Random OC Ships

Bucky x Dragon

It was very hard for Dragon to keep from screaming at the unfairness of it all.

She had been working them for years. She wasn't always the best agent, and she certainly could have been a bit more social with the rest of the staff, but she was good at her job, and she had become invaluable to Fury.

James had always valued her opinion for what it was, and he trusted her more than anyone else at the tower.

But that was before Sharon Carter came through those doors with her tight suit and blonde hair.

Sharon slammed into them like a Category 5 hurricane. She tore down everything Dragon had worked so hard to build and left a trail of destruction in her wake. Within her first month, she'd managed to get four good agents killed, and at least a few others were on the chopping block.

And Steve seemed to love her immediately.

Like WTF.

It didn't matter to him that Dragon had given the Avengers everything or that he used to trust her implicitly. When Carter winked, complimented Steve, and broke things off with her fiancé to "get to know him better," all of that went out the window. It was like Caesar and Cleopatra all over again.

But Luckily it wasn't Steve that Dragon had liked.

It was James Barnes.

But Sharon had an influence over Steve, whom then had an influence over Bucky.

She demanded Dragon's resignation two weeks later.

It was sheer luck that she wasn't in a position to influence Fury. No matter how much she complained about Dragon's work, she couldn't get her way.

And then came the last straw: Nick promoted her to the job Dragon had been promised, and that was it. A carefully crafted letter of resignation made its way to his desk that night.

Truth be told, Dragon still wasn't sure whether it was the right decision. But she'd given her two weeks' notice, and her desk would have to be cleared out by then. She had to focus on that.

When she walked back into the office that Wednesday night, there he was. She had hoped that today would be the day he'd decide he didn't have to work until all hours and let her clear out her place in peace. But James Barnes, who always seemed to have a sixth sense about her, picked his head up the second she made it across the room.

There wasn't much left: a calendar, a mug, a few notebooks, and a well-worn chemistry textbook lined the box she brought for her things. He at least had the decency to let her finish packing before calling her over.

This wasn't going to end well, and she knew it.

"Are you okay?" he asked once she was settled into the uncomfortable chair across from him. She nodded mutely, and he cleared his throat.

"Good. I, uh...you'll have to forgive the lack of professionalism here, but..."

She tilted her head. "But what?" she asked graciously, wondering briefly if he knew how thin a line he was treading. His eyes fixed on her, and it was like she was seeing the James of three months ago. She couldn't breathe.

"Please don't go," he blurted. She blinked, working hard to keep her face blank. He leaned over the desk theatrically, and it was hard for Dragon to keep from smiling. Whenever he pulled that move, she couldn't help but think he looked a bit like Cary Grant.

"I don't know why you're leaving, but we need you here. You're the best agent here. And I need your advice. Please stay."

And there he was, giving her that look again-the one that always got him an extra slice of cake at company gatherings, could probably get him out of prison, and was very effective at melting a reporter's heart. Dragon felt her reasons for leaving start drifting away. He needed her. And she had always been there for him. How could she leave?

She felt the corners of her mouth turning up and forced them back down again. No way could she cave now; she was right in the middle of packing up her stuff! "What about Sharon?"

Barnes shook his head, sighing audibly. "Thirteen is...well, she's something, all right." He locked his eyes on hers, and Dragon felt herself unable to look away. "But you have something that she just doesn't."

Dragon furrowed her brow. "And what might that be?"

He ran a hand through his hair (his beautiful, perfect, full head of dark brown hair, Dragon thought in spite of herself), seemingly struggling for words. She waited, biting her lip in anticipation.

Finally he spoke. "You're kind. You're funny. You're incredibly talented but so modest that hardly anyone knows how amazing you are, even though they should. You keep to yourself, but you're easy to talk to, and I know you'll be honest with me no matter what I ask. Basically, you're one of Very few people I look forward to seeing every day, and I would genuinely hate to see you go." By the end of his rant, his face had gone red, and Dragon noticed that he was twisting his tie around in his hands- almost as if she were making him nervous.

She smiled at the thought. And then she had an idea that was so crazy and so out of character for her she couldn't believe it could have come out of her own rational, analytical brain. But this is my last chance, really, she realized. If I don't do this now, I'll never be able to.

So she blurted it out before she had too much time to convince herself it was a horrible idea.

"If you'd hate it so much, prove it to me. Take me to dinner tonight. You can give me more compliments," she laughed, "and reasons you want me to stay."

He opened his mouth, his lips forming the word "no," then caught her eye again and promptly shut his mouth. Dragon's breath was stuck in her throat. She stared at him, refusing to blink, until at last she heard the words she hadn't known she was waiting for.

"You know what? It's a date."