Bi Bucky Bye
She saw him entering the bar from the corner of her eyes as she stacked the glasses upside down in a neat line. She sighed, mi-amused, mi-annoyed.
"You really need to stop coming after we're closed."
"I know."
Bucky moved towards the counter, almost timidly. He came to sit on one of the tools and rested his chin on his right fist, his left hand still in his jacket's pocket. Leah rolled her eyes but continued her current task. After she was done with the glasses, she leaned on the counter, across the man.
"No beer. My boss wasn't happy when he found out about last time."
He looked at her in the eyes.
"Sorry. But don't worry, I'm not here for that."
She frowned. They were physically close hence she finally noticed he wasn't wearing his usual black gloves.
"So why are you here?"
He didn't answer. He was chewing on his fingernails. Leah had been seeing Bucky coming in her workplace for roughly four months now. She couldn't not have noticed that brooding man, silent but polite, looking like a homeless guy but always paying his meal right after he ate them, also always coming here the same day of the week at the same time. Then one day, he had cut his hair, she had introduced him to Yori and they had started eating together. And Bucky had seemed different. For the second time, she could say something big had changed within him but she couldn't quite tell if it was in a good or bad way.
She also had noticed his absence today, at Yori's side.
She took a deep breath.
"You know, Yori was different today."
He didn't move but his eyes stared at her more intensely. She smiled - as she recalled that meal, a few hours earlier.
"If I dare say so, he seemed at peace for the first time. He told me someone came to his house and told him what he has needed to hear for a long time."
"Was he sad?"
His voice was hoarse, no louder than a whisper. She didn't think much.
"Yeah, of course. Yori has lost his wife and his only son, he'll always be sad. But like I said, he looked at peace."
Bucky nodded. They fell silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, a phone buzzed. Leah immediately thought about her own but she hadn't felt the vibrations. Then Bucky took his phone out of his pocket - he had a new one, finally a modern one - and meant to briefly look at it. But his lips slowly curled in a cute smile. He glanced at her.
"Hum, sorry, a friend..."
"No, no, don't worry, go ahead."
In order to type faster, he retrieved his left hand from his pocket and Leah almost gasped when she saw the deep black prosthetic. When Bucky was done, he stored his phone away but his left hand stayed on the counter. The young woman knew it was rude, but she couldn't detached her eyes from the metal hand with gold reflections. Bucky intertwined his fingers and she was able to look at him in the eyes instead.
"I, um, might not have poor circulation," he said.
"Yeah, I can see that," she replied, starting to grin.
That was all she needed to know that Bucky's change was a good one. As if he had felt that too (or rather, as if he was glad it was finally out there in the open), the brunet immediately relaxed.
"Actually, I came here to ask you for some advice."
"Advice about?"
She leaned back and stretched her back.
"Dating."
"What?"
Keep a straight face, Leah!
Meanwhile, Bucky became more animated as he explained.
"It's all new for me but there are these two... persons I really like. I mean, I enjoy being around them. OK, it's more complicated than that because I have seen the second one like twice but anyway-"
"Was it them, earlier? The text?"
He blushed. It was the most adorable face ever, Leah thought.
"Yeah."
She couldn't help herself anymore and let out a giggle. But it was not a mean one; she was honestly happy to see him blossom like that.
"Wow, look at you, two at once! Tell me more! Who are they? What's their names?"
At this last question, however, Bucky's face closed and he looked down, fidgeting with his fingers. Leah's smile vanished and albeit she was still excited for her friend, she struggled to see what her mistake was.
"Let's just say. It's two persons," Bucky said.
He brusquely raised his eyes to meet her gaze. It was one deep stare, screaming at her that she had to understand what he meant but not too much, not to say anything out loud or, rather, not if she didn't relate to that herself. And Leah got it immediately. She also felt heart-broken because it was not a look she had witnessed in a long time and especially not in someone as old as Bucky was. Was she the first person he was confessing this secret part of himself to?
"OK," she said, trying to process what she could say next. "What kind of advice do you need?"
Bucky bit his lips pensively.
"I don't know... Like I said, I haven't tried dating in a real long time."
"The flowers are outdated."
He laughed and she cackled too. Bucky shifted in his seat, more relaxed. Leah smiled at him and proceeded to reach across the counter to grab the tool and put them on the counter, starting from where Bucky sat.
"I just don't want them to think I'm greedy, you know," said the brunet while watching her. "Or that I can't make up my mind, it's just..."
"You want to have a deeper connection with one of them without risking either of their friendship."
His face lit up.
"Exactly."
With a groan, Leah pulled the last tool. Then she rested on her elbow and took time to catch her breath.
"Why not a date, then? A proper date with both of them. Not at the same time, I mean. But see if in a romantic setting, I don't know, it sparks something more than regular friendship."
Bucky seemed to mull over the proposition for a few seconds. In the end, he gave her a beaming smile.
"It's an excellent idea! Thank you so much!"
He rose and put his own tool on the counter as she rounded it, her jacket under her arm.
"So, um," Bucky begins - and he was shy again.
"Yeah?"
"You too, you like... You know, both?"
Adorable - he was just adorable. She burst out laughing.
"I'm pansexual, I love everyone!"
And, unfortunately, date no one, she added for herself.
But Bucky was frowning.
"What's... pan...sexual?"
She gave him a weird look.
"You never heard that term before?"
He shook his head.
"There's... a lot I don't know yet."
He looked away awkwardly and Leah bit her lips as she blamed herself for saying the wrong thing for probably the third time in one conversation. Fuck it. She opened the front door in one firm gesture.
"You know what? I was heading out tonight. Go to a gay bar. Why don't you come with me? We'll crash at my place or yours at the end of the night and tomorrow we'll take about everything. If you want to."
Bucky looked honestly horrified. But his following smile betrayed his curiosity - if not his excitement.
"Okay. Yeah, let's do this."