The Right Partner

Clara could both sense and see the shift in conversation that she had pretty much initiated. It was probably best that they change the subject. The last thing that she needed was to become even more attached to him than she already was. It didn't matter that she wanted that to happen. She wanted the attachment to grow, for whatever it was developing between them to grow. But she knew that she could never let it happen. And she knew that it never would happen. It just wasn't possible. Not considering the circumstances and all. "Is that supposed to mean anything, because I'm pretty sure you're neither of the two things that you just stated." She said, her tone teasing.

A brief laugh escaped his lips at her comments, his tongue poking his cheek as he pretended the statement didn't sting his pride. He knew, once again, it was just a joke... But he had to admit that he would have loved to hear her say she found him attractive. "There's that sharp tongue again." He teased, shaking his head. Growing up in Brooklyn, he had to admit he'd learnt to have a thick skin from a young age... Neither him nor Steve knew the nicest kids when they were growing up. A few teasing comments would do nothing more than pinch away his ego, or what little there was of it. "It means... I don't want you falling for him instead of me." His voice was softer again, and he wondered for a brief moment if he'd taken the conversation too far... He knew, he had only just told himself, the attachment had to be clipped and stunted before it could grow... It was his last days in New York. He'd be damned if he wasn't going to just let go of what was right and wrong for him, and just enjoy himself whilst he could. So what? He wanted to feel as though the time he had had been spent well... and if that meant stepping over one or two boundaries when he knew better, then so be it.

Clara smiled when she heard him laugh. She hadn't really thought that her comments would sting or bother him much at all. She was only joking. If she was being completely honest, she did find him attractive and she did think that he was charming. Extremely charming at that. Even if she tried to tell herself that she didn't think both of those things, deep down she would know. And as cruel as it all really was, she didn't think that there was anything that would ever change what she thought about him, or how she knew that she already felt. His later words took her completely by surprise, and her eyes widened slightly before the expression on her face softened. "I'm not so sure that that's possible." She said quietly. "Not when I'm sure that I'm already falling for you."

Bucky stayed silent for a while, and it must have only been a few seconds, but to him it felt like hours... He felt like he was now just walking Connie home in complete, awkward silence, when in truth it must have only been for a few steps. He wasn't entirely sure anymore what to say, or where to take the conversation from there. It was beginning to dawn on him that he was scared. He was scared of not having the normal life for himself that he had imagined... The only fighting he'd ever done was in street scraps, he had never truly hurt someone, or so he thought. But now he was scared, of the war, of hurting Connie with his quick arrival into her life and even swifter exit. He was envious of Steve... He had the opportunity to stay back in New York, and have a normal life. Part of him wanted to swap positions with him, but the other part was glad it was him and not Steve. After a few seconds, Bucky nodded, lips pursed as he looked down at Connie again. "Good. Because he's one hell of a scrawny kid."

The silence was awkward and painful. It was the sort of silence that they'd managed to avoid back when they'd been dancing and, although it had only been a couple of seconds and a few steps along the sidewalk, it felt like ages had gone by. But she didn't know what to say after that. She didn't know how to break the silence. So, she was glad when Bucky did, and she let out a quiet laugh in response to his words. "Well, I honestly think that you'd have nothing to worry about either way, Sarge."

"Don't get me wrong, he's a good guy." Bucky seemed to ramble on, as though if the topic of conversation moved along quickly enough they would be able to pretend the awkward silence had never even happened. James Buchanan Barnes could be as good as man as he wanted to be, but when it came to admitting his feelings, he would always be some what embarrassed... Especially when it was a girl he had just met. He meant no harm to her, whether that was by keeping his feelings to himself or telling her the truth... but either way, he wanted what was best for her. He knew forming a relationship with a man bound for war was not best for her. She deserved the life he couldn't have with her. She deserved to settle down and find someone, and forget all about the war being fought elsewhere. That was his concern... Not hers.

Clara's eyebrows rose and a look of amusement appeared on her face as she listened to him ramble on about his best friend. Something told her that he was really just trying to keep the conversation going to avoid anymore awkward silence. And maybe he was even trying to avoid keeping the conversation slightly serious as it had been moments before. "He's your friend, so I imagine that he would be a good man." She said. "Do you always ramble on like this?" She finally asked, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Exhaling a deep breath, a rather nervous laugh escaped Bucky's lips. He couldn't understand what was going on at the moment, his heart seemed to be going a million beats a minute, and his mind was racing. He'd just confessed that he had some sort of hope that this girl was going to fall in love with him... Even more nerve wrecking was the fact she'd admitted she was falling for him in some way. It was a lot to take on board, and for a moment he worried his cool exterior was going to crumble and leave him looking like some shy school boy ready to give a girl a valentines day card... "Only when I have a lot on my mind."

"And you have a lot on your mind right now I'm guessing?" Clara asked, raising an eyebrow. She was actually kind of surprised by his behavior. She didn't know why though. She hardly knew him, but something told her that he didn't normally act like this. Nervous and stumbling over his words. If she was being completely honest, she thought it was cute. "Penny for your thoughts?" She added as an after thought, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She wanted to know what was on his mind. She was curious, and she was definitely letting her curiosity get the best of her.

Bucky paused for a moment, his footsteps stilling on the pavement. It was a quiet night, the two of them the only people in sight on the street. He wasn't even sure what time it was anymore, but he knew that it felt in that moment, they were the only two people in New York. He pulled his arm away from hers gently, both hands now in his pockets as he looked down at her. Like flipping over a coin, Bucky's nervous exterior seemed to melt away as he just took his time to look at her. As stimulating as these emotions he was having were, the cause also seemed to be the cure. Looking down at her and taking in her features, his worries seemed to fade away piece by piece, as though they'd never been there in the first place. The lump in his throat slowly found it's way back down, and his mind cleared without hesitation. He was certain it was her eyes, and all the concern and love they seemed to carry. He was quiet again, but not in an awkward or volatile way... He was enjoying the moment, stood there in the silent New York street with Connie. His Connie.

Clara's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion when he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. She turned to look at him, and opened her mouth to ask him why they'd stopped when she saw how he was looking at her. It was the same look he'd been giving her earlier when she'd caught him staring at her. It was a way that she was sure that any woman in the world, regardless of the time period, would want a man to look at her like. And, for a moment, she didn't say anything. She just stared up into his gorgeous blue eyes and took in the features on his handsome face. "You're staring again." She finally said, her words soft.

"I know." He admitted outright in what was almost a whisper, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His head tilted ever so slightly, and he made no attempt to hide the fact that he was indeed staring at her. He was in no way seedy, or manic in the way he looked at her, just... adoring. He adored her from head to toe, and everything around her. There was something that shone in his eyes as he looked to her, a shimmer that made the blue just the slightest bit brighter. This was a man at his most open, this was Bucky admitting that he was willing to show her everything about himself, but it was even more than that... This was Bucky's way of letting her know that he'd been scared, before he met her. He was scared of war, but one look at her and he was calm. He would worry about tomorrow tomorrow, and today now.

Clara smiled, her eyes never once leaving him. There was a whole city surrounding her, a city that she'd never been to until today, and all she really cared about was the man standing before her. She'd momentarily forgotten all of the minor technicalities and problems with this whole...whatever it was that was going on between her and Bucky. In that moment, none of that mattered. She could worry about it all when the time came. "You're not going to try denying it this time?" She breathed, her words still just as quiet as they had been before, nearly a whisper now.

Pulling his hand from his pocket, Bucky hesitated for a moment before raising it further. It seemed in that second, everything he'd ever noticed about Connie seemed to intensify; just what shade of brown her wide eyes were, the pink of her lips, how soft her skin looked, the colour of her hair... Everything about her seemed to fall into place so perfectly, and he wondered for a moment just how he was supposed to compare, or shape up to a girl like her. Gently, his fingers tucked a strand of her soft hair back behind her ear, the action lingering that slightly longer than could be considered conventional. "I don't see why I should have to..."

Clara hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath until she let it out. "You did earlier." She said quietly. "What's changed?" She had a feeling that she was talking too much. That she was asking far too many questions and she should just shut her mouth. So she did just that. She didn't say anything else after that and instead allowed herself to really look at him. And she noticed things that she hadn't noticed before as her eyes roamed across his handsome face, falling lastly to his lips. Her eyes lingered there for a moment before they returned to his eyes.

"Stop asking questions," He smiled softly, his voice nothing more than a soft croon as he moved closer to Connie ever so naturally. It felt like it was what he was supposed to do, his body seemingly moved on it's own as his eyes found their way down to her lips. There had been so many moments throughout the night in which he had imagined something like this, but for it to be as intimate as it was now came as a slight surprise. He knew he'd wanted these moments to be special, but when the war-time city of New York had fallen so silent, and they were the only one's around, he didn't see why now wasn't the right time. He paused as he leaned down to her, his nose only just brushing against hers. He didn't want to close the space between them, not so quickly... He wanted some sort of sign that this is what she wanted.

Clara smiled at his words, though she didn't say anything. She was keeping her mouth shut now. None of the questions she had asked were important. Really, there was nothing more important than the two of them in that moment. And nothing else mattered either. She was able to forget about everything else for the time being. And she wasn't going to let any of those minor technicalities or negativities keep her grounded anymore. She was acting purely on what felt right, and this was what felt right. How close their bodies were. The way he leaned in closer to her and how his nose lightly brushed against hers. Her heart was racing, though it was in the good sort of way.

Bucky stood still for a moment, his hand now laying flat against Connie's neck now that her hair was away from her face, his fingers just reaching the nape of her neck. There was nothing exchanged between them except the silence of a mutual desire. Applying the softest of pressure to the back of her neck, he tilted her head up towards him and finally sealed the open space between them. It was a soft contact, testing the waters of their connection as his lips pressed down onto hers. Despite all the dread and fear of the war stealing away his life, Bucky felt alive as he finally kissed her. It was undeniable now, just how attached he was to her. He knew he was probably taking it too far, stepping over a boundary he probably shouldn't have... But he didn't seem to care.

Clara hadn't realized just how much she'd been waiting for this very moment until it actually happened. She could tell that he was somewhat hesitant at first, something that she didn't really blame him too much for being. She could definitely see why he would be hesitant. Maybe he'd been unsure if he'd read her properly or not. She was pretty sure that she'd made it fairly obvious that this was what she wanted though. She kissed him back almost instantly, her hand reaching up to rest against his cheek lightly. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as her lips moved against his.

This definitely wasn't part of Bucky's normal behaviour. He wasn't the type of man who would just kiss whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted, especially when it was a girl that he had only met a few hours before... But there was something just so irresistible about Connie. Maybe it was the fact he barely knew her... She couldn't judge him because she didn't know him, and he couldn't judge her for the same reason... But he'd be damned if he hadn't kissed her at least once before the night was through. It wasn't a passionate, desperate kiss as he may have expected when he was this attracted to a girl. It was just a gentle, slow, raw one. He pulled back for a moment, simply so he could examine the expression on Connie's face. He'd poured his entire self into the kiss, and he could pray that it hadn't pushed her away.