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Bucky reluctantly opened his door so no one else would come investigate why Clint was attempting to beat it down with his obnoxiously loud nonstop pounding. He opened the door just enough to glare through the crack, his booted foot planted behind it so that Clint couldn’t push it open any further than the few inches Bucky had allowed.
“What.” His arms were crossed over his chest and his tone was so flat that it wasn’t a question — he didn’t actually want an answer, he only wanted Clint to go away.
“Bucky, I am so sorr —” The apology rushed out of Clint, but he didn’t get far before Bucky cut him off, angry words overriding Clint.
“I don’t want to hear it. You know I damn well don’t want to hear it, why else would I be ignoring my phone. So why the hell are you beating down my door?”
“You just said why, because you won’t answer your phone! Bucky, I want to —” Clint was cut off again.
“I don’t care what you want. What I wanted was to not be stood up tonight. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was?” Clint swallowed nervously; he suspected Bucky’s upset had more to do with hurt feelings than embarrassment but he knew better than to say that. “I waited for you for a goddamn hour! I was using my phone then, but you couldn’t be bothered to fucking answer.”
“No. No, Bucky, that’s not what happened. I wasn’t —”
“That’s not what happened? Oh, did you show up to the restaurant then? I sure as fuck didn’t see you, so I think that’s exactly what happened.”
“I didn’t mean —”
“Just fuck off Clint.” Clint watched Bucky unfold his arms and quickly reached out to grab the edge of the door before it could be slammed shut.
“I really am sorry. I fell asleep. I thought I had an alarm set for just in case, but it was AM, not PM and it didn’t go off. I really didn’t mean to miss our date,” Clint babbled out while Bucky was busy debating shoving the door shut, Clint’s fingers be damned. “Bucky. I promise I would not have left you there alone on purpose.”
Bucky let his hand drop from the door and turned his whole head to look inside his apartment, not really at any one thing, just away from Clint’s face. He didn’t respond and Clint ran with the opening Bucky gave him.
“I really was looking forward to our date, honest. I even bought you flowers this morning when I took Lucy on his walk.” Bucky swiveled his head back in surprise to look as Clint shoved the ragged bouquet into the opening; it actually wasn’t wide enough to poke the bunch through so he just battered the already dropping blooms further. It hadn’t occurred to Clint to keep the flowers in water so they would stay fresh while on his kitchen counter for the day.
Bucky’s expression softened as he took in the collection of Gerbera daisies, carnations and yellow roses with random greenery thrown in. Bucky had only ever thought of flowers as something to bring a girl you were sweet on; it hadn’t occurred to him that a fella could be gifted them as well (and when the hell would he ever have had a chance anyhow?) so he took a moment to consider how he felt about it. He decided he didn’t think it meant that Clint was treating him like a dame, and that he liked the gesture. Granted, he would have liked the gesture a hell of a lot more two hours ago.
“And I should have known better than to take a nap, but I was so exhausted still after that mission I just got back from a few days ago and I wanted to be awake enough to enjoy our date. I didn’t think I’d sleep that long, honest. I feel really bad Bucky, let me make it up to you.”
“I figured you realized it was a mistake asking me out,” Bucky confessed, finally moving his foot away from the door and letting it swing open. Clint lunged forward, wanting to get inside before Bucky changed his mind, and fell over his own feet. He flailed his arms wildly to catch himself, barely keeping himself from face-planting on the floor, and bashed the bouquet into the door frame.
“No! Bucky, no. I would never —”
“Give me those damn things before you mangle them any more,” Bucky said, cutting off Clint’s protest. “And why wouldn’t I think that? You know what I am, what I’ve done. Who would want to be with that?” The last was said in a low, pained voice as Bucky took the flowers to the kitchen.
Clint reached out and snagged Bucky’s arm, turning him back around. He reached up to cup Bucky’s jaw and gently but inexorably forced him to meet his eyes.
“I would.” Bucky’s eyes slid shut at the resoluteness of the statement. Still off balance from the two hours of self-degradation he had been unable to keep his brain from engaging in once he had realized Clint was not coming to the restaurant it was hard to accept the words. Clint continued, “What you are is an amazing, resilient person who had a really shitty time of it. A person I already love spending time with, and I’d really like to try and make it a go with you. If you still want,I mean, knowing what a disaster I am.”
Bucky shrugged and pulled away. He couldn’t find anything in his cabinets suitable for a vase, so he just filled the sink with a few inches of water and propped the whole bunch in against the side so the stem ends were submerged.
“Let me make it up to you,” Clint said, undeterred by the silence. He figured it Bucky was saving the flowers he was probably in the clear. “Have you eaten yet? Let me take you somewhere now.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Really? Sweet! Come on, I know a great pizzeria right up the street.”