i know places

Wanda lights the joint by the window, with her mind half on the city and half on Bucky. From where she's kneeling by the window, her view of the city is perfect. Everything is bright, and neon, and so alive, and it's hard not to get lost in it. She stays there for a minute, staring out at the view, until she moves to sit down on a spot on the floor that still gives her a nice view of the city. It's usually the space where she pulls out all of her paints and tries to make something work on the canvas, but tonight everything is all packed up and moved away. Tonight the space is clear so there's room for the two of them to sit together.

For a moment more Bucky remains in the kitchen, hanging off the fridge door while he searches through it and tries to make up his mind on what he feels like. He ends up returning with two bottles of beer and as he carries them over he pops both of the lids off and places them on the counter. Then he joins Wanda, sitting down on the floor across from her. He ends up leaning against the wall beneath the window, choosing to look away from the city and to look at her instead.

After he offers her the beer and she takes it, Bucky stays there for a second to clink their glasses together. Then he smiles and leans back, taking a long sip from the bottle. Wanda drinks a little from hers before she places it down and inhales on the joint between her fingers. A second later Bucky leaves again, but his time he doesn't go far. He leaves to turn the radio on in the kitchen and when he returns he takes the joint that Wanda offers him with a smile.

"So tell me, what's it like living with Barton?" he asks, briefly looking over the apartment. "I have to say, I don't envy you. I've heard the man's a pig."

Wanda smiles slowly between sips of beer. When she's done with it she puts it aside, stretches out her legs, and lets her gaze flicker between Bucky and the view of the city behind him. For a while she can only think about him and the city, and then she starts to think about Clint and what it's been like having him around. It's been nice, for both of them. She almost can't remember what it was like without him here.

"He stays over sometimes, but he doesn't always live here." Wanda answers, minutes later. "He has a farm, and a place he stays in the city when he works here. But he is nice to live with. He is good company."

"Mm. Still, I mean..It's Barton. It must be hell."

She shrugs a little, as she picks up her bottle and begins to run her fingers over the outside of it.

"It's not so bad, I am used to the mess with my brother. But they are not so bad, really. Like I said, it is nice. They are good company, and it is always fun with Pietro around."

Bucky looks curious now, and she doesn't know why he does but she decides that maybe it's for the same reason that she often finds herself feeling curious about him. She also decides that maybe he still needs a distraction tonight, the same way she does, so she decides to give him one.

"Do you live with Steve?" she asks. "What is that like?"

"Nah, not anymore. We used to, when we were younger." Bucky pauses, half-smiling at an old memory. "He's got his own place now with Natasha and they're happy. And I've got my own place. So everyone's happy."

She watches him for a moment, then takes the joint as he offers it and leans back into the wall behind her. For another minute her eyes search him curiously, then she smiles.

"So you live alone? What is that like?"

Bucky looks like he needs a minute to work that answer out, so she leaves him to it and lets her eyes wander back up to the lights above his head. She stays focused on it until she hears his voice and it slowly brings her back to now, to this quiet moment between them.

"Yeah, it's nice and quiet. Hey, you know..You never did tell me where you were from."

She tilts her head to the side, smiling again.

"Didn't I?"

He laughs a little and it's a sweet sound.

"You just said it wasn't America." Bucky says, smiling more. "That's kinda vague, don't you think?"

Wanda shrugs. "We moved here some time ago. How is that? Less vague now?"

The smile on his lip stays, even as he looks away and his eyes wander around her apartment again. It's mostly dark, but the lights from outside of the apartment make things bright enough for Bucky to see a little. And she doesn't mind that he's looking at the things he can see in her apartment. She doesn't even really mind the way he looks back to her eventually, eyes bright and curious again.

"So what do you do here, Wanda?" he ends up asking. "I mean, apart from going to farmers markets and riding bikes in parks. What do you do here in the city?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?"

"Guess I'm just curious about you."

Wanda looks away for a moment, pressing the joint between her fingers for a second while she thinks about his words. She thinks about what she does, and then she thinks about all the things that she's never done that she always thought she would do, and she soon finds she doesn't really know how to answer his question.

"Why?"

He gives her a small shrug. "Don't know. You're interesting."

She still doesn't look up at him, not yet. Her eyes focus on her hands, and then on her heels, and after a moment she reaches to untie the straps and remove them. Once her shoes are off she places them to the side and passes the joint back to Bucky without really looking at him. After her shoes are off to the side, Wanda stretches out her legs and rolls her ankles a little and it feels so good that she smiles.

"I work at a bar, this is what I do." she says, a little quieter. "Is that interesting enough?"

"Yeah, of course." Bucky answers, smiling warmly. "You work at Sully's? That's cool. I like that place."

"No, not Sully's. I work at the Green Tides."

His face glows with recognition. "Oh, nice. That's a good place. I used to go there, way back in the day."

Wanda leans back, slowly folding her arms over herself.

"I have never seen you there before. Do you go there often?"

"Not anymore, not really. I used to go to Sully's a lot, but that was a long time ago now. I don't think I've been there in years." Bucky ends up telling her. "And I just remember the Green Tides from late nights with friends. That was a long time ago, too. I never saw you there. I think I would have remembered you for sure."

She bites down on her lip, thinking about it for a moment. Wanda thinks about him being there, she thinks about all of the times they could have met, and maybe they almost did. Maybe they were close and the universe put something else in the way so it didn't happen. It leads her back to thoughts of how they met and where they are now, and she really does feel now that all of this is for a reason.

"So what do you do, James?" she smiles. "When you aren't running into girls at the park, what do you do?"

Bucky hesitates, a smile still hanging there.

"What, Clint didn't tell you?"

"He has never talked about you before. Not to me, that I really remember." she says, taking the joint back from him again. "So tell me, what do you do? I am curious about how you spend your time."

"It's really not that interesting. I'm between jobs right now." he pauses, glancing away for a second. "So, I pick up work from Clint and Steve whenever I can. And when I'm not doing that, I'm not really doing all that much."

It makes her think of her brother and the job he will take at the security firm. She's accepted it now, that it is his choice to make and she can't stop him from doing what he wants to do. But it still makes her think of him and his new job there. She spends too long thinking about it, and when she eventually remembers that she isn't alone she looks back and find Bucky gazing away, out at her apartment again, while he gives her a minute to her thoughts. She appreciates the quiet, but right now she's still glad that he's here with her.

"What work do you do there? You are a body-guard?"

Bucky nods, drinking a little more beer. "Yeah, that or extra security at events. Just shit like that for rich clients, really."

She smiles a little, thinking it over. "And before that?"

It's now that Bucky really looks away, just like she did before, and she wonders if it's because it means something to him, the same way the thoughts of Pietro working at their security firm meant something to her. She doesn't know what this means to him, or what he's thinking about now, so she gives him time and drinks slowly from the beer in her hands.

"I was in the army for a while."

Wanda glances up, surprised by how soon he speaks.

"With Steve?" she asks, still curious, always curious.

He looks up at her, quiet for a moment. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"It's a long story, I think."

She waits a minute after this, then moves. Wanda pushes herself away from the wall and wiggles over to the window, where she slowly stretches out on the floor. From here she's free to look up at the window, at the city, at anything but Bucky's heavy gaze. And down here it feels colder. Calmer, even. She takes a slow drag from the joint and then feels Bucky move suddenly, so she quickly looks to him, watching as he moves to stretch out on the floor by her side.

When he's there, stretched out beside her, Wanda passes him the joint and he takes it. And for a while after this they just pass the joint back and forth, saying nothing for what could be hours. Maybe it is that long, Wanda doesn't know. She only really knows that it feels so calm and peaceful here, with the music playing through her apartment and the dull city lights hanging above their heads. It's so nice that it's almost like an escape from the real world, and she almost forgets about what lingers on her mind.

Almost.

"I met Steve before tonight."

Bucky hums along, then speaks minutes later. "Yeah, I figured as much. You two seemed to know each other at the party." he stops, only briefly. "So you, uh..How do you know each other?"

"We met not long ago, through Clint."

"Shit, I knew it. I knew Barton would just introduce Steve. It's because everyone thinks he's the sweet one." Bucky says, voice much lighter now. "And the truth is, he is. Steve is the sweetheart of the group. He's the best of us all. But really, don't always listen to Barton. The rest of us really aren't half as bad as he says."

"It wasn't like that. He did not say much about any of you."

"Yeah, don't worry. I get it, I do." Bucky smirks a little. "Barton's got his favorites. We all do."

Wanda's eyes shut a minute later and all she can think about is how it feels to be here. For a second after this she begins to imagine what it would feel like to sink through the floor into something else. Something dark, and cold, and deeper, and maybe if Bucky weren't here then she would get lost in those thoughts. But he's still here, and there's something on her tongue that needs to be said.

"But you still don't get it. Why he introduced us, why I know him, it isn't like that. It really isn't like that. You wouldn't get it."

He makes a low noise in response, like a hum of agreement, and then he passes the joint back.

"So it's that kinda thing, huh? The thing that no one else gets?"

Bucky's voice is different again. It's soft and gentle, and it's also filled with an understanding that tells her that he really does get it. Maybe not in the same way that she does, but he knows what it's like to have something that makes him feel like he's alone and like no one else would understand.

"Something like that, yes."

"For what it's worth," Bucky pauses, not for long. "I get that."

When she opens her eyes and looks over at him, she finds Bucky staring up at the roof. The joint is pressed between his lips, and his eyes are stuck on a spot on the roof like he's distracted by it for a moment. She wonders if he is, or if he's really distracted by something in his head. She says nothing and just watches him, until he passes her the joint. She takes it, and it's then that she realizes the intimacy of this moment. They're so close, their shoulders are touching and their bodies are pressed next to each other's, and it only really hits her now that this is closer than she's let anyone new be with her in a long time.

"Really?" she asks quietly, a long time later.

"Yeah, I do. Or at least, I think I do." Bucky answers eventually. "I get what it's like to have shit that no one else gets."

Wanda watches him, searching for answers. "Like, what?"

A faint smile tugs on his mouth, but doesn't form.

"I don't think you wanna know the answer to that."

Bucky looks away from her after this, up at that interesting spot on the roof that's not really there at all. She decides to leave him to it and she moves, sitting up just enough to drink her beer. Wanda passes him the joint back again after this, drinking slow sips from her beer as her eyes settle on the dark apartment. For a while they stay like this, back in the quiet again, with Wanda drinking her beer and Bucky stretched out on the floor with a joint. It feels comfortable enough that they don't have to say a thing, so for a long time they don't.

She joins him again eventually, leaning back on the floor to stay beside him until he speaks again. That's when her gaze flickers to him, only for a moment.

"Hey, thanks again. For this. I think I needed it after tonight." Bucky says soon, voice a little warmer. "It's not exactly how I saw my night going, but it's still good. It's better than I thought it would be."

She hums softly, knowing exactly what he means. She feels the same way. Her gaze moves slowly away from him and up to the wind-chimes hanging from the ceiling above them, and she quickly gets lost in them. Wanda forgets about the music, the man next to her, and the city lights, and she gets lost staring up at the dragonfly floating above her head. She gets lost imagining how it would feel to fly.

Wanda is so lost in her head and her thoughts of flying that she doesn't even remember that Bucky is still with her, not until he sits up to drink his beer and he suddenly comes back into her vision. Her eyes flicker away from the dragonfly and to Bucky, to the back of his suit and his hair, and she watches him until he collapses back down on to the floor next to her. He hands her back the joint, then lets out another sigh.

"Something happened not so long ago, and this is why." Wanda ends up telling him. She doesn't know why, it just comes out. "It is why I know Steve, why Clint introduced us, and it is also why my face was.."

Was not me. This is how she felt. It is still how she feels sometimes. She thinks back to bruises, the graze to her thigh, and those ripped stockings she threw away. Wanda takes a minute then looks back to the little dragonfly, lost in it again.

"What happened?" Bucky's voice brings her back.

"There was a man. And Clint wanted to help, so this is where Steve came into things. He is training me, or he is trying to. This is how we know each other."

He sighs, glancing over at her. "Shit, Wanda. I don't—"

"Whatever you are thinking, you don't have to say it." she says, turning to look at him. "I don't want you to say sorry. I don't know what I want, but I don't want that. And really I do not know why I am telling you these things."

Wanda wants to look away. She thinks she should, her mind even tells her to turn away now, but she doesn't. She watches Bucky as he glances her over, and then he smiles slowly and it looks sad again.

"You know, that thing with my hand..The bandage that you saw and the hospital band?" he speaks quietly, minutes later. "It wasn't what I said it was. It wasn't an accident. It was my fault."

Her eyes linger on him. "Did you hit someone?"

"No, it wasn't like that."

With just a few words she knows that it's hard for him to speak about. Wanda can even tell that he doesn't really want to talk about this, the same way she didn't want to talk about her thing. They both want to be distracted, they want to talk of other things, so she tries to give them that again.

Wanda inhales on the joint, then passes it back and rolls over on her side to face him. She props her head up on her hand and begins to smile at him slowly.

"Let's talk about something else?" Wanda suggests. "You said that you went to Sully's. Where else do you go?"

"I know a bunch of places. It just depends on what you like."

She hums along, still smiling. "What do you do when you're not working?"

"I ride around the city on my bike sometimes. That, and I go to markets." Bucky stops, then begins to smile. "I try to help where I can, especially with girls and their broken flowers. How 'bout you, Wanda? What do you do?"

Wanda laughs, rolling her eyes. "o Bože." 

"Hey, what was that?" he grins, then nudges her arm gently. "What, that wasn't smooth?"

She shakes her head, taking the joint back from him.

"No, it wasn't. Not really, no."

Slowly she sits up after this, moving forward to drink what's left of her beer. Her hair falls back over her shoulder as she does, and after a minute she looks back at Bucky to find that he's still smiling. And when he catches her looking, he sits up to join her side and then he lightly nudges her arm again. 

"What'd you say, by the way?" he asks, curious again. "What was that? o Bože—"

"Oh, god."

Bucky laughs then looks away, eyes filled with something bright and kind. He turns back to her quickly, and she wonders how his smile can already feel so familiar.

"So it was that bad?" he asks.

She shrugs, sipping on her beer. "It was not so bad. I suppose I have heard worse."

"Well, how sweet of you to say."

Wanda smiles, glancing forward. "You said this was not how you thought your night was going to go. But you said that it was still good. So now I am curious, how did you see your night going?"

After a minute he shrugs, then finishes off what's left of his beer and looks back to her.

"I think the plan was to get wasted..Maybe some dancing. But I don't know, really."

She doesn't know why it makes her laugh but it does. She laughs lightly, then looks back at Bucky to find that he looks very mildly offended. He's being playful, just like before, and it only makes her laugh more. Wanda stands up soon, to carry their empty bottles to the sink. She leaves Bucky with the joint, that he soon places aside by the window. Then he follows her to the kitchen, and when he joins her there he's still smiling.

"What was all that for?" he laughs. "Something you wanna say?"

Wanda lifts an eyebrow. "You dance?"

"Yeah, I dance." Bucky's quick to answer. "What, that's hard for you to believe or something?"

She rolls her eyes, as she leans back into the kitchen bench. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I am sorry it offends you that I question your dancing skills, after what happened in the park?"

He grins, taking a playful step closer. "Oh, I'm sorry. Hang on. Weren't you the one who crashed into my bike?"

"Because you left it there. Right there." she argues, stepping closer. "On the pavement, for anyone to run into. It was thoughtless. And I was injured because of it."

With an eye-roll, Bucky leans back into the bench. 

"No one else crashed into my bike. Don't you think that says something?" he smiles, glancing her over. "You know, you could have looked up—"

"So now it is my fault?" Wanda asks, sighing. "Naravno. Tako predvidljivo."

Bucky is quick to push himself off the bench again. He takes a small step towards her, eyes glowing with curiosity.

"Hey, that's not what I'm saying. Okay? I was a jerk. And now? I'm just being a jerk." he pauses, grinning. "And I'm not sure what you just said, but I'm guessing that whatever it is—it's a compliment, right? It probably means I'm handsome. Doesn't it? I knew I looked good in this suit. Thank you for noticing. That's real sweet of you to say, doll."

Wanda smiles and is barely able to hide it, and as she tries to hide it she begins to think about Bucky. She thinks about the way he looks, and how he really does look good in his suit, but she's not going to admit it now.

"Sure. Let's say that this is what it means."

Bucky eyes her off slowly, looking as if he is almost tempted to glance away. In the end, he doesn't.

"So you do think I look handsome in this suit?"

She suddenly feels different now, it all feels different. He's flirting with her, or maybe he is only being playful, but it feels more like he's flirting. And Wanda isn't sure that she knows what any of it means, but for tonight she is happy enough to just go with it. She tilts her head back, smiling slowly as she glances him over in an obvious way.

"Hmm. I don't know." Wanda pauses, pretending to think it over. "What I do know is that I did not take you as a dancer at first glance."

Another, wider grin breaks through on his lips. "Wanda, come on. Really? I can dance. Don't insult me before you've seen me dance."

She shrugs, turning away to the fridge.

"Everyone thinks they can dance, especially when they are drunk."

It's not quiet for long after this. When she turns back, she finds Bucky closer now and somehow his smile is bigger than she's ever seen it.

"You don't hold back." he says. "I like that."

Wanda only watches him for another second before she turns away, pulling two bottles out of the fridge for them. She removes the lid from hers, then looks to him slowly. For a second he looks unsure, like he doesn't know if he wants another drink or not. Then he makes up his mind and smiles.

"One more?" Bucky steps closer. "Can't hurt, I guess. Unless you're getting sick of my company. I was a bit of a downer back there, I know. And I'm sorry if—"

"No, I didn't think that." she assures him, passing over the bottle. "If I was.."

"Nah, it's fine. You weren't. And don't worry, red. Your company's not bad at all."

She ends up leaning into the counter again, the cool bottle of beer back in her hand as she smiles at him.

"And I guess that I have had worse company than yours. Though at the moment, I can't think of anyone.."

He grins slowly and it glows underneath the warm city lights.

"And that's exactly what I thought you would say." Bucky stops, for a sip of beer. "You're a funny girl, I like that."

There's a moment after this where he stops and takes another long sip from his beer, and as he does there's a tension there between them that it feels like they're both aware of now. She doesn't know if it's just her, but from the way Bucky is looking back at her now she thinks he might be feeling the same thing.

"Hey, so, I don't know.." Bucky begins, then stops as he slowly smiles. "Maybe I could take you dancing sometime?"

She smiles back at him. "You want to prove yourself this badly?"

"Yeah, maybe." he nods, still smiling. "Or maybe I just wanna take you out on a date."

Wanda's smile stays, but for a second it almost slips. And it's not Bucky, it's not really about him at all. It's just the thoughts of tonight and the past that come back to her now. She's not sure she knows what she wants, especially after the night she's had. She only knows that she likes Bucky's company and she wants to get to know him.

Everything else is messy.

"So this is the part where you say something." Bucky adds, smiling. "Or maybe it's the part where you kick me out."

"I am—I have.." Wanda stops, unsure. "It is complicated. And I think you have a look to you that tells me you are not looking for complications."

He thinks it over, then agrees. "Yeah, you know. Maybe you're right. It's just that I had fun with you tonight."

"So did I."

For a second he looks down, to the bottle in his hands, to his gloves, and then he looks up with that same, warm smile on his face. It's different this time but it's something she can't read, so she lets it go, watching him as he speaks again. 

"So you're just looking for some fun then?" 

Wanda wants to tell him that she doesn't know what she wants or what she's looking for. She almost admits that she doesn't know if she's looking for anything at all, but she can't say it because she doesn't know if it's true. There's always a part of her that wants more, and maybe she does want this. But her head is too filled with thoughts to think about any of this tonight.

"Something like this, I guess. I am not sure."

Bucky smiles, leaning back into the bench. "Well I guess you're in luck then. Because I know places."

She tilts her head back to gaze at him, smiling slowly.

"Is that so?"

His smile grows. "Yeah, it is."

There's a part of her that wants him to stay, but the rest of her needs him to go. Wanda needs time to her thoughts, but before any of that she needs to have a bath and unwind. Then she really just needs to sleep so she can get away from all of this and wake up with a clear head in the morning.

"Another night, I think?"

"Another night." Bucky repeats, smiling, as he places his beer down and takes a step closer. "Maybe I'll call you sometime?"

For half a second she glances over at him then she walks away, over to the notepad on the bench. After she finds a pen, Wanda scribbles down her number and then passes the piece of paper to him.

"You might need my number to do that."

He laughs, stepping closer. "Yeah, I'm sure that might help."

Then Bucky takes the note with her number on it, glancing at it before he slides it away into his pocket. He lingers briefly then leaves the kitchen and starts to make his way over to the door. Wanda follows him, and when they reach the door she opens it up. He waits, hovering in the open space between the door and the hallway outside.

"Thank you again for tonight." she pauses, glancing up at him. "For the cigarette, and for the company."

"I hope it wasn't too bad. The company, I mean."

Wanda nods, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

"It wasn't bad at all."

He smiles back at her slowly. "Thanks, too. For tonight. I didn't think tonight could be fun but it was. So thanks. It was nice seeing you again."

Slowly she returns his smile. "You too."

Outside of the door, in the hallway, Bucky lingers for a second. Then he lifts a hand, waves, and steps away.

"Night, Wanda."

For another moment Wanda stays there by the open door, watching as he walks over to the stairs. She waits then closes the door, and after he's gone and the door is closed she lets out a breath. Wanda closes her eyes and presses her back into the door, a tiny smile on her lips. It all feels different suddenly, and she doesn't know why she feels weary but she does. It always starts to seep in when she's alone. But she still smiles a little anyway when she thinks about him and how she enjoyed his company tonight.

Wanda stays by the door for a few more minutes, back pressed into it, with her eyes shut and her hands wrapped around herself. She stays for a little while longer then leaves, to clean up the kitchen and discard the empty bottles.

Then she escapes into her bedroom, bringing what's left of her joint with her. Wanda puts it in the bowl by the night-stand, leaving it there while she strips out of her dress. She unzips it, steps out of it, and climbs into bed with all of her bracelets and rings still on. She wants to have a bath, to unwind and to feel better, but as soon as she climbs into bed she forgets about all of that. Wanda doesn't care anymore. She feels too tired to care, or to do anything but sleep.

So she stays there in her bed, with the joint between her fingers and her mind circling around thoughts of Bucky until the dreams of Sokovia take her away again.

* * * *

In the morning when she wakes, she's alone. It's empty in the apartment, and everything is exactly as she left it last night, which tells her that they never made it home after the Stark party. She never expected them to anyway. Wanda starts by pouring herself some coffee, turning on the radio, and making herself a little breakfast. And as she does this all, she finds herself thinking about the fun Pietro and Clint would have had last night—and as she imagines it, she feels happy.

She smiles to herself through breakfast, which is really just a bowl of fresh fruit and a cup of coffee. At the table with her little breakfast, she pulls her phone over and starts to look through all of the messages from last night. Her phone tells her there are (23) new messages, which is new for her. She doesn't really get a lot of texts, and when she does they're usually just from her brother. And today it's the same. Most of the messages on her phone are from Pietro, updates on the night and how fun it all is.

Wanda reads them slowly, smiling as they becomes less and less readable with the later it gets. The last message is just after 5 AM, and she doesn't know what he was still doing up then but she imagines that he had a lot of fun. There's a message on her phone from Clint too, just a little after that, but after she reads it she learns that it's not from Clint. It's from Natasha, telling her that they will be at Stark's and that they're safe and staying the night. It's nice to know where they are and that they're safe, so Wanda types up a reply thanking Natasha for this even if she's not sure the message will reach her now anyway.

She moves on after this, to the other messages on her phone, and she's half-way through reading one from work when she realizes that there are texts from Bucky waiting to be read. She doesn't recognize his number, but she recognizes him from the message and after she reads it she is left smiling.

[3:13 AM]:

never have I ever..ditched my friends to have a joint w/ a stranger

[3:13 AM]:

until last night

At first, she doesn't really know why she's smiling. Wanda picks idly at the bowl of fruit in front of her, chewing on plums and berries. She places her phone down and thinks about it. She thinks about last night, and then she thinks about Bucky sending her this text at 3 in the morning. It's almost as crazy as Pietro texting her after 5. She smiles more, then pops another berry into her mouth and picks up the list of paper on her left. It's the list for the grocer and the market, for when she leaves later to gather things for dinner.

Wanda writes down a few things on the list, while she thinks of a reply to send back to him. She writes down all the things they need, like ingredients and supplies for the week. Then she remembers Pietro's things like his favorite sweets and fruits. She writes it all down, then finishes her coffee and picks up her phone again.

[9:31 AM]:

Never have I ever crashed into someone else's bike

[9:32 AM]:

Until I crashed into yours.

Her messages are gone before she knows what she's even saying, or why she's saying it, and then Wanda's done with breakfast. She tidies up the kitchen, returns to her room, and undresses from last night. She takes off all her rings, her bracelets, and the necklace still hanging around her neck. It all ends up on the vanity, to be put away later. Then she starts to fiddle with the braid still in her hair, as she leaves her bedroom and goes into the bathroom to fill up the tub for the bath she's been thinking of having since last night. Wanda puts the water on, adds some bath salts, and then she leaves it to fill up while she finishes taking out her braid.

When she comes back into her room, to fetch her phone and cigarettes, there are two new messages on her phone.

[9:37 AM]:

jesus. Who's up this early red?

[9:38 AM]:

never have I ever been up this early in my life

Wanda finds herself smiling again as she brings her phone back into the tub and places it on the fluffy red mat on the floor. She remembers her last mistake of leaving it on the edge of the tub, and she really doesn't want to go down that path again. So she leaves her phone there, turns off the water in the tub, and undresses quickly.

Once she's naked, Wanda steps over to the sink and runs the cold water over her hands. She brings it up to her cheeks, gently washing her face and wiping away some of the make-up from last night. It helps, but not with all of it. She looks back to her reflection, gaze stuck on the smudged black mascara under her eyes. Then her gaze flickers away to the places where some of the make-up has washed away with the cold water, to show the little marks and faint bruises beneath. A second later Wanda turns away and reaches for a cloth by the sink. She dampens it with water then brings it up to her face and scrubs at her skin until the make-up is gone, until it feels clean. And only then does she get into the tub.

Wanda doesn't want to look at herself again after this, she can't. So she turns away and eases herself into the tub slowly, trying to focus on anything but the memory of the bruises. She sinks down into the tub until her body is covered by the water, and once she's settled she leans over the tub and reaches for her phone to find a new message from Bucky waiting to be read.

[9:45 AM]:

you got any plans today?

She thinks about it for a while, and she doesn't know if trips to the store and market really count as plans. She's really only doing that today. That, and a few other, little things she's been meaning to do around the apartment, like washing and cleaning out the fridge—all exciting stuff, she thinks, smiling to herself. Wanda's fingers hover over the phone for a minute, and then she replies without letting herself think about it too much.

[9:51 AM]:

A little in the morning. You?

After the text is sent Wanda sets the phone aside and focuses on the way the water feels against her skin. It feels warm and soothing, and her grazes barely hurt anymore. The rest of her body feels the same. It only aches faintly in a few places, but it's mostly healed now and it feels better than it did a week ago. It's nice to think about it and how it's healing. Soon it will fade away like it was never there at all and that thought leaves her feeling hopeful. This is all she thinks about, until she sees Bucky's reply and she finds herself thinking about him again.

[10:02 AM]:

nah not too much

[10:04 AM]:

never have I ever gone on a bike ride through the city w/ you

[10:04 AM]:

your tun, red.

She smiles slowly as the messages roll in, and soon it makes her think of him even more. It makes her think of Bucky, of last night and his talk of dancing and wanting to take her out. She thinks about him calling her sometime and she doesn't really mind. Wanda smiles more as she leans back in the tub, still thinking about him and his messages. She still doesn't know what she's looking for, she's not even really sure that she's looking for anything, and then there's the part of her that is curious about what the universe wants for her. It keeps pulling her to him, to this, and she doesn't know if that means anything but it feels like it does.

Wanda moves the phone back to the floor soon, leaving the messages unanswered for the moment. Then she goes under the water, deep under, to get all of her hair wet. She comes up for air seconds later, reaching for the shampoo in the corner of the tub. Wanda sits up, rubs the shampoo into her hair, and then leaves it to sit for a second while she washes herself. She lathers up in a body-wash that smells like cherries, then spends a few minutes washing herself and cleaning her hair.

It doesn't really take long, and when she's all done she wraps a towel around herself, and a smaller one around her hair, and she leaves. Wanda drops her phone down on her bed while she dries off. She pulls her hair up in her towel while she pats herself dry, and then she gets dressed. She wiggles into a soft red skirt, and then slips on a long-sleeve, mid-waist black shirt. She tugs the sleeves down slowly, but they're long so she needs to roll them up a little anyway. After she's dressed Wanda pulls her hair out of the towel, combs it gently, and then leaves it to dry.

She almost forgets about Bucky, about the message sitting on her phone unanswered, until she begins to pull up the blankets on her bed and she finds her phone again. Wanda scoops it up and sits down on the edge of the bed, typing up a fast reply.

[10:21 AM]:

Was that your way of asking me out?

A minute later, she's still sitting on the edge of the bed, the phone in her hands, when Bucky's reply pops up on the screen. 

[10:22 AM]:

and if it was?...(It was pretty smooth, right?)

She laughs quietly to herself and it feels so strange, and so new, because she can't really remember the last time that someone new made her laugh like this. She carries the phone over to the window, that she soon opens up to let the breeze in. Then Wanda sits down in the chair by the window, gaze pulled to the view for a second. Her eyes move slowly across the soft sky, and as the noises of the city come up to reach her, she feels different. She feels that this is all different, and after last night she is surprised by the way it feels a little better. It almost feels like this is the change she's been waiting for, after all the bad luck she's had lately. She doesn't know if it will last, but it feels nice while it's here so she lets it in.

[10:24 AM]:

That is not the word I would use..

[10:26 AM]:

then what word would you use?

[10:27 AM]:

Suave? Awesome? Rad?

Wanda's smile grows, and she finds that there are many replies she almost sends back to him—but she wants to get herself ready for her morning first, so she leaves the phone while she thinks of her reply and she finishes getting dressed. She pulls on a pair of black boots, ties them on, and then sits down at her vanity to comb through her hair again. It's still damp and she doesn't feel like drying it so she plaits it, pulls it back off her face, and leaves just a few curly, damp strands to hang out.

She replies to Bucky's messages when she's out in the kitchen, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge.

[10:32 AM]:

Can I say none of the above?

He takes a while to reply after this, and Wanda understands why. He must be tired, it was a long night for all of them and he sent her that last text just after 3. Maybe their nights were not so long compared to Pietro's, but they were still long. She soon finds herself smiling, thinking of this, and then Bucky's new message rolls on it and she smiles even more.

[10:40 AM]:

and if I was asking you out..What would you say?

It doesn't surprise her, not after last night, but maybe it sort of does. It takes her a long time to reply, only because she wants to be sure of her answer. She thinks it over as she locks up her apartment, carries her bike downstairs, then climbs on and clips her helmet on. In the end she decides to just go with what she wants to say, what she thinks she's wanted to say since she ran into him. 

[10:53 AM]:

Yes.

[10:54 AM]:

But not tonight. I have plans & tomorrow I'm working.

[11:01 AM]:

can't do monday. How's tuesday for you?

[11:09 AM]:

I work until 6. Pick me up after?

Wanda puts her phone away after this and then she's off. She rides quickly down the paths ahead of her, on her way to the florist and then to the grocer. After this she doesn't have too many plans of where to go. She will go where she feels like going, while still making sure she buys what they need for the week. She thinks of Pietro after this and considers sending him a text to see when he will be back, or if he will even be home today. She also thinks about sending a text to Clint to ask, but she soon decides it is probably too early for them to be awake yet, and when they are awake she will likely hear from them what their plans are. So she leaves that as a thought for later and rides on, moving swiftly down crowded streets, until she ends up on a block where there's a little less traffic, a little less noise, and it feels nice. She rides until she sees the florist up ahead and stops to pull out her phone and read his reply.

She is—excited about this, she thinks. She is looking forward to it, because there is something about him that she finds curious. There's more to it than this, there's something that she feels when she's in his company. What exactly this is, she doesn't know. She can't work out, she only knows that it's there and that she's looking forward to seeing him again. And from the messages Bucky sends back to her, she thinks he might feel the same.

[11:10 AM]:

sweet it's a date

[11:13 AM]:

or it's not. it's just like a casual meet up thing

[11:14 AM]:

it's just a chill catch up. or whatever

Wanda smiles, leaning back into her bike-seat. She finds that soon she smiles more thinking about him now, thinking about where he is and what he's doing right now. She thinks about Bucky sending her these messages, and she wonders if he's smiling, too. She smiles more, and ends up so distracted by the thoughts of him that for a while she forgets that she's out here to gather things for the week. It can wait for a minute longer, she decides, as she sends her message back.

[11:16 AM]:

How..Suave of you.

[11:17 AM]:

Ha ha. Good one (it wasn't)

[11:18 AM]:

by the way, I'm looking forward to it

[11:18 AM]:

drinks on me this time?

There's a smile still on Wanda's face that's been there since this morning, because of all of this, because of him, and she can't help that she feels excited to meet him for drinks on Tuesday. It's something good, something to look forward to. She's still not sure what she's looking for, with this or with anything. She's not even sure that she's looking for anything at all, but she decides that this, whatever it is, can't be a bad thing because—how can something bad feel this good?

[11:21 AM]:

It's a date.