Chapter twelve
Bucky stood in his bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He ran a hand over his jaw feeling the stubble on his chin. He frowned and grabbed his razor and the can of shaving cream out of the medicine cabinet on the wall. As he shaved the growing beard off his face he couldn't help but glower. After everything that happened yesterday from the relapse to talking with Tracey he was in a bad mood. One from having another relapse and two from Dave yelling and treating Tracey horribly.
He washed the remaining shaving cream off his face and checked for any missed spots. Looking at himself again he frowned once more. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it. From what he remembered of himself in the forties his hair was never long. It was short and he tended to keep it neat. This hair? This hair wasn't him. It was one of the few reminders of what he used to be. He sighed before shutting the water off.
He made his way up the elevator to the top floor where he knew Steve was. And sure enough the blonde haired super soldier was sitting on the couch with Sharon and Tracey. He smirked when he noticed an arm draped around the ex SHIELD agent. His eyes drifted over to Tracey. She was slouched slightly in her seat with her laptop on her lap. He noticed how she always chewed on her cheek as she worked, which was what she was doing. Her lips were in a small pout as she chewed her cheek, typing away at her computer. He smiled, remembering the talk he and the blonde woman had after the incident with Dave. They had spent a few hours just sitting watching TV and talking after everything. He didn't see how a man like Dave could treat a woman like Tracey as he did.
Steve smirked as he saw his friend staring at the hacker. He chuckled seeing as Bucky didn't notice him and Sharon staring. Steve smiled at Sharon, who grinned.
"Hey, Bucky," Steve said, the smile not leaving his face.
Bucky blinked, turning his attention to Steve. "Hey," he greeted.
"How are you, Bucky?" Sharon asked, smiling brightly at him.
The dark haired man raised a brow as he made his way over to one of the arm chairs. What was up with the smile? "I'm fine. How are you, Sharon?"
"I'm good."
"Hey, Sergeant," Tracey greeted, smiling as well.
"Hey," he smiled. He looked at the TV. "So what are you guys watching?"
"Friends," Tracey answered. "The best show ever."
"I loved watching this," Sharon commented. "I'm glad they at least have reruns."
"What is it about again?" Steve asked.
"Just a group of six friends and what goes on in their lives," Sharon explained, laughing at a scene with Chandler and Joey.
"It's basically the Tower, but without superheroes," Tracey laughed. She turned back to her computer, typing at the keyboard again.
Bucky glanced over at her chuckling to himself at how she would switch her gaze between her work and the TV. She would laugh at something from the show as she turned back to her computer.
"How's work going, Tracey?" he asked.
"Its," she said, dragging out the word. "Done!" she beamed, hitting a final key.
"You're kidding?" Steve said, sitting up.
"Nope, it's finally back!" Tracey said, a large smile on her face as she turned the computer to show the three.
"Great job, Trace!" Steve said, examining the screen. Sure enough the file was pulled up on the computer. "We'll have to let Tony know later."
"Later?" Tracey said with a smirk. "Don't feel like dealing with him right now?"
"Not at all," he chuckled, leaning back into his seat. He put his arms on the back of the couch and blushed lightly when he felt Sharon lean into him.
Bucky smirked at his best friend receiving a glare. He chuckled taking a pause a second later. He pushed back a strand of hair that fell in his face. He pursed his lips before clearing his throat.
"Hey, Steve?"
"Hmm?" Steve hummed, looking away from the television. "What's up, Buck?"
"I was wondering if you knew if there's a barber shop near by… I uh…want to get a haircut," he said, looking around the room.
Steve smiled assuredly at him. "Yeah, there's one down the block. If you want we can go now."
"Are you sure?" He glanced at Sharon next to his friend. "I mean you've probably got something going on now."
Steve chuckled, standing up. "No, I'm not busy." He turned to Sharon. "You don't mind if I take Bucky to get his hair cut do you?"
Sharon shook her head with a small laugh. "Not at all. It will give Tracey and I some girl time and get to know each other," she answered, smiling over at the other blonde woman.
"Sounds good to me," Tracey said, smiling back. "You two Army Bros need some guy time." She laughed when she saw Steve roll his eyes.
"That stupid nickname Tony made up isn't that funny," he said.
"I don't know," Bucky began. "I mean it's pretty clever if you think about it."
"Alright, whatever, come on, jerk," Steve said with a laugh as they got on the elevator. "See you, girls," he said as the girls waved goodbye.
As the elevator shut Bucky smirked over at Steve.
"So you and Sharon are getting along well," he commented.
"Yeah, I'm having a good time getting to know her," Steve smiled.
"I'm proud of you, Steve. You finally got a girl without my help," Bucky said, laughing.
"I never needed your help, jerk."
Bucky laughed. "What are you talking about? I was the one who set the dates up for us."
"That was because you would have a girl who had a friend who needed a date. And they were horrible dates."
"It still counts."
Steve scoffed, rolling his eyes. He smirked over at his friend.
Bucky raised a brow. "What?"
"What about you and Tracey? Is there anything you want to say?"
"What do you mean?" Bucky said, glancing up at the numbers as the elevator descended.
"You know I see you looking at her everyday practically," Steve said, his smirk growing.
Bucky let out a breathy laugh. "I'm that obvious huh?"
"Yeah, you kind of are," Steve laughed. "You like her don't you?"
"I…" Bucky paused, looking at his feet. "I think I do. I'm not sure… I mean she's done so much to help me even after everything I've done. She's amazing," he said, smiling lightly.
"That's great!" Steve said, smiling brightly. "You deserve some happiness."
"Thanks…but…I'm not sure what to do," he sighed.
Steve smiled lightly, chuckling. "Just talk to her."
Bucky closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and sighed. "And say what? I can't exactly ask her out, Steve. She's with Dave."
"Yeah, but in all honesty, I don't think they're going to last much longer. You've heard what Barry said about how Dave treats her. You've seen how he treats her. Tracey's a smart woman. She'll figure it won't work. She'll most likely be the one to break it off knowing her."
Bucky chuckled, nodding his head. He couldn't argue with that. Tracey was sweet, but she had a temper when she got mad. He thought it was charming that she didn't take anyone's crap and stand up for herself. Her yelling at Dave (and Barry) a few times proved it.
Steve put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Just give it time."
"The thing is…I remember everything that happened between Linda and I. Every time I asked her out she always declined me. What if…what if Tracey does the same?"
"Buck," Steve sighed. "I told you back then that Linda liked you, but she was shy. She was nervous to go out with you. I could tell. But with Tracey, I see how you to get along and interact. She's different from Linda, you know that. Just talk to her, see what happens. It's worth a shot."
Bucky smiled. "Thanks, Steve. Thanks for everything you've done for me."
Steve smiled back, putting an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "I'm with you til the end of the line. You know that, Buck."
"Til the end of the line, pal."
ooOOoo
Bucky sighed as he sat on the couch in the living room of his and Steve's room, running a hand through his hair. He felt better with his new haircut. He felt like his old self. He felt like James Buchanan Barnes just a bit more. He stood. He was bored. Steve was currently out on another date with Sharon. Tony was at a meeting with Pepper for Stark Industries, Bruce was down in the labs, and the others were down in the gym. Barry had asked if he wanted to join, which Bucky declined not feeling up for it. He had nothing to do now and had ended up wondering around the tower. After a while he sighed, hesitating as he stood in the elevator staring at the buttons for the floors. Finally, he decided and pressed one of the many buttons. When he got off the elevator he heard some song he had heard on the radio the other day.
Walking off and onto the floor he saw Tracey sitting in a chair in the corner of her living room with her painting easel. The song that was filling the air was turned down to a low volume and she was singing along to it as she painted. She had her hair up in the same messy bun she wore whenever she was working on her computer or her paintings. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a rather large white shirt that had paint smudges all over it.
He watched her paint for a few more minutes before he cleared his throat making his presence known.
Tracey jumped in her seat and clutched at her heart as she stared at Bucky. "Geez, give a girl a heart attack," she laughed. She blinked, staring at him. "Whoa," she said. "You look different."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is it bad?" he asked.
"No no! It looks good. You look good. You look like your old self," she smiled
Bucky smiled. "Thanks," he said, running a hand through it. He felt the now shorter strands of hair slip through his fingers, reveling in the feel of not having the hair of the Winter Soldier anymore. "I feel like my old self a bit more now."
"That's good. Well come on over," she said, waving her hand.
Bucky smirked. He walked over and peered over her shoulder at the painting. "What are you working on?" he asked.
"Oh just a quick painting I had in mind for a while. Now that I'm done with the file I have some free time so I decided to break out my paints," she said, turning back to her work.
Looking at it, Bucky made out tall buildings and a street at the bottom with people scattered all over. But what was the center of the image was the tall tower with the large A at the top. It was slightly off center with a bright blue sky dotted with a few clouds. The grays, whites, and blacks mixed together to create the Avengers Tower with simple brush strokes.
It's no wonder Steve and Tracey get along so well. Bucky thought. They probably talked about art when they first met. "It looks great" he said.
"Thank you," Tracey said, smiling up at him.
It was silent as Bucky watched Tracey move the paintbrush across the canvas. The only sound in the room coming from not a radio, but her laptop to Bucky's amazement. Then again nothing really surprised him nowadays with the technology that evolved through the years since the forties.
"How is the music playing on your computer?" Bucky questioned, staring at the glowing screen that was on the couch behind them.
"Hmm?" Tracey hummed, looking up from her painting. "Oh, it's this sort of radio thing you can get on your computer – or phone – it's called Pandora.
He nodded his head as he leaned against the wall as he continued to watch her paint. Silence filled the room again until Bucky's head snapped up when a new song started to play. It was slow and flowed to a soft rhythm. A man's voice followed the music as he began to sing. He recognized him, a singer from the forties. Memories of Bucky dancing with different girls flashed through his head. He blinked as the images disappeared.
"Are you okay?" Tracey asked. She was looking at him with concern all over her face, her paintbrush hover a few inches away from the canvas.
"Huh?" Bucky said, running a hand through his hair. "Uh, sorry, I just remembered something…something from before the war."
Tracey beamed. "That's great! What was it? If you don't mind sharing with me I mean."
Bucky smiled at her as he watched her smile grow as she looked at him. He chuckled. "It's nothing much, I remember I used to love dancing."
Tracey giggled which made Bucky furrow his brow in confusion. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. You just don't strike me as a man who 'loves' to dance."
"Hey, that was one of the things we'd always do back in the forties," he defended.
"I know that," she giggled. "But I didn't think you'd be the guy to take a girl dancing. Sure maybe to the movies or dinner, but dancing? That seems more like something Steve would do."
"I'm the one who danced – a good dancer – Steve was the one who didn't know how until I taught him."
"Really?" she asked amazed. "I would have thought he'd know how to dance."
"Back then he was smaller and had asthma. He also didn't do so well with the ladies. Said he was waiting for the right partner," Bucky said, shaking his head at the memory.
"Oh I forgot he said he had asthma before the serum. I'm honestly surprised he didn't have any dates. He's so sweet." She put her paint brush in the cup of water on the little table next to the easel before turning her body to face the super soldier. "And how many did you get Mr. Barnes?" she asked with a smirk.
Bucky chuckled. "I had a lot from what I remember. Why so curious ma'am? Are you jealous?" he said, returning the smirk.
"Just curious, since you were such a ladies man from what Steve has said. You must have swept the girls off their feet with your dancing skills," she said, smirking at him once more.
He smiled at her. "I did actually. I can show you if you'd like," he said, extending his hand to her.
"Right now?" she said shocked, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Well the music does fit for dancing," he replied with a grin.
"I'm not sure I'd make a great dance partner," Tracey said, shaking her head. "The last time I danced with someone that's even close to the way you're used to dancing was at my senior prom and that was about eight years ago."
Bucky smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to her feet. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll teach you."
He took her hand in his and placed her other one on his shoulder. Placing a hand on her lower back, drawing her closer to him and smiling at her when a blush crept up her face, he took the first step starting the dance.
He led the way through it as Tracey kept looking down at her feet, nervous about stepping on his or tripping over hers. But when she looked back up at him she was met with a warm, reassuring smile which only made her smile back. Tracey laughed whenever Bucky would spin her out and back into his arms, stumbling the first time it happened not expecting the sudden spin. She hadn't had this much fun dancing in a long time. The only dancing she had done recently was with Dave at a club two weeks ago and it was the kind where you bump and grind, which wasn't her style. During that date she had done everything to avoid the dance floor, only to be pulled back in by a drunk Dave. This dancing, however, she liked.
She smiled contently, leaning her head against his shoulder, getting lost in the music and the dance. She blushed even more when she felt Bucky lean his head against hers and quietly sing along to the song. The two stayed like that, swaying and turning to the music. Daring a glance up at him, she smiled as he smiled down at her.
The moment seemed so perfect. However, it was interrupted by the sound of a phone going off.
Tracey eye's widened and she jumped away from Bucky, her face bright red. Turning around she looked over at the coffee table where her phone was ringing and buzzing. She furrowed her brow when she picked it up only to throw it at the couch.
She shook her head. "He's been calling since yesterday. He doesn't get it…" she mumbled. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She turned to Bucky. "Um sorry, but I have to go."
"Uh…yeah, yeah," Bucky said, rubbing the back of his neck. Was his face on fire? "Uh see you later…"
Tracey nodded her head, waving as she entered the elevator. She walked past Tony, who was standing by the doors. He had an eyebrow raised as he looked from Tracey before the doors closed to Bucky, who had a defeated look on his face.
"Did I see you and Miss Techie dancing?" the billionaire asked, once he was standing with Bucky.
Bucky only glared at him. "Shut it, Stark," he said, taking a seat on the couch, resting his elbow on the arm and leaning his head against his hand. Did he really just do that? Dance with Tracey? I'm an idiot… he groaned in his head. God, what was I doing?
"Whoa there, Robocop." Tony held his hands up in defense. "I'd rather have you date her than that scumbag. You know how he treats her."
"I know…" Bucky growled, glaring out the window.
Tony patted the super soldier's shoulder. "Come on, Queen Elsa. I'm heading to the gym. I hear your buddy, Captain Ice Age and Mrs. Smith are heading that way as well. You can show Hawkie how it's done in the shooting range. I heard from Cap you were a pretty good shot in the army," he said, leading him to the elevator.
ooOOoo
"I have to say," Sharon said, looking at Bucky. "You really are good with a gun."
The group had just left the gym and shooting range combo room. Clint and Natasha surprisingly weren't there when Tony and Bucky had gotten to the floor. Turns out that they actually were together. Barry had joked around saying how he knew they were an item. The others thought it was funny and a resounding "It's about time". Now they were walking through the lobby where Tony was getting some papers from the receptionist for Pepper.
"Thanks," Bucky said with a huff of a laugh. "I've had to save Steve's ass a few times in the war."
"I believe that," Barry laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen Steve with anything, but that shield of his."
"Let's see you throw the shield around then and see how well you handle it," Steve challenged.
"I'd love to see Space Cadet try and use it," Tony smirked, as he thanked the woman at the desk as she handed over a manila folder. However, it fell when he turned around and saw the scene in front of the lobby doors. "Oh shit…"
The rest turned around and were surprised to see Tracey storming through the doors, brow furrowed. They looked between each other, concerned as to what could have possibly gotten the blonde woman in such a rage. That is until they saw who came through the door next.
"Babe, calm down," Dave said, walking quickly over to the woman.
"No! Why should I calm down?" Tracey screamed whipping around, getting in Dave's face.
"You're causing a scene," he stated as he finally reached her.
"Good!"
"Look you're getting too worked up," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.
She took a step back before he could. "Too worked up? You were with another women!"
"She was a friend."
Tracey scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah a friend who you had your tongue shoved down her throat!"
"Tracey, babe-"
"Don't you babe me! You cheated on me, Dave! I'm your girlfriend and you were on your bed making out with another woman! And it was Veronica! You're best friend's girlfriend! I'm pretty sure if I had walked in a minute later neither one of you would have had clothes on!"
"Well maybe if I actually got to see my girlfriend instead of hearing that you're always working I wouldn't have to be with another woman! And maybe if you actually had some fun once in a while this wouldn't happen."
Tracey's eyes widened in fury. "And I've told you a thousand times that I need this job and I need money! I've also told you that I'm not ready for that. Maybe if you actually got your head out of your ass and lowered that ego of yours you would realize that I have a life other than making you happy!"
He raised a hand and stopped midway causing her to flinch. "I'd watch what you say if I were you."
"Hey! Get the hell away from my sister!" Barry yelled, storming over to the two and pulling Tracey behind him.
"This doesn't involve you," Dave spoke, glaring daggers at the male twin.
"The hell it doesn't! If it concerns you hitting my sister, yeah it does. And if you ever hit her you're going to have to deal with me!"
"And me," Tony said, walking up, brow furrowed.
"This doesn't involve you," Dave said, jabbing a finger into Barry's chest, who swatted it away. "Or you old man." Dave made to jab his finger at Tony, only to be grabbed by the wrist. He looked up and met the glaring eyes of Bucky.
"I suggest you go before you get hurt." Bucky said darkly, his eyes narrowing, intensifying his glare.
Dave looked from him to Steve to Tony and then finally Barry. He glared at Bucky before yanking his wrist out of the super soldier's grip. "Whatever." He pointed at Tracey. "We're not done talking."
She narrowed her eyes and stomped around Barry. "Yes we are! You're a pig and an asshole! I never want to see you again!"
Once he was out the lobby doors (thanks to Happy forcing him out before a fight could break out) Tracey turned around and buried her face in Barry's chest, her sobs rocking her body. Barry wrapped his arms around her shushing her as she cried. Eventually he led her to the elevator with the other three men and woman following.
Well holy crap again. I have no idea how I was able to actually get this chapter done so quickly. I had the idea down for this chapter, but I didn't think I'd be able to have it written out so quickly. And sad to say I didn't have much going on during a Saturday. (Ugh I need a car.) I think this is the first time I've updated three chapters in one week.
I hope you guys enjoyed this. I know a lot of you had been wanting Tracey and Dave to break up so here it is! Also felt like putting a small bit of Trucky in there. I hope that wasn't pushing it too quickly :/
As stated before: I have a tumblr where you can ask Tracey and Barry and the Avengers any questions you'd like. Just look for
winter-is-ending
And as always I love love LOVE hearing your guys' thoughts. I love getting any critiques and helpful tips. Every review I get always makes my day and brings a HUGE smile to my face. So please leave a review.
Have a great day!