Happy Birthday, thisisriversong!
July 25 - “Does it taste alright?” Jemma/Bucky for @thisisriversong
You asked for ‘wedding day’ but that wasn’t on the valid list of prompts, and you didn’t get back to me when I contacted you to ask you to choose again. I chose another one for you from my list. Hope you like it!
“No needles,” Jemma said doubtfully to Coulson.
“He does not deal well with anything sharp wielded by anyone in his proximity, Jemma. I asked him if he could inject himself and he said no. He provided the blood sample by cutting his own arm and dripping it into a cup,” Coulson raised his eyebrows at her. “Nothing sharp, Jemma. I won’t risk you.”
“But he’s deficient in several vital trace minerals, it would be so much easier to give them via…” she trailed off at Coulson’s stern look. “Yes, sir. I can probably make up something for him to take orally,” she sighed. “It won’t be as efficient.” She was already debating on the best method as she left the office, though.
Bucky looked up at the little British scientist tapped gently on his door. She was a pretty little thing, he mused, with her bright, intelligent eyes, her air of always thinking about something.
“Agent Simmons,” he said politely, standing as she came in.
“Oh, please call me Jemma, no need to be formal,” she smiled sweetly, and he found himself cracking a small smile in return, which seemed to startle her. She blinked at him, lips parted.
“Well, what can I do for you, Jemma?”
“Uuuuhhhh,” the way he looked when he smiled was positively brain-scrambling. “Uhhm, yes. I made this for you.” She held out a plastic drinking bottle.
“And this is what?” Bucky took it from her hand.
“It’s a special vitamin and minerals drink. I worked from a base of Gatorade, Fitz said he’d seen you drinking the red flavour - um, yes, well, anyway, there’s some special extras in there, you’re very deficient in molybdenum and selenium…” she was babbling, she realised, but he was still smiling at her.
“Okay.” Bucky cracked the top of the bottle and took a long slug. Jemma watched in fascination as his head tipped back, muscles working in his throat.
“Does it taste alright?” she asked. “Because you’re going to need to drink about half a litre a day for the next couple of weeks or so.”
“It’s not bad, actually,” Bucky lowered the bottle. Smiled at Jemma again, a little flirtatiously this time. “I don’t mind it all when it arrives with such a beautiful delivery girl.”
She couldn’t help but blush as he turned on the charm. “Oh, uhm, well. I, uh, I’ll make it in batches and leave it in the fridge in my lab, so you can come around and collect any time you like.”
“I’ll do that,” Bucky said. “I’ll make sure you’re there when I do, though. Just so’s you can see I’m taking it properly.”
Jemma couldn’t make any sensible sound come out of her mouth, so she just nodded.
“Or maybe we could go get a meal together, and you can check my food intake too. See that I’m eating the right things.”
Is he actually asking ME on a date?
“Sounds good, yeah,” Bucky said, and she realised to her horror that she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. Again.
“Wait, you really are asking me on a date?”
“Definitely,” sensing an advantage, Bucky pushed his luck. “Actually I was just about to go get some lunch. Would you care to join me?”
Utterly bemused, Jemma found herself walking along the corridor, her hand tucked into the crook of Bucky’s arm, he carrying the plastic bottle in his other hand. How the hell did I come to deliver a supplement drink to the Winter Soldier and wind up on a lunch date with Bucky Barnes? she wondered.
“Well, it helps that you’re so gorgeous I can’t take my eyes off you.”
Oh, crap, I’m talking out loud again…
“It’s a rather charming habit, though!”