August awoke with a start.
She had dreamt of fire. Brutal and burning. Raining down on New York City, leveling every building as far as the eye could see, and leaving her as she had always been- untouched.
Sitting up off the dingy twin bed, she ran a hand through her tangled curls. Her head was still spinning from the last two days- and Riley's impromptu run-down of every single event of the last quarter decade for which August had been out cold.
But it had been nice to shower, and eat a meal that did not come from a vending machine.
After brushing her teeth, she quietly limped out of her fourth-story room and down the stairs, entering the main kitchen. When Riley had said safehouse, she had expected a hole-in-the-wall in the projects. So you could imagine her shock when Riley had parked the van at a five-story townhome in Tribeca.
"My parents' home," Riley had explained. "They live out in Seattle, but they let me use their place while I wrap up grad school."
August had not really been able to comprehend that, but sure, whatever. Cool.
"Morning, tiger," Riley called from the kitchen. "You sleep okay?"
"Like a rock." August mumbled. "Any developments?"
She entered the kitchen, plopping down on one of the stools set at the counter. Riley gave her a glance over her shoulder before pulling a second bowl out of the cabinet in front of her, making August a bowl of lucky charms.
"Actually, yes," She sighed, sliding August the cereal bowl and keeping one for herself. "I got in touch with a contact over in Moldova. Security in the east has been tight since Sokovia, but he thinks that we should be able to get in through a private charter so long as we can provide valid reasoning. I'm thinking that I forge some records saying that our- I dunno - our grandma is recently passed or something, and we're there settling her will. Easy enough."
August nodded, swallowing her cereal.
"The sooner the better," She chose her words carefully. "I have no idea how long I have before this...opportunity is gone. For all I know, it already is."
Riley smiled bemusedly into her cereal. "So what's his name?"
The black-haired girl frowned. "Huh?"
"C'mon," Riley gave her a look. "You've technically been dead for twenty-five years, and now you need to get overseas for an 'opportunity'? You're totally tracking down your long-lost love. Either that, or you've got enough buried treasure to take you to Mars. Nobody goes to Hungary to avoid an extradition treaty. That's what the Maldives are for."
August blushed.
"You watch too many rom-coms. There's no guy-" She pointed her spoon at Riley. "And no buried treasure."
Technically, she was not lying. She had no idea if J was a guy or a girl or a sexless alien robot.
"Seriously though, no guy at all? Nobody you want to track down?"
August paused.
In the stress over the last few days, she had not had time to think about the people from her life. Her parents, her sister- were they even alive? Fury? Carol? The man who bagged her groceries at the supermarket, the lady who cut her hair just right every time?
Truth be told, there had been a guy. Only once. She had had her share of lovers, boyfriends, flings, despite the hectic nature of her life- but there was a guy.
She remembered him clearly. To her, it was last week. The hair, the angry eyes, broad shoulders -
He was her mark.
YOU ARE READING
SURVIVE ➤ BUCKY BARNES
Fanfiction"i think of you-" "think of me?" August had never identified as a hero. She had never chosen to do what she did. Spending her entire life as a pawn in somebody else's wretched game. She was whatever they made her - a hero, a...
