THIEF | BUCKY BARNES

ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

CRAZY
❝Because I am crazy.❞

Odessa was curled up on the couch. She looked over at Zemo who sat with a towel over his eyes and a glass of whisky in his hands.

"Were you ever offered it?" Zemo spoke up for the first time in a while.

"What?" Sam didn't understand what he was asking.

He looked across to Odessa, who just closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to go and comfort her, but from the way she was sat and the fact that's he hadn't even gone with Bucky, told him that she wanted some alone time.

"The serum." Zemo continued.

"No." Sam responded almost instantly, he didn't miss the way that Odessa tensed.

"If you had been, hypothetically, that is, would you have taken it?" Zemo didn't stop with the questions.

Odessa sank further back into the couch, just wanting it to swallow her whole. She felt a stray tear roll down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away before anyone could see.

"No." Sam shot down instantly.

"No hesitation. That's impressive." Zemo used the towel to wipe the rest of his face before throwing it onto the table. "Sam, you can't hold out hope for Karli. No matter what you saw in her, she's gone." He paused. "And we cannot allow that she and her acolytes become yet another faction of Gods amongst real people. Super Soldiers cannot be allowed to exist."

Odessa didn't think about herself in that moment, instead, all she thought about was Bucky. She didn't care if she lived or died as long as Bucky was okay. All she cared about was his safety.

"Isn't that how gods talk?" Sam asked narrowing his eyes as he looked towards Zemo. "And if that's how you feel, what about Bucky? Blood isn't always the solution."

As if on cue, Bucky walked back into the apartment. His eyes instantly flickered down to Odessa. He shrugged off his jacket and made his way over to her. His hand rested on her head as he pressed a kiss to her cheek before covering her with his jacket.

She tried to muster up a smile, pulling his jacket as close as possible to her. She slowly sat up and made eye contact with the man. He offered her a sympathetic smile and placed his hand out in front of her.

The brunette took his hand and allowed him to pull her off of the couch. She pulled his jacket on and followed Bucky over to the kitchen area of the apartment.

"Something's not right about Walker." Bucky spoke up, lifting Odessa onto the counter top, earning a disapproving look from Zemo.

"You don't say." Sam responded, his voice laced with sarcasm, causing the girls lips to curl upwards.

"Well, I know a crazy when I see one." Bucky grabbed the whisky before pouring himself and Odessa a glass. "Because I am crazy." He whispered, lighting kissing the top of Odessa's nose.

Odessa smiled and took the glass of whisky before downing the contents. She needed the world to be a lot less focused right now.

"Can't argue with that." Sam shrugged playfully.

"Shouldn't have given him the shield." Bucky glared at the back of Sam's head.

Odessa began to fiddle with the dog tags around her neck, which was something that didn't go unnoticed by Bucky.

"I didn't give him the shield." Sam resorted.

"Well, Steve definitely didn't." Bucky looked over to Sam, who had now stood up. He shook his head, knowing that it was pointless to fight with him now. "Cherry?" He leant down in front of the girl. "What's going on?"

"I-Jo-"

John kicked open the doors, causing Odessa to jump and shuffle closer to Bucky in fear that he would inject her with more serum or even say something to the men.

"All right. That's it. Let's go." John smirked once he saw Odessa. "I'm now ordering you to turn him over." He pointed towards Zemo.

"Hey, slow your roll. And let's be clear, shield or no shield, the only thing you're runnin' in here is your mouth." Sam stood forward, noticing the way that Odessa moved closer to Bucky.

Odessa watched as Zemo made his way beside them, knowing that if John started a fight that they needed in, so they would end up protecting him.

"Now, I had Karli and you overstepped. He's actually proven himself useful today. We're gonna need all hands on deck for whatever's comin' next." Sam continued, which only seemed to anger John.

"How do you want the rest of this conversation to go Sam, huh?" John chuckled softly. "Should I put down the shield? Make it fair?" John slowly placed down the shield as Nomble threw her spear into the column where John was stood.

The brunette girl couldn't help but laugh at John's shocked expression. It was the least that he deserved for everything that he's done.

Ayo and Yama both walked in behind John and Lemar, Odessa made sure to smile at the women, after al, she hadn't seen them in a long time. When Odessa spent her time in Wakanda whilst Shuri was helping Bucky, she did a fair bit of sparing with the Dora Milaje.

"Even if he is a means to your end, times up." Ayo spoke in Wakandan towards Bucky, before saying in English, "Release him to us now."

"Oh, this should be fun." Odessa smirked as she jumped off the counter top and made her way in front of Bucky.

Almost instantly, the man wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed his lips to the top of her head. Something was still wrong and he wouldn't stop worrying until he got to the bottom of it.