James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} comradebarnes) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} valarlogs,@ 2013-10-14 22:55:00 |
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What: Shopping for a gift
When: 10/13
Where: Midna's shop
Rating: PG, just some harmless flirting.
Status: Complete
Bucky had decided that for their third date, he was going to get Jean a present. And he’d come to downtown Irvine to try and find one that might fit the bill. There were a lot of kitschy little shops here, and something like that seemed to be the best idea.
As he ambled down the street, he saw one that caught his eye: the sign advertised blown glass, and there were some pieces in the window that were fairly extraordinary. Blown glass was a vintage thing anyway. He turned to go inside.
Midna was bouncing around to something in a foreign language, with a fast, energetic beat. She had gotten the urge to rearrange the gallery for the fiftieth time. That day. She was never satisfied with how the gallery looked. She heard someone enter, and turned to look. “Hello, handsome!”
Bucky grinned, blushing a little. “Hi. Um. Is this your place?” She wouldn’t have talked like that if she was just an employee. Probably.
“Yes. I’m Midna. Welcome to my gallery.” She spread both of her arms out in welcome. “Do you see anything you like?”
“I’m kind of astounded by everything!” Bucky laughed, looking around. “I mean, seriously, it’s amazing. Did you do all this?” He was bowled over by that kind of talent.
“I did all of it. I’ve been thinking of starting some kind of class but that would take away from creating art. I actually recently finished a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge commission for a big client!” She held her arms out to indicate how huge.
He liked this girl. And she was pretty. Though not as pretty as Jean. “That’s great! I mean, I thought I was creative. I’m a pianist, for a club, but I’d love to be able to do this. If you ever do a class, I’d definitely like to know about it.”
“Maybe I should, if there’s enough interest.” Midna would be a terrible teacher, she was much too selfish. “So what can I do you for, mister man?”
“I’m James, but everyone calls me Bucky. And I was looking for a gift for my girl.” Bucky smiled. “She’s real unique, and kind of .. vintage-y. A lot of your pieces have that look to them.”
“Vintagy huh? Well…..” She tapped her chin, then grabbed his hand. “Okay, Mister Man. It’s time for the tour!”
“Tour?” Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Okay, lead on.”
“The tour. If you like anything let me know.” She nodded at him and started to drag him through the gallery. Past the elephants, through the train, and out to the other side, a mystical wonderland of glass and color.
Bucky was fascinated by almost everything he saw. “Where did you learn to do this?” he asked, staring up at a delicate glass locomotive, suspended over his head.
“From my father. Mother is the more practical one.” She flashed him a grin. “Okay. What sort of things does she like.” She sounded knowing.
“That’s how my parents are, too, but they don’t know how to do this.” Bucky grinned a little back. “Dad taught me how to play piano. And um. Jean. She ... she’s very elegant. I was maybe thinking a plant of some kind. Or I don’t know, something to do with the 1940s. Something retro.”
“Ahah! I knew it, you have the look of a man smitten. Not that you’d ever find me in love. Too messy.” She waggled a finger and started to look around. “Is there anything she likes? Animals? Plants?”
“She loves flowers. Maybe a single lily, or something like that.” Not roses, they were too predictable for someone like Jean. Bucky did have to laugh a little when she teased him about being smitten. “Jean’s special,” he said. “But a friend of mine tried to warn me about getting involved with anybody right away, so at least you aren’t alone in how you think.”
“I saw this movie once,” Midna said, as she led him into a garden of glass. “One, Lena Headey snogging Piper Perebo was interesting. Two, something they said stuck with me.” She picked up a glass lily. “That a lily means, I dare you to love me.”
“Does it?” Bucky looked at it, thinking. Did he think that way about Jean? Maybe he did. She was exciting - and definitely not like any woman he’d gone out with before. And he wasn’t exactly a catch - but the dreams were definitely getting interesting.
He looked at it. “I’m not sure about it. She might not need daring.”
Midna held it out to him. “Doesn’t mean you can’t challenge her anyway. Sometimes, we like to be dared.”
He took the piece gently, carefully examining it. “It’s beautiful.” Bucky smiled at her words. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, there.” It amused him that she’d been so quick to say she wasn’t interested in love, but she seemed to know about it.
Gleefully, Midna clapped her hands together. “If you promise to tell me how it goes, I’ll give you the friends and family discount.”
“I’ll definitely tell you how it goes.” Bucky laughed. “To be honest, I’d probably ask you out if I wasn’t taken.” She was bubbly and vivacious, just like he liked.
She put a hand to her chest, and gave him a mock hurt look. “I understand how it is. My timing is woeful. That’s why I don’t have time for love.”
“Ah.” Bucky nodded knowingly. “I don’t mean to sound patronizing, but it took a very long time for love to find me.” Was this even love? He wasn’t sure yet.
“There’s only one way to find out, mister man. Either you have balls, or you don’t.” She gave him a brilliant smile.
“I’d like to think I do.” Bucky chuckled. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll have to find out.” She was pretty, and he had to admit, she was right. “You get right to the point, huh.”
“Life is too short to be subtle.” She clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s more fun to be blunt.”
“Yeah, until you get slapped.” Bucky joked.
“Who would slap a lady?” She asked, feigning innocence.
“I meant me.” A few tender memories. “It’s happened before, I have to admit.”
“If you give her a pretty glass flower and she slaps you? You come right back to me and I have a mallet.”
“I meant that it’s happened in the past, that I’ve given a bad gift or put my foot in my mouth, and gotten slapped. I don’t think Jeannie would do that.” Bucky’s smile was fond.
“Good, I don’t want to use my mallet.” She made a whapping motion with her fist into her palm and grinned at him. “Kisses are much better. My art. I am cupid!”
Bucky laughed. “I’ll call you Queen of the Fairies if Jean likes this.” He set the glass lily down, just in case. He worried about breaking things. “I feel as though I ought to have seen this place before; I’m around here a lot.”
Midna laughed. Queen of the Fairies suited her, she thought. “I’ve only recently opened it up to the public. I’ve been spending so much time working on the glass and the other projects I’ve had to do that I couldn’t give this place the love it deserved.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.” Bucky nodded. “My first piano performance when I started to write things was totally private. I had to make sure it was ready, and I’m sure you had to do the same thing.”
“Yes. You understand entirely. Do you play for public? I’d love to see. Oh I wonder if I could make a working glass piano…”
“I play in two places for the public, yes. One with a youth orchestra - they’re having a few concerts very soon, actually - and the other place is at Okugata, the new burlesque club in Huntington Beach.” Bucky smiled. “It’s supposed to be a Japanese hostess club, so it’s sort of a mix between the two. And if you made a working glass piano, I’d try to play it!”
“I think that would very nice to visit. This club. I’d want to hear you play. And I think a piano will be my next project. For that, take the flower for free.” She grinned. Art didn’t always need a price. Just most of the time.
Bucky blinked. “Oh, no, I couldn’t. I feel as though I should pay something.”
“Play my glass piano, and I’ll call it even, Mister Man.” She smooched him on the cheek.
“You’re on.” Bucky smiled, looking down with a laugh. “Thank you. Really, you’ve been very kind.”
“Thank you. Just pass it on and help me drum up business.” She winked at him, then rushed into the back to get some packaging to wrap up Bucky’s present.
“I’d be happy to.” Bucky was excited to give it to Jean. He just wanted her to be happy, as stupid as it sounded. “You’ve been so helpful.”
“It’s what I do. Be helpful.” She bounced back over and carefully packaged it. “Remember, it doesn’t have to mean anything, but maybe it will. That’s up to you.”
“I’ll remember that.” Bucky said seriously, nodding. “And if I meet any handsome single guys, I’ll send ‘em in here!”
“Thanks, Mister Man. I like them tall, or short. Blondes are nice. Kind of
That got a guffaw. “I’d hope so!” Bucky took the parcel once it was wrapped up and ready. “I had one growing up, but my place isn’t pet-friendly here, unfortunately.”
Midna gave him a little wave as she escorted him to the door. “I hope that changes, the only thing better than a woman is a mangy mutt!”
“Whenever I move, it will change. It’s just a question of when I move.” Bucky smiled at her. “I’ll still try to come back here, though, especially if Jeannie likes this! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, and good luck.” She waggled her fingers, then turned and sauntered back to play with her elephant.