|1| Promise Me ✦ {Bucky Barnes}

Chapter 9: You Problem

"So, how long has SHIELD been forcing you to live with my sister?" She sat down on the couch with her leg up, and coffee in hand. At first, I was startled by the nature of the question. Briar had told me she knew about her real job, but I didn't know she knew the details, "I know about Briar's job-"

"She told me about some of the stuff you knew-" I followed her to the couch and sat across from her, with my own mug in my hands.

"Then you'd know I know about your metal arm?" Sighing, I looked down at my gloves, feeling my palm getting sweaty from the heat of them, "I understand your hesitation. I'm not going to push you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. But know that no one is judging you," the brunette reassured.

"I don't want to scare your kids,"

"Bucky," she crooned, "no one here sees you the way you do. Not me, not the kids, and certainly not Briar," I thought about that for a second, "look, I've only known you for twelve hours, and so far you seem pretty decent,"

"Twelve hours isn't much to judge on,"

"Maybe not, but I know my sister. And I know that Briar for the most part abjures any form of relationship. So the fact that she's taken a liking to you more than anyone I know of makes me think you're more than decent," heat crept across my cheeks. I watched a small smirk form on Liz's lips.

"You think she likes me that much?" I tried to hide a smile from her.

"Boy, I know she does. Your friendship means a lot to her," she mentioned, "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost argue she might have a crush on you," my eyes widened. Briar? Crush on me? Those words didn't make any sense to me. She was the one so hellbent on keeping things professional that at first, she rejected a friendship with me- it wouldn't make any sense if she thought of me in that way. I began to chuckle a bit.

"About a week ago, she went out on a date with our next-door neighbour. When I first moved in with her she even rejected a friendship with me to keep things professional. There's no way she thinks of me that way,"

"Hey, I could be wrong. It might be that she just deeply values your friendship. But don't veto the possibilities that only seem impossible," she said. Liz's words were wise, and her intentions very pure. Evidently, she was a smart woman- but that didn't mean she couldn't be wrong. Even the most highly-trained spies could misjudge a situation, "what about you? What do you think of her?"

"I certainly value our friendship," I replied. She gave me a look that told me I hadn't answered the question, "but if you're asking if I think of her like that, no,"

"I don't know, you get a look in your eye when you're with her,"

"She reminds me of somebody I used to know." Whenever I thought of Briar, Madeline started coming to mind, like a ghost that couldn't leave me alone. Although I wanted to know more about who Madeline was, for some reason, it was like there was a block there, preventing me from knowing the whole story. I knew I liked her back then but was she just the one that got away?

"So you had an old flame?" Liz took a sip of her coffee. I looked down at the floor and smiled.

"I don't know if I'd call it that," I said, "she was my best friend growing up." Immediately, Liz cringed.

"The friend zone sucks,"

"It doesn't matter now- it's been over seventy years, she's probably dead now anyway," I muttered. Liz put a comforting hand on my back.

"I'm sorry, Bucky," she mumbled. A comfortable silence surpassed between us before Briar walked in the door.

"Hey, Liz," she caught her sister's attention and tossed the car keys to her.