Trying Your Luck - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 12: Falling

Their "for emergencies" texting and calling rule didn't really pan out. Although he supposes this technically qualifies as an emergency, but he also misses her when they're apart. He likes hearing her voice, and that feeling causes a mild panic to rise in his chest. He's liked girls before, but this feels strange and different. Shannon's voice feels like a song stuck in his head. She wrote down her work address on a post-it note. Bucky throws it in the trash as he's walking to his apartment just so that he has an excuse to call her once he gets home. He slides in the door like a giddy teenager and dials her number. She picks up, laughing.

"You lost it, didn't you?"

"No!" He lies.

"You lost it! I told you you put it in your other phone!"

He grins as he changes his jeans and slips into a t-shirt and a leather jacket. He can't help the smile on his face. The muscles in his cheeks hurt. Her voice is just so comforting, the way you would feel coming home after a long vacation. Exhausted, but happy to be somewhere familiar.

"Okay. You win. I lost it."

"I just wanted to hear you say it," she teases.

Bucky sighs and she laughs.

"It's called Atlas. I texted Sam the address. It's right near the place we went on our second date."

"I've gotta text Sam?" He can't help the defeated tone in his voice.

"Be nice to him!" Shannon scolds him. Bucky sighs. He's not always the most cooperative or the kindest with Sam, but it's just that he's so goddamn aggravating sometimes.

"He's going through stuff with Veronica! He said he was really looking forward to having lunch with you — and since you lost the post-it, I'm going to make you work for it."

"Fine — Wait, how did you get Sam's phone number?"

"I scrolled through your contacts while you were in the shower this morning."

He grins.

"Very clever, doll."

"Thank you. You really should get a smartphone with a lock on it, Bucky."

"No. I like this thing."

"I can barely hear you. You sound like you're underwater."

"Shannon, I can assure you, this phone works just —"

Beep beep! The line goes dead.

"Fuck."

His phone rings again and he answers, hearing her voice on the other end.

"Just fine?"

"Yep. Just fine."

He hears her soft, sweet laugh.

"You are a strange, stubborn man, Bucky Barnes." She swears under her breath. "I gotta go. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," he says softly. "See you."

He presses end call and checks himself in the mirror, his hand brushing over the stubble on his face that's quickly growing into a full beard. Bucky rushes to the bathroom and begins to shave it off. His phone buzzes on the sink and he flips it open. It's from Sam.

157 54th street. Shannon told me you lost the address. Really, man? A post-it note?

He scrolls through letters, trying to text as he shaves with one hand. Finally, after what seems like hours and a bunch of wrong letters, he gets frustrated and dials Sam's number.