Bucky groans when he opens his door to a smiling Sam. He's holding a piece of paper and waving it around like a damn maraca. Bucky rolls his eyes and walks away, leaving the door open for him.
"And a good morning to you to" Sam closed the door and follows Bucky in.
"So I got it, I spoke to her yesterday and said a friend asked for it" Sam sits beside Bucky.
"You didn't tell her it was me?" Bucky asks.
"Nope, just said a friend. She did ask about you though. Asked what was up with you?" Sam wiggles his brows at him.
"What did you tell her?" Bucky actually feels nervous.
"Nothing much. Just that you were in the same boat as the rest of us. You know, trauma, grumpy, asshole. All good things" he grins when Bucky rolls his eyes again.
"Do you really think this is a good idea? She's so.. so fun and I'm..." Bucky sighs.
"I think she'll be good for you, because she's like a bubble, you know the kind kids blow. She's all shimmery and light and you are like a rock" Bucky twists his face but Sam keeps going.
"You're the rock kids pick up and toss into lakes, and you sit there at the bottom. Being all sunken and dark" Sam smirks when Bucky gives him an sceptical look.
"I don't consider myself dark, just... old enough to have seen the dark" Bucky takes the paper from him with a sigh.
"You're a real ray of sunshine, you know that" Sam shakes his head.
"Also that's why she's perfect for you. She's the light in your dark" he gets up and heads for the door.
"Thanks for the zen zinger, appreciate it" Bucky gives him a sarcastic look.
"Just call her" he rolls his eyes and waves before closing the door.
Bucky sits with the paper in his hand, looking at the numbers over and over again. Taking a deep breath, he grabs his phone and dials the number. His thumb hovering over the call button.
***
You had been surprised when Sam called you the day before. He had asked about the impromptu date he had set up. You thought Bucky was nice if a little guarded, he hid behind sarcasm the same way you hid behind humour. He was definitely good looking, his short dark hair made his blue eyes pop. And you really liked the five o'clock shadow he had going on. But he seemed haunted, which you understood. When you mentioned his arm, you had see him tense slightly, it was barely perceptible but you had seen it. A response he was obviously used to hiding. The same way you hid your neck and arm. You trace your fingers over the scar tissue, it was a swirling mess of different coloured skin from the flames. It hadn't helped that the people who caught you, hadn't really taken care of it. Being held captive wasn't exactly a spa day, they had patched you up enough to keep you alive. Just barely, you had suffered from infections and at one point you had nearly gotten sepsis from it. You were lucky to have kept you arm, even if it wasn't pretty.
And now Sam was telling you another friend of his would like your number, you had said yes. It wasn't often you had dates anymore, so what the hell. You told him to pass it on. Shame it wasn't Bucky, you had enjoyed the little time you had with him. He made you feel grounded, added levity to the situation which you sometimes missed. You pushed humour that much now that you didn't see when you needed to stop and Bucky seemed the type to help with that. Likewise, you could see how hard it was for him to smile and be happy. When you made him laugh, his whole face lit up. He had looked younger and his eyes were bright, it was a good look on him.
