Chapter Eight: Perfect Illusion

This Chapter Contains Adult Themes

"Wow. This is… something." Donatella's eyebrows had raised once she'd seen what the apartment looked like. A mattress on the floor, one blanket and no pillow. A dingy stove, a radio, and a few dusty, damaged books. One bathroom with a gross looking shower, old toilet, and cracked mirror. There was a lamp with no bulb, so the only light in the room came from the can lights in the ceiling. The kitchen counter housed a dirty looking coffee machine and a sad, burnt out toaster.

"It's nothing like your places, but it'll work for the time being." He shrugged, dropping his backpack on the ground and then opening their food pack. He dumped everything onto the wobbly table, sorting out things to go in the cupboards.

"Oh my god." She yelped as she saw a big bug crawl across the floor and onto her bag. Bucky crossed the small room, stooping down to pick up the offending creature. He went over to the window, cracked it open, and tossed the bug out. She grimaced. "That was officially the worst concierge I've ever seen." she joked, shivering. He cracked a smile at that.

"You hungry? We can have peanut butter sandwiches." he held up the bread and the jar. She chuckled at his expression and nodded. He pulled a knife from his pocket, a real long one, and her mouth dropped as he went to put it in the jar.

"Stop!" she shouted. He glanced up at her, alarmed with the deadly-looking knife hovering over the peanut butter. "Has that been… used for killing?" he slowly looked down at the blade.

"Well, yeah."

"Do not put that in the peanut butter jar!" she squealed, reaching forward to knock it away from the food. "That's literally so gross, are you nuts?"

"It's clean!" he defended. She gave him an exasperated look as she opened the drawers in the tiny kitchen, finding a butter knife.

"You don't cook with weapons, Bucky." she sighed, scooping out the peanut butter and spreading it across the bread. "I feel like you should know this." she slapped the sandwich together and handed it to him.

"I can make a peanut butter sandwich for myself." he rolled his eyes, gently taking it from her.

"I don't know if I can trust your judgement at this point." she began making another, scooting it in front of him before making herself one. He chewed quietly.

"A knife is a knife." he shrugged.

"You're very wrong, Buck." she laughed, taking a bite. The bread had been slightly squashed on the trip over, but still tasted fine. He gave her a pouting look, the knife still twirling between his fingers. He looked dangerous and cute at the same time, dark clothes and hard rough edges, that shiny silver blade flipping between his fingers with ease as he ate his sandwich. It was kind of hot, she had to admit. She wasn't quite sure how to react. Absentmindedly as she watched the glinting blade, she licked some stray peanut butter off of her thumb. Bucky slowed his actions and set the knife down before finally putting it away. He'd finished his sandwiches, and he got up with a large stretch.

"We might have to pick up some food and a few necessities tomorrow." he glanced around the room, frowning at the dusty interior.

"I'd suggest maybe a few pillows and a new blanket with less holes could be at the top of the list." she gave him a smirk. The look he gave her was priceless, all pouty lips and sad eyes.

"Okay no need to make fun of my humble abode. We can't all be trust fund babies." he replied coolly. She gasped at his mocking tone.

"Wow, that was low." she nudged his arm, wincing at the unyielding metal against her elbow. He chuckled at her antics and walked over to the mattress. He picked up the blanket, unfolding it and peering through a few of the especially thin patches. His metal fingers glinted through and he winced, dropping it back onto the bed.

"Yeah, that's a little thin." he sighed, kicking the toe of his boots against the old mattress. It scooted across the floor easily, leaving a dusty streak on the hardwood where it had kept the floor beneath clean.

"Maybe some cleaning supplies could go on the list too." she suggested, and he chuckled with a nod. He moved to the radio, fiddling with the extremely outdated dials. She was shocked the thing still worked, it had to be at least thirty years old. Some pop song shot through the static and he made a face before switching the thing off.

"I hate the music of this generation. I should find a record player and get some good music to play." he sighed, shaking his head. She rolled her eyes and stood.

"Don't be such a hater. I like the music nowadays." she frowned, glancing around the room for something to do. She spotted an old dusty magazine, and she went to pick it up and grimaced when she realized it was an older one, something with a pinup girl on the cover. "Really?" she pinched the offending thing between her index finger and thumb, waggling it in his direction. "Do I want to know why you have this?" she raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.

"I like the articles." he mentioned, avoiding looking at the magazine.

"Yeah. Uh huh." she smirked, amused at the man. He was so no-nonsense and yet he was, of course, still a guy in the worst ways. She flipped it open, going through the pictures. It was quite modest, if she was being honest, all of the good parts staying covered, only a few topless photos. But there were lots of fishnets and bustiers and gorgeous curvy women. A lot of redheads, too. Those pages were earmarked, she noticed. "Not the worst I've ever seen." she dropped the magazine back down onto a shoddy table, a puff of dust coming up around it. He shrugged again, then dropped down to sit cross-legged on the floor. She copied his actions, sitting across from him as he studied her. She glanced at his now exposed metal arm, it shone brightly in the dim light. It was dark, and very late, and suddenly she felt the day creep up on her. Her eyelids drooped.

"Tired?" he asked as she yawned. She shrugged, fiddling with the laces on her boots, slowly pulling the ties undone. She slipped her feet out, massaging the arches with a wince. "I'm going to shower." he got up, kicking his own shoes off and walking into the bathroom with his backpack. She decided to get into bed while he was showering, so she grabbed a pair of cloth shorts and a hoodie from her bag, shucking her other clothes quickly and putting the pajamas on. She scrubbed a makeup wipe over her face and slapped on some moisturizer, refusing to sleep with makeup on, even if she was on the run currently. She crawled under the old blanket, balling up her jacket into a makeshift pillow and laying down.

Leaving enough room for Bucky, she settled onto her side with a sigh, her breathing evening out until she was just on the cusp of sleep. She heard the bathroom door open and soft footsteps approach. The mattress shifted slightly, the old springs creaking as Bucky crawled in beside her. He tugged some of the blanket over his body, and she could feel warmth seeping from his skin, heating her up before she could even realize how cold she was. Without meaning to, she shifted closer, her back ghosting the side of his arm as she soaked in his warmth. His elbow tapped the small of her back, and he muttered a quiet apology in the dark. His breathing slowed, and her body melted into a puddle of exhaustion as sleep finally took over her mind.

….

Waking up was hard. Donatella was nice and toasty, with the blanket pulled up to her chin and her back pressed up against something solid and warm. She shifted closer, and she felt something move against her side, realizing it was Bucky's metal arm. Now she was awake. Were they… cuddling? There was no way he was consciously letting this happen. She slit her eyes open, blinking at the warm light from the rising sun shining through the windows. Slowly she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She peered around at the room as she stretched, her stomach giving a pang of hunger. Glancing down, she saw Bucky stirring, his hair tousled over his eyes as he rolled over to the opposite side of the small bed. She stood, cracking her sore spine. The mattress wasn't the comfiest, a bit more firm than she was used to, but she slept well. She walked over to their bag of food, hopping onto the counter to rummage around for a granola bar. She heard a soft noise, kind of like a kitten waking up. She saw Bucky sit up in bed, ruffling his hand through his hair.

"Hey angel." she greeted him, and he turned towards her. His eyes were puffy with sleep, his hair all tangled up. He blinked slowly, apparently waking up was hard for him that morning. He pushed the blanket off his legs, standing up and stretching hard, a few loud pops escaping his joints. He was wearing plain black sweatpants and a t-shirt that hugged tight to his frame, showing off the bulk beneath. She still thought it was insane how fit the man was.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, shuffling over to her. She glanced at her watch, frowning.

"It's eight." she sighed. He slumped into a chair, scraping his hand over his stubble.

"We should go find some breakfast." he mentioned as she finally pulled out a squashed granola bar. She glanced at him with an excited look, dropping the snack back into the bag.

"I'm very interested in that." she slid off her perch to stand in front of him. "Should we go shopping right away too then?" he nodded, using her arm to pull himself up. She stumbled closer to him due to his weight, then moved towards her bag. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can get going." she walked into the bathroom, starting the shower before brushing her teeth. Once it was sufficiently warm she jumped in, deciding to quickly shave her legs before washing everything. She finished as fast as possible, and once she was out the made sure to get dressed in something warm. Even though it was warmer here than it was at home, she still felt a chill in the air. After yanking a brush through her hair and braiding it back, she glared at her face. Should she put makeup on? Maybe just a bit. She swept mascara over her lashes, a little bit of concealer, and dabbed lipgloss on. Okay, done. She still looked like crap, but it was better than the drowned rat she resembled before. She left the bathroom, zipping her backpack shut again. Bucky was brushing his teeth in the kitchen sink.

Shirtless. Of course he would be. She averted her eyes as she put her bag into the corner by the bed, and he spat and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. His hair had been combed and he pulled a black henley over his head, the top open and revealing some of his sculpted chest. She bit her lip and looked away. Ogling him when they lived in such close quarters was definitely not appropriate.

"Ready to go?" he asked once he'd tied his shoes. She nodded, slipping her feet into some sneakers. She followed him to the door, patting the pocket of her jacket to check for her cash.

"First we get some grub, then we can find a store hopefully." she mused as they descended the stairs. He took them so fast she went a little dizzy. "Where do we start?" she asked as they stopped outside the building. He strode off to the left and she scrambled to follow. He went a few blocks without speaking before stopping outside what appeared to be a cafe.

"Here." he pulled the door open for her. She hesitantly stepped in, and he followed close behind. He walked over to a booth, slipping into it. She mirrored his actions on the other side, and he picked up a menu.

"So this is like a diner?" she picked up her own menu, frowning when she didn't recognize the language. "Uh, what are my options?" she laughed weakly. He smiled and read her some of the options on the menu. A waitress came over and asked a question. Donatella stared at her blankly.

"What do you want to drink?" Bucky translated for her.

"Oh, uh, coffee and orange juice?" she asked weakly. He turned to the waitress and said a few words that she sort of could recognize, and she nodded and whisked away.

"What about food?" he asked, and she told him what she wanted from the list he'd given her before. "Okay, you might have to tell me again when she comes back." he nodded, setting his own menu down.

"So our list of things to get are some basic groceries, pillows, blankets, and…?" she trailed off.

"Record player. And records." he added. She gave him a look.

"Are those necessities?" she laughed. He nodded solemnly.

"Absolutely. I haven't heard good music in seventy years, let me have this one thing." he held up a gloved finger. She laughed again, and the waitress appeared out of nowhere, causing her to jump. She set down their drinks, and Bucky rapidly said their orders to her before she left again. There were a few other people in the restaurant, a TV playing in the corner. He smiled when she grimaced at her black coffee.

"This stuff is like tar, I don't drink coffee a lot." she dumped some sugar and cream in it, stirring until it was pale.

"I've never tried it like that." he gestured to hers.

"Wanna try?" she offered the mug. He gently took it from her, sipping slowly. His eyebrows came down into a pensive look as he handed it back.

"I think you put too much sugar, but it's good." he nodded, grabbing the cream and sugar for his own mug.

"There's no such thing as too much sugar, my dear." she wagged a finger at him as she took a gulp of her drink. He chuckled, sipping his own, which had only a moderate amount of sweetener.

"That's just your opinion." he shrugged. The waitress came over extremely quickly with their food, and her mouth watered at the sight of the crispy bacon and fluffy waffles. She quickly dug in, pouring the syrup over her plate and scarfing her food down almost at the same rate as Bucky. "You seem hungry." he paused, glancing down at her food.

"I think it's the excitement from the past few days catching up to me." she shrugged. The waitress came over to refill their drinks, making a comment to Bucky. He paled and shook his head, saying something back. The only word she'd recognized was 'no'. He coughed as she left, taking a large sip of water. "What'd she say?" Don asked.

"Uh, she um." he cleared his throat. "She asked if we were… expecting." he looked extremely uncomfortable. Her jaw dropped, and she let out a loud peal of laughter.

"You're joking!" she gasped. "Do we look like a couple? I'm impressed that I bagged you." Don gestured to him with her fork, and he shot her that special look.

"Just eat your food." he muttered, stabbing a piece of egg with his fork a bit more aggressively than necessary.

"What's our story? Are we married? Is this the honeymoon? No, you look too irritated to be on a honeymoon. Maybe we're trying to rekindle our marriage." Don babbled teasingly, and his blue eyes turned cloudy with annoyance.

"I should've gagged you when I had the chance." he muttered, causing her to laugh.

"Kinky bastard." she fake gasped, holding her hand to her heart in faux shock. Bucky scowled.

"Stop being so inappropriate." he took another swig of his coffee.

"Darling, I'm not the one who chose me to fix them up that fateful night." she drawled, taking a bite of her bacon.

"Did I actually choose you? Or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time?" he chuckled.

"I'd like to believe it was fate that we met that night." she sniffed, finishing her orange juice. He shot her a lopsided grin and went back to his meal. She ate the rest of her breakfast quickly, and the waitress left the bill. She counted out the money with help from Bucky and once again they were on their way.

"Here, this looks good." Bucky led them inside a small store. She glanced around at the foreign lettering on familiar boxes. Grabbing a basket, she began a slow perusal through the aisles. "I'm going to go grab some milk, stay in this section." Bucky ghosted his hand over her arm before disappearing down the cereal aisle. She grabbed a few boxes that she knew he'd tried and liked before, looking at one of them to see if she could recognize any words. She kind of could, Italian and Romanian both had Latin roots, but it was slightly off.

"Scuzați-mă de dor?" she heard from beside her. A guy was smiling at her. He was pretty cute, she had to admit, but had no idea what he'd said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't speak Romanian." she hoped he'd understand that there was a language barrier.

"Yes, I will speak English. What is your name?" he asked with another friendly smile.

"Oh, I don't… uh, I'm sorry but what did you need exactly?" she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear awkwardly. She felt a bit uncomfortable in this strange place with this strange man.

"I thought you were a very beautiful woman, dragoste, and thought I would introduce myself. Numele meu este Adrian." he had a great smile, but the force he was smiling at her with was disconcerting.

"Well, nice to meet you, um, Adrian, I'm Danielle." she fibbed with an uncomfortable smile. She wasn't an idiot, knowing that while she was technically there illegally she shouldn't tell anyone her real name.

"Ah, frumos name Danielle." he smiled. Was it her or was he laying it on too thick? "Would you like to join me for lunch?" he reached out to touch her shoulder, but a gloved hand snatched Adrien's wrist and stopped it before it could reach its target.

"Atingeți-o și muriți." Bucky sneered at the man. Adrien's face had paled and he snatched his hand back, scurrying backwards without another glance.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I said if he touched you I'd kill him." he dropped the milk bottle into the basket.

"A little harsh." she winced, moving down the rest of the aisle to the next area.

"Do not trust anybody." he murmured, standing close to her. She shivered at his warm breath near her ear. Was he always this warm? Her body hummed with adrenaline and awareness as he glared down to where the man had been.

"Do you think he was someone that's after us?" she asked softly, edging away from him to get her mind off of unsavory actions.

"I don't think so. He backed down too easy. But next time we might not be so lucky." he came closer to her every time she tried to get further away. It was almost protective. No, scratch that, it was protective. It felt good to know he actually cared about her. "Let's hurry and finish getting everything." his hand ghosted over the small of her back, steering her towards the home goods section of the store. She reached out for a pair of pillows, letting him touch one to test if it was alright.

"Should we get a quilt? Comforter? Weighted blanket?" she asked, running her hands over the options as she named them. He frowned at the choices.

"What exactly is the difference?" he glanced at her, confusion shining in his eyes.

"Okay we'll just get the quilt." she laughed, picking up the blanket and tucking it under her arm. "Ready?" she asked with a grin. He nodded, lightly touching his fingertips to her back again to guide her towards the checkout. He exchanged words with the cashier, who was so obviously into him, and then they were off again.

"Do you think we should get milkshakes?" he asked as they walked towards the golden arches of McDonalds. She burst into laughter and nodded. How the hell could he be cute and hot at the same time? It wasn't alright. He held the bags and ordered as she pulled out the money, and he guided her through counting out the bills. She was sort of getting the hang of it, grinning proudly when she held up the correct amount. He chuckled and they waited quietly for their shakes.

"We never found a record player." she noted as they walked back to the apartment, sipping on their chocolate shakes. He laughed and pointed through a window.

"Think again, I spotted it on the way over." he coaxed her inside.

"How the hell are we going to carry that, Buck?" she gaped at the thing. He shrugged, but she went along with it. Hell, she would buy him the world if he wanted it. Was she like, a sugar mama? Gross. He was older than her anyways, but still. Somehow they managed to carry the record player along with his secret selection of vinyl back into their humble abode, and she put the groceries away while he set up the player.

"Here we go!" he smirked, setting the needle down and stepping back. A slow crackle escaped before some smooth, fun jazz began to play.

"Oh, nice, I like it." she nodded along as he grinned. She rolled her eyes at his antics, but smiled when he turned to face her with an excited look. "What are you thinking for lunch?" She peered into the cupboards, thinking of what they'd just brought back from the store. "I can make some ham and cheese sandwiches. Mac and cheese too?"

"I'll have whatever you'll make me." He unfolded their new quilt, touching the edges to feel it. He nodded, satisfied apparently with how it felt. She went to work, pulling out the box of kraft and getting started on lunch. Bucky hummed along to the music as she prepped everything, coming over to steal a slice of cheese and then dancing away when she swatted at him. Once the quick meal was finished they sat at the rickety table, eating quietly. She studied him, with the classy music playing in the background he seemed happy. At home, even. There was something about the glimmer in his eyes, the half smirk he sported on his soft pink lips… stop it! Don't think about it!

"Um, so what's the plan for the rest of the day?" She cleared her throat, wiping her mouth with a strip of paper towel. She tried to keep her mind to safe topics.

"I figured we could just settle in together." He shrugged, using his thumb to wipe a crumb off of his plump bottom lip. She swallowed hard, following the motion.

"Sounds good." She said weakly. Could she please focus on something other than inappropriate desires? God she was disappointed in herself. He continued to hum along as he finished his food, then insisted on doing the dishes.

She should have done them herself.

Of course he had to roll up his sleeves and lean a cocked hip against the counter. She could see the muscles in his back flexing with his movement, and his pants fit snugly to his thighs, shifting as he went back and forth between the sink and dish rack. She was ogling so hard it was a miracle he hadn't noticed. At one point she decided to just close her eyes, focusing on anything but him. But of course even when she couldn't see him she was still thinking about him. The sound of his laugh, the way he talked, the way he said her name… she had it so bad for him she even loved his personality, which was really hard to do in the opposite sex for her.

"Hey, you ok?" She felt metal fingers brush her shoulder and she jumped three feet in the air, shrieking at the interruption. Bucky backed off, an alarmed look on his face with his hands held up in front of him. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Is everything alright?" He peered into her face, waiting for an explanation.

"Y-yeah, I was just kinda, well, I guess I got distracted…" she trailed off, scratching the back of her neck. "Sorry for jumping so hard." She laughed meekly. He smiled, relieved, but his eyes were still troubled. Apparently he didn't quite believe her.

"You sure everything's fine?" She nodded vigorously, wishing he'd let it go so she could stop living through the embarrassment. "Alright then." He sat back down across from her, drumming his metal fingers on the table. "Do you want to play rummy?" He asked. She grinned.

"Oh I'm going to totally kick your ass in rummy."

….

She lost miserably. It was almost embarrassing, she was negative when he got to 500 points.

"What happened to kicking my ass?" He teased as he put the deck of cards back. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No comment." She answered with a pout. He laughed, a real laugh, his impressively straight teeth glinting in the light. She glanced at the clock, surprised at the time of day. It was almost dinner time.

"What do you say we go out to dinner to celebrate my win?" He stood, offering a hand to her. She rolled her eyes, gripping his palm as he pulled her up.

"I guess." She sighed with a frown. He laughed again, clearly amused by her attitude towards losing.

"I spotted a pub near here, it should be quiet enough that we won't draw any attention." He mentioned, picking up his leather jacket and sliding it over his shoulders. She somehow forced herself to stop looking at him like a piece of meat and grabbed her own jacket to put on, following him towards the door once he turned off the record player.

"You know, maybe I want some attention. Good attention." She replied. Don hadn't flirted in ages, and she was really feeling the urge to with this Adonis next to her all the time.

"Trust me, all attention right now is bad attention." He rolled his eyes at her.

"You're no fun." She crossed her arms, pouring as they walked down the rapidly darkening street. He didn't reply but they walked in a comfortable silence, not many people wandering around, most inside eating or drinking at this time. They made it to the pub, and of course she couldn't read the name, but Bucky helped her muddle her way through the menu. She got a dark ale and a burger, Bucky ordering the same thing but double.

"I didn't know you liked beer." His eyes glittered as she received her pint. She took a sip with a sneer.

"I like any and all alcohol. Please do not promote sexism by saying girls can't like beer." She retorted. He rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his own glass.

"You usually go for sweet things. Or things that taste like rubbing alcohol. I'm merely making an educated observation." Bucky raised his eyebrows, challenging her.

"Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me." She shrugged. He squinted at her, the intense expression causing her heart to beat at double time.

"You're probably right. But I do know a lot of things about you." He pointed out.

"Oh yeah? Like what." She challenged. He grinned as if he'd hoped she'd say that.

"You used to like to party but have recently been burned out by it. You're very intelligent, but you're kind of a control freak and refuse to give up on a project until it's perfect. You love romance movies but you're very cynical about your own love life, and you hate history but you like telling me about all the things I missed while in cryo." He listed, counting on his fingers. He continued after a pause. "You're very insecure for some reason, though you're really quite striking. You don't share a lot of things with the people who are closest to you, like Karina and Janita, but you give them just enough of yourself that they stick around supportively. You love fast food but you don't like to get the same thing every time, and you love to try new things in different places. How'd I do?" He grinned, taking another sip of his beer. She blinked, a little shocked. She hadn't realized he'd known some of those things about her.

"Psychological analysis aside, I'm quite impressed." She cleared her throat, tracing a knot in the wooden table. He leaned forward, the dark maroon of the booth framing him in her peripheral. Her gaze was focused intensely on his bright blue eyes as they glimmered.

"I almost forgot. You're a very sore loser." He grinned, and she laughed.

"Okay well I'm good at other things besides rummy. I could probably destroy you in pool." She motioned towards the pool table across the room.

"After we eat, I'm taking you on." He grinned, apparently liking the challenge.

"Don't cry when you lose terribly this time. I may be a sore loser but I get the feeling you're even worse." A smirk played on her lips.

"Should we make a bet?" His eyes glinted dangerously. Her breath hitched in her throat and she covered her hiccup with another swig of her drink.

"Buck, honestly I'd say yes but you don't have a lick of anything to your name right now. I'm the one wearing the pants in this relationship." She replied teasingly, reminding him of the fact that she was the one paying for all of their adventures. His lips lifted into a sly grin.

"If money is all you're willing to bet on I guess we don't have to…" oh my god. Oh my god. Was he FLIRTING with her? Holy shit that's what it looked like to her. She felt her face get hot, but before she could even reply their food came out. She stuffed her face to avoid answering. A self satisfied smirk stayed on his face through their entire meal, and by the end she wanted to both curl up and die and drag him through the dirt.

"Okay come on show off, write down your bet. We won't show the other, but we'll see what each other's was when we win." She ripped a receipt in half and wrote down "chocolate shake" on hers, folding it and sticking it into her pocket. He took the pen and held that stupid smirk as he wrote his, folding it neatly and shoving it in his back pocket. She stood, clearing her throat, suddenly very nervous. "O-okay, lets go." She dragged herself to the pool table. He strode confidently behind her, nobody bothering to look at the pair.

"I hope you're prepared to lose." He picked up the cue ball, setting up the table. "I'll let you break."

"I've played pool a lot more recently than you have." She retorted, getting into position and sending the white ball flying with a loud crack. It hit the racked balls dead center and scattered them all across the table. A striped ball sunk into the corner with a thunk and she grinned. "Oh wow, looks like I get to go again." She turned to him. He rolled his eyes with a chuckle and leaned forward onto his stick, watching her intently. She felt a shiver run down her spine at the way his eyes roamed over her, but she leaned over the table anyways, maybe even arching her back a little bit to give him a good view of her ass. She managed to sink two more before it was his turn. If Donatella thought she was having a hard time focusing with his eyes on her, then she was flat out gone when she watched him. That strong jaw, his profile as he bent over the table, she damn near thought she'd died and gone to heaven. Of course his jeans stretched perfectly with his body, and his fitted jacket did not leave much of his physique to the imagination. And she did a lot of imagining.

"Your turn." He'd only sunk a few, so she was feeling confident at this point in the game. It was a close call a couple of times, with them having the same amount remaining, but she gained the lead and lined up her clean shot with the eight ball.

"Prepare to eat my shorts." She laughed.

"I don't know what that means." He admitted with a grin as she sunk the ball… as well as the cue ball.

"No!" She moaned dropping her stick and putting her head in her hands. "There's no way that just happened!" She'd lost. She absolutely flubbed it. "I was hoping for another milkshake!" She pouted, pulling out her scrap of paper. He fished around in his back pocket for a moment before handing his own paper to her. She unfolded it, reading the scrawled penmanship. She glanced up at him questioningly, but was unable to ask anything as his lips pressed against hers.

He was kissing her. Bucky was kissing her. She was frozen for a moment before her body relaxed, melting into his as she met his enthusiasm quickly. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers tangled into his hair. She could taste the beer, but also something heady and spicy that she just knew was him. His tongue brushed against her bottom lip and she parted her lips for him, and they were fucking frenching against a pool table in Romania. Holy fuck. He pulled away and she panted, her breath completely gone in the face of this new and exciting prospect. Her arms slipped from around his neck, both papers somewhere on the floor, completely forgotten.

"You bet a kiss?" She breathed heavily, his eyes dark as he looked at her. He nodded.

"That one was for the bet. This one is because I want to." His gloved hands reached out for her, pulling her closer again and he kissed her again, and somehow this one was even hotter than the first. That spicy taste was more potent, his stubble scraping across her chin as his lips moved against hers, and his hands clutched her hips, pinning her against the pool table. She felt too hot already from just a kiss, god it was like she was a teenager making out for the first time again. She heard shouting from the bar and Bucky smiled against her lips, pulling away as she gasped for breath again. "They told us to get a room."

"Then let's go." She breathed out. He tugged her back towards their booth, and she slapped enough bills on the table to cover their meal before Bucky grabbed her hand, tugging her to the exit. They stumbled back to the apartment, grinning like idiots and stopping every so often to lock lips again. There was something about the way that he kissed her that made her never want to stop. She could do it for hours, no breaks in between or anything. When they finally made it back to their dingy building, he pulled the key out and unlocked the door while somehow still kissing her. He backed her in as the door opened behind her, and she quickly tugged them both inside. She fumbled for the door behind him, pressing herself against him before pinning him into the door, slamming it shut behind them. She had him pushed up against the door, her hands desperately tugging his jacket down over his shoulders.

She wanted to look at him, knowing his hair was pushed back in a highkey sexy way from her fingers, but to do so she'd have to stop kissing him, and that wasn't something she was willing to do. Once his jacket was on the floor somewhere she had control for all of two seconds before he'd spun them so she was pinned between him and the door. He locked the deadbolt decisively, the loud metallic clunk causing her body to shiver in anticipation. Her hands roamed up and down his back, pulling his shirt up and trying to yank it over his head. She hadn't noticed when her jacket fell to the floor, but it was suddenly gone and she was touching his bare skin. His hands were constantly moving, untucking her shirt and then roaming upwards, squeezing her hips and then down to her ass, gripping tightly everywhere they went.

He moved down to the backs of her thighs and lifted her in one quick move so she was completely supported by him, her back not even touching the wall as he began walking away from the door. She tightened her legs around his hips to support herself. Her own hands fluttered across his shoulders, cupped his strong jaw, raked through his hair, pressed against his back. She couldn't decide which part of him she wanted to be touching, she just knew she needed to feel as much of him as possible. He stumbled over his feet as he kicked his shoes off, and she managed to get hers off while still being held up in the air. He ran into the table and she laughed into their kiss, in return he grabbed her bottom lip between his teeth. She let out an embarrassingly loud moan as his hands slipped under her shirt, his cold metal hand felt white hot against her burning skin. His flesh hand splayed against her back, pressing her against him and keeping her propped up at the same time.

The cold metal moved upwards, cupping one breast through her bra. Another moan tore from her lips, and she let out a loud squeal when suddenly she fell from her height down to the mattress on the ground. She bounced once, gasping as he crawled over her, pressing her into the bed as he resumed their kiss. Both hands roamed her skin this time, moving up under her shirt to fumble with the clasp of her bra. She felt him back off of her, tugging her shirt over her head quickly and finishing his work with the bra. She was suddenly topless, but with the hungry way he was looking at her, she didn't feel embarrassed. She felt… hot. She could get this gorgeous man to look at her like that? All swollen lips and hooded, sexy eyes, with that god-like body… shit she felt spoiled. His chest was heaving, and Donatella let her gaze roam down his chiseled chest, her hands reaching out to squeeze his arms and bring him back down to her. He kissed her again, but his mouth quickly trailed downwards, leaving little nips and licks down the sensitive flesh of her neck.

She moaned again once he reached the tops of her breasts, one of his hands reaching up to knead one as his hot mouth breathed over the other. His lips pressed downwards until they reached her nipple, and he circled it with his tongue before sucking it between his lips. She gasped out his name, arching her back to press herself closer to his mouth, her legs wrapping around his hips again. He groaned, and she just about melted at the sensation, her fingers digging into his hair and pressing his mouth onto her breast with more force. His lips and tongue worked her into a frenzy until his scraped his teeth over the sensitive skin to the other side, continuing his ministrations. Her head dropped back into the mattress as she moaned loudly, grinding her hips into his in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure that was building. Her whole body was on fire, the heart of the flames burning between her thighs in the most delicious way. She pushed any coherent thought aside as she nudged him to stop what he was doing.

He lifted his head, his hair falling over them. She unwrapped her thighs from their vice-like grip around him and moved to undo his belt. His hand latched onto her wrist, stopping her.

"Are you sure?" He rasped, and the words sent a shiver through her. She nodded, words escaping her at the moment, and immediately he snapped back into action. She fumbled with his belt buckle as he worked on unbuttoning her jeans. He pulled her zipper down quickly, and she managed to lift her hips so he could wiggle the tight jeans off her legs. She got his buckle undone soon after, and then they were both left in just underwear. Her eyes widened at the large bulge that laid heavy and thick against his thigh, but he didn't let her look for long as his lips crashed down against hers again. She felt a keening whine leave her body as his fingers dipped between her thighs, stroking against her clothed center. She felt undeniably turned on, and she knew he could tell too. "Shit." His voice was lower than she'd ever heard as he moved her underwear aside to press a finger between her lower lips. It was his flesh hand, and she ground against his hand hastily, wanting more of his touch. His finger trailed slowly against her until it met her clit, brushing softly against the bundle of nerves. She gasped embarrassingly loud at the feeling, and he did it again, causing more noises to fall from her lips into the quiet air between them.

Neither of them were really saying much, but then again, they didn't really have to. He had brought her roaring to life in a few short minutes, and she felt almost ready to come undone. When one of his fingers slipped into her, she clenched so hard around the digit she was scared he'd be unable to move. He groaned at the sensation and pumped it in and out of her heat, and she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, unable to think with the way she was feeling. When he curled his finger inside of her she was done for. She came with a gasp, her head dropping back to the mattress as her inner walls fluttered around his finger. He withdrew the digit and sucked his finger clean, keeping eye contact with her while she did it. Jesus Christ that was so dirty, she almost came again just by watching him do that. His hands moved down to her hips and slowly dragged her underwear down her still shaking legs before she gained the strength to reach up and grab the waistband of his. She tugged frantically until his underwear were around his knees, and he kicked off the last item of clothing before pressing himself against her and locking their lips once again.

She felt him laying thick and heavy across her entrance, and she gasped when he ground himself into her. She was so ready it wasn't even funny. She wrapped her legs around his hips again, and she could feel his strong thighs flexing. Honestly she could feel everything flexing, and it was sending her closer to the edge again with every sensation she was having. It was almost an overload of the senses, she couldn't keep track of it all. One hand would be on her breast, the other tracing below her navel to pleasure her, and his tongue would be teasing her with his taste as he ground himself into her. Combined with how his skin felt under her own fingers, she could barely focus on one thing. It was almost too much.

When he finally pushed his tip into her entrance, she slammed her head backwards with a low moan. He paused, kissing a sensitive spot behind her ear and circling her clit with his thumb. She raised her hips, trying to get him inside her faster, but his metal hand gripped her hip and held her down to the bed. He was torturously slow, inch by aching inch taking forever to fill her. She felt herself stretching until he was fully sheathed inside her.

He was a perfect fit, not too big but not leaving any empty space inside her. He gave a shallow thrust and she moaned, tightening her legs again. He let go of her hip in favor of grabbing her thigh, pressing it forwards and letting him thrust deeper. She gasped loudly as he rubbed against a sensitive spot inside her, and with a few more strokes she tipped over the edge again. Spots danced through her vision as she clenched around him, and he gritted his teeth, panting heavily. Her hands roamed across his chest, but his flesh hand darted out to grip both of her wrists together, and he pressed her arms above her head, successfully pinning her to the bed. She rolled her hips against him, and he moaned again before lengthening his thrusts. She gasped, angling herself so he would hit that same spot over and over again, and she was making it back to the edge in no time. Fuck he was good, had he really not done this in seventy years? He had to have put more practice in, because there was no way he was getting her body to react like this with sheer luck.

"Bucky, I'm…" her next one was approaching, but she wasn't sure she could handle another after it. Her body was already much too sensitized from the two before this, and she could tell he was close with the way he was speeding up. He nodded and pressed his lips against hers again as he went fast and deep. She moaned loudly into his mouth, and he let go of her hands in order to grip her breast again. In a few pumps she was done, and her vision went completely black this time, her ears ringing. She felt Bucky finish and stop his movement, his body pressing hers into the mattress. His elbows held most of his weight above her, careful not to crush her.

"Holy shit." He muttered against her skin, slowly withdrawing and rolling off of her.

"You could say that again." She gasped, panting hard. "God, I'm sweaty, are you sweaty?" Don glanced over his glistening body and nearly swore at the sight. If she hadn't just had three orgasms she would probably have been turned on beyond belief at the sight.

"Are you okay?" He scrutinized her as she sat up.

"Yeah, my legs feel like jelly." Her breath left her body in a whoosh. "I have to use the bathroom, I'll be right back." She scooped his shirt off the floor and yanked it over her head. It fell to just above mid thigh on her, and she hobbled to the bathroom to pee and wash her face. When she came back out, Bucky had pulled his underwear back on and was laying on his side on top of the covers. His eyes were closed, but his breathing let her know he was still awake. She hopped on the mattress next to him, wiggling so she was under the covers. His flesh arm darted out to grip her waist and pull her into his chest. He was warm against her back, almost too warm, but it was worth it. She felt comfortable, safe, happy in his arms. His hand slipped beneath the shirt she wore, fingers splayed across her stomach and holding her to him tightly.

"Goodnight Donatella." He breathed in her ear. She shivered and snuggled closer to him.

"Goodnight Bucky."

Y'all I wasn't sure if I should write in sex scenes for this story but I did it anyways. If you hate it don't sue me, but it felt more natural to write some in than leave them all out.

I also saw Endgame the other day, it was awesome and sad. Highly recommend seeing it.

ANOTHER NOTE: My Steve RogersxOC story is actually complete now if anyone is interested in reading it. I posted the final chapter on Saturday, it's on my profile and it hurts my heart to know that it's done. But we've all gotta move on sometimes, right?