Chapter 37: Some Kind of Wonderful

Bucky had known many women in his life, but none quite like Mika.

Then again, there were a lot of factors that played into that. He couldn't completely remember the people he knew in his past life; hell, he still couldn't remember the name of the blonde he'd mentioned the other day. Mika was also a product of her time - by his definition, bold and confident and beautiful. Back in the '40's, women had to play coy due to the societal constrictions of the era, and felt the need to impress at all times. But she was casual and comfortable, and carried herself with an ease that he found incredibly attractive. She was also kind of a smartass, which he also found incredibly attractive.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" he asked, turning away from her stove to see her sitting on the kitchen island, legs swinging gently as she watched him cook. She was glad someone was finally using the nice pans her mother had purchased her all those years ago. She gave him a grin, spinning her laptop around so he could see the code flying across the screen. He couldn't make sense of the numbers and letters, but he knew she could, which was impressive to say the least.

"I am." she said proudly, her heels making a dull, rhythmic thunk-thunk as she let them tap the edge of the island. "It's not my fault that the program takes a while to find the bugs."

"You built a program...to fix your program?" he asked, genuinely curious. Technology had always interested him, and while he had to avoid it for the past couple years to prevent being found, now he could learn about it just by being adjacent to his girl. His heart thrummed at the thought, his girl. But it wasn't in anxiety or distress, it was in excitement. Well, and a little bit of anxiety.

"I did. Efficiency, you know?" she said with a shrug, as if it wasn't a big deal. Of course, it was to him, but then again his knowledge was limited. She reached for him, and he gently took her fingers in his hand and allowed her to pull him closer. He stood between her knees and thought of resting his hands on her legs, but was still too hesitant to initiate contact, especially with his metal arm. Instead, he put them on either side of her, leaning on the counter as she placed her forearms on his shoulders. She grinned, and he couldn't help but smile back. "That way, I have more time for fun things."

"Oh? Like what?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as if he really didn't know. He knew what she meant, of course, because they'd had several variations of a similar conversation over the past few days. But he liked hearing her explicitly say that she enjoyed her time with him. She looked up, as if she were thinking hard about her answer.

"Oh, like having lunch with you. Or watching movies. Maybe a little bit of this." she said, tugging him closer so that she could gently press her lips to his. He could feel her smiling into the kiss, but that faded as it became a little deeper. He didn't feel as overwhelmed as their first kiss - the first real one - but he still felt like all his senses were turned to eleven. Her lips were warm, and she tasted of the tea she'd been drinking minutes before. He could smell her shampoo, feel her fingers as she tangled them in his hair. Kissing her was intoxicating, but like all vices, he reached a point where it was too much for him. He pulled back then, willing himself to stay close instead of completely stepping away, and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Still getting used to that." he murmured, chuckling lowly to cover his nerves. He wished that he could just let go completely, and kiss her and touch her the way he wanted, but he was still so worried about hurting her accidentally that he had to limit himself. She smiled at him again, her hands moving to pat his cheeks affectionately.

"Well I guess we'll just have to practice a little more." she said wryly, leaning back to give him his space before he moved to go back to tending to their lunch. She laughed to herself, making him glance at her over his shoulder. "You know, for not having kissed anyone in seventy-four years, I'm happy to say you haven't lost your touch."

That certainly boosted his ego a bit, though he would never admit it. He smiled, trying to feign confidence as he said, "Told you I hadn't." She gave him an annoyed look, reaching with her leg so that she could kick him in the rear as he turned back to the stove. He jumped slightly at the contact and she worried she overstepped, but he just shook his head and laughed. "You know, back in my day, it wasn't proper to kiss a girl unless you'd taken her out on at least three dates."

"Really? Nowadays, the third date is usually reserved for something a little more intimate." she said suggestively, hopping off the counter so she could get two plates for them from the cupboard. She held the dishes as he picked up the pan so he could plate the parjoale moldovenesti. It was the first time he was cooking for her just the two of them, but he was confident in his recipe. The meat patties were perfectly pan fried, and he served them next to a side of greens. She raised her eyebrows as he finished, letting out an appreciative whistle as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"Regardless, I would like to take you out on a first date, if I may." he said softly. God, when was the last time he asked a girl out on a date? Mika smiled brightly, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her fork for a moment.

"I would love that." she said, giving up on her fake skepticism and perking up considerably. She gave him a cheeky grin, taking a bite of her greens before gesturing towards him with the utensil. "But I can't help but feel like we already had a first date."

"Was I present and conscious?" he asked, once again covering up his chagrin with humor. He knew his memory was bad, but certainly it wasn't that bad. He thought he'd remember taking her out. Though, perhaps he was so nervous he'd blocked it out. She laughed, shaking her head.

"Yes, you were! Last weekend." she explained, looking at him as if that answer would make sense. He shook his head, making a noise of disagreement.

"The wedding? That didn't count." he replied. Thank goodness, one less thing for him to worry about besides forgetting a moment with Mika. She was so special to him, and he wanted to store every second that they had together. In the back of his mind, he was still convinced that the world was going to come crashing down on them at any moment, but he tried to focus on the positives and live in the moment. It was a foreign concept, but he was working on it.

"That so counted!" she replied, her mouth full for a second before she remembered to swallow. She gestured with her hands as she spoke, trying to emphasize her point. "We got dressed up, we went out, we ate, we danced, we kissed at the end of it. Sounds like a date to me."

"No." Bucky said indignantly. He was done with dating as a group. It was fine when he was trying to get Steve out of the house, but it was a different time, and now he was a different man. Time was too precious, and so was Mika. "'Going out' is not the same as taking you out. And I would like to take you out."

She rose her eyebrows at his insistence. She didn't think he would be one to go out on the town; after all, it was hard enough for her to convince him to hang out at the pub. But he wanted to give her a proper date. It made a warmth bloom behind in her chest that was so strong she almost couldn't contain it. "Very well. Where are we going on our date?"

"That...is a surprise." he said, though in actuality he hadn't quite finalized his plans between two options. He hated surprises himself, but he knew that Mika loved them. And he wanted to make sure that she had a good time. She gave him a wide smile, unable to hide her excitement.

"Oh, exciting. When is our date then?" she asked instead, resting her cheek on her hand and looking at him with more affection than he felt he deserved. Truth be told, she couldn't remember the last time someone had taken her on an honest-to-goodness date, and she was glad that she would have this with Bucky. He was so different than anyone else she'd dated, and she was loving it.

"Tomorrow night." he replied. That much he knew for sure. She clapped her hands, nearly dropping her fork in the process and not caring if she did.

"Alright, and how should I dress?" she questioned, taking another bite of her food. He should have anticipated this question, but he had not. He furrowed his brows, trying to think of a proper response. It was still the dead of winter, so their activities would be indoors. While in his heart he wanted to take her someplace fancy, someplace grand, but he couldn't help but try and maintain some sense of logistics.

"Whatever makes you comfortable." he said finally. No matter if she was all dolled up or free of makeup and in her pajamas, he thought she was beautiful. She perked an eyebrow.

"I mean, this is my comfortable clothing." she said, gesturing to her thick leggings and a flannel that she may or may not have stolen from him in the past week. He shrugged; he thought she looked just fine.

"Seems perfect to me." he replied, making her roll her eyes. That certainly was not very much help, but at least she knew she didn't have to don dress and heels in the winter winds. He only smiled, giving her no other ideas as to her wardrobe.

"Alright, alright." she said, finishing her plate and pushing it away from her. "By the way, that was amazing."

"Good as your mum's?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even. She'd eaten his food from the pub, yes, but this was different. This was just for her. She gave him a conspiratory grin.

"Don't tell her, but it may be better." she said, standing up and picking up their dishes, pausing to press a kiss to his cheek. He ducked his head as she took the plates to the sink, trying to hide his smile and his blush. This of course made her smile as well, her heart bleeding affection for him.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." he said, his chest burning with pride. He didn't usually make the more traditional Romanian meals, but he wanted to try for her. Though he might be putting more pressure on himself than necessary, since she wasn't exactly a picky eater.

"I loved it. Thank you for making it for me." she said, finishing with the washing and putting the dishes away. Her program was still running on her laptop, so she made sure it wouldn't lock before turning back to him. "Do you have time for an episode of Master Chef, or must you be off to the pub?"

"I'm afraid I have to go. Since it's so cold, everyone wants stew and roast, and that takes a little extra time." he explained, disappointed. He didn't want to leave so soon, but he did have to pay the rent if he wanted to continue living next door. She pouted for just a moment before giving him an understanding smile.

"Well, have a good day at work. And I'll see you tomorrow." she said brightly as he stood up and walked to her door. She went to him, resting her hand on his arm and getting him to pause before he left. He gently touched her side, waiting for her to step a bit closer before carefully pulling her in for a kiss. This one was brief (unlike the one earlier), but it was still tender, still heartfelt. Every time they kissed, Mika felt like he was making sure it would be worthy of being their last one. She wondered if part of him thought it was.

"I'll see you tomorrow." he agreed, holding her for just a moment longer before letting himself out. Mika locked the door behind him, stopping just long enough to smile widely to herself and do a little dance before picking up her laptop from the island and going back to pretending to work. Now that she had something to look forward to, the work days were going to go by even slower.

The past week had been wonderful. It was always a risk, developing feelings for your best friend, and an even bigger risk to do something about them. She'd been nervous about this step, not knowing exactly how it would go, but it was easy to be with Bucky. While she still had the butterflies associated with a new relationship, there was none of the nerves. She didn't feel like she had to be another version of herself for him, didn't feel like she had to hide her worst parts. This was, by far, the best relationship she'd ever been in.

The following evening, Mika found herself once again standing in her underwear and staring at her clothes. Bucky said just to dress comfortably, but there were different levels of comfort. She thought she needed to be a little more put together than sweatpants and a tshirt, but a dress seemed too fancy. She finally settled on her dark jeans and a dark floral blouse, digging through the pile of shoes until she found some matching ankle boots. She'd kept her makeup light and her hair simple, and for once was actually ready whenever he came knocking at her door. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, with his hair pulled back and that trademark grin on his face. In his hand he held a single short stemmed rose, and for a moment she forgot to breathe. The gesture was so simple, but so sweet, that it took her a moment to recover.

"Hello, handsome." she sang, accepting the flower and tugging him in for a kiss. He seemed very proud of himself in that moment, so much so that he almost forgot to hesitate before kissing her. She grinned as she stepped away, saying, "I'm just going to pop this in some water, and we'll be off."

"Sounds good." Bucky said, holding the door open as she rifled through her cupboards to try and find a vase. When she realized she didn't have one, she settled on a champagne flute, deciding that would be good enough. She quickly added water to it and displayed the rose on the kitchen island, adjusting it just so before walking out the door. She was at the top of the stairs before she realized Bucky was not following her, and turned with a confused look on her face. "Keys, Mika."

"Dammit." she sighed. She'd been doing so well recently, and he had a smug look on his face as she went back in and grabbed them from where she'd tossed them on the island in her flurry to find a vase. Once she had her keys, she tried again, and this time he let the door close behind her. It was even colder outside than she thought it would be, and she immediately latched onto his arm to try and steal some warmth from him. Her fingers were still freezing, but she could deal with it, assuming they weren't walking terribly far. He seemed to read her mind and moved to take her hand; she thought he was just going to hold it, but instead he slipped both their hands into his jacket pocket, surrounding it with warmth from both his jacket and his skin. She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, happy to be this close to him.

He led her in a direction she didn't go often, the streets a little bit unfamiliar to her. It had never occurred to her that he might go places besides the ones she took him to, but he walked so confidently that it was obvious he'd been this way many times before. She could feel his eyes on her as she took in the storefronts, and could hear the grin in his voice as he asked, "Would you like to know where we're going?"

"No no, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." she replied, though she was dying to know. He chuckled lowly, leading her down and alley between two buildings to a narrower, quieter street. The foot traffic was minimal, the sidewalk illuminated by a different sort of streetlamp than the bigger roads. Most of the storefronts were closed for the night, but there was one that still had its doors unlocked. It was a small patisserie, one of which she'd never heard before, and she wondered how he managed to find it.

"After you." he said, letting go of her hand so he could open the door for her. She nodded her thanks, stepping into the building. It was warm inside and smelled of spices, and it turned out to be much bigger inside than she anticipated. There were two long glass cases on either side at the front of the shop, but the back was completely open with tables and chairs and comfortable looking sofas and armchairs. It was also more popular than she imagined, as many people were scattered through the seated area. A small stage lined the back wall, and a girl probably in her late teens or early twenties was setting up her guitar. Mika snuck a look back at Bucky, who was carefully keeping his face neutral so that she wouldn't see how nervous he was.

"Live music and treats? Very well done indeed, sir." she said in an impressed voice, and she could have sworn he grew a few inches taller at the praise. She reached out and took his hand again, interlacing their fingers and tugging him towards the counter. She was glad to see that there were some savory pastries behind the glass as well, as she wanted Bucky to enjoy his night too. She still periodically had him try desserts that she made, but had yet to find one that wasn't too sweet for him.

"Trying my best." he replied as she looked over the selection. The thirty-something woman behind the counter smiled brightly at them, giving them a warm welcome and asking how they were doing that evening. Bucky have her a polite response, but Mika could only smile before getting distracted again by the desserts in front of her.

"God, I want one of everything." she muttered, mainly to herself. Bucky laughed next to her, his fingers tightening just slightly on hers for a brief moment.

"That would be ridiculous." he replied. She shot a glare in his direction and he added, "You should get two of everything, that way you can enjoy them tomorrow."

"That's the kind of positivity I need in my life." she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek quickly. Once again, the affection made him shy, and he chanced a glance at the woman behind the counter. She was just smiling knowingly at them, as if she knew something they didn't.

"You know," she said casually, resting her elbows on the counter. "we have a special tonight, where if you buy three pastries you get a fourth for free."

It wasn't even a hard sell. Bucky turned to Mika, raising his eyebrows. "Sounds like you need to pick four, then." he said, nodding his head towards the display. She blinked a couple times; sure, the pastries weren't elaborately expensive, and she could definitely enjoy four of them, but there was no need for him to spend that much money on her.

"Are you sure? I don't need that many." she asked, not wanting to be presumptuous or overstep. She'd been called spoiled once by a guy she went on a few dates with when she first moved to Bucharest, and the comment always stuck with her. Now she tried to avoid asking for anything extra, just in case.

"Get what you want. Let me treat you." he said, with the quiet certainty that she adored about him. While he was still getting accustomed to his physical affections, this was something about which he felt completely confident. He'd buy her the whole shop, if she wanted, though he might have to set up a payment plan in that case. She gave him a warm smile, gripping his hand tightly before turning back to the woman at the counter. They gave her their orders, and Mika took their coffee and tea and went to go find a seat while Bucky paid and waited for their pastries to be plated. All of the tables had been taken, but there was a loveseat tucked in the corner that had yet to be claimed. She made a beeline for it, putting Bucky's coffee down on a side table and settling into the plush cushions. He joined her shortly thereafter, handing her a plate with all her treats and easing next to to her. The small sofa was just wide enough to fit the two of them, and while she hadn't chosen the seat for that purpose, she was certainly happy about it. They sat with their plates on their laps and their legs pressed against each other, both feeling the happiest they had in a long time.

They finished eating just as the girl up front began her set. Her voice was clear and pretty, reminding Mika of crystal chandeliers and winter nights. She tucked one of her legs underneath her so her knee was on Bucky's thigh, clutching her tea to her chest as they watched the girl sing. Her cheeks warmed as he rested his hand on her leg, his touch gentle and sure. She knew he was still having trouble feeling comfortable expressing physical affection with her, but she was happy to see that as long as she started it, he had no trouble following. The rest would come with time.

"How did you find this?" she whispered, leaning close to his ear. The girl was very talented, but it seemed like she was still building up her original works. Most of the things she played were covers of a lot of songs that Mika liked, and she almost enjoyed the girl's versions more than the originals. Overall, she was very impressed.

"Google." he said shortly, giving her an impish grin. She didn't need to know that he'd spent more than an hour pouring over the pages, trying to find something in this modern world that would be fun and also not a strategic nightmare. Back in his day, it was easy to find a band; they were a dime a dozen at the dance halls around Brooklyn. But concerts these days were expensive, and often the good seats sold out quickly. It had taken careful planning and plenty of YouTube research, but he'd managed to find something as close to perfect as he could. She looked so happy, and so at ease, that he couldn't help but think that maybe he'd done well.

It was nearing midnight when the girl finished her show, a quiet but fervent applause following her last song. She started packing up her equipment as the patrons steadily made their way to their feet, bundling up to take on the winter temperatures outside. They hadn't intended to stay for the entire set, but the girl was good, and the warm drinks were free, and neither Bucky nor Mika found themselves wanting to untangle from their little couch in the corner. But the patisserie was closing, so they had to get up and face the fact that the night was ending.

The walk back to the apartments was slow, despite the freezing temperature. With a few mugs of tea in her and her man holding her close, Mika didn't really feel the cold. She was almost sad as they reached the building, and as they stopped at her door, she found she really didn't want him to leave.

"So?" he asked quietly, his hand still holding hers. He was trying not to be nervous; he knew the date wasn't extravagant, but he hoped she enjoyed it anyways.

"I had a wonderful time." she replied, her voice unwavering. For the first time in a while, she didn't have to lie to a guy about a date. "Easily the best first date I've ever been on."

"Full of shit." he said, laughing and ducking his head down to try and hide his reaction from her. He couldn't, of course. She knew him too well by now. She loosed her hand from his, putting her hands instead on his cheeks so that she could command his attention.

"Seriously, Bucky. Thank you for tonight. It was perfect, and very special." she said. In fact, if she thought he would say yes, she would invite him inside to stay the night. And if he was who he used to be, he would have. But she knew he would want to take things slow, so instead she just gave him the most reassuring expression she could.

"I completely agree." he replied, sounding more relieved than he meant to. Even if he'd had the best night in recent memory, he was still worried that she had not. But, like every time before, she'd managed to say something to help calm every nerve he had. She was still looking at him expectantly, her hands moving from his cheeks to his chest. He decided to be brave then, tugging her a little closer so that he could slowly dip down and give her a tender kiss. She responded readily, her fingers holding the front of his coat so that she could convince him to kiss her for just a second longer. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers and running his thumb over the bone of her hip. "See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow." she concurred, stepping back and unlocking her door. She looked over her shoulder one last time to see Bucky in the same position, giving her a last glance and a grin before ducking into his apartment. She let herself into her own, closing the door behind her and resting against it. She touched her lips with her fingertips before grinning to herself, letting out a happy sigh.

Yes, it had been a good night indeed.

Aww, look at our little nervous babies! Going on dates and kissing and everything! I know this chapter wasn't terribly exciting, but I honestly love fluffy slice of life stuff, so I figure we should get to be happy before shit hits the fan with Civil War.

Thank y'all so so SO much for all the amazing feedback last chapter? I seriously cannot thank y'all enough for the kind words and support. I love this story so much, and I love hearing that y'all love it too!

I hope this chapter made you smile. Please let me know what you think!

-XM