Bucky stood at the back of the empty auditorium, watching as Gianna rehearsed her set for the tour. He had to admit, he was still impressed. The tour had three solid weeks under its belt, and he hadn't gotten tired of hearing her sing yet. Although he was required to be where she was for her protection, he never minded rehearsals. Her voice was powerful and soulful, and it filled the room with a sense of energy and passion. It had all the beauty of her real performance, without the thundering sounds of the crowds. This was quickly becoming his favorite part of the job.
Gianna was wearing a silk slip dress with a thick knit cardigan hanging off of her shoulders, and her hair was stacked on top of her head in pink curlers, carefully placed by Kate before rehearsal. He was always confused about how she managed to be cold underneath such hot lights, but if she ever forgot her cardigan or a sweatshirt of some kind, she'd sucker Bucky into running back to the bus to grab it for her. He had half a mind to just keep an extra jacket on him.
As he watched her tap her earpiece to make sure it was in place, Bucky couldn't help but feel a pang of attraction. As he watched her move across the stage, her voice rang out in the otherwise silent room. Her bare feet padded across the stage. She waited until the very last second to put her shoes on before each show, to the point that sometimes Bucky worried she would miss her cue. So far, she always made it work.
As she finished her set, Bucky stood from the front row, clapping slowly. Gianna turned to face him, a smile spreading across her face.
"You know, you don't have to clap every time" she teased, her blush giving away that she didn't mind a single bit.
Bucky grinned. "I clap when the performance warrants applause."
Gianna's blush deepened, and she smiled as she was being tugged offstage to finish hair and makeup. He followed at a distance, going to resume his normal post outside the dressing room until the show was about to begin and it was time to get her backstage.
To his surprise, he hadn't minded the first few weeks of the tour. Gianna kept her team small and close knit, so there weren't many people with them consistently besides the four of them that had flown in together. The band traveled separately so they could bring their families. The daily schedule was strict, but Bucky liked the routine. Gianna was easy to like, always kind and seemed to overflow with sunshine despite her grueling schedule.
They hadn't spent much time together over the past few weeks, but the first leg of the tour was coming to an end and Bucky knew they had a day off coming up soon. He didn't know how Gianna would want to spend it, but he was sure if it was him in her shoes, he'd choose sleeping.
The sun was shining bright over Panama City Beach, and Gianna was excited to spend her day off exploring the little beach town.
The night before, as he was walking her back to her hotel room, she had asked Bucky to spend the day with her. "My only other friend here is Tom, and he's 55 years old." Gianna joked. Kate had made it clear to everyone that she would be sleeping all day and was not to be disturbed unless there was a "hair or makeup emergency".
"Well, doll, Tom might be a better option for you. I've got another 50 years on him." Bucky joked. Gianna rolled her eyes and lightly shoved his shoulder, her hand feeling the firm metal beneath his leather jacket.
"You know, one day I want your life story too. I know you got a case file on me the size of an encyclopedia, but here I am wondering how on Earth I'm supposed to respond to you telling me you're my great great grandpa's age." She teased.
Bucky guessed by her cavalier reaction that she'd already done some of her own research. He appreciated how calmly she handled the unusual bits of information he threw at her in their daily interactions. He wasn't sure how much she knew or wanted to know, but he figured the conversation was inevitable. She could Google it herself, so he'd rather be the one to tell her things from his perspective. Just...not yet.
"You know you don't have to ask me to hang out with you, that's my job." Bucky said, bumping his shoulder back into hers as a rebuttal to her teasing. "But for the record, I'd love to."
Gianna smiled at him over her shoulder as she slid the keycard into her door and went inside. "Night, Buck. See you in the morning, maybe 8ish?"
He nodded at her and waited until the lock clicked in place before walking across the hall to his room, eager for 8am to roll around.
Their first stop was a coffee shop.
Gianna was surprised to find out that Bucky didn't have a signature coffee order.
"What do you mean you only drink black coffee? That's for red eye flights and hotel rooms only, not when you have another option." She feigned shock.
"Well, they didn't have fancy lattes before I joined the military, and unfortunately, Hydra didn't have an espresso machine." Bucky said, holding his hands up in mock innocence. "I wouldn't even know where to begin." His blue eyes scanned the long coffee menu for more variations of espresso and milk than he even thought possible.
Gianna thought it was adorable that he was overwhelmed by the wide world of lattes and made a snap decision.
"We'll take one of everything, half hot, half iced. Oh, and two croissants please." She smiled and passed her card to the confused and slightly starstruck cashier. As she signed the receipt, she must have felt Bucky's panic because she winked and told him that the record label was paying for it.
After Gianna took a photo with a few of the staff members, she and Bucky camped out at one of the small wire tables on their quaint patio overlooking the beach. They sat, sipped, and sampled all the coffees until they found his favorite: a hazelnut latte.
"Slightly sweet, smooth, and classic. I can totally see it." Gianna said, holding her two personal favorites in each hand. Bucky grinned and took another sip of the latte, which looked adorably small in his metal fist.
"If this kicks off my coffee addiction, I'm blaming you." He grumbled.
"It's about time I rubbed off on you, we've only been inseparable for three weeks. You were bound to pick up some of my habits, and it was either excessive coffee drinking or singing in the shower."
"It had to be the coffee, because I already sing in the shower." Bucky said in his normal deadpan voice, stopping Gianna for a moment because she could neither tell if he was kidding nor picture him singing in the shower. Not a bad mental image though.
As they walked along the beach, they spotted a pier and stumbled upon some carnival games. Gianna saw the signature strong man game where you swing a rubber hammer to a strike plate and see how hard you can hit it. If the bell dings, you win and get a prize. If not, you're out $5 per attempt.
Bucky and Gianna stood and watched as several boyfriends fell short and failed to get their girlfriends a prize.
Putting on her widest eyes and poutiest lip, Gianna gave Bucky a look implying she wanted him to try.
"No. No, absolutely not." He shook his head stubbornly. "That wouldn't be fair."
"Okay Barnes, after everything you've been through, I'm sure you're entitled to an unfair advantage at a carnival game."
He smiled, although she had shown her hand and revealed she knew more about his past than she was letting on. At least she was letting him tell her at his own pace. He signed and handed a $5 bill to the man working the game, then took the hammer and looked at Gianna.
"I hope you're happy." He brought the hammer up over his head and slammed it down onto the strike plate. He hit the machine so hard that it sank into the splintered wood of the boardwalk and rested about a foot into the boards themselves. The machine operator was in pure shock.
"So, can we take a prize then?" Bucky asked, to which the operator nodded furiously.
Gianna chose a giant stuffed bear, although Bucky wasn't sure they had room on the bus for it. He took one look at her giant smile and decided he'd let the bear sleep in his bunk if it meant making her this happy. He reached for the bear as he saw Gianna struggle to keep it from dragging on the ground.
"Doll, this bear is almost as big as you," Buck said, laughing at the sight of her struggling to carry the stuffed animal. He threw it over his shoulder and helped her up the sand as they walked back to the hotel.
"I know, it's amazing!" Gianna replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I've always wanted one of these, but I've never actually been to a carnival. This definitely crossed an item off of my bucket list. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Today was SO much fun. This was the most fun I've ever had with anyone who's being paid to hang out with me." As she spoke, Gianna looped her arm around Bucky's and walked closer to him. He tried to ignore the warmth spreading through him when she leaned her head on his shoulder.
Bucky smiled, feeling grateful for the time he spent with her. "Anytime, doll. I'm glad we got to spend the day together. Thanks for helping me be less of an out-of-touch old man."
After making sure Gianna was securely in her hotel room with the bear, he crossed the hall and thought of how he wouldn't mind starting every day with a hazelnut latte across from her.