RAISON D'ÊTRE ( bucky barnes ) 一 under editing

TWENTY-NINTH

RAISON D'ÊTRE
TWENTY-NINTH

ANOTHER TEN MILES AND ROME and Sam had finally reached their destination, a warehouse secluded amongst several other abandoned buildings and far on the outskirts of the city. Rome wasn't even sure if people still went into these buildings, despite the graffiti littering the walls of each building. She hadn't said anything as she let Sam continue to lead her, watching as he occasionally looked down at his phone. They hadn't spoken much to each other since their little tiff, and Rome was thankful for that. 

She hadn't meant to call Aline a monster, far from it. She'd only meant to say that what she had done several decades ago had been monstrous, not that the girl herself was a monster. What Aline had done was violent, deadly, and Rome had never seen such a feat before. Rome had regretted it the moment the words left her lips and she wanted to tell Sam that, but she had a feeling he wouldn't have wanted to hear it. The way he spoke about Aline, she wasn't just a teammate to him but rather a friend, family even, and a small part of her had been thankful Aline had people to call her own. Better yet, someone to love. And yet the thoughts that wracked her brain concerned that last bit 一 Aline's new soulmate. The witch had a theory of how this was possible, but nothing she could prove...

Soulmates were rare, even rarer in finding one. In her long life, Rome had only meet a select few who had met their marks, black words inked across their flesh, and even fewer who had actually met theirs. She remembered when Aline had first gotten hers, how excited yet terrified she was to even think of meeting them, but the moment Aline and Madelaine had met, it was love at first sight. It'd been beautiful. 

When they stepped inside the warehouse, Sam made sure to shut the door firmly behind her. Despite them being far from the city center, helicopters still roamed the skies and neither of them wanted to risk being seen. She pressed a finger to her bruised cheek and her cut, satisfied when she found only dried blood crusting on her skin. Her throat still ached a little, but she could still breathe and speak properly.

When they stepped further into the building, Sam called out for Steve and got a quick reply. They headed in his direction, moving to a room off to the right that glowed with light. The only sounds were their footsteps as they treaded across the concrete ground, and when someone stepped out into the hall, Rome felt all the breath in her lungs leave.

The person in front of her was young, a girl somewhere in her early twenties, with curled dark hair reaching just above her elbows. She had a sweet looking face, tiny smile lines around her hazel brown eyes. A leather jacket covered an olive green shirt, and she paired it with black jeans and boots. A necklace was tucked into her shirt, the thin chain standing out against her pale skin, but Rome knew the crystal would shine a brilliant green. They locked eyes and it took everything in Rome not to burst into tears. They didn't look much alike, nothing truly evident to show their relation, but the magical thrum in their veins told the truth.

"Aline," Rome whispered, lips parted in surprise. She wondered if Aline could hear her heart beating loudly within her chest, and she gulped quietly to herself.

The tribrid girl stood frozen, blinking quickly as if she were looking at a mirage. "Rome," she said curtly, a simple greeting as she shoved her hand into her pocket. Aline turned to look to the side, her dark hair curtaining off her face. "Bucky's in there if you want to see him."

Rome nodded, more to herself, and took slow steps as she walked past her cousin. They eyed one another, whole conversations happening in a single glance, but Rome forced herself to move. They'd talk later, she thought to herself. So she stepped into the side room, watching as Steve walked out of the room, perhaps to give her some privacy. Slumped over, metal arm caught in a strong contraption, Bucky remained motionless in the middle of the room, and Rome quickly reached his side. "James?" she whispered, kneeling beside him. "Soldier, are you there?" Her eyes perked when he let out a low groan, and she cupped both his cheeks, whispering softly to him over and over again.