#ccla

You held your tongue until the state line for Kentucky flew by you on the side of the road. You’d figured it would be unwise to start an argument before you made it far enough away from the scene of the crime. But now, as the moon crept higher into the sky and your exhaustion peaked, you just couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Are we going to talk about how you completely ruined our chances at finding a motel room to sleep in?” You tried so hard to keep your tone even, but you couldn’t help the white hot fury that seeped into your voice.

“He was out of line,” Bucky said. His metal hand whirred as it tightened around the steering wheel, and you saw his jaw clench in the glow of the oncoming headlights.

You sighed heavily. “I could’ve handled it myself; I don’t need you interfering when it isn’t needed.”

“It’s pretty fucking ridiculous that you’re pissed at me for saving your ass.”

That was too much. “Saving my ass? You think I need saving from some dumb college kid?” Your voice was climbing in volume, and you knew that yelling at him wasn’t the answer. But fuck, you were tired, hungry, and just wanted a bed to sleep on. The only rest you’d gotten in days was broken up sleep in the passenger seat.

Bucky had no response for that one. Instead, he yanked the wheel towards the right lane, careening down a conveniently placed exit. You clutched the side of the door at the sudden movement and glared at him. “And now you’re trying to kill us both.”

Highway treelines gave way to an out of the way road, glowing yellow with the neon sign for roadside inn just a few hundred feet away. “There’s your fucking hotel,” he said tightly.

You were surprised at how quickly he’d found the place, but figured that Bucky had to be exhausted, too. He was probably keeping an eye on the exit signs while you sat there seething. “Do we have enough money for a room?”

“Yeah. We probably have enough to order pizza, too,” Bucky replied as he whipped the van into the motel parking lot. 

You eyed Bucky skeptically. “I’m not sure sixty dollars and some change is enough for…” you trailed off in awe as Bucky dug into his pocket and pulled out an expensive looking wallet. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, I did.”

The fucker had managed to snatch Matthew’s wallet while causing a scene. You were both exasperated and impressed; why couldn’t he have done that instead of letting you waste time hustling pool? “You couldn’t have told me you knew how to pickpocket before I got groped by that jerk?”

Bucky shrugged, already rifling through the wallet for bills. “I wasn’t going to take it unless he deserved it.”

Oh. That was surprisingly thoughtful, in a strange way. “Well, thanks,” you said. Not wanting to waste any more time, you threw off your seatbelt and climbed out of the car. Bucky followed you to the lobby, excitedly mumbling something about being able to afford two rooms with how much money that kid had on him.

The lobby was dimly lit and looked run down, complete with flickering lights and everything. If you weren’t confident you could kick Ted Bundy’s ass into next week, you’d be worried about some serial killer trying to traffic you. A tired looking teenager sat at the front desk, nose buried in a comic book. He jumped when the bell for the doors went off, and his eyes went wide at the sight of Bucky. Ah, shit. And here you were hoping to keep a low profile after Tennessee. “You, you’re, um,” he managed to stutter out in a cracking voice before Bucky shushed him.

“Listen, kid. I’ll give you forty bucks if you agree that you never saw us here.”

The teen swallowed hard and nodded. You half expected him to try to haggle, but figured that Bucky didn’t really look like someone you’d try to bargain with. Hulking shoulders and icy eyes that stared you into the dirt would be intimidating for someone who looked like they’d never been in a fight. 

“How much for two rooms?” Bucky asked while sliding over two twenties to the trembling kid. 

“I’m so sorry Mr., uh, Mr. Soldier, sir,” the kid squeaked, looking like he wanted to sink into his chair. “We only have one room available, and it’s a one bed. It’s seventy for the night.”

A sigh of disappointment left your lips, and you could see Bucky’s shoulders sag. It wasn’t like the two of you hadn’t shared a room before, but the fact that there was only one bed could pose an issue. Unless one of you was selfless enough to take the floor--which was a laughable thought--you’d be cuddled up close to your unwelcome white knight.

“It’s okay. We’ll take it,” you interjected before Bucky could complain. The look of weariness on his face reminded you of yours from the other day, and you empathized with the man. With how much driving he’d been doing, he kind of had a right to be irritable. That still didn’t excuse earlier, though, no matter how thankful you were that he’d managed to steal the wallet.

The kid nodded quickly and ducked down behind the counter to retrieve the room key. Bucky took it from his trembling hand and passed him just enough to cover the bill, then turned on his heel and stalked out back to the car. You hurriedly thanked the kid and rushed out after Bucky.

“Where the hell are you going?” You asked, watching from just outside the entrance as he threw open the door to the car and started the engine.

“To get food. And a change of clothes.” He had to raise his voice slightly to be heard across the parking lot. 

You nodded, taking the hint that he wanted some space from you for a bit. Truth be told, you needed some privacy as well. Bucky would probably be gone a good thirty minutes, which gave you plenty of time to use all the hot water you wanted. You stuck out your hand and whistled at Bucky, who lobbed the room key at you. It sailed over the lot and you had to duck as it nearly took your eye out. When you picked it up from the pavement, you heard a chuckle that wasn’t quite low enough not to be caught by your trained ears. Fucker had done that on purpose.

“Ass,” you yelled, already walking down the building to your room number. Either Bucky didn’t reply, or you didn’t hear him, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. Just a few more minutes and you would be nearly burning your skin off in the shower. You felt a bit greasy, and you were sure that you probably stunk a good bit. Not exactly ideal for trying to stay sane.

As the door to your room creaked open, your stomach sank when you realized that one bed was an exaggeration. It was more like half of a bed, with how small that thing was. Bucky’s massive figure would never fit on there with you without some squeezing. You groaned and mentally prepared yourself for the argument of who would crash on the floor; there was no way in hell you were going to spoon that jerk all night. You actually wanted to sleep, thank you very much.

Shaking off the momentary discomfort at the sleeping situation, you made a beeline for the bathroom. As you cranked the hot water up, it felt like you couldn’t get your clothes off fast enough. You peeled the sweaty fabric from your skin and tossed it to the corner of the bathroom; laundry could be figured out after you finally smelled human again. 

The water felt orgasmic when you finally stepped into the tub. Hot streams coursed through your hair and down your back, and you could already feel the stress of the past few days easing from your muscles. The tiny bottle of shampoo that was provided with the room was not nearly enough, but you made do, scrubbing at your hair like a woman possessed. As you stood under the water, your mind drifted back to Bucky. It seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

Now, as content as you were with the best shower of your life, it seemed so silly to hate him so much. Sure, he was kind of a jerk, but he’d also been through a hell of a lot more than most people can even dream of. Granted, you had, too, but at least you hadn’t been used as a weapon for decades. You figured that maybe he had earned the right to be a little selfish. It was easy to chastise yourself for getting so worked up around him while he wasn’t there. Something about him being within fifty feet of you just made every single hair on your body bristle. You were far too tired to psychoanalyze yourself about what really pissed you off about him, so you opted to just shut off the water and wrap yourself in a fuzzy, white towel instead.

As nice as the shower was, it was still a cheap motel in the middle of nowhere, so the towel was not as luxurious as you’d hoped. It did its job, but when wrapped around your body, you found it just barely came down far enough to cover your lower bits. You could’ve pulled it down a bit more, but that would just leave your breasts exposed. Oh, well. It wasn’t like anyone was going to come barging in.

Figuring you probably had a little longer before Bucky returned, you gingerly scooped up your dirty clothes and stepped out of the bathroom. The AC of the room quickly chilled your damp skin, the towel not giving you too much in terms of warmth. You bit your lip and quickly scanned the room. Bingo, there was a washing machine and dryer tucked away behind a creaky closet door. Maybe you needed to give this place more credit. 

You tiptoed across the carpet and threw your clothes into the washer. Deciding to wait to see if Bucky had some clothes he wanted to wash, you spun around to make your way back to the bathroom until Bucky brought the car back. You faintly remembered throwing an old shirt or two in the backseat, and had completely forgotten to bring it in. You’d just have him hand you something through the door.

Your timing was off, though. The second you turned to face the front door again, the sound of a lock clicking echoed throughout the small room. You didn’t have time to race to the bathroom, and instead stood frozen as Bucky strolled in with a few plastic bags in hand. He pushed the door shut and slid the deadbolt into place, then dropped his eyes onto your still-dripping form. 

Honestly, you’d think he was a virgin with how quickly his cheeks flared red. Your own face flushed as well as you caught his eyes lingering far too long on your barely covered form before he spun around. “Jesus, why are you naked?” He cried out, pressing his forehead against the door. 

“I’m not naked,” you said quickly. “I have a towel on, don’t be so dramatic.” Despite trying to act like it was no big deal, you were more embarrassed than you’d ever been, and you couldn’t understand why. You’d changed in front of teammates before--both male and female--so why was this such a big deal? Once again, Bucky Barnes had thrown your emotions into a tailspin. 

Bucky was still facing the door. “I’d hardly call that a towel,” he choked out. His voice was strained, but you couldn’t place your finger on what emotion was creeping into his words. Anger, maybe? Or maybe he was just embarrassed, despite it being out of character. You shook off your bashfulness and rolled your eyes. If he wanted to make this weird, that was on him.

As you shuffled back toward the bathroom, irritation replaced your earlier embarrassment. He had some nerve making this awkward, you were partners for fuck’s sake! Seeing each other in various states of undress shouldn’t be weird; there had to be room for trust. You’d show him what uncomfortable really looks like. 

Bucky stiffened when your footsteps continued on past the bathroom. “What are you doing?” He asked as you came to a halt right behind him, voice surprisingly timid. The obvious anxiety in his demeanor almost made you feel guilty for teasing him, but it was just so cute; you couldn’t resist. Your eyes widened a bit at the realization that you had just thought of Bucky as cute. You must be more sleep deprived than you thought.

“Relax,” you purred, standing on your toes and leaning forward slightly to bring your lips almost to Bucky’s ear. “It’s just a bit of skin, old man. Get with the times and don’t be such a prude.”

Just as you expected, Bucky bristled at your remark. What you didn’t expect was him whirling around to tell you to fuck off to your face. His sudden movement made you jerk backwards in surprise, and you teetered back as you lost your balance. Bucky instinctively reached out to catch you. His metal hand closed around your towel just as you grabbed at his arm for stability. Caught off guard and trying not to drop his bags, Bucky was left stumbling as well.

You crashed to the floor on your back, feeling the air leave your lungs from the impact. Luckily, Bucky was able to catch himself by letting go of the groceries and bracing an arm beside your head, saving you from being crushed. Your relief was short lived, however, as you noticed that in his attempt to catch you, Bucky had torn off your towel. You were left stark naked on the hotel carpet, Bucky hovering over you with wide eyes.

To his credit, he managed to keep his gaze locked on yours, not letting it drift down to your naked body. All bravado gone, you felt like crawling in a hole and dying. The humiliation of being caught under your sort-of-nemesis completely bare was something you’d probably never recover from. That, and the feral look in Bucky’s eyes was making you a bit nervous. It looked like there was something simmering just beneath the surface of his skin, begging to come out and lose control. You swallowed hard. “Can you please go get my clothes from the van?” 

Your meek request seemed to jolt Bucky out of his stupor. “Y-yeah, I’ll, um, I’ll go do that,” he managed to say, then shot up from the floor like a rocket and flew out the door.