Relapse ★ Bucky Barnes

JUNE ELEVENTH

Bucky,

Yesterday I was presented with my first assignment as part of the Barton household. I got to babysit Nathaniel while Laura and Clint took Lila and Cooper to their lake house for a day of fishing, which was something Wanda seemed to find oddly intriguing, so she just had to tag along too.

I had quite a bit of fun being his temporary mother, especially during his naps when I could just sit back and watch TV without being vomited on or screamed at. Aside from the vomit and the screaming, I loved taking care of him. It was a nice day for the both of us. . .until I nearly killed his older cousin.

I'm very paranoid now that I'm technically in hiding, and with my powers finally coming back I'm beginning to hear more and more minds. The downside is that I've only been around the same people since I've been here, so hearing the mind of someone else somewhere on the property is kind of unsettling. So I acted without thinking and blasted him (who I believed to be an intruder) into a tree. It wasn't until I really got a good look at him that I knew who he was, and I immediately felt horrible. Luckily I didn't injure him. . .a lot. His back will be sore for quite awhile, but he'll get over it.

His name is Levi Parrish, by the way, and he's Laura's nephew. He and his family apparently own a farm just up the street from Clint, and he comes down ever so often to clean up the garden for Laura or clean out the shed for Clint. Today he just so happened to be cutting wood for Clint, and a relatively fit man wielding an axe around a paranoid superhuman just screams THREAT. In my defense, though, Laura or Clint never thought to tell me he was supposed to come over. He knew who I was, though. Apparently everybody does, which means I'm gonna have to physically alter some aspect of myself so I don't turn too many heads if I ever leave the house. I probably won't ever leave, because food and movies and a comfortable mattress, but I'll figure out something just in case.

Levi is an actual sweetheart, though. He reminds me a bit of Steve, only Steve is. . .straight (he's gay for you). . .and stronger. After I apologized and allowed him to come inside, the two of us just kinda sat and talked about our lives for the next three hours. He's a very easy person to talk to, not to mention a very open person and a damn good cook (God bless his chicken alfredo). He managed to take my mind off of the negative things for a bit, and he even got Nathaniel to finally go to sleep, and I think that's the reason why I'm going to make him my new best friend.

Maybe when you get out of cryo you can meet him. Hopefully you'll like him as much as I do. Just don't like him too much, please. I'd be devastated if you came back to me only to leave me for my new gay best friend. It happened to a girl in my grade back in high school, and she was never the same again.

Anyway, I love you.

Yours,

Marlena