Saved - A Bucky Barnes love story

Met in the service area

It's Wednesday evening and you're getting ready to go to work. You look at yourself in the mirror. As usual, the clothes you wear are inconspicuous and comfortable. Today you went for simple black jeans and a lumberjack style shirt. For a moment you think about putting on some makeup, but decide against it. Brock, your partner, doesn't like to see you put on make-up. You grab your purse and walk to work. The bar is just a few blocks away and you enjoy the short walk up there. The bar you work in is more of a small, cozy pub. Sports are shown on large televisions and there are smaller items to eat like burgers and stuff. The furniture inside is entirely on dark wood. Due to the interior design and the dimmed light, it is always somehow dark. Tonight, only you and your colleague Mary will work. Actually, a third colleague would have been assigned, but due to a private incident, she had to call in sick at short notice. You enter the bar and greet your colleague with a friendly hug. "Hey Mary". She returns the hug and greets you in return. You have just opened and the first guests are gradually arriving. You are pouring Will, one of your regular customers, a drink when Mary draws your attention to guests in your service area. You grab your apron with your order pad and your wallet and go to your guests. Two young men are sitting at the table. One is dark blonde, wears jeans and a white cable knit sweater. The other has short brown hair and fascinating blue eyes. He's also wearing jeans, a dark shirt and a leather jacket. You are briefly confused when your gaze falls on his left arm. Instead of a hand made of flesh and blood, you see a hand made of metal. But your confusion is short-lived, there are all kinds of prostheses these days. "Hey, what can I get you two?" you ask to take the order of the two. Leather jacket gives you a sympathetic and somehow sweet smile before he speaks. "Hey um .. I'll get a beer and a cheesebruger with fries, please." You make a note of his order and turn to the other man questioningly. "The same for me, please," he replies and looks at his friend in amusement, who can hardly take his eyes off you. Out of the corner of your eye you can see how he watches you shyly. You can't help smiling. "All right. Then I'll bring you your drinks right away." You smile at both of them and go back to the bar. There you give the order for the two burgers to the kitchen and pour the two beers. You return to the table with the glasses and place them in front of them. Leather jacket is about to say something when a guest calls for you from another table. You go over and the customer pays. You clear the table and go back to the counter. A few minutes later, a loud ringing will signal that your burgers are ready. With the hot meal you go back to the only occupied table in your area, now that the other guest has left. "So, two cheeseburgers and fries. Enjoy it." "Thank you, that looks damn good," says Leather Jacket and gives you another bright smile. You give him a little smile on your part and leave them alone. You have a lot to do for it being Wednesday evening. It's quarter to eleven. The bar closes at eleven on weekdays. Leather jacket and his buddy are still sitting at their table. "Hey, we're closing in a quarter of an hour. Can I get you something else?" This time the cable knit sweater says "no thanks, we'd like to pay." You give them the bill and put the dishes back in the kitchen. When you come back from the kitchen, the two are on their way outside. Leather jacket turns around to you again and smiles at you before he follows his friend out of the bar. You go back to the table to collect the money. In addition to a decent tip, you'll find a small note there. You pick up the piece of paper and read "Nice to have met you tonight. That made the whole evening even more beautiful." Unconsciously, a smile appears on your face. Still, only one thought shoots through your head: "No name? You could at least have given me your name." You go back to the counter grinning. "Well, you really twisted the head of that guy. He could hardly take his eyes off you all evening," says Mary as you stand next to her and count your tip. Even though you feel kind of flattered, you still can't really believe that someone is really interested in you. "Oh dear, he had only hoped for one advantage from this. That I might say in the end that the drinks are on me or something. After all, wouldn't be the first guy who wants it." Sometimes your customers are really annoying. Since you have been a team of young women, many think they have to smile nicely and you would become hopelessly addicted to them. "I don't know. The guy looked really flashed. Maybe he'll come back tomorrow," she grins at you and begins to count her tip as well. After you've tidied up and cleaned up, you sit together at the bar and have a drink. You don't usually do that. But since Brock wanted to stay at his house tonight, you have the evening practically free. He doesn't like it that much when you stay away after work. But what he doesn't know can't bother him, right? At some point Mary turns the conversation back to the mysterious man. "Think about it, he seemed kind of cute. Yes, almost shy. He would certainly treat you better than Brock does." You know exactly what she's getting at. Yes Brock can be very bossy. But you are not always easy either. And that he punishes you if you don't do what he says is somehow normal, isn't it? Besides, he loves you. He doesn't always show it so obviously, but he keeps saying it. "Brock is not that bad," you say meekly. "Not that bad? Sure, I'm sure it's not that bad if he hits you again because you don't do what he says. But you know my opinion about it. I would really like to kick this guy in the balls." Maybe Mary is right after all? But you cannot afford such thoughts. You are in a certain way dependent on him. If the month is not going so well, he will help you financially. Without him you would be homeless by now. Mary realizes that you are uncomfortable and changes the subject. It is after midnight when you say goodbye to each other and you are on your way home. You're looking forward to just dropping into bed and watching something on TV. You look for your key in your handbag. You will eventually find it under your wallet. You open the door to your apartment and freeze in shock when you see that the light is already on inside.