Gravity - B. Barnes

-9-

Kat had stayed all night after the rain storm. They'd spent hours talking, and Bucky had found himself opening up to her more than he'd opened up to anyone since Sam.

"You know, since...coming out of Hydra, it's taken some adjusting and work to even start to forgive myself for the things I've done."

Kat opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off.

"I know, I wasn't in control, but it was still me and it's taken a long time to begin to separate the two. Sam helped a lot with that. Don't tell him that though or I'll never hear the end of it."

She chuckled and rested her head on her arms on the back of the couch. "Secret's safe with me."

"Thanks. Anyway, I was finally starting to...live again. To think maybe it would be okay to...be alive. But that was as far as it'd ever go. Just me. Alone. Living. And that could be enough. Having control of my own life could be enough."

Kat shifted beside him so she could study his face better. "Was it enough? Is it...enough?"

Bucky tapped his thumbs together. "It seemed it. But then I met you." Bucky glanced at her quickly, gauging her reaction before he exhaled and turned to fully face her. "I tried...really hard...not to let you in but you...are so light-"

"I'm not-"

"You are quick to smile and generous and caring. You put my feelings and wellbeing before your own and...it caught me off guard."

"I didn't-"

"You didn't have to invite me to breakfast with Sam, but you did. Because you cared about how I'd feel in that moment."

"I was just being nice."

Bucky quirked a smirk at her. "Exactly."

She shook her head and a piece of hair fell beside her face. "You give me too much credit."

Bucky locked eyes with her. "You don't give yourself enough." Bucky swallowed hard. "Kat, since I've met you, I want to want again. To hope. To dream. To think about...possibilities and the future. You've been breaking down my walls and..." Bucky lifted a hand to brush back the hair from her face, moving slowly to give her time to pull away, for any number of reasons.

Kat stayed perfectly still as Bucky swept the hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing the tip of her ear before ghosting down her jaw. She let out a shaky breath as his fingers hovered near her chin.

"I uh...I would very much like to kiss you. If that's...Could I...?"

She nodded. "You could."

Bucky awkwardly shifted on the couch, cursing himself for lacking every ounce of charm he'd possessed in the past, before cupping Kat's face with his hand and moving his face closer to hers. He touched his nose to hers and searched her eyes for any hesitation. She closed her eyes as a show of consent and Bucky closed the gap between them and kissed her.

It was soft, slow, simple, and as Bucky pulled back, leaving his hand on her cheek, he wanted to do it again. Instead, he inhaled and admitted, "I've wanted to do that for a while."

Kat placed her hand on his knee and softly said, "You could do it again. If you wanted."

Bucky smiled softly as he closed the gap again, pressing another kiss to her lips. This one was hungrier, firmer, and she pressed into it as he moved his hand down to the side of her neck.

Kat swept her tongue across Bucky's lips and he pulled back, surprised at her initiative. Kat bit her lip and blushed, muttering, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you un-"