Who Am I? » [Stucky]

75. Barred

"Steve!" Bucky shouted excitedly into the flat, his voice bouncing off the walls in the empty space. "Steve! I thought this evening we could-"

He reached the living room, his smile still on his face and noticed a tiny white note taped to the door, flapping in the draught. The smile drooped and died on his features. Letting out a frustrated sigh and accompanying groan, Bucky strolled up and tore down the piece of flimsy lined paper.

'Gone out for drinks with Sharon. Love, Steve x' It read. With a resigned and frustrated roll of his eyes he turned and went to occupy himself in the absence of his lover.

~

"Can I buy you a drink?" Sharon politely intoned as the pair of them reached the bar, propping their arms and elbows up on the glossy surface, splashed and splattered with beverages or liquors of all smells and descriptions.

"Allow me," Steve insisted, rooting around in his cavernous jean pocket and then plucked a crumpled and scrunched wad of notes from the depths, then tightened them between his hands, stretching them out until they were unfolded. Wrinkles still remained in the notes despite un-rumpling them. "What is it you'd like to drink?" He offered, gesturing to the untidily scrawled chalk menu on the dusty white-smeared blackboard propped up behind the bar.

"Uh... A beer would be great." She smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you."

He didn't question how feminine, or indeed, unfeminine her choice was, but bought the drink for her and for him.

Steve paid out the allotted amount required for their drinks and the two toddled over to a secluded table in the corner of the room. The drinks were delivered to them. Sharon and Steve's beers were dumped unceremoniously on the table top, the frothy head on the golden brew overflowing and sloshing over the side and dripping down in a slow drooling drip.

They both nodded to the waiter and thanked him, flashing smiles and waving hands as he withdrew from their table and returned to his post.

"So..." Sharon begun. "It's been so long since I spoke to you... You need to tell me everything!" With that she took a large gluttonous gulps at the lager and guzzled it, taking a significant portion of the glass into her mouth and consuming it. She hummed at the bitter taste as it stung at her taste buds leaving her with the pleasant after taste.

"Where to start?" He shrugged and held the palms of his hands up. "What do you want to know?" He focused his undivided attention on her, offering the opportunity to ask away, without boundaries or refusal.

"Bucky... Tell me everything. I had no idea you'd found him, let alone taken him into your flat... And now you're... You're dating. That's incredible. Tell me how that all happened," she questioned, eyes gleaming with interest.

"Well..." He blew out an exaggerated breath, his cheeks puffing out and then deflating as he blew through his 'o' shaped lips. "I mean, there were some close calls, where he was nearly seen by you and I had to quickly shove him back into the flat or keep him out of view. You nearly caught me out a couple times, I was just very fortunate you didn't see him."

"Why didn't you tell me about him? Am I not trustworthy enough?"

Steve blushed and spluttered and an expression of panic covered his face.

"Oh! No! No, it's not like that! Not at all! It's... Uh... I-"

"I'm teasing, Steve... God, you're so easy to wind up," she joked, nudging him with her elbow, her eyes narrowing as they creased up as she laughed. "In all fairness, I probably wouldn't have taken too kindly to him being around, but I would trust your judgement if you'd said he was harmless. And of course I would have had to report his presence to SHIELD, it's my duty... But I guess there is no SHIELD anymore."