Gianna's final note hung in the air, the crowd erupting into thunderous applause as she gracefully exited the stage, a triumphant smile on her face. The adrenaline of her performance still coursed through her veins as she made her way backstage, the familiar chaos enveloping her.
Behind the scenes, the energy was palpable. Crew members hurriedly dismantled equipment, while makeup artists and stylists rushed around attending to the performers. Amidst the organized chaos, Gianna's eyes searched for a familiar face.
And there he was, leaning against a nearby wall, his strong presence (and jawline) catching her attention. Bucky, the adorably stoic assassin turned, stood tall amidst the backstage frenzy. There was something poetic about the way he stood still amongst the chaos of the stage crew tearing down the equipment. Bucky was consistent, constant, the only thing in her life that wasn't moving at 100mph and at risk of running her over. His gaze met hers, a subtle smile forming on his lips.
Gianna made her way towards him, navigating through the maze of activity with a sense of purpose. Bucky watched her approach, pulling the earpiece from beneath her hair and tugging the receiver off of her belt. Even in the darkness of the backstage area, she glowed. The costumes she wore, different for each night of the tour, all had one thing in common: sequins. Bucky tried to ignore the small beads of sweat across her chest, making a delicate river down her bustier.
"Quite the performance," he remarked, forcing his gaze back to her eyes. "You had 'em eating out of the palm of your hand."
Gianna chuckled, the exhilaration of the stage still coursing through her veins. Bucky could hear her heart pounding and wishful thinking told him it had something to do with his presence, not just the three hour concert she'd put on.
"Well, Bucky, this is all just preparation for the big show," She winked. "We have New York tomorrow night, and I have a few people to impress."
"What, is that Yankee player coming to watch or something?" He mocked, knowing Gianna had adamantly shut down her publicist's pleas to go out with the pitcher.
"Close…maybe the only thing more American than a Yankees player." She turned as she spoke, walking towards her green room. Her arm was bent up at an awkward angle, attempting to reach her zipper between her shoulder blades.
Bucky reached forward as they walked, brushing Gianna's hair aside and sliding the zipper down a few inches to where she could reach it.
"Thanks," She said over her shoulder, eyes playful.
"Okay…the only thing more American than a Yankees player…wouldn't that be some kind of hto dog vendor?"
"Bucky, come on!" Gianna whined, giving him a light shove. "Give me a real guess before I just cave and tell you."
He opened his mouth to guess as he held the door to her green room open, but she couldn't contain her excitement anymore and cut him off.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you, you beat me down! It's Captain America. Well, and the rest of the Avengers, but I couldn't think of a better way to lead into it. All your friends! Tom got them a box right across from center stage! I figured they could watch from backstage if they really wanted to, but then they really wouldn't have a great view of the show and the pyrotechnics and -"
She paused to take a breath and met Bucky's eyes. "I hope it's okay I invited them…I wanted to surprise you since we've been on the road so long, I thought you might miss them."
A lopsided smile spread across Bucky's lips. "Of course it's okay, G. You know, you're the only person who finds downtime on a world tour to surprise their bodyguard."
"Well, he's a pretty damn good bodyguard. Plus, I may have ulterior motives." She teased, letting her sequin bodysuit fall to the floor.
As her glittery-tight clad toes stepped to the side, Bucky looked at the ceiling. It wasn't uncommon for Gianna to change in front of him, or in front of anyone really. On any given day, she'd have hands and eyes all over her. Fixing her hair, applying glitter to her arms and collarbone, measuring her, assisting her in and out of costumes. Bucky knew it was her profession that had desensitized her to privacy, but it still felt wrong not to look away. Especially knowing the thoughts playing in his head weren't always as innocent as her wardrobe stylists.
Bucky smirked, a playful glint in his eye. "I do my best, but tell me more about these motives."
Gianna tilted her head, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. "I want to meet your friends, duh, the ones who think we-" She poked her finger through an 'o' formed with her other hand. "You know."
He chuckled, his gaze never leaving hers. "Yeah, they bought that one more easily than I expected. Must have been compelling evidence."
"Maybe I should have pursued acting instead." Gianna slipped her sweatshirt over her head and slid her feet into her slides. Bucky picked her duffel off of the vanity and they began weaving through the catacombs of the stage.
Tonight was different, they weren't going back to the hotel. They had a red eye flight to get to New York, and their driver was waiting outside to take them straight to the airport.
Once they slid into the backseat of the car, Gianna curled her feet up underneath her.
"So what are they like?"
"Who, the Yankees or the hot dog vendors?"
Gianna rolled her eyes.
"Oh, oh, the Avengers. I mean they're pretty normal, until someone takes a swing at one of 'em. I'm sure Wanda will blend in with the rest of your fans."
"Do you think they'll like me?"
Bucky searched her earnest green eyes, baffled that she still questioned whether or not people would like her. Not only because of her fame, but because in every interaction he witnessed, everyone seemed to adore her.
"How could they not?"
Gianna smiled, clearly put at ease by his comment. He could tell she wanted to keep talking, but her yawn overtook her.
"Hey, we have about half an hour 'til we get to the airport. Why don't you rest your eyes for a little?" Bucky offered, knowing she wouldn't turn down the chance to rest.
Gianna nodded and slid her seatbelt behind her, laying down so her head was in Bucky's lap. His hands hovered in the air for a moment, unsure what to do with them. She fell asleep in less than a minute, her shoulders rising and falling as she breathed. Bucky lowered his left arm down, resting it across her shoulders. He was careful not to put the full weight of the vibranium on her, even though it left him awkwardly cramped.
He didn't move for the rest of the drive.
The next morning, Gianna's schedule was clear until her 3pm soundcheck. Their flight had gotten in just before sunrise, so the team agreed to let her sleep.
Bucky sat on the edge of his hotel room bed, lacing up his sneakers.
"Meet at 4th and Grand?" - Steve Rogers
"See you in 5." Bucky typed back.
They'd made plans to go for an early morning run when Bucky found out they'd have downtime in New York. Gianna would sleep until at least 10am after the long night of travel, and there was an easy loop for them to jog without ever being more than a mile from the hotel.
As he stepped into the elevator, Bucky sent off one more text.
"Going out for a jog, text when you're up. I'll get coffee." His message was just as much an offer to bring her favorite drink as it was an easy way to alert himself when she was up. He didn't want her to feel trapped, but also didn't want her wandering off on her own.
As Bucky rounded the corner, he saw a familiar face smiling at him.
"Look who it is, finally back to New York." Steve strode forward and gave Bucky a quick hug, patting his back hard.
"Yeah, looks like the city nearly fell apart without me." Bucky joked, gesturing to the nonstop hustle and bustle of the city they both called home.
Bucky and Steve were the only two that matched each other's running pace, their super soldier makeup making it nearly impossible for anyone else to keep up. As they ran in the cool October air, their breaths came out in white puffs. This assignment was the longest they had been on separate missions since they'd been reunited, and Steve was eager to catch up with his best friend.
"So, how's the assignment going?" Steve asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
Bucky shrugged. "It's easy," he said, his voice casual. "There were a few explosives, but apparently they were there on purpose. Something about making the show more exciting."
Steve raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Easy? You've been on a nonstop pop music tour. You. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes? The one who doesn't even know what Spotify is?" he asked, his voice teasing.
Bucky grinned, ignoring the jokes. "It's easy because of her," he said, his voice sincere. "She's not at all like I expected, man. She's…funny, and so nice. Like, way nicer than I'd be if I was her. She's the richest person I know besides Stark and she still thanks me for opening the door for her."
Steve rolled his eyes, amused. "Look at you, you're smitten with her," he said, his voice teasing.
Bucky laughed as they jogged along. "I am not, I just…misread her, that's all. She's easy to be around, so the assignment is easy. Especially when I'm used to you morons." he joked.
"Yeah, she's a little easier on the eyes than Vision." Steve laughed. "But for the record, I wouldn't blame you if you were. Smitten, I mean."
Bucky's laugh subsided. "I know, I know," he said, his voice turning serious. "But come on, the girls' got literal Yankees trying to date her. She's one of the most famous women on the planet. She's not gonna go out with me, the hired help."
"So how do you explain her ending up in your bed?" Steve cocked an eyebrow knowingly.
Bucky laughed, "That was her idea, all hers."
"The sex?"
"No, no, the photo. There was, uh, no sex." Bucky shook his head as they ran.
"So why were you…"
"She asked me to stay with her after a close call with some psychopath after a show. She was scared. But nothing happened. Then the next morning, we were talking about how I had no game and she had the bright idea to try to trick you guys."
Steve laughed. "I should have known. You had me fooled."
Bucky rolled his eyes. "Man, I should have kept that one going. It would have given me major street cred with Sam."
"Hey, I'm not gonna be the one to tell him." Steve elbowed Bucky and took off at a faster pace, the two super soldiers racing for the last few miles of their run.
As they turned the last corner before returning to the hotel, Bucky's phone went off.
"It should be illegal to be that productive the morning after a red eye."
Bucky chuckled, typing back. "Good morning to you too. Ready for coffee?"
A few seconds later. "You know the way to my heart!"
Ignoring the flutter in his chest, Bucky turned to Steve, waving his phone.
"Well, duty calls."
"Yeah," Steve chuckled. "You really got the shit end of this deal. Hopefully I never get a mission as grueling as bringing lattes to beautiful women in their five star hotel room."
Bucky rolled his eyes. "It was good to see you, man. I missed you."
Steve patted him on the back. "You too, Buck. Welcome back. I'll see you tonight."
"Steve?" Bucky called as he walked into the coffee shop on the corner. "Tell everyone not to embarrass me tonight."
Steve chuckled and broke into a jog back towards the Avengers tower.