Bound To You (Bucky Barnes X OC)

Pushy

Jade arrived at Drake's Diner early and snagged a corner booth. She ordered herself and Steve a coffee as she waited. At exactly one o'clock, Steve came through the door looking around the small seating area.

As soon as he spotted her, he grinned and began the short walk to the booth. She looked beautiful even in something as simple as jeans and a t-shirt. Her curls framed her face and blue-green eyes stared back at him. His heart raced as he sat across from her and contemplated how this would go.

In an ideal world, he would walk out of the dinner with her on his arm after she finally revealed that she was actually in love with him as well. But this wasn't an ideal world and Jade had already told him multiple times that she didn't feel the same way, but he couldn't let her go. She was his anchor, the only normalcy he had in his crazy life and the ache in his heart told him he needed to keep trying. Steve cautiously reached over for Jade's hand, but she retracted it before his fingertips could even ghost her skin. The grin he had worn a moment prior slipped from his face.

"We came here so we could talk, Steve." Jade said softly.

Steve cleared his throat, nodded, and then began.

"First of all, thank you for agreeing to meet me. I know you have every reason to be mad at me right now." He paused searching for the right words. "I know you don't feel the same as I do and I know I seem a bit pushy, but I was hoping you might be willing to at least give me a chance."

Before he could continue, Jade sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"Not this again, Steve. Why can't you accept the way I feel. I love you as a friend, nothing more."

"That's because you haven't given me a chance." Steve retorted quickly.

"I'm in love with someone, Steve." The words left Jade's mouth before she could stop herself.

"What? Who?" Steve's mouth hung open at her confession. His heart dropped as he waited for her to say the one name he didn't want to hear, but she didn't say Bucky's name.

"Doesn't matter, you don't know him." She said, waving off his question. "Look, you have been my best friend for four years. You have gotten me through one of the darkest periods of my life. Besides Bucky, you are the one person who knows me better than anyone else, so you should know that you can't force me into something that I don't want."

Steve was still in shock, but he was a stubborn man. He said he would fight for her and he meant it. Even if she was in love with another man. Maybe that made him horrible and selfish, but at this point, Jade was the one thing he had his sights set on.

"I know, but it's because I know so much about you that I think we could work. I know how to make you happy. I know all the little details about you, everything that makes you mad, sad, annoyed."

"That doesn't mean that we would be a good couple, Steve."

"Of course it does. I know everything about you." Steve countered.

Not everything.  Jade thought before focusing her attention back on Steve.

"So does Bucky. Under your theory, Bucky and I would make the perfect couple, too." Jade said, testing the waters to see what Steve thought about the idea of her and Bucky together.

Steve dropped his back against the booth and sighed. Technically she was right. Bucky knew just as much about Jade as he did, but he wasn't as damaged as Bucky was. He wouldn't have to burden her with nightmares and flashbacks or guilt and self-hatred. He felt guilty thinking about Bucky in that way, but it was the truth.

Steve was happy Bucky had regained most of his memories and was slowly regaining his individuality away from Hydra, but to drag Jade along on his journey of healing wasn't fair to her. She deserved everything and Steve didn't believe that was something Bucky could give her at the moment.