Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier One Shots

Across The Counter

Summary: Bucky sees a guy spike a girl's drink at the bar and he steps in to make sure nothing wrong happens to her.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Word Count: 1,712

Warnings: Mentions of drugs.

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The girl was alone at first.

She hopped onto the stool a little before 8, slipping him a smile and asking for a vodka straight. Bucky hadn't questioned it. He had simply poured the drink. But as he handed it to her, he saw the bags under her eyes despite her attempts to cover them with makeup, the far off look in her stare, the slump of her shoulders.

"Bad night?" He asked. It wasn't an uncommon question. He tried to keep the people sitting at the bar as engaged as he could. He was in a good mood today, so the thought of someone not being happy made him want to turn that around. Had he been in a crappy mood as well, he wouldn't have bothered. But today wasn't that day.

She smiled a bit, though he could see that it was forced. She sighed and shrugged.

"I can't complain about one night when the whole week has been this fucked up." She answered, smiling gratefully when her hands wrapped around the cool glass he was holding out.

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "That sucks."

Someone was waving him over to the other side and he gave the girl a last fleeting smile before returning to his job. Today was like any other day at work. The place wasn't overly crowded, but not too silent. He was kept engaged mixing drinks, serving person after person. People were dancing out on the floor. There was grinding, and kissing, shouting and laughter. Yup, just another normal day.

Bucky kept sparing glances at the girl. She was very pretty, despite how tired she looked and felt. Her hair hung loose and just slightly messed up, eyes a little dull but still alive, cheeks a rosy pink. Her dress hugged her perfectly, as much as he could see from behind the counter. She wasn't drinking a whole bunch. He could see that the alcohol was just an indulgence. Mostly, she was just twirling the glass around, her chin resting on the palm of her hand, holding her head up. She appeared deep in thought. Her hair moved when a few strands caught on her eyelashes. The dim, shifting lights of the club contoured her face and collarbone. Her skin shone.

All this Bucky took in during various observations between making and serving drinks. But the next time he glanced over, about twenty minutes since she got there, he saw another form next to her. A guy, blonde and blue eyed, ruddy skin and tense jaw. He was medium built but tall, maybe even an inch on Bucky, even though Bucky knew he was a giant.

Why was he comparing himself to this guy? Bucky shook his head, looking away and back to what he was doing. He had no right to get into a mood. He didn't even know her name. She could talk to whoever she wanted.

The man was very obviously hitting on her, and she was replying to his questions.Bucky wondered if she'd leave with him, then immediately pursed his lips at the thought. She wasn't the first pretty girl he'd seen around here. What was the big deal?

The guy raised two fingers up, eyes meeting Bucky's. Bucky nodded and moved to pour two more drinks, which he carried to their end of the counter and set down in front of the two. He eyed the girl. She still seemed pretty down, but didn't seem to protest at the guy buying her a drink, so Bucky moved away from the counter.

The conversation between the couple seemed normal enough at first, but Bucky was quick to notice the guy getting bolder with his movements, touching her arm or her back. Bucky could tell when the girl started to get uncomfortable. He wanted to step in. He wanted to say something. But it wasn't his place. He kept a keen eye at their end of the bar then, waiting for any indication that he could step in. He didn't have to, however, because the girl stood up after a few minutes, grabbing her purse and moving towards the bathrooms.