ʙᴀʀɴᴇs (wintertime) wrote in thecityof, @ 2018-01-22 11:59:00 |
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“Okay, so obviously you are bigger and stronger than I am, but I am willing to bet that I’m faster.” Kate grinned at Bucky with a slightly crazy look in her eyes. Because she did love to spar and fight, wanted to be pushed to beyond her limits. It was the only way to get better. There was something very satisfying about those bruises and aches that came from a good training session. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and she practically bounced on her feet as she finished securing her wrist straps. She had trained with various forms of martial arts for years, ever since that night in Central Park which she was very firmly not going to think about when about to get close and personal with a soon to be sweaty Bucky Barnes. And okay, thinking of how he would look breathing heavily with sweat dripping off him was going to be quite distracting for her. This whole attraction, crush, call it whatever you wanted, it was not going away. Far from it, it was getting stronger every time they spent time together. Volunteering together at the homeless shelter was possibly the highlights of her week, and not just because it felt good to help people. Kate just really enjoyed spending time with Bucky, making him smile and even laugh. Even if she had to keep on resisting the urge to kiss him. She stepped in close, even though that really did not help the kissing urge, her grin turning into a playful smirk as she tilted her head to look up at him. “So don’t you dare go easy on me, especially not because I’m some dame, because I will kick your ass, soldier boy.” “Trust me, you’ll feel it after this - there’s nothing easy about training with me,” was Bucky’s response, a promise with a quiet chuckle - he definitely wouldn’t go easy on Kate, but he wasn’t planning to go at her the way he would have for any HYDRA-ordered assignment either. There was a certain coldness to him then, a steely determination to power through and finish the job - he was basically a human (if you could even classify him as that, dead-eyed and robotic) wrecking ball, The Winter Soldier, and the chemicals and enhancements the Russians had pumped into him ensured he was past peak performance when it came to speed, agility, reflexes, and other aspects. But he had helped to train Natasha and he could train Kate too. Here, it helped to know multiple ways to defend yourself. It wasn’t a place where they could rightly expect anything (save for continued imprisonment), and being caught off guard wouldn’t be doing them any favors. “Come on, dame, let’s practice.” And with that, he stepped back to let her have a freebie and come at him - there was a calculated reason for that, though she’d see why in a minute. Not like sparring partners would complain though. It was basically a chance to get hits in without doing any of the hard work. “Promises, promises,” Kate winked cheekily, mirroring his step back with one of her own. Taking a moment to evaluate her opponent, and not just that damn isn’t he hot kind of way. Bucky was stronger, by far. Larger than she was. His metal arm was definitely the very opposite of a weak point. But he also had the same vulnerable areas of any person, the throat, the backs of knees, and, well, the obvious, but Kate wasn’t going to be targeting there any time soon. Okay brain, screech right to a halt on thinking anything along those lines. She knew exactly what he was doing, letting her take the first swing so he could evaluate what kind of tactic she would use. It was the kind of move she often used when training with her team. And she was working on her counter measures already in her mind. Trying to work out what he was expecting her to do and how to set him off balance. Hmm, off balance, maybe that was a good place to start. Kate moved in with a feint of a punch towards his jaw before dropping and sweeping out her leg, with the aim of knocking him off his feet. He kept his eyes on Kate (the upper portion, mainly) to get the whole bigger - his mind was already calculating, processing information the way a computer would - he took note of the way she threw a punch, her range; what was the goal, her preferred spacing? These were the questions he asked himself, all at lightning speed. Everyone had a rhythm - Bucky was simply assessing hers (and that usually wasn’t supposed to be an unclean line of thinking, but. He was only human - and a man at that. It was possible his mind went there). Parrying that punch, he was feinting left, dodging right - and metal fingers grabbed her leg and flip. The floor of the gym was a mat, at least. It wouldn’t hurt too bad, landing on the back. “It’s a game, Katiebug,” he said. “Don’t show all your cards right away - I’d say half your movements should be fake, half should be the real deal.” It was true, she went down, but she kept the momentum going, rolling back over her shoulders and springing back on her feet with a smirk firmly still on her face. Because that was how she played the game, she was knocked down a lot and always came back up for more. There was a reason why she always made sure there was a bag of frozen peas in the freezer, ready to bring bruises and swelling down. And yes, it had to be peas, other frozen vegetables just didn’t work as well. Or other foodstuffs. Frozen pizza was just pointless. Yes, she had resorted to that once. “Ah, the only time a man tells a woman to fake it,” she laughed as she moved back in. And she did take the advice, feinting with several of her moves, making sure her eyes were deceptive and looking in places she wasn’t about to aim for. And she was living up to her claim of being fast, ducking and weaving around him. As an archer she could nock, aim and fire arrows within seconds, her reflexes were incredibly sharp. Okay, so she didn’t have powers, but she had never needed them. The only non-enhanced member of the team and she had led them. But she always still wanted to improve, and that was why she loved to train. Why she enjoyed being knocked on her ass over and over again because every time she knew she was getting that little bit better. And, looking for all the world like she was about to punch her left fist at his throat, Kate adjusted her stance at the last split second to aim her right elbow at Bucky’s ribcage instead. Bucky practiced many styles of martial arts, he’d been trained in a variety of them - but one of the tenants of Muay Thai was to stay calm. To breathe. Going at full power like a berserker would quickly deplete energy, and then you’d be screwed. He took his share of blows but he landed some too - and the elbow was good, one of the tenants of Muay Thai; elbows, knees, sharp and bony places like that, and Kate was definitely sharp and bony (this was a compliment). The old reliable of kick, jab, punch, cross had yet to truly fail him in a fight. Creativity was important, but keeping to what you know was good too - it meant finely tuned moves that you could execute with precision. He used his hand to grab her arm, wrapping around it (in Kung fu terms, this was likened to a snake slithering around a tree) so her ribcage was vulnerable - which was where he directed his next hit, both arms going around her and squeezing. “Don’t worry, that’s the only time you’ll even need to fake it anyway.” Well, when it came to him. He could only speak for himself - and he was probably cockier than he meant to be in this, uh, arena. But blame that on adrenaline. It was not the first time she had found herself in the arms of her opponents. But unlike the far too many times she had been harassed by AIM goons, Kate didn’t want to knee her captor in delicate areas and twist free. No, she actually liked being this close to Bucky, and she could have probably blamed the heavy breath and racing heart on the sparring. At least, if he noticed it, she could blame the sparring. Maybe. Damn, she was in trouble. “Promises, promises,” she repeated her teasing comment from earlier, though this time her voice was lower, even slightly huskier and she found herself staring up at him. She wanted to kiss him. It was driving her crazy how much she wanted to kiss him. Even if she had been reminding herself to not push him, not freak him out, remember how unused to being touched he was. But he was also so close and squeezing her and dammit she was only human. And so, just in a split moment of weakness, Kate stretched up and softly brushed her lips against his, even if only for a moment. Oh, um - Bucky wasn’t expecting that, but being kissed for the first time in awhile - it actually set some things right within him. Reminded him that he was human, in fact, and it was okay to be human - he wasn’t a weapon, he didn’t have to be dead inside, he could freely feel the emotions and just let the memories a simple kiss invoked come rushing back; he didn’t have to fight them. He’d been forged from steel and iron, forced to shove everything he felt personally into a titanium safe and throw away the combination - all of that unraveling was a lot to reconcile in the murky mess of his mind. Almost knocked him off his feet. But he somehow managed to hang onto his balance, and Kate, as he kissed her again - not exactly soft and tentative, but like a criminal who just shot the sheriff; he wanted to make it count. Well, that was a much better reaction than she could have hoped for. Kate’s mind had raced with every negative possibility in less than a second, like him being repulsed or stammering with awkwardness. But neither of those had happened, he was actually kissing her. Kissing her in fact. She moaned slightly and reached up on tiptoes to kiss him back with all the pent up heat she had been feeling for weeks. It was only when she needed to catch her breath that she pulled back slightly, looking at him with a brightness in her eyes and a flush on her cheeks. “Is this okay?” He lifted her off her feet slightly for better reach, both hands on her back and fingers splaying. Bucky’s own heart quickened, not just the adrenaline rush from a good training session, but from that sound Kate made - admittedly, he wasn’t just keeping his hands on her back; they slid southward and copped a feel, though grabbing the ass of the lady you were supposed to be training - he shouldn’t be going there. Should not. Though her question had him coming out of the haze (lust, maybe? Was that it?) for a moment, and he set her on her feet. “Yes,” he assured, and he just felt even more affection for her - not having to do with how good she looked in that outfit - since she’d thought to ask. And he was certain she wouldn’t have pressured him into anything if he said no. “It’s very okay.” She wasn’t sure which part she liked more, the answer he gave or the way he was touching her, because it had been a long time since someone had touched her with desire like that. Okay, actually she was sure, it was the answer. That answer made her both relax and feel damn good, all at the same time. “Good,” Kate smiled as she stretched up, sliding her arms up and around him, her fingers toying with the ends of his long hair. “Just promise me you’ll tell me the moment if it’s not okay.” She kissed him again, this time more slowly, carefully so she could savor the moment, but still with a lot of hunger and passion behind it. “I promise. You...too,” Bucky finished, swallowing thickly. Because he didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for Kate either (and he was a little anxious too - in a way he hadn’t been in far too many years). But then she was kissing him again and he gave in, fully surrendered and wanted to. That was new. Wanting something. Choosing something. Especially choosing what he did with his own body. He sort of wished he had two actual hands - the metal one was sensitive, sure, the sensors could pick up on a lot and the vibranium was a material that the world coveted. And yet it still paled in comparison to feeling something. Touching skin. However, he made do. He didn’t break the kiss, hands on her hips and backing her up toward the wall - just for something to lean against so his knees didn’t give out. “But could we - I think I’d like to take you out sometime,” he exhaled, trying to get a hold of himself. “Officially?” Before this could escalate, he meant. He didn’t claim to be innocent, but he was a little bit old-fashioned. Kate nodded, showing the promise of her own. And she would be honest with him any time she needed to be, she was determined to learn from her mistakes and not push him away if things became too real. Maybe one day she might even tell him about what had happened. But not right then when things were feeling so good. The cool metal of his hand felt amazing against her hot skin, even through her workout clothes. She wondered how much he could feel with it, the strength of it was clear to everyone, but how much sensation he had was another matter. And one she definitely wanted to explore in the future. His question might have been old fashioned, but it still made a huge smile appear on her face. Because it was just so sweet and genuine. Not a ploy to get something from her, or treating her like some prize. But actually and officially wanting to take her out. So she nodded again, her smile still bright and her arms still looped around him. “I would really like that. Officially. Want to show me how they dated back in your day?” Her tone turned slightly playful, even if she would be more than happy to date 40’s style or 21st century way if he wanted. “It’s been awhile, but yeah - I think I can remember,” Bucky grinned a bit. “I think...do you want to go dancing?” He could recall doing this ‘back in the day.’ Not just at a club, or wherever people went in this time period to grind all up on each other, but an honest to goodness dance hall. Did they even still have those anymore? It didn’t matter, he’d improvise. “I was - “ He blinked, something surfacing. Bucky was sure of it. “I was the champion of our neighborhood at the lindy hop.” Not even Steve could compete, but back then, he was a scrawny little thing anyway. Now maybe he might have better muscle control - the thought was amusing. “That was what we did - the fox trot, the Charleston. Things like that.” It was something she could picture actually, Bucky dancing. The Winter Soldier might have been too cold for such things, but more and more she was seeing glimpses of the charming Sergeant Barnes, best friend of Captain America and real ladies man. And that was something she was very much in favor of encouraging. The Soldier was part of who he was, but not all of him, and Kate liked every part of Bucky and found herself wanting to know all of him more. “I have never tried those kinds of dances,” she grinned at him. “You’ll have to teach me, if you’re willing to risk me stepping on your toes.” At least she had the advantage of being fairly quick on her feet and a fast learner. “And yes, I would really like to go dancing with you.” It was a little different, teaching someone to dance - Bucky could teach someone to fight, sure, but wasn’t fighting a lot like a dance anyway? He found that he looked forward to the prospect. An honest-to-goodness outing with a pretty dame. He’d have to see what he had in his closet for such an occasion. “Good, then it’s a date,” Bucky chuckled. At least this way if things, uh, escalated again, he’d have made it clear that wasn’t all he was after - he enjoyed spending time with Kate, if it wasn’t obvious by now. A date. She had a date with Bucky! That smile was not getting any less bright any time soon. And she was going to be doing things like making sure she looked good, maybe even buying new clothes and wasn’t that a concept she hadn’t really done for a while. But then that really described Bucky all over. It had been a long time since she had really had that whole heart skipping a beat, butterflies feeling over a guy. But that was how he made her feel, and not just because he was undeniably gorgeous. “So when are you going to be taking me on this date?” Her calendar was pretty open now that the demons were dealt with, which was a plus. Work as a PI was wonderfully flexible. Rather like she was, and now she was able to actually fantasize about getting to show him that. And she couldn’t resist reaching up for another kiss, this time just on his cheek, and she could feel the soft scratch of his stubble on her lips. His hands smoothed down the sides of Kate’s waist as Bucky considered - he didn’t really have any pressing engagements either. Just the quiet, somewhat boring job at the art gallery that was all manual labor and that he actually sort of enjoyed - customer service wasn’t for him, so, he was fine with something in the background. If he was even going to work for his kidnappers at all. There was volunteering at the homeless shelter too, something he also liked - cooking and serving food, answering phones, being sent to pick up donated items - but they generally did that together and didn’t have a set time. “How about next weekend?” he suggested. “On a Saturday night. People generally date on weekends, right?” Or at least, they had done that even in his ancient time of old times past. She laughed with a nod. “Yes, Saturday night is traditionally supposed to be date night, or at least that’s the rumor I’ve heard, haven’t been on one for a while.” Not really since the whole Avenging thing had become her life. It was tough to fit dating in with fighting crime. But now she was actually going to do that thing that normal girls did, get dressed up and go on a weekend date with a sexy, sweet, formerly cryogenically frozen assassin. “Next Saturday sounds perfect,” her grin turned slightly impish. “Gives me about enough time to put together an outfit that will make your jaw drop. So you better prepare to be thoroughly wowed.” Poor America might even find herself roped in to helping Kate get ready, it was the best friend duty after all. “Sounds great. I’ll do my best to prepare.” But even then, Bucky was sure he’d be thoroughly ‘wowed.’ It would be his first date in decades, so everything had to be as close to perfect as possible. Later it would hit him, oh shit, he was going on a date - but first he’d let the high sink in. It felt pretty good, after all. |