Attachment Theory - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 6: "am I walking toward something I should be running away from?"

Alice leads him into the pizza joint. It's dimly lit with a bunch of empty seats. From the outside, it looks closed, but the smell wafting out of it and onto the street says otherwise. She has no idea how this place stays in business. The area around Empire was supposed to be this nightlife hub with nightclubs, late night food establishments, and even a little outdoor market, but it never happened. The few nightclubs that did pop up were closed within months. Everyone wants to party on the strip, not near it, and definitely not in some little out of the way industrial area. The only thing that keeps Empire in business is its reputation and the fact that you're guaranteed to see at least eight boobs when you walk inside.

"Smells good," Bucky remarks.

"Honestly, best pizza anywhere near the strip," Alice laughs, grabbing her wallet out of her purse. "You wanna split a medium?"

"Sure."

"What kind do you want?"

"Any."

She looks up at him with a raised brow, holding back laughter. Does this guy ever make a decision? He wears the same four shirts, same three pairs of jeans, and the same boots every day. The military really does a number on you. It makes sense, though. Maybe he still likes the idea of having a uniform. There's a comfort in routine. Her sister still wakes up at 5:00am to run five miles and do 100 push-ups.

"You really just roll with things, don't you?" She asks. He stammers slightly and Alice offers him a warm smile to make him feel more comfortable. "Pepperoni and mushroom sound good?"

"Yeah," he replies, his eyes still darting around nervously. She wonders if he's ever comfortable anywhere. "Sounds great."

Alice leans up against the counter.

"Can we get one medium pepperoni and mushroom?"

"To go?" The clerk asks. Alice nods. "Ten bucks."

She slaps some cash on the counter.

"Be about ten minutes."

"No problem."

"I'm gonna go out for a cigarette," Alice says softly as she tosses some dollar bills into the tip jar. Silently, Bucky follows her as she pops one between her lips and lights it. "Sorry, bad habit, I know."

He offers a tight-lipped smile and a shrug while Alice blows a smoke ring.

"If you want me to put it out, I can."

"It's fine," he whispers. "I really don't mind."

"What about you?" She asks. "Any vices? Besides coming to the club a few nights a week?"

He blushes furiously and looks down at his boots. They're scuffed today and there's some mud on them. He looks uncomfortable, shifting his weight slightly as he searches for an answer in the grooves in the pavement just like he stared at that whiskey glass the first night they really got the chance to talk.

"That's pretty much it."

"I was never allowed to smoke when I was doing ballet."

"Why'd you start?" He asks.

"Someone once told me it helped with anxiety, but it actually does the opposite and by the time I figured that out, I was in too deep to quit. I know I should, but I don't have a lot of vices anymore, you know?" She chuckles. "Just this, and alcohol, and fast food."

"Could be worse," he replies.

"Yeah," she laughs. "Could be."

The door opens and the cashier sticks his head out with the pizza in his hand.