10-10 with a dash of 3, aka we do what we wanticed_soldierJuly 6 2012, 19:18:11 UTC
The next morning, Bucky awoke feeling better-rested than he'd expected. With the series of recent events, between losing Kat, and that horrible incident with Steve, he'd expected to sleep fitfully, with those things still on his mind. On the contrary, they must've tuckered him out, because he slept great
( ... )
Not many people did account for Natasha and that was what made her so very effective at what she did. This morning she was in the kitchen of all places talking amicably with Mrs. Schuyler in German and working on icing what looked to be some variation of a breakfast pastry.
The creak of the stairs gave James away and both women looked up as the man attempted to sneak into the kitchen. She was dressed in a dove gray morning dress that was no doubt supposed to look sedate but only made her fiery red hair appear more vivid.
"Good morning, James." She greeted him sweetly though there was little pleasantness in the redhead's eyes. Someone it seemed had been doing some digging on Steve's new friend and Natasha had not liked what she had discovered. Green eyes flickered from him to the bag he was carrying tellingly. "Running off so soon?"
The first name? Ouch. Especially when he'd specifically told her to call him Bucky. His guilt only increased, and he looked away, chuckling bitterly. "Yes, I guess I am." He looked back up at the pair of women. Natasha was as gorgeous as she had been the night before; he suspected it'd be impossible for her to ever look sedate. It was probably both a blessing and a curse in her line of work.
"I'm sorry for any inconveniences I've caused either of you. Could one of you tell Steve I'm gone when he wakes up?"
Mrs. Schuyler said something truly vile and unpleasant in German and even if Bucky couldn't understand the language, the contempt and irritation was unmistakable all the same. She pointed at Bucky with a wizened old hand and jerked it in the direction of the stairs.
"She says she does not help cowards who run off in the middle of the night." Natasha translated smoothly. "And for you to tell him yourself." The beautiful woman merely looked amused at the byplay between the hapless man and the crabby old woman. "The rest does not bear repeating, I am afraid.
His face screwed up at that. "Cowards? I ain't a coward." His face and voice softened as he took a step toward the woman. "You know that, right, Natasha?"
Turning away in disgust, the old woman went back to the stove to work on breakfast for her guests, all the while muttering dire sounding threats under her breath in German.
"I'm afraid I don't know you well enough to make such a summation, James." Natasha disagreed blandly. "You cutting out and not even thanking Steve for all that he's done doesn't exactly reflect well on you however."
He frowned, casting an uneasy glance at the German woman. He didn't want her to hear what he had to say and didn't need another reason for her to think poorly of him. "Care to take a walk with me?" he asked Natasha, a look on his face that asked for understanding.
A dark auburn brow shot upwards but the Russian woman simply nodded quietly. "Very well,"
Ignoring the gimlet eyed look Mrs. Schuyler gave them, Natasha moved to the back door of the boarding house and slipped outside and onto the porch that ran the length of the back of the house.
As he followed her out, he caught a glimpse of the place where he'd burned Kat's belongings. He frowned at the charred patch of ground, but didn't say anything. Instead, he led the woman away from there, wanting to get away from the place and the memories.
"I've had a crazy last couple days. I lost someone I was very close to and then this thing with Steve..." He cut himself off, because he knew how it sounded. It sounded like he was making excuses, and it sounded like he was running away. "'n' I mean, you being Russian and all. It scared me at first. The Russians are what got me in this trouble in the first place." He suspected Natasha knew a thing or two about being in trouble. "But this...it's a lot to deal with at once."
Natasha had no idea what had gone down in the backyard and her eyes traveled over the spot where Bucky had burnt Kat's things unbeknownst to just what had happened there a mere day before.
She looked over at Bucky as the words came spilling from him unchecked, her expression absolutely inscrutable. He did come across like he was whining and making excuses for his behavior though she didn't say that. "If things are so untenable for you here, perhaps you should move to another town where your past will not dog you so, James."
He chuckled bitterly. "That's what I was tryin' to do." But there was no proper way to do it. He did owe Steve a lot, and he hated being in debt. Being in debt was what got him stuck in the cat house in the first place. "Do you think I should write him or something? Tell 'im thanks for all he's done?"
"I think you should act like a man and tell him yourself. Sneaking off like a thief in the night no only casts you in a poor light but it belittles what Steve has done for you and more importantly, it will probably hurt him." Natasha stated calmly. "He is risking a lot by going against Lukin for you. Aleksander has put out a reward for your recapture."
That just angered him. "What the hell stake does he have in me? He's known me for a day and, after last night, I wouldn't be surprised if he's lost any inclination he had to get to know me." Not after Bucky threw himself at him like that. But that wasn't fair; Natasha didn't know about that. And, unless it became necessary, she wasn't about to learn about it.
"Steven is one of those rare, genuinely nice people. He sees you are in a delicate position and wants to help." A dark red brow ticked upwards when the words came tumbling from Bucky's mouth. Last night? And what had happened last night after she had left? "I would not assume anything about him, James."
He rose a brow of his own. "Doubt you'd be sayin' that if you knew what had happened, ma'am." After a moment of debating, he decided to tell her. "Steve told you what line of work I was in, right? Well, I made overtures, and he rejected me in no uncertain terms. You see, ma'am. He's only known me a day, but I've caused him a hell of a lot more harm than good 'n' given nothing in return. I'd be doing him a favor if I left."
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The creak of the stairs gave James away and both women looked up as the man attempted to sneak into the kitchen. She was dressed in a dove gray morning dress that was no doubt supposed to look sedate but only made her fiery red hair appear more vivid.
"Good morning, James." She greeted him sweetly though there was little pleasantness in the redhead's eyes. Someone it seemed had been doing some digging on Steve's new friend and Natasha had not liked what she had discovered. Green eyes flickered from him to the bag he was carrying tellingly. "Running off so soon?"
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"I'm sorry for any inconveniences I've caused either of you. Could one of you tell Steve I'm gone when he wakes up?"
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"She says she does not help cowards who run off in the middle of the night." Natasha translated smoothly. "And for you to tell him yourself." The beautiful woman merely looked amused at the byplay between the hapless man and the crabby old woman. "The rest does not bear repeating, I am afraid.
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"I'm afraid I don't know you well enough to make such a summation, James." Natasha disagreed blandly. "You cutting out and not even thanking Steve for all that he's done doesn't exactly reflect well on you however."
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Ignoring the gimlet eyed look Mrs. Schuyler gave them, Natasha moved to the back door of the boarding house and slipped outside and onto the porch that ran the length of the back of the house.
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"I've had a crazy last couple days. I lost someone I was very close to and then this thing with Steve..." He cut himself off, because he knew how it sounded. It sounded like he was making excuses, and it sounded like he was running away. "'n' I mean, you being Russian and all. It scared me at first. The Russians are what got me in this trouble in the first place." He suspected Natasha knew a thing or two about being in trouble. "But this...it's a lot to deal with at once."
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She looked over at Bucky as the words came spilling from him unchecked, her expression absolutely inscrutable. He did come across like he was whining and making excuses for his behavior though she didn't say that. "If things are so untenable for you here, perhaps you should move to another town where your past will not dog you so, James."
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