Elevated

Something a little odd started to happen after their conversation about Bucky’s arm.

Nora had never considered the fact that he might be avoiding touching her. Probably because she was clumsy and had terrible situational awareness. On their walks he regularly nudged her elbow to steer her out of the way of bikers. He’d catch her arm when she tripped. He’d nudge her out of the way of other pedestrians when she wasn’t looking. When she’d seen her father outside the tower, he put a hand on her back and kept it there the entire way up the elevator back to Tony’s lab. It hadn’t seemed like he was avoiding anything.

He must have been, because now that she’d told him she wasn’t worried, he touched her all the time.

On Wednesday when they went for coffee, he met her in the lab. He didn’t hover in the doorway while he waited, instead he walked all the way to her desk. Nora had been checking some readings before adding them to the paragraph she was working on and by the time she got to him he’d already clipped on Luna’s leash and scooped up her jacket. He held it for her while she slid her arms in. Bruce watched with interest. Nora tried and failed not to blush.

While they waited for the elevator he reached out and flipped the corner of her coat collar down, then slid his fingers across the fabric to smooth it out. When the doors opened to the lobby, he put a hand on her back and steered her out into the street. He didn’t nudge her out of the way of bikers anymore the way he had for months, instead he would wrap a hand around her elbow, or all the way across her back and around her upper arm to pull her toward him, and out of the way of whoever was about to run her over.

They sat on the patio of the Spruce, instead of walking straight back to the tower. Nora liked spending time with him, so she was willing to brave the cold. For some reason, however, he needed her to sit beside him and not across the table. He sat on the left of the table and pulled out the seat on the right for her to take. Then once she had, he wrapped his arm across the back of her chair.

He repeated it all on Thursday and Friday. Nora wouldn’t have minded, except she still had the memory of him calling her beautiful rattling around in her skull. It left her feeling skittish and every time he touched her sparks seemed to dance across her skin under her coat. She was positive she must be blushing, but while he continued to ask her a couple of questions on each of their outings, he didn’t mention her red cheeks.

On Friday she had her coat on before he got to the lab because she was sure she’d combust if he held it for her one more time. It backfired horribly once they got in the elevator. He glanced at her, then reached out and slid his hand across her neck to pull her ponytail free from under the collar.

Nora had never had someone touch her that way. He moved like it was such a casual gesture and seemed not to acknowledge at all that he’d lit her on fire. He asked her when they got to the lobby what her favourite movie was and she found she couldn’t think of a single title.

“Let me think about it,” She answered instead.

The second the clock hit four, she made a break for Jane’s lab, “Margaritas. Please.” She burst when she crossed the threshold.

Darcy and Jane both, who had been lounging in their armchairs, looked at her in alarm, “Are you okay?” Jane asked.

“No.” Nora answered seriously, shaking her head, “Alcohol.”

Both women looked concerned but followed her to the elevator. Nora might not have been able to get on, but Darcy gave her a shove. She only panicked a little on the short ride up to Jane’s apartment.

“Jane! My love!” Thor boomed when they crossed through the door. Jane kissed him as Darcy wandered to the kitchen for the blender, “And Darcy and Nora! Are you well?”

“Nope.” Nora answered, shedding her coat and flinging it across a stool, “You gotta go Thor. Girl talk.”

He looked surprised, “Ah.” He shot a glance at Jane who shrugged, then started towards the front door, “Very well. I shall see you all again soon.”

Nora watched him go. When the door was shut behind him, she said, “What does he think girl talk means?”

“I told him it’s a sacred Midgardian tradition that disallows the presence of men,” Darcy answered, pouring tequila into the blender, “He thinks if he stays, he’ll call down a curse from our female ancestors.”

“Oh.” Nora said, “That’s cool.” She turned to throw herself over the back of Jane’s couch and buried her face in a pillow. She let out a muffled groan under the noise of the blender. She didn’t sit up until Darcy smacked her leg, rising then to take the offered margarita and suck back half of it.

“Holy shit,” Darcy muttered, taking her own drink and sinking into an armchair.

“Okay,” Jane announced, “Spill it.” She took her usual spot at the coffee table next to Thor’s ridiculous hammer.

“Bucky’s killing me.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, landing in a heap on the couch.

“What?” Darcy asked, looking alarmed.

“I just- he keeps- and-“

“Oh my god,” Jane muttered, “You have a crush on him.”

She hadn’t admitted it out loud. Despite Darcy’s question before the lab explosion and her smug look after the thing in the lounge, Nora had remained steadfast. She was determined to keep her crush locked in its little box where it couldn’t hurt anybody. But the box was wide open now.

Nora set down her margarita to slap both hands over her face instead, “Yes!” Darcy made a delighted sound and Nora pinned her with a look, “No! He’s killing me! First he came with me to see my dad and let me cry all over him, then there was the thing in the lounge which I cannot stop thinking about, but now-“ She sucked in a huge breath, “He told me he was worried about hurting me with his metal arm? Well, I told him that I wasn’t worried about it because he’s always really gentle. I didn’t realize I was opening Pandora’s freakin’ box!”

Jane gave her a weird look, “What’s that mean?”

“Apparently this whole time he’s been trying to avoid touching me because now he does it all the time!”

Darcy continued to look delighted. Jane sipped her margarita and eyed Nora, “Touches you how?”

“He holds my coat for me to put on, he fixes my collar, he wraps his arm around my chair when we sit on the patio, he-“ She remembered Bucky touching her neck and choked on the next words, a blush jumping into her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands, “He’s the touchiest person I’ve ever met! I didn’t want to say anything to him about the crush because I didn’t want to wreck our friendship but he’s actually killing me now!”

“Just-“ Jane started, then faltered, “Tell him to tone it down?”

“No!” Darcy cried, waving both hands and nearly sloshing margarita onto the armchair she was in, “Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen him touch anyone else like that?”

Nora raised her head to look at Darcy who was still smiling, “Um-”

“I’ll tell you the answer, it’s no!”

Nora thought hard, “He touches his friends. I’ve seen him do it.”

“Not like that,” Darcy gestured wildly, “He obviously likes you!”

Nora shook her head, “All his friends are superheroes! They don’t need him to steer them around a mailbox, so they don’t trip.”

“I can’t believe you!” Darcy shouted, outraged, “You talked so much shit about them not communicating properly and how many issues it caused and you’re just going to go on forever not telling Bucky you have a crush on him? That’s so hypocritical!”

Nora’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Jane shot a panicked look between the two of them.

“I-“ Nora started, then stopped, “Shit.”

Bucky sat on the couch in the lounge. He had a beer in one hand and was tapping his knee absently with the other. There was a movie on the TV, something about a robbery, but he wasn’t really paying attention.

Thor lumbered in, his stomping footsteps giving him away immediately, “Friends! Well met!”

“How’s it going Thor?” Sam asked from the other end of the couch. Clint glanced towards them from his armchair, but Steve continued to give his full attention to the TV in front of him.

“Ah, I have been removed from my apartment. Nora invoked the ancient rite of Girl Talk.” He started towards the bar.

Clint squinted at him, “What do you think girl talk means?”

“Why,” Sam started loudly. Bucky took a sip of his drink in preparation, “Would Nora be invoking the rite of girl talk?” He fixed Bucky with a hard look like the sentence wasn’t ridiculous.

Thor rumbled from the fridge, “It appeared to be a matter of some great urgency.”

Clint frowned and swiveled to look at Bucky. With deliberate slowness, Bucky took another sip. “What did you do?” Clint asked.

Bucky thought of the pretty blush that jumped onto Nora’s cheeks every time he touched her, “Nothin’.”

“Nothing my ass!” Sam crowed.

Steve wrenched his attention from the TV to look at Sam, then Bucky. “Oh my god, Buck.” He muttered.

Sam pointed at Steve, “What is that?” his accusing finger moved to Bucky, “What the fuck did you do?”

Bucky knew exactly what he had done. He had every little touch he’d finally allowed himself filed away neatly in his brain, and every blush of Nora’s right beside them. But he wasn’t going to fucking tell Sam.

Steve rolled his eyes, “He’s not gonna tell you. He wouldn’t tell me either and I could never figure it out.”

“What are you talking about?” Clint asked looking mildly alarmed.

“His-“ Steve waved a hand as he searched for a word, “method. For getting a date with a woman.”

Bucky was a little offended at Steve’s phrasing. It made him sound like a cad. Like Nora was a fleeting interest and not someone he had seriously considered asking, on more than one occasion, to run away with him. He made an annoyed sound and cut a glare towards Steve.

“Are you kidding?” Sam asked, dumbstruck, “You’re puttin’ the moves on Nora? What does that mean? What do you do?”

“He’s not gonna tell you,” Steve asserted.

“Does it work?” Clint asked looking intensely interested.

Steve glanced at Bucky. Bucky leveled a finger at him, “Don’t.” For a minute the lounge was quiet. Three sets of eyes looked at Steve and Bucky. Bucky was sure Steve would let it drop.

“It’s never not worked!” Steve burst suddenly.

Bucky stood, ignored the sudden barrage of questions being launched in his direction, and made for the elevator.