Perpetual

After hours of a temper tantrum, tears, and shouting, Elena finally reached an agreement with Iolanda. In exchange for the girl never setting her up on another date, she agreed to attend the date with Bucky Barnes. Now, sitting across from him, her cheeks were bright red because Bucky was practically undressing her with his eyes. The table he chose was in a secluded part of the restaurant.

Bucky rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward slightly as he asked, “So, Elena, what was a sweet girl like you doing in the swamp known as Tinder?”

“I…”

Bucky sighed, “How old are you, Elena?”

“Twenty-one.”

“God! Do you know how old I am?”

She shrugged.

“I’m thirty-four, Elena,” he said softly. “I’m way too old for you.”

Elena felt a surge of anger. She tried to guess how much older Zemo was than her but couldn’t quite figure it out. “Then why did you come on this date?” she asked him.

Bucky rolled his eyes, “Because you’re young, beautiful, and sweet. I’d love to spend the rest of the evening with you in my arms.”

Her mouth formed an “O.” “What?!”

Bucky shrugged, “Honestly, I came on this date intending to seduce you, but then my close friend saw my Tinder and, well…” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “You’re only four years older than his daughter. He got a little mad. Called me an old pervert. We argued a bit, and it made me see things differently.”

What actually happened was that Pietro had snooped through Bucky’s phone while he was passed out drunk, saw that Bucky had a date with a much younger girl, and lost it. Seeing the innocent face of the girl had reminded him of his own Luna. He had shaken the sleeping Bucky awake, yelling, “You animal! You predator! Because of scumbags like you, these poor girls will never trust anyone again!”

By the time Bucky was fully awake from the beating, Pietro was practically sitting on him, demanding, “What are you going to do with this girl, huh?”

Bucky had shouted back, covering his face to protect himself, “Stop hitting me, you psycho! I’m going to bury my face in her sweet breasts, what do you think?!”

As they wrestled, Pietro yelled, “No! You’re going to go and warn that sweet girl about animals like you!”

“Why the hell would I do that?!”

Pietro had pressed his elbow into Bucky’s throat, “Because I’m your best friend, you bastard! And as a girl dad, I need you to do this so I can sleep at night!”

Bucky recounted the story, and Elena was laughing so hard her sides hurt. “You call that a little argument? He totally kicked your ass!” she said.

Bucky rolled his eyes.

Elena cleared her throat with a fake cough, “So this Pietro… Is he single? I’d make a great stepmother.”

“Great! As if getting my ass kicked wasn’t enough, now he’s stealing you from me without even showing up!”

“I want to see a picture of him!”

When Bucky showed her a photo, Elena’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God, I would totally be this guy’s daughter stepmom!”

Bucky squinted, snatching the phone back from her hand, “Don’t get your hopes up, sweetheart. He’s got a crazy mistress.”

Elena’s shoulders slumped, “Oh…”

Bucky grinned, “But I’m single?”

“Thanks, but I’m not into f*ckboys.”

“Careful, sweetheart. Break my heart one more time, and you’ll have to kiss me to heal it.”

Elena shrugged, “Maybe I only deserve fuckboys. The other guy I like has a girlfriend, too. And I think he’s older, too.”

Bucky chuckled, “Does that mean by the end of this night, you’ll kiss me?”

“Never. My heart belongs to someone else, sir.”

He rolled his eyes, “Alright. But since I’m a gentleman, I’ll take you home. And I’ll enjoy watching your cleavage for the rest of the night. Can we order now?”

Elena giggled, “I guess we can have a friendly date.”

“I don’t go on dates with friends, Elena,” Bucky said in a dangerous tone, “Don’t push your luck. I’d love to show you why we’re not just friends.”

Her cheeks flushed as she mumbled, “Okay, okay,” and started looking at the menu.

As Bucky watched her pretty face turn pink, someone else was watching them too.

“Is this a joke?!” Zemo muttered to himself, seething. He had just entered the restaurant. Seeing Elena’s flushed face across from Bucky filled him with rage. He hesitated for a moment. The guy was handsome. But they must be around the same age, right? He had never thought Elena could be interested in someone like him, but still, it hurt. God! He should have been the one to take her on this date. Her cheeks should be blushing in front of him. What was he going to do? Sit at the table next to them? He wanted to go home. But hearing her laugh, he couldn’t help himself and started moving towards the table next to theirs. As he reached it, he nodded his head in greeting, “Miss Elena.”

Elena’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the man preparing to sit at the table a few steps away from hers, “P...Professor?”

Bucky smirked, noticing the look in her eyes, “Is this the other f*ckboy?”

Elena’s eyes widened even more, and Zemo’s jaw clenched, “What did you say?”

Bucky bit his lower lip and turned in his chair to face him, “I said…”

But when he felt Elena’s warm, soft hands on his, he turned to her. He pitied the look in her eyes, silently begging him not to. If she called him Professor, he must be a teacher at her school. She didn’t seem like the type to fall for her teacher, but... Bucky stood up from his chair, “Have a good evening, Professor.” He extended his hand to Elena, “Let’s have dessert on the way, Elena. I want to see how that ice cream cone looks in your hands, and how your lips will move closer to it.”

Zemo slammed his fist on the table, and Elena jumped in her seat. Bucky’s hand, which had been left hanging, found Elena’s as Svetlana walked towards the table. Elena had stood up and taken Bucky’s hand. As Zemo watched them with fiery eyes, Svetlana reached over and kissed him on the lips.

Bucky finally saw the man she was sharing with him. He couldn’t help but wonder what poor Elena saw in such a man. As they walked towards the restaurant’s door, Elena whispered to him, “Please, get me out of here.”

As Bucky drove her home, Elena cried silently the entire way. When they arrived at her house, Bucky stopped the car and took a deep breath, “I’m still a little upset you didn’t let me see you holding that ice cream cone, Elena, but here we are. You’re home.”

She giggled through her tears, “Thank you, Bucky. You’re a good man.” Leaning over, she kissed his scruffy cheek, “I hope you find someone who melts your icy heart one day.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m fine, shorty. But I’d love to know what you see in that cold fish.”

Elena shrugged, “I don’t know. It just happened. I’m not happy about liking someone who has a girlfriend.”

Bucky laughed, “Elena, Elena, Elena… There isn’t a man born yet who wouldn’t bow down to those pretty eyes of yours. And you’re wasting your time on that guy?” He cupped her cheek with one hand and looked into her eyes, “Stay in school. Eat your vegetables. Make any guy you want your slave. Love isn’t real.” He paused, “And next time, if I get another chance with you, even if Pietro himself sits on me, I’ll seduce you. Just so you know.”

They both laughed. Bucky was struggling not to kiss her. “Alright, if you don’t get out of this car in the next few seconds, you’re getting a hot goodbye kiss from me.”

Elena panicked and fumbled with her seatbelt as Bucky laughed, “Hey! Kissing me isn’t that bad!” He unbuckled her seatbelt for her, “There. You’re free, sweet thing.”

She got out of the car. Bucky waited until she was inside the house. When she waved at him from the window, he started the car. He had wanted to tell her that Zemo was a strange man who shared Svetlana with him, but then he decided against it. The girl already looked upset enough. Besides, Zemo hadn’t even reacted when he saw her. He swallowed hard at the thought. Could it be that the guy didn’t know anything at all?