Checkmate (BuckyBarnes x OC)

Forward to the Past

"Katrina. Hey, Sparrow, wake up, you got a customer waiting."

I opened my eyes and shot up, basically jumping straight into Bucky's face. A sharp pain stung my head and echoed through my skull. My hands flew up to handle my head gently in order to numb the pain I added when I bumbed into Bucky. "Sorry.." I murmured to him.

He didn't look to phased with the hit and waved it off. "That's fine. But it's 7am and customers came in. I tried to make their orders 'till 6, but there's someone ordering something I don't know how to prepare, so..." His fingers ran through his hair in embarassment.

My eyes opened wide. It's already 7am?? I quickly jumped to my feet ignoring the pain bombarding in my forehead. I found myself in the kitchen and quickly strapped my waitressing apron around my waist. I grabbed my notebook on my way out and walked outside to find the diner almost fully loaded with people. "Fuck, fuck, fuck.." I murmured to myself. I wasn't in the state to serve all those people with the hangover I had. Where was Sharon? She was supposed to be here taking over this shift already! I pushed myself to make the best smile I could bring to my lips and walked over to the counter. I knew people always ordered coffee in the morning so I quickly changed the filter in the coffee pot and set up the creamers and milk by the cups where I mix it. I was in such a hurry I almost broke one of the cups, but managed to catch it due to my assassin reflexes I developed over the years.

I saw Bucky came walking out behind me. "You need me to help?" he asked observing the crowd of about 15 people occupying the chairs and some that sat at the bar.

"Could you go around and pick up orders?" I asked flushed, "It's not hard work, just go around and smile. Here," I pushed the order notebook in his hands along with a pencil, "Write e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g down. Tables are numbered, you can see the numbers of them by the sugar at the edge of every table."

He nodded slowly, but seemed to understand. Just as he was about to walk from behind the counter I shouted; "Wait, wait!" He walked back while I grabbed another apron hanging by the door of the kitchen. I turned him around so his back was facing me instead of his fron and I pushed his arms up, ignoring his confusion and strapped the apron around his waist. "All ready to go." I smiled at him, almost like a proud mother would be when seeing their son walk away for the first day of college.

While he went around picking up the orders, I took care of the orders for the people at the bar. Most of them ordered coffee, so that's what I brewed for them and in just 15 minutes they were all gone with go-to coffee in their hands. Bucky came back with the orders and because some of them were breakfast orders I hurried to the storage to pick up all the ingredients, mostly eggs tho. I picked up a pan and settled it on the stove in the kitchen. Bucky followed me around all the time asking if I need help, but I just requested for him to go back behind the counter. While the eggs were cooking I cut the bacon to throw on, chopped some vegetables and fresh fruit and peeled the oranges and lemons if anyone would ask for juice. I set up a few plates and minutes later I was coming out with three plates in each hand, all of them filled with eggs and bacon. That was what people around here ordered most. I was thankful for it, since I seriously did not feel like making a complicated dish early in the morning.

Bucky's gaze followed me after I'd delivered the orders and came back behind the counter, wiping the sweat off my forehead. Crowd crisis averted. Some people ordered pies, which were just bought frozen in the local supermarket and then heated in the oven, so I  just threw them in and set the timer. I sat down next to Bucky.

"How long have you been working here?" he asked.

"About a week, why?" I answered while trying to catch my breath.

"You're scary good at your job," he admitted.

I couldn't deny that. "Yeah, you know, just tryna stay alive.."