Bucky Barnes One Shots and Imagines - Part 3

Date Nights

Bucky A/U - he has a son!

"Hey James! Where's my little man at tonight?" you asked as he sat down at your table. 

"He's at home. Steve's watching him. Got another date" James smiled at you. 

"Ooh, good luck then. Want anything to drink to relax a little?" you chuckled. 

"Just a water please" he smiled at you. 

"Coming right up" you nodded and wandered back to get your customer his drink.

You had been a waitress for a few years at an All-American style restaurant. It serves decent food like burgers and steaks with a bit of pasta and salads, so it caters to a variety of people. You had a hard time finding some decent work right out of college, so you stayed on with the restaurant you worked at while putting yourself through school in the hope you'd find something soon. 

You had met your customer James just over a year ago when he came in with his son James Jr. You call him JJ for short and it sends the little guy into giggle fits when you call him that. You found out James was a high school history teacher that was near the elementary school located a few blocks from the restaurant and a single father. 

His son is a cute kid, an exact replica of his dad with his dark hair and bright blue eyes. You don't know the full story of what happened with JJ's mom, but you know this is James' first time putting himself out there and going out on dates. Sometimes his friend Steve dines with them, but most often, it's just James and JJ. You know this is his first time dating from the many conversations you have either overheard when serving them or have been told directly by James.

"Here we are" you placed James' water down on the table. 

He was nervous, fidgeting with the menu and looking at the front entrance every so often. 

"It's going to be ok" you placed your hand on his arm to calm him a little. He flinched slightly but relaxed and smiled up at you. 

"I just hope it's not like the last one" he shuddered. 

You cringed thinking about his date from a few weeks ago. Her name was Anna, and she was a walking red flag. You have no idea how such a nice man would have met someone like that, but you found out Steve set him up with her. 

Does Steve even KNOW James? 

The woman was rude, loud, and obnoxious. Combine that with her overly processed hair, long claw-like nails, and hot pink strapless mini dress she poured out of, she was basically a walking Barbie disaster come to life. The kicker was you overheard her freak out on James when he told her about JJ. 

She rolled her eyes at him and asked if he could "send him away to a school in Europe". 

Did they even do that anymore? 

James' mouth fell open as did yours while you handed him back his card. She was a piece of work. Needless to say, it didn't work out for a second date.

"So, who is the lucky lady tonight?" you asked. 

James smiled at you. 

"Her name is Lilian. Steve set this all up" he shifted in his seat a little and smiled. 

Oh god, not again. 

"Nice. Well, I won't bother you again until I see her sit down. Good luck!" you patted his arm. 

He smiled and continued waiting for his date.

You served a few other tables you had; thankful it wasn't too busy when you noticed a dark-haired woman sitting at James' table.