𝑼𝒔, 𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 - 𝑩. 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔

17b

Bucky's attention was distracted by another pair of eyes on them in the restaurant. At first, he felt as though they were being watched but then he found the pair of big brown eyes staring at him over Marcella's shoulder.

Marcella looked up at him from her plate of pasta and scrunched her eyebrows. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothin'." Bucky turned back to her with a smile. He turned his fork in circles, working the spaghetti onto it.

She watched him carefully and took a sip of his wine. "This feels odd to me."

"Going on a date?"

"I'm not used to doing stuff like this."

Bucky nods, "It felt strange to me too."

"You've been doing this dating stuff?" Marcella tilted her head slightly.

Bucky placed his fork down. "I tried to go on a date with the waitress at the sushi place I go with Mr. Nakajima. I failed horribly. Tried that app too, to feel like I was moving on. Didn't."

Marcella chuckled. "Simrit's on those apps. I find them confusing."

"That's one word to describe them."

"You've mentioned Nakajima before. No, Zemo did."

Bucky's lips pursed, and his metal arm he was hiding under the table came up and dragged along his chin and neck. He was uncomfortable.

"He's one of the people on that list you have to make amends with, right?"

"His son. There was a mission and he wasn't meant to be there." Bucky answer shortly, and Marcella could tell how much grief that mission costed him. So many people had be caught in the cross fire on the Winter Soldier and their mission.

Marcella reached under the table and touched Bucky's knee, trying to physically tell him that she understood. His metal hand caught hers and he latched their fingers together.

"Lucky waitress." Marcella mumbled and he looked at her. "Can't say I'm not pleased it didn't go well."

He smiled.

They finished eating and sat peacefully with each other, enjoying the normality of being just two people on a date and causal conversation of books, friends, and experiences before their worlds were turned upside down. Bucky asked Marcella a question about her roommates and that started her going on and on about them. Ranting and loving about them. Bucky's attention was once again unable to not be distracted because that pair of brown eyes was starting to stare at him again now that it wasn't being fed.

Marcella noticed Bucky's eyes drift as she spoke about the dance studio she was trying to dance in. Thinking it was a woman or worse, a baseball game she turned over her shoulder and found nothing but a family instead. The parents were chatting, talking about nothing but schedules and appointments and their maybe two years old child was staring Marcella and Bucky down.

"That baby's been staring at me since they sat." Bucky chuckled nervously.

She ignored the feeling in her chest and looked at the the baby's eyes fixated on Bucky. The baby looked at her and her eyes widened more.

"Adorable." Marcella turned back around to face Bucky and found that he was already looking at her. There was a moment of quiet between them.

Bucky shook his head and smiled, "It's still staring."

"I think it's a she. And she's got a similar staring problem as you."

Bucky leaned back, and hid from the baby's curious glare, "You don't mind me staring at you."