#then miss the second bus due to the ensuing anxiety attack i had

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Hiraeth [Part 5]

Bucky Barnes X OC (Amelia Stone)

Hiraeth: (n.) “longing or deep yearning for a place, time, feeling or person long gone; or that never was.”

Recap: Waking up from a coma 8 months after being attacked by the Winter Soldier, the OC finds out that she was tortured at a HYDRA base. Her growing anxiety and PTSD cause her to take a break from the Avengers and leave for Romania.

The melodious chirping birds used to wake her up every morning. Ethereal voices, romancing with the soft light of dawn, teasing her lashes to flutter open. So pleasant that this wake-up call never irritated her even when she had nightmares; when her nerves were often aggressive because of anxiety. Moving to Romania was the better decision. She found herself a cabin in a small town, not far from Bucharest. It was a beautiful little settlement, surrounded by nature, blessed with the lack of people and city bustle.

She had to visit a therapist every week as Steve made her promise, if she wanted to stay anonymous for some time. He threatened her that he would have Tony chase every shadow in the world until they found her. She didn't need a warning though; she wanted to do it for herself even though she felt that it wouldn't help.

It was one of her therapy days that she came to Bucharest. She also needed to buy some seeds to grow tomatoes in her own little garden, and the medicine that her therapist had suggested for PTSD. Admittance was harsh but she felt happier that she was away from the Avengers for some time. It all reminded her of the time she was missing. There was also the constant stress of having to fight HYDRA that wore down on everyone. She understood that all the Avengers could use a break.

After the one-hour session, that was able to start early because of a patient cancelling an appointment, she came to the market. Her ignorance about the language didn't help, so she decided to ask for help from a newspaper vendor. As she approached the small, unbecoming stall, she saw him take a step back as if he had seen a ghost, and run away. This was strange. A man stood right next to her as they both faced the stall. He stretched out his hand to look at a newspaper, which she, obviously, could not read, so she didn't bother seeing.

"Excuse me...", she spoke, requesting his attention. The tall, well-built, Herculean seemed to crumble into himself at her voice. Did English intimidate him?

"Monsieur, Est-ce quil une pharmace de garde pres d'ici? ", she asked in French. It seemed like his muscles relaxed and he seemed to tower to his full height, still refusing to look at her. "Devant la banque", his deep voice fell into her ear and resonated against something inside her. Maybe, his voice was just like that. "Merci, monsieur. Et pour aller a banque?"

He seemed to be in a hurry and hastily turned, his left hand pointed towards the opposite end of the street. That's when she looked at his face. He had handsome features, but he looked tense and fidgety, on edge. He had probably answered her out of niceness otherwise, it was obvious that the man wanted to leave for some more important business. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, that suddenly seemed to become grey.

"Ah", she smiled courteously at him, bowing her head a bit. "Merci." She felt his eyes trying to creep under her skin, he looked.... incredulous, shocked, confused? She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She turned around and walked away, looking behind her after a few seconds and discovering that the man, almost a paradox, had left.

There was seeds, medicine and a book she couldn't help but buy. She had to mentally chastise herself for having spent money like this. The bus was due in 5 minutes and she was walking back to the bus stop. Apart from the strange man, nothing seemed eventful. He felt like the shadow of a shadow she could have seen before in her life. He reminded her of someone she couldn't quite tell. She would have admitted that hearing his voice, and seeing him made her feel... strange. Had he met her before in the marketplace? A violent jolt to her arm rendered her completely numb. Her sense of spatial perception seemed to have failed in the one moment when she felt the grasp on her arm. The thrust made her realize that her back was against a brick wall, cold, in friction against her warm back. It was so quick she couldn't tell what was happening. Apparently, someone had pulled her away.

When her eyes did rise, they met with the sight of a red shirt and a jacket. So he was quite tall. And then she lifted her head to see him and was bewildered when she saw the man from the newspaper stall. Not knowing what to make of it, she tried to push him away, but that man was solid as the wall behind her, and he controlled her wrists with ease. Then she realized she was not exactly on a street, but in some ignored alleyway.

He had no malcontent in his eyes, surprisingly. Only... shock, anger, pain? She wondered why. She hardly even knew that man.

"Hey! you...", she began but his left hand flew to her mouth. It seemed to have a composition different than other normal hands of the world. It was firm, almost solid, even underneath the glove it was cold.

"How did you find me?", he demanded. His tone was so assertive that almost involuntarily she was ready to answer him truthfully. Her hand flew to his.. His hand WAS different... a prosthetic  possibly? He removed his hand from her mouth.

"What do you mean?", she said, "I don't even know you."

"Are they with you?", he had her wrists in his hands. Strong as he was, her struggle was futile. Not until she really decided to fight him. But she didn't need to fight a man she didn't even know, a man who looked like he was profusely anxious.

"Who's with me?", she spat, frustrated. "What are you even talking about?"

"Don't lie to me", he said. "I'm talking about... your team."

This raised a red flag. How did he know anything about a team when she was a nobody? She didn't even live in Bucharest city for anyone to know she even existed.

"What?", her eyes widened. His squinted, and then they too widened in realization that he had given something away.

"Who are you?", she asked, which seemed to shock him rather than making him afraid of spilling a secret. His eyes had the most confusing look. They looked at her so incredulously that she felt like she was the only person he had ever laid eyes on. Everything else seemed to turn into a blur when he looked at her like that. He knew something. Before she could say anything, he began to walk away. She was staring at his broad back when he walked away, lowering his head to hide his face.

"Listen to me", she spoke, pacing behind him, letting curiosity get the best of her, "Who are you?" Seeing that he wouldn't answer, she threw her hand at him, which he caught, much to her surprise. She had been trained to deliver 5 punches in one second, and for a man to catch her fist was very rare. This was no ordinary man, then. A fight ensued where he all but defended himself against her attacks. When she tried to kick him, he held her leg and kicked her in the belly. When she did get up, he had already vanished into thin air.