In One Piece
Bucky, Eira and Vinnie had hopped on the Metro to get back to Los Feliz, walking the short distance back to the house in silence. Night had fallen and there was a decided chill in the air, a stark contrast to the sun and warmth found during the day. The air deeper into the city smelled a bit more like ozone, tinged with the scents wafting from restaurants and the sweet smell of flowers from perfectly landscaped yards.
The beautiful Spanish-style house loomed ahead, a few lights twinkling from the windows. Solar lights marked the path through the shrubs to the porch. Rocky met them at the door and pulled Eira aside. “She’s fine, in bed and tired. Had she waited much longer, this would be a very different story.”
Bucky didn’t wait to hear more and made a beeline for the bedroom he had marked as Anwyn’s during his earlier explorations. He wanted to see her for himself. Nobody moved to stop him and in his haste and worry, he didn’t even knock. Slipping inside, he locked the door behind him and moved towards the figure curled in middle of the bed. A string of lights wrapped artfully in and around the sheer burgundy curtain that served as her headboard barely illuminated the room. A small fish tank bubbled quietly in the corner across the room with curious fish swimming to the surface, hoping for a meal.
Anwyn was out cold, breathing still deep and even with sleep. She hadn’t so much as even stirred at his less than quiet entrance and was partly buried under a burgundy and bronze comforter that matched the rest of the room perfectly. Her hair was a tangled, curly mess that covered part of her face and spread across the pillow like inky silk. She had apparently bathed or been washed by someone; her face was devoid of make up and her hair still appeared damp. His enhanced senses allowed him to detect the faint floral scent that clung to her skin from across the room.
Carefully, he kicked his shoes off, peeled away his socks and padded over to examine her. He leaned over and smoothed curls away from her face, noting the dark circles that shadowed her eyes. Her flesh was flushed and considerably hotter than normal, and the barest hint of light flickered here and there under her skin. As if the fire that was so carefully controlled during her waking hours was trying to break loose and devour all in it’s path. He could see a vein in her throat pounding in time with her increased heart rate.
Silently, Bucky slid under the edge of the blankets near her and watched her sleeping face. Worry eased into contentment in his chest. She probably felt like shit, but she was alive. He reached out a hand and laid it over hers, absently stroking his thumb over her knuckles.
The past two weeks HAD been hell…but he felt strangely hopeful. Of all the people to be alive, willing and able to help...it seemed almost like divine intervention that it was her. If he believed in any of that anymore. She’d gotten him off HYDRA radar, risked exposure to shelter him…she had gone above and beyond.
The stubborn woman whose bed he now shared had been shot, broke no less than a dozen laws to help him, dragged her associates into it…associates who’d given him the means to at least LOOK like a whole man again. And if this strange stroke of luck held…He’d get to work with them somehow. More than anything, he wanted to have a purpose again, one to be proud of. A purpose to help balance the horrible things he had done.
Her eyes were open now, watching him intently. Green interspersed with flecks of copper, but not illuminated. A tired smile pulled at her lips as she examined his face. “Hi Buck. Your hair looks real nice.” He scooted closer and pressed his lips to her forehead. “You alright?” She nodded against his chin. “Sore. Tired. Nauseated. Glad it’s over with.” He draped his arm over her hip and turned to his back, pulling her flush against his side and chest.
Her skin was almost too hot to be comfortable against him but he didn’t care. He craved the physical closeness and human touch that he had been denied for seventy years. Thin fingers knotted in his shirt and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. He reveled in the soft breath on his neck and the content sigh that escaped her. They lay there in comfortable silence until he nearly dozed off.
Her quiet voice roused him from his comfortable doze. “As good as ya look in those clothes…ya aren’t wearin’ ‘em if you’re sleepin’ in here. Have big T shirts in the third dresser drawer.” He reluctantly pulled himself away from her and crossed the room, unbuttoning the shirt as he went. Digging into the drawer as instructed, he pulled out a plain white T shirt and stopped to feed her circling fish. He figured it was safe to assume they had been forgotten in all the fuss. Flipping the lid shut on the smelly little fish flakes, he went back to join her in the warm bed.
He kicked out of the jeans on the way over, leaving them on the floor and finished unbuttoning the shirt as he stood next to the bed. As he dropped it on the floor, standing there in only his shorts, he heard a soft gasp and looked over to the source of the sound. Anywn had sat up and was crawling across the bed, peering at his left arm with an amazed smile on her face. “Rocky got it ta work! Oh Bucky, lookit that. That facetious little geek DOES earn his keep ‘round here.”
She grabbed his arm and turned it, admiring it. He couldn’t help but smile at the delight on her face but felt a little self-conscious. This was only a disguise after all. Under it…he was still maimed. “Looks better than metal, huh?” She tugged him down onto the bed with surprising strength and leaned against him, wrapping her hands over his. “Bucky. I’m happy to have you alive and here, with or without Rocky’s little gadgets. Don’t ya think any differently for a minute.”
She carefully unbuckled the device and the membrane began to draw itself back to it’s source, leaving behind gleaming metal. She carefully set it on the nightstand and looked back at him. Bucky inhaled deeply, a little disappointed to see it go. A feeling that vanished as she lifted his left hand to her face and pressed her cheek into the cool metal of his palm, locking her fingers in behind his to hold it in place. Her eyes met his and she smiled softly as he leaned in and kissed her.
“You need to get some rest; I didn’t mean to wake you. Just wanted to check on you.” She rubbed the tip of her nose on his and handed him the shirt that had fallen to the side. He pulled it over his head and she tugged him back further into the bed, easing the blankets over them both as he curled himself around her. Soon enough, they were asleep, a tangle of arms and legs. Both dreaming of the promises tomorrow held.