Thank you, thank you to my readers for their amazing reviews. You have no idea how much they inspire me, and since reading them I've been writing like a madwoman the last couple days. The next couple of chapters are a treat, let me tell you. The fluff is absolutely disgusting, and since you were all so patient with the awful slow burn you deserve it.
Enjoy this chapter. It goes out to all my Bucky/Lucy fans ('Lucky' - how cute is that couple name?!), and I hope it does not disappoint.
Chapter XIX
"So you're tryin' to tell me," Dum Dum Dugan paused to take a sip of his morning coffee, interrupting his sentence, "That you're not the least bit sore at me for getting us on that mission?" His eyes were squinting, looking at Bucky with a skeptical expression. He didn't believe him for even one second when Bucky swore to him that he wasn't mad. Especially since he was being forced to go on a mission with a woman he supposedly hated.
Bucky threw his head back and groaned, "Christ, for the last time! No!" He frustratedly mixed shaving cream in the metal cup he had in his hand. He sat on a tree stump as Simon was opposite to him, holding a mirror up.
There was a pause. Bucky figured that it was the end of the discussion and he could begin shaving in peace.
"Are you sure, cause—" Dugan's Boston accent cut through the silence.
"Dugan, I swear to God if you ask me one more time…" Bucky continued, threatening him with a pointed look.
"Alright, alright," Dum Dum held his hands up in surrender, "Sheesh, you're tense. I don't think I like this side of you, Sarg."
Bucky only rose his eyebrows and worked the shaving brush into the cream. He figured that since they were going on a highly dangerous mission he wouldn't have the time to shave while he was over there. And since his last interaction with Lucy went rather well, he had some strange need to make himself look good for her.
And besides, Bucky only had a few hours until they departed to Norway and he figured he might as well try to kill some time.
But looking good for Lucy didn't matter. Since he wasn't interested in her anymore, it shouldn't be a big deal. Right? At least, that's what Bucky tried to tell himself.
"But how are you fine with this? That's what I want to know." Simon remarked curiously.
"Yeah, I mean you're oddly calm about spending a lot of time with someone you hate," Gabe Jones said as he sat nearby, eating his morning rations and sipping on a steaming cup of joe.
"I dunno." Bucky shrugged as he looked down at the cup. He gestured to Simon who held a small broken piece of mirror up. "Just am." He stated as he moved the brush on his jaw, covering his skin with the thick cream. "Plus, I don't hate her."
"Yes you do," Simon gave a small laugh, "You've been complaining about her for days. You've even stated that you hated her multiple times. Which is why I'm confused that last week you were getting mad at Whitney for making that bet."
"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Still haven't forgotten you were taking part in that, Pym." Bucky shot him an accusing glare and the smaller man shrunk down in his seat, ashamed. He had never been so mad at his men for making such a disgusting bet. Bucky was determined to make them feel bad about it at every chance he got.
"Seriously Sarg, what changed?" Dugan asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Did you finally realize you were sweet on her when you went to go visit her in the hospital?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Bucky continued looking down at his tin full of shaving cream. He added more on his brush, "No, nothing like that." He assured him and then continued with his routine, "I uhh... I just remembered that I know her." He looked up at him and Dugan was taken back.
"Sorry, what?" Dugan asked confused.
"You know her?" Jones questioned with a frown on his face, not understanding, "I don't think we follow."
"Turns out," Bucky wiped his hands on his pants and grabbed his razor. He opened it and began to slide it down his skin carefully. He paused only for a moment to keep them in suspense, "We met one summer about three years ago in Brooklyn."
Dugan's eyes widened as he heard Bucky's words and he blinked a couple of times in surprise, "Well, that is a juicy bout of news if I've ever heard any. What the hell happened?"
Bucky paused, continuing on shaving. Trying not to knick himself on the crummy razor, he slid it down slowly. He was sitting there in only his trousers, deciding he didn't want to get his uniform shirt dirty before they left. Although, he suspected they would be given other clothes since they were trying to be as undetectable as possible. "I took one look at her and thought that I found my future wife." Bucky exhaled deeply as he refused to meet the gaze of his infantry members.
Dugan burst out laughing, nearly doubling over in hysterics, "You're kidding me! You thought — No! Oh my God! You thought— Holy shit!" He laughed harder, slapping his knee as Jones and Pym both got a kick out of it as well. Bucky only rolled his eyes in annoyance. He should have known better and held his tongue regarding his true feelings for her.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, shit bags." He mocked them, scowling as he continued trying to shave.
"I have literally heard you refer to her as 'Satan's Mistress'" Gabe pointed out, "And your first thought when you saw the broad was that you wanted to marry her?" No one believed what Bucky was saying. After all, he had complained about her numerous times.
"Yeah, I mean you have seen the woman right?" He tried to defend his actions. He knew that no one would fault him for being attracted to her based on her looks.
"Practically sex on legs," Jones crassly quipped.
"Watch it!" Bucky snarled at him, ready to reach over and grab him by the shirt collar.
"Yeah, Jones!" Dugan tried to pretend to be angry and frown. He burst out laughing in only a moment, "Have some respect, that's future Mrs. Barnes!"
"Alright, so this is officially the last time I ever tell any of you morons anything." Bucky held up his hands defeatedly and shrugged as though he didn't care.
"Awwe c' mon don't be like that," Dugan chuckled, "We all wanna know more! Right, fellas? What in God's name happened?"
Bucky shrugged, "Classic boy meets girl. The girl is engaged. Girl tells boy that, but boy doesn't care. Girl and boy dance in the middle of the street. And then he's left feeling like an idiot after she leaves because he can't get her out of his head," He sighed, trying not to focus on what happened. Bucky hissed as he accidentally nicked himself on the chin. He held his thumb against the small cut and attempted to stop the light bleeding.
"Oh, that's just tragic," Pym's face lowered after hearing Bucky's story.
"See! Thank you!" Bucky exclaimed, happy that at least one person understood how he felt.
"No, that she's in engaged!" Pym frowned, "I needed that 20 bucks! My sister-in-law just had a baby! I need to send them money for a gift from Uncle Simon."
"Oh, congratulations!" Gabe said happily, getting sidetracked, "What's the little tyke's name?"
"Hank." Simon smiled widely, looking proud as could be. "He's perfect from what my brother wrote describing him."
Bucky cringed as he realized what Simon was saying before he began speaking about his nephew. "Wait, you didn't think you could win the bet, did you?"
"No," Simon shrugged, "But I figured if I got a kiss or maybe even a handshake that would count towards something', right?"
"Hey, Pym? Remember when I said that under no circumstances was anyone allowed to take part in that bet?" Bucky angrily pursed his lips together.
"I vaguely recall you saying that, yes." Simon nodded eerily, "You know that won't stop Whitney, right?"
Bucky rolled his eyes at the name of his nemesis. Gabe had a similar reaction to the name of the horrible man, clearly unhappy about him as well, "Just let me worry about Gilbert Whitney," He knew that Lucy was engaged or married, but Whitney didn't and Bucky was looking forward to the man making an ass of himself in front of her again.
"So, it took you how long to remember that you met her and fell head over heels for her?" Jones asked.
Bucky paused shaving the side of his face, "Hold up, never said I fell head over heels for her. Let's not get confused, alright fellas? It was infatuation of the idea of her at best. And I didn't recognize her because I was drunk at the time. Plus, she lied and said her name was Emma."
"Well, yeah that makes sense. Because if she told you her name was Lucy Heinrich you could have blown a gasket over her," Simon only replied with. "I'm sure she gets it all the time."
Bucky paused, blinking a couple of times slowly, trying to get what Simon was talking about, "What? What do you mean? Why would I have blown a gasket?"
Simon's mouth dropped and then he chuckled, "Seriously? You don't know who Lucy Heinrich is? The Heinrich sisters don't ring any bells?"
Bucky face contorted with confusion as he asked, "Should it?"
"Christ, Barnes!" Gabe sighed, "She's practically New York royalty! Everyone knows who Lucy Heinrich is!" His stomach dropped a little as he explained that. Bucky was right in assuming that they were from two separate worlds.
Bucky looked at Dum Dum, who was looking just as confused. The man only shrugged, "This is the first I'm hearing of this too."
Simon only sighed and looked down, still holding the mirror for Bucky as he was finishing up shaving. "A couple of years ago, she and her sisters were in the paper. After the youngest sister died their father went a little off the rails. Started beating them all around and all that, and then one day he lost it. Killed both their mother and himself. Then, these girls who were orphans get adopted by the Lee family. Talk about a rags to riches story! These gals didn't even have two pennies to rub together and now they're spending time with Rockefeller's and Rothchild's!"
"Even I knew who she was! I remember my ma bringing it up when she got engaged. She read in the paper that allegedly there was this huge fuss going on because she was marrying some French professor instead of someone else from old money." Gabe added.
Bucky felt his hand drop his razor, his mouth opening slightly in shock. He needed a moment to process what was happening. Running his hand through his hair, he wondered how he could have been so stupid. He had always known she had come from money. But he had no idea just how much money and how influential her family was. Not only that, but he had always assumed she was born into a cushy life. Now that he knew her struggle, he felt like an ass for assuming that he knew what her life had been like. Although, she was still filthy rich in the end.
"Well, I would say that the most hilarious part of the story is that good old Buck here actually thought he had a shot with her!" Dugan burst out laughing and the other guys joined. Bucky scowled more before twirling his razor in a cup full of water.
He only sighed, and continued, trying to ignore them while also trying to process the information he discovered.
"Aww, come on Buck. I'm sure if you said you guys had a connection, then it happened." What Dugan said sounded nice but his tone was mocking. He attempted to be comforting anyway.
"Listen, I know what happened that night. I don't have to prove shit all to you guys." Bucky justified.
"But she doesn't recognize you at all?" Jones asked, frowning.
Bucky shook his head, finishing the last couple spots he needed on his upper lip as he shaved, "Nope. Hasn't mentioned anything if she did."
"Bummer," Was all Dugan said before hesitantly saying, "I guess it didn't mean as much to her as it did to you."
Bucky only sighed, "I guess." For some reason, as he thought about that, his heart began hurting.
He thought of the way they danced that night and how she had rested her head on his chest and how close they held one another. He also thought of the way they laughed the day before, and how she had teased him. They had agreed to be friends, and that had once again filled him with something he hadn't had in a while. He felt happy when he thought about it, and hopeful.
Even though she was engaged, or possibly married even; Bucky was still thankful that he at least got to possibly befriend his dream girl. At least it was better than nothing.
"Are you gonna tell her?" Simon questioned, unsure of how to approach the situation. He frowned as he thought about it.
"Don't see the point in it." Bucky shrugged, "Either she remembers or she doesn't. Why waste my time if it meant more to me than to her?"
"So, what?" Jones sat off to the side. Bucky finished the last little bit of shaving his face, putting his razor in the water to clean it again, "You're friends now?"
Bucky shrugged, "Yeah, I'd say we're at least civil." He didn't know what they were. They shook on being friends the night before, but it was a lot more complicated than that. All he knew though was that he wanted to be friends. And he was willing to try to make it work out.
"Good. That's good that you're friends now. " Dugan said smugly before getting a mischievous grin on his face. His eye caught on something behind Bucky, making him raise a smug eyebrow. "Cause she's heading in this direction."
Bucky scrambled to his feet clumsily, "Shit!" He hissed, looking flustered and quickly grabbing a rag to wipe the remnants of shaving cream off his face. Bucky didn't know why his heart was pounding so hard when Dugan said she was walking over. He also didn't know why he was acting so nervously, but apparently, his tension was obvious to those around him.
Everyone present laughed at his awkward state as Lucy Heinrich walked over calmly. Bucky paused and threw the rag away, trying to look as casual as possible without her noticing.
"Dr. Heinrich, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Dugan still was laughing from what just happened.
Lucy pursed her lips and tried not to smile at the scene she just witnessed as she came forward. She was positive Bucky didn't quite understand the meaning of being subtle. She looked at him with an amused twinkle in her eye, "Actually, I'm here for Bucky."
"Oh?" Dugan's eyebrows raised and he gave Bucky a suggestive look which he was sure Lucy had noticed. "Hear that Buck? She's here visiting you." A couple more snickers were heard from Bucky's friends and all he wanted to do was bury his head in the sand.
"Thank you, I heard her. I'm standing right here." Bucky gave him an accusing look and came forward to Lucy. He wiped his hands on his pants and approached her, crossing his arms over his bare chest.
He noticed how she suddenly blushed as he walked forward. He didn't miss the way her eyes glanced down his body and her breathing suddenly became more sporadic. He knew he usually had the same effect on most dames, but he never figured Lucy Heinrich to be one of them.
"What can I do for you, Doc?" He asked smugly, knowing that she was uncomfortable by his half-naked body.
"I umm," She cleared her throat and refused to meet his gaze "I was hoping you could — Umm... Would you mind putting a shirt on?" Lucy stuttered, turning to look at anything but him. She refused to look at his bare chest, no matter how impressive of a sight it was.
Bucky decided now was a good time to play around with her. He wanted to see how far he could make her squirm, and the fact that he was making her so uncharacteristically bashful caused pride to well inside him, "Why?" Bucky smirked with a shit-eating grin, his eyes sparkling, "Am I making you uncomfortable, Doc?"
"Hardly," She scoffed before smirking, "This isn't the first time I've seen a half-naked man."
"Well," Bucky stretched casually, knowing exactly what he was doing to her as he was exposed to her. Her cheeks turned a gorgeous shade of pink and she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes couldn't help but rake down him one last time, taking him all in as she exhaled deeply. "By the way you're ogling me, I would say different."
"I am not ogling," She squirmed more and her cheeks got redder, making Bucky's grin grow even bigger, "And it's not nearly as impressive as the last half-naked body I saw," Lucy replied shrugging.
Some more snickers were heard from the peanut gallery and Bucky winced at her comment. "Alright, ouch. Point taken," Bucky's expression fell as he reached to grab a shirt and pull it over his head. He approached her again, noticing how she had regained her composure after the little stunt he pulled. "So what can I do you for, doll?"
Lucy gave him an accusing, disapproving look and Bucky sighed and rolled his eyes, "Doctor." He corrected himself.
A small smile appeared in the corner of her lips at his correction. Bucky heart pounded a little faster in his chest as he saw her small, bashful grin, "I was wondering if you could help me out with something? Considering we've now reached an agreement to be friendly towards one another, I wasn't sure who else to ask."
"You could have asked me!" Simon Pym volunteered and shot up, he eagerly approached her and stuck his hand out, "Simon Pym, a pleasure to meet you!" He shook her hand so hard Bucky was sure it was about to fall off. He looked at Lucy with awe, and Bucky could have sworn the man was in love.
"The pleasure is all mine, Simon." She replied sweetly, even though he continued to still shake her hand aggressively.
"Alright. Slow down, tiger." Bucky pat his shoulder and ushered him away, "Go take a breather before you burst a vein or somethin'."
Lucy only chuckled as Simon stocked away, looking a little sore. He kept staring dreamily at her, stuck in a gaze.
"As you were saying," Bucky had the biggest smile on his face that she had ever seen. She figured it had something to do with her to coming to him to ask for something, "I believe you were asking for my help?"
"Well, if you're going to be so smug about it...I could always ask Simon?" Two could play that game, she realized.
"No, I don't mind!" Bucky stuttered hastily corrected his attitude, causing Lucy to revel in her win. "What do you need?" He smiled genuinely at her. Bucky was flattered that she was able to put her pride aside and ask for his help. He knew it likely wasn't easy for her.
"Remember how in the cavern below the church the day we first met," She breathed out painfully and closed her eyes. It was getting periodically more difficult for her to admit she needed help, "And we had that moment in there and afterward I whipped out my pistol?"
Bucky frowned, looking confused, "What moment?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, what moment?" Dum Dum interjected and sat there smugly as he rested his chin in his palm, clearly assuming something naughty had gone down.
Lucy looked around and saw all the men eagerly listening. A devilish idea popped into her head. If Bucky thought he was the only one who could tease, he had another thing coming.
"You know," She came forward with a flirtatious grin, causing Bucky to swallow a lump in his throat. Lucy let out a playful, slight giggle. Lucy leaned forward to whisper in his ear and causing him to notably shiver, "That special moment between us."
Bucky's breathing grew a little deeper and Lucy took the opportunity to gently trail her finger along his jaw and cleared some remaining shaving cream off of it. "Guess you missed a spot," She whispered seductively before biting her lip. The tension in the air was so palpable one could almost taste it. Bucky could feel himself stir in his trousers and couldn't remember the last time he had been so turned on by just a dame whispering something to him.
He shivered again and looked down at her, trying to focus on anything other than her lips that he wanted to capture in his own. Bucky blinked a couple of times dumbly before clearing his throat and nervously admitting, "I uhh—I'm not sure I'm following you there, sweetheart."
"Holy shit," Dum Dum whispered under his breath, wondering what she was alluding at. He watched the back and forth between Bucky and Lucy with confusion.
Lucy then backed away, a winning look on her face. Bucky was still confusing himself and trying to control his arousal. "The special moment where I realized you were an ass and you realized I was a… Well, something unflattering I'm assuming."
"Oh, yeah." Bucky deadpanned, "I am familiar with that moment." He was still a little shaken about what the hell just happened. He was confused, to say the least. However much he thought he affected her was nothing compared to how she affected him. Perhaps teasing her wasn't so smart after all? She could play the game as well as he could.
"I whipped out my gun and you said I didn't know how to use it. And you were right. I've never shot one, and I think I should learn. We're going to a very dangerous place and if things get ugly I want to be ready."
"Umm, hard no to that one, doll face." He told her, shaking his head, "I'm not gonna give you the opportunity to shoot me."
"I'm not going to shoot you!"
"Sure, you say that now. But then I put a gun in your hand and then you shoot me."
"Ugh, fine. I'll find someone else." She groaned in annoyance.
"I'll help—!" Simon stood up from his place and raised his hand as though he were volunteering in a classroom.
"Sit down!" Bucky pushed Simon's shoulder down, forcing him back into his seat. He quizzically turned to Lucy, "What's in it for me?"
She pursed her lips and shrugged, "I help out when we get into trouble instead of just cowering and hiding?"
Bucky sighed and gave a small shrug, "Alright, good enough for me. As long as you're useful and not crying I'll count that as a win."
"Good," She nodded and then turned, "I'll see you at target practice,"
His eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her swaying hips. It almost looked as though she were sashaying away as his eyes gave her backside a once over. As soon as she was out of ear's distance all the guys around him burst out into laughter.
"Knock it off!" Bucky hissed lowly, his jaw clenched as he scolded them like misbehaving children. "Or else there's gonna be some friendly fire mishaps going on around here."
"What the hell just happened?" Jones laughed out loud, "You alright, Sarg? You're looking a little pale."
"Christ, she is going to kill me." Bucky groaned and ran a hand through his hair, "Did you see that?"
"Saw it but having a hard time believing it." Dugan nodded and came towards him. "What did I tell ya, huh? Sexual. Tension."
Bucky shook his head in disbelief, "That's not what that was. That was just friends being... friends?"
"Well if that's just friends being friends that you better befriend her for the rest of us. So we can live vicariously through you." Dugan laughed.
"You are one lucky son of a bitch, you know that?" Simon scowled, "You get to help that shoot a gun! You get to go up behind her and hold her against you and everything. I haven't been that close to a woman in months!"
"Have you ever been that close to a woman at all?" Jones teased him, causing Simon to roll his eyes and shove him playfully.
"Oh, Christ." Bucky never thought of what helping her shoot a gun meant. He closed his eyes in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose as he wondered why he agreed to such a thing.
"You better keep those thoughts pure as a saint," Dugan laughed even harder, "Because she'll know if you're thinking something dirty!" The laughter only grew.
Bucky only clicked his teeth and shook his head again, "Oh yeah? And you think that's gonna be easy with that pressed against me?"
"Never said it was gonna be. That's a minx of a woman," Dugan snickered before lighting a cigar, "Just think of things to kill the mood. Your grandma, a dead dog and things like that, you know? Do not let yourself think about her in that kinda way."
Bucky grabbed his gun and some extra ammo. He sighed and then began to head off, "Wish me luck,"
"Oh, you're gonna need it, alright." Gabe Jones stated and as Bucky walked away he could hear them all roaring in laughter.
Lucy had almost lost it. When she approached she hardly expected Bucky to be shirtless, let alone that unbelievably gorgeous.
She tried not to look at his broad shoulders or the fact he had the most incredible six-pack she had ever seen. Or the way he had a dark patch of hair leading from his navel to inside his trousers. Lucy felt her breathing grow more sporadic as she stared at him and she developed an aching feeling between her legs which she hadn't felt for a while.
Above his belt, a perfect "V" highlighted his pelvis and Lucy let her mind drift for only a few seconds to think of how he would look underneath her. Immediately she shook the thought off, more embarrassed than anything that it had popped into her head.
She was both ashamed and annoyed that such a thing had even occurred to her. But the way he stretched out, highlighting each muscle and divot of his body almost drove her mad. She wasn't sure if at that moment she wanted to grab him by the belt and pull him into her or smack him across the face for being so smug.
Lucy wasn't sure when her feelings of a sexual nature developed for Bucky. Perhaps it had been back when they were still fighting? She imagined what it would feel like to work all that aggression out in a more proactive way. Or was it when he had stuck up for her against Gilbert Whitney? Lucy wasn't quite sure.
All she knew was that good girls didn't have thoughts like that. So she expelled them from her head and promised herself not to dwell on it.
She found she only had to wait for Bucky for a few moments since he wasn't far beheld her. Lucy stood in the middle of a field that many people used for target practice. They bordered a forest, which most people avoided lest they wanted to get shot.
As Bucky approached her through the relatively tall grass, he gave her a soft smile. "So, you wanna know how to shoot?"
"I would like to, yes." She placed her hands on her hips, trying to make herself look confident and like she was in control of the situation.
His eyes narrowed, "And you've never fired a gun before today? So you were just pulling my leg in the cavern then when you said you could take care of yourself?"
Lucy scoffed and put her weight on one hip, staring up at him, "I didn't lie about that! I can take care of myself. And I believe your retort when I said that was that I've never had to do anything for myself in my entire life,"
Bucky cringed as he heard his words come from her mouth. He couldn't believe he had been such an absolute ass to her. Especially over something that seemed like a big deal at the time, but Bucky could see was just a mistake now.
"Sorry about that, I just assumed you were a spoiled rich girl. I didn't know your family history." He took his rifle off his shoulder as Lucy unclasped her pistol on her hip. Her eyes shot up at him and she stiffened. Bucky suddenly wished he kept his mouth shut when he noticed Lucy suddenly become uncomfortable. Apparently, the topic of her family was off-limits.
"Who told you?" She asked quietly as she passed him her gun. Bucky opened it to see if it was loaded and noticed all the bullets were present.
"Some of the other guys were talking about it." His voice was quiet, and he wondered if he was stepping on eggshells by discussing the topic.
She gave her eyebrows a quick raise and stuck her hands in her pockets as she rocked nervously on her back heels, "Well, it's true. I didn't come from wealth. My dad was an immigrant from Germany, and people's unkindness towards him was the reason he started drinking. And then he started hitting us. And then one day he had enough and killed my mother right in front of me. Then himself." Lucy's voice was low and she refused to meet Bucky's stare.
"Lucy," Bucky said her name for the first time. Not doll, sweetheart, or any other pet names. Her actual name and Lucy's eyes shot up. She noticed how her heart pounded that much faster as he spoke her name. He saw how her eyes were welled with tears, she blinked back trying to fight them. "I'm sorry," He whispered to her. "I was wrong to judge you."
She smirked and then nudged him, her tears disappearing in what seemed like a moment. "Well, you weren't totally wrong. My adoptive family is so rich they don't even know what to do with all of it. Very materialistic though, I figured I had to get out of there before I ended up a spoiled brat like my little sister."
"Oh no, you're still a spoiled brat," Bucky emptied his rifle of the ammunition so he could teach her to put it in. "You're just not as bad as I thought you were."
She shrugged, "That I can't argue with. Imagine how bad I'd be if I was raised in that environment," He passed her the gun, which she slightly dropped given its weight, "My sister practically grew up with the Lee's. She doesn't remember our actual parents. She'll inherit all their companies afterward, I turned it all down to pursue this."
"Your adoptive family are the Lee's?" Bucky frowned, asking quizzically. He had heard people say that multiple times but only then did he process it.
"Yeah, I've lived with them since I was sixteen."
He laughed and tossed his head back, not believing how ironic it all was, "You're kidding. I used to work at your family's steel mill. If you inherited it you could have been my boss!"
"I didn't know you were from Brooklyn," Lucy smiled, "We were practically neighbours. I grew up in Queens before living in Manhattan."
"You couldn't tell from the Yankee accent that I was from Brooklyn?" He asked with a smirk, pushing her feet apart "Show me your stance,"
Lucy raised the gun and looked at him hesitantly, "I figured it had to be somewhere in New York," She shrugged and then put the gun up so it was pointed at the woods, "Like this?" She looked back at him curiously.
"Not bad, spread your legs a little more." He said and caught Lucy's gaze as he spoke. A blush appeared on her cheeks at his suggestive statement. She felt her stomach tighten a little more and her heart began to nervously flutter once again.
Perhaps Elsa was right about her feelings towards him? No one else had affected her in that kind of way in a very long time.
"Even more, like this," Bucky used his foot to move her heel out so she was standing a little more than hip-width apart.
"Also, about me potentially having been your boss?" She turned around to look at him with a smug smile. Bucky winced as he saw her carelessly waving around the gun towards him, "Technically I am your boss since I'm in charge of this mission,"
"Uh-huh, not right now, doll." He pointed the gun away from him and came behind her, smirking as he went close enough to whisper, "Right now I'm the boss." His voice was low and a shooting sensation fell into Lucy's lower belly.
She shivered slightly, and he raised her arms and stuck the gun more into her shoulder, "A little more like this," He told her.
"Sir yes sir," She said mockingly before nodding and keeping the gun positioned there.
He backed away just slightly so he could look at her position at a better angle. He swallowed a lump forming in his throat. Bucky looked at her with her gun raised, determination on her face, her body rigid withholding its heavyweight upright.
"Looks good," Was the biggest lie he ever said. The fact she just 'looked good' was an understatement, to say the least. "We can probably load it now that your stance has been worked on,"
She put the gun down with a relieved exhale, clearly not used to the weight. Lucy smiled at him widely and Bucky felt his chest clench a little bit as she looked at him like that, "So, answer me this," He took the gun from her as she passed it back to him. "Watch me," He added as he pulled the chamber back and began placing bullets inside it. Lucy watched with eagerness, "How does a dame who's about to inherit a fortune end up working for the army as an archaeologist? How did you get into all of this?"
Lucy watched eagerly as he began pressing bullets in, she smiled fondly at a memory. Bucky cleared the chamber for her, forcing her to do it again. He was drawn in on her soft expression and he found himself unable to tear himself away from looking at her stunning face.
"My mom used to make me read a lot," Her nimble fingers took the bullets and began to place them inside much slower than he had done. "And she got me a picture book once of Greco-Roman art, and I just fell in love with it. I went to the MET on a school trip, and art and artifacts just became my obsession," She spoke fondly,
"Art, huh?" He nodded and had to keep himself from smiling at her from seeing how happy she was, "I never really developed an appreciation for it. My best friend wanted to be an artist though. He spent a lot of time sick when he was younger, so he stayed in bed and drew quite a bit. We went to the MET as well in 6th grade and just like you he loved it. I mostly goofed around with the other boys as he just took everything in," Bucky smiled fondly, remembering how he, Tommy, and George had giggled immaturely at the nude paintings as Steve told them to knock it off, "I only remember one painting, I liked it because it was of sunflowers. It was my mom's favourite flower, and I just remember being intrigued by it. It was done by a fellow named Van Gogh, do you know it?"
Lucy smiled, "Van Gogh," She corrected his pronunciation, saying it like 'Goff,' "It's Dutch,"
"Whatever," He rolled his eyes, "Show off. You just need to prove you're smarter than me, don't you?"
She chuckled and then nodded, finishing putting the bullet into the gun, "I know the painting you're referring to. I love it. I remember seeing it at the MET as well and being captivated by it. It was so yellow and… hopeful. I don't know. It's ironic because he was melancholic, and he used to eat yellow paint." Lucy let out a snort and looked back at Bucky, "He thought by doing so it would make him happy. As if the colour would somehow change his manically depressive state. And I remember how I saw it right after my parents died. It was so uplifting and beautiful, and happy." She paused briefly, "I wished I could jump right into that painting. Into the yellow and feel like just once my life wasn't a horrible prison I was trapped in."
Bucky couldn't say anything. He only looked at her and gently patted her shoulder, unknowing how to comfort her. She looked so sad and heartbroken as she spoke while reminiscing. Bucky figured that even though she gained a happy life afterward, she still suffered from the loss of her mother and struggled with it daily. "That's much more of a poetic reason than why I liked it," Bucky admitted, "I just thought it was kinda pretty,"
Lucy laughed, her attention focusing up to him, "Yes it's quite pretty." She stood up straighter and held the gun into her shoulder as he showed her. "How's this?" She asked him, a little unsure of herself.
"Good, tuck it in just a little bit more," He told her and pulled her shoulders back a little more to help her, his hands coming in contact with her skin. She inhaled sharply as he did so and she stiffened, "Better," Bucky watched. His lips upturned ever so slightly, "You recall where the safety is, right?"
Lucy chuckled, "That I do remember," She switched it off, and raised the gun back to where he placed it.
"Now, close one eye to aim and make sure it's lined up with that tree over there," He pointed to where the forest bordered. There was one tree larger than all the others, looking a little rough. It had been used to target practice one too many times.
Lucy took a deep breath and closed one of her eyes like he instructed, "Why did you agree to help me?" She asked him, preparing to shoot. "I thought you'd say no."
Bucky scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "You made a compelling argument that you didn't know how and would be only a pain if we got into the thick of it. Why would you ask if you didn't think I'd say yes?" He crossed his arms over his chest and then gestured to her, "There's gonna be a recoil when you pull the trigger."
Lucy wasn't prepared for the loud bang or the way the gun launched back into her chest as it fired. Her ears rang, and her rotator cuff stung from the gun leaping back and she nearly dropped it on impact. "Shit," She hissed as she tried to shake it off. Looking back at the tree, she saw that the bullet didn't even go anywhere near her target.
Scowling, Lucy huffed, "That's okay, it's your first try," Bucky sensed her frustration.
She lowered the gun with a heavy sigh and then answered his previous question, "I don't know why I asked if I thought you'd say no. I just hoped you'd say yes, I guess." Lucy shrugged and lined the gun up again. He swallowed thickly as he heard her words, wondering just what exactly she meant by them as they raced through his mind.
Struggling yet again with the weight, Bucky noticed how she was favoring her shoulder. He cleared his throat and took a tentative step towards her, "Can I help?" He asked her, not wanting to touch her without her permission.
She nodded, and Bucky took a deep breath before approaching her. Coming up behind her, he placed his hands on her waist, "Angle yourself a little more to the side," When his hands gently touched her, they lingered a little too long and he could feel her hold her breath. Lucy wanted to shiver as he touched her, and she wondered how a gesture so small could be so intimate.
Bucky recalled how it felt to rest his hands on her waist the night they met. It had felt so completely natural, and the way her warmth felt under her clothing made him want to draw her into him even more.
He felt a similar sensation as he had his hands there yet again. He wanted nothing more than to rest them there, to pull her into him, and place his lips on the little piece of exposed skin on her neck.
He swallowed a lump on his throat as he thought of it, and wondered what kind of spell the woman had on him to make her so goddamn appealing. Never before had he ever been such a mess around a dame. But there was something about her that drew him in, that made him need her.
It was clear that whatever affection he had held her for all those years ago had recently resurfaced with her being there. No matter how much he tried to convince himself he harboured no romantic thoughts about her, Bucky knew he was fooling no one but himself.
Lucy's breath felt more shallow than normal. She didn't think she would have missed the physical touch of a man so badly until that moment. It had been over three years since she had left France, and in those three years she had waited out for Daniel as best as she could.
Of course, that made for some restless, frustrating nights. Especially when she was used to having him there in bed with her, which she could just rouse him up despite his tired grumbling whenever she was feeling desperate for affection.
Daniel was gone now. And she hadn't properly been with a man in so long. And as Bucky placed his hands on her waist tenderly, Lucy's breath practically hitched. She had forgotten how it felt to have her framed grasped in the large hands of the opposite sex. With such a little gesture; all those naughty thoughts she had about Bucky came flooding back.
He raised her arms more with the gun, and enveloped her in his own, his chest pressed against her back. Like a gentleman, he was trying to give her as much room as possible so their bodies weren't too close. Lucy could feel his breath on her neck and she wanted nothing more than to press herself into his warmth even more. "Is that alright?" His velvet, deep voice made her curious to know what he sounded like when he woke up in the morning.
Lucy closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, "Fine," She muttered, lying.
God, she was going to hell for thinking such things about a man she was not involved with. She figured she'd have to spend a lot of time in confession after this interaction, and wondered how much penance she would have to do for imagining how his light facial hair would feel as it scratched between the softness of her thighs.
Where the hell did that come from? Lucy couldn't help but wonder. She figured if years of sexual frustration seemed to be rising in that particular moment and she hated herself for thinking of another man in such ways. Especially about Bucky Barnes.
After all, they had hated each other right up until the last week when she had gotten hurt. Not to mention, they had only just agreed to put their quarrels aside and become friends the night before. She wondered if Elsa had been right the entire time. She had said hate could often be the result of the attraction of someone she couldn't have. Lucy didn't want to even entertain the idea of that being possible. All she wanted was to do was get through their mission alive and forget about the whole situation.
Bucky cleared his throat, "Close one eye and aim," He seemed to be as uncomfortable as she was, and she wondered if it was because he didn't want to be in such close proximity to her.
Lucy wondered if he had a girl waiting for him back at home and she suddenly felt guilty for all the thoughts she had about him. Not to mention the fact she had only just lost her fiancé a year before.
Lucy felt herself release the gun's trigger as he continued to help her position it. The bullet hit the edge of the tree, shattering it's bark and causing it to scatter. She gasped in happiness and smiled widely, causing Bucky to smile too.
"I hit it!" She laughed joyfully, squealing a little.
Bucky never would have guessed Lucy Heinrich was the type of dame to squeal in excitement. But she continued to surprise him, and show him more sides to her than just the all-work-and-no-play attitude he had become accustomed to, "You're a natural." He told her, watching Lucy's expression shift and confidence to well back up inside her.
"Only because I had a great teacher," She brazenly flirted. Once again kicking herself and wondering why all this was coming to light now.
"Nah." He blushed ever so slightly, taking a step back from her and giving her room, although he loathed to.
"You are. I would know." She nodded and set the gun up again, this time by herself, "I'm a professor. I teach for a living,"
"Sheesh," Every time Bucky found out more about her and her accomplishments, he found himself becoming more intimidated and more attracted to her. "Is there anything you aren't good at?" He paid her a compliment and she blushed ever so slightly.
The mood between them from the last week had painful and drastically changed, and went from one extreme to the other. But Bucky knew what he was doing. He wasn't new to charming dames, and he figured Lucy wasn't any more immune than any other gal.
She fired another shot, hissing as it dug in her shoulder again and the bullet missed the tree by a long shot. With a sigh, she only admitted, "Well, shooting apparently. And I've been told I need to work on my 'making new friends' skill." Her tone was light and playful,
"Really? I wonder why that could be?" The sarcasm was evident in his voice, "You were such a ray of sunshine when we met."
"Back atcha," She stated before firing again, this time once again grazing the tree. Lucy smirked back at Bucky, a look of pride on her face, "See? You're a good teacher."
He wondered just how far he could push her. Yesterday she even wanted him to try to charm her, egging him on. Bucky wanted to know if he could make her flustered again. He didn't know why teasing her and seeing her unhinged caused such a reaction in him; he felt an all-consuming need to do it again, "I'm sure you'd be better."
"Probably," Lucy shrugged, not even denying it as she let out a chuckle.
Giving her a handsome smirk, Bucky toyed with her, "If you were my teacher back in the day I would have enjoyed school that much more."
Lucy readied her gun again, "I don't know," She returned his smirk with one of her own, "I rule my lecture halls with an iron fist. I don't know if you could have handled me."
"Not sure about that," Bucky came up behind her again, placed his arms under hers, steadying her. Lucy's heart began to race and could feel the front of his trousers against her backside, driving her almost insane. "All I know is I would have liked history class a lot more with a pretty dame like you for a teacher."
She snorted and then looked back at Bucky thinking he was joking but he stayed serious. Her mouth twisted into a big grin, causing his heart to shutter a little, "You're doing it, aren't you?"
"Doing what?" He asked her, a farce of innocence in his tone. Bucky then pointed at the tree, "Focus."
Lucy unloaded the shot and with his help, it hit close to the middle. She let out a pleased hum, a feeling of satisfaction washed over her. "Trying to use a line on me, like how I asked yesterday."
Shooting again, she hit the tree once more. She looked shocked she was able to get it on her own without his help but Bucky remained unsurprised, knowing she'd pick up easily.
"That's not what I'm doing," Bucky scoffed, shaking his head, "If I was pulling a move you'd know,"
Lucy's mischievous glimmer in her eye was unmistakable as she tainted him, "Wouldn't affect me anyway,"
Bucky's blue eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He gained a mischievous expression on his face, "Is that so?"
She raised her eyebrows playfully and gave him a curious look, "Pretty sure,"
"We'll see about that, doll." He told her, the corner of his mouth twisting up. Bucky always loved a challenge, and he was sure that Lucy would be affected, regardless of whatever she thought.
She fired the gun a couple more times, pleased with herself that she hit the tree each time. Bucky was impressed that she managed to get the hang of it so quickly, and he was confident enough that if she had to then she would be able to protect herself.
Switching to the pistol, Bucky showed her how to load the bullets into the chamber. He explained that it would be easier for her to shoot, but likely less accurate than with the military issued rifle that they had been practicing on.
Bucky yet again showed her the proper stance. She held the gun with one hand outstretched and he quickly told her to grab it with two hands.
Lucy listened, and Bucky came behind her, a smug grin on his lips and began helping her adjust ever so slightly.
Taking the time to tease her, he looked at her as she concentrated, her brows furrowed and a look of determination of her face. "God," He breathed out as he held their position. He looked at her side profile, and gently said with his smooth Brooklyn accent, "You are so gorgeous."
Lucy burst out laughing so hard that she doubled over. She dropped her position so she could rest her hands on her knees as she continued giggling. Bucky snickered and put his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing at her reaction, "What?" He demanded, "I'm not kidding!"
"I know!" She continued, coming upright and red in the face. Bucky would have never guessed that she would be the type to laugh so hard until she could hardly breathe, "But you can't tell me that that works! Is that your best line?"
"Hey," Bucky cocked his head, trying to keep himself from smirking, "It's successful four times out of five."
"Oh, and the fifth one must be the only girl with a brain." She replied with a snarky and teasing tone.
"Usually, yeah." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.
Lucy raised her pistol and got into the position he had shown her. After firing a bullet as it missing the trunk of the tree by a long shot she hissed in annoyance. She was curious about him and wanted to know more. Raising a single brow, Lucy asked, "So is that line how you got Mrs. Barnes?"
Bucky scoffed, "The only Mrs. Barnes is my mother."
Looking back at him for only a brief second, she tried not to show the hopefulness in her voice, "So you don't have a girl waiting for you back at home then?"
Bucky sighed, crossing his arms after gently rubbing the stubble on his face, "None that I'm aware of. What about you? You gotta fella waiting for you?" Bucky's heart raced, scared that she would tell him that yes and that she was married.
Shaking her head and swallowing deeply, Lucy's expression dropped, "No… Not anymore. I was engaged for two years though. He was the reason I joined the army." Her jaw clenched as she spoke.
Bucky tried not to be too happy at her answer. His gut twisted with the hopeful feeling he had that perhaps once again, he had a chance with her. But as he thought harder about it; he noticed how she seemed saddened by the topic and his stomach dropped.
"What happened?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
Lucy swallowed thickly, "He died."
Bucky suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of guilt at the thought that he had been so envious of the dead man. He felt bad for having been relieved to discover that Lucy was no longer engaged and brazenly flirting with her and fantasizing about having his lips over her body.
"I'm sorry." Was all Bucky could answer with, looking down and refusing to meet her gaze from the shame he felt. He wondered if the reason why she was so cold and unforgiving had to do with suffering from the loss of her fiancé.
"Not your fault," She answered gruffly, trying to brush it off, "He chose to stay in France instead of coming with me to America. He joined a partisan group that was resisting against Nazi occupation." Lucy began firing off at the tree, her anger obvious in the way she unloaded the clip. Bullets hit the trunk and Bucky watched as each shot became more accurate. She stopped only to unload the magazine and then replace it, remembering how Bucky had shown her how to do it "Before I joined the army, two captains showed up at my office hours. They showed me pictures gathered by an intelligence agent who witnessed Daniel being captured,"
Locking the magazine into the gun, Lucy didn't even look at Bucky as she spoke. She raised the gun up once again as she aimed, her one eye closing shut, "They took him to one of their death camps. The average lifespan, once they're in there, is a month… And that was almost a year ago." Lucy fired the gun in a type of blind rage. She hit the trunk every time until the gun clicked, signaling that the chamber was empty. The fact that she had just been flirting with another man made guilt well up in Lucy so much she soon became heartbroken.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she put the weapon down and turned to Bucky, "I-I'm sorry." She trembled and then shook her head, putting the pistol into her holster on her hip, "I just need a moment." She had to get away from him.
As she began to walk away, Bucky reached out and grabbed her arm "Lucy!" He stopped her and she looked back at him defensively, tears welling up in her hazel orbs, "I'm sorry." Bucky mumbled quietly, a pain shooting in his chest as he saw how broken she was, "I wasn't trying to upset you by asking."
She nodded, swallowing another lump in her throat, "I know." Lucy spoke in barely a whisper, "But I just need a moment. Thank you for your help. I'll see you on the plane."
Lucy walked away without another word, leaving Bucky confused and even a larger feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach. He cursed at himself for being such an idiot. He hated he made her upset, and he hated he nearly made her cry.
Bucky watched her as she walked away, convinced he had to find some way to make it up to her.
Man, maybe Dum Dum was right? Talk about sexual tension. They're so awkward about it, I just love it.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I can't wait to share the next one with you and begin writing the main climax of the story, which is their mission. There are some exciting, sexy, fluffy, funny, and cute moments in the next couple chapters to come.
If you want my inspiration to keep on flowing, please drop me a review. And don't forget to follow and favourite so you're notified when I next update!
-A
