sixteen.

(—growth)

JAMES SAT UP SLOWLY, the woven blanket falling into his lap as he used his arm to ease forward. A lot of things had changed in the two weeks he'd been awake, but one of the biggest changes was getting used to maneuvering around the world with one arm. It was odd not having the heavy weight of his metal arm dragging him down, though sometimes he could still feel the phantom limb lingering.

He got to his feet, sunlight filtering in through the drapes that acted as a door for the hut. He ducked and pushed through the fabric, squinting against the bright light. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust, before looking over the area. It was beautiful with a few huts decorating the land, a large lake to his right and tall bushes dotting the landscape. Children ran around in the distance, their shouts of delight as they played mixing in with the chirping bird and gentle lapping of waves caused by a soft wind.

When his search comes up empty, James turns around, walking in the opposite direction of the huts. Ten minutes later, as he walks down a slight incline, the person he was searching for comes into view.

Maev is kneeling on the ground, her black hair glistening in the morning sun, methodically picking out the weeds from the garden she'd started. Her skin, once pale and a bit sickly, had gotten tanner, color returning to her cheeks as if the sun was warming her from the inside. As he drew closer he could hear her humming lightly, eyebrows pinched in concentration.

She glances up at him when his shadow falls across her field of vision, smiling, "Good morning."

"Morning," he replies, crouching down and using his hand to help him sit. He leans forward, watching her as she continues to pull weed after weed, the pile next to her growing. A comfortable silence overcomes the two, both content just to be in the presence of the other.

James unabashedly watches Maev as she works, using this time to sort through his thoughts. This was another thing that had changed, how the two moved around each other. Before they'd been close, well as close as he dared to get to someone, but ever since he'd woken up things had been different. No matter where he was, James felt the pull to be close to Maev, which had resulted in many days spent like this: Maev and James doing their own things, but always within reaching distance of the other.

At night they would lay side by side, sometimes immersed in memories, other times waiting patiently for sleep to claim them. Some nights Maev would awake with a start, sweat beading her forehead, nails digging into the ground as James quietly encouraged her to take deep breaths. Other nights it was James who would awake with a gasp, fear that he would find himself back in a HYDRA compound with his metal arm intact overriding all other thoughts with only Maev's patient voice able to pierce through the haze.

He grew aware of Maev's voice and blinked, realizing he'd spaced out, "Sorry I didn't catch that doll, I was—"

"In your own little world?" Maev's voice as amused, "It's alright, I was asking what I should grow today."

James looked over the thriving garden Maev had created, plants that shouldn't have grown in the harsh African soil blooming because of the magic that ran through her veins. Most of the plants she let grow at their own rate, but every now and then she'd plant seeds and coax them into growing within a few minutes, all so James could try whatever he wished.

He shrugged his shoulders, "What do you have?"

Maev looked through the woven basket on her other side, "Parsnips, potatoes, artichokes, okra, or eggplant."

"I've never had an artichoke."

Maev nodded and drew the seed packet out of the basket, opening it and dropping two into her hand. She dug into the dirt with her hands, dropping one of the seeds into the dirt and covering it. She repeated the process a foot or so away from the first seed and then placed the tips of her fingers onto the freshly overturned soil.

Maev closed her eyes and James felt the air shift around them. Unlike when she activated her blood magic and the air grew heavy, resulting in an unsettled feeling burrowing deep into him, when she used her elemental alignment James felt a quiet calm envelope him.

He'd asked her about it once and Maev had explained that blood magic tended to have that effect on people, it was harsh magic and could harm much quicker than it could heal resulting in most people feeling anything from unease to outright fear when she activated it. On the other hand, those aligned with earth tended to use their powers to grow and nourish, resulting in a much more tranquil feeling.

Though, she'd warned him, all magic is capable to both harm and help, it all depends on the witch wielding it.

And that had been that, the two moving on to another topic after the somewhat sobering reminder.

Within a few minutes, a sprout peeked out from underneath the soil, quickly spiraling and growing into a full grown plant. James takes this moment to check on the tether that rested between them and happiness, clean and pure, rushed through him causing a slight smile to appear without thinking.

Maev didn't notice, too busy checking the artichokes and making sure they'd grown properly. Once she was satisfied she picked them, laying them on top of the multitude of packets in the basket, before checking her other plants. She was able to pick a couple of tomatoes and she wrapped them in a cloth before standing up, brushing the dirt off her pants.

James lumbered to his feet as well, and with Maev's basket secured into the crook of her elbow, they made their way back to the village. James followed Maev as she went from door to door, offering strawberries to any who wanted them.

Eventually, they split paths, Maev going to cook dinner since it was her night to do so, and James to their hut, leaning down to find the item he'd been keeping tucked out of sight inside his pillowcase. He held it tightly, cool metal biting into his palm, grounding him. He then slipped it into his pocket before going back outside. He wandered around before settling down on a log close to the lake.

He didn't move, letting the image of the lake and the serene picture it painted imprint itself into his memory.

Rustling grass alerted him to Maev's presence as she stepped over the log, sitting down next to him, two bowls in her hands. She offered one to him, which he took with a thank you and the two ate side by side, conversation flowing just as easily as the waves lapped at the shore. It was a nightly occurrence for Maev to ask James random questions, questions that sometimes he knew the answer to, and other times he did not.

"A place you've always want to go?"

He set his now empty bowl off to the side, his answer falling off his tongue without any thought. "Greece."

"Why?" Maev asked curiously, still eating her food. That was one of the little things James had noticed about her, she was a slow eater, not that he minded.

"Because I want to see the," he trailed off, trying to drag the name from the dregs of his memory, "the statue." He finally finished, not able to draw a name to the statue he was thinking of.

Maev looked over at him, "The Statue of Zeus? The one at Olympia?" He nodded and she smiled, "I'll take you one day."

Maev went back to eating and James went back to thinking, his hand in his pocket as he made sure he hadn't forgotten what he wanted to give to her.

The two stood after a few more minutes and James hesitated, drawing Maev's attention to him. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, "I have something for you." Curiosity appeared on her face and she held her hand out, James dropping the metal into her waiting palm.

Maev slowly lifted the chain up, the two dog tags clinking together. She was silent as she ran a finger over the raised metal, her words catching in her throat as she stared down at the words.

JAMES B. BARNES

Finally, she looked up at him, "Are you sure?" James nodded and she stared at him for a moment longer before putting the chain over her head, tucking his dog tags beneath her shirt. "Thank you." Her words were strangely vulnerable and James shifted closer, their bodies barely a few inches apart.

This close he could see a smattering of freckles peppering her nose and spreading out underneath her eyes. A tiny scar, thin and a few inches long, ran down the right side of her jaw and he lifted his hand, running his fingers down it, his hand lingering. Maev stared up at him through half-lidded eyes, dark lashes framing equally dark eyes. He felt the same gravitational pull he always felt, only this time he let it guide him, his head lowering and his body shifting closer to hers.

Tectonic plates were buried beneath his ribcage, sliding with each breath he took, his fears and hopes tangling together into an incoherent mess as he moved closer, their lips a hair width apart. 

"Is this okay?", came out in a hushed whisper, his heart beating so fast he was sure she could hear it.

But little did he know that her heart had long since synchronized with him and it beat in the same quick rhythm, her equally faint "yes," all he needed as he closed the gap between them.

Then they were kissing, their movements unhurried, as if the two had all the time in the world to spend together, learning every curve and divot of the others mouth, warmth blossoming and growing between the two.

And in that moment, everything felt perfect. 

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