.

.

.

The faucet turned on, filling the silence between them.

'She wants... she wants to fight against Hydra...?'

The thought of facing them terrified me. If they didn't have answers as to how to fix what they did to my mind, I'd spend the rest of my days doing everything I could to avoid them.

I couldn't expose her to the horrors that made up Hydra. She'd break and change, and I didn't want that for her.

"...still hasn't moved... legitimately... going to hurt... how?"

I could barely hear her friend over the running water.

"I have some idea where he's coming from."

"But... enhanced. Similar... other dead guy... who's no longer...."

"You've got to stop calling them dead. They're not dead."

"...I'll try... and...you okay... him thinking that?"

"Ye – Where is this coming from?" Valeriy asked, the light tone dropping from her voice. She even shut off the faucet.

"I'd rather catch the problem before I'm picking up the pieces. Only a matter of time before I won't be able to find a fix to the messes you make of your body."

"...I haven't been so bad this time around? Bucky's put a stop to most of my dumber ideas... and prevented a lot of stupid accidents...."

'Most...' the word echoing in my head. '...What the hell did she do?'

Whatever it was, it could explain why her movements have been careful as of the last five days. Likely due to sore muscles.

"Your self-destructive streak better not pile up into one incredibly stupid stunt again."

"Uhhhhhh...."

I could hear all the bad ideas in Valeriy's pause. Mostly jumping off of high places. If she jumped enough times, that could explain the sore muscles.

"Need I remind you how sick you were for the months after you – "

"Please don't spike me with some weird thing. Bucky's eating the PROs too."

"His serum can handle it. Maybe some slight nausea."

"He's got enough going on. He doesn't need to worry about his food 'cause you're curious about his... wait, serum? As in the Rebirth thing –?"

"I do believe Mr. Barnes has come to," the A.I. ghost stated, putting an end to their conversation and their attention on me.

"Bucky!"

I turned at Valeriy's voice. Facing that beaming grin and all the panic and nerves she buried beneath it.

"Oh oh! I threw some cinnamon buns in the oven! Be done in about... I have no idea...?"

"Eleven minutes, give or take a couple."

"Thank you..." I said, folding the eight blankets wrapped tightly around me. A short task if the dogs weren't tugging at a corner every time I made a fold.

A glance up at the television and there wasn't much of the Asian that could be seen. She was covered under the vines. I couldn't tell where one began and another started. There were even thirty flowers swaying and bouncing. All of them facing the same thing. The woman, who was still calm. Irritated but calm. Even when her arm was being pulled out from under her chin at random intervals.

Valeriy made her way around the long counter. Careful on her left foot. Wobbly on the right. A glass of water in hand. The other trailed across my shoulders as she plopped down next to me. A toe nudging Zephyr's butt out of the way.

"Shit. It found a scalpel," said far too flat for a woman facing a plant swaying and bouncing a blade all over the footage. "Where's my plant eating bacteria?"

"I can't open the drawer. The vines are in the way."

"Amber?" Valeriy called out. Her knuckles white from how hard she clutched the cushion under her.

The Asian reached for the scalpel. Not a trace a fear on her face. No regard of the risks to being cut by the plant. "Give me that." A couple slaps against the vines and her fingers tugged the scalpel free. "Where's the torch?"

"Amber! Just 'cause you can't feel the fire, doesn't mean you're not actually on fire!"

"I'll be fine. Call me back when you're finished with him."

Before the footage cut out, her expression sent ice running through my veins. Eyes directed a tad to the left of me.

"Bucky...?" Valeriy called out, making me flinch.

"...I've angered your friend."

"Huh? Oh! A project just has her irritated." Her fingers buried into my hair. Her other arm wrapping around my shoulders. "...And she can be damn scary when she's annoyed. She won't hurt you either. Worse comes to worse, hide behind me."

"Chanelle tried that and Amber tickled the poor girl around you."

"To be fair, I hold no loyalties to that two-faced thief, and she was using me as a meat shield... and there are very few things in this world that I'm willing to stand in Amber's way for."

"...I'm not going to hide behind you," I muttered, leaning my forehead against her.

"Hey, I make a pretty good meat shield. I'm worth more alive than dead, and I'm not all that durable."

"That's not reassuring in the least."

Valeriy rolled her eyes and pulled me closer to her. "Amber's not going to hurt you, Bucky. She's not violent. She might tickle you though. If she's bored enough. That's all you have to remember when it comes to her irritated mood."

"If you don't.... How do you deal with your anger?" I asked.

Maybe if I knew what to expect....

"Mostly speed down trails and trying to break my records? Changing over to climbing though.... A bit safer? Neither really helps. Just end up more pissed when I don't break the records...."

That wasn't something I wanted to hear for a few reasons.

"That comes after some flying objects and screaming at people."

That explained the broken mug, which an attempt had been made to clean it. She missed a few pieces.

'I should pick those up before she steps on them.'

"Okay, I don't throw things at... bystanders...? And I don't yell at the wrong person either."

'Here they go.'

Another argument.

"Is that so. I recalled being yelled at quite often."

"That's 'cause you bloody piss me off quite often. A fucking chunk of the shit I have to deal with is no thanks to you."

"...I guess it can be seen that way. A good portion of the messes I have to clean up is due to you, young lady."

"Oi! Don't lump me in with the rest of the family. They'll always have you as a safety net."

"Oh that hurt. That's not something I have control over."

"Oh really now? Eve can't sway something her way? Do you think me so damn dumb? You – Sorry. Enough temper tantrums for a day...."

I hummed in agreement.

Valeriy's head tipped to the side, resting against mine. She huffed out a breath. "How are you feeling?"

I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm fine.... Will you be out for dinner?"

From how the past hour had gone, I'd be surprised to see her before tomorrow.

"I don't think... I don't kno – Oh, what the hell. I'll find the time. We shall dinner and you'll dart me, or I'll be spending the rest of the fucking night working with Amber."

Her hand quickly moved back and forth on my head, making a mess of my hair.

"And you better bloody dart me. I could use the sleep."

With a limp in her stride, she ran for her room.

"It's the three of us again," I said to Ixie and Zephyr.

"Not like I'm right here."

"...How does a long run on the perimeter sound?" I asked the two of them.

Ixie barked. tail wagging.

Zephyr was already halfway to the door.

"Fine, go where I can't follow."

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Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this part, please consider leaving a vote. They're very much appreciated. ^^

And a big thank you to TinselA/Bunny Carrot (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7591081/) and the Anonymous Fifth Beta for Beta-ing this chapter.