Chapter Text
"This has to be a catfish," You chuckle to yourself looking at your phone. You click on the profile and swip through the few pictures there. They all seem like personal pictures but you could never be sure.
With a sigh you go back to the main screen "Fuck it," You say and swipe right.
A heart grows larger on the screen with "It's a Match!" across the top. You look at your phone for a long moment, suprised the person behind the pictures had already swipped right on your profile.
You duck your lips out debating on sending a message. It wouldn't hurt. You were pretty sure they were fake anyway so they probably wouldn't answer. You type and erase a few different mesages, unsure what to say. You were new to this whole dating app thing.
You finally settle on, "Looks like we matched. How's it going? Hitting send before you erase it again.
You close the app, deciding to open tiktok. Atleast if you were going to mindlessly scroll on your phone, you could get some good laughs while doing it.
You're just about to get off you're phone when you get a reply notification. Opening the dating app you see the mystery person actually replied.
"It's going good, how are you?"
"Doing alright." You reply, then decide to send another message, "Although I'm having a hard time believing you're the person in the pictures."
3 dots appear on the screen for a moment, then you get another message, "Really? Why do you think that?"
You contemplate how you were going to go about responding, before typing, "Because your pictures are of a well known hero. I wouldn't think he would be on a dating app."
"Lol, that's fair. What can I do to prove that I am in fact the person in the pictures?"
So this is how they're going to play it, going all in acting like this person, fine you'll play along.
Before you reply, you get another message, "Will this work?" A picture starts to download right after the text.
"Please don't be a dick pic," You close your eyes for a moment before taking the chance to look at your screen. You're greeted with a simple selfie of the man smiling. You examine it, trying to look for any kind of photoshop or evidence of AI. But theres nothing obvious. You're still skeptical though.
"I mean, yeah that's a picture of the person on this profile, but how do I really know thats you?" You send.
"Alright, what kind of picture do you want?"
You chew your lip thinking, "Send me a picture of you with my name written on a piece of paper... and you need to be holding a fork in your other hand." You giggle at the audacity of the request. Figuring they wouldn't be able to pull this off.
The reply says, "Ahaha! Ok, let me find some paper. What hand do I need to hold the fork in?"
"Hmm... you're left hand." You can't help but laugh as you read over the exchange.
A couple minutes later you get another reply, "How's this? I had to figure out how to set a timer on my camera lol"
The picture downloads and your mouth goes slack in surprise. How did he do that? The picture is exactly as you asked. You zoom in and can tell the paper was handwritten and he's holding a fork in his left hand. A metallic black and gold metal left hand.
"You're really James Bucky Barnes?" Is all you can think of replying.
"Yes ma'am, I am. You can just call me Bucky, it's nice to meet you, Y/N"
You stare at the picture still in disbelief. Bucky Barnes is on a dating app? Bucky. Barnes. is on a dating app. And he matched with me? Your mind is thinking everything and nothing at the same time.
"Now you know I'm being honest, but how do I know you are?" Bucky sends.
"If there's someone out there trying to catfish with my pictures, I feel like I would be flattered by that. I'm no one special."
"I'm sure you're someone special. I think I just need reassurance that you are the person in the pictures."
You sigh as you read his message, you guess it is only fair. You could very well be anyone, just like you thought he was. "Fine, what kind of picture do I need to send you?" You read over your message again and send one more, "And nothing perverted. I'm not going to send you nudes just because of who you are."
"Wow, you think so little of me?" He replys.
"You never know nowadays 🤷♀️" You wait for his reply as the 3 dots pop back up.
"I want a picture of you with my name written on a piece of paper, a spoon in your right hand, and a spatula balanced on your head."
You let out a loud laugh, "Haa, touché." You say to yourself as you get up from your couch. You find a notebook and a pen writting out, "Bucky Barnes :)" large enough to read easily. Then move to the kitchen and find a spatula. Propping your phone against the paper towel holder, you can't help but giggle. Setting the camera timer, you place the spatula on your head as you get into frame. Holding the paper up and a spoon in your right hand, you smile as the counter gets to 1.
You giggle at how silly the picture looks. You pull up his message, "Here you go!" You smile to yourself as you attached the picture and hit send.
"😲 You're really Y/N Y/L/N??"
You laugh at him mocking your message to him, "Yes sir I am, it's nice to meet you Bucky." You giggle as you reply the same way he replied to you.
"Lol! Now that we know we're being honest, what do you say we go get a coffee?"
You chew your bottom lip reading his text, "You don't want to get to know each other more over messages before we meet?"
"I always liked getting to know someone face to face more. Messages can get misconstrude easily. Facial expressions and body language, not so much." You could see where he was coming from. You don't text back right away, "It doesn't have to be today. Maybe we could go tomorrow?"
You wanted to say yes, but you're still unsure. He was still a stranger. Even if you knew more about him then he knew about you, thanks to a college history class you took years ago, and the media.
Tomorrow was Saturday and you didn't have any plans- as usual. Your finger hovers over the send button, and you finally press it, "Ok, let me know where and what time and I'll meet you there"
"Does 10:00 am work for you?" Followed by an address.
Before you can chicken out, you send "Sure"
"Great, I'll see you then Y/N"
You smirk at his text as you close the app and lock your phone.