Lacuna [1] {Completed}

Chapter Eleven

"I was just... a couple weeks ago you offered..." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Ahh, finally surrendering?" She teased him, smirking.

He gave her a small smile.

"Come on," She half grinned at him. She closed her book and elbowed him in the shoulder as they walked back to the house together.

****

A few weeks ago Erin had been working on his arm for a full hour when she had made the offer. That day they had both been silent and for some reason the silence made her want to scream. The first few times she had worked on his arm without Steve there watching, the silence had been fine. She was usually too focused on wires and tools that she didn't feel the need to fill the space with small talk.

For so long she had only been studying his metal arm, like it was the only part of him that existed. But this day she let her eyes wander to his other features. She allowed herself glances at his face, broad shoulders, and the line of his jaw. And yes, she couldn't help but notice his wild dark hair.

"I could give you a hair cut if you like." She blurted out.

He turned to look at her. For some reason, the look on his face was not what she was expecting. It was soft with a hint of amusement. It was enough to make her stop fiddling with the wires in his arm. It felt like this was the first time they had really looked at one another. Sure, they had made conversations at meals and during training. Small smiles were offered when Erin was feeling sassy, but it felt like it had only been in passing. She had never allowed herself to drink him in.

The strangest thing happened then. He actually laughed. A wide grin broke out on his face, "What?" He asked her.

Her cheeks instantly grew hot and she wished she hadn't said anything, "Your hair, I could trim in for you if you want..." She looked down at his arm and began fiddling with the wires again.

"It makes me look that bad huh?"

"No!" She added quickly, the heat in her face continuing to burn. "I just thought... you keep playing with it so I thought I would offer. Sorry, it was stupid of me." She definitely couldn't look him in the eye ever again. Ever.

She could still hear him chuckling as she continued her work.

Over the next few weeks, Bucky continued the joke. She was embarrassed at first, but after a while it became a sort of banter between the two of them. He would tease her and she would tease him back. Nobody ever knew what they were talking about, but Erin liked it that way.

*****

Ever since that day, something had been different between them. There was a certain warmth and level of comfort that hadn't been there before she had made him laugh for the first time. It wasn't precisely friendship either. She couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Now in her bathroom, he had finally asked her to give him a haircut. They were silent for a while, nothing but the sound of the scissors snipping his hair away.

For the first time, she could focus on another part of him, a part that wasn't made up of metal. She ran her fingers through his dark hair and found it surprisingly soft. Maybe HYDRA was just a short name for hydrate, their secret shampoo and conditioner hair care line.

She chuckled to herself at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Bucky asked her, "You didn't mess up the back of my head did you?"

"No," She let out a small chuckle, "Just a joke to myself."

"Mhmm," He said. She couldn't see his facial expression as she continued shaping his hair.