Attachment Theory - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 42: faint

That night, Sapphire, Sam, Alice, Natasha, and Bucky sit around the table in the kitchen. They order pizza and nurse beers, talking softly. Natasha has taken the time to get to know Sapphire a little, and she found out that they have a lot in common. They're both sarcastic as hell. That bond between two people runs deep.

Bruce takes his dinner in the lab. It's impossible to tear that guy away from his work. He didn't really say much about Sapphire's presence. He just asked the same question that Natasha did. "Does Tony know?"

When they said no, he just took a deep breath and whispered, "I won't say anything."

Alice is getting more and more nervous as the night goes on.

Tomorrow, she's going to have to stare down the barrel of a proverbial gun and she has no idea how that's going to go. Bucky does his best to comfort her, sensing her anxiety. It doesn't matter what he says, she can't help but catastrophize. She's done it her whole life. It's how she prepares for setbacks.

It's a shitty way to prepare for setbacks, but Alice is a textbook overthinker. She always has been.

She's temporarily distracted, however, by the sight of Sapphire and Sam cuddling up to each other at the table. She can tell they're playing footsie because every so often, Sapphire accidentally kicks one of them. Usually Bucky. He's not subtle about looking under the table (frowning) while Natasha and Alice laugh softly and shake their heads.

Sapphire and Sam are giggling and flirting, almost as though no one else is in the room. Natasha has to clear her throat a few times just to make sure that they know people are still here. Sapphire isn't embarrassed about it, but Sam is - a little bit, at least. He keeps catching himself and then smiling bashfully at them, as if to say, I can't really help it.

Alice gets it. Sapphire is gorgeous. If she played for the other team, she would be doing the same thing.

"How'd you two meet?" Natasha asks, cutting through the silence as she takes a bite of her pizza. "You and Alice."

"Work," Sapphire replies. "Alice started a couple of years ago. She had to shadow me."

"I had no idea what I was doing," Alice laughs.

"That's true. She was a prissy little ballerina when she started, but I molded her into the woman she is today."

Alice nods.

"Sapphire taught me everything I know about showmanship, talking to customers, flirting, pretending to flirt–"

"You pretend to flirt?" Bucky asks.

"All the time," she chuckles, and then leans over when Bucky bites his lip. "Never had to pretend with you, though. Don't worry."

He looks a little relieved. While Bucky knows that Alice loves him, his self-esteem still isn't where it should be. He should command the presence of everyone in a room, and yet, when he walks in, his shoulders are hunched and he looks around to make sure that everyone is okay with his presence. It makes her a little sad, but Sam is working on it. It's just going to take time.

"How often do you pretend to flirt?" Sam asks Sapphire.

"You're seriously asking a woman that question?" Nat counters.

Sapphire cackles.

"I like you, Romanoff." She points at Natasha and they clink beer bottles before turning back to Sam. "Pretty often. Alice is the empathy queen over here. She can connect with pretty much anyone, but sometimes I have to fake it. I didn't teach her the connection stuff. She's just a natural at that."