fandomweekly | [#001] One More Chance Buster (MCU)

Theme Prompt: #001 - Second Chances
Title: One More Chance Buster
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating/Warnings: Teen
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 984
Summary: Bucky screwed up. She said I love you and he bolted.

He screwed up. Bucky doesn’t remember screwing up this bad before the war. But then none of the girls he took out ever meant much more than the fun they could be back then. Life had been a game until he was sent to the front. He hadn’t had much but he still had his best friend and his family back then. Now it was his best friend and the team. They were a family in their own, not linked by blood but by experience and he needed that as much as he needed oxygen these days.

She’d said she loved him, and he bolted. He was an idiot. Growling he throws another punch at the heavy bag he’s been abusing for the better part of the afternoon. It’s become his thing since she revoked his access to her apartment.

Instead he spent hours in the gym beating up the dummies and heavy bags like they were the bad guys of his healing memories. He only stops because he hears her walk in. He knows her walk like the back of his hand. She couldn’t sneak up on him if she tried.

“FRIDAY you said you he wasn’t down here,” she yells at the ceiling.

“My apologies Miss Lewis, but my cameras didn’t show him as present at the gym.”

“I bet they didn’t,” she grumbles, and he stops punching the bag to look at her.

The bag swings back at him and he catches it just in time to watch Darcy strut by him in her too tight gray leggings and the blue t-shirt she stole from him four months ago. He just stares at her like the lost old man he was. He hasn’t felt so thoroughly ignored as this since the night he met Peggy Carter at a pub in London after Steve rescued him and the rest of the 107th from HYDRA.

“Take a picture it’ll last longer,” she bites out as she starts to stretch.

He nearly groans as she does. Or maybe it wasn’t so much an almost as he does and didn’t realize it.

“Make another sound and I’m reporting you for harassment.” She snaps bending forward to touch her toes.

He can’t help it, Bucky laughs. Her words her tone, everything it’s exactly like the day they met. Same place, same activity.

“You said that the day we met Darcy.” He wishes he could strangle the wistful tone to his voice. He’s missed her that he will accept her snapping and threatening him if it means he gets a few minutes of time with her.

“Yeah well I meant it then too.” He sees how her shoulders hitch up at the memory. She wasn’t expecting him to remember that day, but the truth is he couldn’t forget it if he tried. It’s admirable though how she tries to keep up the pretense of stretching for a workout as she rolls up to her full height and then curving her body side to side.

He’s quiet as he crosses the room to her. He knows he caught her off guard when she jumps at the feel of his flesh hand on her shoulder.

“Let me at least explain,” he whispers. She might not, and he can’t begrudge her that, but Bucky must at least try. Whatever she thinks of what happened it’s clearly worse than whatever truth he can provide her.

“There isn’t anything to explain Barnes,” she bites the words out turning to face him her blue eyes stormy with unshed tears and he curses himself. How had he missed that she was so close to falling apart in front of him. That his being there talking to her was pushing all the wrong buttons because at the end of the day she was hurt and hadn’t been able to patch up the wounds.

“God doll I’m so sorry,” he breathes before pulling her in close and pressing his lips to hers. He should have thought before he acted.

Hindsight is always twenty-twenty in these situations. He’d barely even made contact and she was punching him in the stomach.

“You don’t get to do that you jerk.”

“I’m sorry. I’m an idiot,” he wheezes.

“Damn right you are. What the hell were you thinking?” she’s crying as she says it tears rolling down her cheeks and the anger plain in her voice that he winces.

“That I love you too and I screwed up. That I needed to show you that I missed you.” He cups her face in his hands so light that it would be nothing for her to get away. He doesn’t want her to feel trapped, just see that he’s telling the truth. That he would do anything to make it right.

“But why did you run?” She hiccups trying not to sniffle.

He smiles at her, not the cocky grin he wore for the dames of his past or when he was purposely getting under Sam’s skin. This was the smile he reserved just for Darcy, the corners of his mouth curving up in a soft smile.

“I was scared. I’ve only been back in the world as me for a couple years. And there’s this perfect beautiful woman that’s smart and could have any guy she wanted telling me she loves me so earnestly that it felt like the walls were closing in a perfect dream about to shatter. I didn’t want that to happen, so I ran.”

Darcy lets what tears she’d been holding back go then as she throws herself into him bodily. It doesn’t knock them down, but it makes him stumble back a step. He holds her until her tears dry to sniffles and then until her breath evens out.

“Bucky Barnes you’re an idiot.”

“I know. Give me another chance?”

“One more chance buster.” He doesn’t get to respond as she kisses him greedily then.