EVER SPINNING WORLD

Self consciously, Ileana tugged the sleeves of her shirt over her left hand, and shrugged her jacket more around her right hand. She hated not being able to use her right hand - she felt useless. She knew she'd adapt quickly. She had to.

The bell above the diner door rung out sweetly, alerting everyone in the establishment that someone new was coming in. All eyes seemed to drift over to them, some of them curious as to who it could be and most irritated that the breeze had chilled the cosy building. They may all have had different intentions in casting them a glance, but they all had something in common - all of them instantly averted their gaze, and failed to hide the disgust on their faces. 

Bucky strode forward, confidence oozing off of him. Ileana envied the way he could so easily ignore the blatant stares of the blessed; what didn't occur to her is that he had had enough time to adjust to the heavy weight of them. 

Biting her lip, she hurried after him, making sure to stand behind him in an attempt to remain hidden. Bucky turned his head and saw her tall frame huddling in his shadow, and sensing her unease he sent her a small smile. The worry within her liquefied, but still some dregs of discomfort remained. It was going to take more than a smile to put her at ease. In return she nodded her head, knowing that if she smiled back it would be a lie. 

The man at the counter had a similar reaction to everyone else - shock, though his face didn't hold any distaste. He'd handled builders who had no manners, drunks at two in the afternoon and people who thought it was useful to start a brawl in the building. Compared to some of the people that walked through the door, they appeared to be the kindest. Trying his hardest to make them comfortable, he gave Bucky a smile. "Would you like a table for one?"

With foreign words flowing off of his lips, Bucky smoothly replied. "A booth would be great."

The man frowned, peering around the muscular man to see tendrils of hair shooting out. Ileana had a great line of sight on the man, and upon seeing his confusion, swallowed her fear and shuffled from out of Bucky's shadow. His wiry eyebrows shot up in surprise, yet he still offered her the same friendly smile. 

"My apologies. There's a booth in the corner, someone will be with shortly." He pulled out two menus from the counter, pointing at one of the many items on the list. "Personally, I think the burgers here are great, especially the beef burger."

Nodding his head in thanks, Bucky scooped up the two menus and began walking to the booth in the back. Gulping, Ileana gave the man behind the counter a close mouthed grin before snatching up a small part of Bucky's jacket to hold onto. His gloved hand instinctively shot behind him, gripping onto her wrist in a vice like grip. She hid a wince, tugging on the material of his jacket. Bucky's head turned around, eyes wild and distant, until they focused on the hunched, tall woman behind him. His fingers eased on her wrist, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

With little to no trouble, the two reached the corner booth. Bucky settled on the bench in front of her, placing a laminated menu on the table in before her. There were many chips in the table, and it was wobbly, but it was better eating on the streets. Much better.

Eyes raking through the list of food, she felt overwhelmed. There was so much choice, and she couldn't even remember what half of the things on the list tasted like. She felt a heavy weight settle in her stomach - the nameless person she murdered wouldn't ever experience this feeling again. Ileana pushed the thought down as quickly as it came, desperate for a distraction.

Ileana looked up from the menu, finding Bucky frowning at the menu too. She tapped his arm, preparing her hands and fingers for what she was about to sign, ignoring the discomfort that it caused her arm. His attention left the menu, and followed her moving hands that read: "Having trouble deciding?" 

Putting the menu down, he let his fingers flow in the silent language. "There's too much, I don't know what half of this stuff tastes like."

Ileana shook her head, agreeing. She cracked her hands, wincing at the momentary shock of agony jolting through her body before signing again. "It's weird that people face these choices every day. I normally choose what's cheapest." 

Bucky grinned. His gloves made it difficult to sign, but he managed. "I'm just glad we found that twenty dollars." 

Ileana found herself nodding again. She looked away from Bucky, scanning the list before randomly choosing one. She knew she'd never be able to decide, and thought that she didn't mind if it tasted good, she was just happy to be getting more than two hundred calories in one day. Bucky was watching her, and followed her pointed finger on the menu. 

"You want onion rings?" Eagerly she nodded, already salivating at the mere idea of it. "You realise that's meant to be a 'side' dish?"

Ileana shrugged, her feet placed firmly on the bottom of the table to stop it from wobbling. With one elbows on the wood and her arm in a sling resting on it, she continued signing. "It's still probably more than I get in a day, yet alone one meal." 

All amusement leaked from his expression. It hurt him that the human race was coming so far: phones were being updated belong belief and amazement, new medical procedures were invented every day to save someone's life, and morals had evolved with the new age. Yet despite all of their advancements, they were still lacking one thing - the empathy to help someone else in need. 

Ileana cast her eyes downward, glad that her hat hid her face. She was in desperate need for the conversation to change. Taking matters into her own hands, she caught Bucky's attention. "What are we going to do with the change?" She signed, her teeth clamping down on her tongue. A metallic taste filled her mouth, and she was glad of the distraction. Signing with a broken arm felt like everything she wanted to say was conjoined with fire. 

Bucky shrugged, welcoming the new topic. He went to add something when someone came over, a notepad in their hand and a worn down grin plastered on their face. It took Ileana a moment to acknowledge their presence, too absorbed in watching Bucky trying to remember the movements to answer. 

A rough Romanian voice spoke suddenly. Ileana jumped, hand on her heart, breathing erratic. Bucky laughed, and Charlotte giggled softly under her breath, still trying to regain her breath. "What do you want?"

Bucky scanned the menu quickly, making sure of what he wanted. "Could I get a beef burger, with a side of fries?" 

The man scribbled it down, mumbling a small 'sure' that was barely audible. "Drink?"

"Black coffee, please." Bucky turned his gaze to Ileana, knotting his eyebrows to remember what she wanted. "And she'll have -"

The server interrupted, waving his pencil in Bucky's direction. "No, I'm sure she can tell me herself." He ignored Bucky's furious glare, and snapped around to Ileana. "What would you like?" 

Ileana could feel her chest getting tighter, the weight of the man's gaze adding to it. It was like there was a knot in her chest that was getting tugged harder the longer he looked at her. She suddenly couldn't breathe, and the world became blurry. The server noticed the glassiness of her eyes, mouth dropping in horror. He began stuttering an apology, but she couldn't get the way it felt out of her head. 

They would never understand. 

Not wanting to break down in public, she jumped to her feet, snatching up a napkin and rushing out of the diner. Bucky shouting after her followed her; she couldn't face being in there any longer. The bell gave it's sweet ring when she left, as though biding her goodbye and the glares of the customers getting cold making her chest heavier. Behind her, she could hear fast, light footsteps.

Her breaths got shorter, her legs getting weaker and burning incessantly. Her stride faltered, and her good hand shot out to the wall to support her. The world was tilting on an axis, and it wouldn't still.

In her ever-spinning world, a face came in front of hers. One that understood, unlike those who pretend to and coo at her behind her back. 

One who cared.