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

Chapter 38

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The two chatted about Steve's memorial service, for which Emilia had flown in secretly. She wanted to pay him the final tribute.

She enjoyed the chat with Sam. After all, because of her own imposed self-isolation in recent years, she didn't really get the chance to have conversational partners like him.

And there had always been something about him that reminded her of her brother. But Emilia only became aware of that after he was bliped by Thanos as well.

Matthew certainly would have gotten along quite easily with Sam. They shared a similar sense of humor and were pretty alike in nature.

Emilia felt another small piece of her icy barricade crumble as if on its own. She blamed it on her exhaustion and saw no reason to maintain it towards an old friend.

Bucky could observe that, too. He had grabbed a beer from the fridge in the meantime and was thinking about what he could pick up through the crack in the glass door to the patio.

The memory of his last conversation with Steve lingered with him. Specifically, some of his words.

"She needs you, Buck."

His mind buzzed with the shield Sam had given away. And the doubt that Steve might have been wrong about him. The unscheduled session with Dr. Raynor was still dewy.

Hearing the clink of glass on glass, he looked up from his bottle to see Emilia standing up.

He wondered if she really needed him. She seemed more comfortable in Sam's presence than in his, anyway.

This was also evidenced by her continued persistent ignorance towards him while she glanced at the computer screen with the empty bottle and glass in one hand.

The search program was still running. With the push of a button, the console disappeared behind the wall again.

"This is taking longer than I thought, though. But..."

She turned around and was about to explain that a signal would inform them of a result. But the sentence caught in her throat at the sight of Zemo.

He had made himself at home and was just coming out of the bedroom. The black collar of his floor-length red bathrobe was adorned with golden ivy vines. Underneath, he wore a matching silk pajama, which, with loafers that also glittered gold, completed the rather elegant sleeping outfit.

His hair was still wet from the shower shortly before, but already combed back into shape. A small crown would have added the finishing touch to his almost royal look.

Emilia only wondered if Pepper really knew which fashion consultant she had hired back then. Inevitably, she wondered what else was hanging in the closet, which she never opened.

Shaking her head slightly, she walked past him and entered the staircase.

"Well, I think it's pretty admirable that you just take three of Madripoor's most dangerous men to your home. I wonder what the neighbors think."

Zemo's teasing and provocative question hinted at the supposed roles, which Bucky and Sam had also played quite convincingly.

With one hand on the iron railing, she paused at the top and looked down into the open space. Her gaze wandered from Bucky and Sam, both now seated on the couch, to Zemo. Emilia's eyes literally pinned on him.

"I don't see any danger here for me. You of all people should know that."

The tone of her voice and the short flash of dark red eyes had their effect and Zemo's mischievous smile disappeared.