Bucky gets dragged to a speed dating event by Sam and Kate. He's exasperated and unimpressed by everyone he connects with, until he comes face to face with Nora, the owner of a book store. She's sweet, kind, and funny, but she's not interested in a...
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A/N: I use French in this chapter and provide context as to what is being said. I speak Quebecois French and I'm currently in courses for it so that I'm bilingual by the time I'm finished by PhD. I'm Canadian, so Quebecois French is very different from French from France in terms of structure, slang, and even the accent. I'm still learning, so if you see an incorrect translation, you can POLITELY offer the correct structure/word instead of just commenting that it's wrong. I do this for my students who are learning English when they write essays.
CW: Angst, lots of sexual tension, and the perils of sharing a room with someone you have a massive crush on.
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Nora has been asleep for most of the flight while Bucky relishes the luxury of first class treatment. Eye masks that cool your face, free drinks (at least he hopes they're free, he's had about 2 bottles of champagne), unlimited movies, and a seat that leans back and actually leaves room for his legs?
It's incredible. He's used to flying in a military plane, and the closest thing he's gotten to luxury was flying in Zemo's private jet, which wasn't exactly a picnic.
The two of them pretended to be newly engaged on the flight, and it got them a lot of perks. Bucky felt a bit bad about it until the booze started flowing, and then he didn't care as much. He and Nora pretended to be snuggly, rub their noses together and he got a few kisses on the corner of her mouth in. It felt so real, and Bucky realized that he's never been more comfortable with someone until he met her.
He's supposed to be going over mission plans for Sam, but he's too engrossed in Lord of the Rings to care right now. Nora loaded the extended editions onto her iPad for them both to watch, and then promptly fell asleep 45 minutes into The Fellowship of the Ring. Right now, her head is leaning against Bucky's arm, and she's breathing softly as he watches The Two Towers.
Bucky has trouble sleeping on long flights. He's afraid he'll have a nightmare, even though those are few and far between these days. Still, he'd rather not embarrass Nora on the plane. He looks over at her, her expression soft as she breathes quietly. He swallows hard and thinks about how easy it would be to just lean over and kiss her pretty pink lips. She put some chapstick on them before she passed out and it makes them look perfectly plump and kissable. He can smell the artificial cherries from where he is.
His cheeks heat up and as quietly and gently as he can, he slips his arm around her and pulls her closer to him. It's a risk, but one that he's willing to take. She's been pressed up against his metal arm for an hour now, and he's been too damn scared to move it. Nora sighs softly, nuzzling into him and he can feel his heart beating faster and faster. Bucky tries to control his breathing and slow his heart down.
"Your chest is a much better pillow than your arm," she murmurs.
Bucky smiles.
"I didn't think the vibranium was exactly comfortable." He pauses as she shifts in her seat and keeps her eyes closed. "Stay there as long as you like, darlin'."
