Don't Hide | Bucky Barnes |

12

"I'm still hungry"

We sit in Bucky's apartment, our minds still trying to comprehend what's just happened. The man laughs, looking over at me.

"What?" I ask innocently, trying not to laugh myself, "We still haven't gotten food"

In our haste to flee to safety from Ana's house, we once again forgot to pick up a meal. Even though we sit in safety, my stomach is in danger. I can already hear it growling, asking for sustenance. It's probably been a day and a half since I last ate.

"We could go out again and get something" he suggests, moving his metal arm around a few times to work out the shoulder. As he does so, my eyes are drawn to it. As I take in the metal contraption, I'm more intrigued by it then anything else.

"That's why I cover it," Bucky suddenly announces, bribing my gaze back up to him, "It freaks people out"

I furrow my brows at him, watching how his amusement so quickly faded away.

"I'm not freaked out by it, it's just interesting" I inform. Confusion pours into his gaze.

"It doesn't scare you?"

This time, I harbor the confusion.

"Why should it?" I ask, offering him a small smile. I watch him swallow, a flash of something running through his sky blue eyes. There's a brief pause in the conversation.

"Maybe we should just stick to staying inside" I finally announce, referring to Bucky's food suggestion. He nods, agreeing.

"I would say we could just cook something, but I'd probably burn down the building" Bucky admits. I chuckle at him, carefully standing from his bed and limping slowly over to the kitchen.

"So you can shoot a gun with impeccable accuracy and take down any person who fights you, but you can't cook?" I joke, ruffling his hair as I walk past the couch. He laughs, shoving my hand off and standing to his feet. He follows me into the kitchen, leaning back on a counter.

"I never learned!" He defends, crossing his arms over his chest. I lift an eyebrow at him, nodding at the information.

"Alright then, it's settled" I announce, opening up his cupboards and searching through them for ingredients.

"What's settled?" He asks warily. I turn to him with a kind smile, a box of pasta noodles in my hand.

"I'm going to teach you"

•••••

"What do you mean 'just boil it'? How do I boil it?"

I can't stop myself from doubling over in laughter, my stomach hurting slightly. I look back up, my eyes bright with amusement. Humor laces his features as he stands adorably lost before the stove, the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Put a pot of water in the stove and and turn it on, it will boil" I inform. He nods, filling a nearby pot with water and placing it on a burner. While he does that, I continue chipping up ingredients for the pasta sauce. Bucky pauses for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You okay?" I ask, glancing over at him. He looks up at me, completely lost.

"How do you turn on a pot of water?"

I clamp a hand over my mouth to hide my laugh, my eyes wide.

I haven't laughed like this in a long time.

Bucky stares at me with furrowed brows for a minute before realization dawns on him.

"Oh, you meant to turn on the stove" he observes, immediately turning to put his back to me and turning on the burner. I giggle more, watching as he tries to shield his amused smile with his hair.