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Chapter 8
The sun peaked through the net curtains, its light spreading everywhere in the room. I opened my eyes and stared at my room, which had never felt so home-like. And the reason was the man who was clinging to me, his arms wound around my torso and his breath in my ear. I stifled my giggle when he snored lightly.
âGood morning,â he murmured.
âGood morning to you too, Jamesâ I managed to turn myself around despite his death grip, to face him. He opened his eyes and smiled at me gently.
âIt is a good one, isnât it,â Bucky said, kissing me, ignoring the morning breath.
âUhuh,â I rolled and lay on top of him. We were still naked from last nightâs shenanigans and I am sure he was as tired as me. But looks like having almost-sex also gives you incredible amounts of energy and happiness.
âSo,â Bucky stroked my back and shoulders. âWhatâs the plan for today?â
âWe have debriefing right,â I said simply.
Bucky rolled his eyes and rolled us so he was hovering over me. âI mean,â he planted kisses on my face causing my brain to slow down. âWhat am I going to do with my girl today?â
âOh, IâŠuhhâŠâ My eyes rolled back when his mouth moved to the spot behind my ear and then down my neck. âYou gottaâŠstop doing thatâŠif you want me to talk.â
He didâŠa couple of minutes later. âYou were saying,â he grinned at me.
âIâll take you sightseeing,â I managed to say when the lust has dissipated a bit. âUmm, Iâll show you my school, college, take you to my most favourite restaurant here. And then we can go clubbing, and Iâll make you experience the Mumbai nightlife.â
âIâve always wanted to see that.â
âYouâre gonna have to let me out of bed then,â I bit my lip, feeling every inch of him on me.
âI am tempted not to,â Bucky buried his face in my neck. Horny ba**ard indeed.
âCâmon darling, its an important day. Besides if you behave, I wonât tease you.â
âWhats that supposed to mean,â he continued his very arousing actions.
I pressed my lips together to stop from moaning, âI mean I wonât dress up right now in a way that will cause every boy to look in my direction and make you want to take me on the nearest available surface. And its soâŠhot today, I can wear my denim shorts that hardly covers my ass and a backless top which prevents me from wearing a bra.â
Bucky groaned in frustration, âI am so tempted but the last f**king thing I want is for anyone to see you that way.â
Of course he did not know I would never wear something like that. At least not here. This was not America. The crowd could be tharki to the next level with their lewd stares and disgusting leers.
âSo get off me,â I said sweetly.
âOkâŠbut after 5 minutes.â He started kissing me before I could stop him. Well you canât win everything!
****
After the most intense five minutes of my life, we quickly showered and got ready. I found that Sharmaji had actually bought some clothes for Bucky, which he had left in the adjacent guest room. He really thought Bucky and I would not be in the same room, wow.
I dressed in a white kaftan, wearing shorts underneath for modesty with blue bellies and tying my hair in a high ponytail. Bucky was a vision in a simple white full sleeve cotton T-shirt and light blue jeans. There were a pair of breathable material gloves that SHIELD had made for him so that he could wear them in any climate but looks like he was stopping the use of gloves completely. He was finally free and did not find this new metal arm to be an anomaly.
Bucky was tying the lace to his converse while I was staring at myself in the mirror to check if I had any hickeys.
âI did not bite you anywhere it could be seen,â he laughed. âI know Indian society is traditional.â
âYeah, and weâre are the people whose ancestors wrote the Kama Sutra,â I rolled my eyes at the irony.
âSomething Iâve learned very well. I hope I do not disappoint you,â he joked.
âTrust me, last night was enough proof that you could never disappoint me,â I grabbed his hand and we walked to the door. âBut its ironic that you are teaching me, an Indian.â
âThats funny. And thereâs a lot to learn.â
I yelped when he slapped my ass on the staircase and then chased him downstairs. Picking up a glass of juice each and some breakfast items, I dragged him to the home theatre room. The system was connected to SHIELDâs network and this is where we would debrief Sam and get any updates regarding the situation.
We took our seats and I logged in. Sam appeared on the screen a second later, âHey, lookin good you two.â
âThanks, we had an eventful night,â Bucky said, making me choke on my juice. Earning a glare from me which he smoothly ignored, he continued, âYou got anything for us?â
âI uhhââ Sam was clearly flustered at Buckyâs outward statement that caused me to turn red in embarrassment. âUmm ya so anywaysâŠeveryone got arrested. Noah and Nagel are in custody. Karliâs agreed to cooperate but things donât look good for her.â
âWhat about Zemo?â Bucky asked.
âThe Wakandans took him. He went without putting up a fight,â I could see the worry in Samâs eyes.
âStrange guy indeed,â I muttered. âOh, what about the VIPs?â I enquired.
âTheyâre in different safe houses. Gauri, your parents should be home tomorrow night.â
âGreat,â I groaned.
âWhatâs wrong, doll?â Bucky put an arm around me.
âYou have no idea how Indian parents are. I mean, youâre my boyfriend, you stayed in my house and theyâve seen us getting all romantic,â I told him. âNow youâre gonna meet them.â
âYou think I havenât done my homework?â Bucky smirked. âI know about desi parents, thats the term isnât it?â
âUnbelievable,â I muttered. What else was this man hiding from me?
âItâll be fine okay? Iâll charm my way right into their hearts,â he kissed my forehead.
âHold up, so youâre officially dating?â Samâs mouth fell open. âWhen did this happen?â
âLast night,â Bucky said.
âWellâŠIâm happy for you guys. But Bucky if you hurt her, Iâll rip that metal arm and shove it up yourââ
âAlright!â I interrupted. âSam, thank you for your blessings. It truly means a lot.â
âIt does?â Bucky frowned.
I glared at him, causing him to cower, âYes, it does,â I gritted through my teeth. Turning my attention back to Sam, I continued, âAnd donât worry, James wonât do anything as such. We love each other too much to screw this up.â
âWait a secondâŠJames?!â Sam exclaimed. âHe lets you call him James?!â
âThatâs his name right?â I shrugged. âIâve always called him that. Even in front of you a couple of times.â
Sam spluttered, trying to find his voice, âYeah I know but I thought you did it because he was in distress!â
âSamââ
âThis man threw a knife at me when I called him thatâŠand I was filling his damn SHIELD forms!â Sam half-yelled.
Now I did not know whether to laugh or show concern.
âYou donât love me, do you?â Bucky retorted. âAnd you arenât my girlfriend. So she can call me whatever she wants to!â
âOh My God, Gauri, heâs never letting go of you,â Sam looked dumbfounded.
âIâm never letting go of him bro,â I smiled at the screen.
Sam observed us for a couple of minutes. âAs long as I am your Best ManâŠâ
âLike anyone else could take that spot.â I swear these two had the weirdest way to show their love and care for each other. Oh wait a minuteâŠdid he just say what I think he didâŠ??
âAs much as I am loving the bromance,â I interrupted. âWe have to get going. Sam, is there anything else we can do for you?â
âNo, you kids have fun,â Sam said softly.
âAlready did!â
âJAMES BUCHANAN BARNES!â I yelled at my mentally-teenaged boyfriend. âSam, ignore him. You know heâs just trying to get on your nerves.â
âThatâs okay,â Sam rolled his eyes, giving up. âIâve known this asswipe longer than you have, so I know he has his boundaries. ButâŠuse protection!â
I groaned loudly as Sam disconnected. âHe really didnât need to know that, Buck!â
âSorry doll, I was just messing with him,â I saw him look truly sorry and worried.
âIts fine,â I got off my seat and on his lap. âIâll call my best friend over and discuss about our deeds in detail. You know, how girls normally do.â
âIn that case, let me give you some more things to talk aboutâŠâ
The minute Buckyâs lips were on mine, I forgot the meaning of time. I guess I could spare a couple of minutesâŠ
*****
We emerged from the room after thirty minutes, Bucky had a smug expression, not a hair out of place and I had to fix my appearance.
âWhy do you do this?â I asked him as we made our way to my car.
âDo what?â he asked me innocently.
âYouâŠtake command and donât let me touch you,â I mumbled.
âThatâs because I want you to know what it feels like,â Bucky grinned and pulled me in his arms as the driver started driving the car. I gave him quick instructions, as in where all to take us, shut the barricade between the driverâs seat and the backseat and turned my attention to Bucky.
âI know butâŠI want toâŠyou knowâŠâ
He kissed my forehead, âOkay doll. Its just thatâŠâ
âWhat?â
âIâve spent a year around you wanting to touch you, hold you, kiss you. What we did last night, Iâve wanted to be with you that way since such a long time. I had been a literal asset for the longest time and have never been in love. Physical contact is the only thing I knew as a horny 28 year old. It was also the thing I have been deprived of for over a century. The only human touch I knew was when my victims would grab my arm in a futile attempt to stop me from killing themâŠâ
I waited for him to continue, my breath hitching in my throat. How complicated was his situation?
âBack in 1945, I only knew how to f**k. But when itâs with you, itâs special and I donât want to stop. Since I only know how to express myself physically, thatâs what I do. But like I told you in the morning, itâs all love with you. I hope you know what I am saying.â
âYes,â I said when I found my voice. âIts complicated but it makes sense.â
âSex was just a norm for me. I know you probably donât wanna hear this but as a Sergeant, women were all over me. And I wasâŠwell you know how guys are.â
I nodded, âI know.â
âNone of that meant anything but I was used to it. And when HYDRAâs brainwashing started to fade and I rememberedâŠI became the same man I was in 1945. It took all my control not to become the Casanova again, partly because I was afraid I would kill someone. The Winter Soldier had not truly left. I succeeded to a great extent, but all those physical needs dissipated in no time when I met you.â
âWhat did I do?â Ok this just got more interesting.
âI had just returned from the Blip, Steve was gone and I wanted nothing more than to f**k my pain away. Sam called the remaining agents for debriefing and there you were. You had this focus on your face, like nothing else but your goals mattered. I thought you would be a cold person and then you smiled at me,â Buckyâs blue eyes were soft. âIt wasnât a flirty smile or the come-do-me smile. It was a genuine smile. You did not smile at my exterior, you smiled at the real me. You did not smile at Sergeant Barnes, you smiled at James. It was that minute you had won my heart.â
âI remember that day,â I grinned. âBut I gotta admit, I found you ridiculously attractive.â
âYet you did not wanna sleep with me.â
âTrue.â
âAnd thats what got to me. Sure, you had a crush on me, I knew it. And over a period of time there were moments we both wanted it and we flirted like crazy. But right from the beginning you were a friend. You stopped yourself from doing anything rash because you wanted it to be special. Remember the first time you hugged me?â
âYes I do.â I was a little distracted by the fact he knew what I felt for him. Not that I was subtle about it, blushing every time he gave me extra attention.
âWe were staying at the Avengers Headquarters after Tonyâs funeral, I had woken up from a nightmare and you found me on the balcony, shaking. You knew something was wrong. But all you did was hug me tightly. That night, the warmth you exhibited, make all the pent-up lust disappear. Sure, I wanted you, but not just in a bodily way. I did not want to f**k you, I did not want to f**k anyone for that matter. I only wanted to love you and to make love to you.â
Oh My God.
âI have to admit there were moments when you drove me crazy. But the love I had for you was stronger than anything else.â
âHow long have you loved me?â I questioned him.
âIâm not sure of the exact incidentâŠbut I promise Iâll remember and tell you.â
âIâll wait,â I teased him.
He kissed my forehead, âTease me all you want doll, but youâre gonna have to answer my questions too.â
There was no way I could wiggle out of this one!
****
âOkay we are here,â I announced as the car came to a halt.
âWoah doll,â Bucky looked amazed. He took in the campus, âDamn I landed a girl way out of my league.â
âShut up Barnes,â I smacked at his arm.
An elderly woman approached us, âHello Gauri! Hello Mr. Barnes, I am Ruby DâSouza.â
âMiss DâSouza has been the principal of the school for the last 20 years,â I explained to James. âShe has seen me grow up.â
âGauri was one of the good minds, but very naughty,â I noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes. âIt is amazing to see the person sheâs become. And that she is an Avenger!â
âShe is the best,â Bucky said. I blushed and tried to take the attention off me. My principal was in front of me for goodness sake!
âSo are the children ready?â I asked her.
âYes, please come this way,â she guided us. I knew where we were going though, the school auditorium.
Bucky looked nervous and excited when we entered the huge hall, filled with children. They were standing, their uniforms in order and staring at us. All of them started clapping as we made our way to the podium. We waved out to them, gestured them to sit and took our seats, placing our elbows on the table.
A senior student stepped on stage with a mic, âThank you for being here today Miss Sinha and Mr. Barnes. This is an incredibly special moment for all of us. Today, these students are here to know about your experiences. It will be a Q&A, I hope thatâs alright?â
We nodded and I looked at all the faces looking at us. There was a time when I would be amongst them and waiting to ask questions to the guests. Its funny how the tables have turned!
We saw a young girl, not more than 6, stand up, âGood morning. My name is Nisha and I have a question for Miss Sinha. We know you are an Avenger now, but what did you want to be when you grow up?â
A smile erupted on my face and the hall was full of giggles and claps. âThats a good question, Nisha. I always wanted to help others, that is my nature. I love animals, so maybe I would have been a vet.â
Everyone went aww with my answer and clapped. The next student stood up, he seemed to be a teenager. âHi, I am Zayaan and I am in 8th standard. My question is for Mr. Barnes. What was it like to be Captain Americaâs best friend?â
âWowâŠuh, for me, Steve was never Captain America. He was always the Steve I knew since childhood and that would never change. The change in his physique after the serum did not change him as a person. He was the epitome of honesty and righteousness. And he was very loyal to all his friends.â
We all smiled and moved onto the next question. A girl, around 17 years, âHi, my nameâs Sanya and my questions for Mr. Barnes,â I saw red as she giggled. Bucky was oblivious to the fact that she was hitting on him. âWhat were you like during World War II? I mean you were a Sergeant and all, lots of female attention must come your way.â What the hell? âSoâŠwhat was Bucky Barnes like during that time.â
Bucky, finally understanding he was being hit on, cleared his throat uncomfortably. âI was just a regular guy doing odd jobs and finally getting into the army. Times were simpler, there was no technology. But I used to enjoy dancing.â
âNever got extra attention?â Kaise hai yaar aaj ke bacche!
âNone that I ever wanted.â His metal hand grabbed my right. I noticed everyoneâs eyes widen in surprise and Sanyaâs face fall. Yeah like you had a chance! âSometimes you gotta wait.â
âA hundred years sounds about right, doesnât it?â I said slyly, getting a grin from Bucky in response. âNext question?â
A teacher stood up this time, âSo my question is for Miss Sinha. What motivated you to become an Avenger and a super soldier?â
âFrankly, I didnât know I had it in me until Steve and Natasha spotted me. They gave me a purpose, trained me and left the decision on me. I always wanted to help people and found a way to do that. So of course on Steveâs suggestion we went ahead with the Super Soldier Serum.â
Another boy stood up, âGood morning. I am Aarav. My question is for Mr. Barnes. I have read all about what you have been through in your life. If you donât mind me asking, what was it like to be the Winter Soldier.â
Silence engulfed the room. I looked at Bucky but he seemed unfazed. Instead, he looked stronger than ever.
âWe can take another queââ
âNo it's alright. There is nothing wrong in what he asked. Aarav, isnât it? Alright soâŠI was made into this deadly robot overnight without my consent. I was not a human, but a mere asset for a deadly organization. To be honest, I donât remember much of it. They brainwashed me and mind controlled me every time I seemed to get back to normal. I was trained to kill and do exactly as they wanted. For almost a century they used meâŠand they gave me a metal arm to use as a weapon, which I donât use now anymoreâŠthis is a newer one.â He pointed to his left arm, enticing gasps from the crowd.
âThe Winter Soldier is a side of me I do not wish for anyone to see it ever. He wasnât a person, he was a machine.â
âHas it been difficult to get back to the real world?â Aarav asked again.
Bucky surprisingly was not angry, âYes it was. Took me a couple of years and lots of training to break through that. Now its just me, Bucky Barnes and I am trying to live whatever number of years I have as a super enhanced being by being there for the world.â
âThank you for your answers, Mr. Barnes. I would just like to say, you are a very strong person and I admire the way you turned things around. Especially the way you fought Thanosâs army and the Flag Smashers.â
âIs there another question?â The moderator intervened.
*****
After about an hour of Q&A and a surprise dance number by the Performing Arts department, Bucky and I were sitting and chatting one to one with the kids. I saw Bucky sitting on a chair with two kids, around 5 years of age, on his lap. He was so busy with them that he did not notice me clicking pictures.
My heart was melting completely. If it were possible, I was falling more and more in love with him. Bucky and childrenâŠnever thought Iâd think of motherhood at this point in my life. But the way he was with them, laughing and playing, it made my maternal instincts rise.
Yes, I know we had just started dating but I knew Bucky had already made plans for the future.
As long as I am your Best ManâŠâ
âLike anyone else could take that spot.â
It had been less than 24 hours since our âI Love Youâs. But just the mere thought of me having Buckyâs children and living a happy life with him, the way I had seen in movies was making me so damn happy. Our eyes made contact in that very second and I knew he was thinking the same things as me. After all, no one deserved a happy, love-filled life as much as my man did. Maybe somewhere down the line, we would have all that.
James Buchanan Barnes, you are already giving me the world and much moreâŠ