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"Talk to me, Bucky.... Please?"

He mumbled something under his breath, his eyes falling shut. The slightest weight leaned against my hand, but I couldn't be sure. It could have been just my imagination.

"Hmmm?"

His lips parted, but before his voice could push through, the sound of an engine caused both of us to almost jump.

Sparks, gunning straight for us.

'Oh shit. She's pissed.'

Another flinch from Bucky had my hand retreating in an instant, as he backed away from me. Or maybe it was the speeding car.

"Don't want to go," he said so softly I doubt it could be counted as a whisper.

Quickly, my hand found his, before he could go sprinting into the woods. Though there was no possible way for me to stop him from running off.

'...So maybe they weren't attacked...? The fuck is going on?'

As brakes screeched through the air, I turned to face Eve's top Puppet.

"That was dangerous!!" Sparks yelled, getting out of her car and slamming the door shut with a temper that's rare for her.

I guess I wasn't the only one he scared the shit out of....

My hand shifted and I knew Bucky was half hiding behind me. No way in hell could my frame completely hide his massive bulk or his height. Still, I sidestepped the bit to stand completely between the two of them.

"Sparks, calm the fuck down. Let me talk to him," I told her.

With a sharp huff, she flipped her chin length hair out of her eyes and crossed her arms. "Fine."

Even with the childish gestures, those long limbs of hers kept a modelesque air to her. She slumped back on her car and still looked picture perfect.

Bucky shook his head when I faced him. I lightly squeezed down on his fingers, rubbing my thumb across his knuckles.

He shook his head again, practically curling in on himself. Smaller and less intimidating, or that was what he was attempting for.

"This forest is safe for only so long," I started, my voice coming out a whisper but booming in the silence and at his flinch. "You need to keep moving until you get to Gramps. If you don't want to interact with him, I can probably convince him to give you a bunch of space. Sparks can be trusted, Bucky. There's nothing I can do for you in person. Please go with her. It's safer."

He still insistently shook his head.

"Why don't you want to go with her?"

Those haunted eyes bore into mine through the thick silence.

"Don't leave."

His voice so small. Childlike in its pleading tone. He tugged on my fingers.

"I have to," I said. "Eve will have an easier time moving you around if I'm not there. You don't need this mess on your plate. You have way too much to deal with already. Plus it'll be easier to hide you without the threat of my father pawning you off to the highest bidder.... I don't know if I can do anything in time if he found about you before Gramps...."

The frown on his face grew with each word that passed through my lips. "What about you? You're not safe here."

"I'll be okay," I assured.

His head shook again, brows furrowing together and eyes darting over towards Sparks. "They're here, Valeriy. The ones after you. They're looking for you here."

"I know."

"You knew?"

"Yeah.... They know me well enough to be all over Canada. But I blend in best here. Especially with my inconsistent accents. And I have an octopus skin mask thing. I can hide as somebody else."

"You're not safe here."

"I'll be okay."

Eventually.

"Not with that leg. Not alone. And you know it."

His eyes dared me to say otherwise. To outright lie to him.

Damn him and his ability to read whatever the fuck my face gave away.

As a tired laugh worked its way out of me, my forehead dropped onto his chest. He was so warm, his body heat bleeding through his shirt.

This time, it was my turn to shake my head. But the hands clutching onto his shirt, couldn't bring themselves to push him away.

I could barely find it in myself to resist. The ease I felt with him here. I wanted so desperately to cling to that feeling. To feel that little bit safer. To feel... to feel not....

"I'll be okay somehow..." I repeated. Maybe trying to convince myself more than him.

"Stop," he said softly, lips almost brushing the top of my head. "Stop lying to yourself."

"...I've clawed my way out of shittier situations.... I'll be okay. I've always managed."

Whatever it took.

The tips of his fingers barely ghosted over the side of my forehead as they curled a piece of hair behind my ear. They lingered for a couple of seconds as if asking me to look up, but I refused to. Couldn't trust my resolve not to shatter.

"You said that you're safest with me around.... You'd be alone and that scares you. You said that I'm free to do what I want.... Let me help you, Valeriy."

I knew I couldn't look up. The moment I see that shaved face of his, I would crumble. Not all too sure if I'd give into what he's asking or bundle him up in a cocoon of blankets and send him off. Against his wishes.

"If you stay with me... it'll take far longer to get anywhere with healing whatever the fuck Hydra did to you. You can't –"

"That can... that can wait...."

My head snapped up on its own accord.

'Shit.'

All the need to convince him to go with Sparks came crashing back. He needed to be safe. He needed all the help he could get, and that wasn't going to happen running about with me.

He most definitely needed to grow his scruff back.

"...You need to get your priorities straight, Bucky. Dealing with a little spoiled brat should not even be a concern. Let alone over healing. And who in their right mind would pick being on the run over the pampered setup with Gramps? You can have everything, Bucky. Live that dream life Sparks is. Without all of Eve's weird ass missions. She owes you more than she can pay."

'Most importantly, you'd be safe there."

His worried expression softened, eyes darting to the beauty leaning on the car for a split second. "I'm not in my right mind...."

"...Then you should be going with Sparks, shouldn't you?"

Again, his head shook. "Are we not friends...?"

My jaw glue shut at the mixed feelings tumbling about inside me.

The word yes balanced precariously on the tip of my tongue. It's the truth. But the manipulative part of me was beating the shit out of the honest kid part.

Say no to get him to go with Sparks.

Say no to get him somewhere safe.

Say no to get him the help he needs.

All I had to do was say no.

Simple.

"...Yes. Yes, we're friends, Bucky."

But it wasn't....

The nervous gnawing of his bottom lip said as much. As if the word no would have torn him to pieces.

"Friends..." he repeated softly.

A ghost of a smile almost played in those blue eyes. His posture completely changing with the slightest sway, relaxing. Even the air around him was easier to breathe.

"...And friends have each other's backs?"

I did not like where this was heading.

Not one bit.

And he could easily read it on my face going by the giant sigh he heaved.

"If this was reversed, Valeriy, knowing everything you do. If I was in your position, would you run off?"

I damn well wouldn't leave him floundering about. I wouldn't be able to leave him alone, scared, and whatever the fuck else clawing around inside me that made me want to hurl on the spot.

I knew how dark the days ahead were for me. I just had to ride this through.

Somehow.

Maybe....

Maybe it didn't have to be alone.

With a pout, I took a step away from him. He tugged on my arm to fight my step, panic seeping into his eyes. I wasn't going to win this. I was fighting this stubborn man... and myself.

"Get in the car."

The dread on his face screamed that he misunderstood my words until my head nodded to the S.U.V. next to me and not the one Sparks leaned against.

"I do still have to fix that arm of – No. Passenger side," I said, laughing at his pointed look.

"Your ankle," Bucky tried, still not letting go of the door handle.

I stayed in the way of him opening the door. "It's my left leg, and you need sleep. You didn't sleep last night, and I highly doubt you did the night before that. No way in hell are you driving on zero sleep."

He frowned but quickly scurried over to the passenger side anyways.

Before he turned away, I caught a glimpse of relief on his face. This might have been more than just my safety for him. I guess I'd forgotten that most people don't blindly trust Eve and her ways.

I grinned at Sparks who sported a raised brow. "I'm taking him with me."

She glanced behind her. "...Do you want all the bags?"

"Yeah. That'd be great."

"Do you have any idea what's in one of them?" she questioned, grabbing the various bags in the trunk including one that wasn't at the motel.

With a laugh, I nodded. I knew what was in the extra bag she added too. An assortment of weaponry the Puppets were prone to using. Weapons that Eve could deactivate whenever she wished, for the most part.

The more weapons, the merrier, I guess...?

Probably an attempt to convince Bucky to switch his weaponry over. But going by how he used the revolver earlier, Eve had no hope in stopping him from using them as melee weapons.

As she stuffed the bags under the trunk, Sparks glanced over her shoulder at me. The expression on those sharp features was all she needed to say about how she felt. She didn't agree with all this. She was still unsure about Bucky.

Whatever Eve was whispering into her ear had Sparks frozen in place for a good two seconds. She then pulled something out from the side pocket of the bag she added and started walking up to the passenger door, knocking on the window.

'The hell is she doing?' My legs moved on their own, limping their way over.

"Mind rolling down the window, Barnes?" she asked, holding out a few stacks of cash instead of some gun I thought she pulled from the bag. Each bill was brown. Canadian hundreds. "Eve says that she converted a tenth of the payment.... Most of it is still in the bag."

"Payment?" Bucky repeated in confusion behind a still closed window.

"You beat D'amour in the security assessments. Every hole you point out, you get six hundred pounds of gold. They thought it would be fun for the reward to be 'worth your family's weight in gold' or the average three to four person house hold. It's up for grabs to anyone with clearance to the plans.... I've just never seen someone find more than two.... I've poured over those plans for years and only managed to find one."

'...There shouldn't even be any to be found. One is already far too many....'

Sparks bounced the stack, motioning for Bucky to take it when he rolled down the window. Though he just stared at it. "Umm...?"

"It smells sweet," Bucky stated, still just staring.

"...What?" Rare for her to break her cool demeanour, but in the span of a few hours, she had four times now. And now she's sniffing at a stack of cash. "Val! The rumours are.... It's not maple syrup, but it's a bit sweet!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her holding out the stack towards me. I hobbled the rest of the way and tried my hand at finding the sweetness. There was a hint of it. Not the unique smell of maple syrup though. Bit hard to tell through the smell of perfume on it.

"The fifties don't smell different from cash. Huh.... The two of you should get moving. Here."

Sparks tossed the stacks of hundreds through the window opening. Bucky only turned his head, staring down at his lap where the cash landed.

When Sparks passed me by, she whispered in my ear, "Watch yourself, Val. I don't want to find myself standing at a street corner for three days waiting for you to save yourself again."

I shrugged her off. "I'll be fine. I just need you to keep your mouth shut about us."

"Heard you the first time! Eve says she wants you to wear the earbud."

What would be the point? Bucky could hear her talking in my ear either way. He also knew more languages than me.

"...I want to keep my hearing...."

Sparks flipped me the bird while walking away and turned her head just enough for me to see her stick out her tongue. "Deal with it."

I'm rather sure she's turning thirty this year....

With that, we got into our respective cars. Sparks gunned it out of there while I took a moment to settle down my nerves. And maybe take a moment to process the relief in my system.

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Author's Note:

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