A Feeling Of Normality [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

Part 17. The Date.

"Not true!" [Y/N] defends herself laughing. "It's different. But it suits you. You look really good."

They sit across from each other and look at each other with raised eyebrows, nobody says a word. Even when the waiter comes back with the ordered wine and the menus, Bucky only briefly lifts his eyes to thank the waiter and then looks back at [Y/N] with the same look, not even looking at the menu in his hand. "What are you doing?" he asks her at some point.

[Y/N] puts the menu in her hand aside and crosses her hands on the table, leaning forward a little to look at Bucky even more intensely. "You know, when a woman says to a man that he looks good, it is really fine for him to compliment her on how she looks too."

Now Bucky can no longer hold back his grin and [Y/N] can literally watch it grow. "Well, it would be pretty boring if I did exactly what you expect me to do, wouldn't it?"
His answer hits her so unexpectedly that she leans back laughing and reaches for the menu. Instead of also reading it too, Bucky looks at his date for a few more seconds and enjoys the sound of her laughter and how small dimples form in her cheeks. He had never noticed this before until a few days ago but once noticed, he is unable to look at anything else when she laughs.

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"Well, James Buchanan Barnes... tell me a little bit about yourself" [Y/N] prompts, as if they were on a real date and earns a look from Bucky that's a mixture of confusion and surprise. "I thought you wanted to practice" she explains and Bucky nods. He thinks for a while, but then realizes that he doesn't know what to say. [Y/N] realizes that and grins. "We really have to work on that."

"Well, I can hardly tell a woman that I went to war in 1943."

[Y/N] doesn't let his answer impress her. Instead, she leans closer and asks "How old are you?" before she takes a sip of her wine. Bucky's answer "100" in a dry manner makes her almost choke on her drink because she has to laugh. "Well, I don't think you can tell a woman that on a first date. Unless she knows who you are."

"Well, what should I tell her then?"

"Well, physically you are in your 30s, I would say. How old exactly you have to work out for yourself. But 30-something sounds better than 100."

Bucky grins. "Do you feel better now? 30-something instead of 80 or 90?"

"One more cheeky phrase, Barnes, and my foot will find your shinbone. And believe me, those heels I'm wearing can hurt a lot."

Grinning, Bucky leans back and holds his hands up soothingly before he goes back to eating. "If this were a real date, I would have taken you out to dance. But I have to admit that swing or foxtrot are probably not that popular these days."

"No distracting!" [Y/N] rebukes him. "You have to know what to tell a woman about yourself instead of remaining silent for hours." Yet, she can't shake off the thought of dancing with Bucky Barnes.

"And what would that be? I  don't even have a job to tell her about!"

"You do something with martial arts" explains his friend dryly. "No lie" she adds shrugging. Satisfied, she leans in the chair and looks closely at Bucky, who is thinking about the whole thing, while the thought line reappears on his forehead. "As for your past ..." she continues. "You can still tell stories of your youth. You can talk about your friendship with Steve."

"What about hobbies?" asks Bucky, surprised at how easy it is for her to find these ideas.

"Reading" [Y/N] grins at him. "How many times have you read The Hobbit? Have you even looked at the other books on your shelf?"