Blue || Bucky Barnes

19. The Way I Look At You

Bucky didn't really talk to me all day. He offered me a 'good morning' but that's the extent of it. He had his nose in his book all day and then I had to go to work. He let me leave with a small 'bye' rolling off his tongue.
My mind is preoccupied throughout my whole shift. I didn't mean to scare him, I was just shocked. I've never seen him like that before. When I said what I said I didn't even think he'd say it back let alone hold my hand. It just took me by surprise.

"Chaírete. ((In Greek) Hello)" A man and woman sit in front of me and I greet them. I take their requests and set about making the beverages.

Narrator

To say Leia is disappointed would be an understatement. She'd finally got through to him. They were conversing, it was great. And she went and messed it all up. She's kicking herself throughout her whole shift.

"Ne vedem mai târziu Adrian. ((In Romanian) See you later Adrian)" Leia says hanging up her apron. She walks through the dark streets quickly, back to the apartment. Leia hated this part the most. Was she scared, no. But there's always that little voice in the back of her mind telling her to watch her back. Her arms stay by her side, currents at the ready.

She unlocks the door and locks it quickly once she's inside. Around the corner she sees Bucky in bed. Quietly Leia puts her things down and walks over to the couch. Bucky stirs and she just knows he's awake.
"Bucky are you awake?" But she asks anyway.
"Yeah." His answer comes out as a sigh.
"Can't sleep?" She asks sitting on the edge of the mattress.
Bucky rolls onto his back and looks up at the girl.
"Yeah."
Leia lets out a unsteady breath. "I want to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. It's not that I didn't like what you did, because I did, I was just shocked." She rambles.
"It's okay." He mumbles. "You should get some sleep, I'm sure you're tired." He dismisses her and something tugs at her heart.
"Yeah." She sighs hopping up. She'll feel better in the morning.

-

Bucky wakes up well before Leia in the morning. She usually sleeps really late because she gets home at such a late hour. He decides to go for a short walk just to clear his head.

He walks back into the apartment right as Leia wakes up. "Afternoon." Bucky's lip quirks slightly.
"Afternoon." Leia lets out a low yawn as she grabs a cup of water and sits down on the couch.

After a moment of hesitation Bucky goes and sits down next to her. "Will you teach me some more Romanian?" Bucky asks barely meeting her eyes.
"S-Sure." Leia stutters facing him properly. That's how Leia originally got him to start talking to her. Nothing about him or anything. She was just teaching him Romanian. Bucky liked sitting with her while she taught him the language. And he wanted to learn so that he could talk to the people down at the markets. And so the pair sit on the couch for the next several hours before Leia has to go to work again.

-

Bucky struggles to sleep when Leia's at work. There's always a bit of worry in the back of his mind though he knows she can handle herself. Tonight is no different. He turns over, switching sides, tossing around trying to find a comfortable position. In the end he just gives up. He throws the lightweight blanket off and sits up. Dragging his hands through his hair he lets out a long breath.
Bucky gets up and grabs some cash out of the small box they keep it in. He grabs his jacket and pulls a glove over his metal hand. His mind is a whir, he can't seem to think straight at all. Maybe a drink would help?
He walks through the dark streets towards the bar. As Bucky gets closer he can hear the bustling of people even at the late hour of 2am.
He walks in and spies a table in the corner that's vacant. That looks like the place for him. Bucky orders his first drink and skulls it down quickly. Leia doesn't notice his presence and Bucky's glad. He watches his friend work behind the bar making drinks for every customer she encounters. With each new person her face holds a bright smile. A smile that Bucky's seen only a few times. He mainly witnesses the smaller smiles that don't really show her teeth. But this bright smile on her face is infectious and Bucky finds it the most stunning thing.