Word count: 1630
Fandom: Marvel 616
Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Natasha Romanov
Summary: Bucky and Natasha dance together for the first time
Author’s note: A new chapter for my buckynat fic! I hope you guys enjoy it and if you do leave a like and/or come and yell at me in my askbox. If you want to read the previous parts, you can read them HERE.
***
When Natalia Romanova meets the Winter Soldier again in the modern days, she’s become Natasha and he’s started to go by Bucky again. It’s been a few good decades since they last saw each other, since Natasha ran away and left the Red Room behind (along with one of the few men that she has actually truly loved).
Things are a little different nowadays. She’s working on her path, has become a SHIELD agent and is trying to do the right thing. The Avengers give her a home to return to when she comes from missions; even if she tells herself doesn’t need one. No one ever asks about her past and she doesn’t talk about it, either. Needless to say, when Bucky settles down at the Avengers tower with the rest of them and she’s actually forced to face him on a daily basis, her life changes. It’s one thing to ignore your past when it’s far away – it’s another thing to ignore it when it’s slapping you in the face every minute of the day.
And her past gets even harder to ignore when Agent Hill tells her she’s supposed to go on an undercover mission with Barnes. Despite her quick wit and the attempt to figure out the right excuses to prevent this mission from being assigned to the two of them – Natasha mentions Clint Barton, tells Hill that he’d be a better peer – the Black Widow still ends up sitting on a room with Bucky Barnes to form a plan.
Three days and a couple hours later, here they are; in Bucharest, dressed in the most expensive clothes they have ever seen and wore (they don’t even want to know how SHIELD got the money to pay for all of this), holding glasses of champagne and wearing fake smiles at a party that’s got music too low and voices too loud. They’re no longer Natasha and Bucky; they’re Jennifer and Mark Lane.
“On your six.” Natasha says casually like she’s telling Barnes his tie is slightly out of place. The Winter Soldier smiles, brushes a fingertip over her cheek and turns around to call for a waiter. On the corner of his eye, he spots a short man, old enough to father him, wearing a surely too expensive grey suit with a blue tie.
“He looks cute.” Her brow raises and she’s still trying to get why he’s touched her so randomly. This would have been normal all those years ago when she trained under his wing; now it’s not.
“He’s been selling weapons to the Iraqi government for months now. Last SHIELD agent who crashed one of his parties got all their fingers cut off. Cute isn’t really the word I’d use to describe him.” The waiter arrives a few moments later and Bucky asks for a glass of Black Russian. “How soviet of you, Barnes.”
“It’s not actually a soviet drink, Natalia.” She glares at him and a voice speaks through the earbuds carefully hidden in their ears.
“Natalia? Your actual name’s Natalia? Watching you too is like watching a Mexican soap opera, I swear-”
“Stark, no one cares. You tell anyone this, I’m cutting off your tongue. My name’s Natasha. And today it’s Jennifer. Let’s try not to ruin our mission before it even started.”
“I like Natalia better. Sounds more like you and less like the person you’re trying to be.”
“And who’s that?”
Silence hangs between them for a moment – he doesn’t dare answer that question here, while Stark’s listening and at any time someone could listen to them (someone who shouldn’t realize they’re not actually Mr. and Mrs. Lane). Last time he saw her she was younger and a little more naïve, but she hasn’t changed much apart from that; Bucky knows he knows her better than anyone, knows Natasha is still Natalia except colder and more scarred. He misses her warmth, but he won’t get it here where she’s so willing to turn him down.
< Let’s dance. > He slips into Russian naturally and while it is a terrible mistake for someone who’s undercover as an American banker, he’s a long way from caring.
“I don’t want to dance, Barnes.” And her mistake is to think he’s asking for permission; he wraps one arm around her waist and pulls her to the dance floor, the other arm gently holding her to his chest. He fully expects her to kick where it would really hurt, but she doesn’t, instead lets him sway her to the sound of the song playing in the background.
“Let’s pretend for a second that Tony’s not listening – would you have anything at all to tell me?” She ponders for a second. There’s a lot she wants to tell him, really, but Tony is listening and she can’t pretend he’s not. When Bucky moves his arm from her shoulder blades to hold her hand in his, she smiles.
“We’ve never danced before.” She says and it’s all she can think of now that won’t compromise her.
“Then let’s make the most of our first dance.” Bucky moves with a subtlety she doesn’t think possible, but she, better than anyone, knows it’s not a good idea to judge a book by its cover. She remembers vividly the nights they spent together, how gently he could touch her when he wanted to, the way his fingertips would trace her skin – but this is different. They are different. Bucky leans down and presses his forehead to hers as he moves with her, a little too lost in her touch to think about anything else. “Natalia. Stop thinking. Dance with me.”
And she does. Eyes locked with his and arm around his neck, she lets him guide her and they follow the slow beat of the song, feet in perfect sync to the beating of their hearts. She doesn’t look away from him and he doesn’t look away from her – but they both know there are eyes on them, that the man they’re here for is watching her blue dress flow as they dance away their worries. The whole room could be watching, for all they knew, but they both care more about getting reacquainted with each other’s touch. Right now they feel alive.
When the song ends, the spell breaks; Natasha moves away from him and grabs from the waiter the drink that was meant for Bucky. He watches her but says nothing, understands that she always needs her space after moments of intimacy. If nothing else, that much he can still provide.
“Watch out for our dude. He’s going your way.” Tony’s voice rings in both Natasha and Bucky’s ears and they give each other a meaningful look; they’ve got it covered. When the man finally approaches them, Bucky has his hand carefully placed in Natasha’s shoulder and she’s smiling again, offering anyone who looks at her a warm feeling in their chests.
“Good evening. Jonathan Windor, your host for the night. I do hope you’re enjoying the party?” He extends a hand and Bucky is quick to shake it with a kind smile that’s just as warm as Natasha’s.
“Mark Lane, and this is my wife, Jennifer. The party is wonderful.” The man checks a small card he’s got in his hand (neither Natasha nor Bucky can read it, but they both suspect it’s his cheat list with all the guests occupations) and then the corners of his lips stretch into a grin that shows off his yellowed teeth.
“Ah, of course, Mister Lane. Bankers are always welcome in my home. My counselor spoke very highly of you the other day… perhaps we can meet and discuss some business? Let’s say… tomorrow night? And by all means, bring your wife. My lovely Alicia would love to talk to someone who knows what’s it like to have a busy husband.” He’s taken the bait and the feeling of accomplishment stretches inside Natasha’s chest, but her face remains impassive. Bucky continues to pretend he’s very much interested in the man’s proposal.
“I’d love to. Have my business card, you can call me to arrange the local of our meeting.”
When the man finally leaves them, Natasha leans back against the counter and pulls Bucky with her. She orders two more glasses for them and once hers arrives, she takes the earbud from her ear and drops it into the liquid, effectively shutting it down. She doesn’t say anything, but Bucky takes the hint and does the same with his – she wants to keep Tony Stark away from this conversation and really, who can blame her?
“Tomorrow’s my day. The wife’s way more likely to give up information than he is.” She says, fingers drumming on the edge of the counter. Bucky nods and smiles at her, and he really means it this time.
“I know. Be careful, Natasha.”
“You too, James.”
And there it is, the intimacy she can’t sure with anyone else but him, the moments she can only ever share with him. After all this time, a simple be careful should be easier to say than it is; but it’s not.
< You haven’t called me James in a long time. >
< It was never a problem before. > She says, but that’s not what she actually means.
< Is it a problem now? > His stare doesn’t harden, but Natasha knows he’s demanding an answer.
< It makes me remember… the past, I mean. > With a sigh, Bucky presses a gentle kiss to her cheek and brushes his fingers over her hair, craving the soft feeling of her locks touching his skin.
< If you don’t want to remember the past, make new memories. Do you want to dance again? >
gUUUUYS I HAVE FINISHED THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THAT "FIRST TIME BUCKYNAT" FIC
There Is Always A First Time by ironwidow
Chapters: 1/?
Word count: 4125
Fandom: Marvel 616
Rating: Mature
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov
Summary:
Bucky and Natasha have had their first time doing things too. First time making love, first time fighting, first time dancing together
In each chapter, you will find the first time this couple did some (and a lot more) of these things.
