Lost and Found - Bucky Barnes x OC

Worth A Try

A/N: Contains sexual references/smut - 18+

**

Bucky rapped his metal knuckles across Frankie's front door. He checked his watch, 1.45am. This was a bad idea...what was he doing here?? Women don't want unsolicited men darkening their doorway in the early hours of the morning! This is stupid. He shouldn't have come.

As he turned to leave he heard a shuffling on the other side of the wall. Suddenly a woman's quiet voice called through the door, groggy with sleep, nervously asking who was there.

'It's me...Bucky. James Barnes..uh-I'm sorry I...'

The door opened. Frankie stood in front of him in mismatched pyjamas, her hair dishevelled and her eyes bleary. A metal cooking ladle sheepishly clenched in one hand as some sort of last second weapon. She looked worried. At first he thought she was (rightly) nervous about being woken by a knock on the door at 2am, but suddenly realised that concern was for his benefit.

'James - Are you OK? What's happened? Are you hurt?' she asked him, her worried eyes scanning him for answers.

He felt a sudden pang in his heart that her first reaction was to worry about him. Not allowing himself to be swept up in that feeling though, he smirked back.

'No I'm fine, I'm OK...but I am curious as to what exactly you thought you'd do with that?' he pointed to the ladle in her hand.

Her face instantly clouded with annoyance and any hint of sympathy in her expression had evaporated. As always, his mocking tone infuriated her.

'Oh I'm sorry?' She hissed. 'Not all of us have an armoury ready in our apartments in case strange men start banging on our door in the early hours'. She paused momentarily, then swung the ladle hard in the air 'Something like this...I guess? Bludgeoning maybe?' miming as if hitting someone on the head with it.

He nearly laughed at that but managed to hold it off, he didn't need to anger her any further.

'So why are you here then? Just to wake me up and make fun of me?' she demanded, crossing her arms – ladle still in hand. She was furious now. She thought someone was trying to break in at first. All those late night true crime documentaries coming back to bite her in the ass. Yes, the ladle was a bit pathetic, but she wasn't exactly clear headed in the split second after waking to someone bashing on her door. When she realised it was him she had assumed something bad had happened, unexpected knocks on the door at 1.45am are rarely good news.

And how dare he turn up here at this time and worry her, and then have the audacity to tease her for it?! They hadn't spoken since their kiss that morning and she had spent the day quietly agonising over what it had meant. And now here he was. And for what? A booty call? Is that what he thought she was? Had she been a complete idiot and misread it all...was she just an easy target?

Annoyingly he looked good though, as always. Even at stupid o'clock in the morning. She found her eyes drawn to his pouty lips and she replayed the kiss in her head once more...

Bucky realised he needed to drop the attitude and speak to her properly. But it was tough, showing any sort of vulnerability didn't come naturally to him. Also he genuinely couldn't resist the ladle jab, he loved to rile her up and couldn't help himself. Watching her face contort into a frown, her chocolate brown eyes narrowing as she spat back whatever clever retort she had in response. He briefly wondered what his therapist would say about his penchant for attractive women insulting him.

'Look. Francesca...' he started.

'No, don't call me that.'

'Right, Frankie sorry...' He exhaled. 'I'm sorry I've showed up here unannounced in the middle of the night. You have every right to be mad. And you can tell me to leave, I'll understand. It's just...I slept really well here last night, in your bed...with, uh, you. And sleeping isn't easy for me, I have these nightmares...I wake up a lot...but last night, I only had one nightmare and you were there and suddenly I felt really tired and just drifted off and slept through. Which I know doesn't sound like a big deal, but for me..' he trailed off. 'I tried to sleep at my place tonight and I just...'