Do You Trust Me? // Bucky Barnes

5

Down Town New York

Bucky

The music throbbed through the floorboards, pulsating with a lazy kind of drawl that had Bucky moving forwards. His eyes searched the figures in the dark as he ignored the gentle tugging on the leather jacket he'd thrown on to cover his arm. Eyes met his with casual interest and he kept his pace, slipping past bodies that pressed too close and ignoring whispered comments about his presence.

"Mr Barnes?" Peter shuffled along behind him and Bucky grunted in response. "You know I'm not twenty-one, right?" 

A small smirk ghosted Bucky's lips as he looked towards a threadbare couch in the corner and his eyes traced the small slip of black that left more of this girl exposed than it probably should. She didn't even look his way and Bucky knew she was who he was looking for.

"You see her?" His voice was low and Peter glanced in the direction he pointed, following his finger to the girl in the dress.

"Yeah?"

"That's our girl."

Bucky watched as Peter took a step forwards, his brow furrowing in confusion as his head tilted a little to the right and his lips quirked into a disbelieving smile.

"Her?" He turned back to Bucky with a laugh. "She doesn't look like an arms dealer."

A small groan loosed from Bucky's lips as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. His mind caught on the notion that Sam may have been punishing him for something with this shit. Maybe because he didn't trust Sharon and Sam did. Maybe because Bucky and Sarah had been spending time together, pretending to flirt, just to get under Sam's skin. Maybe just for fun. But this, having to deal with a teenager, this was punishment. 

"And you," he sighed, "don't look like a spider. What's your point?"

For a second Bucky felt guilty. Peter's face seemed to crumple as he blinked back at him and shook his head. His eyes dropped to his feet and he shuffled awkwardly, already uncomfortable in a bar, with a super soldier who had never made any effort to know him. Bucky opened his mouth to apologise but paused. He wasn't really sure how to apologise to a kid like Peter.

"Has anyone ever told you you're kind of mean?" Peter grumbled.

"More than once," Bucky sighed. "Come on, kid. We'll have an advantage from over there."

Motioning to the empty corner by the back exit, Bucky pulled his phone from his pocket and grinned to himself as a message came through.

Are you doing it?

Bucky rolled his eyes as he typed out his reply, knowing he would regret it later.

Want me to send the footage after?

He couldn't help but laugh at the instantaneous reply.

Yes. Yes yes yes. Just don't tell Dad.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket Bucky motioned to the waitress moving through the crowd clad in black leather and lace and Peter stared at the ceiling.

"You're going to get kicked out if you don't stop acting like a kid, kid."

"I am a kid," Peter grunted.

Ava

Her mind was foggy as she reached for the glass in front of her. Flickers of faces she'd rather forget seemed to mist and mingle in her mind when she closed her eyes and the bitter sting of tequila only seemed to add to the sickness that twisted in her gut.