Road Trip Time
Despite the interruption to their sleep the night before, Bucky and Darcy both rose to their alarms without hesitation. They shook off their tiredness with ease, the excitement and anticipation inherent in road trips and holiday celebrations alike bubbling up and brushing away any exhaustion in their wake.
Darcy nearly collided into her roommate when she rounded the corner to her kitchen. He was plating out a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs to tide them over until they reached their lunch destination that she had specifically placed on the road trip itinerary. There was an authentic little pho place in Middle-of-Nowhere, Virginia that she was dying to introduce Bucky to.
Darcy slid into her seat, immediately picking up a piece of bacon and crunching away happily.
Ah bacon, the best of meats.
Darcy looked up from her plate to see Bucky leaning over the kitchen sink rinsing off the pan he'd used to scramble the eggs, dark jeans pulled tight across his rear and thighs.
Ah bacon, the second best of meats.
“Lewis, you're staring,” Bucky tossed casually over his shoulder, not even bothering to look at her or stop his rinsing.
Darcy let out an embarrassed squeak and dropped her eyes back to the safety of her bacon. She tried to will away the creeping flush sweeping over her cheeks but to no avail. Bucky turned in time to see her charming blush before she dropped her head.
Good, he thought to himself. He didn't usually stoop to calling out women who ogled him, but she'd earned it after the little stunt she'd pulled the night before, the minx. In fact, when he'd woken up that morning, he’d decided that a little retribution would be good for her, so he'd be spending their holiday vacation tormenting her mercilessly. She wasn't the only person in that kitchen who knew how to be a tease.
A devious gleam lit his eyes as he sat in his chair across from her, leaning back and stretching out his legs beneath the table until his ankles grazed hers. Darcy's eyes popped up immediately at the subtle touch, giving Bucky a wide eyed stare. He deliberately held her gaze for a few breathless moment before dragging his teeth slowly over his lower lip. Hook, line, and sinker, she fell for the bait, her eyes dipping to his mouth to follow the movement. Maybe he wasn't so rusty after all.
“Good morning, doll. How did you sleep?” Bucky asked, a smug smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
Darcy shrugged, swallowed, and took what he thought might be her first breath since he’d brushed his legs against hers.
“Um, I slept fine. Well, besides the part where you woke me up….which is fine, totally fine! You can wake me up any time you need my help, of course. I would never hold that against you.” Darcy let off a spout of nervous giggles. “Uh, but yeah, the parts before and after that I slept, um-”
“Fine?” Bucky’s eyebrow twitched up in amusement.
“Yeah. That,” Darcy finished lamely.
“Good to hear it, sweetheart. And it's good to know that you're so...willing…to help me whenever I might need you in the middle of the night.” Bucky was laying the smolder on thick and damn if it wasn't working, too. Bucky was delighted to see Darcy's mouth pop open in bewilderment, her usual onslaught of verbiage momentarily stoppered by his blatant innuendo. It took a considerable amount of self control for him not to snicker at her vindictively.
Deciding he should probably have a small amount of mercy, for the moment anyway, Bucky sat up in his chair and turned his attention to his own breakfast, eating in silence as if the whole exchange had never happened. No need to lay it on too thick or all at once. This kind of sweet torture was best meted out in small increments over time until the recipient was thoroughly worn down and ready to make a move. And really, that was his long game.
Bucky had woken that morning with an entirely new sensation running through him. Well, maybe not new, but new to him since Hydra had got a hold of him. He wanted Darcy, and he was nearly knocked breathless by the realization. Sure, he had recognized from the beginning that she was easy on the eyes, but this was something more than just acknowledgment of a pleasant aesthetic.
He hadn't realized just how much he wanted a kiss from those plush lips until she'd suggested it. But she hadn't followed through, which was...confusing, but also vaguely exciting. She seemed to be attracted to him, but she'd been unwilling to kiss him. So he would wait for her to make the first move; he wouldn't force his desires on her in any way. But that didn't mean he couldn't have fun flirting shamelessly while he waited for her to either make a move or reject him entirely.
Whether or not anything happened, though he sincerely hoped she wanted him too, he was still just so thrilled to have rediscovered this aspect of himself after so long. Hydra had done their damndest to neuter him when they’d shaped him into the Winter Soldier, at least psychologically. They'd, thankfully, left him physically intact, though he doubted it was out of the goodness of their hearts. He could only assume they would have tried breeding him out eventually, once he passed his prime as an asset. His altered genetics were just too damn valuable.
In any case, waking up with his body aching to be touched and Darcy's name ghosting over his lips had been both a welcome change from how he usually woke and the biggest surprise of his post-Hydra life so far. For nearly three years he had been resigned to the fact that he would never desire women as he once did, thinking his sexuality was one of the many things he'd never get back from Hydra. Finding out that he was wrong about that had him feeling downright giddy. It was a damned Christmas Miracle. In fact, he'd briefly considered marching his ass to the nearest Catholic church and dropping onto his knees in prayer. Glancing down at the generous tenting of his bedsheets, he had quickly reconsidered. Perhaps another time.
With the reawakening of his sexuality, certain aspects of his personality had also started to awaken. Specifically, the cocksure attitude of his youth and the memory of how to tease and tempt a pretty lady. Which had ultimately spurred his master plan to tempt one Darcy Lewis within an inch of her sanity over the next two weeks.
It was a damn good plan.
***
Within the hour they hit the road, bags loaded into the back of Darcy's violently blue Ford Fiesta, which she had nicknamed “The Blueberry” due to its color but also because of some tv show that she insisted he needed to start in the near future.
Darcy loaded the backseat with various snacks and drinks, including two boxes of Ho-Hos per his request, and pulled up their destination on her gps for Bucky. They got about 10 minutes into their drive before Bucky swerved into a Walgreens and ran inside for an actual folded map of the eastern seaboard, mumbling viciously under his breath about “damned machines taking over everything” and “lazy futuristic sonsabitches can't even read a damned map anymore.” He'd returned to the car in short order, taking a couple minutes to pore over the map before pulling out of the parking lot and continuing on to the correct route.
Darcy kept her mouth shut, but only barely, and a few muffled chuckles still escaped her throat. Bucky ignored her as best he could and concentrated on finding his way to the highway that would take them most of the way to their destination.
Darcy fiddled idly with the radio for a few minutes, eventually landing on a jazz station, and promptly conked out. She had warned him the night before, so he wasn't too surprised when she spent the first three hours of the trip snoring softly against the window. He chuckled to himself at the sight of her. She really was an adorable little thing.
The drive went fairly smoothly for him except for the occasional light traffic. Nothing too hindering, though, and the roads were clear of ice or snow since it had been a couple weeks since the area had gotten any snowfall.
All-in-all, it was a pretty relaxing morning. Handling the vehicle with ease, his mind was allowed to wander a bit in the quietness of the car. He couldn't help but think of Darcy and everything that entailed. The excitement, the anxiety, the easy camaraderie that he hoped he wouldn't ruin. Because, even though he desired her, he wanted more than just the softness of her flesh. He wanted to...well, go steady with her, if he was being honest. But that was apparently an outdated phrase and an increasingly outdated practice. And it wasn't like he even had any experience with that kind of monogamy. He'd rarely gone on a date with the same woman more than once back when he was young. How the hell was he supposed to figure it out now?
He decided it was best to place that worry on the back burner for the moment. Besides, she might end up telling him to take a flying leap, so it wouldn't end up being an issue in the first place. He'd come to that bridge if they got to it.
He really hoped they got to it.
***
Darcy woke with a jolt to the closing of a car door. She swiveled her head, stretching out the kinks in her neck and taking in her surroundings. They appeared to be stopped at a gas station somewhere in Podunk, USA and Bucky was fiddling with the gas pump. She stretched and stifled a yawn, deciding this would be a good time for a quick potty break and prayed that the bathrooms weren't completely horrendous.
She took a glance at the back seat. Yeah, better replenish the snacks while she was at it. Bucky could really put it away when he wanted to. Steve had warned her that she'd need to make sure he ate, but maybe he had been trying to feed Bucky the wrong things? Probably protein shakes and bars, which is what she usually saw Steve ingesting. Gag her with a spoon. Life was too short for that healthy crap.
Darcy hopped out of the car, fluttering her fingers at Bucky and crossing the parking lot to the dismal little building. The bathrooms were not the worst she'd used, but she still made sure to touch as little of the bathroom fixtures as possible. After taking care of her necessities, she meandered down the few aisles that shelved the available snacks, getting an assortment of salty, sweet, and chewy goodies.
By the time she made her way back to the car, Bucky had finished filling the gas tank and was leaning casually against the passenger side door, arms folded across his chest and legs crossed at the ankle. The morning sun was glinting brightly off the sliver of metal peeking out between his glove and sleeve and lighting up the amber undertones in his hair.
Damn, if he wasn't one of the most beautiful men she'd ever laid eyes on. Especially with the way he was watching her cross the parking lot, wide blue eyes following each of her movements, tongue gently worrying at his full lower lip. If she wasn’t mistaken, there was a hunger in his eyes...and not just for the bag of snacks she had a death grip on.
A perversely delightful anticipation stirred in her stomach in reaction to the way he watched her. This new side of Bucky had made its first appearance when they'd gotten up that morning, and she was digging it to an extreme degree. She put a little more sway in her hips and let her own tongue linger over her lips. She had started their little game with that “goodnight kiss” business last night, she damn well wasn't going to quit right as things were starting to heat up.
Thinking over her actions the night before, she really couldn't say what caused her to tease him like that. Maybe she wanted to make him laugh, or maybe she wanted to leave him with something to think about that would drive out any further depressing thoughts. Or maybe he was a wonderful man who happened to be devastatingly beautiful and she'd wanted to flirt her ass off because, hey, she was only human. Who knew? It was a mystery.
Whatever her reasoning was, she couldn't help but preen just a little bit at the subsequent results. The changes in Bucky’s behavior had been subtle, but highly desirable. As in, he was acting as if she was highly desirable. Her flirting last night had kicked off a dance between the two of them, and with each step they pushed the other closer and closer to…some kind of precipice.
But who would make the first jump?
In a normal situation, it would be her, hands down. Darcy Lewis, like all the women in her family, was incredibly astute when it came to reading people. She knew whenever someone was attracted to her, and not just in the casual “that's a nice rack on that chick” way. She always knew when the dance had begun and she was not the kind of woman to wait around for the other person to make the first leap.
But this dance was with Bucky, a partner who had gone through a living nightmare, with all the scars, both physical and psychological, that that implied. Ultimately, she decided she would go at his pace, let him lead the dance, and when he was ready, she would follow him over the edge.
Darcy felt a sinister little smile pulling at her lips as she watched the good Sargeant’s eyes track the movement of her hips, watched as the steady rise and fall of his chest seemed to catch and stutter for a minute. She continued her journey to him, pushing into his space till they were nearly chest to chest.
She looked up at him from under her dark lashes, turning on the full smolder. “Here, Sarge,” she breathed, pressing the bag of goodies into his hands. “You looked hungry.” She was thrilled right down to her Captain America toesocks to notice the nervous bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed thickly.
She turned quickly and flounced off around the car before he could recover his senses, but was stopped before she could get the driver’s side door all the way open. Bucky's metal hand popped into her field of vision, catching the door at the top, and was followed shortly by his flesh hand appearing near her waist, the car keys nestled in his palm.
“You might need these, sweetheart,” Bucky said lowly, lips brushing against the shell of her ear and warm breath stirring her curls. Darcy thrilled at his closeness, swaying back slightly and making contact with his chest. Her lips curved of their own accord into a wicked grin when she saw his hand twitch at the contact.
“Thank you,” she purred, artfully retrieving the keys and allowing her nails to drag lightly over his palm as she did. Bucky flinched, his chest and abdomen jerking against her back. She pulled away from him then, watching him from the corner of her eyes as she slid in place behind the wheel, satisfaction coiling low and tight in her gut.
***
Darcy was pleased to see that Bucky loved her chosen lunch destination as much as she did, maybe more, based on the three separate meals that he ended up eating before they left. His appetite had definitely kicked up exponentially since he'd started living with her.
They made good time after leaving the restaurant, arriving on the outskirts of Charlottesville, Virginia in a little over an hour. The small college town was covered in a thin layer of snow, giving the whole place a quaint, picturesque feel. It was Christmas incarnate, down to the lights strung up over the red brick buildings of the campus.
Darcy had been absolutely enchanted the first Christmas that she'd spent at her sister’s townhome right off the edge of the campus. Her sister had started her professorial career there nearly five years ago and she honestly hoped Angie never taught anywhere else. It was just such a gorgeous little town and college. Whether covered in snow and fairy lights, exquisite fall colors, white and pink blossoms of spring, or exhibiting the sprawling green lawns of summer, it always filled Darcy with a sense of peace and wonder. Especially since she'd moved to the city and had been fairly deprived of all things quaint and Mother Nature-y.
As they drove through town, Darcy took a moment to point out some of the buildings of the area that held particular historical significance. She noted the way Bucky's eyes lit up whenever she mentioned some aspect of the pervasive Jeffersonian architecture.
“You know, my Pop used to take me around the buildings of New York like this. Teach me about the design of them and such. He worked construction on the Chrysler building when I was growing up,” Bucky's eyes glazed with happy memory for a moment. “He was so proud when they finished it, took me and Ma to the grand opening. He used to tell me, ‘tallest building in the world , Jamie! Your old man made history!’ Of course, a year later they finished the Empire State Building.” Bucky let a laugh escape, “Pop was furious, it was the funniest thing you ever saw. He kept waiting for the next skyscraper to come along to work on that would surpass the Empire...but he died before there ever was. We both did,” Bucky finished quietly, some of the mirth draining from his features.
“1970.”
“What?”
“The Empire State Building was surpassed by the World Trade Center in 1970. The Twin Towers...those are gone now, though.” Darcy trailed off, the painfulness of that moment still very present to her American psyche.
Bucky nodded solemnly. “I read about that, 9/11. I've never seen anything like it...and I've lived through some pretty sick shit. Did you lose anyone?” he asked gently.
“No, thankfully. But so many people did. Pepper lost her older sister.”
Bucky's brows shot up in concern. “I, I didn't know that.”
“Not many people do, she doesn't like to dwell. But it changed her.” Darcy’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, pushing back at the swell of sorrow for her friend and mentor.
Bucky hummed in acknowledgment and then was quiet for a moment, watching the snow lined streets pass. “What is it now?”
“Hmm?” Darcy pulled herself from her thoughts.
“What is the tallest building now,” Bucky clarified.
“Oh. Ummm, I think it's a building in Dubai, I can't remember what the name is though.” Darcy shrugged.
“I think I'd like to see it, someday.” Bucky snorted, “If I ever get the clearance for international flight, that is.”
Darcy gave him a wry grin. “Yeah, I bet it's hell getting through security with that metal arm.” She leaned over and pinched at his metal wrist and gave him a quick wink.
Bucky looked at her strangely for a moment before returning with his own grin. “Maybe if I had my trusty babysitter with me, they'd let me through without much fuss?”
“You asking me to go to Dubai with you, Jamie?”
“Ugh, I shouldn't have let that slip. I take it back now. You can stay in the states. I’ll take Rob with me, he seems the respectable sort that gets through airport security easy enough.”
Darcy stuck her tongue out at him. “Yeah, and he's got that huge man-crush on you, which can't hurt.”
Bucky snorted. “Don't let Angie hear you say that, she might not let him go with me.”
“Nah, Ange isn't the jealous type. She's good at sharing.” Darcy wiggled her eyebrows at him ridiculously. “And speaking of Angie and Rob, we’re here,” she said, parking in front of a nicely sized red-bricked townhouse.
The house was sandwiched between two similarly sized homes, each bearing the typical Jeffersonian style: triangular pediments above the doors, white trim, windows framed with decorative shutters. The only variation to the long strand of townhomes was the gradient shades of red brick and the different colors each front door was painted. Rob had chosen a pleasant dark green that complemented the rich-red brick of their home.
As it was Christmas, there was a rather ostentatious wreath hanging and covering nearly half of the front door. Angie did not know how to do things by halves, and went particularly bananas during the holidays, as was evidenced by the enormous wreath and abundance of fairy lights covering the front of their home.
Bucky stepped out of the car, stretching the kinks out of his muscles after being balled up into Darcy’s tiny vehicle for so many hours. He looked up at the copious amounts of blinking multicolored lights adorning the McKenzie home.
“Very...festive,” he said dryly.
Darcy, who was beginning to unload their bags from the trunk, glanced up and snorted in response. “Oh god, you’re in for a real surprise if that is what you categorize as festive. Just wait till you get inside...and keep a wary eye out for errant strands of mistletoe.” She ducked her head back down into the trunk before he could catch the teasing gleam in her eyes.
Having pulled the remainder of their luggage out, she slammed the trunk closed and was turning to grab her bag off the curb when her face smacked into a wall of muscled man flesh. Dang, for an old guy, he sure could move fast. His hands came down around her shoulders to keep her from falling flat on her ass.
“Steady there, doll. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he said around an easy grin. Bucky’s hands lingered on her for a moment before sliding down her arms and then reaching for both of their bags. Lifting one suitcase laden arm, he gestured to the front door, “After you, ma’am.”
“Why thank you, good sir. Such a nice young man, carrying all that luggage for little ole me,” she drawled in what was the worst southern accent Bucky had ever heard. Probably.
“Oh, you know me, Ms. Lewis. Ever the gentlemen,” Bucky said. This was followed by a wink and some obscenely attractive movement with his tongue that was as panty-melting as it was effortless. And about as far from gentlemanly as a person could get.
Geez, Louise. Bucky Barnes had game. She knew that, had read about his talent with women in pretty much every history book she’d read in school, but knowing from a book and knowing from personal experience were two entirely different things.
Okay. Time to be honest with herself. She might be out of her depth here.
“Right. A gentleman. So the only reason you let me go first was out of respect and not because you wanted to finally get a good look at the view,” she threw over her shoulder, wiggling her hips a little to emphasize her point.
From behind her, she heard Barnes’ voice sink to a lower octave. “Oh, darling, if you think these eyes haven’t already scoped out and memorized every single dip and curve of that ‘view,’ then you’ve really not been paying attention.”
Darcy swallowed hard and tried to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. She was apparently unsuccessful, if Bucky’s dark chuckle was anything to go on. Damn him. A sly grin stretched across her face. Yeah, she was undoubtedly out of her depth here, and she couldn’t be more thrilled.