Titanium | Barnes (1)

12. Cruel Man, Cruel World

Bucky Barnes is a cruel man. That is all Malka can think about as she shivers, holding her arms close to her chest as rain pours from the sky, soaking her trembling bones. It is nothing she hasn't experienced before, but that is not what makes Bucky Barnes cruel.

He could have picked anywhere in the world. Anywhere in the whole world, and yet, he chooses the one country Malka would hesitate with. Why else would he settle in Berlin if not to make her pause?

Joke's on him. She followed him anyway.

Now, she sits soaked on a rooftop looking into his shabby apartment as he reads files he must have found somewhere. There are so many HYDRA safe houses in the city, it must have been easy for him to find an abandoned one and take what he needed.

Being in the city again is surreal. Her father used to bring her when she was very young, and she remembers it to have been beautiful. She never returned to Berlin specifically but passed through the country many times against her will on foot to wherever the next nightmare would begin. It is hard not to imagine where horrid flags would be flown around the city when it was occupied by brainwashed madmen.

Every waking hour since she left her partner at the Smithsonian has been spent split between tracking him and helping the Avengers with whatever mission they have next. When SHIELD fell, the group reunited under a common goal: destroy what is left of HYDRA and find Loki's scepter.

Malka feels a bit useless recently. She refuses to use her skills to their extent and runs off every time they get close to the root of HYDRA. Although she wants them gone, Malka instinctively runs to her partner, allowing her trusted allies to deal with the problem. Just in case something goes awry, Malka has time to grab Bucky and haul him somewhere truly safe.

Truly safe is a blessing these days.

While everyone else appears to be growing closer, Malka just pulls away. Sure, she keeps up with her weekly calls to Natasha and attends the game nights Steve hosts, she finds herself spending more and more time atop rooftops in the shadows, watching a broken man try to heal.

He's asleep now at his table, his head slumped against his arms and his back rising with his breaths. The idiot left his window open for air, giving her the perfect view.

Her phone buzzes in her pocket. She lets out a long sigh as she picks up through her blue tooth before gathering her things onto her back. "Hello?"

"Mal! Great news—we got the scepter, and we're gonna party." A smile tugs at her lips at the smugness in Tony's voice. "JARVIS has you in Europe. Need a ride?"

"Would appreciate it." Tony is really the only one who knows of her little trips to Germany, but he hasn't figured out the reason quite yet which she is grateful for. Though he asks every time they see each other, she gives excuses like enjoying the beer or just wanting a place to relax. She doubts he believes her.