It's 2025, two years post blip and photography student Rosie Dylan is still learning how to rebuild her life. She's just trying to get to graduation and make enough cash to pay her rent. But then Captain America leaves her an unexpected voicemail.
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A/N: Bucky is really feeling it for Rosie this chapter, man's got it bad.
Content warnings: mentions of dead bodies and gross organ details toward the end. The rest is just fluff.
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Bucky guides Rosie to his and Sam's usual table.
It's permanently reserved for Captain America. A plaque states so on the wall above, a picture of Sam and the owners next to it.
Bucky thinks it's stupid and that they should have to wait for a table like everyone else but if he told Sam that, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Especially since Sam knows that Bucky uses it to his advantage when he's trying to impress a date.
He pulls Rosie's chair out for her. It's automatic as he guides her into the seat and pushes it forward.
"Thank you, Bucky."
He nods uncomfortably and sits in the chair opposite as they wait for Sam to order at the counter.
Despite agreeing to start over, they didn't speak much on the walk to the cafe. Bucky's worried he put her off by being snappy and emotional earlier. He wishes he could just explain why but more often than not they never understand.
The people he hooks up with don't ask questions when he calls them for sad sex. He has women, and men occasionally, that he's grown comfortable with. People like Jasmine and Frankie. They understand what he needs without a deep dive into his emotional well-being. He has therapy for that. But he appreciates it, them being there. And it's not all sad sex. In fact, it's hardly ever sad sex. That usually only occurs once in a blue moon, after the rare nightmare or bad mission. Like last night.
"You guys gonna sit in silence the whole time or?"
Sam drags his chair out, the wooden legs scraping across the floor and emitting a sound that makes all of them grimace. Bucky glares at him, he does this every time despite Bucky always telling him to just pick the chair up.
"We were just getting settled." Rosie answers. She tucks her bag by the wall and looks around. "This place is cute."
"Best beignets you're ever gonna eat," Sam says with a grin. "I'm about to change your life, Rosie Dylan."
Bucky rolls his eyes.
As Sam and Rosie engage in conversation about the wedding, he zones out. Eyes drifting over Rosie's face. He didn't really take time to look at her earlier. He noticed her cute little sundress. And her legs. But he was too irritated and stuck in his own damn head over the mission to really look at her. She has big, brown eyes. Gold and caramel in the right light and he can see if even more now in person. Her nose is cute too, and her chin is just like his. He sighs outwardly, quickly catching himself as Rosie's gaze briefly meets his. But he doesn't look away.
