Aberration | Bucky Barnes

vii. benign

CHAPTER THREE

It was four in the morning but the white coats were all wide awake. They had been sent the files less than an hour ago and they were all hard at work. The contents of the pages were unlike anything the scientists had ever seen before and the room was practically sparking with the electric anticipation the men felt. They were close, closer than they'd ever been. They had finally found a catalyst that would propel their research to new, unimaginable heights. They were going to change the war, and  hand to God, they were going to change the world.

Eloise had been sad for so long that she couldn't help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of her new-found situation; Bucky spinning her around across the floor like nothing was wrong. 

After days of his relentless pestering, she had finally agreed to go dancing with him and she was more than pleased with the outcome. The only slight damper on her mood was the fact that Steve wasn't having as much fun as she was. He was sitting at a table on the other side of the room, pushing his food around, pretending to eat. She had tried to convince him to join them, but he claimed he was too hungry to do anything. She knew it was hard for him to be there when he wasn't exactly the most apt dancer, so she let him be. 

The music was upbeat and filled her with an energy that she hadn't felt in ages. One of the windows near them was open, so the warm night wind blew across her skin as she moved, fluttering the bits of her hair that had fallen from the braid she'd constructed with care earlier that day. The skirt of her dress billowed around her legs as she twirled in and out of Bucky's grasp. 

The sheer ridiculousness of it was enough to pull her mind from reality for a while, and she embraced the distraction with open arms. All the people around her were full of life and vigor and though there was an undeniable sadness in the air due to the war raging across the ocean, everyone was enjoying themselves. Women had painted their lips in dazzling shades of red, and for once Eloise fit right in with them.

After a while her feet started to ache, so she dragged Bucky away from the dance to sit with Steve. She snatched pieces of food off his untouched plate and chewed silently as she scanned the room looking for someone she might be able to convince to dance with her awkward friend. When she found none, she tossed back what was left of Steve's food and grabbed his hand. 

"Elle, what are you doing?" He asked nervously as she dragged him up out of his seat. 

"You've been sitting at that table sulking this whole time, and we're not leaving until you get at least one dance."

"You know I'm really fine with skipping the dancing. You'll just trip over me."

"Steve, do you know how many times I messed up during my first dance? The key is practice, you'll never get better if you don't keep trying." 

Eloise was happy, happier than she'd been in weeks, and Bucky could tell. Her eyes sparkled like they hadn't in any of his recent memories, and her lips were curled up in a breathtaking smile. All the hours he'd spent begging her to join them for their night out were finally paying off, and it was even better than he had hoped. 

She was spinning Steve around like she had been doing it her whole life, and they were both caught in fits of laughter. He wished the night could go on forever, but the room was already winding down. People had been filing out in small clusters after songs ended, and the music was gradually getting slower with each new rendition of the music. 

Suddenly his friends were heading back over to him, Steve hobbling slightly and Eloise a pinker shade than she'd been earlier. 

"That was not my fault Steve and you know it." She giggled as she crashed down onto the open chair next to Bucky.