Two Sides of The Same Coin: Grumpy x Sunshine

Safe and Sound

"So what did you talk to Sam about?" Bucky asks, trying and failing to be nonchalant. "After what happened- the kidnapping, I mean."

He couldn't deal anymore, not knowing, the waiting for you to voluntarily tell him- it bothered him. He'd been a frantic, antsy mess since your kidnapping and this was one more thing that he just couldn't not know.

It had been a little over a month since your kidnapping. The dust had settled since your kidnapping, your face healed, and he waited and waited for you to tell him anything. To tell him the kiss meant something or that it meant nothing. To tell him that he crossed a line, something, anything.

But it never came.

Steve was right about the terrible timing, Bucky saw you struggle the last few weeks without missions, aimlessly walking around the Compound with someone always walking right on your heels. He didn't want to push because he knew you needed that stability more than he needed to talk about what happened, but his frayed nerves couldn't take it anymore.

"About what Rumlow said."

"Oh," he frowns, not sure if it's better or worse that you didn't say anything to Sam. On one hand, he's glad Sam isn't going to try and kill him for his awful timing. On the other hand, it's a blow to his pride that you didn't mention it to Sam, especially considering that you tell Sam everything. Now he can't help but think that maybe this wasn't important enough for you to tell Sam.

"Why? What did you think I was telling Sam?" you ask, hoping to imply what you weren't brave enough to outright ask. Just like Bucky'd been waiting on you, you were waiting on him.

"Nothing, I was just wondering."

"Okay," you shrug, trying to hide your disappointment by scribbling away in your journal. Bucky loudly groans in frustration, prompting you to close your journal back up and turn back toward Bucky. "Is everything okay?"

"Just great," he grouses.

"Really? Because you seem kind of frustrated."

"Really? Do I seem that way to you?" he snarks.

"And a little more grumpy than usual," you add.

"I wonder why," he scoffs.

"I'm wondering why too!"

"Agghhh...." he groans, clenching his fist tightly.

"James?" you urge.

"Maybe I want to know why you didn't tell Sam about the kiss!" he thunders, clenching the wooden table so hard you're worried it's going to break.

"Oh," you state, your eyes widening at Bucky's sudden outburst.

"Yeah," Bucky exhales, standing up and turning to walk out the door.

"Wait," you call, a burst of air flinging the door shut.

"What?" Bucky grunts, turning away from the door that was just slammed in his face.

"Alright, I'm pretty sure I've seen this before in movies and I hate the way it plays out, so we're not going to do that. I know if I let you walk out that door right now, you'll avoid me for a while, we won't talk, and things will just get worse and worse until we can't stand to be in the same room anymore, so you're going to sit there and listen to me talk," you ramble, demandingly pointing to the chair across from you.

Bucky sighs, already feeling a smile tug at his lips. It's a good sign that you refused to let him just walk out of your life, not that he wanted to in the first place. "Go ahead then. Talk," he mutters, pulling the seat out again and taking a seat.