"he looked at her
the way she needed to be looked at
like the whole world could crumble
and he wouldn't blink."
-atticus
In which a mercenary and a super soldier meet through extraordinary circumstances.
Marvel | Bucky Barnes
Cover by @blis...
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"'I can do this,' I thought. Then: 'And even if I can't, I have to.'"
NADINE
The casino was extravagant.
It had all the makings of a gangster flick, with high, arched ceilings and chandeliers, glittering marble and gold columns and tables, and a purple carpet. Blackjack, English and European roulettes all filled up the room, with the occasional poker and slot machines. There was a circular bar in the middle of the room, and at the very back was a set of stairs that led somewhere obviously suspicious, as they always did.
Nadine stood near one of the roulettes, Sam's hand placed on her waist. He quickly assumed his role as her date, cheering and interacting with the other players. For a military man, he was rather good at deception. Or perhaps this role was just a simple extension to his own personality, so it was easy to fulfill it.
"Careful," she quietly warned him as he placed another bet, having lost a significant amount of money during the last one. "You draw too much attention and they'll notice us."
"I got this, Nadine," he pestered, giving her a once-over and his distinguishable crooked smirk. "Besides, you'll never blend in."
Nadine turned to him, brows furrowed. "What?"
Sam laughed, but his eyes were glued to the spinning roulette. "Relax, I'm saying this as a friend who doesn't want to get in your pants, of course. Someone else clearly does, though."
He nodded slightly to the side. When she followed the motion, she caught sight of a pair of blue eyes staring right at her. Bucky seemed to have forgotten about the poker game, his gaze piercing through her, asking a question without making a sound: Are you ready?
She didn't know how to respond, so all she could do was give him a smile. One corner of his lips turned upwards, and he gave her a wink before going back to the game, her heart fluttering as she was consumed by the feeling of wanting to go to him.
But she couldn't. Not now.
Maybe not ever.
"Anything?" Natasha's airy tone snapped Nadine back, her eyes searching the crowd for the woman. The now-blonde blended in well, but she saw her sitting at a table alone, a glass of champagne in her hand.
"Not on my end," Nadine responded as she tapped her earpiece. She gave Sam a pat on his cheek, and maneuvered her way towards the bar at the center of the room. She adjusted her faux fur coat. "Yours?"
She heard Natasha take a breath. "No."
"Something's wrong."
"Isn't there always something wrong?" Natasha replied dryly. Nadine didn't respond, so she continued, "Maybe while we wait, we could talk. No one else is currently connected to this channel, so it's just us."
