chapter twenty-one

➥ two long weeks had passed since the eventful night of homecoming, two long weeks of communications and visits from Fury as Tony and Bruce ran tests on Zander, two long weeks of the entire French family taking up residence on one of Tony's private floors, two long weeks of Logan and her father trying not to be but some how always being in some ones way.

Kat had never spent so much time with Zander before, and she was slowly starting to realize that what she felt for him was more or less just a silly school girl crush. She had feelings for him yes, but not quite of the same caliper of his own, and while she adored being around him constantly she had the overwhelming feeling that he was more or less just a friend..or maybe she was just overly annoyed by being around him 24/7 and just didnt realize it..she wasnt sure but neither thing was of importance at the moment.

Kat was in the training room, sparring with Bucky. It was the first time in two weeks that they had actually been able to be alone long enough to do it, and she had sorely missed the work out. Training with Zander was a work out but she had to go easier on him, often times forgetting that although he had an ability now he was still easily breakable, he wasnt as enhanced as she was and he also had no idea how to fight, so more often than not she was teaching rather than doing actual fighting.

They had been going at it for a while, both having nothing but time to kill for the first time in two weeks, and at this point were only going at it half heartedly. Bucky had just thrown her over his shoulder, ready to call it quits when an idea had popped into her head. She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in her throat as he swung her around before letting her flip off of him to land on the floor on her back.

He dropped next to her, chuckling as he wiped sweat from his brow. "You seem slightly less stressed." He notes, looking at the girl. He couldn't help but think she looked beautiful even then, despite being a sweaty, heaving mess on the ground.

"I don't feel any less stressed." The girl says, her brief moment of forgetting what was happening in her life returning. She started taking the purple wraps off of her hands, slowly unwrapping them as she came to the realization that she hadn't left the tower in two weeks. "I feel cooped up,  like the walls are closing in around me..i need to get out, I need to be near people that aren't here."

Buck watched her, following in her lead as he began to unwrap his hands as well. "Okay, lets go out." It sounded like a good idea in his mind, but when he said it she looked at him as if he were insane. "What?"

"Are you insane? We can't leave right now..Tony and Clint will get pissy.." He could see it in her eyes just how badly she wanted to go through with the idea though. "And I don't want to get in trouble.." But god she could already feel the fresh air on her face.

Bucky shakes his head at her. "Have you actually been told that you're not allowed to leave the building?" He asks, cocking his eyebrow at her. She purses her lips and shakes her head, although she had imagined it was implied with the situation. "There were no actual words spoken, therefore you are allowed to do as you please."

He stands from his feet, his hand half unwrapped. "I'll be at the elevator in thirty, if you want to come." He says as he walks towards the elevator, dragging half of his hand wrap behind him as most of it was still attached to his hand.

   The city air was brisk, a breeze bringing a gentle chill to the air. The blonde young woman wore black jeans and a skin tight, purple, long sleeved crop top underneath of an unzipped windbreaker, the heels of her boots making a soft clunking sound on the sidewalk as she moved quickly to keep up with her long legged partner in crime.

"Slow down Bucky!" The girl calls, nearly at a jog as she tries to keep up as they cross a busy street. "Incase you forgot i don't exactly have freakishly long legs like you!" She can't help but glare at the people who look at her strangely as she chases after the large man. "Where are we even going anyway?"

The man had taken off in a direction without a word, barely allowing her to keep pace -and she was certain he found her struggle funny-, taking her down streets she wasn't familiar with. It had been nearly fifteen minuets by the time they had reached their destination, and it was only then that he stopped, turning towards her. He held half a grin on his face as he watched her struggle, she had gotten caught at the cross walk and was now storming towards him, annoyance written in every step.

"You know, you wouldn't have such a hard time if you didn't wear those boots." Not that he didn't like them, he actually loved it when she wore them, they did something to her that made her all the more attractive to him, but sometimes they were really an inconvenience.

He could practically feel her eyes roll. "Yeah, the boots are one hundred percent the problem," She says, hands on her hips as she finally stops in front of him. "It absolutely has nothing at all to do with the fact that your ass is six feet tall while I barely clear five feet..Tall people are so inconsiderate.." She gives an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes again at his amused expression.

"Where are we?" She finally asks, her small rant over. She had dressed to get dinner from the restaurant around the block from the Tower, not a hike through the city. She followed his gaze as he pointedly looks up towards the building at their right. "..an arcade?"

"An arcade." He says, offering his hand to help her over the step of the threshold, he hand to pretend not to notice the way that all of the hair on his arm stood at just the mere brush of her skin against his, let alone the feeling of pure electricity he got at a full touch. "Everyone here is too busy to notice the people around them, its the perfect place to get away and not have to worry for a while."

"Well then," She says, following him in to a room that was dark and filled with lights from the games and shadows from the people that were playing them, too invested to even realize that anyone had walked in. "let's play."

After getting quarters for the games, the pair played for what seemed like only minuets but was really hours. They played racing games (of which Bucky had generously let her win), and shooting games (of which Kat couldn't win to save her life), they played ski ball and tried to see how many miniature basket balls they could get through a net (Kat had only scored one, while Bucky hadn't missed once) and then Kat had managed to drag him in to a dancing game (of which she was kind enough to suck just slightly more than he so that he could win) and despite complaining the whole time she knew he loved it.

And after a while the pair had settled down to eat, and although the slice of pizza and fries they had ordered were shitty, the pair couldn't help the smiles on their faces as they talked and laughed, for once feeling like normal individuals.

Kat couldn't help but stare when he smiled, truly smiled. It lit up his entire face, making him look alive for once. It was his eyes that really caught her of guard though, how light and happy they appeared in that moment as he sat across from her. He was beautiful, he was beautiful and she knew in that moment that she loved him in a different way than she loved Zander, although she was certain that it wasn't something she could ever admit to either men. She'd known for a while that she felt something other than friendly towards the man although she'd never been able to really label it until now.

And suddenly, almost abruptly, the moment passed as the shrill sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts. She didn't have to look to know who it was, they'd been gone for nearly four hours. "And that would be our sign that its time to leave."  She says
with a sigh, leaning back in her seat.

Bucky looks at her, the smile stil on his face. "This has been fun," He says, truly meaning it. He hadn't seen the girl so happy and without a thought of their life since, well to be honest, never. He pushed the paper dish that held his fries and his soda towards her, hoping it would take her long enough that he would be able to get her something he'd had his eye one since he'd gotten their quarters. "You take this, ill turn these in."

Kat watches him take off towards the ticket counter, wondering what he was getting. Taking one last sip of her soda, the girl gathers all of their trash, tossing what was left of the food and the drinks into the trash before tossing their paper dishes into the recycling bin next to the trash. Zander was extremely in to recycling and after two weeks of lectures about putting certain things in the recycling, the girl couldn't help but do it.

Bucky met her outside, holding a medium sized stuffed teddy bear in his hands, a grin on his face as he watched her face light up at the sight. "For you." He says, returning the hug that he was immediately enveloped in.

The walk home seemed to end too soon, their happy moods quickly taken from them as soon as the doors of the elevator had opened. After standing her ground to Clint, Tony and Zander about where she had been and that she had never been told she couldn't leave ( and even going as far as to tell Zander that she was allowed to do things on her own, that she didnt have to tell him her every move), the girl turned and gave Bucky another hug, thanking him for the evening out and the teddy bear before turning on her heel and going straight to her room without a second glance at her three interrogators.

Clint and Tony were too stunned to say anything and walked away silently, the testosterone filled stand off happening between Bucky and Zander going un-noticed.

The boy looks the older man up and down, anger welling deep inside of him at the audacity he had to so much as take his girlfriend out, let alone buy her a cute gift and put his hands on her. He wouldn't fight about it though, he wasn't stupid, he knew who would win that one.

Just as Bucky looked away from their stare down, Zander asks the question that had been in his mind for weeks now: "Do you have feelings for my girlfriend?"

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hi bbys ! i know i said i wasnt going to post anything until i finished editing but i missed my babies so much i couldnt help it !!! enjoy, mwah !

p.s. edited chapters can be found by looking at the chapter before the cast list or by looking for the arrows in front of the chapter title !

with love,
kara.