Tasha felt a little proud of her restraint both in terms of not screaming in surprise and in thinking much quicker than either man. She knew the halls had two cameras to prevent illegal activities and security. So when she realized it was Boney who was pressing a heavy glock up into Bucky 's rib cage, she pushed both men into her apartment and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Knock it off boys!" She whispered violently, happy to see her soldier was (barely) restraining himself, loosely clutching her mentor's fleshy neck.
"You gone mad? Get out girl!" Boney yelled, or at least attempted too. The metal hand increased the pressure slightly making his already gravelly voice harder to understand.
"Bucky, let go of him." She ordered; fists on her hips. Really, it was like taking to bad children. "And Mr. Rodriguez Boney Thompson. Get that gun out of my boyfriend's ribs!"
Stunned silence from all three echoed in the air. Maybe she wasn't as clever as she aimed to be but it was the only thing to come to mind. She was usually a fast thinker but Boney knew when she was lying so she hoped he'd be too shocked to question it. Hoped... ugh.
Bucky slowly lowered his arm, stepping closer to her. Tasha wasn't sure if it was because of her statement (assuming he was going along with her ruse) or that Boney still had the gun trained on his heart.
"Boyfr-" The old man stuttered. The older man looked back and forth between herself and the still battle ready Bucky. Like the genius he was, he scratched his brown and grey head with the butt of the gun.
Bucky moved faster than anyone could see and quickly had the weapon on the counter, the clip placed in one of his many pockets. She barely registered his movements let alone understand them.
"What the fuck is he?" The ex-boxer asked, looking at his now empty hands. The frown that marred his brow causing wrinkles to form deep crevasses.
"Um... my boyfriend. I spent a few days with him." She stated dumbly, hating the knot of guilt that twisted her stomach.
Beady black eyes shot to hers and she watched in horror as he shrewdly assessed her. Yea, there's no way he's going to believe her. Then he looked to Bucky who had inched even closer to her though she could see now he was standing just a bit in front of her body. It seemed... oddly protective.
"Tasha ain't one to lie to me. So now I'm to assume that my girl, who's never been on a date, has magically found herself a boyfriend and SPENT TWO DAYS WITH HIM!" By this time the old man's face had gone redder then usual and his fists clenched, ready to pound the lights out of Bucky. The idea was scary as Tasha new that would be futile.
The soldier stepped closer to the retired boxer, his own hands clearly ready for anything. She could not let that happen. So she did the only thing her sleep deprived, hungry, grumpy, and clearly idiotic brain thought of.
She jumped in front of Bucky, pulled his shocked face down and kissed him. Really, she had thought he'd be cold but after a few seconds of stunned stillness, she felt the hard steel fingertips press lightly against her neck. She was just as shocked as he was but the pressure was beginning to increase and she realized he was leaning into her. The sensation of his (way too soft) mouth burned hers and she felt the stress of the previous situation melt away.
Tasha lost track of her thoughts as she moved her hands from his scruffy face and wove her long fingers through the loose hairs at the nape of his neck as his human hand came up to cup her face. She hummed in contentment. It wasn't that she had never been kissed. It's just… no one had ever kissed her like this. Softly, innocently.
Oh this was too much. Her body tingled and her mind was blank expect for the way the metal grazed the hot skin of her lower back ever so lightly.
But before she could even react to the intimate touch, a rather loud (and clearly fake) cough rent the air jarring the couple. She turned in Bucky's arms but did not want to put space between them. She was still reeling from whatever that was.
"Um... Boney, hun. I'm sorry I didn't call or tell you. Really I am." She pleaded though her thoughts were a little fuddeled. The old stocky man looked very uncomfortable as he shifted from one foot to the other but he was not entirely convinced.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Too much too soon.
"You might not believe me, Boney but you have to at least trust me." She said, her voice sure and strong even though she felt the complete opposite. He simply nodded, suspicion clear on his face along with frustrated trust.
She smiled in relief. He might not let this go completely but he'd have faith in her. Maybe that was not the best idea because clearly she was having lapses in sanity. Kissing a stranger… yeesh.
"Don't even know him." Boney grumbled. His voice was aged by shouting and he sounded so much older to her then. It struck her that he was being fatherly. He was worried about her and had come to find her.
She flung herself into his arms, relieved when he wrapped his meaty ones around her and squeezed.
"You damn near gave me a heart attack." He accused gruffly. She wanted to laugh and cry. After all the stress, all the emotional whiplash of the last few days, she finally felt a little bit of peace. Boney was her rock. Her solid piece in this fucked up world.
"M'sorry. Love you Bones." She whispered weakly.
He coughed, a sign of him being uncomfortable with feelings, and held her at arm's length. She chuckled when he shot his eyes to Bucky, kept them narrowed as if he was trying to look intimidating.
"I don't know who you are. Or what you are," He looked pointedly at the soldiers strange appendage. "But if you hurt her and she doesn't kill you first, rest assured I will." He nodded, giving Tasha one more once over and left briskly. She stared at the closed door wondering what to do now... about everything.
Tasha felt Bucky's tension as it lay thick in the room. She didn't know which part of their strange encounter caused the feeling but she knew she didn't even want to think about it.
Ignoring his gaze, she tossed the heavy bag on her thrift store couch and went straight for the modern but simple kitchen. Stark had gone all out with appliances and she took advantage of them with her measly cooking abilities.
She knew he stood by the door, his body all tight and unrelenting as she nervously started a pot of water on the boil. Her hands were shaking, for god knows what reason, as she tried to cut an onion. A pan with oil was already on the burner, ready for the vegetables if only she could concentrate.
Realizing she was acting foolish, (it was just a kiss. Not even a real one!) She turned to him, arms across her chest.
"Look, I'm sorry about that. I was just trying to... I don't know. Not blow cover?" She huffed, her hands flying up to accentuate her flustered state. She still couldn't look at him in the eyes and she really felt childish. Tasha brought her hands to her face and rubbed hard. A habit she picked up long ago and something she did when she couldn't control her emotions.
She felt him move, knew he was only inches from her. She peeked through the web of her fingers to see him looking intently at her. His hand outstretched a little as if he stopped himself from touching her. Now she was just making things up.
"Do you need help? To make food?" He whispered solemnly. She smiled behind her palms silently thanking him for not making this awkward.
"I assume you good with a knife. You can cut the rest of the veggies while I get the noodles and chicken ready." She offered, pulling her hands down.
She marveled at the way he took to it, his hands moving with swift fluid motions. She barely got the noodles in the water by the time he was done.
The food cooked while she grabbed two plates and glasses and she thought about how odd it was that she was being domestic with a trained assassin. (Though he never used the term out loud she was positive that's what he was.) And if that's not saying something about her sanity, she didn't know what would.
She tossed everything together making a simple stir-fry and brought their food to her big brown heavily patched couch. She would have time to examine her choices in the morning and gather her self-control. After all, she wasn't the kind of girl who just threw herself into situations without forethought. And yet here she was, eating with Bucky. A man whose past was clouded by deception and pain. Who had likely killed many people. Who had kidnapped her. And yet here she was.
After a few moments, she flicked on the TV and refused to think any more on it. The day was done, her stomach was happy, her couch was comfy, and she kissed a handsome dude. So at the end of it all, she found herself rather pleased. (ignoring all the glaring problems of who he was and why she was so hungry and blah blah blah.)
She decided that this was just an adventure. She deserved to have a little excitement in her boring life and what better way to do that then to cook for an assassin.
She chuckled out loud, making said man jump slightly. She ignored it though, realizing that he had been watching her intently, as he often did.
It was some hours later, and she wasn't even sure when she had fallen asleep, that she felt him lift her and carry her like one would a child. After two doors, he found her room and gently lowered her onto her bed. Tasha was so far gone that perhaps she dreamed it. Most likely imagined it.
But she thought she heard him whisper, "Goodnight, Tasha." Before she fell into blissful sleep.
I'm so happy with the reviews. Thank you all! It makes me update faster and keeps me motivated. I just love watching Bucky evolve. He's got a lot to think about in the next chapter.
-MoonandWinter