behind blue eyes [bucky barnes]

thirtyeight

"Did you ever know that you're my hero?"

Song: Wind Beneath My Wings by Paul Canning

. . . . .

"I could get used to this," Bucky whispered in Maria's ear as his hands snaked around her waist. The girl flipped another piece of bacon over and smiled fondly.

"What? Me awake and alert?"

"No," the man chuckled. "Though that is a plus. I was referring to you in nothing but my shirt while making us breakfast."

"Oh... y'know, that's one step away from being barefoot and pregnant."

"Fuck," groaned Bucky, placing a kiss on her shoulder. "Don't plant that image in my head or that bacon will get burnt."

Maria tossed her head back and laughed. It felt good to laugh - it had felt like ages since she had. A month had passed since her entire world had been flipped upside down. Her being up and mobile was a huge accomplishment. It had taken Clint coming back from his hidden farm and physically dragging her out of bed for her to finally get her head on straight.

A lot of things still hadn't been resolved. Maria hadn't seen Tony since that day, which was fine by her. Steve knew to stay away from her - as did Natasha and Wanda. But Sam had been apologized to for her behavior. He brushed it off, claiming that he would have done the same thing.

He and Bucky tried to convince Maria to at least talk to the others. Rhodey was a casualty of war - one that Maria understood. He was Tony's best friend, so of course he knew and kept it a secret. She truly didn't blame him, and she made that clear. But she rarely saw him. Steve, Natasha, and Wanda were a different story. They were close with her... close enough that they had ample opportunities to tell her. All Maria had desired was the truth, and they kept that from her. Wanda knew practically everything about everyone, and had never once been shy about spreading people's inner secrets. The fact that she had chosen to keep this new piece of information a secret from her was a betrayal she wasn't ready to get over.

Natasha had been acting strange since her and Bucky were declared soulmates. The two had a rocky friendship since then, but that didn't disqualify her from letting Maria in on a personal secret. The girl couldn't help but wonder if the knowledge of her true identity was part of the reason she had been so against their pairing.

And then there was Steve - her "partner." They were supposed to trust one another completely. He had confided in her when Bucky was still a ghost. She had trusted his opinion for years since meeting him. And he held onto the secret of her genetics for the sake of protection. In Maria's eyes, the blonde was just as bad as Tony.

Speaking of, Maria wasn't going to go looking for an apology or explanation anytime soon. She didn't want to hear whatever excuses he had. It wasn't even the fact that he hadn't told her when she was younger. The girl had enough common sense to know that he had honestly helped her by letting her grow up as a Stark. What pissed her off to the point of tears was that he never planned on telling her. Tony was going to let her grow up and die without knowing the truth. She had deserved that much.