Easier Than Lying

1

My hands fly and miss his head every time. I'm dripping in sweat, my hair plastered to the back of my neck, my breaths quick and hard. Finally, the timer goes off. I try to land one more punch and miss spectacularly, flying forward into the ropes around the ring. When I turn to look at him, he's smirking.

"Well...that was fucking pathetic," he says as I walk on shaky legs back to my corner. I glare at him over the top of my water bottle.

"A little encouragement would be nice, Barnes." I peel off my boxing gloves and the tape underneath them that's wrapped around my hands.

"You don't pay me for encouragement Astria, come on." He climbs over the ropes, not bothering to wait for me. I groan and follow him.

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asks when I catch up to him. I fall into step next to him and we walk towards a mat so I can stretch before going to shower.

"Why, you wanna go out?" I joke. He doesn't find it funny and crosses his arms.

"I'm going for drinks tonight with Nat and Wanda and Clint and Pietro," I say as I sit to stretch my hamstrings.

"Pietro? Bend your legs a little." I do what he says and look up at him.

"Yeah Pietro. Is there a problem with that?" His face is impossible to read and I meet his icy blue eyes with my own.

"Finish stretching. I'll meet you up front after you shower." He walks off without another word. I roll my eyes at the back of his head and finish my stretches before I head to the showers.

Freshly clean and in a pair of jeans and a baggy NYU sweatshirt, I sling my gym bag over my shoulder and walk out of the women's locker room to find Bucky at the front desk, flirting with the girl at the counter. He doesn't see me walk up so I clear my throat to get his attention. His eyes quickly flick to mine and he looks me up and down.

"What's up?" I ask. He pulls his eyes away from my legs and I smirk, knowing I've caught him checking me out.

"Here's your weekend plan. Have fun tonight with Pietro," he says, handing me a packet. I snag a protein bar from the counter and wink at him.

"I will. We're going to that new club in Manhattan, uh, Midnight Sun? If you're bored and want to join us. Thanks for the snack." Without another word I walk out and head towards home.

Wanda is at her desk when I get home. She doesn't look up from the pile of papers in front of her.

"Hey, what'cha working on?" I ask as I drop my gym bag on the floor.

"Just some placement papers. I have a few interviews coming up for potential families." Wanda works in foster care.

"Sounds exciting."

"Sure. How was the gym?" she asks, looking up from her paperwork.

"It was alright. We boxed today so that was interesting."

"And how is Bucky?" she asks with a grin.

"Insufferable as usual." Wanda laughs and I head down the hall to my bedroom.

"What time are we leaving?" I call to her, kicking clothes on the floor out of my way.

"Around seven!" I don't say anything back, but plop on my bed with my phone to catch up on texts I missed while in training.

P. Maximoff: Cant wait 2 c u 2nite Astria!

N. Romanoff: What are you wearing tonight?

Mom: miss you. Call me soon?

I respond to Pietro first with a winky face emoji. He reads my message but doesn't respond.

Me to N. Romanoff: black skinny jeans with a tank. Haven't decided which one. And my docs.

N. Romanoff: ok. Did you convince Mr. Winter Soldier to come?

Me to N Romanoff: lol I told him where we would be. IDK if he will show up. He doesn't seem to care for Pietro.

N. Romanoff: lol because he likes you and is jealous.

I laugh out loud at her words. Bold of her to assume Bucky is jealous. But, I mean, wasn't he checking me out earlier?

"Astria! Can you come and load the dishwasher? The sink is full!" Wanda calls. I drop my phone and the thoughts about Bucky and walk out to do the dishes.

A few hours later, Wanda and I are walking into the club to find Nat and Clint already at a table in the secluded VIP section.

"Ladies, nice of you to join us," Nat says. Wanda squeezes in next to her and I sit next to Clint. Half a second later, Pietro has materialized by my side.

"Looking as beautiful as ever Astria," he says to me. I smile and shove at him. A waitress appears and we order drinks, talking and laughing. After a few, Pietro pulls me to my feet and towards the dance floor. I let him, giggling as we join the crowd. An Enrique Iglesias song starts up and I dance with Pietro, my hips moving in tune with the music. At the feeling of someone watching me, I glance around and out of the corner of my eye I catch a pair of familiar blue ones and the unmistakable glint of metal. Pietro spins me away before I can get a better look and by the time I look again, he's gone.

"I need another drink!" I yell to Pietro. He nods and I walk off to the bar as he goes back to our table. I flag down the bartender and order a rum and coke and slide onto a barstool to wait.

"A beer please," a voice says next to me. I spin on my stool, a smirk on my face.

"Fancy meeting you here," I say to him, he turns to look at me.

"I'm not here because of you. Don't give me that look."

"If you're not here because of me then why are you here Barnes?" I ask. The bartender slides our drinks to us and I take a swig of mine, waiting for Bucky's answer.

"I needed a drink," he finally says. I smile knowingly and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Right. And instead of going to any other bar for a drink you came here after I told you my plans for the night. Sure Barnes," I say sarcastically.

"Pure coincidence Astria." I take another drink and stand up off my barstool to head back to my friends.

"Well. As much fun as this was, I better get back before my friends start to miss me," I tell him. I wiggle my fingers in his direction and start to walk off. Before I can get too far, I feel the cold fingers of his metal arm close around my bicep. I turn back to look at him, my eyebrows raised.

"Can I help you?" I ask. Bucky stares at me with his hard blue eyes.

"Have fun with Pietro." I grin at him.

"Trust me, I plan on it." He lets go and I flaunt off, leaving him staring after me.

"Ready for another dance?" I ask Pietro when I return to our table. He grins at me.

"Hell yes! Let's go!" He grabs my outstretched hand and lets me pull him, once again, to the dance floor. I dance close to him, his hands on my hips and my arms go around his neck. I smile and laugh with him, looking into his eyes and lip synching along to The Chainsmokers' song that's playing, but it's not Pietro I want to be dancing with. Fuck.

Standing on the balcony in the club, he stares out at the sea of people. His eyes drift on the people dancing, the people drinking, the people having fun. He spots his target sitting alone at the bar, but only for a moment. A girl sidles up next to him, too close. He hadn't planned on trying anything here, it's too public. But who was she? Why was the target leaning so close to her? He watches as they talk, she laughs at something he says. She moves to walk away but the target grabs her arm, says something, and lets go. She walks away. The Winter Soldier's eyes drift up to the balcony, but he's already gone, disappearing into the wind.