You tried to avoid the heat that crept up onto your face when Bucky walked onto the elevator next to you. You'd been harboring a secret crush on the man since he moved into the Tower. "Hello, Sergeant Barnes." Bucky chuckled. "You know, you can call me Bucky. Or do I have to start calling you Ms. Y/L/N?" You laughed along with him. It was nice to know that your crush didn't keep you from acting normally. But that's when it happened.

The elevator stopped moving and everything went dark. You heard Bucky's breath hitch. Maybe he was scared? "Are you okay, Sergeant?" you asked. Bucky didn't answer for a second. You thought he may have nodded or shook his head, but you could barely see in the dark. "Yeah. I'm fine. You're Y/N, right? You work with Stark?"

"For him, but yeah. How long do you think it'll take them to get the power back to the elevator?" Bucky sighed. "I have no idea. I hope it's soon." You frowned a little, but decided to make light of the situation. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I?" Bucky's light laughter filled the space. It was the first time you'd ever heard him laugh. You had to admit that it was a nice sound.

"Of course not. I'm just not a fan of...closed off spaces." You nodded in understanding even though he couldn't see you. "Why do you think the power went out? Could it be a blackout?" Bucky asked. "I don't think so. Tony's got back up generators for his generators. The only thing I can think of is that the whole compound is on lock down. Look, why don't I help keep your mind busy while we wait?" Bucky agreed as the two of you sat on the elevator floor.

You and Bucky talked about everything and anything you could think of. It certainly made the time go faster until you accidentally revealed your feelings for him. You talking about an day you'd had in the lab with Bruce and Tony. "Anyway, as I'm trying to fix this machine, Tony starts asking me about my crush on you. The tool goes flying out of my hand and nearly hits Romanoff in the head when she walks in."

"Your what on me?" You felt all color drain from your face. You'd said it. You had told him, out loud, that you had a crush on him. You wanted the floor to swallow you whole. "You can tell me, Y/N." You were just grateful for the darkness so he couldn't see the mortified look on your face.

"I may have had a crush on you. At one point," you said. The silence was deafening at first. Then Bucky spoke, "You had a crush on me? As in, past tense." If you didn't know any better, you'd say he sounded disappointed. But you did know better. Why would he like you, a scientist, when he could have a gorgeous assassin like Romanoff? "Well, yeah. I mean, I figured you'd prefer someone with more in common with you than me. Like Romanoff or Hill. So I did my best to get over my crush."

"But you didn't, did you?" he asked and you suddenly felt him closer to you. His breath was practically in your ear. You could feel it fanning the side of your face. "Please, tell me you didn't, Y/N." His voice was soft and sounded a bit scared. What could he possibly be afraid of? It was hard to think with him that close to you.

"No. I-I didn't." You laughed a little nervously. Bucky's flesh hand found yours in the dark and he grabbed it gently. "I'm glad. I-I haven't felt a positive emotion like this toward anyone in a long time. I think you're wonderful Y/N. I'd love to take you out to dinner sometime." Your face felt like it was on fire. Bucky Barnes had just asked you out on a date.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want you doing this out of pity." Bucky scoffed. "It's not pity, Y/N. I really like you, as more than a friend and colleague. I guess being here in the dark where I don't have to see the possible rejection made it easier to ask. I've been wanting to for a long time." You used your free hand to feel around in the dark so you could hug him. "I would love to go out with you, Bucky," you whispered in his ear as the lights came back on.

You pulled away from Bucky to see him smiling at you. He was even more gorgeous up close. He slowly got up and helped you to your feet. The elevator gave a jerk as it started moving again and you wobbled a little. Luckily, Bucky kept a hold on you so you didn't face plant. When the elevator stopped again, you looked up at Bucky just as you heard the doors open.

"Well, I was coming to see if you were okay, but I guess you're better than that," Sam's teasing voice said. Bucky glared at him. "Watch it, Birdbrain." Sam held up his hands in defeat. "Nice work, Y/N." Bucky rolled his eyes and gently pulled you off the elevator with him. After you were alone, you kissed Bucky's cheek. "I'll see you Saturday for our date, Sergeant." Bucky watched you walk away with a smile on his face.