#A REGULAR BARN WHERE REGULAR PEOPLE WORKED AND DID BARN THINGS

[continuousmeowing]

the first one is actually real btw. and kind of insane??? it feels like the setup for a shitty horror movie???

stories in local newspapers in the US are always something like “local high school has tradition where they haze the freshmen by chasing them with paintball guns for several miles. this must be stopped.” “a lot of pitbulls have been violent lately” “county hires lawyer famous for encouraging police brutality in court case after police officer kills innocent man in mental distress”

[reginaphalange2403]

Never Again

Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Despite an intense dislike for one another, you and Bucky begrudgingly get paired together for a mission. You’re forced to look past your differences when things so south.

Warnings: Canon level violence, asshole Bucky (at first), enemies to lovers vibes, other mcu characters make appearances. Word count: 6.1k

a/n: AHHHH my first fic in like 6 months! this is also the first time I've ever written for Bucky or written anything like this. It was a lot of fun and I hope I did him justice lol. Enjoy!

The loud hissing of the Keurig was a rude awakening to your 7am start to the day. Unfortunately, Steve had decided to hold a team conference meeting at 8. Why he chose to annoy you all like this, you weren’t sure. 

“Are you fucking done yet?” You instantly recognized the deep, rough voice muttering under his breath behind you. Bucky had his arms folded and was impatiently waiting for you to finish up at the machine so he could make his own cup.

“Already have a stick up your ass today, huh Barnes?” You spit back at him before moving to let him use the Keurig.

“Well, I wouldn’t have one if you weren’t the first thing I saw when I came down the stairs.” 

Damn. That stung. “Have you ever been nice for once in your life? Or is being a dick just a permanent part of your personality?” 

At your words, Bucky looked up at you and feigned offense “Oh, I’m nice” He assured you in an almost sweet tone, before turning cold again “…to people that deserve it.”

You rolled your eyes at him, muttering a ‘whatever’, and left the kitchen to go take a seat in the conference room. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an atypical conversation for you to have with Bucky. Ever since you had joined the team almost a year ago - at Natasha Romanoff’s request - Bucky had been anything but welcoming. At first, you thought it was just friendly banter, him trying to sarcastically intimidate you, but it was clear by now that he genuinely had a deep distaste for you. 

Soon enough, everyone else started to file in for the meeting. Nat smiled as she took the seat next to you, her regular spot, and quietly started asking you about your morning. Bucky was the last one to enter the room, and by that point the only seat left was the one on your other side. 

He glared at you as he sat down. 

“It’s not my fault you’re always late to these things” You quipped under your breath.

“Don’t push it, sweetheart” Bucky frustratingly muttered, and you quickly opened your mouth to reply before Natasha interrupted,

“Don’t bother with him, Y/N. He’s always a grump in the mornings” 

‘No, he’s always a grump to me’ you thought to yourself, but kept your mouth shut. 

“Good Morning, everyone” Steve finally got started with the meeting, a cheery grin on his face that was all too happy for 8am, in your opinion.

“As you all know, for months now we’ve been trying to track down where exactly Ian Haverford and his men have been setting up camp and operating their illegal activities” Most recently, the team had been working on taking down a group of rouge scientists. They had somehow been creating and using a serum that was similar to the super soldier serum. A antidote that made them have increased strength, speed and agility. They then used their new enhancements to rob and kill storeowners, evade the police, and then subsequently sell the drugs and weapons that they had stolen. 

“We’ve finally located their compound, up in rural Virginia, we-“

“What he meant to say was I located their compound in Virginia” Tony cheekily butt in. 

Steve sighed, having to stop his own eye roll, “Fine, yes, Tony located the compound. Anyway, as I was saying…We believe that that’s where they’re making the serum. The sooner we go in, the less time they have to continue using the serum and giving it to more people. Now, I didn’t necessarily think this was a task we all needed to partake in. It really only requires two people to take down Haverford and gather intel on what chemicals they’ve been using”

Steve took a big breath before revealing who he had assigned to the mission, knowing he’d have hell to pay, “Y/N and Bucky will be heading to Virginia tomorrow morning-“

“Are you serious Rogers?!” You immediately confronted Steve’s decision as you heard Bucky next you,

“You’ve got to be kidding me” He mumbled, clearly as annoyed as you were.

Steve put his hands up defensively, “I know the two of you don’t always get along, but I was hoping this assignment would allow you to work together and actually have to interact beyond your bickering” 

You had never been on a mission with just Bucky before. Of course, the two of you had been on missions with the rest of the avengers together, but never just the two of you. 

Steve continued, “Besides, we need someone who’s a super soldier to infiltrate the compound. Bucky has the strength and speed to match that of Haverford’s people. And Y/N, you also have enhancements, it makes sense to send the both of you in together.” He concluded by basically saying his decision was final, and that you and Buck would be leaving on a quinjet first thing tomorrow.

During your years in the red room, you had been injected with various substances and drugs that over time had enhanced your agility, flexibility, reflexes and even your sight. But you didn’t see how that made you a necessary aspect to this assignment. You were sure Steve was just using that as an excuse, he really just wanted you to get along better with Bucky. 

Speaking of which, Buck stood up from his chair as you looked over at him, he glowered at you for a moment before scoffing, “Guess I’ll just have to grin and bear it” and with that he left the room. 

You stayed, waiting for everyone else to file out so that you could speak with Steve privately. Natasha gave you a sympathetic look and squeezed your shoulder, as she was the last one to head out after talking to Steve for a while herself. You were always sort of jealous of their friendship. Of course, you had Nat. Who was your closest confidant in the group. But you also wanted to be close with the guys as well. You supposed Steve was your friend, but sometimes it felt like he looked at you as more of a younger sister. 

Finally, it was just you and Steve alone in the room and you were still sitting in your same seat, Steve standing at the head of the table. He tilted his head towards you and quirked his eyebrows, waiting for you to say something. 

“Why does he hate me?” You asked quietly. You had always wanted to go to Steve for advice on how to handle Bucky, but never wished to cause a rift in their friendship or make Steve feel like he was put in the middle of something.

His eyes went soft and he sighed, “Oh Y/N” He began gently “I know it may come off that way, but Buck doesn’t hate you. He just…” Steve looked to find the right words, “has a hard time handling his emotions and how he feels about people… especially people that bring up past trauma for him” 

Steve’s little hint helped you clue in to what he was trying to imply. You knew that Bucky had a history with the red room, long before you ever did, but you never really knew the details of it or how he was involved. You were saved from Dreykov almost a year ago when Natasha returned to destroy him. You were one of Yelena’s closest friends and she had introduced you to Nat, who then saw how skilled you were and decided to invite you to join the avengers, since you really had no other home to go to. Yelena meanwhile, had wanted to enjoy her freedom a little more and chose to see the world a bit before deciding to join any sort of vigilante team. Though Natasha always held out hope that she would finally join one day when she felt ready. 

“But Nat’s from the red room too!” You defended yourself, “And Bucky treats her perfectly fine! It’s not my fault that my past is what it is. I can’t help the fact that I was raised there, why does he have to hold that against me?” You started to get emotional and Steve could tell, so he began to try and explain his friends behavior.

“Well, he’s gotten to know Natasha for a few years now, so I think they’re on better terms. Plus he kinda owes her one for how she saved both our asses during the whole…sokovia accords thing” Steve said the last part quietly while sort of shamefully looking down. Despite the fact that it was worked out now, that whole incident with him, Tony and Bucky still deeply bothered Steve to even bring up.

He continued after a moment, “He doesn’t hold it against you Y/N, it’s not your fault. He just doesn’t like the memories you bring up for him, the things you remind him of. And he doesn’t know how to properly process and work through them, so instead he just takes out that pent up anger and self hatred on you. It’s not fair to you, but it’s also not your fault.”

“Get him to see a therapist then” you muttered.

Steve scoffed, “Believe me, I’ve tried.” 

He then walked around the length of the table to where you were sitting and gave you a pleading look, “Just give him a chance. Hopefully this mission will be the thing that finally gets him to see you in a different light. I know it’s hard to believe, but he really does have a sweet, soft side under all that brooding, if you dig deep enough” And that was what Steve left you with as he walked out, leaving you alone to mull over what he had said. 

———————

For the rest of that day, you and Bucky both avoided each other. You spent most of the afternoon locked up in your room or in the gym, perfecting a few moves with Nat’s help in preparation for your assignment. You didn’t see Bucky all day, you assumed he also was doing his best to not run into you.

Now, you were seated across from him on the quinjet, an awkward silence taking up the majority of the ride to a rural part of Virginia. He barely even looked at you for the entire 2 hour flight. Mostly staring down at his hands with airpods in, or having his head tilted back and eyes closed. As you neared the end of your trip, jet about to touch down, you noticed Bucky finally didn’t have headphones in, so you decided it would be a good time to set some things straight before you literally went into battle with him.

Cautiously, you spoke up, “Look, I know we don’t necessarily see eye to eye but we really need to-“

He cut you off sharply “Once we touch down I’ll take the northeast side of the compound and you can take the south side. They apparently keep their lab in a big room on the south side, so you head that way and ransack the lab while I take down Haverford, who’s quarters are up in the north end. Got it?” Not even listening to what you had tried to say, Bucky simply started barking out a game plan at you.

“Sure, but I was saying that we-“

Bucky sighed dramatically, “Look Y/N, we just need to do our damn jobs and get this over with. Alright?”

“But Steve said-“

“I don’t care what Steve said.” He snapped, “I’m not here to make nice.”

And with that, you sat in silence again for the last few minutes of the flight. The quinjet landed in an open forrest area, roughly a 10 minute walk away from where Haverford’s compound was supposed to be. Of course, you couldn’t land right next to it without risking them hearing and giving yourselves away. So, you and Bucky began the short trek to the complex, once again in complete silence the whole way there. 

Finally, you arrived upon a large monster of a building. It took up almost the entirety of the empty field that it occupied, with no windows around it whatsoever. To anyone else, it looked like from the outside to be just an eery abandoned building. You and Buck snuck around to the backside where a hatch door was used to get into the lower level of the building. 

“When we’re done,” Bucky finally spoke for the first time in over 15 minutes “How about we meet up back here at this door, so that we can leave asap and not waste time trying to find each other in this fucking maze. Good?”

You swallowed, remembering the “plan” Bucky had laid out earlier on the jet. You really didn’t feel right about splitting up with him. The compound was massive and neither of you had ever navigated it before. Sure, Steve had shown you a basic floor plan of it and talked about where he believed they were making the serum, but that was it. You didn’t know your way around this territory, and you didn’t know what Haverford’s men were like.  And on this mission, it was just you and Buck. You didn’t have the other avengers around to look out for you, or be your eyes and ears over the comms. 

“Bucky, I don’t know if we should separate. This place is big.” You finally admitted.

“It’s nothing you can’t handle” He grumbled out, which should have sounded like a compliment but came out as more of something to shut you up and get on with it.

“But what if one of us gets injured or can’t find our way back to the door?” You asked, embarrassed to be admitting your nerves to him. Bucky could see for a moment that you were genuinely anxious about this.

“We have the comms in our ears,” He began in a slightly softer tone than he had ever spoken to you before, “If you need help, just talk to me. I’ll be in your ear the whole time” 

You nodded, still a little worried but trying not to show it.

“Splitting up is the fastest way to do this. And the faster we get this done, the less time we have to spend together.” Ah, there was the Bucky you knew. Back to making jabs at you. That was the last you spoke before he broke the door open and you were in.

—————————

As discreetly as possible, you made your way through the compound, quietly trying to get to the south wing without being heard or seen. Steve said that they most likely were keeping their lab in the largest room in the building, which supposedly should be through the last door on the south side. As long as you could find it, get the records and evidence that you needed, and get back to the exit in time to meet Bucky, you’d be fine. 

You could hear Bucky through the comms, sounds of grunting and punching obviously coming from him fighting Ian Haverford’s men that he had come into contact with. 

“Looking for something princess?” You immediately stopped in your tracks at the sound of a deep sinister voice snarling at you. Whipping around, you saw one of Ian’s goonies standing just a few feet from you. 

Instantly he charged at you, but it was nothing you hadn’t ever dealt with. Before he could grab you, you took hold of his arm and twisted it behind his back, affectively turning his entire body away from you. Then, using the Widow’s Bite armor that were around your wrists, you tased him in the neck, causing him to fall completely unconscious.

It was then that you realized you had made it to the end of the hallway, and thus the last door which was supposed to be their lab. Prepared for men to potentially be in there, you unholstered one of your firearms, and promptly kicked down the door.

To your shock, the room had no occupants. You quickly reached over to find a light switch, and what you saw next was infuriating. It indeed was Ian Haverford’s lab. Full of tables and stations that held different mixed drugs and chemicals that he was using to create his own super soldier serum, one that he then used on himself and his accomplices. You also saw a station that was entirely made up of a large desktop connected to multiple computers. 

You started to make your way towards the computers so that you could plug in your hard-drive and collect the data that would supply the team with how Haverford had been making the serums. But before you could get there, a white, powdery substance started to sprits down from what looked like emergency sprinklers that were on the ceiling. The substance reeked like chemicals, similar to that of bleach but not as strong. You began to cough a little, trying to wipe the shit out of your face and eyes. You had no idea what the fuck it was or what it might possibly do to you. 

“Bucky” you half coughed half called his name into the comms, “Bucky something happened”

“What?” He grunted out, clearly still in the middle of fighting someone.

“I just got sprayed with some kind of white powder stuff. I don’t know what it was. It must have been part of some kind of booby-trap that they had on the lab, since I kicked their door in, it went off.”

“Are you okay?” Bucky immediately asked, seeming genuinely worried. 

“Yeah I mean, nothings happened yet, I’m still fine. But-“

“I’m a little busy Y/N, if you’re fine for now, just get the data from the lab and head out fast. I don’t have time to keep talking” he quickly rattled off to you, and you heard a loud scream coming from a guy that Bucky obviously just injured. 

You swallowed, still very nervous about whatever the hell just happened to you, but you didn’t want to distract Bucky any further and potentially get him hurt, “Alright. On it.” 

Plugging the hard-drive into the main desktop, you waited patiently as thousands of files started to download from Haverford’s database. As you stood there and waited, an annoying, high pitched ringing began to go off in your ears. At the same time, your vision slowly started to blur slightly, as if you were wearing the wrong prescription glasses. A lump formed in your throat and your heart practically dropped into your stomach, you hated to admit it, but this was deeply scaring you. You’d never been poisoned before. 

You rubbed your eyes, hoping maybe it would help, but nothing happened, the blurriness just got worse. On top of that, your head started to pound, most likely due to the loud obnoxious ringing. It was the powder, you knew it had to be. What else would just suddenly start causing all this? 

“Y/N? You still good?” You heard Bucky ask through the comms, clearly still preoccupied with something else but wanting to check on you. 

You debated telling him about your symptoms. You were teammates, he should know. But on the other hand, It was just a few mostly mild symptoms, and the files were almost finished downloading anyway. You’d grab the hard-drive, run out of the compound and meet him in just a few minutes. You could make it until then. Plus, you didn’t wish to further annoy or distract him from fighting. 

“Yeah. Still good!” You tried to sound as enthusiastic and convincing as possible. It must have worked, because he didn’t question you further. 

Standing over the counter, still waiting for the files to be done, you leaned over the table a bit and made the idiotic decision to close your eyes for just a second, trying to relieve the headache. 

A moment later, you felt a sharp, intense fiery pain in your abdomen as someone reached from behind you choking your neck and thrusting a knife into your stomach. You were paralyzed for just a second with fear, not even able to cry out. The ringing in your ears was so bad, you must not have heard anyone come in. 

Trying to ignore the pain, you instinctively kicked your right leg back hard, hitting the man in the groin and causing him to fall to the ground. However, on his way down, he didn’t miss the chance to slash you in the calve with the knife he had been holding. The stab was so quick you could only gasp in pain. A gasp Bucky must not have heard as he was fighting his own battles. 

Turning around, you fumbled for your firearm for a moment before finally getting it out and being able to pull the trigger, sending a bullet right through his chest. Stumbling backwards a bit, you started to feel lightheaded and you were reminded of the red hot pain in your stomach. You placed a hand over the side the feeling was coming from, and immediately felt a sticky hot liquid coat your fingers. 

You didn’t have time however to investigate the stab wound, because as you glanced up, you could see through your blurry vision that 3 more men were walking in through the kicked down door. 

Lazily raising your gun again, gripping the table to keep from toppling over, you aimed as best you could, with ringing ears, blurred vision and now two stab wounds. Thankfully, your training in the red room had taught you how to aim with even a blindfold on, and with a few quick shots, the men were taken down, now lying limply on the ground in front of you. 

Bucky heard the gunshots through the comm, but since you never called his name or made a noise that would indicate you needed help, he assumed you had it under control. 

You let the gun fall from your hand, now that you were alone and for now, out of danger, you were finally able to feel the extent of your injuries as the adrenaline wore off. Ever so slowly, you peered down at your stomach and saw that the hand you’d been holding there was almost entirely now coated in blood. Without meaning to, you fell to your knees, which then painfully reminded you of the other deep wound in your calve. However, you were so tired, and the loss of blood was making it hard to do anything other than focus on breathing.  

You knew you needed to alert Bucky. You couldn’t just lie here and wait, you didn’t have that kind of time. 

“Bu-Buck” you whimpered, trying to be loud enough that the comm would pick it up. But even just trying to talk was proving to be exhausting. You knew you were losing what was probably a lot of blood. Wet hot tears started to roll down your face, you were dangerously close to just giving in to the blood loss induced exhaustion and closing your eyes.

——————

Bucky, meanwhile, had finished taking down the men on the other half of the facility and was waiting for you outside at the spot you’d both agreed you would meet. He spoke over the comms, “I took down Haverford and his men. I’m out here now. Hurry up.” Short and to the point. How he always was with you. 

Immediately, more tears welled in your eyes at hearing his voice. You were desperate, in pain, and exhausted. Despite having a deep distaste for Bucky, you knew you needed him. You needed him to come and find you. You didn’t have enough strength to speak, but luckily the sound of his voice finally brought your own voice back and you mustered up a deep, pathetic and painful whine from the back of your throat…and it was enough to be caught over your ear piece. 

He stood there for a few minutes, getting antsy. Especially since he didn’t hear fighting noises over comms, he assumed you were just taking your sweet time making it back to him.

After a bit of waiting he sighed, grumbling “C’mon Y/N, what the fuck could you possibly-“

His complaining ceased as soon as he heard your one singular cry through the comm. Bucky’s eyes went wide, heart dropping into his stomach. He’d never heard a sound like that come out of you before. 

“Y/N?” He called your name in an almost scared tone, “Are you okay?”

No response.

Bucky swore under his breath, “I’m coming, just hang on” he made that promise to you like it was an oath, and raced back inside the building. 

Sprinting to the side of the compound that you were tasked with handling, Bucky searched frantically through the hallways, popping his head into every room trying to find you….until he did.

You laid there, blood seeping across your shirt and a pool of it surrounding your one injured leg. The men that you had disarmed and killed were sprawled out around you. 

After his initial shock wore off, Bucky ran to you, kicking one of the dead arms dealers out of the way to get to you. He dropped to his knees, eyes scanning your wounds.

“Oh, Y/N” He whispered with guilt and sorrow dripping from his tone. A million emotions flashed across his face. Including anger at the men who had attacked you, but mostly at himself for allowing this to happen. 

You looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and the tears finally flowed freely now. Aside from the pain, you were relieved. Despite you’re not getting along, in this moment you wanted nothing more than for Bucky to hold you, and tell you everything was going to be just fine.

“Okay” he whispered in a stunned tone, trying to calm both you and himself down. His hands hovered over your body as he took in your wounds and decided what he needed to do. 

 “Okay, alright.” That time, it came out more sure, “It’s alright, doll. Just keep breathing for me.”  He tried to comfort you as he whipped out his phone and let Tony and the team know they needed medical there immediately.

Bucky then swallowed, giving you a remorseful look for what he was about to do. 

“Okay sweetheart,” he began tenderly, as he took off the black jacket he had on, and then promptly ripped the sleeve of it off with his metal arm. 

“I’m gonna have to tie this around your leg to stop the bleeding. It might hurt a bit, but I gotta do it” He gently explained what he needed to do, waiting to see a sign in your eyes that at least you understood. You gave him a very weak nod, and that was all he needed to then wrap the sleeve tightly around your upper calf. 

He was right, it did hurt. But it wasn’t anything you hadn’t expected or weren’t prepared for. However, you believe Bucky only told you about having to wrap your leg, in order to half distract you from what he did next. 

A blinding, nauseating pain quickly overcame you as he took the rest of the jacket he had, and with his metal arm and half his body weight, pressed it over your abdominal wound.

You immediately cried out and instinctively reached for Bucky’s arm, trying to push him away. 

“Shhh, I know, I know baby” Bucky, who almost sounded pain-stricken himself with guilt, began to hush you, “I know it hurts, but I have to, I have to” He grabbed your hand that had tried to push him away, and let you squeeze the life out of his own as he continued applying pressure. His thumb softly grazed your knuckles, trying to soothe you. 

While continuing to comfort you, Bucky began to look around as if he expected someone else to also come to your aid. It was then that he realized he’d need to get you out of the building in order to get you onto the quinjet. There was no way the medical team would be able to find their way around in here to get to you in time. And he could see that you’d already lost a lot of blood, and even with the tourniquet and pressure he applied, you were still losing some. 

He took a breath, staring into your eyes with a serious yet remorseful look on his face, “Ok doll, I’m gonna have to pick you up and carry you out, but we can’t let up pressure on your wound” he explained, “So, I’m gonna need your help.”

Bucky then took the hand of yours that he was holding and gently guided it over to your abdomen. Lifting the jacket, he placed your hand over your own wound, you whimpered a little at the contact. Bucky swallowed, “I know doll, but I need you to put pressure on it like I was, okay? Can you do that for me?” He looked at you pleadingly, praying that you understood what he was saying.

Having to bite your own lip to keep from crying out again, you started to press down on your stomach with the little strength you still had. Bucky could tell you were trying by your obvious change in facial expression, “That’s it. Just like that, that’s my girl” he praised, quickly swiping one of your tears away. It wasn’t a lot of pressure, but it would do. 

Ever so gently, trying to avoid hurting your injured leg, Bucky gracefully slipped his arms underneath you and scooped you up, holding you close to his chest. You moaned a little at the shift in movement, “Shhh, I got you doll. I got you” he whispered into your hair as you shoved your face in the crook of his neck. 

He quickly made his way back out of the compound with you in his arms, thanking god when he saw the medevac quinjet was already out there waiting for you guys. Bucky tenderly laid you down on the stretcher, taking hold of your hand again as soon as he was able. 

“She was poisoned with something and then stabbed in her lower left calve and left quadrant of her abdomen” He immediately started rambling off what had happened to the medical team and Dr. Cho. 

“Poisoned with what?” Someone asked, he didn’t see who it was cause he wasn’t taking his eyes off of you. 

“I- I don’t know.” Bucky admitted, “I think she said it was white and powdery, I can’t remember.” Internally, he was kicking himself so hard for not having immediately ran to you when you told him about the poison. He shouldn’t have just written you off and told you to deal with it. He shouldn’t have done a lot of things. 

Bucky sat on the little bench in the quinjet right next you, still holding your hand, while the team got to work on your injuries. Technically, he should have been sitting at the front of the jet, out of their way, but no one was going to tell an upset Bucky Barnes what to do. 

As they began working your leg, removing the tourniquet and getting a shot of lidocaine ready to numb the area, you saw them preparing the syringe out of the corner of your eye. You begin to hyperventilate, letting out a small whimper of fear. You hated all things medical, which stemmed from a deep rooted fear that dated back to your red room days. After years of being practically experimented on and shot up with god knows what, you didn’t particularly love the sight of needles. Even if you knew you were in a safe environment. 

Bucky, who was still diligently sitting right beside you, immediately recognized your anxious reaction. He too knew that fear all too well. While he didn’t like to admit it, his time as the winter solider and being left at the hands of hydra often caused him to have visceral reactions to medical paraphernalia. 

“Hey, hey” he softly called to you as he gently held your chin and brought your face to meet his, “It’s alright doll, you don’t have to look down there. Just look at me. Right at me.” He held your eyes, squeezing your hand a little tighter to let you know he was there. “That’s it. Just keep looking at me, Y/N. I’m right here” And that’s how you eventually went unconscious, staring into Bucky’s eyes as he quietly shushed you and ran his hand through your hair.

——————

The harsh lights of the medical wing practically blinded you as you tried to let your eyes slowly adjust to your surroundings. 

“Hey hon” you heard a soft voice coming from your right side, whom you instantly recognized as Natasha. 

“Well there she is” another voice, coming from your left who you thought was Steve, spoke up, sounding relieved at the fact you were awake. Your suspicions were proven correct when Steve leaned over slightly into your line of view. 

“Welcome back, Y/N” he smiled, clearly exhausted but delighted by your opened eyes. 

Your voice came out raspy and weak as you spoke for the first time, “H-how long have I been out?”

Natasha grabbed a cup from off your bedside table and offered you some water as Steve answered you,

“About three days. They had to get the bleeding under control and repair a portion of your stomach that was perforated. They also gave you some antibiotics to combat whatever the hell it was you were poisoned with,” he explained, “they seem to be working though. Doc says as soon as you’re strong enough, you can finish recuperating in your own room” He ended his spiel with a smile, but there was still one question he hadn’t answered that you were desperate for.

“W-Where’s Bucky?” You wondered why he wasn’t here, as you didn’t see him next to Steve or Nat. 

“He’s right here, Y/N” Steve motioned to the back of the room where you couldn’t see, but Bucky was standing in the corner, eyes red and sunken in like he’d been crying. He immediately picked his head up when he heard you mention him. 

“He hasn’t left this room in three days” Steve whispered to you in a hushed tone, hoping Bucky couldn’t hear him.

Nat cleared her throat, “We’re just gonna go get some coffee” she looked at Steve and jerked her head towards the door, beckoning him to follow her. They both left, leaving you and Bucky to yourselves. 

Slowly, Buck made his way over to your bed, taking the seat that Steve was just in. 

He was almost fearful of what to say, surprised that you had even asked for him in the first place. He blamed himself entirely for what happened, and was positive that when you woke up, you’d want nothing to do with him. And he wouldn’t blame you.

“Hey doll” he croaked out, voice sounding strained, “How’re you feeling?”

You swallowed, “My stomach hurts, and I have a headache” you admitted, still in a bit of pain from your wound healing. 

Bucky nodded, “Do you want me to get the doctor? They might be able to give you more pain meds.” He asked, wanting to make sure you were as comfortable as possible. You didn’t know, but for the past three days Bucky had remained diligently at your bedside, alerting medical staff of any slight change in vital signs or if he thought you were cold and needed more blankets. He’d only left a few brief times when Steve had to force him to go eat or use the bathroom. 

You shook your head, “no, no I’m okay. Promise” You offered him a slight smile. 

Bucky stared down at his hands for a moment before he spoke up again, “Y/N, I am so so so sorry. This never would’ve happened if I had just listened to you and not had us split up.” He spoke with such guilt and shame you almost felt bad for him, “I was so focused on my own agenda and being a dick to you, that I completely ignored when you needed help. I can’t even-“

“Buck,” you interrupted him, reaching over and grabbing his hand with the little strength you had, “this isn’t your fault. It’s the fault of the men who stabbed me. That’s it. No one else’s” As much as you knew he fucked up with the way he treated you, you certainly didn’t think he should have to take responsibility for you getting hurt. 

“But if I had come as soon as you said you were poisoned, if I had just listened to you instead of choosing to be an asshole, you probably wouldn’t be in this hospital bed” he insisted, eyes getting watery. 

“Well, you were an asshole, I’ll give you that.” You smirked at him, trying to get him to relax, “but you also saved my life.” Bucky looked up at you, “You tied the tourniquet which kept me from losing more blood, and then made sure I didn’t have a panic attack on the quinjet. You might have fucked up a little Bucky, but you certainly made up for it” you gave his hand a little squeeze. 

For the first time since you went under surgery, Bucky smiled, “All the same, I’m never separating from you during missions ever again.” 

You playfully rolled your eyes, “that sounds a little suffocating, don’t you think?”

He shook his head, “Nope. Not to me. Nothings ever happening to you while you’re under my watch again”

“Well if that’s the case,” you scooted over a little in the bed, “will you keep me warm before I freeze to death in here?” You were genuinely very cold and were hoping for someone to bring you another blanket, but you supposed having Bucky there would do.

He chuckled softly, “you got it.” Lowering the hospital bed rail, Bucky climbed in and laid down next you, pulling you up close to him with his arm around your shoulders. 

He placed a brief kiss along your hairline, “get some rest, doll. I’ll be right here.” 

————-

Taglist: @patzammit @dpaccione @fdl305 @gh0stgurl

[deliciousangelfestival]

Nothing Has Changed - 2

Summary: Returning home for peace, you're faced with your tormentor, Bucky Barnes, who is now involved in your family's business.

Character: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Words Count: 2,143

Warning: Angst, Tragedy.

Nothing Has Changed - Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 

The one person who turned your school life into a nightmare will take over your father's business.

You never had any interest in following in your father's footsteps. Tom had told you from the beginning that you weren't fit for this work. And you hated the business; you wanted to burn it to the ground.

Even though you had never come home for several years, you kept sending your father monthly money. That money was enough for him to move and buy a new house in a big city. Last Christmas, you called your father and told him to sell the house, but he said nothing.

Something never changed: your father would put work before his own happiness.

Now you know why he didn’t want to sell the house. Because he had found someone to continue the business. Bucky Barnes.

Bucky is the popular kid from the wealthiest family in town. Everywhere he went, people followed him. His entourage echoed his every move.

When Bucky said something about you, his followers echoed his sentiments. If Bucky said A, his entourage would cover B to Z, and he never stopped them.

You once thought that he looked down on you because he was rich. But after moving to the city with Ransom and meeting many influential and wealthy people in the business world, you realize that Barnes' fortune was nothing compared to the 0.1%.

Now, you see him as just a regular person.

You sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation. "This is a big mistake. I shouldn't have come back here." You walked past them, not even glancing in Bucky's direction, and headed upstairs to grab your things.

Tom followed after you. “Y/N, please, we can talk about this. I didn’t know how to tell you.” He knew he had been an absent father. After you left for college, your relationship worsened.

You only called him on holiday, and he was afraid to call you first. He didn't know how to start the conversation when he had the chance to talk.

You stayed silent, slinging your bag over your shoulder and holding your laptop.

“Where are you going to stay?” Tom asked, desperation in his voice. “From what you told me, you don’t have much cash.”

He was right. Your bank account was blocked. But you still had some cash and your Rolex, which you could pawn. You glanced at your watch as you headed down the stairs.

Distracted, you missed the last step and started to fall. “Ahh!”

You braced for the impact, but instead, you hit something solid.

“Did you hurt your foot?” Bucky asked, holding you steady. His voice was worried. He had been about to leave, not wanting to cause more conflict between you and your father.

You looked at his face, searching for the smug expression he always wore when he tormented you with his “silly pranks.”

Quickly, you pulled away from his grasp. You didn’t want to be near or share the same air with him.

You walked past him, treating him like he didn’t exist. Before opening the door, you grabbed an umbrella—a habit of always being prepared.

As you opened the door, you felt a hand on your shoulder. You rolled your eyes, turned around, and saw Bucky stopping you.

“Please, listen to your father first,” Bucky said softly, sounding anxious. Your father stood at the top of the stairs, speechless.

At this moment, you felt like an outsider. They seemed more like father and son than you and Tom ever had.

You pushed Bucky's hand off your shoulder. "Keep your hands off of me!" Your voice was filled with years of pent-up anger and pain, each word like a knife stabbing into Bucky.

You slammed the door and stormed off, your heart pounding with a mix of rage and betrayal.

Back at the house, Bucky and Tom stood staring at the closed door.

Tom sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Give her a moment. She's been through a lot."

Bucky, still shaken, asked softly, "What happened to her?"

⌚

At the pawn shop, you tapped your fingers anxiously on the glass counter, awaiting Mr. Rogers' appraisal of your Rolex watch. His gaze met yours, and he inquired, "Do you know how much it's worth?"

You nodded, a sense of unease creeping over you. "I bought it three years ago for around $25,000. With the current market price, and since I didn’t bring the box and certificate, the price will be lower. I would say it’s around $8,000."

Mr. Rogers's eyes widened in surprise at your precise evaluation. Clearing his throat, he mumbled, "Ahem, you're right. And because you’re Tom’s daughter, I will give you that price."

You quietly sighed. You had just arrived at one shop, and he already knew you. But what could you do? This was the only pawn shop open this morning.

"Wait a second, I'll grab the money for you," Mr. Rogers announced before disappearing into the back room.

Taking a seat, you fidgeted with your phone, searching for the nearest hotel or motel.

Just as you began to scroll, your phone rang. It was Maya, your lawyer. You had chosen to work with her because she was your assistant's friend. Money was tight, so you couldn't afford a well-known lawyer.

“Hello?” you answered the call.

“Hi, are you alright? You have arrived in your hometown?” Maya asked.

“Yes, I have. By the way, is there any progress?” you inquired.

“Yes. They already looked through it. I guess you could hear good news in 3 days,” Maya replied.

You sighed in relief. “I’m glad. Thank you.”

After a brief conversation with Maya, you ended the call. Then you heard someone clear their throat.

“Ahem.”

You glanced up to see that the person behind the counter was no longer Mr. Rogers but his son, Steve Rogers, who was also Bucky’s friend.

Back then, Steve didn’t say anything when you were made fun of. But he didn’t do anything to stop the silly pranks either. So his name was also written in your black book.

But now you weren’t the same person anymore. You were a 'female Midas'. You were supposed to be confident. Steve used to look at you as if you were invisible. Now you should do the same.

You got up from your seat and walked towards him. There was a stack of cash, probably $9,000, in front of you. Mr. Rogers was quite a generous man.

You picked up the money and stuffed it into your bag. It was enough to live here for 3 days before you went back to the city.

Steve noticed that you didn’t even look at him. He cleared his throat. “It’s been a while. Are you staying?”

You continued to ignore him. As you exited the door, you clapped your hands, making Steve jump. Then you muttered, “Oh, it’s just a fly,” as you walked away.

🏨

You left the pawn shop and glanced back at your phone to find a cheap hotel or motel nearby. As you walked, sweat poured down your back, making you feel uncomfortably sticky. It was the most strenuous workout you had in a while, just trying to find a place to rest.

Eventually, you stumbled upon an interesting hotel on the booking app. The hotel was located inside a big building that sold outdoor equipment. It was cheap and conveniently close to your location.

Sweat dripping down your forehead, you kept walking until you finally reached the building. You were impressed by the natural surroundings, with shops surrounded by nature. The building was named Bronze Adventure Gear.

Upon entering, you were greeted by an employee.

“Welcome to Bronze Adventure Gear. How can we help you?” they asked.

You were taken aback by their energy; it was still 10 a.m., and they were already bustling with customers.

“I’m here for the hotel,” you replied. “I know it’s early, but I just need a place to rest.”

“No worries. It’s off-season, and there are many empty rooms. We’ll guide you to the receptionist,” they said, leading you further into the building.

Grateful for the hospitality, you thanked them as they left you at the receptionist.

The hotel was called Bronze Lodge.

“We’ll leave you to our friend,” the employee said before departing.

“Thank you,” you replied, feeling a sense of relief wash over you as you tapped the reception table and waited.

“Welcome to the Bronze Lodge. How can I help you?” a friendly female voice greeted you. However, to your ears, it sounded like venom. It was Natasha Romanoff, the popular girl in town.

You felt a shiver run down your spine, a sensation far different from when you had encountered Bucky and Steve again.

“Y/N? Is that you?” Natasha's voice cut through the air.

You tried to compose yourself. “Yup.”

“Goodness. It’s been a long time. And you're so beautiful. Ah, where are my manners? Are you staying at this hotel?” Natasha wore her trademark smile—the same one you hated seeing back in school, where her girl gang would always talk behind your back.

"You know what-?" You were about to say, but then second thoughts about leaving crossed your mind.

That's when you heard the most enormous thunderclap of your life.

“Are you surprised? The weather is quite unpredictable,” Natasha remarked casually.

She glanced at your belongings. “Oh, and you brought your yellow umbrella. Such a nostalgic touch. You never changed,” she continued, her words like needles pricking at your skin.

You clenched your fists, your frustration bubbling up inside you.

“You’re lucky. There’s a room ready for you. Here’s the key. I hope you enjoy staying with us,” Natasha said, offering you the card key with a sweet smile.

You snatched the key from her hand. “I’ll try.”

Turning on your heel, you made your way to the elevator. As you left, Natasha's smile faltered, and she quickly grabbed her phone to make a call. “You won’t believe who checked into the hotel today,” she said eagerly.

*********

The moment you entered the hotel room, you threw yourself onto the bed, exhausted. You turned around and stared at the ceiling.

The rain and thunder outside seemed oblivious to your desire for peace. You starting to regret coming back here.

Closing your eyes, you tried to ease your racing mind. But four hours later, what was meant to be a short nap turned into a longer one.

'Knock. Knock.'

You were jolted awake by the sound of someone knocking at your door. Lazily, you left the bed and peered through the peephole, wondering who it could be since you hadn't requested anything.

You gasped when you saw Bucky standing outside. What on earth did he want? Wasn't it enough that you had already encountered him and his friends earlier today?

Taking a deep breath, you hesitated before opening the door.

When you did, you remained silent, not wanting to converse with him.

Bucky said, "Tom is looking for you."

"I see. Thanks for the info," you replied, moving to close the door, but he stopped it.

"What do you want?" you sighed in frustration.

"You have to talk to him," Bucky insisted.

Closing your eyes, you responded icily, "I'll talk to him when I'm ready. But I don't need you hovering around. I certainly don't want to see your face."

His expression seemed to reflect grief when you said that, though you dismissed it as your own emotions. Why would he feel guilty towards you?

"And how did you manage to find me?" you asked.

"It’s easy," Bucky replied nonchalantly, "since my family owns this business. I can access anything I want, including information about guests staying here."

There it was, the smug face finally making its appearance, accompanied by that cocky explanation.

You gritted your teeth. Somehow, the idea of being in prison didn't seem so bad anymore.

Join the taglist? 🩷💙🩷

@bagoffeelings

@darkofimagination

@starsofcloud

@cherrybubblebullet

@winterslove1917

@thezombieprostitute

@namoreno

@sagebarness

@tenaciousathleteoperatorgarden

@unaxv

@missvelvetsstuff

@kjah97

@hopeful-daydreaming

@freshlemontea

@eat-limes-bitches

@kandis-mom

@scott-loki-barnes

@winters1917

@differenttyphoonwerewolf

@arunabraganza

@ordelixx

@esposadomd

@sapphirebarnes

@cjand10

@bellabarnes1378

@thetravelingtyper

@buckitostan

@mostlymarvelgirl

@5upersoldiers1xt

@jjanereid

@cakesandtom

@queen2234

@learisa

@springsheep

Author Note: Hey friends,

If you've been enjoying the content, I've set up a Ko-fi account.

Your support through tips would mean the world and help me keep creating.

Only if you feel like it!

Here's the link: Ko-fi

Thanks a bunch for being fabulous followers!

[buckyshoneybunny]

The White Wolf (Part 2)

Wolf/Alpha!Bucky + Wildlifephotographer!curvy!reader   

W.C- 1000 

Warnings- None really, slow burn 

A/N- OMG!!! Thank you for all the likes, comments, reblogs, and follows!! You have no idea what this means to me! Anyway, I’m so sorry this is late, I hope you all love it though! Part three will be in Bucky’s POV! I will try to get the next part out sooner but shit kinda got busy here so no promises. Anyway hope you enjoy! (Let me know if you want to be added to the tagslist)

Taglist-  @blackbirdwitch22 @lesleurs

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 Masterlist Series Masterlist

Duffle bag in hand, you run all the way back to Bucky’s cabin, which was a lot farther then you thought. You run in and toss your bag on the couch.  

“Bucky?” You call, even though you know he isn’t here. You run back outside.  

“Steve!” You yell. You run around the forest yelling his name for what seems like forever. You come across a group of cabins, sitting on one of the porches you see Steve, two red heads, another guy, and a brunette.  

“Steve!” You speak desperately.  

“Y/N?” He gets up and walks over to you, confused. “What’s going on?” 

Before you can answer, the scarier looking red head speaks up, “What the hell is a human doing in here?” 

“There’s no time for that!” You pant.  

Steve puts his hands on your shoulders, “Y/N, what’s going on?” 

“It’s Bucky, he’s gone! H-he was supposed to be waiting for me at the edge of the woods but when I got back, he was gone and there was a blood where I had last seen him. I-I can’t find him a-and-” 

“Y/N, deep breath. It’s okay, we’ll find him. I think I already know where he is.” Steve cuts you off.  

You take a deep breath to calm your nerves. “How can you know what happened?” 

“A regular person couldn’t have taken him; it would have to be another werewolf.” 

“Rumlow,” the other man growls.  

“Who’s Rumlow?” You ask, confused.   

Steve explains that he’s the leader of the other pack, that Bucky and him are rivels. You also learn the other man is Sam, the other people in the pack are Clint, Wanda, Natasha, Kate, Yelena, and Peggy. You explain how you met Bucky. 

“You mean to tell me Barnes didn’t kill you?” Natasha grins and tilts her head. “Did he happen to sniff you?”  

“Yeah, he buried his face in my neck,” you laugh.  

“Oh my god!” Sam laughs, “You’re Bucky’s mate!���  

Your eyes widen. “What?”  

“Werewolf's can only smell their mate,” Peggy, Steve’s mate pipes up. 

“B-But that’s impossible, I’m human, there’s no way I’m his mate,” you feel like you’re dreaming, this whole day so surreal.  

“I’m human.” Peggy says.  

“Really?”  

“Oh yeah, it took me a while to wrap my head around it too. But once I did, everything fell into place.” She smiles and looks at Steve, she’s in his lap. He looks back at her with heart eyes.  

“How does the whole claiming, marking, and rut thing work though?” You ask, you have headache at this point.  

“You have to be claimed in front of the pack, if you weren’t human then it could just be you and Bucky but the pack needs to see it happen to officially welcome you.” She explains.  

“Is that what you did?” She nods. There’s rustling in the woods behind you, you all turn to see the other man, Clint, running towards the cabin in his wolf form. At the last second, he transforms into his human form. 

“I found drag marks leading to Rumlow’s camp,” he pants.  

Steve and Sam jump up, “Let’s go,” Steve says. “You girls stay here.” 

“Wait but-” 

“No, Y/N, wait here while we check it out,” Steve interrupts you.  

“But Steve-”  

“If they find out you’re Bucky’s mate, they’ll kill you without a second thought. Stay. Here.” You nod. 

As the boys leave, you plop back into your seat and put your face in your hands. “I can’t help but think this is all my fault,” you mutter.  

“I mean it kind of is,” Yelena’s Russan voice answers.  

“Lena!” Natasha, her sister, scolds.  

“Look, Barnes is strong, he’ll make it out alive and then you will be reunited again,” Yelena adds, gentler this time.  

“Yeah, but what happens then? Do I just drop everything to be with Bucky? I can’t just drop everything, my life I-” 

“Y/N, calm down, let's just focus on bringing Bucky home, okay?” Natasha cuts you off. You nod.  

The boys come running back.  

“He’s there,” Sam pants.  

“What’s the plan? How can I help?” You ask, frantically. 

“You,” Steve grabs your shoulders. “Need to go to Bucky’s cabin and mark it with your scent.” 

“Huh?” You ask with a dumbfound look on your face.  

“He has a plan, but when he gets loose, he’ll be a feral alpha wanting nothing more then to claim his mate.” Steve answers. “Go.” 

You look at everyone unsure and worried. Natasha stands up.  

“Go, it’ll be okay.” She gives you a reassuring smile.  

As you walk back to his cabin you can’t help but spiral in worry. What if he doesn’t like you or make it back safe? What will your parents and friends say, will they think you’re crazy? Every single ‘what if’ runs through your mind, but every time Bucky crosses your mind, it’s like a soft comforting presence settles over you.  

Just as you reach the cabin’s front porch, the sound of a twig snaping breaks you out of your thoughts. You tense when you hear a growl, one that sounds nothing like Bucky. On instinct you dart into the cabin, shutting the door just in time.  

Looking out the window you see a wild haired wolf, chipped teeth, and scary looking. You slide down the wall, the weight of everything finally catching up with you. You break down in tears, yearning for the one person who can make things better.  

Once you finally calm down you set about ‘marking’ his cabin with your scent. You throw clothes here and there, lay in his bed and couch, did basically anything you could think of to make the place smell like you. 

The next couple of days are spent twiddling your thumbs, not so patiently waiting. When finally on the second night you’re woken by a familiar growl. Looking over at the owner of the noise, you see two steel blue eyes shining in the moon light staring back at you. A shiver runs down your spine.  

Bucky. 

[elumish]

My Experience With Digital-First Royalty-Only Publishing (Part 2)

Disclaimer: just my experience, may not reflect other people's

Part 1 (What is this sort of publishing; how did I get published; what does the submission, contract, and editing process look like)

Book Release:

My [redacted] book came out in April 2024. It is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher's own website, where it is listed for a couple dollars less than on Amazon/B&N. It's available both digitally (in multiple different file formats) and for print (paperback).

I can't speak for whether this is standard across these sorts of publishers, but it probably isn't unusual. This does mean that the book can't be available on Kindle Unlimited, given how Kindle Unlimited's requirements work.

The timing for this sort of publishing is extremely fast compared to traditional or even small-press print publishing. I signed the contract in late August 2023 and sent in the final draft to my editor in late October 2023, and the book was released in late April 2024.

Book cover:

For designing my book cover, they pointed me towards where they pull stock images from and asked me to describe the sort of cover I would want, including possible stock images. They also asked for physical characteristics of my characters, which is when I realized that I had no clue what my characters look like.

The stock image website included AI art, as well as regular non-AI stock images. I specifically requested no AI art, including no AI-generated stock images. As far as I am aware, they respected that request.

Once they created one, they sent me a mock-up and asked about minor changes (typography, etc., from what I remember). I didn't have any changes. Overall, my cover looks like what I described to them, and I'm really happy with it.

Marketing:

My marketing experience with my publisher has been decidedly underwhelming. They seem to have started to revamp their marketing process right around when my book came out, so my book didn't receive/hasn't received a huge amount of marketing support from them.

What they gave me marketing-wise: a few marketing images for pre-release/post-release, including Twitter and FB header images, etc.; general marketing guidance for what I could/should be doing; a couple of mentions on their publisher Instagram post-release and a mention in their weekly newsletter

What they didn't give me marketing-wise: connection to reviewers, including sending an ARC or providing a list of reviewers that might be good to work with; marketing materials for sites like TikTok or Instragram; a meaningful amount of airtime/mention on their accounts; a large following of their own

Overall, the marketing is what is probably most like self-publishing--a huge amount of it is on me (and I am terrible at it). It will be interesting to see what their revamp brings, but they are starting from a minimal following and not a lot of previous activity on their accounts, and so they also need to build their reach to make their marketing on their accounts more effective.

Royalties/payment:

I get paid on a monthly basis through PayPal. I also receive a royalty statement that lists days, amount/type sold, etc. so I can reconcile with what they have paid me. From what I have seen this royalty statement is pretty standard.

So far, they've been prompt and haven't had issues with payments.

However, because of (among other things) their general lack of marketing, my royalty statements have been fairly low. So far (and, granted, the book came out less than 2 months ago) I have made very little money on this.

My Path Forward:

I've thought a lot about whether I will continue to do this sort of publishing. I am currently querying my "main" books, and I don't plan to publish them through this sort of publishing, even if the publisher would likely accept them.

My contract stipulates that my publisher has right of first refusal for the rest of the books in this series. I am currently writing book two, and I plan to also write a third, as I had initially discussed with them. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I don't mind working with them as a company, but I don't know if they have the processes in place for me to make money publishing with them.

One thing I will likely do is explore other romance publishers that accept unagented submissions. They have a much lower barrier of entry and they are often willing to accept books that trad publishers might not want to spend money/reputational risk on.

As such, I would likely submit to these publishers stories that I don't think traditional publishers/agents would likely to be willing to publish, including more niche subgenres and less standard lengths that are easier to publish digitally.

Why do I redact the name of my book?

Honestly because I'm a coward and because people are weird about romance, especially certain subgenres of romance. I also plan to use this account for my main agented publishing, if I ever reach that point, and I don't necessarily want those two pen names associated.

Any other questions about this sort of publishing?

[fandoms-writings]

In My Dreams • 3

Pairing: Post-Engame!Bucky Barnes x DreamWitch!Reader

Word Count: 3K

Summary: Looking for something to aide his sleepless nights, Bucky searches for you, the dream witch of New York. You're known for helping vets with PTSD have terrorless nights and being a home to the gifted mutants of the city. What Bucky didn't expect, was for you to be so captivating, or for him to open up to easily around you. But to have the powers you do, you've got to be more than just a mutant, right?

Warnings: Not much for this chapter, some anxiety, mentions of traumatic pasts (not very detailed though), bucky is soft in this

Series Masterlist || Bucky Masterlist || Main Masterpost

Bucky hadn't been back to see you in a few weeks. It wasn't like he didn't want to, he did - he missed you. But he didn't know what to say. 

He felt like a coward for the way he'd left. He knew that you meant no harm, that you weren't offering this dream walking solution to use what you'd find in his head against him. He understood that you were just trying to help, that his options were limited. But the thought of someone else rummaging around in his head again let loose the anxiety he'd just recently gotten a hold of and it gripped him by the throat, making it hard to breathe and hard to think. 

All he could focus on was getting himself back home where he could wallow in his anxiety as it settled back in his chest and overthink every possible scenario. None of the scenarios where you intended any harm sat right with him. They felt wrong. Not just because it would be a horrible thing for you to do, but because he knew you wouldn't do that. 

He knew you better than that.

And he knew he needed to apologize.

Which was why he was standing outside your warehouse, a box of fresh beignets from your favorite bakery in hand. 

He hadn't gone inside yet, something felt off and he'd started to think that maybe he should've called ahead of time. But he'd never done that before, and if you were busy he could leave the baked goods with Tori and she'd take them to you. 

He brushed off the weird feeling that was crawling up his neck as he opened the door and walked down the hall to that familiar door that thrummed with magic. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open, ready to face the other patrons and the music. 

But there was no music.

And the space was empty. 

Empty save for the people who worked directly under you. They were tidying up in silence, looking as if they spoke they'd be reprimanded. 

Bucky swallowed once, his anxiety suddenly pricking at every nerve in his body,  before shuffling his way to the bar, where he usually sat and waited for you. He caught the attention of Alec, the young lanky man behind the bar, whose eyes widened when they landed on Bucky. 

Alec rushed around the bar, holding his finger over his lips in a shushing manner when Bucky opened his own to ask what was going on. As he quickly walked over, he gestured towards a closed off sitting room, and Bucky followed the silent suggestion, stepping into the familiar room and turning towards the young man who carefully shut the glass door. 

Bucky didn't dare speak first. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, he didn't like how cold it made your safe haven seem. How the hairs on his arm and the back of his neck wouldn't go down.

"You shouldn't be here." Alec whispered, barely audible over the heavy silence. 

"What's going on?" 

Alec looked through the door, fidgeting with his fingers, "The coven is here."

"The coven?" Bucky had never heard of a coven. He knew now you weren't just a regular mutant, but for some reason he thought you were the only one. He hadn't considered the fact that you might have some sort of magical family - you never spoke about them. "Is that a bad thing?" 

Alec looked to the floor before he raised his gaze back up to Bucky's, his eyes sorrowful, nervous. "It is when she's an outcast." Bucky went to ask what happened, but Alec shook his head, as if to tell him he'd have to ask you directly. "The last time the coven showed up. . . it didn't go very well." 

Bucky's blood ran cold with that familiar calculating stillness. "What did they do?" 

Alec shook his head, "All I can say is they took something from her. They took something and left. And she didn't come down from her rooms for three days." 

He would've asked what they took, but he knew Alec wouldn't tell him. He released a long breath through his nose. "When will they leave?" 

Alec took his eyes off the door, "They're usually only here for a few hours when they visit. They should be gone by dusk at the latest." 

Bucky looked at his watch - dusk was two hours away. He glanced to his usual seat, where he'd sit and tell you about the dreams he'd had, the good memories that your help brought back to him, and he sat. He had nowhere more important to be. "I'll wait." 

~~~

You held your head high as you escorted your "sisters" to the main lobby. They're random check-ins always wore you down, making it an effort just to keep your back straight, to not let them see the way they stole all of your energy. Their snide remarks and not so subtle glares of disgust at your home. The way they spoke to you as if you were still a child. The way they talked of you redeeming yourself in their eyes when you knew they'd never let you back in. 

It was exhausting. 

But as you led them down the stairs, a certain leather jacket behind a closed glass door caught your attention and your breath caught in your throat. It took every ounce of concentration to stay leading the women out of your home, to not run to see his face. You hadn't seen or heard from him in weeks and you were dying to know how he was holding up. You would've checked in, but you didn't want to impose where you might not have been wanted. He needed time and you gave it to him. 

Your pace slightly quickened at the sight of the front door and you pulled it open, revealing the dark warehouse tunnel on the other side. 

"Travel safely," You stiffly said as the five women barely nodded before leaving. Barely acknowledging you as they peered down their noses at you. The five matrons never liked you, so it was something you were used to, but it still stung. 

The last one, Lady Gianna, paused at the threshold, turning to you with eyes of steel. She was a beautiful woman in her mid fifties, but she was cutthroat, ruthless. She demanded respect that you willingly offered her with a bow of your head and a slight bend in your knees. 

You stiffened as her voice reached your ears, a low whisper meant only for you. "Something is coming, protect yourself." You looked up to see her not even looking at you anymore, her gaze down the hall. "Do not do anything brash. I do not wish to punish you a second time. It will be the last." 

With that, she stepped into the hall, swiftly joining the other matrons in the shadows of the warehouse, but you didn't wait to watch them leave before quickly shutting the door, turning the lock with shaky fingers. 

What in the hell did that mean? You pondered the words of Lady Gianna for a moment, your forehead pressed to the humming wood of the door. She'd never warned you before, and to admit she didn't want to punish you was odd. Last time, it felt as if she found the most joy out of watching you suffer. 

A door opening behind you had you tucking her words away for later, not to be forgotten, as you turned to meet those baby blues you'd missed so much. 

Your lips hesitantly drew up in the corners, as you slowly stepped towards him. "James." 

He gave you a grin full of sorrow as his name fell from your lips. He looked well enough, though his cheeks were just a bit more hollow and the area around his eyes seemed dark. You supposed he wasn't getting enough sleep in the past few weeks. You knew he ran out of your spells a day or two after you'd last seen him. 

You stopped just a couple feet away from him, fighting your itching fingers to reach out and touch him, to embrace him, to squeeze his hand, anything. "I was wondering when I'd see you again." 

He took a step forward, gently reaching for your hands and holding them in his own. "I'm so sorry," He breathed, "I'm sorry for running off the way I did and for not reaching out. I just didn't know what to do." 

A breathy chuckle broke past your lips as you smiled, squeezing his hands, "You don't need to apologize, James. I'm just glad to see you're alright." 

He offered a soft smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes as his worried gaze remained on you, "Are you okay?"

You cocked your eyebrow, "What are you talking about?" 

"Alec said your coven was visiting," he muttered, as if the words themselves would hurt you, "He also told me that things don't really go well when they visit." 

Your small smile faltered as you struggled to keep it up, glancing down to your entangled fingers. "What else did he tell you?"  

His fingers squeezed yours, "That they took something from you. He didn't say what, or why, and you don't have to tell me either. But I just want to make sure you're okay." 

Your vision was blurry when you looked up at him again, the moisture in your eyes distorting your view of him. "I'll be okay," You hated how your voice trembled over the words, "I promise." 

He nodded, his lips now a thin line as he hesitated, but ended up letting go of your hands, your fingers instantly cold in his absence. But it didn't last long as he reached around your shoulders and pulled you in, holding you close. 

You tried to fight it, to reign in the way your body reacted to him, but it instinctively melted against his as your arms wrapped around his middle and your nose buried into his chest inhaling the smell of him. Pressing your eyes closed, trying not to let the tears slip, you tried to focus on just him. Hints of mahogany, cedar, and leather flooded your senses and you sighed as his hand wrapped around the back of your neck, holding you to him while he traced gentle lines across your skin. 

You could've stood there in his arms forever if he let you. There was something about him that lured you in, that comforted you and made you feel light. Something about him that made you happy. 

He held you for a long few minutes before his lips brushed your ear in a whisper, "I brought you something." 

Pulling out of his hold, you wiped at the few tears that had slipped through your lashes, "You brought me something?" 

"I did," He turned back to the room he'd been waiting for you in, leading you inside where a box sat on the little coffee table. 

"What is this?" You smiled as he gestured to the box, silently telling you to open it. 

"It was my peace offering," He stated as you lifted the lid, beignets filling the box."I thought maybe you'd be mad at how I left." 

"So you were going to bribe me with beignets?" You asked, a brow raised in mock suspicion and he chuckled. 

"I was going to try," He looked at you, "I don't know what I'd do if you stayed mad at me, I had to do what I could." 

"I wasn't mad, or upset," You closed the box before laying one of your hands on his chest. "I was just worried." 

"I didn't mean to worry you," He muttered, grabbing your hand with his own. 

"I know," You sighed, wanting to start feeling better and looked back to the box of desserts before a grin took over your lips. "I have something I want to show you." 

~~~

You lead him up the stairs to the second level where your office was. But you kept walking down the hall, passing the large oak doors and the various hallways before coming to a set of small hidden metal spiral stairs. He followed you up, though when you looked back at him, he was climbing the stairs at an angle between the center pole and the railing, causing a giggle to tumble from your lips. His shoulders were a bit too broad to fit. 

When  you reached the top, you unlocked and pushed open the hatch, climbed out and took the box of beignets from him to let him join you. 

"What is this?" He asked, his eyes roaming the space. 

"This," You stepped around him, closing the hatch with a soft thud, "is where I come to hide from my life, sometimes." You watched as he walked around the small area, the plants hanging from the trellis brushing his shoulders as he passed under them. You watched him run his fingers along the back of the outdoor couch, the cushions a dark brown to match the small table that was lined with books in front of it. 

"It was freezing out today," He turned to you and you walked around the couch, taking a seat and placing the box on the table. "How do you keep it warm up here? It's perfect." 

You flashed a smile, "Take a wild guess." 

He scoffed with a smile before sitting next to you, "I know it's magic, but," He paused, as if he shouldn't even be asking. 

"You want to know how it's done." 

He looked over to you with a nod but was sure to quickly add, "You don't have to tell me." 

Tucking your feet under you and grabbing a beignet, you leaned back, savoring that first bite before you sighed. "It's an almost constantly running sort of shield," You explained. You reached for a pebble from the ground, tossing it at the edge of the roof. It bounced off of what seemed to be just air, but upon contact left a gold ripple that traveled over the expanse of the dome surrounding your little roof. 

"Wow," He turned to you, "Could I. . . ?" He gestured to the same pebble that landed at his feet, and you nodded, watching him toss it in the same spot. He tracked the ripples, tipping his head back as far as he could to watch it go down the other side. When the wall stopped shimmering and was back to being invisible, he turned to you again, "Doesn't keeping this up all the time wear you out?" 

"Truthfully, no." You shrugged, taking another bite of your treat before explaining further, "Sure, it does drain from my magic, but in the grand scheme of everything else I'm doing at all times, this is just a splinter in the whole tree." 

"That's incredible," Bucky muttered, turning to look at you, "You're incredible." 

There was a sudden lightness in your chest as you fought to not smile too broadly, to not allow yourself to become too flustered. "Why do you say that?" 

"You're protecting so many people, and helping so many more. You've got this place under lock and key hidden in plain sight with a constantly running magical security system. You've got half the city protecting you because they want to," He sighed, "And you don't have to do any of this stuff. You could take your magic and run away. You could be selfish, and only help yourself. You could leave the rest of us to struggle while you climbed your way up. But you don't leave anyone you can help behind." He reached over, gently swiping his thumb across the tip of your nose, the surface coming away with powdered sugar as he chuckled. "I've only really known one other person who was like that." 

You instantly knew who he was talking about. It wasn't a secret that his best friend was the Steve Rogers. The whole damn world knew. But what the world didn't know was how Steve left. 

It didn't know how Steve left to return to the past and his friend had left behind. How he left his friend heartbroken and alone. Lost in a world he didn't know. 

The world didn't know that, but you did. Bucky had told you. He'd told you of the memory he dreamed about with Steve. The one where they were just teen boys going to Coney Island. Where he saw his friend in a different light for the first time. 

He'd told you about the emotions he remembered struggling with in a time where those sorts of feelings between the two of them wouldn't have been accepted. You knew about him trying to move on, dating girls around town. And how he had written to Steve when he was shipped off to the war. How Steve never responded and it hurt but it helped bury those feelings he harbored. But then his friend showed up to rescue him from a scientist, and all of those emotions flooded back. 

Then he told you about how after Thanos, Steve told him he was going to stay in the past after returning the infinity stones. He was going to leave the shield to Sam and go find Peggy Carter for that dance. Bucky told you how, even though he was heartbroken once again, he hugged his friend and told him he'd earned that dance. 

He let him go. 

You wanted to curse Steve Rogers. For leaving behind this gentle man before you. For not keeping true to his end of the line promise. 

You wanted to curse him for breaking James's heart. 

But you hardly imagined that Bucky would so easily forgive you for digging up his friend's bones and cursing his soul, so you left it alone. 

You sighed and finished the beignet in your hand before making Bucky take one. As he took a bite, you reached for another one, smiling at him as you snuggled into his side, watching the city as you made a silent promise that you weren't going anywhere. 

That you would never leave him behind.

As always, thank you for reading! Comments, reblogs, and likes are all very much appreciated.

If you'd like to be notified when I post a new story, follow my library blog @remis-library and turn on notifications 💜

If you liked the story, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi

[taylor-titmouse]

kink that doesn't say it's kink

i never thought id have a full blog post in me about writing but ive been rotating this in my head for days and finally think i can put my thoughts down. obv this is all subjective and only relative to me, it's not a screed about how you should write. it's more a look into my thinking.

for the past like, two weeks, i've been trying to come up with a story that fit the title "bred and breakfast" and coming up miserably blank. because hard as i try i couldn't find my way into a story that was a) about a bed and breakfast b) involved breeding kink in the way i want to do it and c) did not look at the camera and go "today we're writing about someone engaging in breeding kink!"* and issue C is what i'm gonna talk about.

for me, the purpose of writing smut, particularly genre smut that isn't just two people in the regular world having sex, is to present a reader with a fantasy situation where their kink is a natural consequence of the narrative. a situation where the fantasy is not an imagined fantasy for the characters, but a lived reality. obviously there are exceptions and ways to work a character having a relevant kink into the narrative (ex: the xenosexuality conference, brilliant's explicit kink for being an object of curiosity feeding into her situation as an object of curiosity to a bunch of horny aliens), but generally i want my stories to be about sexy things happening without premeditation or the characters pointing out that the situation is constructed.

it's the difference between a story about a bdsm couple tying the sub to a wall and pretending he's a prisoner in a dungeon getting whipped and getting off on it, and a story about a sexy criminal being tied to a dungeon wall and getting whipped and getting off on it. they are ultimately the same thing. guy gets whipped and gets a boner. the latter just does away with the tools of constructing the fantasy (negotiating, safewords, aftercare) and serves you the fantasy direct as part of a larger narrative you can care about. why is the prisoner there? what is his relationship to the whipper that makes this erotic? what happens to him after they fuck? his answers to those questions are more interesting to me than the bdsm sub's.

but as i said, this is all highly subjective. maybe the bdsm couple is more your speed and that's fine. but nothing pulls me out of a narrative like a story going "we're going to do bdsm now!" if bdsm and the fact it Is bdsm are not vital to the narrative. i do not want the strapping stablehand to explain safewords to his master he's about to spank in a barn. just spank him without asking, because he doesn't respect you. spank him til he bleats like a sheep and understands how hard you work to take care of his lordship's horses. spank him because it's what he deserves, not because we're engaging in spanking kink.

and the challenge for me now is figuring out a convincing way to get a character on a breeding bench at a bed and breakfast without them going "i would like french toast and to be put on a breeding bench for big cow men to fuck please" because while that might be funny, and might be sexy, it doesn't make for a very compelling narrative.

*and i don't want help figuring it out. i'll get there on my own

[jinkieswouldyoulookatthis]

completely agreed with your post about dean's ending. a good amount of people who complain about it seem to see it as a competition with sam too, like sam was always trying to abandon dean to get the ending he got but dean had to die young and get none of that?! it's such an intentional misreading of the characters to think that dean wasn't stoked to die ~young on the hunt while all his bones still didn't creak and sam was right next to him keeping him company. even typing that i could feel dean shudder somewhere in heaven. sure it would have been an impactful choice if they subverted it and switched the 2 deaths but it wouldn't have had much meaning to either of them for it to happen that way, and i've never understood why people don't recognize that. a couple more years in the bunker working fun little ghost cases wouldn't have changed anything for dean. he WANTED to go first and he WANTED it to serve a significant purpose in sam's life. thank you for getting it!

I don't think Dean was stoked to die. I think that he just accepted it, and had accepted it as an inevitability much better than Sam had. Sam may have given up on longing for a normal life and had truly made peace with his life the way it actually was, but I think he still wanted more out of life in general, he had more expectations for the long run. I think he'd hoped that the long run included more of his brother though. But Dean had lived his life as if each day could have been his last. He took his pleasures when and where he found them and he indulged himself on the regular. While he would have continued to make the most of each and every day he may have gotten, there wasn't anything different or more out there for him because he already had everything he really wanted. That lends a certain peace to life and, I hope, to death when it comes.

There is no way though that Dean could have carried on if Sam had been the one to die in that barn. No amount of bacon double cheeseburgers or pie or pussy or whatever was ever going to fill the void in that passenger seat for him. If Sam had died, Dean may have lasted for a little while but he would not have lived more than a couple of years. He would have either drank himself to death or done something careless on a hunt and gotten himself killed anyway.

But even though Sam grieved for Dean for the rest of his life, he actually lived for decades. He had a son, and a relationship of some sort with a blurry woman, and a home, and he continued helping people. Yes, Sam was sad at times, maybe even most of the time (there's no real getting over a loss like that) but he still had things to live for, and he did.

And if they had both died at the same time, Butch and Sundance style, then there wouldn't have been anymore Winchesters in the world, their legacy really would have just faded away with the memories of the people who knew them and who they had saved. And that would have been too closed off of an ending, I think.

Like I know that a lot of folks are really upset that the ending wasn't happier, or whatever they wanted it to be, but seriously, the rest of the show wasn't happier. It was funny and sweet and uplifting, but it was also horrifying and dark and heartbreaking. It only made sense that the end be a mix of all of those things.

[buckyarchives]

BuckyArchives Masterlist

Welcome! I know my username says ‘Bucky’archives, but I do occasionally post character other than him and outside of marvel! Anyways, I’m Sophie and I go by any pronouns, I don’t share too much about myself but I promise I’m friendly and my inbox is always open. Enjoy reading and below is my full Masterlist and almost everything you need to know! Notes, reblogs and comments are VERY important, i don’t know what readers life or don’t like if you don’t interact so please, I beg — interact with me. Even if it’s small.

DNI! basic dni criteria (racist, homophobic, misogynistic .etc) under 16. just don’t come here to just stir up drama, don’t like what you see? Scroll. Not hard to grasp.

My AO3 | want to request something? Click here!

GUIDE | 🎞️=personal favs. ⚡️=smut. 🍂= over 5k. 🎟️= unfinished

series

Metal Arms and Short Skirts ⚡️🍂

Waltzing in as the new head of Avengers medical decision, impressing everyone and… scaring Bucky Barnes your incredibly short skirts. While Bucky is having a hard time seeing his arm as anything other than a weapon, you’re more than happy to help him

The Balcony scene 🎞️🎟️🍂

The one where theirs two winter soldiers, and now it’s time to make amends. Untill you and Bucky Barnes run into a homicidal 5’4 talk problem

The Domestic Life of Living With a Runaway Assassin 🍂🎟️

You hate many things in life. You hate soulmates, you hate the avengers, you hate guns, you hate loud snorers and complicated relationships. Bucky Barnes is associated with all those thing yet you can seem to hate him (Soulmate!AU)

One-shots + Two-parters

The Trials and Tribulations of Getting Bucky Barnes a Second date.

Bucky Barnes hasn’t kissed someone since the 40s and he needs some practice…

Little mermaid🎞️🍂

A mission gone rogue and Bucky Barnes has to depend on you to save him, and a few of your unlikely friends found midst the Atlantic Ocean.

Bedless

Relapsing wasn’t great, ever. But Bucky Barnes is there. (SH WARNING)

Day After Tomorrow 🎞️

Bucky Barnes’ enhanced hearing is both a blessing and a curse. Eavesdropping, loud music, footsteps and when his sweet neighbor has been coughing her pretty head off all day.

First impressions ⚡️

Who’s would guess that meeting Matt Murdock’s best friends for the first time involved drunk giggling and impressive cock-blocking. (Male reader)

Second, first meeting 🎞️

After the meteor, Chishiya notices the all too familiar person. Their pull towards you - like maybe you’ve met somewhere? (GN reader)

Night Shift🍂

After months of Bruce Wayne being a regular at the waffle house you work at, you soon realize you have been messing up his order the entire time (GN reader)

Untitled

You don’t trust the new masked vigilante, the batman, but after a couple flirty interactions and him saving you from a possible mugging — you begin to change your mind.

Untitled 🎞️

After many stressful nights dealing with the riddler and his fathers past, all Bruce Wayne wants if for you to stay.

We’re not really strangers 🎞️🍂🎟️

You got cheated out of your life and now you can’t trust. Sebastian stan doenst know how to love full heartedly. He’s in a movie you didn’t write, but you did, but you want admit it - or do you? Loneliness begins to consume sebastian, as for you but you are two people from two different worlds: yet this tug is so intense it will eat you both raw

5 Years of Peace🍂

You and Bucky go to Vormir

Graceland too.

Ellie Williams didn't care much for trusting new people, she needed to keep the ones she had. Until you came around.

Just A Game

if anything, you and Bucky Barne's relationship was just a game. Who will win and who will break?

[irelandking]

avenger bucky x regular reader fic recs

bucky barnes x reader

❤️ = fluff 😔 = angst 🔥 = smut

one shots:

hold my girl - @pellucid-constellations

Bucky comes home from a mission and needs time to hold his girl. ❤️

test drive - @cherrypickertheory

Bucky has a breeding kink. 🔥

disney princesses and dog tags - @buckyalpine

single reader mom reader starts dating Bucky doesn't tell him off the bat about kid and he starts getting a little antsy ❤️🔥

princess cut - @viollettes

Bucky sustains an injury because of a punk-ass kid, and you swoop in to do something about it. ❤️

every night - @ijustreallylovezebras

Bucky sneaks out of the compound every night, the team want to know why ❤️

counting - @pellucid-constellations

Time heals all wounds. Bucky’d been holding onto that proverb ever since blip. But time had never been particularly kind to him, so he opted to keep track of the sweet girl’s in his apartment building instead, the one that made him banana bread and took him to diners at two in the morning. Sometimes, you didn’t keep the same schedule. That made Bucky panic. ❤️😔

flowers in the compound - @pellucid-constellations

That girl from the flower shop seems to be taking up a lot of Bucky’s time. ❤️

name - @ijustreallylovezebras

The reader works in the local Starbucks and Bucky comes in almost every day but always orders with a different name ❤️

the safest place in new york - @wkemeup

A stranger comes to your rescue when you find yourself held at knifepoint, alone in an alleyway, by a man demanding your money ❤️

the sound of music - @delicatelyherdreams

Bucky never heard music the way everyone said he should. He never got a song stuck in his head. He never had a soulmate. Until he did. (Soulmate AU) ❤️

perfect for me - @prettyyoungtragedy

When your friends set you up on a blind date, you have no idea what you’re walking into. Is it a total fail or true love? ❤️

story time - @delicatelyherdreams

Bucky is coerced into joining a local library’s story time for veterans. He’s not sure what to expect. ❤️

something tells me - @ugh-supersoldiers

Soulmates are supposed to be a beautiful gift, created so that no one every goes through life without love. Born with an invisible matching marking, a tattoo to signify their bond, that only reveals itself after the two souls touch for the first time. After escaping Hydra, Bucky hopes more than anything that his soulmate died a long time ago, but little does he know you’re right around the corner. ❤️😔

in the name of love - @moonbeambucky

Bucky meets a nurse he thinks is playing hard to get and he’s more than willing to throw himself in the game.❤️😔

sing me to sleep - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Bucky meets a lovely stranger on a commercial flight.❤️

rose - @softlyspector

In a world where soulmates share each other’s scars, oddly enough it’s a tattoo that brings Bucky and the reader together. Soulmate AU ❤️

love in four acts - @buckybarnesowl

You’re a nurse living in Brooklyn. You’ve got a crush on your next door neighbour who doesn’t seem to know you exist. One day his cat finds its way into your apartment, forcing you both to finally meet. That’s when you learn that he’s James Buchanan Barnes, ex-Winter Soldier. Well, there goes your chances. Or maybe getting close to a superhero isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds ❤️😔

three times - @softlyspector

Some people say things differently. Bucky learns how to say I love you. Y/N learns how to hear him say it ❤️

who's she? - @itsapeterthing

 when sam gets injured during a mission and isn’t able to go to a hospital, bucky brings him and natasha to his own home to get cared for by his girlfriend, y/n, who he’s been keeping a secret. ❤️

a little old fashioned - @gogolucky13

 Bucky is a bit subtle in telling you he likes you ❤️

serious questions - @espinosaurusrexex

Bucky agrees to go on a date to make his colleagues shut up. Now, he just feels sorry for the poor woman that has to spend an entire evening with him. He really tries to make it work, though, because he actually enjoys her company. ❤️

a little longer - @buckyalpine

you're bucky's neighbor and he brings you to a cookout with sam as his fake girlfriend ❤️

search history - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you look at each other's search histories ❤️

new year's day - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you and bucky kiss at midnight on new years eve ❤️

history's mysteries - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you listen to a podcast that covers the winter soldier and ask bucky about his past ❤️

good old fashioned lover boy - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you introduce bucky to things he's missed ❤️

earthly possessions - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

bucky moves into readers place and has very few possessions ❤️

dress code - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

you have an ex that used to slut shame you for your outfits, but bucky loves them ❤️

chain round my neck - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

bucky gives you a special necklace ❤️

life before you - @world-of-aus

The reader has some form of abandonment issues (she doesn't want to be clingy) and thinks Bucky will leave her or something and he comforts her and there is a kinda fluffy-ness.   Or the reader always says thank you and sorry for everything even things that aren’t her fault and it’s because she had a rough past or dodgy ex or cause she thinks she’s a burden X   Basically I crave fluff X  Thanks in advance x  Lots of love  Xxxxx XXX X  ❤️

gentle - @softlyspector

Bucky and the reader are sharing an intimate moment when he accidentally reveals something to her. Or, Bucky Barnes wants a normal life. ❤️🔥

two pages - @softlyspector

Bucky laughs and curls a finger under her chin, tilting her head up and back. “Lemme take care of you,” he says, blue eyes clear and sparkling, like salt on the sea. 🔥

hint dropped - @rocketrhap3000

while looking at rings online, you accidentally click a “send a hint” feature addressed to Bucky’s email, despite never having that conversation with him and not even knowing whether or not that’s something he wants, but his reaction surprises you :) ❤️

valentine - @softlyspector

You’re Bucky’s neighbor, Bucky is your secret admirer. Valentine’s day and a potential date forces him to act ❤️

teddy bear - @softlyspector

soulmate!au in which when one soulmate loses something, their other half finds it. When Bucky begins finding things that don’t belong to him, he realizes he has a soulmate in the modern world after all. Even though they should be perfectly matched, he struggles to find a reason why he should meet her, and be a part of her life, convincing himself she’s better off without him. ❤️😔

secret relationship and bucky - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

bucky is always disappearing from the compound and everyone figures that it’s bucky being bucky.. but he’s visiting his civilian girlfriend and knows that she’ll be in danger the moment they go public so he doesn’t even tell the team about her.. and their circumstances of meeting could be in the aftermath of some Avengers thing? ❤️😔

nutella - @teamatsumu

Late at night, you turn on the kitchen light to find a stranger bleeding on your floor and eating your Nutella. ❤️

possession - @teamatsumu

On your 25th birthday, for twenty four hours, you are allowed to possess your soulmate; a process called The Possession. As you look at the world from their eyes, you find out everything you can about your soulmate so you can locate them when The Possession is over. But you have a slight problem: you wake up in a cryo freezer. ❤️😔

sounds of heaven - @moonbeambucky

Tired of another night without sleep, Bucky finds an unlikely source for help ❤️

baby - @ugh-supersoldiers

After you spend the night at Bucky’s for the first time, you drop a nickname that turns the ex Winter Soldier into a blushing and stuttering mess. ❤️

saturdays - @sunmoonandeddie

bucky barnes has a new routine ❤️😔

bookmark - @buckyalpine

reader is a romance writer and the other avengers discover her books ❤️🔥

pucker up, buttercup - @witchywithwhiskey

it's been a long day of working at your lemonade stall during the town's busy summer festival and making the day worse is all the unwanted attention and come-ons you've gotten from customers. by the time bucky barnes tries his own tired pickup line, you've had enough—but then he goes and spills a fresh pitcher of lemonade and offers to make a new one. you're reluctant to admit bucky might not be like all those other guys. in fact, he might be someone you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with. sunshine!bucky barnes x grumpy!fem!reader ❤️

gentle - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Y/N has never seen Bucky be anything but gentle and loving. It’s hard for her to believe her boyfriend was ever the world’s deadliest and most lethal assassin. ❤️😔

bad day - @invisibleanonymousmonsters

Y/N has an absolute shit day at work and Bucky tries to make his girl feel better. ❤️

[buckysqueen80]

Warning: ptsd, smut, aggressive tendencies Cowboy Bucky!

AN:

This was written in 3 parts with a slow burn. If you know the rule you know the rule. Now we ride on!

Save a Horse, Ride a Bucky Pt1

I had been working on this ranch, from about the time that I was old enough to wear my first pair of cowboy boots.

My father had owned this ranch before me, just as his father before him.

Before that, the ranch had been in the hands of the Rogers family.

But when they lost their only son, the family decided to pack up and sell the ranch.

That’s how it came to be in my family, and now currently mine.

I was proud that I was able to keep this ranch going, despite the troubles I had faced the first year after taking it over from my father.

We had a hard calving season, last round, with some of the calves not surviving. So things had been tight for a bit, but we pulled through.

I lost my buckaroo a while back after the last calving season, and had made due without one for the time being, but I couldn’t go without one with the upcoming show season starting.

I was headed into town to put a posting up looking for a new buckaroo.

When I got into town, I walked into the town watering hole, calling hello to the owner, Clint, who was holed up at the bar, serving the regulars.

“Y/N!” shouted Clint, as he scurried over to the end of the bar, where I stood.

“Hey Clint!” I say giving him a one armed hug.

“What brings you into town?” he asks me, looking down at the stack of papers I had in my hand.

“I’m finally going to hire a new buckaroo. Been putting it off since Rhodney left. But show season is in a few months, and I want this to go as smoothly as possible. So, do you think I can put up a flier here, in case someone is interested?” I ask him.

“Actually, funny that you mention it, but there is someone down at the other end of the bar that just came into town a few days ago looking for work. You’re looking for someone, he’s looking for work, it’s meant to be!” he says to me.

Before I can say anything, Clint calls down to someone at the end of the bar.

“Hey, Barnes!! Come here!!” he calls out.

I just roll my eyes at Clint, preparing for the worst.

As I lift my head up, I am met with the most electrifying blue eyes I have ever seen.

My eyes traveled to the pinkest lips, as they continued looking him up and down.

I let out a breath that I didn’t know I had been holding.

He took off his hat, putting it up against his chest and taking a bow, before a low reverberating sound rumbled in his chest.

“Howdy! My name is James, but most people call me Bucky!” he says, taking my hand in his.

The moment our skin touched, a shock wave of electricity flashed up my arm, causing a trail of goosebumps to erupt on my bare arm.

Bucky must have sensed it as well, because when I looked back at him, he had a smirk on his face, and made no effort to let go of my hand.

Clearing my throat, I pulled my hand from his.

“Nice to meet you, Bucky! I’m Y/N. Clint tells me you’re new in town and looking for work. Tell me, do you have any experience working on a ranch?” I ask, not realizing something was funny, when Clint snickered.

“Actually I do. I used to work on the Stark ranch several years ago.” He says.

“Theeeee Stark ranch?!? What did you do there, per se?” I asked him, trying to hide the fact that I was impressed.

“Well I was the lead buckaroo. That was until his son became old enough to take over. He decided to make some changes, and tossed me out into the cold. Since then, I’ve been bouncing from ranch to ranch offering up work, in exchange for a meal and a place to stay. Sometimes I got lucky, and managed a few months of work, others only a few days.” he said, taking a seat on a bar stool.

I did the same, and ask Clint for a bottle of Budwiser.

Bucky arched an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“What are you having?” I ask him, and when he doesn’t reply, I signal to Clint to make it two bottles.

As Clint put the two bottles in front of Bucky and I, we both nodded in thanks.

“So tell me, what sort of work are you looking to be done on your ranch?” Bucky asks, before taking a swig of his beer.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I’m looking for a new buckaroo. My last one left after our last calving season, looking for a better opportunity. I couldn’t blame him, after the rough season we had, it was anything but stable for a few months after that. But with show season about to start, I need someone who I can trust.” I tell him straight.

“I think you’ll find that I can be trustworthy, Y/N.” Bucky says, looking me dead in the eyes.

I didn’t know what was going on with me, but I couldn’t sit still under his gaze.

Clearing my throat, I stand up, downing the rest of my beer.

“Tell you what. Be at the old Rogers ranch for six am tomorrow, show me what you can do, and we will go from there. Deal?” I ask, extending my hand out to him.

He raises his eyebrows in shock, but quickly recovers, looking down at my hand, then licks his lips before taking it into a firm handshake.

“Deal! I’ll see you at six am.” he says.

“Great! See you then, and don’t be late!” I said before calling out a goodbye to Clint, and walking out of the bar to my truck.

Once I got into my truck, I let out a deep, ragged breath that I didn’t know I had been holding.

Just as I put the key into the ignition, there was a knock on my window, making me jump.

I look over to see Bucky at my door.

Rolling down the window, I look at him, waiting for him to say something.

“I just um, I just wanted to say thank you for giving me the chance. I know you don’t have to, but I do appreciate the chance.” he says.

“It’s just a chance for now. I’m not easily impressed, so if you can impress me tomorrow, we will go from there!” I say as I turned my key, the engine roaring to life.

“I’ll see you in the am. Remember, don’t be late!” I remind him, putting the truck into drive.

I looked back in the rearview mirror, and saw that Bucky was still standing where I left him.

~~~~

The next morning, I woke up before my alarm.

Stretching, I get up and walk to the bathroom, turning on the tap for the shower, before heading to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.

I looked up and out the window and saw Bucky fixing the broken latch on the horse’s pen area.

Shaking my head, I checked the time on the stove, showing that it was only a quarter after five.

I march back to the bathroom, and jump in the shower, while getting ready for the day.

A short time later, I made my way back to the kitchen with my boots in hand and an elastic on my wrist to put my hair in a ponytail.

I opened the kitchen door to signal that it was safe to come into the house.

A few moments later, the screen door opened, and in walked Bucky.

“Morning!” he says, walking into the kitchen.

“Morning! There’s coffee there if you want some?!Cups are in the far right cupboard.” I tell him.

He takes down a mug, and pours himself a cup of coffee, leaning up against the sink while taking his first sip, his eyes closing in appreciation.

“Thank you for fixing the latch. I’ve been meaning to get to it, but I just haven’t had a chance.” I explain.

“Wasn’t a problem really. Didn’t take me that long.” he says, while enjoying more of his coffee.

“So, I figured we could start by herding the calves from the field. I”m presuming that you can saddle up, and we can ride out.” I say, standing up as I walk over to the sink, reaching around him to put the mug in the sink.

The smell of Bucky’s cologne wafts up my nose, and makes my stomach do flops, as I fight the urge to get closer to him.

Clearing my throat, I step back, shaking my head, and turn to grab my hat off the table.

Bucky puts his now empty mug in the sink, and grabs his hat off the counter.

As we hurriedly walk to the stable,I saddle up my horse quickly, making sure things are secure before mounting up.

I watched as Bucky did the same, and was atop his horse.

“Follow me, and don’t get lost!” I warn him.

And with that, we head out to the field.

~~~

Several hours later, and all calves herded in field, we head back to the house for lunch.

We decided to eat on the porch, as the weather heated up once the sun came out.

Bucky took his shirt off, wiping away the sweat that had formed on his brow, showing off well toned arms and chest under a muscle shirt.

I had taken my sweater off, sitting in my tank top as well, and I swear, without looking over at him, I could feel his eyes roaming over me.

I squirmed in my seat, while finishing up my lunch, trying not to pay attention to him watching me.

Once I was done, I stood up taking my plate inside.

Standing at the counter, I steadied myself against the sink and tried to take calming breaths.

When Bucky came inside, bringing his plate as well, I turned to look at him.

“Can you ride? I don’t just mean like you did this morning, but I mean can you do rodeo riding?” I ask him.

“I’ve broken in a few horses in my time, so yeah, I guess the answer is yes.” He says.

“Good. I have a steed that I’ve been trying to break in. Want to give it a go?” I offer.

“I love a challenge. Sometimes it’s especially rewarding to get an animal to do your bidding. Especially when they have a lot of fiery spirit in them.” He said in a low, breathy manner, never taking his eyes off of me.

Taking a hard swallow, I pushed away from the counter, and wandered over to where the horses were out in the pen.

“This is Brimstone. He’s got a temper on him when it comes to someone trying to ride him. He’s thrown people off. If you want to try, you’re more than welcome to it.” I say, reaching over the paddock to get the saddle.

I held Brimstone’s bridle, while Bucky saddled the horse.

Sensing that something was amiss, Brimstone started pacing in spot, steadily becoming more agitated.

I watched as Bucky slowly and softly ran his hand down Brimstone’s flank, gently petting his mane.

Slowly Bucky walks in front of Brimstone, locking eye contact with him, holding out his hand so the horse could sniff it.

Brimstone stomped twice, bowing his head down, before nuzzling Bucky’s hand.

Bucky got up into Brimstone’s face, whispering something I couldn’t quite hear.

After petting his forehead and muzzle, Bucky walked back around to his flank before mounting in the saddle.

I held my breath as I watched Bucky sit in the saddle, not taking the reins, but holding onto the horn.

Brimstone let out a whinny, bowing down, then back up, letting Bucky take the reins.

Ensuring to hold on tight as soon as he took them, he waited for Brimstone to make a move.

All of a sudden, Brimstone takes off, and Bucky holds on tight.

After bucking for what seemed like forever, Brimstone couldn’t shake Bucky off, so decided to bow one final time, as Bucky petted Brimstone's neck telling him how good he was.

I couldn’t believe it.

I had been trying for months to break in Brimstone, and Bucky had managed to do so in under an hour.

I walk up to where Bucky had just dismounted, and held out my hand to him.

“If you want the job, it’s yours. I can’t say anything but that I’m impressed. Especially with Brimstone.” I say, just as Brimstone offered a nudge against Bucky’s shoulder, and Bucky offered him a sugar cube.

Brimstone whinnied in delight, beginning to prance in the enclosed pen proudly.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

This was definitely going to be interesting to have Bucky here.

~~~~~

It had been several months since I hired Bucky.

To say that he’s proven to be a great help is an understatement.

I had managed to catch up on all the tasks that had fallen by the waist side.

Bucky helped me with the bigger tasks, and took on a lot of the menial ones as well.

We had just finished for the day, and I was sitting on the rocking chair on the porch.

Bucky came bouncing up the steps before sitting down on the top step.

We sat watching the sun set on the horizon, just enjoying each other’s company for the evening.

Over the last few months, the tension between Bucky and I had been growing, with his random off the cuff comments continuously in the foreground, giving people the impression that there was something between us.

Tonight was no exception.

“Y/N?” I hear him call out.

“Yes, Bucky?” I replied back.

“Thank you again for this. For the opportunity, and the chance to prove myself.” he says, turning to look at me.

I turn to look at him, and notice a range of emotions flicker across his face.

Trying to defuse whatever was to come, I stood up, about ready to excuse myself, when Bucky stood up as well, moving to block the door a moment, clearing his throat before trying to swallow his dry mouth.

“Y/N, I … “ he starts, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly a few times.

“It’s ok, Bucky. I’m going to go to bed.” I say, waiting for him to move.

As I try to move past him, he puts his hands on my arms to stop me.

“Y/N, I know this doesn’t seem right and with you being my boss, this is not something I would normally say, but I like you. You took a big chance by hiring me, and I know I can and probably would ruin anything that we have, but I want you to know I really do like you. I’ve been attracted to you since I met you!” he admits.

“Bucky, it’s ok really.” I say,my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t believe my ears.

Before I can say or do anything else, I’m being pulled into a warm and passionate kiss.

His lips are warm and soft against mine. Almost velvety.

Once the shock wore off, I tilt my head back, feeding into the kiss.

We stayed like that until we needed air.

I stood there with my mouth agape, trying to process the thoughts, or lack of thoughts, running around my head.

“Y/N? Say something? Did you enjoy the kiss?” he asks.

Before I can say anything, the phone rings, and I motion for him to stay put, that I’d be a moment.

Before I pick up the receiver, I turn back and look at Bucky getting his attention and he turns around and when he finally looks at me, I just nod my head yes.

I pick up the receiver, looking Bucky square in the eyes.

“Hello?”

Pt 2 to follow

[shakespeareallanpoe]

Batfamily Secret Santa

With the holidays coming up here's my headcanon for what each of the batfamily members would get each other if they were doing a secret Santa. (And yes, I know Bruce is canonically Jewish, but I believe either Tim or Dick are some denomination of Christian so I'd imagine they have a mixed holiday celebration at the manor)

Bruce (got Stephanie)

Ok so Bruce is super generous on a good day and I can't imagine Steph wouldn't be dropping hints since Thanksgiving, so he'd probably give her everything she asked for plus a new movie Wayne manor doesn't have, so after the celebration they could watch it together as a one-on-one bonding thing since he's pretty big on quality time in some versions.

Dick (got Bruce)

Bruce really doesn't expect anything for the holidays which is perfect because I have this headcanon that Dick is actually really bad with giving gifts. Someone bullied your little sister? Not on his watch. Life advice? He'll pull from his past experiences to tell you what not to do. Emotional support? Bro he's there. But birthday/anniversary/holiday gifts? Expect a mug with Snoopy's face because you both watched Charlie Brown together once. In July. He's just that kind of gift giver. So I'm thinking Dick would get Bruce a dinosaur themed 1,000 piece puzzle because Bruce likes dinosaurs and he likes puzzles so boom! Match made in heaven, ya boi is a genius. 😎

Barbara (got Jason)

Babs is a pretty practical person so her secret Santa to Jason probably consisted of a gift bag with manly smelling body wash, a gift card to Barnes & Noble, and a CD mixtape of Jason's Spotify favorites so he can pop it into a car and listen to it during long car rides.

Duke (got Damian)

So Duke is a pretty creative person when he's passionate about a project and his ideas are definitely one of a kind, but I think for some time he would really struggle with coming up with a secret Santa for Damian because he isn't all that close with Robin. He knew Damian appreciated weapons but he's also the type of person to not want Damian to think that weapons are all he is by getting him one. Presents for Damian's pets are off the table since Damian spoils them on every day of the year, so Duke would probably gift Damian something for the child he is, since Damian never had a childhood. Maybe a telescope so Damian could look at the stars with his family on clear nights. Just like what Duke's mom gave him as a boy for the holidays one year.

Cass (got Dick)

Cass didn't receive material gifts for most of her life so she probably enlisted Alfred's help. Given that the butler knows Dick pretty well, they decided to give him a gift basket with blue ribbon that had a T-shirt of his favorite band, some flash fuzzy socks (Wally would approve), and his favorite holiday candy. Dick is really more of a quality time kind of person if you want to make him to feel special, so it didn't need to be elaborate anyway.

Jason (got Cass)

I don't care how much people try to make Jason into a sexist, ignorant-to-the-fine-arts kind of person. Jason doesn't give a fuck about gender stereotypes and he loves learning, especially about classical things like literature or fine arts. For his secret Santa to Cass he got them both tickets for a weekend trip to Russia to see a ballet in person in one of the grandest cities in Russia. Cass has obviously been to many places across the world, but it was always for a mission and nothing more. For the holidays, Jason gifted her two days where they could travel and explore the culture, living like locals or being those stereotypical tourists just for shits and giggles. Just a few days without work to relax and live happy lives as regular people. When Cass got her gift Jason pulled her aside afterwards to explain it, so she wouldn't cry in front of everyone. And she did cry. Just a little. So did Jason.

Tim (got Duke)

Tim wouldn't think too hard about Duke's gift since he knows the people Duke hangs out with. Or could find them. Getting Duke a gift was as simple as casually running into Duke's friends and asking them about what Duke likes. Not that he or Duke's friends ever mentioned this to Signal, so when he opened his secret Santa and found some hyper-specific things amongst some more generic gifts, he began to wonder just how much Tim knew about his life.

Stephanie (got Babs)

Steph is absolutely the type of person to get someone for Christmas something they want themselves. So a lot of the gifts Bruce gave her look similar to what Babs got from Steph. Not that she means anything by it, but in her mind if it's worth wanting, someone else close to her probably wants it too. And Babs doesn't mind. She already bought herself a new desk light after the old one got knocked down one too many times, so it doesn't matter if she has a cute keychain to go on it.

Damian (got Tim)

Regardless of his age I think a younger sibling will always be a younger sibling. Damian would probably give Tim a large fancy gift bag filled with tissue paper... and nothing else. He'd do it just to see Tim's reaction to rifling through the bag for several moments to come up empty. Then, when Tim admits defeat, Damian would hand over a gift he asked Jon to pick up for Connor, nicely wrapped with Tim's forged signature and everything. He wasn't about to get Tim a gift but it's okay because he knew Tim would've somehow forgotten to get his boyfriend a holiday gift anyway. (And he did)

[val-writesstuff]

Not Going Back

Summary: Your past seems to catch up to you but it's not who you expected to see

Wc: 1k+

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Taglist Form

Bucky paced the hallway outside of Steve’s office as he waited. He knew he shouldn't have kept what he knew a secret, knew Steve had a right to know the truth. He just hadn't found a good time to bring it up; it's not exactly breakfast conversation.

When he heard Steve hang up his call in his office, he walked in, dropping the file he had put together on the desk with a thump.

Steve raised his eyebrows as he pulled the folder closer, flipping it open to a grainy black-and-white side-view shot of a woman. A voice in Steve's head said he knew her, but he couldn't place her. “What am I looking at here, Buck? Is this some Hydra scientist we need to take care of?”

Bucky sighed and paced for another moment before lowering himself into the chair opposite Steve’s desk. “We worked closely together when I was the winter soldier. She got out a few months after I did. When I got back, I started looking for her.”

“I’m glad you want me to help you, but who is she? Why is she so important that you've been looking for her since you returned? That’s a long time to look for one person, Buck.”

Bucky didn't get nervous often, but this might be the hardest thing he had done in a while. He steeled his nerves and took a deep breath before answering. “It’s your sister Steve. She's out there."

==========

*three months later*

I chew my lip nervously as I glance over my shoulder. There's no reason for anybody here to follow me, but I can't shake the feeling I'm being watched. I duck down an empty side street and lean against the brick wall of a nearby building. I reach into the pocket of my leather jacket and thumb at the switchblade.

With what I do for a living, it was stupid to think I could stay in one place for so long. I should've left months ago, but the people were so friendly I could almost pretend I wasn't in hiding, running from a past I could barely remember.

After a while, with nothing suspicious happening, I decide it’s safe enough to head back to the apartment I had just started calling “home.” Guess that was a mistake.

I rush into my apartment and start shoving things into my bags. One bag for clothes, one for weapons, kept it easy to pack. There were certain things ingrained in my head; one of them was ‘don't own things that you can not replace’  Sure, I could leave with nothing and be fine, but it was a pain in the ass, and I liked my stuff.

I leave and head off toward where I know I can steal a helicopter. I take side streets and back alleys, trying to hurry when I get that feeling again. That itch in the back of my brain tells me somebody is watching me, but when I look over my shoulder, there’s still nobody there.

Another twenty minutes of walking pass, and I can see the airport when I hear a crunch behind me. I spin around and see a blond man staring at me. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place him.

Grabbing a weapon from my bag would take too long, so I'm left with only my switchblade and ability. He doesn't look like he wants to fight me, so my best bet is to run.

I turn and take off at a sprint. No regular person can keep up with me, so I should be in the clear. I'm only a few feet away from my escape when something heavy slams into my side and grabs onto me.

I look to see what it is and see a face I could never forget; he haunts my dreams. They sent my own damn partner after me. I recognize the expression on his face; it's the same one he makes on missions just before the end. Angry, determined.

With a grunt, I raise my knee and kick his chest as hard as possible. I know I'll never be able to beat him, mainly because there's this tiny voice in the back of my mind screaming not to hurt him.

"I'm not going back!" I scramble away from him and leap to my feet. I snatch the switchblade from my pocket and flip it open. My other hand flexes, and I prepare to use the ability I had spent months shoving down.  "I'd die before I ever go back with you!" I spit out and glance between them. The blond still looks hesitant about this, so he should be easy to deal with. The soldier is challenging, but I can get out of here if I can just get past him.

I run towards him, and just before he reaches out to grab me, I hit the ground and slide between his open legs. Yet again, I run for my salvation, not pausing for my dropped bags.

Stupidly I think I'm in the clear when the other one grips my wrist and yanks me towards him. He wraps his arms around me tightly; my arms are trapped at my sides, and I try to slash out with my knife.

The soldier huffs as he snatches it away from me, closes it, and shoves it into his pocket.

"I'm not going back with you!" I jerk my head back and slam it into the chin of Mr. Hesitant. Winter immediately grabs me and tosses me like a sack of potatoes. I land with a grunt. I try to strike out at him, but he grabs my wrists in one hand, pinning them to the ground above my head.

"Doll, I didn't wanna hurt you, but you're not making this easy." his other hand is pinning my hips to the ground, and he's sitting on my legs, so I can't kick him off me. I look around, trying to find the other guy, when the unmistakable feeling of a needle pierces my neck. Found him.

“Fuck you!” I do my best to thrash and fight even as black spots begin to invade my vision.

Remember, likes are nice but reblogs/feedback are golden!

Tags: @charmedbysarge @cjand10

[avengerscompound]

The Recruit - 17. Clint

The Recruit - An Avengers Fanfiction

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Clint Barton x Bucky Barnes x Sharon Carter x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Sam Wilson x F!Reader

Word Count: 3131

Warnings: Smut (FFM bisexual threesome, oral sex, vaginal sex, tribbing, edging)

Synopsis:  When Sam Wilson is set up on a blind date, he doesn’t expect anything to come from it.  He is already in a relationship after all, and not just with one other person, but a whole group of them. You never expected to end up working for the Avengers let alone be dating six of them at the same time. ��Now you’re balancing a new job, a new romance, new friends, and a secret that could destroy a lot of lives if it got out.  It’s a tricky balance to get right at the best of times, but when something happens to Steve Rogers it’s up to the people who love him most to get him back.

17. Clint

Clint was a big fan of being in a relationship.  He often led with his heart, making calls about people on the fly, running headlong into marriages, and trusting his instincts.  There was so much he enjoyed about being with another person.  He loved the close bond you formed when you were in love with another person, how they were your best friend and closest confidant.  He loved PDA - there was nothing he liked better than cuddling and holding hands, and making out with people whenever they were within reach of him.  He loved the sex.  Yes, it could be amazing having a random hookup, but he really did love how silly and experimental sex could get when you had the right long-term partner.  He loved having company.  He loved the potential that romance could be family.  He loved the idea of one day being a dad.  He loved the act of falling in love.

 Unfortunately, relationships didn’t always end up well for him.  He loved being in relationships, but he wasn’t always sure he was the best partner.  He had been judgemental in the past, to the point it ruined his marriage.  He’d cheated on someone he cared about.  He doubted himself constantly.  Partially because he had made stupid mistakes with people he loved, but also because he didn’t have great examples of healthy relationships and unconditional love in his life.  His father had been violently abusive right up until he’d died and taken his mother’s life as well.  His brother had ended up turning on him and trying to kill him.  Every foster home had been violent, and the circus only provided conditional care.  If he made money they took care of him, if not, he was out.  Within the circus, he even picked up two more father figures, both of whom tried to kill him at least once.

Yes, Clint loved relationships, but it wasn’t until his current one that he really felt secure in it.  There was something about polyamory that just clicked for him.  It was weird, in a way, because where some people might find dating six people to be difficult to juggle, Clint just found he got more of the good stuff and less of the bad.  There were more people to make out with, and more people he considered his best friends, the sex was way more varied and regular, and when he started getting all up in his head about things he had a whole bunch of people to help him think about things more reasonably.  Even this week, when Steve had been particularly short with him since returning from his mission, the others had reminded him Steve had just gone through something big so that Clint didn’t end up spiraling.

Plus he’d fallen in love five times, completely guilt-free.

Now he was falling in love all over again.  He loved training with you and felt personal pride when you aced a lesson.  He loved when you came to dinner with the group and the little buzz of excitement that wasn’t there before.  The buzz that came when you were starting to realize that what you were feeling for someone was real, and there might be a future there.  He loved the one-on-one time he got to spend with you, as rare as it was still, when it did happen he felt this instant connection, the way he had with Natasha all those years ago.

It was date night tonight and you’d agreed to spend time with him and Natasha.  He was practically thrumming with excitement.  He had plans - or ideas that could be plans if you were up for them.  He thought you would be up for them.  He felt like he was getting to know you well now, and he was sure you’d be just as excited as he was.

“You know I haven’t had sex with her yet?” Natasha said as she watched him get everything ready.

“Well, obviously we don’t have to have sex,” he said.  “Twister doesn’t mean sex.”

She laughed. “You’re such an idiot.”

The affection was clear in her voice.  Like the word idiot, was a synonym for I love you.

He grinned and kissed her cheek.  “Look,” he said.  “You said it yourself, it’s hard to date someone when you can’t take them out on dates.  I want to make sure we do something fun that’s not just watching TV while we eat pizza.  She’s moving into the building which will mean it’s easier for her just to come up and see us and do that more chilled hang out, but this is date night, so I want it to stand out.

“And Twister is your way of doing that?” she asked skeptically.

“There’s not just Twister,” he said.  “I borrowed Bucky and Sam’s Switches so we can play Mario Kart or Mario Party, and I’ve got tasting platters for dinner.  It’s going to be fun.” 

She went to look over the food options when there was a knock on the door.  Clint was so excited he practically skipped over to open it.

Your face lit up when he pulled the door open and his heart skipped a beat.  You looked amazing in the red A-line dress you picked out for the date.  Clint thought you always looked great though.  Even in sweats with a huge sweat patch on the back, he thought you looked hot as fuck, but he loved seeing the choices you made when there was a date.  It told him more about you.

“Hello,” he said, with a hint of playfulness in his voice.  “You look amazing.”  He leaned in and kissed your cheek. “Come in.”

“Thank you,” you said, following him inside.  You approached Natasha and she kissed you in greeting.  “This is the first two-person date I’ve done.”

“We tend to spend most of our time in twos or threes,” Natasha explained.  “I know that must sound strange given we’re all together, but it means we all get to focus on each other as individuals rather than just a hive mind.”

“I guess that makes sense,” you said.  “Plus I bet it’s hard to find a bed that fits you all.”

“You’re telling me,” Clint said.  “Need to contact Hugh Hefner and ask who makes his furniture.”

You burst out laughing and Natasha gave him a playful push.

“Do you want a drink?” Natasha asked as she went to the fridge.  “Clint’s a heathen, but he might have some red wine.  He definitely has beer.”

“Beer is fine,” you said.  “Thank you.”

She went and got three beers from the fridge.  “So how’s moving going?” she asked as she handed your bottle over.

“Slow.  I’ve given notice, but I need to get my things moved over here and money’s tight,” you explained.  “I’d ask my boyfriends and girlfriends for help, but they aren’t allowed to be seen doing that.”

The tone you had used was so light and playful, it was impossible to confuse it for anything other than a joke, but it still made Clint frown.  The secrecy was something he wasn’t a big fan of either.  Not that he wanted the whole world to know his business, but he also didn’t like having to pretend he wasn’t in a relationship any time he stepped out the door.

“You know there’s money available for moving costs for employees?” Natasha said.  “If you book a removalist and take the bill to accounting, they’ll cover it.  I don’t remember what the amount is, but I think it’s pretty high.  It’s to help entice people to make the move from around the world.”

“Are you sure it would be okay?  I mean - I’m only moving across the river,” you asked. 

Natasha shrugged.  “I think so,” she said.  “I mean, you can ask accounting, but we hire the best of the best, and part of that is making sure it’s easy for them to work here.  Anyway - speak to accounting.  Ask for Lillian.  She’ll sort it out.”

“Thank you,” you said.

“Sorry we can’t help,” Clint said.  “I’d do it if there was a way to make sure no one saw.”

“Hey,” you said, rubbing his arm. “It’s okay.  I get it.  I mean, it sucks we can’t just be like other people, but I wouldn’t want to put the rest of you at risk.”

“We’ll work it out one day,” Natasha said. “I’m sure we will.  Eventually, we have just to say; screw it, you can accept us or not, but this is us.  But not until you’ve finished your training, and probably not until you feel like this is it for you.  Or we all feel like that, I guess.”

You nodded.  “I understand,” you said. “Don’t worry, I get to have pretty great date nights, even if we can’t go out.  Which brings us to now.  What have we got in mind?”

“Oh god, you’re going to love this,” Natasha said, stifling laughter and shaking her head.

“Well, it depends where you want to start,” he said.  “I have the stuff to do a fondue sampler and then a desert sampler,” he said.  “I’ve got some switches and we can play Mario Party.  And I’ve got Twister!”

“Twister?!” you exclaimed.

“Yes!” he said, grabbing your hand.  He had thought you’d be excited about it, but when Natasha had questioned the idea, it had made him doubt himself.  The fact you seemed genuinely excited made him almost vibrate with excitement.

He dragged you over to the living room where he made space for the game and picked up the box and held it out to you. “You wanna play?”

You laughed and nodded.  “Set it up.”

It wasn’t long before you, Clint, and Natasha were tangled up together trying to spin the wheel without fully toppling everyone over.  He knew he and Natasha would be good.  Natasha was a trained ballerina, and he had been trained in acrobatics.  He was surprised by how well you were keeping up given your training was more strength based than flexibility.

Your legs were trembling now as you reached out to spin the wheel.  Clint was face up with one leg somehow under Natasha while both his arms were over you.  Natasha was basically a pretzel, weaved in and out of both you and Clint.  Clint was loving it.  Not just how close everyone was, or how he loved to show off his skills, but even Natasha had started laughing not long into the game.  He loved seeing her drop her walls.

You reached over and flicked the wheel.  “Clint can you see that?” you asked.

“Left foot, yellow,” he said.

“Fuck,” you cursed and slowly started trying to move your foot.

Natasha started giggling.  Actually giggling.  Clint wasn’t even sure he’d ever heard her make that sound before.  It was like music to his ears.

“Come on, you can do it,” Natasha teased.  “You just have to get past Clint.”

“I’m trying,” you cackled.  “I might have to dislocate my hip.”

“No pain, no gain,” Natasha teased.

It made you laugh louder and that was enough for you to lose your balance, you went toppling over, taking Clint with you, and then Natasha, so that the three of you fell into a pile on the ground together, all laughing hysterically.

“I don’t even know how to get untangled from this,” you laughed.

“Why would you want to?” Clint said, pulling both you and Natasha into his arms.

“Clint!” Natasha yelped.  Despite her protest, she wrapped her arms around both you and Clint and nuzzled into his neck.

Clint grinned and kissed her, then turned to you, capturing your lips.  One of your hands went to his hair, tugging on it gently, it sent a little shiver down his spine, that only grew when Natasha began to kiss his neck.”

You broke the kiss with him and Clint watched with lust-blown eyes as you leaned over and kissed Natasha.  Clint had a whole host of emotions swirling inside him, and they were all good.  He was delighted by how much fun everyone had just had, especially Natasha who usually held herself back from really giving in to her silly side.  He felt the deep strong love that he’d nurtured over so long with Natasha, and the exciting new love he was developing with you.  He felt excited about what seemed to be happening right now, even if it stopped just at the making out.  All those emotions mixed and fed his desire and his cock twitched in his pants.

He ran one hand up under your skirt, running his palm over your ass, while the other hand slid up under Natasha’s shirt.

That simple action seemed to switch something on inside Natasha.  The kiss intensified, and she guided you onto your back and pushed your skirt up.  You lifted your hips and she grabbed the waistband of your panties and pulled them down.  When she’d tossed them aside you spread your legs for her, exposing your cunt.

Clint’s cock was only getting harder as he watched Natasha drop her head down and begin to suck on your pussy.  You moaned, bucking your hips up.  Your hands went to your breasts and you massaged them as you writhed under Natasha’s attention.  Clint moved up behind Natasha and pulled her pants down to her knees.  Natasha spread her legs as much as she could, and when Clint saw the glisten of her pussy lips he plunged in and began to eat her out from behind.

With his vision now gone and his hearing already muted, he was overwhelmed by the other three.  The scent and taste of Natasha’s cunt made his cock strain against his jeans almost painfully.  Even with his damaged hearing, he could hear the moans both you and Natasha made and it only added to his own need.

He lapped over Natasha’s cunt, pushing his tongue inside her to taste as much of her tart sex as he could before he started focusing on her clit.  Her thigh muscles tightened under his hands and he felt her start to tremble.  Your sounds were getting louder and louder and all at once you cried out and seemed to pull Natasha toward you.  Natasha moaned and her pussy clenched, drenching his tongue as she came.  He sat back and even as you and Natasha panted and rode your orgasm highs, you both stripped off your remaining clothes.  Clint followed your lead, shedding his clothing and tossing it aside.  As soon as his jeans were unfastened, his cock sprung out and he let out a sigh of relief.  By the time he had wiggled out of them, Natasha was on top of you, grinding her bare pussy on yours.

Clint had always been the kind of guy who was super into spontaneous sex.  For that reason, just as Natasha had guns and knives hidden everywhere, he had condoms and lube.  He opened one of the drawers on his coffee table and pulled out a condom, rolling it on as he watched you and Natasha writhe on the Twister mat.  He moved up behind you and grabbed Natasha’s hips, and slid inside her.  They moaned in unison as the heat and wetness of Natasha’s cunt enclosed Clint’s cock.  When he’d pushed in as far as he could he began to thrust.  As he did you ground up against Natasha, your pussy stimulating her clit and making her clench and flutter around his cock.  Natasha’s moans got louder and louder as Clint brought her closer and closer to the edge and just when she was there, about to tip over he pulled out and plunged into your cunt.

You let out a gasp at the surprise intrusion, and you arched your back up under her.  Natasha ground down on you as Clint started to fuck you hard. Each time he thrust into you, your bodies connected with a wet crack.  Natasha wrapped her fingers around your jaw and looked down into your eyes, watching you closely, as she and Clint brought you to the edge.

Just as your cunt began to flutter, Clint pulled out and thrust into Natasha again.

Again and again, he brought you and Natasha to the edge, only to pull out and switch.  He was barely keeping it together himself and each time he pulled out of either of you, the whine of frustration that accompanied it made his cock throb.

The fourth time he pulled out of Natasha she looked back at him with her eyes narrowed.  “I swear to god, Barton, if you don’t let me come…”

He smirked and leaned down and kissed her shoulder.  “What will you do?”

She slapped his hip as he thrust into you again.  His apartment reeked of sex.  Sweat was clinging to his skin, and your pussy dripped as he fucked you, creating a small pool on the plastic Twister mat.

He pulled out again and thrust into Natasha again.  He was right on the edge and he gritted his teeth as he plunged into her again and again.  Natasha’s legs trembled and she moaned loudly into your neck, babbling the word please over and over, something he’d never gotten Natasha to do before.  He didn’t let up and with a loud cry, she came, gushing over his cock.

He pulled out and slammed back into you, unsure if he’d make it to your release before coming himself.  Thankfully, it wasn’t long until you were a squirming mess under him and you arched up, crying out loudly as your cunt clamped down around his shaft, drawing him in deeper.  He finally relaxed and let his own orgasm happen.  He shoved deep into you as your cunt squeezed around him and came with a deep moan.

As his cock stilled, he sat back, breathing heavily.

“Holy shit,” Natahsa panted as she rolled off you, her arm covering her face.  “It’s never been like that before.  Not with anyone.”

“Pretty fucking good, huh?” he sighed.

“Mm-hmm,” you hummed in agreement.  “I forgot what else you said we were going to do tonight.”

“I can beat that,” Natasha joked.  “I can’t even remember my name.”

The three of you laughed breathlessly, and you forced yourself into sitting.  “You wanna have a shower?” Clint asked.

“Yeah.  Then I definitely want to eat,” you agreed.

“For sure,” Clint said.  “Gonna need to carbo load if I’m going to go again.”

Natasha hit him weakly.  “Who said you’d get to go again.”

“The night’s early, Nat,” he said, getting up and pulling her to her feet. He offered you his hand and you took it, letting him pull you up too.  “We still have plenty of time for more shenanigans.”

// NEXT

[scionshtola]

self-rec tag game

Rules: share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.) Then, tag five more people to share the things they've made.

i was tagged by @coldshrugs thank you!! <3 i'll tag @lavampira @hythlodaes @thevikingwoman @ladamebrunette and anyone else who wants to do it!

✨Something you absolutely adore✨

"having a romantic picnic" (FFXIV) a valentine's day prompt for corishtola! a little picnic that doesn't quite go to plan. pre-relationship but there's been romance there since the beginning. i like rereading this one because i just think it's really cute

Y’shtola opened her eyes, and her hand closed over their fingers on her cheek. “There is no need to apologize. I enjoyed the rest, brief though it was. One could hardly argue that we do not deserve it.” “Oh?” Corisande said with a smile. She swept her thumb across her cheek once more and Y’shtola blinked, as if realizing for the first time just how close they were. “Did you not argue with me all morning about taking the afternoon off? Or was that someone else I practically had to drag from all the books she brought with her, ‘just in case?’” “Before you begin casting stones, pray tell how many books you brought,” Y’shtola said, a smile playing on her lips.

✨Something that was challenging to create✨

figure my heart out (Wayfarer) tbh the title is kind of a hint to why it was challenging lol Mirren's feelings for Aeran and how that leads to her making out with Veyer in public are very complicated!

Veyer kisses her, their body pressing her against the stone archway. They’re speaking to her in between kisses, but she can’t concentrate on the words, and not only because she is too preoccupied with their lips against her neck. The truth is you need me more than I need you, you always do— She pulls them closer, fingers clutching at their jacket. She wants this. She can prove to herself that he wasn’t right, that she doesn’t need him—someone who keeps things from her, someone who shot her—more than he needs her. She can go through with this, can keep kissing them, can let them lead her away from the gallery for more. If Aeran saw her right now, he would know, too. If Aeran saw her right now…

✨Something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably) ✨

A Barn in a Blizzard (FFXIV) the very first ffxiv fic I wrote! it sets up the basis for Corisande and Haurchefant's friendship (Corisande being a regular visitor to the Camp Dragonhead chocobo stables) and their romance. The fic itself makes me smile but the title is a little joke based on the idea of Haurchefant being her "port in a storm" and it makes me laugh when I remember it.

He gestured to a nearby stall where Cilantro had burrowed down in the warm hay, snug in his fluffy winter barding. “He certainly seems well taken care of.” Corisande smiled. She loved to dote on Cilantro and did her best to provide him with everything he needed and more. “He cares for me enough to follow me into this weather, despite how much he despises the cold.” “A strong devotion, indeed,” Haurchefant said, glancing down at her with a smile. “You seem to inspire that in people.”

✨Something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.) ✨

“You’re still awake. Something on your mind?” (FFXIV) Corisande wakes up and finds Haurchefant still working, they try to keep him on task but he's got other things in mind...the surprise is that I did not intend for it to lead anywhere suggestive when I started writing but it did and I liked it! and there might be a part 2 on ao3

“A bit late in the day to be reviewing reports, isn’t it? Something on your mind?” “Nothing all too important,” he says. He straightens in his chair and grasps their fingers in his. “I was awake and thought to pass the time by clearing a few reports that seem to have fallen to the wayside.” “Do you do all your paperwork in the middle of the night?” she teases, pressing a kiss to his temple to make up for the jest.

✨Something you want other people to see✨

"slow dancing in the living room" (FFXIV) another Corishtola Valentine's Day prompt (I wrote most of my FFXIV fics in Jan/Feb lmao) I just like this one because of the Pining. and Cori doesn't even know it yet. and poor Y'shtola in love with the most oblivious person in Eorzea.

The song began to slow, growing soft and almost melancholic. Y’shtola drew away, fingers slipping from their grasp, but they tightened their grip before she could slip free entirely. She paused her retreat, tilting her head in confusion as she looked back at them. “Just until the end of the song,” they said, pulling her back toward them. She came easily enough, though she opened her mouth to protest. Corisande put a hand on her waist and she stilled under the touch. “I promise.”

[pearcecallahan]

→ INTRODUCING PEARCE CALLAHAN

in character

Name: Pearce Callahan

Faceclaim: Ben Barnes

Gender & Pronouns: Cismale & He/Him

Age: 40

Birthday: March 3, 1984

Occupation: Psychologist

Neighborhood: Wrightsville Beach

Sexuality: Heterosexual

biography

Pearce Callahan was born March 3, 1984 to Caroline and William Callahan in London, England. Being the first of the Callahan children, he was their absolute pride and joy. It wasn’t until he was five when his parents decided to start to add to their family and eventually, he ended up with two brothers and two sisters, all of which is he more than protective of and he even stepped in as somewhat of a third parent and it wasn’t as though his parents were bad parents or neglectful but it was just that taking care of five children was a lot for a stay at home mother. He never minded helping anyways.

Growing up as the oldest of five siblings, Pearce knew that there was always going to be that expectation that whatever he did with his life, he was going to have to do something that would encourage the rest of his siblings to do the same thing. He’d been so sure he was going to be a writer, having enjoyed it quite a bit and even being pretty good at it, but after taking a psychology class as an elective course, he knew that he was destined to help people with their trauma and whatever else they wanted to work through. So, his major quickly shifted from creative writing to Psychology.

And that’s where he met he met his first wife, Veronica. She was everything to him and it was love at first sight. He knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and that’s why he ended up proposing before he even finished his masters degree. The two lived in a small apartment, him working as a psychologist and Veronica working as a nanny. His clientele built up slowly but surely. Apparently not fast enough for Veronica and she decided to sleep with one of the single dads she was being a nanny for. A man who had more money than he did but one he was sure didn’t love her the way that he did. Still, the money was what mattered to her at the end of the day and not the feelings that Pearce had for her.

So, despite everything that he would be leaving behind, he found that it was best to move to the states and that’s how he landed himself in Wilmington at the age of thirty. He started out practicing under someone else but eventually, after building his clients up, he opened his own office in wrightsville beach not too far from where he lives.

Pearce managed to find some friends to surround himself with the moment he found himself in town and that was the encouragement he needed to confirm that he’d fully made the right choice by leaving everything he’d ever known behind.

random facts

he can play the piano

he's huge on selfcare and has a skincare routine, and also takes regular bubble baths

still does a little bit of writing but nothing publishable

big fan of boba tea