Faking It

One

"Absolutely not." Alex huffed, holding the phone away from her ear. She wasn't that desperate. And he was the last person on earth that she wanted anything to do with. He had quite the reputation. It was no well-kept secret that James Barnes was what the tabloids referred to as a "womanizer."

That was something she had no interest in getting involved with.

"Lex," Jane, her agent, sighed into the phone, "you have two big projects coming up and he just landed a role in a big franchise. You both need this. And his reps are determined to clean up his image. You'd be good for that." James certainly made no secrets of his "extra curricular activities."

She ran a hand through her long blonde hair before pulling it into a braid. "He's...ugh, Jane! Why him? Can't you get someone else if you're really determined to do this to me? There's gotta be some other single guys."

"His people have asked for you specifically, Alexandra. They want you."

She sighed heavily into the phone. "Fine. I'll do it."

****

James Barnes reportedly dating newcomer Alex Pierce. The pair were spotted at dinner in Soho. A source close to the pair say they looked very cozy and comfortable with each other.

"They definitely looked like a couple," the source commented. "Holding hands, very interested in the conversation."

"Jesus," Alex groaned, "I literally haven't even met him yet," she lamented to Maria. "I barely agreed and it's starting." She stared at the phone, almost unable to believe how fast it moved. "How in the hell was I 'supposedly seen with him in Soho?' This is insane."

"The machine works fast," Maria hummed, scrolling through her own phone. "On the plus side, he's fucking gorgeous, Alex. Did you see that scene in The End? Holy fuck. His ass is outta this world."

Alex had seen it. And as much as Maria was right, that didn't excuse his off-set behavior. How was his PR planning to make him look like he'd done a complete one eighty? Faking a relationship didn't necessarily seem like the best course of action here.

****

"She's gorgeous," Steve marveled, eyes locked onto his phone screen. Bucky was lounging on the sofa, legs up on the coffee table. His eyes were closed and he merely hummed in response. "You seen her movies yet? They want you to."

Bucky shrugged. It didn't matter. Six months to a year. He could fake his way through nearly anything. He did it every time he promised some chick he'd call her as he sent them on their way. He never called them. Why should he? They only wanted one thing.

"You paying any attention to anything I've said, Buck?"

"It's all bullshit anyway, Stevie. They wanna make me a 'bad boy gone good'. They're tired of my fucking around. Doesn't look good for the studio," he muttered in a mocking tone. He rolled his eyes. He was perfectly happy doing what he was doing. He was a young man, plenty of pussy. Who needed a commitment?

"Well, it's already all over the gossip blogs. Everyone's talkin' about it," Steve hummed, skimming the comments. "People think you make a hot couple. They aren't wrong."

Bucky honestly didn't give a shit. It was just another acting gig to him.

****

"Barnes," Tony, his agent growled, ripping the phone from his hands, earning a deathly look. "Pay attention. Look alive. She's here."

The door opened and Jane escorted Alex inside the office. Bucky looked up, pushing his sunglasses up to the top of his head. Holy fuck. Steve wasn't wrong. This might actually be better than he'd hoped. She was gorgeous. A goddess with long flowing blonde hair and a killer body.

Bucky wanted to get his mouth on her.

"James, this is Alex," Jane introduced and Alex held out a hand. If he was beautiful on screen, it didn't come close to real life. His blue eyes were piercing. His chestnut brown hair looked soft to the touch. His plump lips were perfect. He made her weak in the knees.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Nice to finally meet you, Doll," he coped, his voice like honey. Alex melted a bit at his tone. Get your shit together, she reminded herself. It's a job. Just a job. It's not real, Alex. He doesn't give a damn. If anything, worse comes to worse, you're just another notch in his belt.

"You too," she replied, keeping her cool, flashing him a blinding smile.

And action.

****

"The paps will be waiting outside the restaurant," Jane told them both. "Step outside, hold hands, ignore them. Pretend they're not there."

Bucky nodded, looking at Alex for a long moment. He wondered what was going on inside her head. She seemed relaxed, that was a good thing. They could do this. Their jobs were to pretend. That's all this was. In six months, she'd be out of his life.

Simple.

****

"You're all over the internet!," Wanda squealed, shoving her phone in Alex's face. "Yeah, yeah. I know what we look like, Wan," she sighed. She'd seen them. They'd blown up within minutes. And this was only the beginning of this mess.

"You look good," Maria agreed from her spot on the sofa.

"It's all pretend, ladies," Alex reminded them. She tried not to think about Bucky. How perfectly his hand fit in hers. How good he smelled. How he smiled at her like she was everything. He was a damn good actor, there was no doubt about that.

James Barnes and Alex Pierce take a stroll in NYC. Looks like the "bad boy" may have settled down. Sources close to the pair say that he's telling friends that she's the one.

*they're cute!*
*aww! They look happy!*
*super hot together!*

Alex groaned. The one? Really? Who came up with this shit? They'd known each other for a week, not spending more than a few hours together. She didn't know a damn thing about his private life. She figured she could Google it, but that seemed weird. It was just performance art, right? Nothing more.

****

Bucky scrolled through the comment sections, smiling a bit. "So she's the one, huh?," Clint teased, tossing a beer at him. Bucky caught it and laughed. "It's all bullshit, Barton. Some asshole is actually paid to write this shit. It's a fuckin' joke."

"She's hot as fuck though," he grinned, plopping down beside him, popping open his beer. "If you're lucky, you'll get something outta it, ya know?," he added with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulders.

Bucky nodded, running a hand through his messy hair. "Yeah maybe? I don't know. I don't even know her."

"Never stopped you before," Sam piped up and Bucky threw his bottle cap at his head. "I'm supposed to be transformed, Wilson," he said sarcastically, "she's the one who's gonna change me, didn't you know?"

Sam and Clint laughed. It seemed extremely unlikely that any woman would have the ability.

Of course, Winnie Barnes had always pressed him to try and settle down. Find a nice girl. Get married. Have a couple of kids. Be a good man. But Bucky had other plans for his life the minute he got his first big paycheck and the first time some girl recognized him from the shitty TV show he was on.

Settling down was something he'd lost any kind of interest in a long time ago.

No one was gonna change that.