Ready to Comply: A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Three ~ Love Like a Drug

It is needless to say Bucky and I hit it off rather quickly. There is something about him, something beyond that perfect jawline, those steel blue eyes, and the rare but beautiful smile that he will give me when he is truly happy. Something inside me changed from the moment we first spoke, and as the days turned into weeks, we became almost inseparable. We keep ourselves busy some days, me looking for work (a surprisingly difficult task in Bucharest) and him running errands. Afternoons are spent talking and watching the news on the new TV - well, new for us. It is more of a box than a TV. The days seem to go by much more quickly because of him. I hardly ever think about my home back in the US, or the parents who never bother to call, or the boss who didn't bother to make sure I returned safely. All I think about is him, and the new life we are starting together. It is good for both of us, I think, to have a fresh start.

I remember the day things became more serious between us.

We are walking through the city, about three weeks after he had shown me his metal arm. It is an unusually warm day, and neither of us has anything planned. We don't want to just sit around the apartment, so we decide to go for a walk. We are holding hands - me on his right side because his left hand was always so cold - something we had grown accustomed to doing since we became official. We had no destination in mind, but we ended up stumbling upon a beautiful park that the locals called Liberty Park.

Now neither of us were the romantic type, but in that moment, I think we both decided today would be an exception. We find a lone tree in a field toward the center of the park, and we sit side by side, soaking up the sunlight that we hadn't felt in so long. We don't say much - we don't have to. After a while I begin running my fingers through his hair, lightly tugging when I find a tangle in the long strands that are nearly at his shoulders. When I tug too hard at one point, he winces and turns his head toward me.

"Sorry," I whisper, fighting back a smile.

He smiles - his real, true smile - and leans in until his face is just inches from mine. "A little pain never bothered me," he says quietly, glancing down at my lips. I am completely focused on his eyes, and when he does this my head starts spinning. What is he doing?

And then I know what he's asking for, and before I can even think straight I am lifting my hands to his shoulders, one wrapping around to the back of his neck, my fingers trailing through his hair. I did not realize until now how much I wanted this.

He does not hesitate, and suddenly his lips are on mine, gently at first, his hands on my waist. He's being careful, afraid he is passing my boundaries. Once again, oddly old-school of him. But as I pull him closer he becomes stronger, more dominant, shifting himself so that he is now leaning over me. His normal hand is caressing my cheek, while his metal hand finds its way into my shirt, up my back, making me shiver from the icy grip. I try not to show it, because I have never been kissed with so much passion before, and I do not want it to end so soon. But I am already out of breath, and I pull away seconds later, trembling but still holding tightly to the collar of his shirt. He pulls back an inch, but his hands remain where they are.

"Are you okay?" he asks, eyes fixed on mine as if he is truly worried he hurt me.

"Fine," I whisper, "I just didn't expect... for it to be that..." I was at a loss for words, and I think he knew this, because he smiled again.

And then his hands are off of me, back at his sides again, and he is sitting back against the tree. His left arm is still brushing mine, as we are sitting shoulder to shoulder, but I had never felt such a longing to be closer than this. It was as if being side by side wasn't enough anymore, now that I had had a taste of how close we could be.

From that night on we share the bed. I no longer feel restless at night, unable to sleep. His metal arm will wrap around me when he feels me shifting in the bed, and though cold at first, it gives me a sense of security. It feels like armor. No one can get to me through him. And I can sleep through the whole night knowing this.

I did not think any kiss could be better than our first, but it turns out we get better at it every time. His hands will find their way to my waist, my back, my thighs, never going too far but always just far enough. His hair brushes against my face as he leans down to make up for the height difference. His eyes shift down just before the kiss, making sure his lips fit just perfectly to mine. I run my hands through his hair, or down his shoulders to his chest, where I can feel his heartbeat. I am usually the one to pull away first, either to catch my breath or to keep him from getting too far. I don't know if this makes me a tease or just too careful, but I guess I am just not ready to go all the way yet, considering I've never gotten that far with anyone else. So I make him wait, which he doesn't seem to mind, because he never pushes me or asks for anything more.

It is like a drug, my love for him. And this grows more powerful every day. The second we separate, I feel incomplete, and I can't remember how I used to live without him. I know this isn't normal, that I have never - nor have I ever seen anyone else - need someone like I need him. It is something unusual and mysterious - almost supernatural - because I know he is not a normal person. He may not even be human. I just know that we are better together.

Maybe we can go on forever like this, just the two of us in Bucharest, no one aware of our location, no one to worry about but ourselves.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.