Bucky groaned as the alarm blared throughout the room. Rolling over to his side, he threw his head into the pillow. That didn't stop the beeping like he had hoped, so with a groan he pushed up, smacking the red numbers that screamed at him. He rolled back onto his back and blinked up at the bare ceiling.
Today was the day...
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Y/N couldn't seem to sleep at all, so she woke up early at 6:30 jumping into the shower. Having the extra time, she took it to have a nice long soak in the hot water. The schedule of the day running through her mind.
The chance of them running into each other was practically at 100%. They had a time frame of 9-10 to get in and sign what they needed. Mr. Murdock said something along the lines that it would take about 30-45 minutes to get everything finalized and copied.
So yeah... Within an hour frame of needed 30-45 minutes of signing shit and getting multiple copies made, meant Bucky and her would most likely be sitting next to the other as it was done.
She let out a tired and irritated moan as she finally decided to turn off the water. She had it running for so long, her hands were prunes and the water was becoming lukewarm. The world was telling her to suck it up and move on with the day.
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The car ride there was dreadful. Every stop light just elongated the inevitable meeting. Every turn brought him closer to the terrifying reunion.
He was running early to begin with, but after hitting traffic from a wreck, he was now running just a few minutes behind. So weaving through the people who didn't understand New York traffic was his specialty in showing up in time.
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She stopped at the coffee shop by her house before really heading to the attorneys office. The car ride to the place was easy and smooth on her end. From coming from the outskirts of Brooklyn, the inner city traffic was avoided for the most part. So she was there early. She even had a second to sit in her car and drink the latte she had bought. Something about Brooklyn latte's were 10x better than anything California had.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact they actually had cold weather to pair the hot drink with, whereas where she now lived, the lowest low in temperatures was 70 degrees.
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Getting there with just 3 minutes to spare, Bucky rushed out of the car and walked with a hint of speed to the door that read Nelson and Murdock Law Firm.
No sign of Y/N yet, but as he walked in, he heard a shout from the street that caused him to turn as soon as he made a few steps in. He didn't have a second to register what the shout was about as he took two steps in and ran straight into someone's back.
"Whoa!" he said, using his hands to brace himself on the mystery person's shoulders, and the other person making the same exclamation. "Oh God, I'm so sor-"
Before he could finish the apology, the women turned showing the face of his matured high-school-sweetheart.
"Oh," he let out in a breathy turn. He could tell just from past experience with her, she had a snarky comment on her tongue at the run in, but upon seeing him, the words died on her lips. "Hey."
She looked great. Like, really great after all these years. Not that she wasn't a beautiful gal to begin with, but you never know how someone's going to age. However, she looked almost the same.
Sure, she had aged some, but just like a nice bottle of the finest wine in all the vineyards of California. Maybe that was her secret given her new home.
Her Y/H/C hair was styled in loose curls. It was voluminous with a healthy shine to it. She had on an off white, canvas dress that cinched at the waist with buttons going down it. And she had a layered gold necklace going down her chest where the buttons were undone. She looked both professional yet casual at the same time.
Bucky realized he had been staring when she awkwardly looked around her trying to not pay attention to his analyzing eyes.
"Hey," she said, letting out a deep breath.
She didn't miss how good he looked either. Even in those facebook pictures that she had found the night before, the ones she found him just as attractive, they didn't do the real man justice. His hair was just as long as the most recent picture his mother had posted, and he looked more muscular than she ever remembered. Those scrubs didn't do anything for his build.
He was wearing a navy blue v-neck tight fitting t-shirt. A brown leather jacket that looked as though it was tailored specifically for him, and him alone. And lastly, he had on a pair of jeans that of course, fit in him all the right places.
There was a very awkward silence as they stood there not knowing what else to say. Neither now looking at the other, but instead looking at every little inanimate object in the office.
After what felt like eons of the most tense silence to exist, Bucky was about to speak up again, but was cut off from another person running in late.
"Oh, gosh. I'm so sorry guys," the voice sighed, out of breath from what they presumed was running to get there on time. "Foggy was supposed to pick me up and we were going to ride together, but he got food poisoning last night, so I had to take the train last minute."
The man had dark brown hair, a nice suit, and a pair of sunglasses on even though it was overcast today and the sun was barely peeking through the heavy clouds.
"Foggy?" Y/N asked with a tilt of her head.
Bucky turned back looking at her with the same question on his mind, but watching the small action of confusion brought him back 10 years. God, it had been so long he had almost forgotten the little mannerisms she had that he found adorable. And damn her for still having that adorable action.
"Oh, right. Franklin Nelson. My co-attorney," he nodded. "We've been friends since we were in college. Friends call him Foggy."
"Oh, I see," Y/N nodded with a kind smile.
"Anyway, I won't bore you with my morning chaos. I'm sure you two are ready to get this over with and go on about your day," he smiled, and pulled a walking stick out from around him as he closed the door. One that neither had realized he had been holding until now. "You two must be James and Y/N if you're here first. It's nice to meet you, I'm Matthew Murdock."
"It's nice to meet you, Matthew," Y/N replied sweetly.
"Yes, thank you for helping us out," Bucky nodded, placing his hands nervously in his pockets.
"It's my pleasure. I'm so sorry about everything that you guys are having to fix," he said apologetically. "But I'm sure you guys want to go about your day, so please, right this way," he motioned to the door that was across from them.
Bucky and Y/N both shared an impressed look on their faces as they watched him maneuver through the office gracefully.
They followed close behind him and once they were seated in the chairs in front of the desk, Bucky began to fidget in his spot. Sure the office had been redone and really didn't look much like it had all those years ago, but the layout was the same. And all it was doing to him was bringing back memories he hated trudging back to the surface.
He subtly looked over at Y/N and saw her sitting in perfect posture watching Matthew as if she were to look at him and only him, then she wouldn't have to face Bucky.
Why did he expect anything less? Of course she hated him just as much as she had all those years. She was probably dreading this meeting just as much as him. That small speck of hope that maybe they could be somewhat normal and civil upon meeting again after all this time, completely faded at that point.
"Ok, this really shouldn't take all that much time since Foggy and I went ahead and wrote up all the things that needed signed and double checked. So we should be able to breeze through all this," Matthew nodded, bringing up a thick file that looked as though it had tabs on the side organizing them.
Y/N looked over wondering just how he knew the difference between documents and noticed on each tab, there were bariel markings along them.
"If you don't mind me asking, out of all places to live, why New York? It's got to be hard getting around such a crazy busy city given.. " Bucky asked, but didn't finish not sure how to word it. Y/N snapped her head in his direction and smacked his arm. "Ow!" Bucky jumped, sending her raised eyebrows. "What the hell?"
"I'm assuming you're asking because of this," Matthew laughed casually as he pointed to his glasses. "Don't worry. You would be surprised just how often I get asked that."
"Yeah, it was just a question," Bucky pouted toward Y/N while rubbing his assaulted arm. The two falling back into their old behaviors rather fast.
"I wasn't always blind. I mean I have been for a good chunk of my life, but I've lived in New York my whole life as well," Matthew went on to explain as he moved papers around. "If anything it would be harder for me to get around if I moved any place else. I know this place like the back of my hand."
"That's impressive," Bucky nodded, getting comfortable in his seat.
"Eh, it's either learn or get bumped around the sidewalk of a place full of people who don't give a second glance to anyone who's in their way," Matthew shrugged. "Oh, I need to go grab something before we start."
He maneuvered through the room leaving the door open as he went across the office. Tension filled the air as they were left alone for a second time in the past 5 minutes.
Y/N was sitting straight forward, her eyes wandering here and there around the meeting room, but careful not to go over to Bucky's side of the room. He looked down seeing her hands were fidgeting in her lap. She was tapping her thumbs together while his leg bounced up and down.
Bucky had opened his mouth to start to say something, but even he wasn't sure what was about to come out. Lucky for him, Matthew came back in and went back to his seat.
"Sorry about that. I thought I had it all, but needed to get some pens and one last paper I left on the printer last night."
"You're fine," Y/N said professionally, but kindly. "I have one quick question, if you don't mind." Matthew nodded her on with a soft smile. "What exactly happened to Hammer after all this chaos was discovered?"
"Oh, yes. He, uh, he will not be an issue to anyone else to put it lightly. His license was revoked and terminated and he is currently on trial for money laundering and malpractice," he answered.
"Serves him right," Bucky mumbled, and instead of getting a smack to the arm, Y/N nodded in agreement.
"Ok, if you two are ready, let's begin," Matthew smiled before grabbing the first set of papers.
The two straightened in their seats and the process began.
After a few minutes of just signing, Matthew started to make notes of updated information for the two with a voice recorder that Foggy could change later.
"Ok, Mrs. Barnes, sorry, Y/N," he corrected quickly. "What is your line of profession at the moment?"
"I work at Horizon Labs in L.A. It's a company a friend and I from college started up. I'm a Sustainable-Conscious Financial Advisor for a lot of smaller businesses as well as some bigger ones we recently just became partners with," she answered.
"Horizon Labs, huh?" Matthew said with an impressed look. Bucky turned to look at her as she lightly blushed. "I think I listened to a podcast about them. You guys help companies use recycled goods and find energy efficient technology, right?"
"We just redirect them to people who can help them get those resources. It's practically just connecting the companies that would work great together in helping the environment," she nodded humbly.
"That's amazing," Matthew smiled. "We need more people and companies like that."
"Thank you."
He made note of that on a computer as well. "I'm assuming with all that, you have to be a little too busy for a second job, right? I don't need to make note of another?"
"Uh, actually," she added, Bucky's already focused eyes on her quirked at her response. "I just invested in a woman's shelter with another friend of mine. I haven't really got to do much with it, but it is a second job as of lately."
"Wait? Nat?" Bucky caught on.
"Uh, yeah," she nodded almost shyly. Probably the second time out of this whole meeting that she actually made eye contact with him. "My company works with them in getting some of the resources and items they need for the shelter. I talked with Nat and I invested into it some to help with some with their financial advisements."
"Wow, th-that's," Bucky faltered. "That sounds like you," he said with a breathy laugh thinking about how maybe she really hadn't changed all these years. That being one of the 'reasons' they had broken it off, how people change and all. But that's a story for another time.
Y/N didn't show a response to his words, but she did take them in.
"So you run a woman's home and you run a well-off business that promotes eco-friendly resources for the environment?"
"Well, I don't run the woman's home. That's all my friends doing. I just help where help is asked if I can," she answered once again humbly. No sense of egotistical pride hinted in her explanations or answers.
"That's extremely impressive, Y/N," Matthew gushed some, and Bucky noticed the smallest form of attraction come off the lawyer. He straightened at that. "I'll make a note of it. And you Mr. Barnes? What is your occupation?"
Bucky relaxed his shoulders and focused back at the issue at hand. Trying to not get jealous of something that wasn't even his to be jealous of.
"I'm one of the head occupational therapist at Stark Theracorp," he answered. Now it was Y/N's turn to look at him intrigued. "I run the geriatric occupational therapy floor and manage our equipment and employees. "
"Two very impressive people in the work field from what I'm getting," Matthew chuckled some as he made the notes. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to ask about income from the both of you for the record. If you want to write it on a paper and hand it to me you can or if you are comfortable saying it outloud that works too. Either way, I'll have Foggy add it in later to the finalized papers."
"Wait, so we aren't finalizing it today?" Y/N asked, somewhat shocked.
"Did Foggy not tell you?" Matthew asked. "I thought he reached out to you before this meeting."
"I don't believe so," Y/N shook her head.
"Well, the reason this one is so quick is because I just need a few signatures and updated notes on you two. After that, I'll make the altercations for the official papers and I'll send those to you both on their own to get the final signature. You can either bring them to me here, fax them, or have them sent via mail after you signed off on them."
"Oh, I see," Y/N nodded. The look of defeat in her posture and facial expressions.
It hurt Bucky a little seeing her reaction to it. Did she really want to get away from him that bad? Was he that much of a nuisance in her life? I mean, yeah, they were supposed to be divorced 9 years ago, but he didn't want it then and it still hurt seeing just how much she wanted it now.
"That's not an issue, is it? I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience," Matthew apologized.
"No, no. It's ok," she said in reassurance to him. But she let out an almost bitter laugh before she spoke again. "We've been married for the past 9 years apparently. What's a few more days?"
"I guess that's true," Matthew laughed with her.
Bucky rolled his eyes discreetly. He really hated how she was reacting with all this. It wasn't surprising, but doesn't mean it hurts any less seeing how badly she wanted out of the situation.
"Mr. Barnes, are you ok with that?"
"I'll survive a few more days, I guess," he returned just as bitterly as Y/N.
The two looked at each other one more time, but this time, anger and annoyance was clear on both of their faces.