The Grey Raven // Bucky X Oc (Discontinued For Now)

⠂Prologue⠐

The familiar sound of his footsteps coming up the stairs announces his arrival long before he opens the front door. "Owen was wondering if he could have some help downstairs."

I look up from my book, my eyebrows raised a bit. "No hello?" I ask lightly.

Bucky pauses and looks at me for a moment. "Hi," he mutters a bit sarcastically, taking his coat off.

I roll my eyes and set my book down before sitting up and standing. "I guess I'll go down then." I don't get a response, but that is normal. I turn, pick my book back up, and walk towards my room. "Where were you today?" I ask after a moment, poking my head into his room.

"Out," he mutters, giving me a look. I frown slightly. "Can you get out of my room? I'm trying to change my shirt."

"It's not like I've never seen you shirtless before," I mutter, walking down to my room, which is next to his, connected by a bathroom. I grab a sweater before walking out to the front door, slipping on a pair of sneakers, and exiting the apartment. I hurry down the stairs, knowing Owen can get a bit overwhelmed with customers sometimes. When Owen gets overwhelmed, he makes bad decisions. I open the door to my right and walk through the back storage of the cafe, grabbing my dark grey apron and pulling it on. Finally, I walk out behind the counter.

I blink a few times in quick succession, surprised at the number of people in the cafe. Owen quickly hurries past me, his dirty blond curls bouncing on top of his head.

"You really did need some help," I murmur as I step up to the counter. "Hi. What can I get you today?" I ask politely, my hand hovering over the screen in front of me, waiting to enter the older woman's order.

"A cappuccino with almond milk and a chocolate-chip croissant," the woman tells me, her voice sounding ever so slightly annoyed.

I quickly tap on the things she asked for on the screen. "$17.49 is your total." She quickly inserts her card and clicks two things on the screen before putting her card away. "I'll get those right out for you," I say pleasantly, turning quickly to start on her cappuccino.

As I'm making the cappuccino, I hear the person Owen is talking to order a mocha with extra whipped cream and cinnamon, a peppermint tea with a shot of maple syrup, and two blueberry muffins. I raise my eyebrows slightly at the specificity of the order, though I've had more specific in the past. I finish the cappuccino and grab a chocolate-chip croissant, placing it in a small paper bag. I hand the woman her drink and bag, and she walks out. I look at the next customer, dropping into the strange mind-state I go into when I'm working. Polite, fast-moving, and very efficient.

As the day draws to a close the final few customers come in, each asking for a simple coffee, which we get them. As we finish the last order, we begin closing. I let out a long breath as Owen locks the door and flips the "Open" sign to "Closed".

"I can clean up," I tell him.

"You sure?" he asks, sounding a bit surprised.

"It's Friday. Go have fun somewhere," I tell him, smiling slightly.

His boyish face breaks into a big smile. "You're the best!" he calls, hurrying into the back room. I chuckle quietly before starting on wiping down the counter. "See you Monday!" Owen calls from the door before it closes behind him.

"Want any help?" I jump, looking up quickly to find Bucky standing behind the counter.

"How'd you sneak up on me?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"You had a long day," Bucky murmurs, walking around the counter to me. "Do you need help?" he asks again.

I look around quickly, frowning. "I think I'm okay," I respond slowly.