Bucky. He was being accused of bombing the Vienna international centre in Austria.
"I think hydra have found me"
"Has this just happened?" She tried to look for a date or any information the paper but she was restricted by a language barrier.
"Yesterday"
"You need go- they've probably already found you"
"That's where I need your help"

...
They enter Bucky safe house, and by safe house I mean small rundown apartment in the centre of Bucharest. But before he even unlocked the door she felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, like someone was going to be waiting in the other side, someone they weren't expecting.
As you may have guessed, the door swing open and there standing over the coffee table was the star spangled man himself. He stood by the small kitchenette holding a little note book in his hands.
"Steve?" Bucky and alex say in unison.
He was decked out in his full red white and blue get up which wasn't a good sign, trouble was near.
Steve's eyes land on Bucky and there was something behind his expression, he looked relieved. And then he saw alex standing timidly behind him like a puppy with its tail between its legs.
"So this is what civilian life is, Alex?" He remarks.
"I'm helping a friend"
He turns to Bucky, "you know who I am?"
They exchange words, Bucky says he recognises him from a museum, which Alex knew wasn't true. she takes the time to observe his little safe house. it was a small apartment with a cream kitchenette in the corner. it had outdated appliances and chipped tile backsplash. the whole floor had deep wooden planks with parts missing and bent screw poking out. wallpaper peeled from the floors, clinging to the plasticine. There was an unmade mattress in the corner and a worn out sofa with a faded flower pattern was pushed up against the wall near the door. there were two windown the room, one in the kitchen by the dining table and one opposite the sofa with a fire escape. Perfect exit points.
"I didn't do it, the bombing in Vienna. I don't do that anymore"
"well the people who are blaming you are on their way"
"James" alex wraps her for fingers around Buckys bicep and he immediately shrugs her off.
"Alex go now" Bucky snaps
"I'm not leaving you!"
"I'm not letting you get involved in my mess"
Alex peered over at Steve then back at Bucky.
"Then why did you call me?"
Before she could get a response noise erupted from all areas of the building.
"Alex go" Bucky runs to the middle of the room and rips up a floor board pulling out a bag.
Armoured men came charging into the room and Alex became on high alert instantly jumping into frosty mode.
Her heart rate increased as she became overwhelmed with the chaos. Guns started firing and without hesitation a portal opened up and she leapt through it.
She hadn't thought of anywhere to go, but she went auto pilot and landed in the silence of her apartment. The swirling portal closed and the sound of gunfire and shouting disappeared.
"Lex?" Pietro was sat on the sofa in a green apron and a full black outfit, his black shirt buttoned all the way up. He had a bowl of super noodles in his hand and a packet of Doritos discarded on the coffee table. He must've been on his lunch break.
Alex turned to look at the speedster and let out out a shaky breath. That was the first time she was in that situation for months. She hadn't felt that adrenaline since she was in the hydra base fighting Voronkov.
It shook her, months of peace, being a normal citizen and just getting by. The second she got thrown back into a war zone she got panicked. She felt like a coward for just leaving.
"What happened?" Pete gets to his feet, noticing alex's shaken state.
"I need to get to the compound" she rushes to the kitchen, her silver hair shimmering back to its dyed blonde state.
"What? what's happening?" He tails her to the kitchen, looking puzzled.
"I'm not so sure myself, but i'll tell you when I find out." She grab her car keys from their place on the counter before heading to the door, tripping over her own feet briefly.
"Is there anything you want me to do?" He asks.
She opens the door and turns to face him.
"Get your shit together and talk to Wanda" with them final words she closed the door and rocketed down the stairs.
She got into her car parked underneath her apartment building and mainly empty parking lot and revved up the sputtering engine. She could've just used her portals to travel but she was still laying low and she needed the drive.  A nice 20 minute drive (which would end up being nearly an hours drive thanks to rush hour) to just listen to some music and think. Have a moment to herself and think. What just happened and how the future is going to unfold. The results can't be good. The tensions between the avengers and the government are already strained after the incident in Lagos, now Bucky is being framed for the Vienna terrorist attack and Steve is bound to side with, who at this point, is a fugitive. Something big is brewing and alex wasn't sure she was ready to face it. Her life was getting back to normal and now it's been shaken up again. And James is at the middle of it all as always.
...
"Are these frequent visits something I should get used to Alex?" Tony asks, looking up from his work bench.
"What's going on?" Alex says coolly, trying to keep her calm.
"Well I just had lunch, it was lovely omelette with some bacon and spring onions and now I'm modifying-"
"With Vienna, you ass wipe" alex rolls her eyes at her former boss. She had forgotten how much a nightmare he could the sometimes.
"Well it looks like your friend Barnes is in some trouble"
"He didn't do it, can't you do something about it?" She leans her palms onto his desk and stares down at the older man.
"It's not my issue"
"Well I think it's about to be" her eyes go to his phone on his desk that was ringing again, the same number that was calling when the incident in Lagos happened.
"Look Tony. Everyone's divided, no one trusts the avengers and now Steve is going to side with a literal war criminal-"
"Wait Barnes is a war criminal and you're not?" He cocks a brow and alex slams a hand down in a small burst of frustration.
"I'm not like him!" She hisses in a low tone.
"After Voronkov, I gave in and I was pardoned by the government. I am a civilian now- James is not and now he's in trouble and we are all about to get roped into it" She pauses and takes a deep breath.
"Actually we were roped into the second we dropped a city from the sky and killed thousands- a big storm is coming and I know you know this Tony- I suggest you get your shit together and face this"
She pauses and stares at his phone the vibration going right through her- "and answer your fucking phone- for gods sake"
Tony gets to his feet, standing among the mess of discarded pile of iron man parts and wires.
"You're eyes are glowing, you need to calm down"
"This is calm"
"You're shaking"
"Because my life was getting back to normal and now everything's a mess again-" she breathes deeply.
"Come and sit down" Tony places his hand between her shoulder blades and guides her to the chair he was previously sat in.
"Please tell me you have a plan?" She lets out a shaky breath and Tony soothes her back.
"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to alex, you'll be safe as long as you stick with me."
She gives him a watery smile and he smiles back, "have you eaten today?"
Tony begins neaten I go up his work place, it was an organised mess of screws and tools and wires and electronic gadgets alex couldn't even begin to identify.
"I had some stale cereal for breakfast"
"Well that won't do- Wagamama's?" Tony tilts his head at her and she nods her head.
"You know me so well"

A/N: and we are back!!! Hopefully I can keep up with updating frequently. But I'm not promising. I apologise in advance if there's any continuity errors it has been over two years since I wrote this story so I'm a bit out of touch. Next chapter will involve more Bucky and pietro so I look forward to that. Thanks for reading :)