GROW (BUCKY BARNES x OC)

31

Kimmy came over the Tower, wearing a pink dress that was quite festive, but nowhere near as insane as Wanda's dedication to her own outfit. When Aurora and Bucky left their room after just sitting around and talking for a bit, they found Kimmy on the couch with a bouquet of flowers. Around the room with her were Sam, Steve, and Bruce. Clint and Thor had left to be with their wife or girlfriend.

"Ooh! Who's the guy?" Aurora asked her friend.

Bucky's eyes drifted over to Steve curiously.

"Tony gave them to me." Kimmy said with a smile that seemed just a bit too intense to be genuine.

"Nice!" Aurora said anyway, not wanting to call her friend out in public.

Steve was looking at the ground sullenly, and was very quiet. Bucky sighed at his best friend before sitting with Aurora and talking to the others.

"I feel left out with all this couple stuff going on." Sam whined.

"Than go out and meet someone!" Aurora encouraged.

"Nah, I like being a bachelor right now." He said.

"You're ridiculous." She sighed and he laughed.

"I was hoping to hide out the day with my fellow single friends, but Steve had already left for his morning jog, and Tony seems to be maybe not so single anymore...?" Sam suggested.

Kimmy blushed, but she didn't seem as excited as Aurora would've expected her to be.

"Do you want me to help you put those in some water?" She asked Kimmy, trying to get the chance to sneak away and interrogate her friend.

"Sure." Kimmy, oblivious to Aurora's true intentions, agreed.

Once they were out of earshot in the kitchen, Aurora just looked at her friend expectantly.

"What?" Kimmy asked, once she finally noticed.

"What's really going on?" She demanded, arms crossed.

"Tony and I just kinda hit it off, I guess." Kimmy shrugged.

"Yeah, but you don't nonchalantly talk about things like this. You are a very loud person when you're excited. Did you not want the flowers? Did you just take them because you didn't want to embarrass him or make him feel bad? Or were you afraid he'd get offended and stop funding your business?!" Aurora guessed.

"No, no, and no." Kimmy shook her head.

"Kimmy, why-"

"I asked him for them, okay?" She blurred out quietly, trying to keep the others from overhearing.

"You... asked for a Valentines gift? We're you worried he wouldn't get you one himself? Kimmy, I'm so confused, do you like Tony or not?" Aurora asked puzzled.

"It's complicated." She sighed.

"I've got time." Aurora countered.

"They're going to wonder why we're talking so long!" Kimmy tried to deflect.

"The only man in that room who knows the first thing about flowers is Bucky, and he won't bring it up in front of everyone like that."

Kimmy internally had a battle with herself before grunting in frustration.

"Fine! Tony and I are really good friends, okay? When I first met him, I was like 'who's this stalker creep at my door?' but then I was like 'oh my god, I'm being stalked by Iron Man?!' but then I was like 'Iron Man gave me doughnuts and is a really funny person to be around'!" Kimmy ranted.