Chapter Twenty
Steve smirked when he saw Bucky walk into the kitchen. The brown haired man had a large smile on his face as he poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot. The blond soldier shook his head, chuckling.
"You seem to be in a good mood," he commented.
Bucky looked up, the smile never leaving. "That's because I am."
"I take it the date went well?" Steve asked, a grin growing on his face.
Bucky sat at the counter next to his friend. He ran a hand through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling. "It was fantastic."
Steve smiled, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that, Buck. What happened?"
"The swing club Natasha told us about was actually the same place I used to take girls to. It looks exactly the same, Steve. They didn't change anything about it. And Tracey, God! She was beautiful! We spent the night dancing and she asked me to teach her some of the ones we used to do in the forties. God, it was amazing!" He grinned, thinking back to every moment spent with the blonde woman as he stared straight ahead. His smile fell though. "Dave showed up later on…"
"You can't be serious," Steve said, mouth falling open. "What did he do?"
"I saw him kiss Tracey and then pull her out of her seat. He was trying to take her back. He kept calling her his girl. Asshole wouldn't give up," Bucky retold the story, his hands balling into fists. "I punched him…"
"You did?" Steve laughed. "I think you did what Barry had always wanted to do. What did Tracey say about that?"
"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. A smirk formed. "She punched him too."
"You're kidding?" Steve said, a grin on his face. "She did? Damn, that had to have been a great moment for her."
"Probably. And man does she have an arm! Socked him right in the face," Bucky said, a proud smile on his face.
Steve smiled fondly as he looked at his friend. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much over any girl before. Tracey's definitely something special then."
"She is something special." He shook his head chuckling. "I sound like a love sick puppy."
Steve chuckled. "Yeah, but it's good to see you like this. After everything you deserve happiness, Buck. Are you going to take her out again?"
"I'd like to, I just don't know where to take her," Bucky said, running a hand through his hair. He took a drink from his mug, staring at the brown liquid as he thought.
"Why not ask her? You could take her somewhere she would like to go or the two of you can come up with something together," Steve offered. "Like I said before, it's Tracey. She's a sweet girl and she won't care what you guys do. She'd probably just like to be around you and get to know you some more. You might surprise her by asking her what she wants. I can only guess that was never the case with her and Dave. Just go ask her. She's probably in her room or on the top floor. It's worth a shot."
"Miss Madison is on her floor, Sergeant Barnes," JARVIS's voice sounded throughout the floor.
The two soldiers chuckled. "Thanks, JARVIS," Bucky said. He smiled back at Steve. "Thanks, man." He finished off the last of his coffee and headed to the elevator. "Hey," he said, turning back to Steve. "Maybe one day you and I can have an actual double date."
"You mean one that I'd actually enjoy?" Steve laughed.
Bucky grinned. "Punk."
"Jerk." He paused before calling out to him before he got on the elevator. "Buck."
"What?" Bucky asked, turning around.
Steve dug through his pockets and pulled something silver out. He tossed it to Bucky. The brunet caught it and opened his hand. His eyes widened as he stared at the object. It was a pair of dog tags. Examining it closer he saw the words "Barnes, James Bucky. Camp Leigh" and the numbers 3733756. He stared at them, speechless. He looked to Steve, who had a small smile on his face.
"Steve…where did you get these?"
"I found them in your bunk after the train accident," he answered. "I've kept them with me ever since."
Bucky remained wordless, but quickly crossed the room and engulfed his friend in a hug. "You're a sentimental punk. Do you know that?"
Steve chuckled as he hugged his friend in return. "Til the end of the line, pal."
"Til the end of the line…" Bucky repeated, a smile on his face.
"I remember how Morita gave you crap about giving them to a girl when you got back home. You'd always say that you had too many girls to choose from," Steve said with a laugh.
"We both know that was a load of bullshit," Bucky laughed as he slipped the tags around his neck. He tucked them under his shirt, a shiver going down his spine from the cool metal touching his skin.
"Maybe now you can give them to your girl," Steve smirked.
Bucky chuckled, scratching his neck. "My girl, huh?" He liked the sound of that. He pictured Tracey wearing his dog tags around her neck; her smiling up at him. The thought made him smile. "Maybe one day," he said, nodding his head thoughtfully.
Steve shook his head, laughing. "Get going, jerk. Go ask Tracey out for already."
"I'm going, punk," Bucky said, heading for the elevator. "I'm serious about the double date," he said as the doors closed.
Steve only chuckled as he sipped on his coffee.
ooOOoo
The elevator doors opened and right as Bucky was ready to step off they opened to Barry standing there. Both men took a step back in surprise.
"Man, I hate it when that happens," Barry laughed. He smiled and looked behind him. He turned back to Bucky. "Dude, I don't know what you did, but I haven't seen Tracey this happy after a date in years. Thanks."
Bucky smiled, peering over the light brown haired man's shoulder. At the kitchen counter was Tracey on her laptop. He smiled back at the male twin. "Really?"
"Yeah, dude. I haven't seen her smile this much in a long time."
Bucky's smile grew. He let out a sigh. "That's good to hear. I was actually surprised that you were all for me taking Tracey on a date. I'm used to dads and brothers telling me 'You treat her wrong and you'll have to deal with me' shtick."
Barry laughed. "Nah. Let's be honest. I wouldn't be able to take you down even if I tried." He patted the super soldier's shoulder as he passed him getting on the elevator. "Thanks again, man. Oh and thank you for punching Dave. Trace told me," he said with a wink.
Bucky smiled at the ex-SHIELD agent as the doors closed. He turned back around and smiled even wider as he looked at Tracey across the room. She had her hair up in its usual messy bun whenever she worked on her computer. She had her glasses on instead of her contacts and she was wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. He smiled warmly. The way women dressed now was so different from the way they dressed back in the forties. He didn't mind though. There was something charming about how the blonde woman always wore clothes that were slightly larger than her. He made his way over and took the seat next to her, smiling when she looked up at him. He smiled wider when he noticed her eyes light up.
"Hi, darling," Bucky said. He grinned when he saw her cheeks turn pink.
"Hey, Sergeant," Tracey said. She tilted her head down a bit as she smiled. "You know you don't have to call me that."
"I know, but I like to," he said in return, still smiling.
She smiled back at him before turning back to her computer. Bucky watched as her eyes roamed the screen. He smirked at how concentrated she was in her work and how she chewed on the inside of her cheek as she did so. Tracey's face relaxed, sensing Bucky's eyes on her. She turned around and smiled at Bucky when she saw that he was staring at her. He gave her a small charming smile and quickly winked at her; he chuckled when he saw her cheeks turn pink again as she ducked her head into her computer's screen.
Tracey cleared her throat before looking at him. "I'm sorry that Dave ruined our date… I wanted to know if you wanted to grab lunch today."
He grinned. "Are you asking me out now?"
"I am, unless you're dead set on being a gentleman from the forties and ask me out again," she said with a smirk.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I kinda like it." He smiled. "I was actually going to ask you the same thing."
She laughed. "We think alike then huh? Do you have a preference on where you want to go?"
"You can pick the place this time, doll," he said with a smile.
She smiled back. "I have one place in mind. Do you mind if I go change first?"
"Not at all."
"I'll uh meet you down in the lobby in ten minutes then?" she asked, standing up.
"I'll be waiting."
She tried to conceal the smile on her face as she walked away only to fail. She turned back around and caught Bucky watching her as she left. They smiled at each other before the doors closed.
ooOOoo
The sky was clear with a few clouds here and there. The streets were busy as always, hence the name "The City That Never Sleeps". Bucky smiled as he and Tracey walked down the street. He froze when he felt Tracey grabbed his metal hand. He felt her fingers fit in between his. He looked down and breathed as he grinned. Tracey was smiling up at him.
He shook his head. This woman was something else. She was never afraid of him. Even after everything he had done to her through his recovery. He smiled fondly down at her and squeezed her hand, rubbing his thumb up and down the back of it.
She smiled and squeezed his hand. "What did you think of the restaurant, Sergeant?"
"It was good. Chinese is very different, but good. I should listen to you for more recommendations. There's a lot of places I need to see since coming back," he said with a chuckle.
"Don't worry," she said, nudging his shoulder. "I'll help you catch up. Maybe you should do what Steve does?"
His smile fell to a questioning look. "What does Steve do?"
"He has a small notebook with a list of things he wants to see and do that's happened over the years you two have missed," Tracey explained. "Like movies, music, books, things that happened in history, anything really."
"Of course he would have that," Bucky said with a laugh. He groaned, chuckling. "He's damn smart. I should probably try it." He looked down at Tracey and smiled. "What are your favorite movies?"
Tracey laughed. "There are a lot of movies that I like." She paused, smiling as she thought. "But if you want my favorite…I'd have to say it's The Princess Bride."
"Well how about you and I watch that and some of your other favorites tonight?" he asked, a smirk on his face.
"Sounds like a plan," she grinned. Her eyes lit up when she spotted a building in front of them at the corner. "Okay, Sergeant. If you want to catch up with everything, you're going to need to try Starbucks."
His face scrunched up in confusion as she pulled him towards the building. "Starbucks?"
"It's a coffee shop," Tracey said as they walked in.
The barista at the counter greeted them with a smile. "Hi, what can I get you?"
"I'll have a grande pumpkin spice latte," Tracey said.
"No problem," the barista said as he wrote something down on a paper cup. He turned to Bucky with a smile. "And for you?"
Bucky's mouth was open as he stared up at the menu. He turned to Tracey, a puzzled look on his face. "What the hell is a grande? And what's a mocha."
Tracey giggled and placed a hand on his arm. "A grande is a medium drink. It goes tall, grande, and venti. A mocha is a coffee with chocolate in it." She turned to the barista. "He'll try a tall white chocolate mocha."
"Coming right up."
"So you got me a small?" Bucky said with a chuckle.
"That way it's not a complete waste if you don't like it," she said with a wink. "I'm thinking ahead."
"Who said I wasn't going to like it?" he laughed as they took a seat at a small table.
"I know you're used to your regular coffee. Well I know Steve is," she said with a smile.
"Did you take Steve here?"
"Yeah, he wasn't crazy about the mochas," she laughed.
Bucky smiled warmly at her. He reached his hand across the table, taking hers in it. "This is going to sound really stupid and cliché, but you have a beautiful smile," he said with a nervous chuckle.
Tracey blushed, biting her lip as she smiled. "Thank you…" She laughed. "You really know how to charm a girl, don't you?"
"Well not trying to brag, but…" he said with a grin.
She shook her head with a laugh. "Come on, Sergeant," she said as she stood up. "Our orders are ready. Do you want to go for a walk at Central?"
"Anywhere with you sounds great to me, doll," Bucky said, keeping his hand in hers as they walked out.
ooOOoo
"Are you serious?" Bucky guffawed as he and Tracey sat on her couch. "They gave him that voice?"
Tracey giggled. "Yeah, they make it this huge build up just for that. I told you this movie is the best."
The two were on Tracey's floor watching The Princess Bride. Tracey had given a somewhat vague description of the movie to Bucky when he had asked ("It's about a girl who falls in love with a farm boy. He goes off to sea only to die five years later. She becomes the prince of the kingdom's bride. It's full of humor, action, and romance. What more do you need?" she had said). They were laughing at the current scene which was the wedding. Bucky laughed as he heard the priest's voice. He had his arm around Tracey's shoulders and couldn't help but grin when she had leaned into him halfway through the movie.
"Barry has made it his goal to say this exact speech at someone's wedding," Tracey laughed. "He can do the voice too well."
"I don't believe you," Bucky laughed.
"He can. Ask him next time you see him. He'd be more than happy to do it for you."
"I'll try to remember that," Bucky said, smiling down at her.
He smiled warmly as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He rubbed his thumb up and down her arm as they continued to watch the movie. It was quiet aside from the movie playing. Bucky couldn't think of spending time doing anything else but this. He leaned his head against hers, smiling contently. However, the silence was interrupted by Dexter barking and jumping up onto their laps. Bucky let out an "oof" as the golden retriever landed on them.
He laughed as he scratched the dog's head. "Hey, Dexter. Geez, you're getting big."
"I know. He's not tiny anymore. Are you, buddy?" she cooed.
Dexter barked happily and licked Bucky's face. "Alright, bud, alright. Down." The dog obeyed after a few more licks and curled up in the spot next to Bucky and rested his head on the soldier's knee. Bucky chuckled. "You just have to have attention all the time don't you?"
"He's spoiled. That's what happens when he lives with so many people," Tracey said, scratching the dog's ear. She got up and grabbed the DVD out of the player when the movie ended. She turned to Bucky. "Okay, Sergeant, your turn to pick the movie."
He laughed. "I don't even know what you have. I don't know any movies from this time except for the ones I saw at the theater in the forties."
"What movies did you see?" she asked, sitting down next to him. She had a curious smile on her face as she stared at him.
He smiled, scratching his head. "Well the ones that I can remember off the top of my head are The Wizard of Oz, The Invisible Man, that Snow White movie that Disney guy made, and The Grapes of- what?" He quirked a brow when he saw Tracey grinning brightly at him.
"You've only seen Snow White?" she asked, eyes shining as she smiled up at him.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I think there were some other movies by Disney. Why do you ask?"
"You my friend are uneducated. We are watching all the Disney movies!"
Bucky barked out a laugh. "You mean there's more than the ones from back then?"
"You have no idea," she laughed. She got up, grabbing his hand and pulled him to the cabinet next to the TV. "Pick your weapon, Sergeant," she said as she opened one of the doors.
Bucky was astonished when he saw the number of Disney movies lining the shelf. Disney was a successful business? He didn't think that after the first few movies that it'd continue.
Tracey laughed at his face. "That's not even all of them. There's a ton more. These are just the ones I own."
He shook his head amazed. He turned to the blonde and smiled. "You pick. What's your favorite?"
She rolled her eyes. "The point is for you to pick, not me." She laughed. "Stop giving me that look," she said when she saw him grinning at her.
"You pick for me," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She blushed as he leaned his head towards her. She quickly grabbed a DVD and held it up to his face. "Beauty and the Beast."
He tilted his head as he took the box. "Did Disney take every fairy tale and make it into a movie or what?"
"Basically," she laughed as she took it from him and put it in the player. "Come on."
The two sat back down on the couch, returning to their original positions (Dexter laying his head on Bucky's lap as well) and started the movie. The entire night Tracey made Bucky choose the next movie even against his refusals. Thus resulting in the never ending Disney marathon. They were through three movies and just finished up The Little Mermaid when he looked down.
"Tra-" He stopped when he saw the blonde woman fast asleep against his shoulder. Smiling, he turned the movie off. He shifted around to where he was lying across the couch and pulled Tracey next to him. He smiled as he laid on his side, staring at her. Her breathing was even and her face was relaxed. He moved a strand of hair that fell in her face. He was still amazed that this was happening. That he was with Tracey. After everything that he had done in the past how did he deserve her?
His hand brushed the skin where her shirt was raised slightly. He went to fix it, but stopped when he saw the raised skin on her side. His face fell. It was her scar from when he stabbed her. His fingers slowly traced it. His heart sank. He was the one who had done it. He could have killed her. He kept tracing the scar subconsciously as his thoughts wandered over what happened that month ago when Tracey moved.
She looked up at him through sleep filled eyes. "Bucky?"
He stared down at her, sad. His hand rested on her side, covering the scar. "I'm sorry…"
She smiled and leaned up, kissing his jaw. "It's not your fault." Her eyes began to droop. "What time is it?" she asked through a yawn.
He chuckled and looked at the clock on the DVD player. "It's about three in the morning."
Tracey groaned and rested her head against his chest. "Why am I awake?"
"Just go back to sleep, baby," he said, smiling at her as he rubbed her back.
She smiled at him sleepily. "Goodnight, Bucky."
"Goodnight, Tracey," he said as he heard the even breathing from her again. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he stared out the window. He grabbed his tags from his shirt, staring at them. He looked at Tracey. A small smile graced his features. Maybe one day…
Finally done with another chapter. I'm not sure how many more chapters I will write. This story might be coming to a close real soon. Which is sad to say, but I'm actually excited about it. This will be the first story I've written that I have actually completed!
Thank you to all my friends on here who I've been bouncing ideas off of. You guys are amazing and I'm sorry for always bothering you with questions!
Also pumpkin spice latte is in! So excited! Just had my first one of the season after a hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity. Only played it twice, but one of the most fun games I've ever played!
I have a tumblr account for this story where you can ask Tracey, Barry, and the Avengers (Sharon and Pepper are included) any questions you'd like. I am also thinking of opening up for submissions for prompts and imagines. The prompts will be for another story I want to work on where it will just be a bunch of oneshots with the Madison twins and the Avengers throughout their daily lives. I'm not sure about the imagines yet. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Just shoot me a pm on here or message me on tumblr:
winter-is-ending
I hope you liked this chapter. I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'm still speechless at all the reviews I am getting. You guys are amazing!