Argent ♝ Bucky Barnes

06

xvii. Boys → Charli XCX
"Sorry that I missed your party,
I wish I had a better excuse,
But I can't even lie, you got me,
I was busy thinking about boys."

***

"So when were you going to tell me you're the Winter Soldier?"

The silence that followed her question was deafening.

James stares at her with a blank face but panic swirled in his eyes, reflected by the light shining in from the city. "So you found out," he states. It was detached, emotionless even but his voice cracked at the end, giving him away.

Allison replies hesitantly, "Yes," she says with her chin held high. Brown eyes met blue and her heartbeat skyrocketed.

"Are you scared?" He asks, a little tremor in his voice.

Allison shakes her head and he searches her eyes, looking unconvinced. She gently brought a hand to his metal one and squeezed.

Warmth fills her cheeks and her eyes are drawn to his lips in the low light.

The gleam in his eyes turns predatory. Moving closer, he repeats the question.

"No," Allison says, her voice cracking. She clears her throat and says it louder, hoping she sounded more firm. "No."

James scoots even closer to her until their thighs touch and his arms are on either side of her body. "Are you sure?" He asks, nose almost touching hers.

Her eyes are trained on his lips as they moved closer. Warm breath fanned across her lips and hers part automatically, but he moves at the last second.

"Yes," she breathes. Lips brush her jaw and she takes in a shaky breath, eyes falling shut involuntarily.

James bites her neck lightly and her breath hitches. "Come on, baby, tell the truth," he whispers. "Do I scare you?"

"Yes," she breathes. He leans back slightly with a smirk on his face and meets her eyes with his blue ones. He tilts his head slightly and comes even closer to whisper, "Good."

And then he kisses her.

***

Allison wakes with a gasps and throws herself off the couch, away from Bucky. She can't believe she had a dream about kissing him.

Sitting on a patch of sunlight on the floor, she puts her head in her hands and sighs.

If only it actually had gone like that.

The hours after the confession consisted of James telling Allison everything that happened to him and lots of tears. On her part, not his - his retelling was factual and emotionless but it turned her into a mess.

What can she say? She's a sucker for a tragic tale and his is about the most tragic she'd ever heard.

The leather couch above her groans as James shifted in his sleep. She raises her head, only to be blinded by the light shining through the large window.

The clock under the TV reads 8:45 am and she groans again, this time loud enough to where James' eyes flicker open.

Sleepy blue eyes meet hers. "What're you doin' down there, sweetheart?" He asks her, voice hoarse from sleep.

Groaning, she rolls on the floor to face him properly as he leans over her the side of the couch to peer at her. "Oh, you know, just laying around," she grins charmingly and he laughs. It was such a stupid, Stiles-esque joke but it made him laugh and her smile widened.

The smile on her face faded slowly as her thoughts turned dark.

Back into the freezing water in the clinic.

The familiar darkness around her heart pulses in need and the world drowns out until she's back in the tub with Isaac holding her down, leaving bruises on her bare shoulders.

James snaps her out of it, literally. His blue eyes search her face. "Are you okay?" He asks earnestly.

Allison blinks rapidly, trying to clear the glossiness from her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we're good. Promise," she says, clearing her throat.

James' eyes narrow as he looks at her carefully. "Alright," he whispers slowly.

Allison's tries to smile but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Alright," she says back. "Breakfast?"

James smiles softly down at her. "Pancakes?" he asks.

"Yes, please," Allison says and grins. This time, it reaches her eyes.

James stands up and steps over her. He offers a hand down to her.

It wasn't the metal one.

"Let's go then," he says, eyes shining in the morning light.

Allison takes his hand and he pulls her up so she standing straight up. A groan escapes her and she stretches her aching back out.

James' eyes follow the pale stretch of skin exposed on her midriff and once she's done, he quickly looks out the window at the large expanse of New York below them. She saw, though, her mind undoubtedly filing it away for intense deliberation later.

Allison sighs. Her back still hurts but it's no longer stiff. She begins walking but James doesn't follow. She turns back and extends her hand toward him, fingertips outstretched expectantly.

A smile so bright lights up James' face, his blue eyes bright, and Allison feels like she could look at him forever.

It was then, she decided, she's would tear the earth apart to see him smile like that again.