One Night Stand (A Bucky Barnes Fanfiction)

A Fallen Comrade

The smile didn't leave my face during my trip back to the compound. My face was starting to hurt from smiling so much, something I hadn't done in a long, long , time. My life consisted of missions, therapy, and training, there wasn't much else to be in a good mood about, now there was Jade.

And she liked me.

I could tell from the way that she blushed around me, the way she smiled and flirted. When she had put her hand on my chest I had sworn that she was going to kiss me. I had to admit I was disappointed when I didn't.

I made it back to the compound quicker than I expected, lost in my thoughts, my time with Jade replaying over and over in my head. Steve was waiting for me the moment I stepped off the elevator, making the smile leave my face.

He straightened from where he stood leaning against the wall right next to my room. How long had he been standing there?

"Well?"

I could practically see the excitement and anxiety coursing through him, his blue eyes wide with expectation and impatience.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," I could tell he was lying from the way his eyes squinted just a bit. He was a terrible liar. He always had been. "I wanted to make sure things went okay. So?"

Natasha came walking out of the kitchen, holding two steaming mugs. Coffee. They'd both been waiting it seemed. She smiled at me. "How was the date, Barnes?"

I rolled my eyes at the both of them. I willfully ignored them and went into my bedroom without a word. They followed to my irritation. I sat on the edge of my bed, shedding my jacket and beginning to unlace my boots. I could feel them watching me, both standing in front of me impatiently.

"So?" Steve repeated crossing his arms.

"So what?" I asked with a frown.

Natasha and Steve shared an irritated glance. "You know what! Tell us about the date!"

"It wasn't a date."

Steve visibly deflated. His eyes shined with sympathy. "She wouldn't go out with you? Aw Buck, I'm sorry. You were gone for so long I thought things had gone well-."

"We went out to eat. It just wasn't a date," I clarified.

Steve's smile returned, big and proud, like I was his son and I had successfully gone on my first date due to his fatherly advice. "See! I told you," he turned to Natasha triumphantly. "You owe Sam $20."

Natasha rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee.

I scowled at the both of them. "You bet on whether or not she would go eat with me?"

"I didn't," Steve pointed to Natasha. "She did. With Sam. Clint. Tony...."

My scowl deepened. "Glad to see that you get so much enjoyment and profit out of my attempt at a relationship."

"So there is a relationship?" Natasha probed with an arched eyebrow.

I hesitated. "We went to eat and we had a good time. But we're going to be... friends."

"Friends?" Natasha and Steve said simultaneously.

"Yes, friends. And that's probably for the best."

Steve was frowning and Natasha was still gazing at me with that calculated look, like I was giving her important intel on a mission.

"Well at least you put yourself out there and you had a nice night with her and it's a start. You dipped your feet in," Steve said determinedly, always trying to see the positive in all situations.