"Not enough to scare you I hope," Hazel voiced, a small smirk tugging at her lips as she studied him fingers tapping the base of her glass.
"Quite the opposite," he declared his hand inching closer to where she had rested her free arm on the back o...
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"Bucky Barnes, man you're lookin' good," Sam drawled, a sly smile creeping its way across his face.
"Shut up," Bucky mumbled, nervously running his hand over the long scruff on his cheeks.
He hunched his shoulders and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, desperately trying to make his large frame look less intimidating. Dropping his head, he stared at the toe of his boot as he scuffed it along the wooden floor of his apartment.
"Don't know why the hell I let you talk me into this," he added, his brows drawing down into a petulant scowl.
"'Cause I'm your friend and you love me," Sam replied sweetly, throwing his arm around Bucky and drawing the reluctant super soldier tightly against him. "You gotta get back out there, charm those ladies like it's 1942."
"Friends don't put each other into situations like this," Bucky grumbled, his jaw clenching tightly as he glared at Sam out of the corner of his eye.
"Quit being a toddler. You're acting like we're gonna fight someone. It's not Madripoor, or Seoul, or that time in Belize..."
"I'd rather be back in Belize."
Sam threw his head back with a cackle and slapped his hand between Bucky's shoulders. "Whatever, big guy, come on. We don't wanna be late."
Bucky spent the whole subway ride with a scowl etched onto his face, deepening every time he caught a glimpse of Sam's grin in his peripherals.
The annoying part of this was, the longer he'd been friends with the guy, the more that grin wore him down.
"Stop it."
"I ain't doin' anything, man. You stop it."
Sam's toothy smile grew two times wider and he nudged Bucky's shoulder as they shuffled off the train at Prince Street Station.
"This thing would be in Soho," Bucky muttered, following Sam out onto the sidewalk.
"Hey! No more complaining. For all you know you might meet a nice girl or guy... or alien I guess, it is 2024, and then you'll be thanking me."
Bucky rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Sam. Sure, Sam. Just run my life for me, Sam."
"Someone's gotta," Sam replied just as they stopped outside a coffee shop. Bucky eyed the big A-frame sign advertising the Valentine's speed dating event and sucked in a breath.
Here goes nothing.
The sound in there alone was enough to have him turning tail but Sam caught his arm when he made an attempt and gave him a stern look that rang out loud and clear, stay put soldier, that's an order.
Bucky watched as a herd of women fixed their dresses and shirts, chatting politely with the people next to them and sipping on drinks as men lurked in corners, with wide eyes scanning the crowd as they downed beers in feeble attempts to find their courage. Bucky wanted to melt into the wall with them but Sam tugged him toward an empty high table and had the waitress grab them drinks before they even settled in.
