Harper: The cycle has ended!

James: For sure?

Harper: For sure. It's been an hour since I was supposed to get an attack. This shit's done!

James: Well then I owe you a date.

Harper: I feel like it's more like I owe you the date, given I'm the reason we've been hermits for nearly a month, but I'll take you up on that.

James: Saturday night? Movie and dinner out?

Harper: Sounds good to me!

"So what did you think of the movie?" Harper asked, spearing a floret of broccoli as she addressed the elephant in the room.

"It wasn't what I expected," Bucky answered cautiously. "What about you?"

"Not my favorite," she admitted. The young woman shrugged and expanded, "Soft core porn isn't really my thing."

The former soldier snorted a laugh. He nodded and agreed, "There was a gratuitous amount of nudity and implied explicit acts for a movie that was supposed to be pretty slice of life."

"I guess it was a slice of some kinda life," Harper chucked. "Certainly not mine. All my lecherous old man clients would have a field day if I was naked as often as the people in that movie, though."

"I'm sure they would," Bucky frowned. Changing topics so his thoughts wouldn't linger on that too much, he asked, "Have you spoken with your sisters at all recently?"

"Not really," she sighed. "They're binge drinking their way through college and don't have much free time. No judgement though. I mean, that's how I spent my time in college."

"It must be hard, though."

Harper shrugged again. "Isn't everything?"

"Most things," he sighed lightly. "Not being with you, though. That's almost always felt pretty easy."

"Yeah?"

He hummed his affirmation, loading his fork full of pasta and chicken.

"Well, jeez," she smiled. "You flatter me."

"Not sure how to feel about how you've made it through almost three hours of another Lord of the Rings movie without complaint," Bucky commented, smirking playfully at Harper. "Should I feel threatened by your clear attraction to Legolas?"

"Not at all, dear," she grinned wickedly. Patting his knee, she added, "Don't you worry your pretty little head over such a trivial matter."

"I don't feel comforted by that at all," he laughed.

He leaned in and placed a quick peck to her lips. When he pulled away, their eyes met. Bucky glanced down at her lips again, then back up into bright brown eyes. Slowly, he moved in once more, pressing another kiss to her lips. Cautiously, he swiped his tongue across her lower lip. Harper moved closer to him on the couch, her hand finding his knee. His hand rose to cup her cheek, gently coaxing her to tilt her head a little more. Another light caress of his tongue across her lip coaxed them apart. He took his time, tracing the plump pink flesh, the tip of his tongue dipping luxuriously into her cupid's bow, before slipping the lithe muscle between the seam of her lips and tasting her for the first time. He had waited so long – ad fantasized about what she would taste like, what it would feel like to kiss her like this – and it was even better than he could've hoped for.

Bucky threaded his fingers through her hair, locking gently at the base of her neck. He was gentle, reverent, in his movements. Appreciative that she was allowing him to do so. Her mouth remained still against his as he made several exploratory passes, but her fingers were curled tight against his knee. It was as he was beginning to feel more familiar with her that she began to respond, setting alight a whole new realm of exploration.

Suddenly, Bucky felt like the pre-war version of himself again. If he flicked his tongue against hers, what reaction would he get? If he moved in harder, deeper, bending her back over his arm, would she like it? What could he do to draw any little sound of pleasure from the lips he was hell-bent on bruising? He kissed her hard, he kissed her softly, he wrapped his arms around her, he held her up to his chest. He tasted her, he savored her. He reveled in her breathlessness when one of them pulled away for a moment. He hadn't experienced the visceral pleasure of kissing a woman like this in over seventy years, and it felt indescribably good to do so again.

Harper backed away for a moment, looking up at him with her bright brown eyes, pupils blown wide. "You'll miss the end of the movie."

"Fuck the movie," he breathed, diving back in for another taste.

His concept of time was totally shot, as not much existed outside of Harper. Bucky had no idea how long they were entwined on the couch. It wasn't until he felt a twitch below the belt that he pulled away for good. The space between them was filled with ragged breaths.

"Was that okay for me to do?" he asked finally, realizing perhaps considerably too late how intense he had been.

"You were a little late, but yeah, I'd say it was pretty fine," Harper replied with a mischievous grin.

"Late, was I?" he chuckled, leaning back on the couch and pulling her with him. His flesh arm curled around her, holding her against him.

"I was beginning to wonder if all that talk of you finding me attractive was bullshit," she teased.

He knew she was joking, but nevertheless assured, "Not at all. I probably have downplayed how attractive I find you, actually. I just didn't want to move too quickly."

"Trust me, if you so much as try to do anything I'm not down for, you will be swiftly informed to cut it the fuck out," Harper replied. She leaned her head on his shoulder and reached across him to lace her fingers with his metal ones. "So don't worry. It may slow you down too much."

"I'm feeling chastised, doll," Bucky chuckled, gently squeezing her hand with his cybernetic one.

"Good," she said easily. "You've been depriving me of your kissing skills for a few months!"

He barked a laugh and promised, "It won't happen again."

Harper: I just got the best news!

James: Really? What's up?

Harper: You remember me telling you about Kat?

James: Your college roommate? She's the one teaching English to kids in Portugal, right?

Harper: Yes! And her program is ending next week, but she's coming to visit for a week before heading back to the States!

James: I'm really happy for you, doll. That's got to be really exciting.

Harper: It is! She'll be flying in next Friday, and we'll spend that night catching up, but I was hoping you'd want to join us for dinner Saturday?

James: Of course. It'll be nice to meet someone so important to you.

Harper: Great! Seems like it's about time two of the most important people in my life meet, and to connect the two disparate parts of my life a bit more.

James: You flatter me, darlin.

Harper: No flattery! Just truth! Anyway, she and I have a Skype date to iron out some details of her trip out here in like five minutes. See you tomorrow for coffee and lunch?

James: Absolutely. Have a good night.

Harper: You too!

The closer dinner with Harper and Kat got, the more panicked Bucky became. He had been so blinded by his affection for the brunette that he had agreed without taking into consideration any of the dangers involved with spending any length of time with another person. Sure, he had gotten to know Harper, had gotten to know some of the other manual laborers in the city, but Harper had never given any indication of recognizing him, and his coworkers were always too busy focusing on the job and their unsavory discussions to ever stand a chance at identifying him. Dinner with Kat would mean actually getting to know someone else without any distractions. What if she recognized him? After the events in DC, the confrontation with Captain America had been all over the news. There had been a few pictures of him in circulation. While none of them were very clear, it was still a possibility that someone might recognize him or be astute enough to put the pieces together.

As he got ready to head over to Harper's to meet up with them, he made sure to shave. It was something he hadn't really kept up with since joining the 107th, so he thought that would help. Plus, he did know that Harper enjoyed his clean shaven face. He pulled on a red, long-sleeved shirt that Harper had gotten him, fingering the lightweight fabric with a small smile. He had begun wearing t-shirts and sleeveless shirts around her, but she never pushed him to do so in public. Which was fortunate, because that was something he would never do. Regardless, he donned the shirt and pulled one of his thin black gloves on over his metal hand. He stepped into a pair of light wash jeans, pulling them up over his hips and fastening the button with a sigh. The former assassin surveyed himself in the bathroom mirror, wondering if there was anything else he could do to hide his identity. The only other obvious thing was to cut his hair, but that didn't feel right. He wasn't the clean cut WWII soldier anymore. Plus, such a sudden change could serve to alarm Harper. He'd just have to be careful and bail if it seemed like Kat was putting anything together about his true identity.

Bucky moved into the living space, grabbing his phone off the arm of the couch. He noticed that he had a text from Harper.

Harper: I was too hungover to cook tonight. Mind if we go out? Or would you rather we do takeout in?

Bucky: Whatever you want, doll.

Harper: Cute, but I'm asking your opinion.

Bucky: You wanted to go to the bar tonight, too, right? Makes sense to just go out and stay out.

Harper: I like the way you think. Would you rather meet us somewhere?

Bucky: No, I'll still come to you first. Am I still good to come over in a half hour?

Harper: Sure thing!

Bucky: See you then, doll.

After another fifteen minutes agonizing over the risk of being recognized and losing everything he had with Harper, Bucky headed out. Unfortunately, surveying his surroundings was so second nature to him that it did little to distract him from his worries. Luckily, he was soon buzzing his way into Harper's building. The promise of seeing her and being in her stable presence was realized when she opened the door to her apartment, allowing him entry.

"Hey, James," she greeted, grin wide.

"Hey, doll," he replied, returning her smile. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before quickly surveying her appearance. Her dark hair looked freshly washed and loosely curled. Thick, dark lashes framed her neutrally made up eyes. Her lips were painted bright, alluring red. Blue eyes lingered on her full lips, appreciating their absolutely sexy appearance. His eyes trailed downward, freezing again at her attire. She wore high waisted black jeans and a form-fitting black top that left about an inch and a half of her pale torso free above the waistband of the jeans. Over that, she wore a dark olive colored bomber jacket. It was only a thin strip of skin, but it was incredibly tantalizing. The way the top and the jeans hit her emphasized the hourglass shape of her torso, something the jacket couldn't obscure to his keen eye. She wore her usual heeled black ankle boots. "You look great."

"Thanks," she replied, hooking her arm with his and tucking it into her side. With the other hand, she gesture toward the other brunette in the room. "James, this is Kat. Kat, meet James."

The short brunette approached him with a bright smile and greeted, "Nice to meet you, James."

"And you, Kat," he responded with a nod.

"You should know that you're in a place of high honor," Kat commented seriously.

"Oh?"

The woman nodded. "Harper is the most highly discerning woman I've ever met when it comes to men. You're the only one to meet her standards in six years."

"Ah, well, I am honored to have been allowed into Harper's life, regardless of how discerning she is," Bucky said honestly. "I certainly don't feel I deserve her in mine."

"Shut up, both of you," Harper snapped, her cheeks flushing. "I'm suddenly regretting everything about tonight. Kat forcing me into these shitty clothes, James flattering me gratuitously…"

Kat barked a laugh and playfully shoved at Harper's shoulder. "Stop being dramatic, ya baby. Let's go get dinner. The hangover has passed and now I'm hungry and ready to get drunk again."

"Fine, fine," Harper sighed exaggeratedly. "Let's go."

The three headed out, Harper slipping her arm from Bucky's to lock her apartment door behind her. As they made their way outside and set off in the direction of the restaurants and bars, he replaced his arm loosely around her middle. Beneath the cover of her jacket, he teased the exposed flesh of her midriff with the tips of his fingers. Harper gave him a knowing look from beneath her lashes and a small smile turned her lips, but she otherwise made no reaction, merely continuing her conversation with Kat. He cupped the curve of her waist in his hand, appreciating her soft skin and the sexy figure she kept hidden.

As they walked, Bucky took in Kat's appearance a bit more. She was shorter than Harper and was quite slim. Her hair was a medium brown, and she had dark brown eyes. She was definitely a beautiful woman, the sort you might see on the cover of a magazine if it wasn't for her height. While he could appreciate her modern beauty, she wasn't really his type. However, he could see how Harper would have some insecurities having a best friend who represented a much different sort of beauty than she did. Especially, when that best friend was more typically attractive by current standards, however affronting to his sensibilities they may be.

"So when will your classes start?" Harper asked.

"Two weeks," Kat sighed. "No rest for the weary."

"Jeez, I'll say," Harper replied. Looking up at Bucky, she explained, "Kat is starting a yearlong program to get her Master's in Education."

"That's great," Bucky nodded, trying to hide the fact that he didn't really have a strong idea of what that meant.

"I'm excited but also pretty stressed," Kat lamented.

"I'll buy you a drink," Harper offered. "That'll help you get over it."

"Right you are," the other woman grinned. Turning to Bucky, she asked, "How do you keep up with this raging alcoholic, James? Lord knows it was all our group of friends could do to hang with her in college. Now that we're all older and our livers are already damaged, I have no clue how anyone could keep pace with her long term."

"A bottle of wine a week hardly makes me an alcoholic," Harper drawled. "No need to be bitter because I could outdrink you all at parties."

"Real talk, though, Harper," Kat began firmly. "Have you even considered cutting out the booze to see if it'd reduce your cluster cycles?"

"Of course I've considered it," Harper frowned. "But I'm not ready to give up my one night a week where I can just relax and forget things."

"Weed," Kat suggested.

"Not into it, remember?"

"I don't know why. It's pretty great."

"Whatever, Kat. This old borderline alcoholic is set in her ways."

"Just think about it, okay Harper?"

"Sure," the young social worker mumbled.

Bucky gently squeezed her side and tactfully asked, "So where are we going to eat? You ladies never told me."

"Harper was talking up some authentic Romanian place? With a load of meat and good pickles?"

The women began discussing the food, all tension gone. Harper tucked one of her hands inside her jacket, resting on top of his on her side. She gave his hand an appreciative squeeze. He had to duck his head to hide the smile that formed on his lips. He was happy to have been sensitive to Harper's mood and that he had successfully protected her from an unpleasant situation. That seemed to be what she had been doing for him since they first became acquainted, and he was glad to know he was capable of returning the gesture.

A/N: Apologies that I haven't updated in a little bit. I felt like I really needed to unplug recently. When I did return to the online world, I was admittedly disappointed at the limited feedback on the last couple chapters. I'm a little worried that maybe I haven't characterized Bucky very well now that he's in an actual relationship, or that maybe the pacing is off. Regardless, I do really appreciate all the favorites and follows. I hope that things take a turn for the better in the story as I go back to updating as usual so that things can progress!