THE FADING FALLEN ● Bucky Barnes X OC ● 18+ ● ENGLISH [COMPLETE]

Chapter 11

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After Emilia discovered that only a small but well-hidden rock was responsible for the goat kid's pain, she carefully pulled it out of the gap between the bale and the hollow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the enclosure, Bucky had also spread the remaining hay. He was already standing outside the fence again and had been watching her play with another of the cubs for a while now.

When she noticed it, she stroked the little one once more before turning to go. She remembered having a date with Shuri.

Her friend was going to show her one of the latest gadgets. Emilia wondered what it could be, but was snapped to attention by Bucky's voice.

"Hey, Dolittle!"

A little annoyed at his innuendo, she looked at him questioningly for a moment before putting one foot on the fence to climb back out of the enclosure.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Don't you already?"

He didn't really pay attention to her challenging counter-question, but gave her a wry grin.

Just as she was about to go back down the other side, his words threw her off balance.

"What did you actually thank me for back then? Not breaking your neck?"

Emilia didn't know what he meant at first, until it abruptly came back to her. His unexpected question upset her so much that she stepped beside and fell backwards.

"Whoa..."

She almost broke it after all. But the arm around her belly avoided it.

Reflexively, Bucky caught her. Her feet didn't immediately touch the grass, so tight was his grip on her.

When he felt her soft skin under his fingers, still dirty from work, everything in him tensed at the sensation of their sudden physical intimacy.

Slowly he lowered her to the ground, her sleeveless bright yellow crop top sliding a little further up her bare stomach. Emilia just stood there, remaining in his arm for a few seconds longer.

The moment of shock caused Bucky's adrenaline to rise momentarily and his breathing to quicken. She could feel his warm breath against her ear as he still held her tightly pressed against his body.

Her nose buzzed with the scent of hay mixed with his sweat and a woodsy aroma that reminded her of an oak forest. Somewhere in between she still noted a sweetness, but didn't know if it was that of tart musk or cool clove wood.

All too aware of the rather intimate physical contact, she disengaged and turned to face him. Her hand she unconsciously placed on his forearm as she looked up at him.

She actually wanted to thank him, but couldn't bring herself to say a word. The tension between them was palpable and filled the air around them.

Bucky had completely forgotten the question that had been buzzing around in his head for almost two years.

He just looked into the big light brown eyes in front of him. The gold gleam in them seemed to literally envelop him and reminded him of an amber.

Somewhere in his past he must have seen one before. Otherwise he certainly would not remember how beautifully shiny this almost transparent stone, streaked with dark blobs, looked.

He thought he could see a few of those little dark blobs in Emilia's eyes as well.

The sudden bleating of a billy goat snapped them both out of their stupor.