Oleander - Bucky BarnesxOC

CHAPTER TWO: SOMEONE NEW

A/N: So, I've already decided that there's going to be a lot of tonal whiplash in these intro chapters. Dahlia and James are from two very different worlds and I want to make that incredibly clear.

James walks to the car, the bouquet clutched in his gloved fist. He can't stop thinking about that girl back there. Her soft, dark hair, pretty brown eyes, plush lips, and the way she was so nervous around him. It made his heart race to see the fear in her eyes and the blush in her cheeks. He liked the feeling. A lot. It made him feel like a person again, instead of this empty husk that he's become over the years. He takes his gloves off, tucking the bouquet under one arm and googles Dahlia In Bloom flower shop los angeles.

Her Instagram comes up immediately: DangerousDahlia. James snorts.

"Cute."

Her profile is public. Even better.

Dahlia Davies 🌺
25. LAX. USC couldn't handle me. Flower girl.

Her profile picture is of her and her father when she was a child. James stops in the middle of the sidewalk and scrolls through her account. College parties, a black cat named Basil, solo cups, and a lot of blurry pictures of her and the girl who ran in just as James was leaving. Wanda Maximoff, he finds out from the photo tag. No sign of a boyfriend. That's good, but it doesn't mean one doesn't exist.

James hears a sharp whistle that interrupts his little stalking session and he looks up. Steve is sticking his head out the window of the car.

"You just gonna stand there, pretty boy?"

James grins, slips his phone into his pocket, and slides into the car. Steve eyes the flowers with suspicion.

"You're allergic to flowers."

"I took a Claritin," James grumbles.

"Those are nice."

"Yeah, for $65."

"Well, it's not like you're hard up for the cash, Bucknasty."

James rolls his eyes.

"Parker? Forest Lawn Memorial."

"Yes, Mr. Barnes."

Steve is quiet for most of the drive, typing away on his phone.

"Are you still on Tinder?"

Steve grins, but doesn't look up from whatever picture of his dick he's sending. Sometimes he uses a fake name, but other times he uses his verified "professional" profile - mostly when he's searching for a relationship. He uses the other ones for hookups, always anonymous, and just a chance to flash his money and get off.

"Trying to find Mrs. Right."

James hums softly as the car cruises toward Glendale. He pulls out his phone again, unlocking it to reveal Dahlia's instagram. He can't stop thinking about her lips, the way they curled into that pretty smile when he told her he'd see her around. Her profile only goes back a few years. A lot of sunsets, photos of her messy apartment on moving day, and a lot of photos with Wanda. James doesn't see a single boyfriend. It's possible she deleted them.

And then a photo catches his eye. It's captioned wands didn't understand the slutty toy story assignment (halloween 2019, sry to tom hanks). She's in a pair of jean shorts with her shirt tied at her ribcage and her tummy exposed, wearing a pair of cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. James spots her sleeve of floral tattoos on her right arm. He got a good look at them today, but the shoulder portion was obscured by her shirt. In this picture, Dahlia's arms are stretched above her head and she's holding a glass of wine while she winks seductively at the camera, clearly drunk.