Dice || 𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀

Twelve

Day 12 in Constanța, Romania.

Candice could not stand to stay in that god-awful hotel any longer. Twelve days didn't seem like very much, but it was enough to need more space and privacy. Her bed was littered with yellow notepad paper and books she'd checked out from the library. She at least bought a computer, but it was outdated and slow, making Candice antsy and at times too frustrated to have a decent conversation.

When she did engage in conversation with her charming roommate, it was always about small things, like the plot of whatever book he was reading or whatever supplies he was willing to get for her as long as he made sure to wear his jacket and gloves. Sometimes she asked him random questions to pass the time. His answers were always enlightening. He taught her some bits and pieces of Romanian.

Privacy in itself was difficult to come by to say the least. The first time she saw him shirtless, it was one in the morning and she'd wanted water. Sure, he scared the living daylights out of her, but mostly because he'd just gotten out of the shower and his towel was extremely low. He sputtered out a bit of toothpaste in surprise and she nearly tripped exiting the bathroom with her palms to her eyes, repeatedly apologizing.

She hadn't been quite so thirsty after that, but it was beside the point. They couldn't keep walking around in circles and frequenting low traffic diners. Candice was desperate for stability.

Which was why she was looking up and around the small kitchen space of the apartment they were in.

Bucky—Jim to strangers—was listening to the landlord speak to him about the wellbeing of the dwelling space. It seemed pretty good by her sparingly low standards; two furnished bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchenette sort of thing and a balcony. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't a motel room either, so she could be glad about that, as well as the low price. Despite it being within good view of the Danube Canal (a detail she particularly disliked, but wouldn't stress too much about), the rate was low because—

"Gabby," she was Gabby to strangers and he was Jim. "She says the tap breaks frequently and the shower is screwy with the hot water." Bucky said to her in English, momentarily taking her attention away from cracks in the walls. She shrugged dismissively. "That's fine. Tell her we'll take it."

He nodded, looking back at the very short and old nimble woman they now knew as Saul, kind and helpful. She was very respectful of Gabby's clear lack of knowledge of Romanian culture. She also (innocently) assumes that the pair were a couple, as insinuated by Jim's rosy cheeks when she'd said something of the sort.

"Vom lua."

The hot water was an easy fix for Candice. All she had to do was take a big wrench and knock at it a few times to loosen stubborn bolts and it worked good as new.

Buck offered to fix the sink. He said he needed something to do. Candice didn't complain. She just disappeared into the bathroom for three hours.

By the time she came out, he had gotten somewhere with the tap, with oil and grime on his hands and a little bit on his face. "I think I stitched up the drain pipe," he pulled himself from under the counter, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "But it isn't..." Finally looking up at his new partner in crime, he was suddenly caught perplexed. "Perfect..."

She stood like herself in some sweatpants and a beige shirt, damp on her shoulders from her shower. She looked her normal self with a soft face of inquisition, not even thinking to acknowledge the change that she made. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She inquired with a hint of concern, as if forgetting.

He stared up at her. "Your hair is different."

And the instantaneous reaction hit her like a palm to the face and she laughed at her own stupidity. "Oh, right. Yeah." He was so used to seeing big blonde curls swallowing her head in a neat seventies fashion. He always thought it was part of her charm.

Candice was now a dark brunette, coils cut short to rest in a handsome mess of swallows atop her head. Wisps of dark hair tickled her forehead. Her blonde gave her a refreshing sense of naïveté, but this new naturalness made her look strangely young, yet mature and, dare he say, nymph like. He never noticed how full her cheeks were...nor had he realized just how many piercings she had in each ear, good lord—

"Don't tell me you don't like it." Her voice rang and he blinked a bit, clearing his senses.

"It's nice." He replied, small, but not on purpose. She brushed it off with a dismissive hum, shrugging. "It's a midlife crisis thing. Plus," she came to sit on the floor next to him. "I feel like it'd be easy to spot a black girl with a big blonde Afro in Romania if you're tracking her, you know?"

He thought about that for a moment and agreed with a slight nod.

"So..." she looked at the mess of gunk beneath the cabinet. "You want some help?" She quipped.

"It'd damage my pride if I said yes." He said seriously, but she smiled anyway. "You probably haven't fixed many sinks lately."

"Unfortunately not."

"Can I..." she hummed with positive amusement, learning towards him a bit. "Show you how and then you'll be the designated king of the sink?"

"Sure."

Candice was good at explaining things. She spoke in great, respectfully dumbed down detail, pointing to whatever she was talking about.

Nearly the entire time she spoke, Bucky's eyes were on her lips. No matter where she was, no matter what she was doing, they were always glossy and plump, even in healing. He'd seen them in a million smiles and pursed grins, he'd seen them in scowls and disheartened frowns. She bit them when she was in pain, they quivered when she cried...he'd never seen her pissed off really, but he saw that her lips looked their best when she was explaining something to him. She was invigorated and concentrated and articulate, smiling and waiting for him to nod before she chose to continue her explanation. He wondered how someone could be so graceful while explaining how to fix a cracked drain pipe.

"So you got it?" She inquired, tone encouraging and kind as she handed him back the wrench.

"Yeah." Not at all.

She grinned. "Cool. I'm gonna get some work in." She pointed away, starting to get up. "If you need any help, you know where to find me."

Her slim fingers brushed his hair in a kind friendly way, making him tense up a bit as he watched her go. Her hair swayed slightly with the breeze of her motion.

Bucky sat alone on the kitchen floor not knowing exactly how to fix the sink but willing to figure it out for her simply because it was the least he could do. Candice Collins was a saint as he always said, but she was somehow becoming even more so. He hadn't felt a lot in a long time, the feelings he was getting now even longer.

He did not know why he found such comfort in her. How everything about her amazed him. Her knowledge, her smile, her hair no matter what color it was, which was a strange sensation, but nonetheless...he was feeling something. And he didn't know if he was supposed to.

He just prayed to whatever god was above that he wouldn't mess things up for them. The last thing they needed to be in was even more turmoil.

Even if it was, dare he say once again, just a little crush.

•••

Oi that was short. But it's okay. Domestic life otw 😈.

Anyways guys I learned savage 😊 also I don't really know how to share Apple or Spotify playlists bc I'm primitive but I have the ever updating 'cool boy tingz' playlist on both if you'd like them, so if you want it or know how to share them pls lmk.