Some fluff ahead!
Kaira had planned to wake up early the next day so she could catch Barnes at the gym. She would build a believable routine here and slowly build her friendship with him as well, enough to get him to open up and trust her. She would get up at 4 and reach the gym at the corner street by 5. Hopefully just in time. Kaira realized her instructions for the rest of the mission were extremely vague and she decided to give Maria Hill a call.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Annika?" She asked.
"Walk me through the mission statement again"
"It's 10 pm" Hill said "Kind of outside work hours"
"Well, my work hours are 24 hour long, so please get talking" Kaira sighed, and sat down in front of her couch. She had bought a fur rug a few days ago and somehow that made her entire new apartment cozier.
"What do you want to know?" She asked.
"After I gain Barnes's trust, and if he doesn't decide to move away, what am I required to do?" Kaira asked, picking at the threads on the rug. A cup of hot chocolate was set down next to her and Kaira had changed into her pajamas.
Maria sighed and answered "The short-term plan is to make sure he doesn't move away from that neighborhood, and if he does we have tabs on him. The long-term plan is to see how affected he is from Hydra, and if he's still the same man he was 70 years ago"
Kaira paused, retaking in the information and spoke "You should know I'm doing all this for Steve"
"I know. Steve's best interests are Bucky and your best interests are Steve. It all works out for me" Hill said and Kaira could almost feel her smiling through the phone "Is that all?"
"Yes, thanks Hill" Kaira said, satisfied with the amount of information she had for now. As an agent, she was never given the whole mission ahead of it. She just had to be okay with it.
Her eyes snapped open the next morning and Kaira groaned when she realized she couldn't fall back asleep. She changed into something that would be suitable for a workout- a cropped sweatshirt and black pants. Somehow this would be good for her because she always had procrastinated exercising and this gave her an excuse to do it. She grabbed her keys, water and her earphones before running towards the gym. Cici had given her the address, and it had been pretty easy to find since it was the only gym on the street. It was dark outside and when she entered the gym, it looked like it was empty. There was an attendant at the counter, sipping his coffee and he perked up when he saw her.
"New member?" He asked, in broken English. Kaira nodded and he passed a register towards her. She quickly entered in her details and he smiled gratefully at her "Pay at the end of the week" He looked down at the details and said "Hope you have nice day, Annika"
She then entered through huge double doors and to her surprise, there were a few people already there. She chose a treadmill machine, careful to not look around too suspiciously while she tried to find Barnes. She faced the mirror and nonchalantly glanced up at the reflection, and that's when she saw him. Bucky was at a corner and currently beating the shit out of a punching bag. His hair was in a low ponytail, and he was in a white shirt. Underneath he had a black shirt to cover his metal arm and Kaira wondered how he wasn't dying of heat already. It must be hard having to wear full sleeves all the time, but that's probably why he chose Bucharest since it wasn't too hot a place. None of the other people in the gym seemed to be noticing him, which came as a relief since it seemed like that guy never escaped attention. Kaira continued working out but kept her eye on him consistently.
"I can't believe I'm doing all this for a guy" She huffed, panting as she got off the treadmill "At least he has nice arms" She sat down on a nearby bench and leaned down to tie her shoes when an all too familiar voice interrupted her.
"Annika?"
She looked up way too quickly and noticed Bucky standing in front of her.
"Hi" She uttered, feigning surprise at seeing her fellow neighbor here.
"I didn't know you came to the gym" He said softly, standing a few feet away from her. She tried to brush it off casually, shrugging and started tying her hair up while answering him "I used to, but not at this time. I usually come around night, but after what happened late that night, I figured mornings are better"
She had rehearsed it since she knew he would ask exactly this.
"Oh" He said.
"Uh, what about you?" She asked and finished tying her laces.
"I, uh, come here pretty much every day" He replied. He was keeping his answers to a minimum but that didn't necessarily mean he didn't want a conversation. He probably just forgot how conversations were supposed to go.
"I was just leaving" Kaira said and stood up, grabbing her bottle "What about you?"
She then realized Barnes didn't know she lived in the same building as him and it would be better if she casually brought it into conversation rather than he. She didn't need him to question her.
"Me too" Bucky said and she noticed he had opened his hair up again and it hung till his shoulders. They walked out of the gym together and then Kaira spoke up "It's a miracle we live in the same building, otherwise I have no idea how I would have gotten home that day"
She was referring to when Barnes brought her unconscious to his apartment and he instantly turned to look at her.
"You live in that same building?" He asked, doubt etched on his face. Kaira felt a sliver of panic slip through but she remembered he had no reason to doubt her "Yeah, I thought you knew. I mean, Helen and Cici never really shut up so?"
His doubt turned to confusion and he nodded slowly.
"When did you move here?" He asked, showing first real interest in the conversation. He was probably checking to see if she was lying or not. Thankfully, Kaira was trained in that.
"A couple of weeks ago" She told him as they walked towards the building "That apartment is actually the friendliest to Americans so I guess that's how we both end up in the same place"
They reached the building door and Kaira took her chance "Do you want to grab some breakfast? Or a cup of coffee or something?"
Bucky looked at her, trying to asses the situation. She didn't look too dangerous.
"I mean I owe you at least a nice meal! For rescuing me from that asshole in the alley, and you helped me buy groceries…" She trailed off.
"Where would we go?" He asked after a pause, gripping the stair rail.
"Annie's Delight?" She suggested and he visibly relaxed. He knew the place in and out so he would have the advantage, in case she attempted something.
"Okay" He nodded and Kaira tried to not get affected by how unenthusiastic he looked.
"Great" Kaira grinned and they turned to walk towards the café.
"So..." She started. He looked sideways at her waiting for her to continue "What is up with the depressed look all the time?"
That caught him off guard since he hadn't really expected her to ask something like that so soon but he had the hint of a smile on his face.
"Nothing, just been through some stuff" He said.
Yep, like World War and falling off a train and being brainwashed to be a Hydra assassin.
"I know what you're talking about" She answered as they walked closely together. Their elbows brushed every so often but Bucky didn't seem to mind so Kaira didn't step away.
"Do you?" He asked, since obviously no one had been through what he had.
Kaira shrugged in response "We all have our baggage. Only difference is how we deal with it"
Bucky stayed silent at that and Kaira guessed it was because he wasn't dealing with his baggage in the slightest. Just running away and hiding. They reached the café and when they entered, it was pretty much in full swing. Customers were pouring in every second and luckily Kaira spotted a table for two in the corner.
"You take that seat, I'll go place an order" Kaira told him, nudging him towards the empty table. Bucky looked immediately uncomfortable and Kaira realized he didn't trust her with his drink. For all he knew, she could poison it. He was a little too paranoid for his own good. Technically she was a secret agent so he had every reason to be.
He shook his head and said "I'll get the order" He then walked off towards the counter without even asking what she wanted and Kaira stood there dumbfounded. They would probably place the order in turns so she grabbed the seat and sat down on it, looking around at all the other customers. She opened her phone and there was one message from Tony. It read "Kaira, I'm worried about you. Respond now"
Kaira almost groaned out loud and decided to finally tell him.
"Can't talk. On a mission. Laying low so please get off my ass Stark"
She had started out professional but gave up halfway. The sound of the chair moving distracted her and she looked up to see Bucky with a coffee in his hand and a muffin in the other. He sat down across her and looked so out of place that Kaira had to really stop herself from laughing out loud.
"What have you got?" She asked him, leaning forward on the table.
"Just a normal coffee" He replied, taking a sip. Kaira let out a chuckle and said "I'll go get mine"
It was funny for her to see the Winter Soldier drinking coffee in a family café. She got her usual order and joined Bucky back at the table.
"What is that?" He asked, staring at her double chocolate strawberry waffle. She laughed and said "It's amazing, you have to try it"
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like it" He said, his serious demeanor slipping away. He was almost acting like a normal person.
"Come on Bucky, just take a bite!" Kaira said and dug into the waffle. Bucky looked at her with surprise and then went back to warily studying the waffle. As if it was a threat.
"Well, if you're not going to try it, your loss" She shrugged, smiling and then took another bite. It was amazing and so fluffy. Bucky kept staring at it with amusement.
"This is the first time I have seen you with this much expression" Kaira blurted and then realized it might have come off a little mean. Looking up at him though, he didn't seem to mind and proceeded to finish his plain vanilla muffin. He definitely wanted a bite of the waffle. He was just too paranoid and too shy to ask for it.
"Oh my god, you're killing me with that sad face. If you're not going to ask for the last bite, I'm just going to stuff it in your mouth" Kaira said with a mouthful. Bucky leaned back on his chair and narrowed his eyes at her "I barely even know you"
Kaira looked up at him and realized that was true. She knew everything about his life but he had no idea who she was. Or at least, who Annika was.
"Okay, ask me anything" Kaira said, raising her eyebrow.
Bucky took another sip of his coffee and looked at her. She had been interrogated before but his eyes on her immediately made her shrink. He was looking so intensely.
"You're kind of scaring me right now with that murder stare" She said jokingly. His eyebrows immediately shot up and his eyes widened.
"I have to go" He said and stood up so fast she had a hard time figuring out what happened. He went to put his cash on the table and Kaira quickly reached for his hand and said "No, this meal is on me, don't pay"
He flinched at the contact but nodded and stuffed it back in his pocket. He then turned around and left.
"What the fuck?" Kaira spoke.
She was so dumb. He was recovering from being a serial killer and she had accidently reminded him of it. She put her head in her hands and groaned "I'm so stupid"
She opened up her phone and the files she was writing in.
She typed: "Progress is slow. Subject showed negative reaction at any mention of the word 'murder'. Flinched at human touch and is probably recovering from his amnesic state"
She finished her coffee and looked at the empty seat dumbly. Should she have gone after him? Probably not. So, she paid for her meal and left. She felt guilt in the pit of her stomach but she pushed it aside. This mission was going to be tricky, it bordered on the thin line between professional and emotional. It required her to get close to him but also at a safe distance. She would have to keep her feelings in check. Faking a close friendship should be easy but he was extremely unpredictable. It also didn't help that he was possibly the most attractive guy she had seen. But that would have to be pushed aside.
She reached her apartment and then wondered if she owed Bucky an apology. Possibly. She couldn't force it though, if she tried too hard he would get suspicious and it could risk her identity. She would just try again tomorrow, at the gym. Hopefully he wouldn't ignore her.
Kaira spent the day setting up her television connection since she needed something to do. She sunk into her couch with a pile of blankets on top of her and opened up her Netflix account. It had been almost 5 hours of her binge-watching shows with a mess of snacks around her when she got an email from Maria.
"Do you really want a play-by-play of every boring day I have?" Kaira wrote and sent.
"It's your duty to report in any contact with Barnes" was her response. Kaira sighed and quickly compiled all her memos and notes on him from the past days and sent it to her.
"I need a job" Kaira realized, looking around all the popcorn strewn on her floor and couch. Sure, she had a job already but it didn't really give her something to do all the time. She couldn't spend six months in her apartment. She opened up a page to look at the nearest job openings and scribbled down anything she could help with. Cake Decorator. Ballet Teacher. Candy Store Clerk. Dog Walker.
She had done ballet in high school and college but that was an eternity ago. She was pretty good at frosting and baking things so the bakery could really use her help.
"I can't believe I'm back to finding odd jobs after high school" She mumbled and then her doorbell rang. It was almost past 9 and if Cici or Helen were here, she would honestly have slammed the door on their faces. Kaira groaned and got up, lifting all the covers off of her and looked through the peephole.
It was Barnes.
"What?" She said and looked down at her disheveled state. She had changed into her pizza shorts and a very oversized pink hoodie and she was not at all okay with what she was wearing. She wondered if she had time to change and then said "Oh fuck it" and opened the door.
Bucky had changed out of his workout clothes too and it looked like he was relieved that she opened the door. He looked down at her shorts and Kaira internally groaned.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, it made no sense that he was here.
"I… owe you an apology" He spoke softly and Kaira raised her eyebrows.
"What for?"
"For walking out of the café, that was quite rude of me…and I figured I owe you an explanation" He said and looked down at his feet. Was he nervous?
Kaira's guilt came rushing back because apparently this whole time Bucky had been thinking it was his fault!
"You don't have to apologize for anything" Kaira immediately said "In fact, if anyone has to, it should be me" She trailed off as she looked at the package in his hands. She hadn't noticed it before. She almost made a joke about if he was here to kill her with a concealed weapon but stopped herself when she realized that was what got her into this mess in the first place. No talks of anything hostile or serial killer like, she mentally made a note.
"You were being really…" He trailed off, looking for the right word "…nice to me, and I'm not really used to that. So, I thought I could make up for it… by trying those waffles you really wanted me to?" He said, with doubt laced in his voice and lifted up the package.
Kaira felt something knot at her stomach and she instinctively smiled.
"You got the waffles?" She asked and Bucky nodded, still extremely hesitant.
"That really wasn't necessary Bucky, you don't owe me any apology" Kaira explained, she needed to remove all his guilt if possible "I'm glad you're here though, and that you finally accept that you wanted to try it!"
He almost laughed at that and then stopped himself.
"Do you want to come inside my apartment or are we going to eat it out in the hallway?" Kaira asked, leaning against the doorframe. It was as if Bucky's senses were heightened instantly as he realized he would be stepping into unknown territory, into a stranger's home. He hadn't thought this through apparently. He had been sure that she would say no. Everybody else was scared of him, why wouldn't she be?
Kaira noticed his discomfort and came up with an idea "How about we sit on the steps?"
Bucky looked up, mentally going over her compromise and nodded "That's better"
Kaira smiled at him to show it was completely normal to eat waffles in a stairwell, even though it was far from that. She grabbed her keys and then closed the apartment door behind her. She sat on the third step leading to the floor above and brought her knees to her chest. Bucky sat next to her and he kept the package in the middle.
"If Helen and Cici step out now, they would lose their shit" Kaira said to herself and opened the box. Bucky didn't ask her why they would, but he assumed it was because they were terrified of him too. Thankfully, there was cutlery provided and Bucky picked up the spoon.
"I eat waffles by hand but go ahead" She said and noticed he was wearing gloves, so he obviously couldn't eat by hand. He didn't know that she had seen his metal arm many times up close and therefore had no reason to hide it. He had gotten the same order as hers from the morning except this one had a pile of whipped cream and chocolate chips on top.
"You really went all out" Kaira exclaimed, turning towards him and Bucky hesitatingly dug in with the spoon. He broke off a bit and Kaira observed him closely as he popped the piece in his mouth. His expression was blank for the first second or so and then it's like everything in his face lit up.
"Do you love it?" Kaira asked, gleefully.
"This is… the most amazing thing I've ever had" He said, after a pause. Kaira laughed at the pure joy and childlike wonder on his face. He looked so vulnerable and exposed. She also realized that this was probably the first good thing he had eaten since World War.
"I told you" She said.
"Thank you, Annika" He said and had his second bite. Kaira sat back, leaning against the handrail and observed the 70-year-old assassin as he devoured the waffle in their apartment stairwell.
I had a lot of fluffy Bucky feels while writing this chapter. be sure to leave me a small review about what you thought and your favorite part maybe?! Your comments really inspire me to bring out the next chapter!