before the storm / bucky barnes

020

"NAT, I need your opinion on something," I ask the woman curled up on the couch adjacent to me with a thick book in her arms.

"Shoot, babe," Nat responds, peering over the book and a soft smile on her face.

"They're having this huge jazz night tonight at the new coffee shop that opened just down the street," I begin, adjusting myself on the couch.

"And?" Nat prompts me to continue.

"I've got tickets for me and Buck to go," I grin back at her, pulling the tickets from the back of my phone.

"Then why're you asking me for an opinion if you've already bought them?" Nat questions, placing her book to her side.

"Do you think he'll enjoy it?" I ask, noticing her furrowed eyebrows.

"Of course!" Nat assures me, but her somewhat delayed reaction gets me worried.

"I should've checked with Steve," I groan and throw my head back.

"Cass, you have no reason to stress over this. Really," Nat reassures with a genuine look in her eyes. The two tickets still get tossed around rather anxiously between my fingers.

Cheery whistling and a heavy step down the hall gives me new hope as I now have another person I get to ask.

"Steve!" I exclaim loud enough to make the super-soldier jump as he enters the room.

"Jesus Christ, Cassie," Steve's hands hover over his chest as he recovers from his scare.

"Help me please," I plead as I continue to fiddle with the tickets between my fingers.

"That'll take time-"

"Very funny, Cap. I got Bucky and me tickets to a jazz show tonight, will he-"

"He's gonna love it! Are you kidding? If he hasn't said I love you yet he'll sure as hell say it tonight," Steve beamed at me and Natasha turns to me, expecting a response to Steve's side comment.

I stay silent but smile giddily at the two of them.

"Shut the front door," Steve gapes and I roll my eyes at how dramatic he's being.

"I mean, I can go downstairs and do that if you want," I sweetly smile, jutting my thumb in the direction of the elevator.

"You guys have-" Natasha begins to question before I rebut.

"Is it that surprising?" I question, jumping up on the couch to sit on my knees as my eyebrows furrow.

"No!" They answer simultaneously to reassure me of such.

"Oh. Okay, cool!" I beam up at Steve.

"Bucky's in looooove," Steve sings as he trots around the corner, before I see him jump up in shock yet again.

"Pardon me?" Bucky questions, a smile dancing on his face upon seeing Steve's startled expression as he peers around the corner.

"Steve said: Bucky's in loooove!" Nat repeats with a wink and I scoff at her, getting up and making my way towards Bucky, who looks puzzled.

And, as I continue stepping forward until Bucky begins backing up into the corridor where the others cant see us, I lift up the tickets.

"I got you something," I smile up at him, bouncing from foot to foot as his eyes look over the tickets.

His eyes shine with excitement and I take my bottom lip between my teeth as his eyes break away from the tickets and he looks over at me.

"Tonight?" Bucky beams, angling his face forward and I nod, slipping his ticket into his left pocket and getting on my tip-toes, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.