Bring Me Home // Bucky Barnes

Chapter XLIV - Hers, Completely

Elizabeth gazed out of the window in a dreamlike trance, her eyes tracing the soft rainfall spattered against the glass front of the boho coffee shop she sat in with Nat and Wanda. Behind her was an exposed brick wall with potted plants hanging precariously from black metal hoops and large bulbs hung overhead illuminated the open space. The shop was light and airy and despite the fact none of the furniture matched, everything seemed to have its place and everything seemed to fit.

She traced the edge of her coffee cup, her mind wandering as a small smile sat against her lips.

"Earth to Elizabeth," Natasha teased, her voice coming out in a light sing song as she winked at Wanda.

"You have not listened to a word we've said Lizzie," Wanda chuckled as she raised her latte to her lips, smirking a little as she peaked into Elizabeth's mind, following her thoughts all the way back to one Mr James Buchanan Barnes. All the way back to his lips, and the grip of his fingers against her waist.

Elizabeth shook her head slightly, waking herself from her daydream, embarrassed to feel the slip of Wanda's reach.

"What?" She stared blankly at the two giggling women in front of her as her own smile grew. "I'm sorry, I was just -"

"Thinking about an incredibly handsome amnesiac who recently remembered that his favourite pastime involves his lips and yours?" Nat asked, eyes wide in feigned innocence as she sat back in her chair.

"Actually," Wanda bit back her laughter as she looked over at Natasha, "that's pretty accurate."

Lizzie groaned as Natasha threw her head back in laughter, her beautiful red locks swinging back and her jade eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Right," Elizabeth huffed, trying her best not to melt away at the reference to James' lips. "we were talking about you and Steve?" She raised her eyebrows as Wanda nodded enthusiastically, excited to be involved in this sacred moment of sisterhood.

Lizzie winked at her, scrunching her nose as she smiled, feeling the excitement radiating from her as she bounced her knee up and down.

Natasha rolled her eyes as she tried to maintain a cool air of indifference, marred slightly by the coy smile that was fighting to surface. "As I was trying to say before you disappeared into that sappy little day dream of yours," she winked as she picked up the blueberry muffin in front of her and began picking out the berries, "we weren't actively trying to hide anything. Well maybe we were a little. It's just all very new still and we didn't exactly want to rub it in with the whole Bucky memory thing going on."

Elizabeth felt a pang of guilt as she looked over at Natasha. She had denied her a freedom without ever knowing that she was doing it.

"But," Natasha continued, pushing the plate of berries over to Lizzie for her to pick at, "I'm happy. He makes me really, really happy." When she smiled it lit up her whole face and Wanda and Lizzie couldn't help but mirror her.

"So how long has it been going on for exactly?" Wanda looked inquisitively at Nat. When she had first met her she intimidated her massively, but Natasha had been kind to her in the days when Pietro was still out, keeping her distance of course but always saving her food, putting old clothes she no longer wore into Wanda's closet when she wasn't around. She wondered now if Steve had had something to do with it.

"Well," Nat blushed, "we kissed on the mission to find Bucky."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped slack and the blueberry she was holding dropped into the coffee below her hand. "I'm sorry. What?" She shook her head as she raced back over the maths of it all. "That was months ago Natasha. You've hidden it for months?"