i know places

When Pietro and Clint finally make it home at 6PM the night after Stark's party—all that Wanda can think about is how they look like those zombies that Clint is always telling her about from that show he makes Pietro watch every Sunday night. She's over in the kitchen, keeping an eye on dinner and pressing old flowers into a book, when they come into the apartment, looking weary and filled with regret. Wanda gets a quiet hello from them both before they leave, escaping into the darkness of Pietro's room. After they are gone Wanda is left smiling, as she swaps the flower in her hand for the glass of red wine on the counter.

It's that kind of night tonight; a peaceful one, with wine, music, and pretty little flowers scattered across the empty space on the kitchen bench. She spends another moment there with her wine then steps away to check on dinner, an old favorite of Pietro's. After she's satisfied that it's coming along well, Wanda leaves it and returns to the spot where she is almost done pressing flowers and petals into an old, thick book, where most of the pages are already being used to press flowers together between the pages.

When she's done Wanda packs the book away, tidies the mess on the bench, then finishes setting the table for the three of them. She puts out the plates for dinner, a fresh bottle of cider, and a few empty glasses for when they feel like something to drink. Once the table is set Wanda steps away to turn off all of the lights in the apartment, with the exception of a lamp near the kitchen, just so it won't be too bright for them when they eventually decide to join her.

She's free to rest after this, now that there's nothing to do until dinner is ready. She starts by refilling her glass of wine and bringing it over to the table, where she pulls out a chair, sits down, and opens up the book she'd been scribbling in earlier. 

Wanda quickly gets lost in it all, in her head and in the words on the pages, that she doesn't realize that Pietro is out of his room until she's on her way back from checking on dinner again and she finds him standing in the dimly lit space outside of his bedroom. Her first thought is that he looks odd, not like himself. He still looks like himself, but there is something different about him tonight. Wanda quickly puts it off as it just being his hangover and she smiles, waving him over into the kitchen.

"I hope you're hungry." Wanda calls out, smiling as she walks over. "How was last night? And how are you feeling? You look like you had fun."

Pietro says nothing back, he just glances her over closely as if he is trying to get a read on her. And then even after this he is still quiet and it concerns her. Wanda stops what she's doing and comes to stand in front of him, trying to search him for signs of what's wrong, but she finds nothing and it just concerns her even more.

"What is it? Pietro, what's wrong?"

Half-smiling, her brother reaches out for her. He looks tired, and even with a smile on his face he still doesn't look like himself. He looks sad, almost. He reaches out for her slowly, tucking a loose curl back behind her ear, before he sighs and pulls her into his chest. Pietro's arms are warm as they wrap around her, hugging her tightly.

"Izgledaš poput nje." he tells her quietly.

You look like her. Wanda tenses at the words then sinks into his arms, closing her eyes. She knows who he is talking about with just those words, but it's hard for her to admit it because it's sometimes still difficult to think about their parents, even though they are always with her. She sees them in herself, and in her brother, too. But sometimes it is too painful to think about and tonight feels like one of those nights.

"Majke?" she asks him anyway.

He nods, burying his head into her neck. "Da sestro. I am sorry." Pietro sighs, squeezing her just a little tighter. "But you look like Mama. Just a little tonight, this is all."

The words linger, as Wanda lets out a sharp breath and squeezes her eyes shut harder. Their parents are always with them, and they often think about them, but Wanda thinks she knows why he feels this way right now. Tonight she is cooking a favorite dinner of his, that is faintly familiar of something they once had when they were children. She recognizes the smell, and she know that he must recognize it, too. So it is that, and it might even be the apron, and the way that they can sometimes remind each other of their parents.

Pietro has their mother's eyes and their father's laugh, and he swears that her eyes are their father's and her hair is like their mother's. But it has been so long, sometimes it feels like it was a whole other life that was never hers.

When they are done holding each other, Wanda is the first to step away. She pulls away but only a little, quickly reaching up to kiss her brother's cheek. Then she leans out, holding his hands for a moment before she ushers him over to the table, to one of the empty seats. Pietro follows quietly and sits down, gaze following her as she moves to the end of the table then comes back, a freshly poured glass of cider in her hand.

"It's okay. There is nothing to be sorry for." Wanda assures him, quickly coming closer. "Now tell me..You are hungry, yes?"

Pietro nods, smiling as he sinks down into his seat. He already looks happier than he did seconds earlier and she feels relieved to see it, to know that being honest about what was on his mind has helped him. Wanda doesn't want the memory of their parents to hurt him, or to leave him feeling alone, like he can't talk about it. She just doesn't feel that she is up for talking about it tonight, and she wants to take his mind off it, so she finds a distraction for both of them.

"Good, because there is a lot of food for tonight. And for the nights I'm working this week. If you are still hungry after dinner, there are also sweets."

At the mention of sweets, Pietro's face lights up.

"Sweets? What did you get?"

Smiling back at her brother, Wanda turns away into the kitchen, to check on dinner and to also slip out of her apron. She takes it off because she wants to, not because she feels like she has to, or like it is what reminded Pietro of their mother. She just wants to put it away for now. 

When it's gone, she comes back to him.

"You will see. Enjoy your dinner first, yes? Then you can eat sweets until you feel sick."

Pietro's still smiling when Wanda comes back, joining him at the table. If he notices that her floral apron is gone, he says nothing. He just takes a sip of cider then smiles, reaching out to gently squeeze her hand.

"You're too good to me. To both of us." Pietro says, as he crosses his legs in his seat. "I think we would be lost without you. I know that I would be."

Wanda hums along quietly, while reaching for her notebook and opening it up again. But before she gets lost in it, Pietro is speaking again and Wanda finds herself wanting to give him all of her attention. She misses sitting with him like this and talking about their days, it has been a long time since they've done this, so she pushes her recipe books and notes away, turning to face him again.

"Tell me about your day. I want to hear all about it. I want to know what you have been doing while the two of us have been sleeping almost all day."

Her brother's interest is sweet, Wanda thinks, but she did not do much with her day. It was simple, really: a trip to the florist, to the grocer, and then to the market for a few little things, before she came home, prepared dinner, and painted for an hour. To Wanda, this doesn't feel like much to talk about. But she doesn't want to dismiss her brother's curiosity, so she tells him about it.

"I went out, getting these things for dinner. It was busy, but not so bad. I picked out new flowers, too. And I painted for an hour, or maybe it was two."

Between sips of cider Pietro nods along, letting her know that he is listening and still curious. He picks a flower from the vase, places it between his fingers, and starts to twirl it around, watching as the yellow petals spin around and around.

"They are nice flowers, I like them. They are very pretty." Pietro smiles, glancing up. "And how are you feeling now? Your headache, last night..How is that? All better?"

With a shrug Wanda leans back into her chair, not really wanting to talk about this but knowing that it isn't something that she can avoid.

"It was nothing, I'm fine."

Her brother's gaze is soft as it lingers on her, still curious, still faintly concerned for her. She feels bad about this and wants to reassure him that there is nothing for him to worry about.

"I'm sure, okay? I am fine. And how are you? You two seemed.."

"I know. It was fun, but we are tired. It was a long night." Pietro admits, still twirling the flower around in his hand. "I know you had to leave, that you wanted to. But I still wish you could have stayed, and that we could have spent some time together before you left. I understand, I just missed you. I think you could have had fun."

Slowly Wanda's gaze slips away from Pietro and down, to her hands around the glass of wine, and then to the little scratches and dents in their old wooden table. For a while after this she says nothing, while feeling like there is so much that she could say. Wanda wants to start with telling him that she is sorry, for lying, for running away without spending any time with him. Then she wants to tell him that there's a part of her that wants to go back to last night and spend time with him, because sometimes it feels like they don't see each other much through the week and she misses him.

In the end Wanda says nothing because it feels like it isn't the night to talk about it, or maybe that is just another excuse of hers.

"I know, and I am sorry. You still had fun, yes?"

He smiles again, eyes lighting up at the memory of last night and the good time they had.

"Yes, we did. Too much fun, I think." Pietro admits, relaxing back into his seat. "I am not sure if I like Stark yet, but his parties are fun."

It makes Wanda smile to think of all the fun they had last night. They deserved it, so to think of it makes her a little happier. And as much as a part of her regrets leaving, she knows that staying didn't feel right. From the moment she arrived she felt like she had no place there, not on that night, not after the way it all started, and maybe that's just another excuse but Wanda doesn't regret leaving because of how it felt to be here with Bucky after they left.

"I'm glad that you had fun." Wanda says soon, smiling again. "You look like you had a lot of fun."

He laughs a little, as his attention moves back down to the flower that he's still spinning around between his fingers. It's obvious that there is something on his mind again, but Wanda leaves it instead of pushing it, deciding to wait until he is ready to speak. And it doesn't take him long at all to share what is on his mind.

"Where did you go last night?" Pietro asks, sounding curious. "After the party, I mean. Where did you go?"

Home, she thinks, and almost says. She went home with a stranger, for a beer and a joint underneath a breezy window. Wanda thinks back on it now, on sitting in the cab with Bucky, and then being out on the balcony with him in that crisp night air. She almost tells Pietro about this, about how her night wasn't so bad at all, but it feels like she can't explain it to him yet when she's not really sure she understands what it was herself.

Bucky is still on her mind, this much she knows. A day later and he is still there, hanging around in her thoughts, as if it wasn't a day ago but was just a few hours ago that he was here with her. There is something about him, something that stays with her. He is charming, and funny, and he makes her feel a little better, a little distracted, but there still feels as if there is something else to it. Wanda's not sure that she knows what it is, or that she will ever know, just like she can't know if last night will ever be more than what it was. But for now it is just hers, just theirs, and she wants to keep it that way.

"Home." she says, between sips of wine. "I was tired from the migraine so I came home."

Pietro nods a little, still looking curious. "I thought maybe you had left with someone. When Clint said you had left, I didn't care. I wanted you to be happy and to take care of yourself. But I thought maybe you had left with someone and I was just curious."

"What?" Wanda asks, almost smiling. "Who would I leave with?"

At first he just shrugs a little in response, giving her no real answer. Then he leaves to get something from the kitchen and comes back a few seconds later carrying the bowl of sweets that Wanda hid earlier. She doesn't know how he always finds them but he does. She reaches out for them, trying to swat his hand away, but he laughs and sinks back into the seat, so she gives up and reaches for her wine instead.

"Well?"

"I don't know." he says, as he pops a lolly into his mouth. "I heard that Vision was there. And I thought maybe you two..Connected. Again."

After this Pietro quickly trails off, as if he is unsure if he should go on or not. Wanda knows the look that she gives him answers that and tells him not to keep going, not to talk to her about Vision and their past. It's over now, it has been for a long time, but she still doesn't want to talk about it with her brother or with anyone.

"No, I didn't see him. I didn't know he was there." Wanda says quickly, sitting forward. "I would not leave with him, and I would not—"

I would not lie, she almost says, but she did lie and she still is lying now. Last night she saw Vision and she left with Bucky, and still she is lying to her brother about it. Why? Wanda can't answer that, not without some more wine. She finishes her glass then picks it up, carrying it with her over to the kitchen where she quickly busies herself with tasks that don't really need doing. But it quickly turns out that these little tasks don't distract her well enough to get her mind off these thoughts.

"I don't know why you would think that, or even say that I would leave with him. Or connect with him again, after all of this time."

When Pietro speaks again his voice is softer, almost regretful, and he sounds closer but she still doesn't look back, not yet. She stays where she is, hands resting on the bench, eyes stuck on the pot of stew.

"I am sorry, Sestra. Okay? I'm sorry." Pietro tells her. "It is just that I would be happy for you, if you were—"

"I'm not. And we are not doing this. Okay?"

With a sigh, Pietro joins her. He brings a handful of sweets with him, offering one to her, but Wanda really doesn't feel like one. She turns away from him and reaches for the bottle of wine to her left, ignoring him as he hovers close behind her, trying to read her like he did before. This time he can't, she won't let him.

"I just want you to be happy, Wanda. I don't understand. Why is that so wrong?" he asks, close behind her. "And why do you get so mad with me when I ask these questions? I am just asking. Why are you mad with me for asking?"

Wanda stops filling her wine halfway, lets out a breath, then puts the bottle down and turns over her shoulder to look at her brother. She knows that he doesn't mean to upset her, and he hasn't, she would just rather talk of other things. She would rather talk about anything except this and their parents.

"Don't be silly, I'm not mad with you."

Still by her side, Pietro pulls a face. He looks as if he is caught between disbelief and amusement.

"But you look like you are. I have seen that look before." he says, nudging her arm. "I know this look very well. I know you very well, too."

Sighing, she nudges his arm away. "I'm not, okay? I am not mad with you, I just don't want to do this. Not tonight, brother. That's all that it is."

Then Wanda swiftly turns away from him, back to the wine that she fills, takes a sip of, then starts to carry over to the table. But when she turns around Pietro is still waiting there, standing in her way.

"Do, what?" he asks. "I don't understand. We are only talking."

"I am happy, okay? There is nothing else to say."

He seems to understand it now, or at least Wanda thinks that he does. The smile he gives her is sweet, and kind, and then he returns to the table casually like they are done with this now, but she quickly learns that they aren't.

"So you are with someone?" he smiles. "You have to tell me all about them. Where did you meet? What is he like?"

Over by the sink Wanda stops what she's doing and lets out a breath, and for a moment she almost wants to tell him. There's a part of her that wishes she could talk to him, about last night, about Vision and what happened between them. She even wishes she could sit and tell him all the other little things. Maybe if she could, she'd go back and tell Pietro about the stranger with the blue eyes that she met in the market, who was kind and gave her blueberries. Then she might tell him about the same one she met in the park, who took her to Peggy's place and made her laugh at Stark's party. But she didn't tell him about it then and she can't now, and she knows why. It's difficult for Wanda to talk about herself to anyone, even to her brother.

"Brate, molim te." she sighs, glancing over at him. "I am happy. I don't need to be with someone to be happy."

And now he seems to get it, or at least it seems like he really does. Wanda's not sure he can ever really understand her past with Vision, but she appreciates that he still tries.

"Žao mi je, sestro—"

"Don't say sorry, it is fine." Wanda assures him, smiling slowly. "There is nothing to be sorry for, okay?"

Pietro nods and accepts this, leaving her to her thoughts as he takes his seat and picks another lolly from the bowl. Wanda finishes up in the kitchen and eventually comes back to him, bringing her wine with her. After she's in her seat she notices that the flower he picked earlier, the small yellow one, is now resting on her pile of notebooks. She smiles a little at it, touches a petal, then settles into her seat and turns her attention back to her brother.

"I only try to talk to you about these things because you are my sister and I care. I want to know this and everything else in your life. But you never talk to me about it, so that is why I ask."

Still faintly smiling, Wanda reaches out for Pietro's hand. She squeezes it gently then holds on, as she thinks about how sweet it is that he wants to know about her life. She is trying to be more open with him, the way that he is with her, the way that she once was with him. She still struggles but she is trying, for both of them.

"That is only because there is nothing to tell you about." Wanda says, squeezing his hand one more time. "I promise that when there is something to talk about you will be the first to know."

He smiles slowly. "Promise?"

"Sretna sam sa svojim životom. Obecajem."

With a kiss to her hand, Pietro lets go and shifts his attention back to his glass of his cider. In the quiet that follows, Wanda's promise to her brother lingers in her mind: I'm happy with my life. I promise.

[12:21 AM]:

nah not really. Something on ur mind?

Wanda reads it over three times before she makes up her mind. Yes, she wants to say. Sokovia is on her mind. Her brother, too. The years they lost, the parents they lost. It stays with her, and lingers with the thoughts of Vision and the life they had before this one. It all feels like a blur, and she's not sure if she can answer his question about what's on her mind but she knows what she wants right now and it's simple. She just wants someone to talk to and she wants it to be him.

For a reason she's not entirely sure of, he just seems to get it. Wanda's not sure why, considering how little she knows about him. It's the same for him, he knows nothing about her, yet somehow last night he just seemed to get it. There was something in the way he spoke to her, something in his eyes that she recognized, and it's why she feels the way she does, why she wants to talk to him and not her brother or even Clint. It's hard to explain, but there's just something she feels when she talks to him that's not there with anyone else.

[12:26 AM]:

Can I call you?

His reply comes back seconds later.

[12:26 AM]:

yea sure. hang on a sec

[12:26 AM]:

i'll call u

After his last message, Wanda leaves her phone by her side and waits. She settles into bed, closes her eyes, and waits quietly as sounds of life come to her from the living room. So they're awake again. It won't last, she thinks, as she briefly climbs to the edge of her bed and reaches for her iPOD where it's tangled up in her headphones. Slowly she pulls them on and settles back into bed, bringing her notebook with her.

Ten minutes slip by and then five more. She doesn't feel tired enough to sleep, not yet, so she keeps the music with her and keeps trying to drift off. Her body feels tired, just liker her mind, but she is still too alert and too filled with memories to sleep. Sometimes music helps at distracting her, but like the city and the TV it fails her and in the end she throws it away with her book, ready to fetch a tea or another glass of wine from the kitchen. Just as she's about to leave her phone starts to ring and Bucky's name pops up on the screen. She hesitates, convincing herself that she is too tired now and that it is too late to take the call, but eventually she picks it up.

"Hello?"

On the other end, Bucky's voice is warm and strangely familiar. He sounds soft, but busy. Strained, maybe. In the background she hears familiar sounds and realizes that he's on the subway, and for a moment she closes her eyes and starts to think about what his night has been like.

"Hey, Wanda. Sorry, I was just—I had a thing. How are you? How's your night going?"

Sighing, Wanda opens her eyes. "It's fine, I'm fine. I'm sorry for interrupting your..thing." she pauses, looking over to the window. "I don't know why I text you, I think I was looking for someone to make me laugh. With their bad jokes. So I think this is why I thought of you."

Almost immediately, Bucky lets out a hearty laugh.

"What can I say? That's sweet of you to think of me, red. But if you're looking for bad jokes, then you should go right to Barton. Maybe even go to Steve. But me? I don't brag all that much, but my jokes aren't half as bad as those jerks. Seriously, some of Steve's stuff makes me cringe so much. And how he doesn't even realize how bad the jokes are. Aww. He's a sweetheart."

Wanda's smiling before she realizes it, and after she starts to smile it doesn't go away. It stays, and she decides then that she's glad that she text him and that he called, because it already feels like her mind is on something else.

"It kind of feels like you are.."

"Sorry, what? I am, what? A bragger? Or a bad joke teller?" Bucky asks then pauses, but not long enough for her to answer. "Because honestly, Wanda, I have to say..Both are kinda mean. Is that why you wanted to call me? To insult me? Or to be mean?"

Still faintly smiling, Wanda closes her eyes again and starts to think of Bucky. She doesn't know why but she starts to imagine where he is right now on the subway, smiling like she is.

"I am just bored. And tired. That is why."

Bucky hums gently. "Late night, huh? Did you wanna go grab a coffee or something?"

It's something that Wanda really considers, for longer than she should when she has to be up so early in the morning. She eventually decides against it, not just because she's working early but because she is still too tired to do anything but stay here on the phone with him.

"Another time, I think?" Wanda answers, then trails off briefly. "I don't know why I wanted to call you tonight. I'm sorry if I interrupted your plans."

"No, it's fine. You didn't, Wanda. And I'm glad you did text me. I'm really glad. I'm not really up to much anyway, so I'm glad I got your message. I actually wasn't sure that I would, or that I'd even hear from you this soon."

She hesitates, feeling curious. "Why is that?"

After this Bucky seems to take a few minutes to answer and Wanda doesn't really mind. It feels like the silence isn't so bad now that she's not totally alone. So she leaves him to his thoughts, getting caught up in her own head as she sinks deeper into her bed.

Half a minute later, he speaks again.

"I thought maybe.. I dunno, I'm just glad. I'm glad I heard from you so soon."

It makes her smile again without realizing it at first, but this time it's a different smile. Before she was amused, she was smiling because of that, and now it's different. She feels glad, too. And it is more than that. Wanda spends a little while thinking it over, as her eyes flicker open again and move to a spot on the ceiling.

"So I am." she answers soon. "What are you doing right now? You're on the subway?"

"Yep. On my way home."

Bucky sounds distracted again, and like he's had a night similar to hers. She understands it too well and she almost wants to ask him about it, but she quickly decides to talk to him about other things while she can. Quietly, she is starting to feel it. She is weary and it is slowly catching up to her.

"Long night?" Wanda ends up asking him.

He laughs again, just a little. It's less loud this time.

"Yeah, you could say that. So yeah, that's why I'm not really making a lot of bad jokes right now. Like you said, it's been a long night. But if you give me some time, I'm sure I can come up with some good stuff..."

"It's okay." she's quick to assure him. "I didn't really want to talk to you for your bad jokes."

Another laugh, this one sounds a little more real, a little lighter, than the last one. He sounds amused again, and playful, and she can't stop herself from smiling again. And from the way Bucky sounds when he speaks a moment later, he sounds as if he's smiling, too.

"See, I knew that. I knew that wasn't why you called. It's 'cause I'm charming and handsome, right?"

She laughs, pressing a hand to her lips as she thinks it over. Wanda knows that she doesn't really need to think it over. It's simple, really. He is very charming, and handsome, but that isn't why she called and it's not why she enjoys his company so much. It feels as if it's a little deeper than that, but his charm is definitely something that makes her smile.

"I don't think you're going to like my answer."

Bucky laughs again, before disappearing from the other end of the phone. Then he quickly comes back as if he was never gone at all.

"Yeah, probably not. So, tell me, how's Barton doing? And your brother?" he asks, sounding genuinely curious. "I didn't see 'em but Steve told me all that fun they had last night. They got pretty wasted, huh?"

"Yes, they were like zombies. But they are better now, after resting and having something to eat. Now they are almost all better."

On Bucky's end he lets out a disappointed sigh in response to Wanda's answer.

"Damn. That's too bad. I was gonna ask you to switch Barton's ringtone to something loud and annoying. You know, like a fog horn. Something really loud and horrible. Like his laugh. Or his voice. Then I was gonna call him and wake him up. Too bad. I guess there's always next time, right?"

Wanda laughs quietly, but only for a moment. Slowly it fades, as she begins to feel more weary and less like she's here with him.

He is charming and funny, and she enjoys his company. Wanda wishes she had called him sooner, so they could have spent more time talking. But now she is tired, and not good company, and she feels bad for keeping him on the line when she is only really half-awake now.

"Listen, James..I am sorry."

He hesitates briefly. "For what? Saying I'm not charming? That's okay. I'm sure I can change your mind.."

Once again it sounds like he's smiling, just like she is.

"I didn't say that. But no, not that." Wanda answers. "I just mean..I don't feel like I am good company right now. I'm tired, it has been a long day. That's all."

For a moment after sharing this with him, Wanda is left to wonder if he will understand her or if he will be confused about why she wanted to talk, only to leave after just a few minutes. But he quickly shows her again that in his own way he gets it.

"Sure, no problem. I get what those days are like. You want me to go? I'm sure we can pick things up when you're well rested, so you can get back to insulting me and I can get back to making my really bad jokes..How's that sound?"

"I would like that." she says, then quickly pauses. "I just—Would you.."

In the quiet she finds that she can't go on, she can't ask Bucky, a stranger, what she wants to, because it should feel odd to want to ask him this. She doesn't know him, not really. So why does it already feel as if she knows pieces of him? 

"Hey, Wanda? You still there?" Bucky asks soon, bringing her back. "Everything alright? What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing. Really, it's okay. Thank you for calling. And I'm sorry for interrupting your night."

Seconds later he answers, sounding as soft and understanding as he was last night when they sat underneath the window again, lost in their heads and in the city lights.

"You didn't. Honestly, you didn't interrupt a thing. When I got your text..I was happy to hear from you. So, look, I've got some time to kill on the trip home. Why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"

She thinks about saying nothing and hanging up, then Wanda considers being honest about what's really on her mind and she feels torn. She doesn't feel like talking, and she still doesn't feel like leaving yet, and she knows where that leaves her and what she wants to ask. There's just a part of her that thinks it might be too much to ask.

"Would you stay on the line for a while?"

Bucky's quiet for about three seconds before he answers, showing her once more that he gets it and that he really is unlike anyone that she's met before.

"Until you fall asleep?"

In response Wanda hums, then clears her throat and squeezes her eyes shut. The seconds pass slowly before she answers.

"Yes. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Wanda. I don't mind." Bucky says gently; words quiet and warm. "It's no problem at all. I'll stay 'till you drift off."

In the morning, Wanda wakes up late. She's never late, she never misses a shift or comes into work late since her apartment is just a few blocks away and she always gets in on time, but today she's late. Her alarm doesn't go off, or maybe it does and she just misses it. She's not sure why she's so late, but when she gets into work she is hit with an urge to just turn out and walk away.

The Green Tides looks like it has never been busier in all of the years that she's worked there. And after seeing it, she wants to turn away. Wanda really wants to leave it behind and walk home, but she knows that she can't. She has to stay so she forces herself inside, greets Gamora by the bar, then pops in to see Daniel and to apologize for being late. He doesn't care, not really. She's only about fifteen minutes late, and she's never been late before. So he lets it go and she leaves him to his work, quickly stepping into the empty staff bathroom to get ready for her shift.

The stalls are all empty when Wanda steps inside, so she enters the first one, strips out of her sweater and pants, and quickly dresses into jeans, a black t-shirt, and her work boots. After running her hands down the creases in her shirt and tying the laces on her boots, she steps out of the stall, almost ready. All that's left to do is to apply a little light make-up and fix her hair. When this is done, Wanda packs all her things away into her bag, slides her back-pack into her locker, then makes her way out to the bar where things are somehow even busier now.

In the rush that follows, Wanda loses herself to the morning chaos. She serves drink after drink, takes orders, cleans up the bar, and answers important calls and messages. When things slow down enough, Wanda is free to clean up the bar, refill the napkin holders, and replace empty bottles with new ones. This part doesn't take long, she's so used to it now that she can do it all without thinking about it. And that's usually when she ends up finding trouble, when she convinces herself that she doesn't need to think something through.

Today she finds trouble in the form of a clumsy customer and a freshly poured glass of orange juice.

Wanda's out on the floor, tidying up an empty table when it happens. The man trips over the edge of a chair but doesn't fall. He does spill his drink though, and it ends up all over Wanda's shirt. She freezes immediately, a handful of empty glasses in one hand and a cloth to clean the tables with in another. What happens after this feels like a bit of a blur. One minute she's there, staring down at her stained shirt, and the places where the juice is now clinging to her skin. Then a moment later she's whisked away by Gamora, back to the staff bathrooms to clean herself up. A new t-shirt is thrust into her hands and then she's left alone again.

She's left to stare back at her messy reflection, and this is the moment when she accepts that it's going to be one of those days. One of the bad days, the ones that never end until finally they do. She hates thinking this way, hates starting her day like this, and she doesn't want to accept that it's not going to be a good day, but as she strips out of her sticky shirt and starts to wipe herself clean it's hard to imagine that things will get better from here.

Once the t-shirt is thrown away, Wanda focuses on cleaning herself up. It only takes a few minutes but she stays for a little longer, trying to not let herself be angry about this. It was just an accident, it was no one's fault, but she still can't help the mood that this has put her in.

Five minutes later, Wanda gets back out behind the bar. It's less busy now, but there's still a small group waiting to be served. The man who tripped is back in his seat, chatting with Daniel. And everyone else is back to their usual routines just like Wanda, who quickly takes up her spot behind the bar and works on serving the customers and attending to all of their needs. This time she forces herself to stay here, to not slip away into the blur that she did earlier. She is focused, and here, until James Barnes walks into the bar.

Dressed in a navy blue jacket and dark jeans, he walks in with two other people. Wanda recognizes the man first. It's Sam, from Stark's party, from the meeting hall that she hasn't been to since that day. The woman by Sam's side is the same one that Wanda remembers seeing Sam with at Stark's party.

The three of them come to a stop almost as soon as they're inside and then the light-haired woman quickly leaves them. After kissing Sam lightly on the cheek she crosses over to the other side of the room, in the direction of the bathrooms, leaving the two men to find a table and order drinks. And as they stand their, making up their minds on what to do first, Wanda can't help the way that she is suddenly curious about them, about why they are here when she has never seen them here before. It could be a coincidence, or it could be something else entirely.

Before they notice her, and before Wanda has the chance to do anything about their arrival, she is quickly pulled back to the tasks around her, like the customers waiting on their drinks and the stock that needs to be fetched from the back. She busies herself with these tasks, as the thoughts of Bucky stay fresh on her mind. After a few minutes she comes back to the bar to find the two of them leaning against it, giving their orders to Gamora.

Now that the bar is quiet, for the moment anyway, Wanda is free to walk down to them. She approaches them slowly, carrying a cloth with her to wipe down the sticky spots on the bar. They only notice her now, as she comes to stand across from them while Gamora steps away to fetch their drinks. The look that Bucky gives her after this tells her that this really is just a big coincidence, at least for him it is. She finds it harder to get any kind of read on Sam, who doesn't look at all surprised to see her here.

And then there's Bucky by his side, who looks as surprised as Wanda feels right now.

"Well, would you look at this?" Sam grins slowly. "Fancy seeing you here, Wanda. I didn't know you'd be here today."

Smiling slowly, Wanda nods along and stretches up to wipe a spot on the bar. Then she leans back, glancing between them.

"Yes. Fancy seeing you here at the place that I work."

With an effortless shrug, Sam casually takes a long look around the inside of the bar, eyes flickering across the dark wood and patches of color on the walls. While he does this, Bucky's gaze stays on her, soft and barely there, and while it's there it's almost all that Wanda can think about. If she weren't here, if she weren't at work, and Bucky was looking at her the way that he is right now she thinks that she might get lost in it.

"Yeah, it's a nice place. Real nice. Haven't been here in a while." Sam sighs, turning back to the bar. "We were just passing through and we thought this place looked good. But I haven't been here in years. Can you recommend anything good?"

"Whiskey. Or orange juice."

"Think it's a little early for whiskey." Sam says, smiling again. "But who knows? Maybe we'll be back later."

Wanda's attention follows Sam as he takes two steps back from the bar, shares a look with Bucky, then pats him lightly on the back as he turns to look at Wanda.

"You kids have fun."

Hiding a smile, Wanda starts to wipe at another spot on the bar.

"Yes. And enjoy your date, Sam."

This makes Sam laugh again, and she's not sure why it feels so nice to make him smile but it does. By his side Bucky even cracks a smile, despite looking just a little awkward.

"Yeah, Barnes is so not my type." Sam grins, moving over to an empty table. "And also, I know you saw me here with Sharon. So yeah, that's a no."

Wanda nods along, quietly amused. "You sound defensive."

"I'm not. Yeah, I'm not. I'm just gonna go get a table and wait for our drinks. It was nice seeing you again, Wanda. You got a little orange juice on your neck, though. Just a heads up. You know what? Maybe I will get that glass. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see you kids later."

Half-smiling, Wanda reaches out to her neck for the spot. Her hand comes away dry though, she misses it, and then a second later Bucky's reaching over the bar, a thumb stretched out. Gently he wipes at a spot on the side of her neck then pulls his hand away.

"Yeah, sorry. I just..Hi."

The smile he gives her now makes her think back to last night, to their phone-call and the last thing she remembers. Bucky was telling her a joke, something to put her to sleep, and she remembers laughing. It only strikes her now how new that is, to fall asleep laughing. 

After clearing her throat, Wanda lifts a hand and wipes at the spot where Bucky's thumb just was, despite knowing that it's clean now. Then she quickly drops her hand away, down to the bar, where she picks up the cloth again. But for now she doesn't step away to clean anything up. For the moment she stays, smiling slowly at him.

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Bucky nods, agreeing. "Yeah, that makes two of us. It was just a last minute thing, like Wilson said." he explains then pauses, thinking it over. "Actually, we were in the area. Wilson was in the area and he made me come."

Feeling amused again, Wanda tries to hide a smile.

"He made you?"

Bucky offers her a shrug before running a hand along his jaw. He ends up leaning against the bar again, eyes wandering across the open space before eventually coming back to her. As he takes a minute to look around, and to work out his thoughts, Wanda takes a minute to watch him. He looks tired today, she thinks, but still handsome. There's a little more stubble on his face, it suits him, and there's a warm glint to his eyes that reminds her of the way he was with her last night in those little moments when they laughed together and shared cigarettes.

"Yeah. Let's just say I owe him a few things."

While still hiding a smile, Wanda nods along and starts to wipe at a spot on the bar near Bucky's arm. She focuses on it for second then slowly looks up to him, finding that he is watching her again, and that he looks considerably less awkward now. She's not sure that he was ever awkward, she thinks that he was maybe just uncertain of what she would think to see him here today.

"Really? Sam made you come here?" Wanda asks, tilting her head slowly to the side. "I have to say that I did not think you looked like a guy who would let someone make him do something he didn't want to do."

Slowly Bucky relaxes more and begins to smile, and with the way he suddenly looks relaxed, and happy, Wanda can't help but think about how lovely it looks.

"Mm, yeah. Well, can't win 'em all." he grins. "And like I said, I owe him."

That's something that Wanda feels that she understands, in her own way. She knows what it feels like to owe someone, or to at least feel like she does. But those aren't thoughts that she wants to let herself get swept up in, not today, and not now that Bucky's here.

She's still not really sure why he's here, or why Sam asked him to come here, but she's glad to see him, just like she was glad to hear from him last night.

"Hey, so I was wondering...Any chance you're gonna be on a break soon?"

Curious again, Wanda considers it. "Not for a while, I think. Why?"

Shrugging, Bucky almost looks away. "I was just hoping we could talk for a minute, that's all."

It's something Wanda thinks about, as she steps away to collect empty bottles and glasses from the far end of the bar. When she comes back Bucky is still there, waiting patiently for her answer, and as much as Wanda wants to say yes all that she can think about is that if she steps outside to talk with him for a minute it's going to turn into more than that. She will want more than that, more than just a minute, because of this almost indescribable way that she feels around him.

And at the same time, Wanda still wants that minute. It won't be enough, she will be left wanting more, but she still wants it and she already knows what her answer is, despite her reservations and her hesitation. She's known her answer since he walked through the door.

"We aren't doing that now?" she asks, smiling slowly. "We're talking now, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I just..You know, I thought a break would be a good time to talk."

He seems uncertain again, and it makes Wanda think about the look that he shared with Sam when he left, and then the way that he was when he first walked in here.

"Okay, if you are still here when I'm free..I could maybe step out for a cigarette for a few minutes."

A look flickers over Bucky's face, quickly fading away, but Wanda catches it and recognizes it easily. He looks hopeful.

"Yeah?" he asks, slowly smiling. "You think so?"

"Yes. But I don't know when.."

Bucky shrugs again, looking as if time isn't a concern for him, and that's when Wanda realizes that this must be important enough for him that he wants to stick around for a while. So quietly she decides that as soon as she's free, she'll come and find him and they can step outside to talk.

"It's alright, we're gonna be here for a while. Wilson takes years to make up his mind. By the time we're done here, I may be an old man. So it's fine, I don't mind waiting. I've got nothing else on today."

"Okay." Wanda nods. "I will see you soon, old man?"

He smiles back at her as he steps away from the bar, lingering for a second before he turns to walk away.

"Great. I'll see you soon, red."