#bucky and steve-- very long lived naturally

[nyxelestia]

Tacking onto all of this, I do find it off-putting that a lot of fics ignore that he had a life before HYDRA and before the war. It only ever seems to come up in relation to Steve but not his own sense of self.

If he is going to define himself by consumer choices, why not explore what it means that he actually does have a sense of self within that paradigm...but all the things he wants to choose for himself are gone, lost to the passage of time? Why is his sense of self and identity less valid just because the ravages of time and capitalism have rendered all his preferences and choices unavailable? Is he really free to define himself if his options are limited to what is available today, but do not include what feels true to him and his live experiences?

I will add that I also suspect a lot of these fics are being heavily informed and biased by the personal experiences of the community that they were written by and for. In short, this community has way more survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence that it has survivors of war and multigenerational poverty, and it shows. The way fandom in general tends to understand and write PTSD has less to do with war -- even the specifically American military-industrial version of it -- and more in common with surviving abuse.

I think some of that is an understandable product of the story. Most survivors of war and soldiers with PTSD were not in a long-term, on-going psychological manipulation that systematically and intentionally deconstructed their sense of self; yet that description, while extreme, is very applicable to what it feels like to be in and escape from an abusive relationships (whether a family dynamic or an intimate partner relationship).

There are many significant differences between "abuse/assault survivor PTSD" vs "war/external conflict PTSD," but I think one of the most relevant differences is the nature of the cause of trauma denying victims autonomy, agency, and self-determination.

This may not be easy to see at first because the military is so conformist. Everyone has the same uniform, code of conduct, and often the exact same lifestyle or schedule. But that's relatively superficial; it's almost a stereotype that as soon as soldiers with their first military paychecks get off base for the first time, they make a lot of bad but self-determining purchases like fancy cars and high-end consumer electronics. One of the reasons why the military as an institution is so enduring is because after this initial period of intense conformity and trauma, it's often a path of self-determination (or at least marketed as such): loans for housing, support for education, multiple career paths, etc. (The flipside being, of course, that the military can just as easily lock you into a career you don't want, or the trauma from it can make achieving any semblance of life after violence anywhere from difficult to impossible.) Meanwhile, abusive families and relationships are often exactly the opposite: superficially giving victims all the freedom in the world or only very few restrictions (at least as compared to the military), yet in practice locking victims into a specific lifestyle or path preferred by the abuser.

This manifests in the way a lot of fanfic authors write Bucky recovering from the Winter Soldier ordeal. He exercises a lot of autonomy and agency in his superficial consumer choices, yet often exercises very little real agency in the course of his life. Either he remains a superhero / supersoldier of some variety, or he has to take the extreme measure of completely dropping off the grid (and out of public eye, and often well away from everyone else in the world) to achieve any sense of peace.

A lot of Bucky Recovery fics don't really feel like a traumatized veteran or even traumatized abuse survivor moving on with their life or recovering anything significant. Instead, they have the same vibes as a military fresh recruit making dumb high-interest big purchases off-base while rushing back to base in time for PT, or someone in an abusive relationship celebrating a fancy haircut their partner likes while putting their education and career on hold for said partner. A lot of these fics feel like they make Bucky celebrate superficial appearances of autonomy and agency to obfuscate just how little self-determination he really has even after escaping HYDRA.

In a weird way, this feels like an apt metaphor not for the character but for the authors. Much like Bucky post-Winter Soldier, they cannot fathom a life of true independence from capitalism, and so envision the closest thing to it they can imagine while still remaining under the umbrella of capitalism and calling that freedom.

I am still pretty buried in work, but dropping in to comment on a trope I’ve seen popping up again and again in CA: TWS fic, which is: the horror and totality of Bucky’s deconstruction as a person is shown through the revelation that he doesn’t know what [food, clothes, music, coffee, etc] he likes, and a significant part of his reconstruction involves correcting this. 

This is very attractive trope. I enjoy reading it! But I want to turn a critical eye on it, and on my own enjoyment of it. This will surprise no one who’s been reading my blog for a long time, since I’m persistently and heavily critical of the selfist/consumerist ideology that underlies Western capitalist society. And that’s what’s going on here, really, I think: this trope is an expression of our understanding of what it means to be a person, and our anxieties about person-ness.

Keep reading

[roughentumble]

Not to be too self indulgent but since Rogue can permanently absorb people's powers, sometimes I think about her permanently absorbing Logan's regeneration powers so she could live happily ever after with him without him having to outlive her

self indulgent is the best kind of indulgent there is. and im literally always coming up with excuses to make my ships immortal so literally youre So Real For That One

[bucksangel]

milk and sugar

pairing: alpha!steve x alpha!bucky, alpha!steve x artist!omega!reader x alpha!bucky (poly) - omegaverse!au part two

word count: 5.1k

summary: “Are you nervous?” Steve asks, voice soft and caring. His hand settles on your arm, and Bucky appears beside you to place his hand on your back, as well as take one of your hands in his metal one. And despite your earlier anxiety, you mean it wholeheartedly when you say, “no.” or - it’s your first date with your alphas.

warnings: fluff fluff and more fluff, reader has insecurities, steve and bucky are adorable and caring, steve is very nervous bc he’s a romantic, like it’s almost unbearable how much of a pure puppy he is, bucky is extremely fond and a little teasing (bc of course he is), omegaverse, kissing, there are bits where it’s just steve and bucky

a/n: this fic doesn’t contain smut, however, due to the nature of my blog this is strictly 18+

milk and honey masterlist | main masterlist | tip jar

‘Good morning, darling.’

That’s the text you received from Bucky at nine that morning - in the group chat he’d made with Steve and you. And while you normally sleep in on Sundays since your studio is closed, you’d woken up early - seven to be exact -  due to the anxiety you’ve been feeling ever since your art class ended yesterday.

Truthfully, you didn’t really sleep well anyway. Going on a date with not just one, but two Alphas at the same time has you on edge - though, not in a bad way. No, not at all. These are the good kinds of nerves, the exciting kind.

Well, okay, not all of your nerves are positive. Being naturally shy and reserved has caused you to overthink every single interaction you’ve had with the Alphas, both together and separately. And now that you’re going on this date, you can’t help the way your insecurities come creeping in faster and faster as it gets closer.

Because what if they decide they don’t like you after they actually get the chance to know you? What if they don’t even pay much attention to you and treat this as a date with just them since that must be what they’re more used to? What if you say or do something wrong and they get scared away?

Now, logically, you know those first two outcomes are absurd. Over the past few weeks, they’ve each shown extreme interest in getting to know you, they show how much care they have for you, and oh boy does that knowledge make your heart flutter. It makes you feel good, really good about yourself.

But that last point? Well, that is a big insecurity of yours. As a child, you weren’t that open and didn’t have many friends. And it was hard to make new ones when you would always stutter and trip over yourself, causing many of the kids you’d gone to school with to laugh at you. You were so shy, always the shortest kid in your class which made you an easy target for bullying, especially since you couldn’t hold a conversation well and you’d constantly accidentally bump into someone. It’s honestly a surprise that Tori had stuck around this long.

And, to be completely honest, you think you could deal with them maybe not finding you as interesting as they probably thought, maybe even them telling you that it just wouldn’t work out. Yes, it would hurt for a while, but you would deal with it. However, you absolutely could not live with the Alphas finding you annoying. Because this whole thing already feels like a fever dream, and if you were to fuck it up by doing or saying something embarrassing it would only serve as proof that you aren’t fit for Alphas like them.

It’s nine-fifteen when you respond with ‘good morning :)’

And not even a minute later, Steve texts back. ‘how are you feeling about today?’

Well, isn’t that a good question? Because you want nothing more than to go on this date, you want this to work out so badly that you feel like your heart might burst out of your chest. But, again, those fucking insecurities are messing with your mind.

It’s maybe a few minutes later when you reply with ‘Feeling okay, you guys?’

A bubble pops up at the bottom of the text thread, Bucky typing for a good thirty seconds before it disappears. And it stays like that for another full minute, your heart hammering in your chest as your anxieties are jumping to the worst possible outcome. What if they cancel? What if they-

Your phone screen comes to life when Steve calls you. He’s calling you. And for a moment you want to let it go to voicemail, you don’t want them to hear how nervous you are. But you also don’t want them to think you’re ignoring them, so you answer with a timid, “Hello?”

“Hi, honey,” Steve says calmly, his smooth voice doing a good job of soothing some of your worries.

“Hi!” You hear Bucky yell in the background, causing you to giggle.

“Hi, guys.”

You hear a thud in the background before Bucky yells “Put her on speaker, punk!” And then you can hear both of them clearly, Steve laughing as Bucky huffs in what you assume is a fake annoyance.

“So, uh, I’m just wondering. Um, where are we going today?” Mentally, you curse yourself for being so awkward, for tripping over your words while talking to the two most handsome Alphas you’ve ever met.

“That’s a surprise, honey,” Steve says, the smile on his face is evident in his tone. “Just wear something comfortable.”

“And warm!” Bucky adds, coming closer to the phone. “We don’t need you getting cold, okay?”

The hint of authority in his voice makes your heartbeat pick up speed and the care that’s so evident in just the way he speaks kind of makes you want to cry a little. When was the last time any potential partner showed even these small acts of concern for your well-being? Too long.

“Yes, sir,” You joke, having to bite your lip to keep your smile from widening even further when both Alphas laugh. Butterflies are swirling in your stomach, forming a tornado of anticipation and nerves for the day’s festivities.

“Alright,” Steve says with a hint of laughter. “We’ll let you go get ready and we’ll pick you up in two hours, okay?”

Two hours? That seems like too long yet not long enough. You’ve already showered, all you really need to do is find something to wear and then fix your hair - maybe throw on some mascara. But, still. Two hours seems like the perfect amount of time to have a full-on breakdown over this date. But at least that should also give you some time to recover from said breakdown.

“Yeah, that works!” Internally, you cringe at how eager you sound. Because even though you’re nervous beyond belief, and a tiny part of you wants to cancel the date out of fear of anything embarrassing happening, you don’t think you’d be able to live with yourself if you let these two slip through your fingers without giving it a fighting chance. 

“Great,” Bucky says, clearly smiling. “Just send us your address and we’ll be there.”

Once you bid your goodbyes to each other you make sure to send them your address before deciding to freak out over what to wear. Luckily for you, and as though the universe knows you need the help, your doorbell rings soon after. Confused as to who would be at your door this early, you make your way to the door, and when you open it you see Tori standing on the other side with a wide smile.

“Alright, girl,” She says happily, ignoring the incredulous look on your face as she pushes past you to walk into your apartment. “We have to get you ready, where are they taking you?”

“Hello to you too, Tori,” you say with a slight roll of your eyes as you close the door.

“Hey, babe!” Tori grabs your wrist and all but yanks you towards your room, not really caring about the fact that you’re nearly tripping over yourself in an effort to keep up. When you both get to your room she lets go of your arm and heads for your closet.

“So, where are you guys going?”

“I don’t know, they just said to dress warm and comfortable.” Your shoulders shrug, fingers nervously fiddling with each other. You’re not too sure what exactly to wear based on those being the only two requests. Sure, you have plenty of sweaters and jackets and scarves - it’s New York after all - but you don’t know what will impress the Alphas.

You want to impress them so badly. You don’t want them to regret asking you out, and while clothing choices aren’t a ‘make or break’ type of thing it’s still important to you that you look the best you possibly can. After all, anyone who’s seen Steve and Bucky in person would agree that they’re most definitely the two most handsome men to ever exist.

Something soft hitting you in the face knocks you out of your thoughts.

“Hey!” You yelp, looking at the ground to see the thing that hit you - your light brown sweater with a cute graphic of a pumpkin patch on the front. Seconds later, a pair of leggings hit your chest. “Tori!”

Tori simply laughs, then heads to your shoe rack next to the closet door.

“How do you know this will be good for the date?” You ask as you pick up the sweater to inspect it as though you haven’t worn it hundreds of times. But, again, today needs to go perfectly so any stains you might’ve missed would not go down well with you.

“I don’t,” She admits with a shrug of her shoulders. “But that sweater accentuates your boobs and the leggings make your ass look great.”

Your whole body goes hot, the implication of them looking at those parts of your body doesn’t make you shrink away like it normally would, though you can barely stop your insecurities about your body from throwing the items to the side and picking something else to prevent that from happening.

“I-I don’t know, Tori…” You sigh, going over to your bed and sitting down on the edge. “What if they don’t like it? I mean, they’re-”

“Stop it,” Tori says forcefully, walking over to stand in front of you. “You’re beautiful and kind and wonderful and they’re going to love you. And if they don’t, then that’s not your fault. As long as you give it your all, everything will be fine.”

Coming closer, she places her hands on your shoulders so she can shake you a little bit. “I love you, girl. You’re my best friend and I want to see you happy. And it seems like they make you happy, but you make them happy too. I’ve seen it in the way they look at you, how they talk to you. It’s going to be fine, babe. I promise.”

After a long pause where you think over her words, you decide that she’s right - at least about your feelings. You like them so fucking much, so it wouldn’t be fair to them or yourself if you didn’t try your best.

“Okay… Okay, then. Let’s get me ready.”

And with that, Tori smiles brightly, leaning down to squeeze you in a tight hug before releasing you.

____________

It’s a few minutes before eleven when Bucky and Steve park out front of your apartment building. Steve is practically vibrating out of his skin, Bucky even had to convince his mate that he should drive to pick you up since Steve could barely keep his knees from bouncing.

“Baby,” Bucky says, shutting off the engine and twisting in his seat to face Steve. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to just be ourselves and treat her like she deserves, there’s no way she’s going to not like us.”

Steve nods, though he doesn’t look super convinced. It’s clear from how he spent fifteen minutes this morning in the flower shop picking out the perfect bouquet for you that he really, really wants this to work. And even though he doesn’t show it, Bucky knows Steve would be heartbroken if it didn’t. His mate’s always been a softie, and there’s something about you that makes him feel different - better than any other omega ever could.

Bucky knows exactly how he feels. Because, although he’s not as outwardly anxious, he just knows that you’re perfect for them, and he wants to do everything he can to make you see that they can take care of you, they can protect and love you. Your smile and sweet giggle haunt his dreams, his nightmares have long been replaced with his memories of him and Steve - and now you. He can’t help but imagine what it would be like to wake up next to you and his Alpha, to cuddle with you two in your nest as you all trade kisses and talk about anything and everything.

“You’re sure?” Steve asks with a timid voice, fiddling with the flowers in his lap. “I - we really like her.”

Bucky sighs, then reaches over the console to place his hand on the back of his mate's neck in a comforting manner. And even though it’s uncomfortable, Bucky leans over and presses a soft kiss to Steve’s lips.

“I’m sure, Stevie.”

Steve sighs too, leaning forward to kiss Bucky again before pulling back.

“Okay, Buck.”

With that, they both share a small smile and then get out of the car. It’s about a minute-long elevator ride up to your floor, Bucky holding his mate’s free hand the entire way and sending him feelings of calmness through their bond. It works until they get to your front door because now Steve is practically fumbling with the flowers as he figures out the best way to hold them while Bucky knocks.

It’s about a minute later when the door swings open, but it’s not you. It’s Tori with a wide, knowing smirk on her face.

“Hello, boys,” She says, crossing her arms over her chest. “Those for her?” She nods towards the sunflowers and daisies Steve is holding.

“They are,” Bucky says with a smile of his own. Glancing at Steve to see him nod. “Is she ready?”

“Yes!” You say, quickly running up behind Tori to gently push her to the side and give her a side glare. You’re fiddling with your clothes, tugging at the bottom of the sweater in order to smooth out the fabric.

However, in the Alphas’ eyes, there’s no need for you to do so. Through their bond both of them feel the other go kind of dumb - you always look pretty but today’s outfit just hits them differently. Your eyeliner makes the color of your eyes pop, and the shiny lipgloss makes your lips nearly impossible to not kiss.

They don’t, though. Not yet. The last thing either of them wants to do is make you uncomfortable, especially with Tori standing behind you. So, instead, Bucky smiles and elbows Steve to get him out of his trance.

“Hello, honey,” Bucky says, his smile turning into a smirk when you fail to suppress a squeak.

“H-hi, guys,” You say nervously with a small smile. “Are those for me?” You ask when you notice the flowers in Steve’s hand.

“Oh, um, yes,” Steve stutters ever so slightly, reaching out to hand you the bouquet. “You once said you love Sunflowers.”

____________

“You once said you love Sunflowers.”

Something about this gesture makes you want to tear up. Flowers may not be a big deal to some people, but they mean everything to you. Receiving gifts from partners has been rare for you, so the beauty of the petals and knowing that they’re for you just makes you preen a little bit.

“I do,” You say softly, almost like you can’t believe he remembered. “They’re beautiful, thank you. Really.”

“Just like you,” Steve blurts out before a redness covers his cheeks.

And you absolutely cannot be blamed for the embarrassing squeak you let out. You try being called beautiful by Steve fucking Rogers and not want to bury your face in his neck to inhale his scent.

“Th-thank you,” You say with a giggle, handing the flowers to Tori and giving her a grateful smile as she gives you a quick kiss on your cheek.

“You guys have fun,” She teases, waving you off with a smile. “Treat her well or you’ll have hell to pay.”

“Of course,” Bucky says with an assuring nod. “Wouldn’t treat her with anything but care.” He says this while looking at you though, the twinkle in his eyes making you want to bare your neck to him.

When the door closes behind you, you step closer to the Alphas.

“Are you nervous?” Steve asks, voice soft and caring, though clearly a little anxious. His hand settles on your arm, and Bucky appears beside you to place his hand on your back, as well as take one of your hands in his metal one.

And despite your earlier anxiety, you mean it wholeheartedly when you say, “No.” How can you be nervous now when the feeling of the men’s warm hands on you and their clear concern for your wellbeing makes your heartbeat quicken in anticipation?

“Let’s go?” You ask, face growing warm in slight embarrassment for your enthusiasm.

“Let’s go,” Both Alphas say in unison. And then all of you are off to the truck - a very nicely kept, sleek black truck. Steve opens the back door for you before, to your surprise, sliding in next to you.

“We agreed he could sit in the back with you on the way there as long as I could sit next to you on our way back,” Bucky pipes up at your questioning glance.

Feelings of warmth fill your entire being, and you already know that today is going to be the most fun you’ve had in a while.

____________

It’s about a thirty-five-minute drive before you finally arrive at a park - a beautiful stretch of the greenest grass you’ve ever seen with orange and red-leafed trees surrounding two sides of it. It’s big, but if you look close enough you can make out a trail off to the left. That half hour was, surprisingly to you, filled with pleasant conversation. Now, your previous interactions with the men proved that they were wonderful company, but you’re surprised that you’re not as nervous as you thought you’d be. Everything was moving smoothly, there wasn’t even a single moment of awkward silence.

“We’re here,” Bucky says, pulling into a free parking spot closest to the entrance of the trail. Steve opens the door as Bucky gets out as well and goes around to the back of the truck. And Steve, ever the gentleman, holds your hand as he helps you climb out of the backseat, only letting go when you begin smoothing out your clothes.

“Are we ready?” Bucky appears next to you holding a large blanket and a stereotypical wicker basket.

A small smile forms on your face, and your heartbeat increases ever so slightly. How are they so fucking sweet?

“Yes!” Immediately, your face goes hot, self-conscious of your enthusiasm. But the Alphas don’t seem to mind, in fact, Steve takes the blanket from under Bucky’s arm and tucks it under his own, then grabs your hand and intertwines your fingers together.

“Let’s go then,” Steve says, smiling softly down at you.

With that, the three of you head off to the trail, walking under colorful oak trees that flank both sides of the dirt path. A comfortable silence falls over all of you, only the sounds of birds chirping filling the air. You walk for a few minutes, the leaves crunching under your feet as you take in the beauty surrounding you, your eyes wide with wonder.

The environment is comforting, calm, puts you at ease in a way you don’t normally experience. It’s freeing to feel so content - so happy. It takes about five minutes before you come upon a set of wooden stairs leading down to the most beautiful lake you’ve ever seen. The water is nearly clear, the colorful trees reflecting over the surface, and even though it’s a clear day out, you can’t help but notice the golden hue filling the air. You don’t even notice you’ve stopped walking until Steve tugs on your hand.

“Do you like it?” He asks, almost nervous as he waits for your reaction.

“I…” You trail off, tears filling your eyes. This whole thing is just - just perfect. “I love it,” you say as you look at Steve, a wide smile spreading across your face. And you look at Bucky when you say, “It’s perfect.”

____________

“It’s perfect.”

Bucky can’t help but let out a small sigh of relief. They’d both wracked their brains trying to figure out where to take you, what to do. They want to wow you, to show you that they can - and hopefully will get the chance to provide for you, they can make you happy. You’ll never go without, if you want something, they will figure out a way to get it.

“Good,” Steve says softly, smiling down at you before looking up at Bucky and nodding his head.

With that, the three of you make your way down the stairs, Steve holding on to your hand tightly to make sure you don’t fall, and Bucky places his free hand on your back. He can hear how your heartbeat speeds up when he does so and tries so hard not to puff out his chest when you glance up at him through your eyelashes coyly.

Once you’re down by the lake, the men lead you to a large oak tree merely ten or so feet from the edge. Steve is quick to unfold the blanket and spread it out under the tree - large enough to probably cover an entire California King bed. Bucky then places the basket down as his mate takes your hand and helps you sit near the edge of the blanket leaving enough space for the men to sit on either side of you.

The Alphas quickly open the basket and pull out containers of food, opening the lids and placing them in front of you. When they finally sit down - obviously with you in the middle - Bucky notices how wide your eyes are, how you seem transfixed on the array of fruits and sandwiches and cake. It’s when Bucky pulls out the jug of homemade lemonade that you choke back a cry.

“Honey?” Steve asks, turning his body to face you with a concerned look in his eyes.

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Bucky places a hand on your back, sweeping it around to hold your waist. And can you really blame him if his whole body goes hot when you lean into his side and turn your face so it’s halfway buried in his neck?

It takes a few seconds but you’re finally able to gather yourself and pull away.

“You guys are just… I can’t believe it.”

“What can’t you believe, sweetheart?” Steve scoots closer to you, placing his hand on your head to smooth out your hair, and unconsciously turns your head so he can look directly at you. “Tell us what’s going on in that pretty head of yours.”

____________

You want to scream. You want to yell until your voice gives out. It’s nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Them preparing food - by hand - and bringing you to this beautiful spot might just be a normal thing for most people, but considering you’ve hardly ever been shown this much affection and thoughtfulness. Shaking your head, you look away, unable to withstand the Alpha's intense gaze.

“It’s nothing,” You mumble, fiddling with your fingers. “It’s stupid.”

“No, it’s not, honey,” Bucky says, giving your waist an affectionate squeeze. “If you’re upset, we want you to tell us.”

“I’m not! I promise!” You assure them, hesitantly reaching both of your hands out to place them on the Alpha’s legs. “I guess I just… I’ve just never been shown this much… care?” It’s phrased as a question, because you’re unsure if that was the right word to use, but it’s all you can think of at the moment.

“I know it may not seem like a lot,” You continue, taking a deep breath before looking up at Steve, and then Bucky. “But this means the world to me. You guys are just so sweet and thoughtful and I’m not really sure what to do, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, let alone two people.”

Both of the men sigh, and you can almost taste the scent of disappointment wafting off of them. Suddenly your nerves spike, did you say something wrong?

You must have said that out loud because Bucky starts shaking his head. “No, no darling. You didn’t say anything wrong, I promise.”

“We’re just… I guess we’re disappointed that you consider this the height of romance because this is the bare minimum. You should be used to this, you should be loved and worshipped because that’s what you deserve, nothing less. And it’s not your fault, it’s every other person’s fault for not treating you like the perfect Omega you are.” Steve sounds upset, and your heartbeat increases to a degree that you’d think you were having a panic attack if it weren’t for how damn happy you are.

For a moment, you’re unsure as to what to say, it’s just baffling to you that one person, let alone two, can make you feel this way, this joyous and carefree. But luckily Bucky speaks up so you don’t have to.

“And we’d love to have the chance to do that for you,” He says softly, picking up your hand to cradle it in his own so he can place a delicate kiss on your knuckles. And when you stare up into his eyes, you can’t help but gasp at how loving his gaze is. “Will you give us that chance?”

“Yes.” And this time, you’re not embarrassed by how quickly your answer was to come. How can you be when both men sigh in relief and lean into your body so they can wrap you in their arms? It’s warm and comforting, filling you with happiness and care for these men.

When they lean back you really can’t be blamed for the way your gaze finds Steve’s, then drops down to his lips momentarily. At this, you’re a little flustered, suddenly overcome with the want to feel how soft they are.

Steve seems to read your mind because he places his hand on the back of your neck and forces you to hold his gaze.

“Can I kiss you, honey?”

“Please,” You whine, staying in place as the Alpha leans down slowly. Your eyes close when he gets close enough that you can feel his breaths against your mouth. And for a moment, neither of you moves, and your nerves climb higher and higher as the seconds tick by.

You’re about to speak when he finally, finally kisses you. At first, it’s just a simple peck, a chaste kiss on your lips, and then he pulls back by merely a millimeter. It’s you who leans forward to press your lips together again, and you let him lead as you lose yourself in the kiss. Though, it’s over far too soon for your liking by a soft groan.

Pulling away, both you and Steve turn to look at Bucky, who is now sporting a sheepish grin.

“Sorry,” He mumbles with a flushed face. “I just… I love seeing you two together. I love us all being together and having the two people I care about more than anything sharing your feelings. I know it’s-”

“Sweet,” You interrupt him, turning your body so you can face him better and slip your hand out of his. Placing it on his cheek, you smile when he nuzzles into your palm and gives it a little kiss. “I think it’s sweet, Bucky.”

“Can I kiss you too?” He whispers hopefully, smiling when you nod. Unlike his mate, Bucky doesn’t waste any time capturing your lips in a soft but passionate kiss. It’s clear he’s trying to hold back, and something in you just can’t help but feel wanted, desired. This kiss lasts a little longer, and although you can feel Steve’s gaze on you, you’re not in the least bit self-conscious. You know they wouldn’t lie to you, so you find comfort in knowing that you can show affection to both men without either getting upset or jealous.

When you do finally pull away, you can’t help but lean into Bucky’s chest, reaching behind you to grab Steve’s hand.

“I really like you guys,” You mumble into the Alpha’s chest.

“We really like you too,” They say in unison, causing you to smile.

With that, everything seems to fall into place, the men divvy up the food - giving you most of it - and you all eat in comfortable silence, occasionally stealing glances at each other. Once the food is eaten, Bucky wraps his arm around your waist, causing you to look up at him.

“Come here,” He says with a smile, guiding you to sit sideways on his lap, facing Steve. And there is absolutely no way in hell you could contain the squeak forcing its way out of your mouth. “Is this okay?” He asks as Steve scoots closer to sit right next to Bucky, picking up your legs and resing them in his lap.

You’ve never nodded faster in your life. You’re nervous, sure, but the utter happiness you’re feeling far outweighs it. That happiness only grows when Bucky nods to his mate, and you watch as the other man picks up the container with the cake. Your eyes widen when Steve picks up a fork and takes a small bit out of one of the slices, carefully leading it up to your mouth where you automatically open it.

Slowly, he slides the fork out, allowing you to chew the cake with a pleased smile on his face. It goes on like this until the slice is completely gone, with Bucky pressing kisses to your temple occasionally and bathing you in his warmth. It makes you preen having these Alphas take care of you like this, providing for you.

You’re content to stay here forever, wrapped up in their light, and by the time you’re done eating completely, you feel your eyelids grow heavy, a yawn forcing your mouth wide open.

“I’m sorry,” You say remorsefully, a little embarrassed by how tired you’ve become now that your stomach is full and you’re comfortably resting against Bucky’s chest.

“Don’t be, honey,” Steve says, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on your forehead. “You can nap if you want, we’ll be right here when you wake up.”

A smile spreads across your face, and you instinctively bury your head into Bucky’s chest and reach out so you can hold onto Steve’s hands. “Are you sure?” You ask, peeking an eye open so you can look up at the blonde Alpha.

He smiles as he nods, pressing another kiss on the top of your head. “Go to sleep, pretty girl.”

It doesn’t take long for you to float off into dreamland, and the last thing you hear is, “I told you she’s perfect for us.”

tagging: @the-ginger-fairy-artist / @supernovatardis / @perdidosbucky-yyo / @wckedheart / @kandis-mom / @meteorshowercoffee / @wandaneedstherapy / @buckysbarne / @bigcreatorwombatdreamer / @p1ut0smoon / @venusfly11 / @buckybarnesmetalarmswife775 / @the-photo-hoe / @clownsbf / @matsumama / @fandoms-writings / @thornsnvultures / @sadboiabby / @lily-excal / @alright-i-guesss / @blondie-bluue / @loveforreading / @marvel-wifey-86 / @wheezy-stucky / @exposition-belongs-somewhere / @sweater-bee / @stuckysbike / @lovelylittleleigh / @buckyshbic / @starkblackwolf / @caitlink26 / @dreaming-potato / @emeraldfairy23 / @lethargicluv / @kinsssss / @perfectlyboring / @glistenuplove / @monicachic13 / @bbellen1411 / @akmenia / @shawnftjacob / @ladyravenclaw / @sadsadbabygirlrob / @hc-kerr / @iamfandomwasted / @sweetmoonlove0214 / @yesprettypleasesir / @duckies16 / @wizardofstories / @emerald-writes / @xonickibaby / @matchat3a / @hereticdance / @animegirlgeeky / @rippedpiece

[buckets-and-trees]

Red, White & True: Las Vegas & Cleveland (2/?)

Characters/Pairings: Steve Rogers x curvy Millennial Female!Reader, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes Word Count: 4k Summary: Three months has raced by since you agreed to join the campaign team of Rogers for America as Steve runs for President of the United States of America. You've settled in and are starting to hit your stride campaigning, but what the state of affairs for your marriage?

Content/Warnings: marriage of political convenience, slow burn

Notes: This takes place in a post-Endgame scenario where Steve stays and generally most of TFATWS happened.

Previous Chapter | Series

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[SEPTEMBER 2 - Las Vegas, Nevada]

“Mrs. Rogers!” “Mrs. Rogers!”

You exchange a brief look with your assistant Sophia. She nods to wordlessly confirm that you have a few moments and should engage with the press. Taking a deep breath, you turn and approach the bank of reporters waiting and eager to regale you with questions.

There are a few familiar faces who’ve been consistently covering the Rogers for America campaign, some of them even assigned specifically to report on you - mostly friends, but some that could be categorized in the foe column.

“Mrs. Rogers, you and your husband are in the same city for the first time in eighteen days.” This is one of the faces you aren’t familiar with in the gaggle of press. “Are you looking forward to being reunited as you support him in the first presidential debate tonight?”

Eighteen days… You hadn’t realized it had been that long, but you’ve become a trained professional when appearing in public now, and you don’t let your face betray any shock or unease.

“Yes, we’re eager to spend time together.” Consummate professional that you’ve become, you do play into showing a little bit of surprise. “Has it been eighteen days? Who’s been tracking this? Clearly we need you on our campaign team!”

It garners some good-natured laughs from the group.

“Mrs. Rogers, you and Steve had to cancel the traditional honeymoon, has it put a strain on your marriage, and will you be taking a honeymoon any time soon?”

“Oh, Ben, are you saying this isn’t a honeymoon? I thought all newlyweds took a five-month long zig-zagging trek all across America to kick off their marriage!”

A few more laughs.

“Steve is serious about this campaign, and we both knew the sacrifices we would be making along the way. Our time together is very limited, but I can tell you, without question, that Steve will be as dedicated to his roles and responsibilities as President as you have seen him be to this campaign. One thing we speak about frequently when we do have time together are the incredible people we’re meeting as we travel from state to state and get to talk with you, see what your life looks like in each new place.” This is true. It’s become one of the unspoken safe topics you can bring up at the drop of a hat with each other. “We’re getting the opportunity to experience first-hand that although we’re all so different, there’s so much that unites us as Americans, shoulder to shoulder, regardless of the part of the country we live in.”

“Thank you, everyone,” Sophia steps up and cuts in. “I’m sure we’ll see you all tonight at the debate. A reminder that the Rogers for America campaign will hold a brief press conference ten minutes after the debate concludes. For now, you have to let me get Mrs. Rogers in the car and on the way to the university or we’re not going to beat traffic - and neither will any of you.”

Then Sophia ushers you away, and you slip into the vehicle waiting for you both.

“Good answers,” she says, as the driver pulls away. “You’re really becoming comfortable fielding their questions and directing their energy where we want to see it go.”

You smile at Sophia's praise. She’s genuine but very no-nonsense, so she doesn’t throw out compliments to placate you or anyone else. It’s one of the reasons you promoted her to your assistant. "Thanks. I do feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it. Though I have to admit, I was a bit thrown by that '18 days' comment."

Sophia nods sympathetically. "I know. It's been a whirlwind, but you're doing great. The public loves you, and your approval ratings are holding steady."

You lean back in your seat, letting out a small sigh. "Approval ratings. Sometimes I still can't believe this is my life now."

As the car weaves through traffic, your mind drifts back to the past few months. The whirlwind wedding, the campaign launch, the endless string of rallies, interviews, and public appearances. You've barely had a moment to catch your breath, let alone get to know your husband.

Steve. Your husband.

In name and public persona only, it seems. The campaign trails that are being charted and continually adjusted for you, Steve, the VP nominee, and his wife, have all four of you covering as much ground as possible, and there’s rarely any overlap, but it does seem like you’re rarely with the Mr. to your Mrs. It makes things simultaneously more and less complicated. More complicated because the lack of time together means it’s more awkward that you’re still basically acquaintances but have to look the part of happy newlyweds. Less complicated because at least you’re not messing with any deep or complex feelings.

"Mrs. Rogers?" Sophia's voice pulls you from your thoughts. "We're almost there. Are you ready?"

You straighten up, smoothing down the front of your outfit. "As ready as I'm going to be. What's on the agenda before the debate?"

Sophia consults her tablet. "You have a meet and greet with the VP and a group of the local campaign volunteers. Steve should be arriving about forty-five minutes before the debate starts. Twenty minutes before the debate, you all have a brief prep session with the communications team - updates on the developments over the day and reviewing the message for tonight."

You nod, trying to ignore the small flutter in your stomach at the mention of Steve's name. It's ridiculous, you tell yourself. You're married to the man, for goodness sake. And you both know it’s a marriage for the stability of this campaign and the future presidency.

The car pulls up to the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Nevada, and you take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the chaos that awaits. As you step out, you're immediately greeted by flashing cameras and shouts from the crowd. You smile and wave, but don't stop to answer any questions as you make your way inside, following someone from the debate logistics team to get to the staging and holding area.

Backstage is a flurry of activity. Campaign staffers rush back and forth, last-minute preparations are being made, and there's an electric tension in the air. Your eyes scan the room, looking for one person in particular.

And then you see him. Steve is standing off to the side, deep in conversation with one of the communications strategists. Even after all these months, the sight of him still takes your breath away. He's tall, broad-shouldered, and undeniably handsome in his perfectly tailored navy suit. His brow is furrowed in concentration as he listens intently to the woman in front of him.

As if sensing your presence, Steve looks up, his eyes meeting yours across the room. His face softens slightly, and he excuses himself from the conversation, making his way over to you.

"Hey," he says softly as he approaches, leaning in to give you a quick kiss on the cheek. It's for show, you know, it’s important that even your own campaign staff thinks this marriage is more than surface level, and you stifle the small thrill that runs through you at the gesture. It’s only a gesture.

"Hi," you reply, managing to offer up an encouraging smile. "How are you feeling? Ready for tonight?"

Steve nods, his expression determined. "As ready as I'll ever be. We still have a long weeks ahead, but I think we're in a good position - and that’s what they keep saying across the team at this point."

You nod, studying his face. Despite his confident words, you can see the tension in his jaw, the slight crease between his brows. You've learned to read these subtle signs over the past few months, even with your limited time together.

"You've got this, Steve," you say softly, placing a hand on his arm. The gesture feels both natural and strange - you're still navigating the boundaries of your unique relationship. "Just remember why you're doing this. Speak from the heart, like you always do."

Steve's eyes meet yours, and for a moment, you see a flash of vulnerability there. "Thank you," he says, his voice low. "I -”

But before he can say the rest of what he was going to, Sophia approaches, tablet in hand. "Mrs. Rogers, we need to go to the reception with the volunteers from the local campaign team."

[SEPTEMBER 7 - Cleveland, Ohio]

The campaign strategy meeting is in full swing, the air thick with tension and the buzz of caffeine-fueled ideas. You're seated at a long table in a nondescript hotel conference room, surrounded by a sea of laptops, notepads, and half-empty coffee cups. The walls are covered with maps, poll numbers, and hastily scribbled strategies.

Steve sits at the head of the table, his brow furrowed in concentration as he listens to the latest polling data. You're positioned a few seats away, close enough to appear united, but not his most trusted. Sam, Bucky, the VP nominee Young and his assistant, the campaign press secretary, the communications director, all sit closer to or directly across from Steve, at the heart of the table. But you are closer than the finance director, legal advisor, speech writers, and the policy directors.

You're seated next Sam on your left with Sophia on your right, taking notes and pulling up memos on her laptop.

Steve is leaning forward, his brow furrowed in concentration as he listens to the campaign manager, Jake Thompson, deliver his latest assessment.

Jake, a seasoned political operative with salt-and-pepper hair and a no-nonsense attitude, stands at the head of the table, remote control in hand as he flips through a report on polling and focus groups that have been conducted over the past two weeks with Gen Z in urban, suburban, and rural pockets of the country.

"As you can see," Jake says, his voice carrying a mix of concern and determination, "this is where we’re making progress. Enough of them are tired of the rhetoric that’s been recycled all their lives, problems that never seem to be resolved because they’re too useful as campaign issues. That’s why an independent candidate is beginning to look a lot more appealing.”

Jake clicks to the next slide, which shows a breakdown of key issues that resonated most with young voters. "Climate change, affordable education, and social justice are their top priorities. They appreciate your strong stance on these issues, Steve, but they're still skeptical about whether you can actually deliver real change."

Steve nods, his expression thoughtful. "So how do we bridge that gap? How do we convince them that we're not just another set of empty promises?"

You lean forward slightly, your mind racing with ideas. This is an area where you feel you can contribute significantly, given your background in non-profit work and your ability to connect with younger generations.

"If I may," you begin, and all eyes turn to you. You feel a flutter of nervousness but push through it. "I think we need to focus on concrete, actionable plans. Not just broad strokes, but specific steps we'll take in the first 100 days. I think it would speak to Millennials as well.”

Jake nods appreciatively at your suggestion. "Mrs. Rogers, did you hack into my laptop sometime in the last 24 hours?” He’s not smiling - he never outright smiles - but he has a proud glint in his eyes as he looks at you. “What you’re suggesting is exactly in line with what I wanted to bring to the table today. We need to show them we're not just talking the talk, we’re ready to his the ground running when they put us in the White House."

Steve nods, his eyes meeting yours with interest. "Go on," he encourages.

You take a deep breath, feeling more confident. "We should consider hosting a series of town halls specifically targeting young voters. Not just to talk at them, but to listen. Let them voice their concerns directly and then demonstrate how our policies address those issues. We could even live-stream these events, make them interactive."

Jake looks intrigued. "That should work. It plays into our strengths - Steve's authenticity and your ability to connect with younger demographics."

"We could also leverage social media more effectively," you continue, warming to your topic. "Not just posting sound bites, but creating engaging content that breaks down complex issues in accessible ways. Maybe even collaborate with some respected influencers who align with our values."

Steve leans back in his chair, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I like it. What else?”

Elsa, communications director jumps in, "These are excellent strategies we can absolutely put into play, but we're still facing challenges with this demographic. Many of them feel disconnected from the political process entirely. They see you, Steve, as part of an older generation that doesn't understand their issues."

You watch Steve's reaction carefully. His jaw tightens slightly, but he nods, absorbing the information.

"What do you suggest?" Steve asks, his voice calm but tinged with frustration.

Elsa hesitates for a moment before responding. "We need to make you more relatable to younger voters. Show them that despite your... unique background, you understand and care about the issues that matter to them."

"And how do we do that?" Steve presses.

Jake glances your way before answering. "We think Mrs. Rogers could play a key role here."

You straighten in your seat, suddenly very alert. "Me?" you ask, trying to keep the surprise out of your voice.

“Yes,” he confirms. “We have a problem and an opportunity that’s developing. That 18 days comment last week heated things up again with the public perception and scrutiny of your marriage. You handled it exactly as you should have, Mrs. Rogers,” he assures you, “that’s not our concern. But now that someone has brought up numbers for days apart, it’s becoming part of the narrative, and we already had to tame concerns over your sudden nuptials, we don’t want the state of your marriage to be the focus again.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek, and you can see out of the corner of your eye that Steve isn’t thrilled about this either.

“But the opportunity here,” Elsa jumps back in, “is that we can put that to rest and capitalize on what we’re beginning to see as the Mrs. Rogers effect on the campaign trail. Her approval ratings were never bad, but they keep climbing. The public still wonders if Steve is a politician, if he’s ready to be the next President, but they already see a politician’s wife in you, Mrs. Rogers.”

You feel a mix of pride and unease at Elsa's words. On one hand, it's gratifying to know your efforts are making a positive impact. On the other, you can't help but feel like you're being used as a prop.

Even though that is what you are at the most elementary level.

"What exactly are you proposing?" Steve asks, his tone careful but with an edge to it.

Jake leans forward, his expression earnest. "We want to increase the number of joint appearances you two make. Show the public that you're a united front, a team. Town halls, rallies, even some more casual, candid moments. Show the public that you're a team, that you support each other. It'll help soften Steve's image and make him more relatable to younger voters."

You glance at Steve, trying to gauge his reaction. His face is impassive, but there is a slight tension in his jaw.

You can see Steve is uncomfortable with the idea, but he's considering it carefully. You decide to speak up.

"I appreciate the strategy, but I have some concerns," you say. "We don't want to come across as inauthentic or like we're using our relationship as a political tool. That could backfire, especially with younger voters who are already skeptical of politicians and doing things for clout."

Jake nods, "You're right to be cautious. We're not suggesting anything overly staged or fake. Just more opportunities for the public to see you two together, interacting naturally."

Steve finally speaks up. "I agree with my wife," he says, and you feel a small, unexpected thrill at hearing him refer to you that way, even though you know it's just part of this gig. "We need to be careful about how we approach this. I don't want to exploit our relationship. But let’s make it work."

Jake wraps up the meeting quickly at that point, instructing his staff to update each candidate’s logistics team over the updated schedule that will play to the ‘Rogers & Rogers Strategy,’ and putting the policy advisors and communications team to work on implementing your suggestions into the direction they were going to propose. As every minute of the campaign season is instrumental, nearly everyone clears out of the room at that point.

You’re at the elevator in the lobby when you realize you left your jacket in the hotel conference room. Sophia says they can have an aide bring it up to your room, but you insist you’d like to stretch your legs a little more before heading up to sleep. As you head back down the hall, you’re relieved to see the door is still open, and you pick up your step. But then you come to an abrupt halt when you hear voices and your name drifts out into the hallway in a conversation between Steve, Sam, and Bucky.

“I don’t like it.”

“What a surprise! The anit-social, bionic man with a staring problem doesn’t like the idea of pal-ing around with the new Mrs. Rogers! Man, I know you only recently started to like me, but can you get on board with her.”

“Who says I like you?” he counters.

“Ha ha,” Sam retorts dryly. “You should be so lucky that next time we put you up for president so we could canvas the country for a girl who could put up with you and all your bullshit.”

Steve chuckles - something you realize you’ve rarely heard him do.

“But it’s you I’m surprised by, Steve,” Sam continues. “Why are you still holding this girl at arms’ length?”

Steve heaves a heavy sigh, and you can just imagine him putting his hands on his hips.

“You don’t even know, do you?” Sam presses him, his tone incredulous.

You hold your breath, straining to hear Steve's response. There's a long pause before he speaks.

"It's not that simple, Sam," Steve says, his voice low and weary. "This whole situation... it's complicated."

"Complicated how?" Sam presses. "She's smart, she's kind, she's dedicated to the cause. And let's be real, she's not hard on the eyes either. What's holding you back?"

You feel your cheeks flush at Sam's words, a mix of embarrassment and curiosity coursing through you.

"It's not about her," Steve says firmly. "She's... she's great. Better than I could have hoped for, honestly. But this whole arrangement, it just feels..."

"Fake?" Bucky offers, his voice gruff.

"No," Steve says quickly. "Not fake. Just... I don't know. Forced. This whole situation - it's not the same as the tour for war bonds back in ‘43, but it’s still a production. I never imagined being in a situation like this again."

"None of us imagined this, Steve," Bucky chimes in, his tone softer than before.

Steve sighs again. “And I know it’s another thing I’ve chosen that neither of you signed up for, and I appreciate you being here by my side.”

"And she's here now, too,” Sam circles back to you, “and she's trying. You can't keep pushing her away."

"I'm not pushing her away," Steve protests, but it sounds weak even to your ears.

"Really?" Sam challenges. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're doing enough to conveniently keep your distance. She's your wife, Steve. On paper, sure, but she's also becoming a real partner in this campaign. You've seen how she handles herself out there."

You lean against the wall, your heart racing as you listen to the conversation. You know you shouldn't be eavesdropping, but you can't bring yourself to walk away, not when - even if you’re not involved - someone is finally talking about the state of your marriage.

"I know," Steve says, his voice tinged with frustration. "I see it. She's incredible out there. The way she connects with people, the way she articulates our message, she’s all in and she's a natural."

"So what's the problem?" Sam presses.

"If I let her in and this doesn't work out..."

"You mean the campaign?" Sam asks.

"No," Steve says.

And then - because of course it’s that exact moment - a door just a bit further down the opens, and you have to pretend you were not just standing in the hallway eavesdropping on anyone, and you abandon jacket retrieval and pretend you were on your way to the hotel bar to catch a quick nightcap with some of the staffers.

[SEPTEMBER 8 - Airspace over Ohio]

The next morning, it’s wheels up at 7am for the presidential candidate campaign plane, and you’re on it. You’re being sent with Steve to Wisconsin.

As the plane climbs to cruising altitude, you stifle a yawn and make your way to the "war room" - a section of the campaign plane that serves as a mobile strategy center and occasional dining area. The smell of coffee and pastries wafts through the air, a tempting lure after the early morning rush.

Sophia’s intern had already supplied you with your go-to morning drink, but you grab a plate and fill it with some fruit, cheese, bacon, and a surprisingly and delightfully warm croissant. The plane's engines hum steadily as you settle into one of the seats at the table. The early morning sunlight streams through the small windows, casting a warm glow over the polished wood table. You've barely slept, your mind still reeling from the conversation you overheard last night.

You pull out your tablet, intending to review the day's revised schedule, but your thoughts keep drifting back to Steve's words. The weight of them sits heavy in your chest, a mix of disappointment and something else you can't quite name.

You're so lost in your thoughts that you don't notice someone approaching until they clear their throat. You look up, expecting to see Sophia or maybe one of the campaign staffers. Instead, you find yourself faced with Bucky Barnes.

"Morning," he says, his voice gruff but not unfriendly. "Mind if I join you?"

You blink, momentarily thrown off balance. In all the months of campaigning, you've barely exchanged more than a few pleasantries.

"Of course," you say, gesturing to the seat across from you.

Bucky nods and takes a seat, setting down his own plate of food. There's an awkward silence as he settles in, and you can't help but study him. His hair is short again - the style he’d adopted when he was pardoned not long after the Snap. He's dressed casually in jeans and a dark henley. Despite his relaxed appearance, there's an undeniable intensity about him, a coiled energy that seems barely contained.

"So," Bucky says, breaking the silence. "Wisconsin."

You nod, grateful for the opening. "Yes, big day ahead. Are you joining us for the rally?"

Bucky shakes his head. "I’ll be backstage, but no."

Another silence falls between you, but it feels almost companionable, and the two of you enjoy your breakfast. Usually people try to fill any potentially silent moment around you these days, and so the reprieve itself is nice, but it doesn’t last long. Soon you’re joined by some of the staff - some seeking breakfast, some looking for you or for Bucky. And so the next wave of action for the day begins.

next part: HOUSTON

I KNOW! WE JUMPED FROM THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING TO THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER! But that's by design.

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I do not do tag lists, but FOLLOW @buckets-and-stories and TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS to be updated any time I publish a new work!

[rillils]

Do you have Wakanda Stucky fic recommendations ? I'm just weak for them in that phase with their looks 😭

I most certainly do, my dear nonnie! 💕💕 I'm gonna link a few of my favourites below, and I hope you'll find some of them to your liking :3

Just a heads-up, though: some of these are only visible if you're logged in on AO3, so make sure you're not there "only" as a guest, otherwise you won't be able to access them!

NOW LET'S GO:

Let this be light work by caughtinanocean (rated T) (8,628 words)

On the run with Sam and Natasha, Steve finds the words to describe his commitment to Bucky. As with most of Steve’s decisions, there are unintended consequences. “It’s no use,” Natasha tells Sam. “You won’t get him to go out and flirt. Steve here’s a married man.” They’re somewhere in Croatia, and Sam’s been hard at work, trying to pull Steve away from a busy night of sketching and staring at his phone. He wants to go out and drink plum brandy and dance with the locals. “You should go without me,” Steve says, hazy. Married. A married man. Isn’t that something?

Correspondent by girlfromcarolina (rated E) (8,049 words)

It started with Bucky sending him photos: the river with the sun gleaming on the surface or the moon’s silver streaks across the water. The children gathered around Bucky, teaching him a game. Words came eventually, thoughts and emotions laid down a few sentences at a time as they each began to feel more comfortable. The messages represented the chance to reconnect in ways they couldn’t while they hunted Zemo and tried to clear Bucky’s name. Some things were too difficult to say face-to-face; some questions were too complex.

deserving by sunflower_dragon19 (rated E) (1,401 words)

While Steve was away on a mission, Bucky spent his time eating whatever he liked and resting as much as he wanted. Steve very much appreciates the results.

Get It Right by sangha (rated E) (4,426 words)

He's been sweet on Steve for as long as he can remember. It's as natural as breathing to Bucky. He reckons a life without Steve wouldn't be much of a life at all. Or: a tale of two weddings, nearly 80 years apart.

ready, able by rohkeutta (rated T) (1,370 words)

Steve snorts, helplessly charmed. “Harold like your gang boss uncle Harold?” “A gentleman does not name his goats and tell,” Bucky says solemnly, but he leans a little more firmly against Steve’s side, and there are crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes when he smiles. He’s the best thing Steve has ever seen.

so here we go head first by endofadream (rated T) (1,631 words)

Steve rests his hand on Bucky’s face and says, so quietly Bucky could have easily missed it, “I missed you.” The first tear falls, then the next, and Bucky doesn't bother to try and stop them.

time on my hands (could be time spent with you) by thedoubteriswise (rated M) (23,023 words)

"You doing okay, kid?” Steve releases a breath, deciding how honest he wants to be. No point in lying. No point in telling the truth, either. "Glad to see you." "That’s not what I asked, but same to you, punk."

It's Waiting There for You by sunflower_dragon19 (rated E) (3,228 words)

"Shuri, me and Steve… we're not --" "Could have fooled me." She shook her head, muttering under her breath in Xhosa as she connected a series of wires in his arm. "My brother offered him the nicest guest suite in the palace and you know where he decided to stay instead?" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "In your hut. That has one bed." -- Steve visits Wakanda and Bucky decides he's done being afraid of his feelings.

i love him and our goat children by talkplaylove and wearing_tearing (rated T) (5,526 words)

“Bucky, why does Sam have a photo of you surrounded by goats and the words “Always be happy with Jesus” on it?” Steve asks, looking at him on the screen. Or the one where Steve and Bucky move in together, adopt some goat kids, and live happily ever after.

Moon River by sangha (rated E) (5,763 words)

Steve and Bucky are reunited in Wakanda and they can no longer run from their feelings for each other.

a line that goes all the way by napricot (rated E) (45,218 words)

"About six months after he left Bucky in cryostasis in Wakanda, Steve got a text from an unidentified number: He is awake and well, and wants to see you." Steve and Bucky reunite and reconnect, with some help from modern technology.

all my bones are begging me to beg for you by dragongirlG (rated E) (2,711 words)

After Thanos is defeated at the Battle of Wakanda, Steve accidentally doses himself with an aphrodisiac hidden inside of a celebratory alien drink. The ensuing side effects lead him to confess and act upon his feelings for Bucky, who readily agrees to help Steve work through his urges, much to Steve's surprise.

Not Bad (for the End of the World) by relenafanel (rated T) (2,425 words)

Bucky comes in from a day of work to get ready for an impending war, blow-dries his hair, has a small crisis over his nascent attraction for Steve. Just usual Bucky Barnes things.

love is blind (steve and bucky are just dumb) by talkplaylove and wearing_tearing (rated T) (4,409 words)

“You shouldn’t have interrupted their date, then,” Natasha pipes up, finally showing her face as she gives Bucky a wave and a tiny smile. “I like the hair.” “Thank you.” Bucky preens a little. He ignores the teasing about this being a date; Nat and Sam somehow got it into their heads that Steve and him were dating via Skype calls. They’re not. They’re just friends who video call sometimes. Friends do that.

Found My Place in Time by Cap_D, humapuma (rated E) (12,430 words)

“Buck,” he heard Steve say, “wake up. We’re here.” Bucky opened his eyes and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension out of his back. When Steve’s words sunk in, though, he turned and leaned forward, staring past Steve’s chest to look out the window. Beyond the wing of the plane, he found a beautiful coastline with white sand, blue waters, and palm trees, as well as rows of bungalows on the water. “Wow,” he murmured. “We’re staying in one of those, right?” In which Steve invites Bucky on a trip to Fiji and they discover something a lot more than beautiful vistas and friendly locals.

What a Bright Time (It's the Right Time) by sunflower_dragon19 (rated G) (2,531 words)

Bucky gets a Christmas surprise.

(i'll be home for christmas) if only in my dreams by crinklefries (rated T) (13,728 words)

“I told my best friend that story,” Steve says after a moment, voice thick. “When we were seven years old. And he told me he’d do the same for me. And that year, when I opened my present, inside was a small wooden bird to hang on the tree.” Bucky looks up at Steve, the little bird in his hand and Steve--well he’s smiling. “I don’t remember,” Bucky whispers.“I’ll tell you,” Steve says. *** (or; six Christmases Bucky Barnes doesn't remember--and one he will)

[sj-ficrecs]

fic rec 16!

SO! i haven’t been reading fic in a long time bc i’ve been reading books BUT, discovered this fic rec in my drafts from 2022 lol oops!

This is purely a fic rec blog, always reblogging fics I enjoy. usually Bucky x reader, sometimes Steve x reader, Chris Beck x reader, etc. So check out more I’ve reblogged on this page. :)

PREVIOUS FIC RECS HERE! // Q & A

Bucky x reader:

A Correspondence of Obligations by @pellucid-constellations prince!Bucky x princess!reader

“ Obedience, duty, pristine smiles—raised as the princess of an oppressive kingdom, you knew nothing else. Your father signed your life away at the ripe age of five, black ink bleeding into a contract between nations, fate cemented with the flick of a quill. So when the time came to fulfill the promises you were too young to make, you expected much of the same in the land of Brookshire. But Prince James had other plans, as did the enemies looming outside the castle walls.”

Sky Full of Song by @wkemeup pirate!Bucky x pirate/siren!reader

“Despite the bitter resentment of the crew, you found a home on Captain Barnes’ ship; on the ocean where you belonged, at the side of a captain you swore loyalty and heart to. But when course is plotted for a legendary island, the secret that has kept you alive for years is threatened to be revealed.”

Starting Gate by @navybrat817 motocross!Bucky x reader

“You attract the attention of your coworker's friend who just happens to be a handsome racer who plays for keeps.”

Oath by @softlybarnes (part of the Sugar series but can be reader alone) 40s Bucky x reader

“Bucky finally proposes to Y/N.”

Awake My Soul by @foreverindreamlandd​ Bucky x reader (Zombie apocalypse au)

“It’s been five years since zombies first started walking the Earth, destroying anything and everything in their wake. Now, in this apocalyptic world, fighting for survival comes as naturally as breathing. The one thing you’ve learned ever since they arrived, though, is that the living can be so much more dangerous than the undead. When you stumble across two young, scared boys lost in the woods and being chased by walkers, you go against your better judgment and help them to safety. Little did you know that helping them would lead you to Bucky - an angry, grumpy, distrusting member of the camp Shield. Bucky has zero interest in having you enter his life. He’s been hurt before and lost too many people to risk experiencing that kind of pain again, and he knows that there are secrets you aren’t telling the group. Yet, when push comes to shove, and you’re put at risk, he’ll stop at nothing to keep you safe.”

No Such Thing by @sanguineterrain college athlete!Bucky x reader

“You’ve been assigned to write a column for your school paper on the team’s spectacular running back. You don’t care very much for your university’s football team; you just can’t understand the hype, okay? Turns out your distaste for football bigheads was exactly on point: James Barnes is insufferable.”

Appointments by @buckycuddlebuddy Bucky x reader

“bucky barnes, finally being able to live freely in 21st century, accidentally gets a fuck buddy and starts to rediscover himself. the only weird thing about this situation is that you have to make an appointment to get railed by him.”

Recipe for Disaster by @seventven dad’s best friend!Bucky x reader

“your dad’s best friend bucky knows you have a crush on him. your parents invite him to join your family for the annual winter vacation”

In the Embers by @foreverindreamlandd Firefighter!Bucky x Fem!Plus Size!Adopted Rogers!Reader

“Bucky Barnes. The boy next door. Your brother’s best friend. The guy you’ve been in love with for as long as you can remember. Unrequited, that is, seeing that he only thinks of you as a sister (at least, that’s what you always thought). It’s been about a decade since you’ve returned home and reunited with the boy - now man - with stunning blue eyes and a smile that still puts a million butterflies in your stomach. You never expected to come back, thinking that you’d spend the rest of your life as a famous artist in Los Angeles with your boyfriend/manager. But things change, life gets messy, and now you’re back in your childhood bedroom living with your mom and working at the townie bar to make ends meet while you try to figure out what the hell to do next. The one thing that hasn’t changed? Bucky Barnes is still the boy next door, and there’s no running from him this time.”

Love in Four Acts by @chouettedubois neighbor MCU Bucky x nurse!reader

“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.”

Plaything part one + two by @captain-buckyyy virgin!Bucky x reader

“bucky’s innocence is just too much for you to resist”

calamitous love series by @classylo princess!reader x commoner!bucky

“Reader is a modern princess under immense pressure to marry before she takes the crown, she choose her Prince Charming four years ago… but he didn’t choose her back. He left her with a broken heart and her kingdom to rule alone. Four years later, reader is in an arranged engagement with a man who she can see herself loving… one day… everything seems to be falling into place until her original prince shows up at her engagement party determined to win her back before her wedding day.”

Not Even a Little by @intrepidacious roommate!Bucky x reader, modern au

“The problem of living with Bucky is that he makes it impossible not to fall in love with him. Even though you could list several hundred reasons why it’s a bad idea. And you have.”

Followed You by @cwbucky Bucky x reader

“You meet this guy named Bucky through Instagram. Even though neither of you knows what the other person looks like, you two immediately connect. Things get complicated when you start your new job at Stark Industries and you catch a glimpse of the handsome Sergeant Barnes.”

Matched by @nony-bear Alpha!Bucky x omega!reader

“Bucky Barnes always dreamed of settling down with a mate but after decades of trauma leaving him a grumpy old man with a robotic arm he’s convinced no one could love an alpha like him. Begrudgingly he follows his therapist advice and enrolls in the Swan Program a mate matching program offered but the new aged bio-tech company Mate-Tech”

Body Talk by @boxofbonesfic trainer!Bucky x plus size!reader

“You’re determined to come out of this breakup a better you, but Bucky likes the you you are.”

King in Your Story by @sinner-as-saint viking!Bucky x princess!reader

“Everyone in your father’s Kingdom knows that the Vikings often raid the castle’s warehouses. They take anything they want. Food, gold, weapons. Although they never seem to hurt your subjects. But you had had enough. Given your training, and your need to defend your Kingdom, your father agrees to let you trap the Vikings and bring them in for negotiation because this habit of theirs needs to be stopped. You hated the Vikings, and you thought you always would. Until the moment you met a pair of blue eyes which made your world stand still. Bucky was the Chief of his people; muscular, rough and tumble, and arrogant. Not to mention a shameless flirt, and he got on your nerves the most. But you knew it from the very day you laid eyes on his very handsome face that no matter how hard you tried, some part of you couldn’t fully hate him, nor resist him - even if he was the rival.”

Oh Baby, Oh Baby by @tooearlyforthis Bucky x reader

“As a new recruit, y/n isn’t allowed to go on all the missions yet. To make matters worse, they left behind another, someone that she had despised ever since she first stepped foot in the compound - James Buchanan Barnes.”

Before You by @m4tthewmurd0ck prince!Bucky x baker!reader

reader is a baker who happens to work at a shop the royals enjoy getting baked goods from :)

Steve Rogers x reader:

Rising Tide by @pellucid-constellations surfer!Steve x reader

“A relationship built up from the ocean floor, you and Steve had lifetime worth of memories—most best friends did. But things were beginning to change, unspoken feelings creating a rift that cast a shadow over the bond you called home. Unfortunately for you, rip currents are often hardest to spot in the dark”

[darkserenity24]

𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 - 𝑪𝒉.9

Loki x Reader

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙤𝙠𝙞 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.

𝘈/𝘕: 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦! 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 🎉 🍸

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒆

“Does she have any criminal history? Because if she does, we may already have something in common.” 

You eyed Natasha in amusement, shaking your head.

“To my knowledge, she’s just as boring as I am regarding criminal history. Maybe even more considering she’s never worked with Avengers before.”

You didn’t miss the small smirk that appeared on Bucky’s face.

“Has she served any time in the military?”

Your brow raised. “No Steve, she has not.”

“So then I’m guessing she’s not an operative.”

“She’s not a terrorist either, Tony.”

“Does she bake muffi-”

“Guys,” You stared irritatedly at everyone sitting on the couch before you. “She is just a normal human,” you emphasized. “woman like I am. No terroristic tendencies or superpowers.” You eyed Thor quizzically. “and no, she does not bake muffins.”

You weren’t shocked to see his shoulders deflate.

The chatter among the group grew louder as they speculated on who this stranger was and why you were inviting her over. You had rarely invited anyone over to the tower before, so naturally they were curious about who it was. Though, a bit too curious for your liking.

You swallowed nervously when you heard the elevator ding, clearing your throat loud enough to grab their attention.

“She’s here. I’ll be back, and please,” you eyed them all pleadingly. “Be on your best behavior.”

“Always.” Nat winked.

This was the first friend you’d invited over other than Kayla in a very long time and you were kind of nervous. The team– your family, was basically composed of supernormal human beings, extraterrestrial gods from different realms, assassins, and other out of the ordinary creatures. There was no easy way to introduce someone new to them in a normal way.

You and Lana had become good friends over the past month of you knowing each other. Not only was she extremely smart and clever, but she was also quite funny.

Ever since the incident with Jacob, you haven’t spent much time around Kayla without being in a group setting. Loki’s blatant distrust of her steered you away from her and into the opposite direction any time you saw her.

But Lana was different. She was new. After the mixer, she was the first one to reach out to you about meeting up at a cute little café that had just opened up in the city. You accepted her invitation and were delighted to find out she was a pretty normal person after all. She didn’t come from super wealthy parents or any influential people, she got to where she was all on her own and you respected that.

She was about a year older than you which comforted you more than you realized. After the first outing, you didn’t hesitate to go out with her more. Brunches, lunches, dinners, late-night outings, you name it. Your trust in her increased the more time you spent with her.

When you eventually told the team that you were inviting her over, you were almost just as surprised as they were. Kayla was already connected through Tony’s relationship with her family, but Lana? Lana was a complete stranger to them and they didn’t know what to expect.

To say they were still a bit overprotective of you was an understatement. However, you didn’t let their intense questioning affect you, greeting Lana as she stepped off the elevator.

She ran a hand over her wild curls, presenting a nervous smile as she greeted you.

“Hey, girl!”

“Hi, Lana!” You returned her greeting, possibly too cheerfully. “I’m glad you could make it.” 

Giving her a quick hug, you pointed in the direction of the communal living space.

“They're all in here. Follow me.”

She did as you asked and followed you in tow.

When you returned with your new friend, all eyes immediately shot her way.

You stepped forward, partially blocking her as you introduced her to everyone.

“This is my friend Lana. She studies environmental biology at NYU, loves to cook, and volunteers at the local veterans shelter in her spare time. She will be around in the tower more often. Yes, she already has been granted security clearance, and yes she‘s had a complete background check so don’t ask any weird questions okay?”

The severe look you were giving everyone had the room quiet, no one saying a thing. When you caught Tony slowly raising his hand you instantly glared at him to shut it down, causing him to quickly lower it and avoid your gaze.

There was no way you were going to let them scare her away so soon. 

You were only mildly surprised when Lana stepped forward, a small smile spreading on her face as she prepared herself to speak.

“I’m sure this is strange for you guys, letting someone in that’s not a part of your inner circle and all but I promise I’m not some sort of secret agent or war criminal,”

You saw Nat raise a brow. 

“I’m only here because I was lucky enough to make friends with this amazing woman without even realizing exactly who she was. If I’m being honest, I have no idea why she even invited me here because I am certainly not high caliber enough. But if it makes any of you feel any better you can ask me all the questions you want. I’m really an open book so go ahead.” She encouraged with a charming smile.

You took a step towards her, eyes wide. “Lana, that’s probably not-”

“How long have you and your family lived here?”

“Are you related to any past terrorists?”

“How many bank accounts do you have in how many states?”

“Are you willing to learn how to make my favorite Asgardian dish? It is well worth the work, I promise.”

You could tell your new friend was taken aback by the mass of random (and quite intrusive) questions being fired at her all at once.

Before you could tell her she truly didn’t need to answer any of them she beat you to it, placing a hand on her chin as she thought things through.

“Let’s see, my family actually lives in Ohio but I moved to New York around three years ago for school and work opportunities. No one in my family is, or was a terrorist to my knowledge, so I think we’re all good there. I only have two bank accounts, one that I share with my parents for emergencies and one that I own by myself. The only reason I’m giving this information to you all is because I truly doubt that you’re gonna actually find them both and steal my money considering who you guys are,” She paused squinting her eyes. “But if you do, please leave enough for me to at least pay my rent this month. New York is hella expensive.”

You saw Nat smile from the corner of your eye. Most of the team looked impressed, others hid their thoughts with a poker face with the exception of Tony who continued to eye Lana with a ridiculous amount of heavy suspicion in his gaze.

“And yes, Thor,” She continued. “I would love to learn how to make your favorite dish. I love to cook! Send me the recipe and I’ll be on it.”

Thor’s face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. “That is wonderful news, my lady! I must return to Asgard at once so I can gather the ingredients. You haven’t dabbled with extracting the leaves from semi-poisonous herbs by any chance, have you?”

Heads turned to Thor in bewilderment.

“She literally just arrived and already has the threat of being poisoned by a demi-god. Great job, Thor.” Bruce deadpanned.

“The herbs are only semi-poisonous, I swear to Odin!”

Tony eventually cut through the noise of Thor and Bruce squabbling, crossing his arms as he leaned against the table.

“What’s your GPA?” He asked her.

You wanted to roll your eyes at the unnecessary question.

Out of all the questions that had been thrown her way, this was the one that seemed to catch Lana off guard. 

She turned to Tony, looking mildly surprised as she chuckled nervously. “Ummmm, it’s only a 4.5 at the moment but I’ve been trying to get it higher.”

Your eyes widened. Only a 4.5?

Tony looked just as surprised as you were. “Really?”

“Yeah, those AP classes can be real tough sometimes, you know?”

Tony straightened his posture, now looking highly impressed before turning to you.

“Alright, ‘nuff said. I approve.” He said. 

“Thanks, dad.” You muttered mockingly under your breath.

“Now, everyone stop grilling her before she turns into a steak. Party’s over.” Tony clapped his hands before heading down the hall.

Sam hummed. “A steak does sound pretty good right about now. Buck, Steve, you up for an early dinner?”

You drowned out their conversation as you turned to Lana, giving her an awkward smile. “So that went way better than I expected. You really didn’t have to do all of that for their approval.”

She chuckled, waving her hand. “It’s no problem, honestly. Plus any normal person would want to impress the Avengers if they had the chance. This isn’t a common scenario for the average Joe so I had a lot of fun talking to them.”

You quirked a brow at her, crossing your arms. “Yeah? Well, it’s all fun and games now until Thor brings you his poisonous herbs from outer space. Then you may start rethinking your association with them.”

“They are only semi-poisonous!” You heard Thor call from the other side of the room. You cursed his super hearing abilities.

Lana grinned over at Thor before her eyes caught something over your shoulder. “Oh, hey Loki!” 

You turned around to see Loki standing only a few feet away from you. He sauntered towards you, politely returning Lana’s greeting.

“Please ignore my oaf of a brother. I do not believe he is actually trying to poison you but sometimes his excitement overrides his intelligence.”

Loki was the first person you introduced Lana to in the tower. You trusted in his good judge of character, knowing that Lana was good to meet the rest of the team once Loki didn’t have anything negative to say about her, except for her being human, of course.

Being used to Loki’s constant jibes at his brother, you decided to throw one back at him just because, patting his arm lightly before turning to Lana.

“You’ll have to excuse his younger brother as well. He can be a bit of a green meanie even when he likes someone.”

You expected the light scoff that emitted from Loki’s lips. “I am not mean, I am simply so blunt in my truthfulness that it can be hard for one to handle at times.”

“Yeah, okay, meanie.”

A sly smile slid on Lana’s face as she witnessed you and Loki banter back and forth, almost seeming to forget her presence entirely until she cleared her throat.

Both your heads shot her way simultaneously and you smiled apologetically at her.

“Well, I’m going to show Lana around the tower. You can join us if you’d like.” You offered him.

“Unfortunately I have some business I must attend to with Thor so I will have to sit this one out. But I will see you tomorrow morning for our next outing, yes?” He asked, looking at you with all seriousness.

You nodded. “Yep! See you tomorrow.”

You and Lana both watched as Loki retreated, heading over toward Thor’s direction.

“That was cute.” She commented with a smirk on her face when you turned back to her, causing you to raise an eyebrow.

“Cute?”

“Yeah, you two obviously have some sort of chemistry. It’s really adorable actually.” “Our friendship is adorable?” you laughed. “Well, I guess that’s one way of putting it. Much nicer than how Tony or Steve would probably describe it. Now, come on, I promised you a tour of the place.”

“Yes, you sure did.”

You gestured for her to follow you, walking past her into the opposite direction. You paused in your steps when you heard a commotion behind you.

Spinning around you frowned at the scene in confusion. It appeared as if Bucky had somehow bumped into Lana, or maybe she was the one who bumped into him. All you witnessed was the aftermath, watching as they both stared at each other in mild surprise.

Bucky was the first one to apologize. 

“Shoot! Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Oh, no, that was all…” You watched as Lana lifted her gaze up to Bucky, an apologetic look in her eyes before she froze, face glossing over in awe. “.. on me.”

Bucky shook his head. “Nah, I just gotta be more careful. Wouldn’t want to run into you with this thing.” He gestured towards his metal arm which was completely covered by his jacket, hand covered by a glove. 

She nodded slightly, expression still struck with wonder as she continued to look up at him “Right..”

You had no doubt that she had no idea what he was talking about.

It took everything in you not to grin as you watched as Bucky continued his apology, completely oblivious to Lana’s awestruck gaze.  

You heard Sam call Bucky’s name, grabbing his attention. He turned back to Lana with a small smile, a slight apologetic look on his face.

“I gotta go, but I’m sure I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Y-yeah, sounds good.”

He left with a parting nod, leaving Lana there still staring at him.

“Hello? You still here?” You called out, waving a hand near her face.

She blinked, looking back at you with wide wide eyes, a bashful look appearing on her face.

“I was staring, wasn’t I.”

You confirmed with a slow nod, smirking at her as you crossed your arms. “Yeah. That, and a lot more.”

She sighed, taking one last glance at Bucky before he disappeared from sight. “Who is that? One of the Avengers?”

“Yeah, sort of. Bucky has a sort of complicated history, but I still think he’s considered an Avenger. Maybe you should talk to him sometime. Get to know him a bit more.” You encouraged.

Her brows furrowed. “Oh no, I wouldn’t want to bother him. I’m sure he has so many better things to do than talk to me.”

“You’d be surprised. Plus, I think that was adorable. I did not plan on you having a crush on one of the Avengers on the very first day of meeting them.” You teased with a large grin.

Out of all people, Lana having a crush on Bucky Barnes was surprising, but she could certainly have chosen a lot worse. Bucky was a good guy, and you were interested to see the dynamic between the two the next time they were around each other. 

Lana sent you a playful glare, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yeah, well, stranger things have happened I guess. It’s not my fault that man is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, they all are! How do you get anything done around here?”

“I’ve been around them a lot longer than you, and the novelty wore off long ago. But don’t worry, it probably will be the same for you soon. Now,” You beckoned her yet again. “Let’s go before we’re interrupted yet again.”

You were grateful for the blanket that laid between your back and the crispy blades of grass as you gazed up at the clear blue sky. Your dark sunglasses did a decent job of shielding your eyes from the bright sun, the heated rays providing relief from the cool breeze that wisped by you on occasion.

“I must say, this is quite nice.” You heard Loki mutter beside you. “Not as satisfying as being out in the Asgardian wilderness, but anything is preferable than being trapped in that concrete helhole you call a city.”

As much as you wanted to defend New York, Loki did have a point. Sometimes being in the city could be exhausting. That’s why you brought him all the way out to a park about an hour and a half away from the chaos. Central Park did its best, but it could never compare to the peacefulness of undisturbed natural land.

It was just you, Loki,  and a picnic basket full of goodies surrounded by beautiful trees. Oh– and the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sitting on a bench 50 feet away from you, looking highly uncomfortable in their stuffy suits.

The sun felt good on your skin. It felt better than good, it felt amazing. The natural source of vitamin D was feeding you the nutrients your body craved, something you were being deprived of because of your condition.  

You groaned when you felt your stomach rumble, an obvious indicator that you needed food. Loki was pushing something your way before you could even open your mouth to ask. 

“Thank you, kind sir.”

You sat up, grabbing one of the many cold cuts you packed in the basket from him as he hummed in response.

He glanced around, taking in the beautiful scene before you both as you began eating your sandwich.

Curious about his uncharacteristic silence, you looked over at him. 

“I know this is supposed to be a relaxing trip and all but you're way quieter than usual. What’s on your mind?”

He didn’t say anything for a while, dark brows furrowing just a touch as he pondered on what he wanted to say.

“I do enjoy taking sport in ridiculing this planet at every opportunity I get, however,  my mockery can only stand for so long. I am afraid I am now the one being mocked. Here I am, trapped in the very place I endeavored to subjugate, and though I am able to roam freely now it still feels as if I am locked in that cell deep under the tower. I am still a prisoner somewhere I am not wanted.”

You stopped chewing, slowly setting your half eaten sandwich down as you turned to face him fully, carefully listening to what he had to say.

“I have now come to the tragic realization that I need to find a better way to survive on this planet, to accept my circumstances as they are, and get used to living on Midgard while I am here. I don’t know when I will be sent back to Asgard, it could be years, decades, maybe even centuries. Nevertheless, the timeline does not make any difference because my people do not want me there.”

You watched as his face slowly transformed from apathy to disappointment, finally settling on sadness. Loki was sad, and he had every reason to be. No matter how much you tried to extend compassion and empathy to him, you had no idea how it felt to be in his situation. To be in the position that he’s been in for so long.

Your chest tightened at the thought of him being so depressed here. You knew you had to do everything in your power to make his time on Earth better than he expected. He was counting on you, whether he knew it or not. Besides Thor, you were one of the few people that cared about him as a person. As a friend. A true friend.

You scooted closer to him on the blanket until your shoulders were brushing against one another. You were comforted by his body heat and hoped that you brought some sort of comfort to him too. 

“I’m not sure when you’ll be able to return to Asgard, but I do know I’m really enjoying having you here while I can.” You turned away in thought.

“New York is only a small part of the world. You still have the rest of the country to see, and so many others. You may be stuck here for a while but you still have a lot to experience, and I’m going to make sure that you do. You have a whole world to see out there, and you have a ton of people to meet. You have people who like you, who trust you, and do want you here and I‘m one of them. I want you here.”

His head turned to look at you as you stared out into the distance. “And to be completely honest, this sounds really selfish but I’d be very sad if you were to leave so soon. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m kind of attached to you.” you chuckled lightly.

“If by some miracle I was to return back to my realm sooner than later, I do not believe I could leave you behind. I’m afraid you will be forced to move there as well, whether you desire to or not.”

The small smirk that grew on his face let you know that he was joking. At least that’s what you got from it. You were glad to see him smile, even if it was only a bit. You wanted Loki to feel more comfortable here. You wanted him not to be miserable. You’d die trying to make sure he’d be alright because if he was not okay, you were afraid that he may spiral back down a path he was trying to avoid. Things were pretty dark for him before, and there was a possibility that he could return to that darkness if no one paid enough attention.

You smiled at him cheekily, attempting to lighten the mood. “Oh, you think I wouldn’t want to visit Asgard? If there was a chance you’d be returning sometime soon, I’m making you take me. There’s no way I’d miss out on-.”

Your words caught in your throat as you sat up straight, your body rigid and frozen while your stomach churned violently, twisting with a dizzying intensity. No. Not now.

Loki’s concerned face filled your vision as he leaned towards you, placing a hand on your arm. “Dove, are you alright?”

You didn’t respond, shooting up from your seated position and making a beeline to a nearby tree. Your earlier breakfast as well as your half eaten sandwich came spilling out as you wretched out all the contents of your stomach onto the ground.

You heard Loki calling your name as he bolted your way. Surprisingly, you had enough energy to raise your arm, attempting to stop him from coming near and seeing the mess you made.

But it was too late, and you were mortified. 

When you planned this picnic outing with him, "throwing up your lunch" definitely wasn’t on the itinerary. It was gross and embarrassing, and he just witnessed it all.

Quickly wiping your mouth on your sleeve, you straightened, feeling his hand on your back.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized, shaking your head, and turning to him with shame in your eyes. “That was… I don’t know what happened. I’m really-.”

Loki cut you off, shushing you as he pulled you closer. 

“You have no reason to apologize, little one, and please,” he bent his neck down to look you in the eyes. “don’t ever hide from me.”

You swallowed, nodding slowly.

The agents that were farther away were now much closer. Loki shooed them off, telling them he had things under control. 

With much hesitation, they backed away, and with a hand on the small of your back, Loki carefully led you back to the picnic, gently setting you down on the blanket and handing you a bottle of water. Gratefully, you gulped half of the bottle's contents before sighing. You peeked over at him, still seeing the concerned look in his green eyes as he gave you all of his attention.

“What happened? Are you feeling well?”

He placed the back of his hand on your forehead, and you gently pushed it off, not wanting to make a big deal out of things. 

He looked a bit taken aback by your subtle brush-off. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m fine. I just...” you swallowed again, turning away from his intense gaze as your mind conjured up a reasonable explanation. “I think I ate something bad earlier. It just caught up to me I guess.”

He said nothing at that, but you caught the slight furrow of his brows at your answer. He eyed you with an unexpected amount of suspicion, seeming to be scrutinizing your every movement.

“No,” he stated, expression hardening a touch. “I don’t believe that is true. There is something else, isn’t there?” He said more than asked. 

He didn’t elaborate on what he meant by something else and didn’t say more than that, still staring at you with a strange look in his eyes.

You didn’t like this, one bit. You had no clue how your peaceful outing turned into whatever tense situation was happening at the moment, and it was all your fault. Sort of.

“I-I don’t know what you mean.” You stuttered. “I don’t know what else there could be, so that’s most likely what’s happening. Humans are more fragile than you extraterrestrials, after all.”

You let out a light chuckle after your statement, attempting to break the tension. You hated this. You hated lying to him. It was something you didn’t want to ever do, and would never do so about anything else, but you had to. Loki couldn’t find out about your illness. You weren’t ready to tell him. You enjoyed how well things were going and you wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. 

He stared at you. Like really stared, eyes searching yours to detect anything that would say otherwise. Anything that would prove that what you were saying was false. His gaze pinned you to the spot, and you didn’t feel like you could move an inch without giving anything away. Like one movement would expose all the lies you’ve been telling him and everyone else.

Your heart was racing, and your palms became sweaty. The longer he did or said nothing, the more nervous you got. When he finally did say something, the words that came out of his mouth made your heart skip a beat.

“You know that you can be honest with me, right?”

You took a deep breath, trying your hardest to keep eye contact with his intense ones. With a hesitant shake of your head, you told him what he wanted to hear, or at least what you wanted him to hear.

“Y-yes, of course. I know that.”

You could see his eyes move all over your face, assessing you one last time before his face relaxed, losing the severe intensity it had before. He blinked, looking away before meeting your eyes again, gaze much softer than before. It was the way he normally regarded you. The way he normally looked at you.

“You’re right, humans are much more sensitive than every other species. Still, I do not enjoy seeing you ill. It is quite a jarring sight. Is there anything you need from me?”

“I don’t think so but I’ll let you know. It was just a little stomach bug but I’m okay, I promise.” You said with a genuine smile.

He still looked to be deep in thought for a moment before nodding with finality. He was accepting your explanation for your random bout of sickness.

The relief you felt at him not finding out about your condition was overshadowed by the fact that you know you lied to him, and that wasn’t something easy to live with. 

You promised to yourself that one day you’d tell him the truth, but that day wasn’t now.

When the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents started to look a bit antsy, Loki Stood up, extending his arm down to you to help you up as well. “That might be our queue that they want to leave.”

“Yeah, they’re probably itching to report my yackfest to Tony.” you snorted.

You took his offered hand, standing up slowly so you didn’t lose your balance since your head was spinning a bit from the events of the last ten minutes or so. A particularly cool gust of wind brushed past and you wrapped your arms around yourself, wishing that you brought an extra jacket to put on over your thin sweater.

“Here, allow me,” Loki said, beginning to take off his peacoat.

Before you could protest, he placed it over your shoulders, the coat engulfing your smaller frame. 

“You didn’t have to…” You began your protest but your words faltered once you felt how warm it felt around you. “Oh… this is nice, and incredibly cozy. How do you keep this jacket so warm?”

He shrugged lightly. “Asgardians run much hotter than humans.”

“Yeah, but Frost Giants don’t.”

“You continue to forget the wonders of Asgardian magic, my dear.” He responded, raising a hand. “My Aesir form acts in the same manner as a natural born one would, body temperature and all. You can thank Odin for this.”

You watched in awe as the normal pale color of his hand faded into a dark blue, stopping mid arm. You reacted before thinking, your own hand moving to touch his. Before you could make contact with his hand he quickly moved it out of your reach.

“That,” He gave you a look. “is a bad idea.” 

“Why? What's the worst that can happen? I get colder than I already am?” You joked.

His brows raised, a serious expression crossing his features. “More like your whole arm freezes and breaks into pieces from one slight touch.”

Your face dropped, eyes widening with apprehension. “Oh. Yeah, let’s not do that. I tend to like my arms very much.”

“I figured.” He smirked, “Let us return to the tower before sunset.”

 Loki gathered your things for you and led you both back down the path to the car.

You hugged the coat tighter around you, enjoying the piney scent that was all Loki. “I’m keeping this jacket by the way.” You teased, peeking up at him with mischief in your eyes. “Just wanted to warn you in case you thought you were gonna get it back.”

Loki playfully glared at you, “What? You are not-.”

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, dark brows lowered as he stared directly over your shoulder.

“What is it?” you asked, turning your head to follow his gaze.

At first, all you saw were trees.

But then you saw it. It happened so fast, that you almost missed it. A sharp white flash coming 

From within the darkness of the trees.

Loki was storming towards the strange flash before you could blink, stalking behind the tree and pulling something from behind it. No, he pulled someone from behind it.

The stranger was pushed to the ground, the bulky black camera tumbling out of his hands from the utter force Loki was using on him.

He quickly flipped on his back, raising his hands in surrender with a terrified look on his face.

“Wait, man! Please don’t hurt me!”

“Who are you and what are you doing?” Loki growled, bending down to snatch the guy up by his shirt.

“I don’t want any trouble, man. I’m just doing my job, I swear!”

You frowned at the man in confusion before you realized what he meant by job.

“He’s paparazzi.”  You sighed.

Loki opened his mouth to respond, only to be caught off guard by another flash coming from about twenty feet away. 

“We have to go.” You urged, grabbing his arm. “Leave him here. The agents will take care of him.”

You and Loki quickly made your way to the car, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents trailing not too far behind you.

“What is paparazzi?” Loki asked once you were both inside the car and on your way back to the city.

“They’re like a mix of photographers, journalists, and press. Just think of a group of people who have nothing else better to do with themselves than follow the lives of famous or notable people. Though I have no idea why they were all the way out here for us, because neither of us fit into those categories.”

Loki frowned. “That is rather disturbing,” he raised a brow in thought. “However, also quite flattering.”

By the time you returned to the tower, you almost forgot about the situation with the pap’s. That was until you stepped out of the car, Loki right behind you as you walked to the building’s entrance. 

Out of nowhere, you were blinded by the lights. Literally.

You were both ambushed in an instant, cameras flashing around you while mics were being pointed in your face. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tried their best to shield you from the mass of people surrounding you but it was even difficult for them to keep everyone away from you.

You felt a hand at the small of your back guide you forward, You could hear Loki barking at people right behind you as he guided you through the crowd, using his body to shield you even further.

Once you were inside the lobby seemed unusually quiet compared to the roaring voices outside. Loki didn’t release you until you were enclosed in the elevator, turning to you with an annoyed expression.

“What in the hel was that about?”

“I don’t know.” You muttered, feeling quite overwhelmed at the strange situation. “But I have a feeling someone else might.”

And you were right. The team was gathered in the common area, not looking very pleased from the tense look on their faces. Tony seemed to be in a semi-heated argument with Thor while the rest of the team stood around staring at the large tv on the wall. 

When you and Loki came into sight, they all froze. Nat quickly turned off the tv before you could see what they were looking at. 

“What’s going on?” You asked with a frown. “Why are we getting ambushed outside? And why is everyone looking at us so weird.”

Everyone started talking at the same time, quieting when Tony told them to shush. 

“We have a problem here, kid.” He stated, glaring at Loki who was lingering not too far behind you. “A big problem, and we need to fix it asap.”

You shook your head, a worried frown on your face as you looked around. “What is it?”

Thor stepped forward, a slightly guilty look on his face. “Well, you see-”

“The media thinks you and Loki are a thing.” Tony finished to him. “Which is not good.”

You blinked. “A thing?”

“They think you’re dating,” Nat said with a smirk. “And Tony’s about to lose his shit because of it.”

Story Masterlist

✦ 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰. 𝘙𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 🤍

✦ 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘰-𝘧𝘪 ✨: 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘬𝘰-𝘧𝘪.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺24

𝘛𝘢𝘨 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵: @aintnooooway @mischief2sarawr @talesofadragon @cass0419 @lcolumbia1988 @timeladyrikaofgallifrey @echo-is-worth-more-than-2000  @juliannarayvenne

[pascaloverx]

NO LIGHT

SUMMARY: Your life is simple. You are a pastry chef who has just opened a bakery near your home. A new life, being a new person. But when James Barnes shows up at your bakery injured, asking you to offer him shelter, your life takes a sudden turn.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The characters in this fanfiction are not my creation and all belong to the Marvel universe. This story will feature scenes of violence, brief intense intimate moments, and inappropriate language. To the readers, I wish you a good read and ask that you engage with the fanfiction if you like it. Do not interact with this fanfiction if you are underage. Enjoy reading. This chapter contains violence and sexual content.

FIVE SEVEN

SIX (+18)

A few days later, after several visits to the hospital pretending to be Steve Rogers' wife, he is finally being discharged today. His recovery has been remarkable; he no longer needs support for his arm, only a brace. Naturally, you came to pick him up from the hospital, ready for your last performance as his wife and to return his car that you've been using. Sure, you have your own car, but it doesn’t quite compare to Steve’s. As soon as you walk into the hospital, you spot your fake husband bidding farewell to the medical staff.

"My beautiful wife, light of my life. Come and thank these wonderful people with me for the excellent job they did taking care of my arm and ensuring I’ll never have financial stability again," Steve says playfully, as he bids farewell to a group of nurses escorting him to the hospital entrance. You laugh as you approach him, and he pulls you into an embrace. You nestle gently against his chest, placing his arm around your shoulder so he can lean on you for support.

"Your husband is a very kind man, we’re going to miss him; he has some great stories," one of the nurses says, sounding quite interested in Steve. You smile faintly, imagining the nonsense Steve must have shared while he was either drugged or simply bored.

"He really is great at telling stories. Thank you all for taking such good care of him, I don’t know what I’d do without my precious husband," you say, placing a lingering kiss on Rogers' cheek. He looks into your eyes, as if you were a forbidden fruit he longed to taste. After the goodbyes, you both head to the parking lot.

"Where did you leave your car?" Steve asks, his arm somehow still draped around you. You smile a bit sheepishly and point to his car, just ahead of where you stand.

"As your wife, I had to borrow something personal of yours, you know, to make it seem real," you explain, trying to justify yourself as you watch Steve pull away and rush to his car, checking it over to ensure everything’s intact.

"No one would’ve known that your car belongs exclusively to you, my dear fake wife. But since there’s no damage, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now hand over the keys," Steve says confidently, as if he's ready to drive. But you shake your head, denying him the keys.

"The doctor said yesterday that you need to rest your arm for the next few days, and that’s why I came to pick you up—to take you home. After this, I suggest you call a ride service, a taxi, or use public transport," you say, opening the passenger door for him. He gives you a reluctant look, clearly displeased with not driving. Yet something in your fierce gaze and impatient grunt convinces Steve to get into the car, and soon enough, feeling victorious, you get in as well. In no time, you’re driving toward Steve’s house.

"My house is nearby. You must be wondering how I'm already living in a place, considering I just got back to the city," Steve says, fidgeting with his fingers, his voice a little slurred as if still under the influence of painkillers. "I'm staying in Bucky's old place. He's probably furious that he can't go back there—it would’ve made a good hideout. Maybe that's why he shot me. Or maybe it was Natasha's idea." He mumbles some of his words, and you try to keep a neutral expression, knowing full well that he’s aware it was either one of them who shot him.

"How do you know it was one of them? It could've been anyone. And if you don’t mind me asking, who is Natasha?" Your award-worthy performance of feigned ignorance seems almost convincing even to yourself. You watch as Steve stops fiddling with his fingers—despite the brace—and looks at you, as if carefully considering his response. He lets out a heavy sigh before speaking.

"As for the shot, you already know. Even when I’m not all here, I can still tell when you're lying. But Natasha... she was Bucky’s partner before he started working with the wrong people. They had a pretty close partnership, you could say. It was the first time in years I thought Bucky could actually have a healthy relationship with someone. They loved avoiding unnecessary emotions, obsessed with fieldwork, and even today, they’re both still great marksmen."

Steve pauses, his frustration palpable, and continues, "Their partnership ended when Bucky took on an undercover mission that was too dangerous for Romanoff. She didn’t want to lose herself in the disguise. I’m betting he ran straight to her for help, and that pisses me off. He could’ve come to me—I would’ve helped him. Now it’s my job to bring him in for questioning." His frustration boils over as he bangs his braced arm against the car's dashboard, letting out a grunt. You can’t quite tell if it’s the pain or the possibility of a scratch on the car that bothers him more. As he speaks, you finally start piecing together the puzzle of Barnes' past life and who Natasha is to him, though only on a surface level.

"Surely he must have had a good reason for not reaching out to you. As for him being your possible shooter, it seems foolish to believe there's any justification for him to have put your well-being at risk. Maybe he’s no longer your best friend; perhaps he’s just a reckless man." You speak, carefully holding back your true thoughts. This might be the perfect moment to reveal everything you know to Steve Rogers, to make it clear that you’re aware of much more than you let on. But you can’t bring yourself to do it. You feel like a pathetic fool, unwilling to risk your crush being put in jeopardy.

"You two had a fight while I was in the hospital, didn’t you? Your words are so sincere; you must really believe Bucky is an idiot for shooting me. Well, know that he isn’t. The shot was practically perfect, it didn’t do much damage. He’s just trying to keep me away. But he’s not a cruel or reckless man." Steve says, looking at you as if searching for a reaction that confirms his suspicions. You park the car in front of the address Steve gave you and lean closer after unbuckling your seatbelt, then do the same for him.

"Mr. Rogers, understand once and for all that your friend and I have nothing. Why would a man with such a dangerous life want anything to do with a mere bakery owner? It doesn’t make sense. But I hope things get clarified between you two soon. Now let me help you to your house, and then we’ll part ways and never see each other again," you say, locking eyes with him as you undo his seatbelt.

Steve's face, which was almost smiling, turns serious. "I want another date; our last one was definitely interrupted." He leans in slightly closer, your faces mere inches apart. You’re taken by surprise, trying to fathom what Steve could possibly want from you now.

"Let's get inside your house quickly; the painkillers must be talking for you. In case you don't remember, your only interest in me is to know about your Bucky, nothing to do with wanting my company," you say firmly, noticing him staring at your lips as he contemplates his response.

"That was before you saved my life. Now my interest in you is personal. I promise to try not to expose your lies on this second date. How about I pick you up in a week when my doctor says I can start putting effort into my arm again?" Steve replies, a hint of determination in his eyes.

"You just said that whoever shot you didn't intend to kill you, Mr. Rogers. I merely took you to a hospital," you say as you exit the car, then open the passenger door and lean toward him. "And I don't understand the need for your arm's recovery. Now, put your arm around my neck, and let's go inside; it's getting cold out here." It really is getting colder since you left the hospital. He leans on you, remaining silent, likely fearing that you might let go if you get annoyed or uncomfortable with something he says. It’s only when you both enter his house with some difficulty, and you lay him down on his large, comfortable sofa, that he grabs your hand before you can step away.

“I need my good arm to be free so I can give you all the fun and pleasure a real date with me could offer. Give me that chance, and I promise I won’t bother you again,” Steve says, smiling as he looks up at you.

You contemplate his face for a few moments, considering whether you truly want to go on a date with Steve. Gently, you caress his hand before moving it away from your arm.

"Next week, make that proposal to me again—with your arm fully recovered. Let’s see what my answer will be then. For now, I'm going home. Take care of yourself, Mr. Rogers," you say as you watch him give you a victorious smile. Before leaving Steve’s house, you place his car keys on the kitchen counter.

As you hear him shout a "See you next week," you take a rideshare back to your apartment, eager to rest. However, upon arriving at your door, a sense of alertness washes over you. Given the recent events, you had decided to keep a can of pepper spray in your bag for self-defense. If some thug were to try to rummage through your things or rob you, they would certainly regret it. Without hesitation, you slowly open the door and spray pepper spray at the first figure you see in front of you. Barnes lets out a grunt of pain, murmuring "fuck, fuck, fuck" repeatedly as he covers his eyes.

“What the hell do you think you're doing? This stuff got in my eyes!” Barnes growls, writhing as he tries to rub the pepper spray out. Without hesitation, you rush to the kitchen, grabbing cold water and a cloth.

“Hold still, I’m trying to help,” you say, but he pulls back sharply, resisting your touch. Your patience snaps. Pushing him against the counter, you press your body firmly against his, taking control of the situation. You pull his hands away from his face with swift determination and begin gently wiping his eyes with the cold, damp cloth. As you carefully clean the remaining spray, his tense frame finally stills, allowing you to tend to him without further protest.

"Apparently, you must have suffered some kind of brain damage if you think trying to shoot me compares to me simply defending myself from an intruder. We're nowhere near being even, Barnes." You place the cloth down on the kitchen counter and turn to take in your apartment. Bucky had brought a bouquet of roses, most likely as a peace offering.

"I missed having you around, even when it feels like you want to hit me," Barnes says, his gaze fixed on you. You immediately turn to face him. You so dearly wish to trust his words, but lately, it seems as though he’s been toying with you.

"There’s no need to come at me with your charm, trying to use me again. I have no intention of continuing to be manipulated by you," you say with firm resolve, attempting to distance yourself from Bucky, though you don’t truly wish to. Yet, he pulls you closer, pressing you against the kitchen counter before lifting you onto it. He positions himself before you, standing between your legs. You lock eyes, both wearing expressions of seriousness.

"As if much evidence were needed to reach that conclusion. You hid in my restaurant because you had likely already noticed my little crush on you. Then, you must have used me to provoke your partner, with whom you had a relationship—so much so that she thought it necessary to nearly shoot me. And finally, you are using me to distract Steve. It's all clear now: I’m just a simple woman you decided to manipulate because I’m naïve enough." You spill your conclusions, struggling to contain the sadness welling within you. He shakes his head as if to deny everything, his body language betraying his discomfort under the weight of your accusations.

"You must think I’m a monster. If you believe I’m manipulating you because you’re an easy target, you’re sorely mistaken. You simply fail to see what’s right in front of you," he says, running a hand through his hair as if trying to calm himself. He is clearly irritated, yet there is a hint of sadness in his expression. "The day we met, you asked me how my day was going. I told you I was having a tough day. You said everything could be fixed with a cup of coffee and then handed me one. I sipped your bitter coffee and told you it was delicious. Do you know why? Your eyes—they told me you were worth the effort of pretending to enjoy it. I don’t live near your bakery; I was there while working undercover, and even then, I used my real last name because I didn’t want to lie to you. I fought against the urge to ask you out for months because I knew I would have to deceive you. But I returned almost every day to your bakery because I wanted to see you. To drink your bitter coffee and taste your new recipes. Because seeing you made me feel normal," he confesses, his face just inches from yours. For a moment, you feel a pang of guilt, realizing you may have crossed a line.

"I want to say that I don’t trust a word of what you’ve said, but the truth is, even if you’re using me, there’s nothing I can do to stop it. And if my accusations have offended you, I apologize. It’s just that you’re not sincere with me. You didn’t tell me about Natasha, and I…" You pause, contemplating your next words. Should you admit that you feel somewhat jealous? Or that you’re considering accepting a date with his best friend? At this moment, everything feels so confusing to you.

"You’ve drawn your own conclusions. I don’t blame you, but I can’t reveal more than what you already know. So, in the end, you’re right to conclude that I’m using you. What other justification could there be for all of this, right?" Bucky’s expression and tone reflect a certain weight, a gravity that hangs in the air. It’s amusing how you find yourselves engaged in this relationship discussion that doesn’t truly exist, all while so close to one another. He continues to occupy the space between your legs, positioned right beside your body, as if holding you in place. The question remains: do you want him to step back?

"If that is all you have to say, then you had best leave," you reply, unsettled by the casual way he speaks, as though he isn’t erecting a wall between you. Yet, instead of stepping away, he draws closer, a tension growing between you that had not fully existed before. His hands gently cup your face, and you close your eyes, trying your best not to give in just yet.

"Do you truly want me to leave?" Barnes asks, his fingers brushing over your cheeks, then tracing your lips. You open your eyes to meet his gaze—those blue eyes, the most beautiful you’ve ever seen, fixed intently on you. You shake your head no, still watching him, unable to look away.

"I want you to want me. But nothing suggests that we’ll cast aside reason and embrace this mutual attraction," you say softly, as though too shy to openly admit your desire for him.

"To hell with reason," Barnes replies, pulling you toward him. His lips, possessive, devour yours as though he were savoring your taste. You return the kiss, urging Barnes to press even closer to you. Your hands explore his body while he holds your face, deepening the kiss with fervor. Your hands trail down Barnes' back, when you reach his rear, you squeeze his ass. He lets out a drawn-out moan near your ear as he starts to reach for the opening in your pants. With impressive agility he manages to help you take off your pants while holding you closer to him.

"Fuck me on the couch, Barnes. I want a reminder of you every time that I sit on it," you say with your mouth still pressed against his. He immediately picks you up, carrying you to your couch. You let out a little laugh, as if you were getting nervous but at the same time excited. Which was true, she'd wanted to have this moment with him for so long her mind was almost exploding. Barnes leans you against the edge of the couch as if he wants to support you there to continue where you left off. You reach for the hem of his shirt, ripping it off his body immediately. He's definitely as ripped as you'd expect him to be. Gently, you begin to kiss his belly, from bottom to top. When you kiss near his neck, he holds your face; pulling you in for a kiss. A slow kiss, as your tongues find each other's rhythm. He only breaks the kiss when he realizes that you still have a lot of clothes on.

"I hope to make you have a pleasant memory of our time together," he kisses your neck as he removes the rest of his clothes and yours. When he lowers the strap of your bra, he places small kisses on your shoulder. While with one hand he opened the clasp of your bra, as it fell to the floor, he massaged your breast. His cold fingers made contact with the tip of her breast, pulling it lightly. Then he ended up grabbing the other breast while massaging the other. His warm tongue sucking your left breast while his cold fingers pinched your right breast. Between your moans and his grunts, you were being deliciously explored by Barnes.

"I want your cock, Bucky. Inside me, fucking me; I want to feel you," you say almost as if you were pleading. The smug smile Barnes gives you makes you almost regret what you said.

"Your wish is my command," Barnes says, stopping whatever he was doing and spreading your legs, positioning himself at the entrance to your pussy. "Tell me how much you need me, Y/N. Tell me what you want from me," Barnes whispers as he teases you by lightly thrusting his cock into your pussy. His fingers stimulating your entrance too, massaging your pussy that is already wet, by the feeling of almost having his dick there.

"I've wanted you since I laid eyes on you, I want to feel you deep inside me," you say almost as a mumble. Your fingers scratch Barnes's six-pack, making him let out a groan. His eyes light up the moment he looks at you and finally, he penetrates you. His cock is completely inside you almost as if it were throbbing with pure lust. You let out a loud sigh, grabbing his bare ass with your hands. You help him with the movements, while he thrusts into you. The feeling of grabbing his ass while he puts his dick in you, it's almost divine. Your moans increase with each thrust of his, as you feel an explosion of pleasure take over you. At this moment it doesn't matter that your ass is hurting a little, that your back is in a almost uncomfortable position. The pleasure of being fucked by James Barnes is far greater than any momentary discomfort.

"Hold on to me, princess. My body is yours to do with as you please," Bucky speaks and you grab his neck, scratching him as you feel your orgasm form as Barnes continues to thrust his cock into you. As if he notices that you are about to cum, he starts thrusting more slowly, as if he wants to prolong the moment. You hold him close to you, nibbling on his ear and then kissing him. Finally you both come, almost in sync. You melt in his arms, not feeling strong enough to pull away from him.

"How about we take a bath together and then we can go to bed?" Bucky says while you don't even have the strength to answer him.You just nod your head and let him carry you to the bathroom.

You wake up in bed, uncertain whether what happened on the sofa was reality or merely a figment of your desire. Yet, your body confirms that you and Barnes truly slept together. But the other side of the bed is empty—he left while you were still asleep. Perhaps it’s for the best; this way, you won’t foster false hopes. Maybe it will hurt less if you pretend it was just a dream. You rise, though standing proves a bit difficult, and upon seeing the time, you rush to open the bakery. After a refreshing shower, you slip into a loose dress, tie up your hair, and hurry out to open your bakery.

But something feels off—you sense that someone is following you. Perhaps it's paranoia, yet the feeling lingers. Just before grabbing the keys to open the bakery, you turn around. It turns out you weren’t paranoid after all. A strange man, wearing a cap and dark sunglasses, stands right behind you. He pulls a knife and thrusts it into your stomach. The force of the blow causes you to stagger slightly as you lock eyes with him.

"Tell Barnes he can’t hide forever. Tell him Alexander Pierce sends his regards," the man sneers, twisting the knife deeper. "Hail, Hydra!" he exclaims before yanking the blade out of you and running off.

It feels as though your world has stopped, your life flashing before your eyes. All the times you wanted something but let it slip away, all the moments you couldn’t be who you were meant to be. The mistakes made, the victories earned. Your eyes grow heavy as you clutch the wound, feeling your blood spilling from you. Then, through the haze, you see a figure rushing toward you, and you recognize him instantly. A weak smile forms on your lips.

"I knew you'd be my hero," you whisper, as the strong arm of the man holds you steady. "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you," is all you hear before you lose consciousness.

[buckrecs]

I was looking through your masterlist and I don’t think you’ve done this au….

Bartender bucky or tattoo artist bucky, honestly idc which one you choose to provide recommendations for(if you do)!:)<3

Tattoo Artist!Bucky

masterlist | req masterlist

I did tattoo artist!bucky this time, but if you send another req I am very willing to do bartender!bucky too😉😏

ONESHOT

Jacks and Sunshine by @rookthorne

You were the warmth and light to Bucky’s shadows and brooding nature – a match made in heaven, and it was a miracle that a certain someone realised as much.

Soft by @softlyspector

Bucky and the reader have been together for a few months. She wants him to stay the night with her, but he’s reluctant.

fingers by @buckycuddlebuddy

you couldn’t take your eyes off of his hands. 

Sting by @adrinktostopyourthirst

TattooArtist!Bucky praising you during a session.

tattoo parlor by @alisonsfics

the beautiful artwork and craftsmanship wasn’t the only thing that kept you coming back to bucky’s tattoo shop.

american tattoo by @seventven

steve and bucky run a tattoo shop together in brooklyn. y/n, a friend of steve’s, decides to get inked. only bucky is present at the shop and he’s about to close it for the night.

inked by @buckys-black-dress

A Little Cover-up by @butwhyduh

You get a tattoo.

make it count by @serpienten

It’s cold and rainy when Bucky sees her for the first time. Within three minutes, he’s under her spell.

Starstruck Beginnings by @rookthorne

Shopping in your favourite art store with Bucky brings back the memory of your first encounter, and after so much time has passed, it was with fondness that you looked back on just how starstruck you were in his presence.

SERIES

A Touch of Ink by @deamstellarus

After a breakup with your ex, you decided to move to the small town where your long-time friend Sam lives, hoping for a change of pace and starting a new chapter in your life. You were prepared for a slower paced lifestyle, quaint diners, and a change of scenery. However, you didn't expect to be swept off your feet by two stunning pairs of blue-grey eyes.

Paws and Pins by @matchamunson

In which Bucky runs into the owner of the animal shelter across the street from his shop. (Social Media AU)

Fight For You by @revengingbarnes

Brooklyn, New York. At the annual local boxing championship, Y/N is the leading medical specialist on call. It’s a whole new environment, and despite the drastic change, she loves it. Bucky Barnes is the reigning boxing champion of Brooklyn. Virtually undefeated, this tattoo artist by day, boxer by night is someone that is now fighting his way into Y/N’s head. And she’s helpless in front of his winning streak.

Skin on Skin by @navybrat817

Hottie and Sugar

[hainethehero]

Steve Rogers is a babe. Like khaleesi Game of Thrones level of babe. He is just FINE.

No matter the version - live action, animated, cartoon, comic, fan art - he is a vision.

The Disney/marvel version of him is somehow cute, pretty, sexy, and hot at the same time. While also being badass when he needs to be.

It’s a very hard feat to achieve as a male character but Steve can do that.

Also, his body/figure is very unique. He has broad shoulders and broad/ample chest pec area but he has a very narrow waist and he also obviously has America’s ass. I’ve always thought it was the male version of an hour glass figure - which is the most desirable shape for women (at least it used to be).

I definitely think Steve is a male version of blonde bombshell but I don’t think it was intentionally meant to be that way. It just happened and I think that’s what makes it even more great. He developed and evolved into this as a character and then in the movies they elevated it likely also unintentionally but it worked.

THIS.

You're so real for this because I've noticed it since CATFA. To begin with, pre-serum Steve just goes against every physique a typical hero is supposed to have. Then he gets the serum and gets big and is supposed to wow all the ladies when in actuality his physique is less God of Thunder and more, Disney Princess.

He's clean shaven everywhere- except for Infinity War which I hated (it was not his best look & I hated the beard don't @ me)- doesn't have the facial hair like MOST of the male mcu heroes and has bimbo blonde hair. Not to mention his eyes that are just gorgeous.

And most of it is Chris Evans' natural features, but in Avengers 1, when his hair was buzzed for Snowpiercer, they did a lace for him and like, THE HAIR WAS FLOPPY AND SOFT AND SHINY AND GORGEOUS. like I think we can all agree Avengers 1 (baby Cap) was the most gorgeous he's looked followed closely by Winter Soldier Steve. He is totally a blonde bombshell.

Not to mention the narrative surrounding his character, especially in the MCU. The guys all make fun of him for being a virgin- like, sure let's make the guy's sex life a focal point of his character arc- like they do with female characters. They have Nat trying to find him a date, sort of like girls do in those early 2000s movies with their besties. Steve himself is a very tactical fighter and has more moves in common with Black Widow than Bucky who is an absolute unit. Steve's a ballerina in combat, light on his toes, pretty and lean. Not bulky like some of the comics make him out to be.

And let's just talk about his LIPS!

Like, he's got the plumpest, most plushy soft pillow-looking lips I've ever seen on a guy. So, in addition to the body, he's also got the pretty face. Long wispy lashes, full, red lips, big blue eyes and a clean shaven face. He's every typical "guy's" fantasy- just in guy form. Pair his physical features with his sweet, shy disposition and maybe that's why everyone flirts with him so much.

He's absolutely endearing and totally flips the usual "Alpha-esque" idea of what a male superhero is supposed to look and act like.

[asphalt-cocktail]

Lead Us To Temptation- Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Hell Hath No Fury

Summary: In the small town of Eden Ridge, you knew several things to be true: church happened every Sunday, the saloon served free lunch with the purchase of a drink on Thursdays, coal miners left work at 7PM sharp, and Bucky Barnes was a man sent from the depths of hell dangling the threat of temptation and sin right in front of your face. All you need to do is reach out and grab it.

Pairing: Outlaw!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Talks of crime, robbery, crime for hire, talks of violence and guns, kidnapping, talks of past smut, less religion than the previous chapters but its still there. Bucky is a criminal in this so idk what to tell you if you are shocked by the crime. There isn't any gore and nothing is described in graphic detail. Don't worry reader is a badass this is a love story with a happy ending.

Word Count: 2.9k

A/N: I just want to pop in and say how grateful I am for all of the lovely comments, reblogs, tags, and likes I have been getting over the last few weeks! You guys are the ones who keep me writing. I am not doing a tag list, but you can feel free to turn my notifications to get one every time I post a new chapter <3

Masterlist

Read me on AO3

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Staying in Eden Ridge was probably the longest Bucky had managed to stay in a town and not do something to get run out or have another wanted poster with his face printed on it and slapped on every shop bulletin. 

It was making the boys antsy. They could only hold up so many stagecoaches carrying rich assholes on the outside of town before they got too bored. 

“When are we going to hit the bank Buck? We’ve been here so long the damn seasons have changed.” John’s voice had the uncanny ability of springing a sudden and painful migraine behind Bucky’s eyes anytime he spoke. 

Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose. John pissed him off. “We need to wait a bit before we hit the bank. The ticket seller at the train station mentioned something about a train coming in to transport coal from the mines and take it back east. I guess the coal company is sending some bonds with it because the owner made a deal with Union Pacific.” 

“So what, they’re taking the bonds to the train yard?” 

“I’m glad to see you’re using the brain in that big fucking head of yours John.” To be completely transparent, Bucky harbored a strong dislike for John. 

Their association was almost solely due to John being Steve’s cousin, and Steve’s endorsement was something Bucky didn’t have the heart to dispute. Steve saved his life on more than one occasion. They’d gone through the Civil War together, they experienced the death of both of their parents together. You couldn’t get much closer to a man than that.  

The other reason being was John’s uncanny knack for survival. Despite the dangers of their lifestyle, John seemed to evade death, Bucky reckoned it was because God sure as hell didn’t want him and well, the Devil probably didn’t either so they just left him to do his business in the land of the living until they decided what to do with him.

Bucky was aware that his disdain for John might be uncalled for considering John’s role as the enforcer in their party. John was the one they sent out to take care of the more unsavory business transactions. However, these factors didn’t compensate for the fact that he was just plain weird and unpleasant to be around.

But Bucky was having such a lovely time playing house with you so, naturally he kept his plan to rob your father's train car transporting bonds to the Union Pacific rail yard. Management needed to cash them in and finalize the deal stating they were to use the Eden Coal & Iron as their main supply source. It was a deal that would make your father a very, very rich man. 

Robbing trains was as easy as stealing candy from a baby. An old, half balding, rich, man baby. Bucky could do it in his sleep. He didn’t feel bad about robbing your father. In fact he felt kind of good stealing from that rotten son of a bitch. 

Stealing these bonds would only be scraping the surface of the vast wealth your father accumulated by exploiting the hard working people of Eden Ridge. He was as crooked as crooked could be and there was no amount of praying or church going that would save his soul from the depths of hell once he died, god willing. 

If only you knew how your father treated the hard working miners who toiled in the depths of hell for him. He squeezed 15 grueling hours of labor from them 6 days a week, their backs bowed under the weight of his insatiable greed, all while their families languished in hunger. 

He wasn't the benevolent savior of Eden Ridge, rather, he resembled a vampire, voraciously draining the life force from the Earth and the good hearted denizens of the town you called home. Once he exhausted every able bodied man here, he’d slither away to prey upon the next unsuspecting community. 

Bucky’s plan was simple: wait a day or two several towns away to intercept the train and get to work. But he had to be careful If he got too reckless with his crimes, he’d have to leave. The question loomed in the back of his mind, when he had to leave would you come with? 

When he told you he was leaving to work a job you felt sick, “What do you mean leaving?” 

He cleared his throat and licked his lips, “I need to take the boys to deal with something for a few days. I promise I’ll be back by the end of the week. Two weeks tops.” He said hugging you tight, it pained him to see you worrying so much.

“But what if you don’t come back?” The question punched him in the chest and stole his breath. 

“Now don’t go talking like that.” He scolded you, “I’ll be back I promise.” You swallowed his words like a brick of lead. 

So for seven days you did the only thing you could do and waited. You sought comfort in Sam’s sister Sarah and her friend Natasha, spending most of your free time practicing needle work, reading, and chatting with the women. Sarah was a familiar and friendly face from the local church. Tragically widowed two winters prior, she was left with the responsibility of raising two boys on her own. To your knowledge, she had embraced her brother’s motley crew of friends, offering them sanctuary with open arms.

After your second meeting with Sarah she introduced you to Natasha, the local Madame. It took everything in your power to not turn your nose up at the idea of a woman engaging in sex for money. Your pious thoughts took a back seat when you remembered you were also engaging in sinful premarital acts with a man. 

Not sex though. No. 

Every time you thought today was the day Bucky shut it down. As much of a filthy bandit he was, he was still extremely respectful towards you. He always said he wanted to wait, the moment never felt right.

——

The moon hung low in the inky black sky as Bucky and his crew of bandits moved like vultures closing in on their prey. They moved silently, night as their accomplice- the thick fog veiling their actions, the rhythmic clatter of wheels masking the sounds of struggle. No witnesses meant no loose ends, and Bucky knew it well. 

It was quick. Efficient. 

Kill everyone on the train and then set it back on course so some poor sad sack could clean up the mess left behind. 

When Bucky’s eyes laid upon the bonds, your father’s exceptionally neat handwriting looping on the paper, he grinned like a snake. Peter could easily get a few hundred for the bonds. Having such a young boyish face always made him seem more trustworthy than the other members of the gang. 

To make up for leaving you worried half to death Bucky bought you a lovely hair pin. It was copper with a small decorative flower on the end of it. “If you think all it’s going to take is a pretty hair pin to forgive you, you’re wrong.” You lied through your teeth snatching it from his dirty hands and pinning it into your prayer veil, because of course Bucky returned just in time to take you to Sunday mass and have lunch with your family afterwards. 

Since midweek, your father had been in a downright rotten mood. He’d spent the last few days late at work and when you showed up to the office to bring him dinner he was yelling at his assistant every time without fail. 

“Tell them to double the guards! Put a damn Gatling on the top of the roof! Send the Pinkertons! I don’t care what you have to do, get that money to the train yard.” 

“But sir-“

“I said figure it out god damn it!” The way he slammed his hands on his desk made you jump. 

It wasn’t often your father lost his temper, but when he did it was frightening. 

At lunch your father glared daggers at Bucky while your mother preened over him. It was nice to see things hadn’t changed during his week away committing crime. 

“James, dear, you should work for the mining company!” Your mother kindly suggested, “My husband is always looking for strong young men such as yourself.” 

It took every fiber of his being to not scoff at the thought of selling his soul to the company, “I rather like the ranch work I’ve been doing for Miss Wilson, but thank you ma’am. If I have a change of heart you’ll be the first to know.” 

On the record Bucky was a ranch hand for Sam’s sister, sure he helped out here and there for the woman but he wasn't getting paid for it, your family didn’t need to know that. 

“We have some friends that are ranchers down in Texas, let us know if you ever venture down there and I’ll send a telegram to them for you.” Your mother was a bonafide socialite. She knew people of all walks of life and thrived on making connections for people, “Your horse is trained so well, they could use someone with your talent.” 

“Alpine?” Bucky grinned thinking of his beautiful white mare, she was almost as stubborn as you are, “I have to say she’s probably my second favorite girl.” 

Your father hated seeing Bucky around the house. He hated how Bucky was always a perfect gentleman whenever he came around. It didn’t matter, no daughter of his was going to marry some rough neck, dirty ranch hand if he had any say in it. 

There was something just plain not right with James Barnes and your father was going to get to the bottom of it. 

As it turns out, it took very little effort to find out the history of a career criminal. This was worse than if Bucky was actually a ranch hand, not only was he a criminal, but he robbed the damn train your father used to transport the bonds not once, but twice in the span of two weeks. 

He couldn’t believe he let a man who stole from him into the safety of their home. He couldn’t believe he let a criminal court his daughter (not that he even approved of the courtship). Bucky was probably sitting in his room at the inn laughing and counting the dollar bills that belonged to in his pocket. 

And the image of that pissed him off to no end. 

It pissed him off so much that he paid off a group of bounty hunters to finally deal rid him of the man once and for all. Bucky wasn’t going to come gracefully, but lucky for your father, Bounty hunters had loose morals and business practices much like he did. When he told Brock Rumlow "I don't care how you do it, just get rid of him!" your father didn't know he opened up a new, lawless realm of possibilities.

----

The late summer sun hung low in the sky as you quickened your pace home, the two men behind you following relentlessly, footsteps crunching on the dusty streets. You couldn’t make out their faces as they stayed just out of your line of sight but the feeling in your gut only harbored malevolence and fear. 

Your path meandered through town, twisting and turning to ensure they truly were following you.

Two turns left. Three turns right. Then a detour past the butcher.

Dread settled inside you and you quickened your pace, ragged breaths gasping as you neared the outskirts of town and broke into a full sprint as best you could, bunching your skirts in your arms so as to not trip. The buildings thinned, and the darkness deepened as you drew further and further from the bustling center of Eden. 

Further away from anyone who would hear you scream.

Rough hands grabbed you, forcing a bag over your head as you fought, kicking and screaming. Hissing and spitting like a feral cat. Their powerful builds quickly overpowered you, sitting on your legs as you thrashed trying to squirm away, clawing at the dirt and wedging it under your fingernails and covering your fine dress. Then they tied you, bound your arms and legs and threw you on the back of a horse like a sack of grain.

When the horse finally halted you were dragged off, stumbling and disoriented. The hood was yanked off and you were roughly pushed into a small, dark room. You turned finally able to make out the face of your captors who reeked of sweat and malice. He was tall and broad, skin tanned by the sun, with dark hair and eyes. He would have been handsome if this were any other circumstance.  

Your nostrils flared like an angry bull as you exhaled and spat at him in defiance while he manhandled your still fighting body, “Let go of me!” You shrieked, anger overpowering your feelings of fear. 

How dare they! How dare these filthy men put their hands on you and soil a perfectly good dress. How dare they throw you on a horse with a bag over your head and force you into this filthy damp room. Your rage bubbled over, you’d never felt this level of anger before. But the sheer callous disrespect of a lady pushed you over the edge. 

You should have been afraid, fearing for your life even. But the type of men who did this? Well they were cowards. Lower than the lowest cretin to walk the Earth. 

“Well look at you, now I know why Barnes has taken such an interest in you Missy.” The man in front of you grinned like a snake. His hand trailing your jaw, fingers lingering against your skin, “you’re a little firecracker ain’t you?” 

You turned your head to bite him, teeth snapping together as you snarled.  Ordinarily, you epitomized the quintessence of a respectable lady—devout and pious, a paragon of Catholic virtue. Yet, confronted with this dehumanizing treatment, a primal instinct awakened within. If they insisted on regarding you as a beast, then, in the eyes of the Almighty, you would unleash the ferocity of one. “Let me go.” You hissed, “You… you cretin!”    

The man shoved you roughly away, narrowly dodging your bite, “Easy there ma’am, we ain’t gonna hurt you.” For some reason you had a hard time believing him with the kidnapping, the pushing, the bag over your head, “We just need you to bring us out cash cow.” He said and slid over a wanted poster with an uncanny portrait of Bucky on it.

Oh

Now it all made sense. 

You took the poster and read the script:

WANTED CAPTURED DEAD OR ALIVE James “Bucky” Barnes  For multiple accounts of murder, theft, and fraudulent activities. Known leader of the Barnes Gang, responsible for numerous bank and train robberies across the Midwestern and Western United States. This is a dangerous individual who will not hesitate to murder.  Mid thirties, brown hair, scar on left arm. Last scene heading west towards the Eden Mountain range.  If spotted DO NOT APPROACH; contact local authorities.  Bounty of $5,000

Of course they’d take you as bait to lure a man with a $5,000 bounty and his gang of merry bandits out from hiding. Something told you that these men thought taking down Bucky would be easy. But you knew this would probably be the hardest $10k they were going to make. They’d probably die doing it! And silently you hoped they would.

A man’s head isn’t worth $5,000 because it’s easy work taking him down. It’s worth that much because he won’t hesitate to fucking kill you in the worst way possible. You didn’t know exactly what Bucky was capable of doing, but you couldn’t help the shiver that crept up your spine when your eyes landed on the big, bold DO NOT APPROACH, “I think for your sake, you should let me go.” 

Perhaps there was a touch of madness in relishing the thrill that such a perilous man inspired within you. Yet, it was the very specter of danger that ignited a fervent blaze deep in your core. To you, Bucky was a flame dancing provocatively over a pool of oil—intensely captivating and inherently volatile.

The dark haired man scoffed, “Your beau ain’t the big bad man everyone seems to think he is. Not when he’s got such an easy weakness to exploit.” 

It was true, Bucky was having the time of his life in Eden Ridge playing house with you. He was living in utter domestic bliss.   “If it’s money you want, my daddy will pay you.” You offered. You had to exhaust all your options and if these men were money hungry then your father would be more than happy to give them the $10k for your life. You didn’t know how much money he had exactly, but you knew it was a pretty penny. 

“Sweetheart, your daddy already paid us.” He mocked you. 

You blinked, brain barely able to comprehend the words he said to you. What a weird thing to say. 

Unbelievable even. 

You were going to have to dissect that at a later date when you were in a better position. 

[darthbloodorange]

They said Steve should get a hobby to aid him in adjusting to the 21st century. Well, it seems he's made something of a hobby of adopting strays.

For the: ✦ Stucky Bingo - Pets [I3] (Card: 5054)

Word count: N/a - Moodboard Title: A Warm Heart to Call Home Rating: Gen Universe: Marvel Cinematic Universe Pairings: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Justice the Cat, Liberty the Cat, Peace the Dog Warnings: None Major Tags: Alternate Universe, Shrunkyclunks, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Pets, Assassin Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century ~ Summery: They said Steve should get a hobby to aid him in adjusting to the 21st century. Well, it seems he's made something of a hobby of adopting strays.

[Concept below the cut]

A moodboard for an AU of mine (that I'll hopefully create for some time down the line). 

Basically, the story is: Steve is still adjusting to the 21st century and living alone in his own apartment. He works with SHIELD and the Avengers but spends most of his time alone. 

He finds a stray cat in a park during a morning run and adopts her (Liberty). He has to look after this opinionated and very independent cat used to being a stray while also handling all his other duties... which takes some learning. Setting him further in the path of his rival, The Winter Soldier (Modern Assassin Bucky). They end up bonding over his cat as Steve ends up having to call in Bucky's help (as everyone else is busy with their own stuff). Captain America calling in a villain to cat-sit probably WON'T look good in the press, he knows.

Disaster strikes (A fire), and Liberty goes missing. Bucky is there to help. And Steve ends up with another stray (Justice the cat). Then he rescues another stray (Peace the Dog). Then Bucky and Steve get together (forget the cat-sitting, what would the would make of Captain America getting fucked by a world-wanted assassin). Then possibly Alpine joins the mix???

[IMAGE ID: A 3x3 grid of images. 1- Justice the Cat. A large, fluffy ginger cat with a white chest and chin, and golden eyes. 2- A window wet with rain, looking up at a stormy grey skyline. 3- Steve in the Commander Rogers uniform from the Winter Soldier movie. 4- A store full of pet furniture. 5- Liberty the cat. A stripy grey cat with green eyes lying in the sun. 6- An old light brown leather couch that looks dry and cracked. 7- Bucky with long hair wearing his winter soldier outfit without the mask. 8- A brown leaf stuck to a rainy window looking out on nature. 9- Peace the dog. A white dog with upright ears and a wide smiley mouth with her tongue hanging out.]

[sashaisready]

The Blood Pact: Chapter 7 - No going back

Bucky Barnes Vampire AU x Female Reader

Reeling from a bad break-up, you're desperately trying to find a new place to live but the Brooklyn rental market is a complete nightmare. You take a chance on an intriguing newspaper ad and enquire about a room in a shared house, where you'd be living with two mysterious men. The catch is that they want something other than your money for you to pay the rent...the one thing they don't have

Series Masterlist

Chapter 8

Hi all. Bit of a shorter chapter as we build up to their Big Night. Warnings for beginnings of smut, talk of blood drinking and reader being a bit over eager with Bucky (but he's very willing).

You were a jittery mess the next day as you waited for sundown. The hangover didn’t help much, either. Part of you even wondered if you’d dreamt it all, and Bucky would come down those stairs as he did every night and everything would be as it was. Awkward and uncomfortable. But you remembered his hands on you too clearly, the feel of his tongue against your neck, the breathlessness from that kiss…all too real to have been a dream.

You distracted yourself with housework and a catch up video call with Wanda and Nat, filling them in on Peter’s dastardly deeds as they scoffed and shouted – outraged on your behalf. You were still annoyed at yourself for your moment of weakness, but Nat vowed to avenge you and it felt good to be talking about it and laughing, reminding yourself that it was only the important people in your life who mattered.

You did a couple of loads of laundry and took a long leisurely bath. You wanted to look nice for Bucky but didn’t want to look too dressed up as you normally wore casual shorts or loungewear around the house, so one of your sexy cocktail dresses would certainly raise an eyebrow from Steve. You settled on a tight leggings and tank top set you knew emphasised every curve of your body, popping on a bit of minimal make up for good measure.

You had ordered your favourite takeout as your capacity to cook was non-existent. You were sat at the kitchen table eating when they finally descended the stairs and came into the kitchen. You looked up and greeted them as naturally as you could, trying to ignore your heart as it hammered in your chest.

Steve was dressed up and ready to go in a crisp white shirt and navy tailored pants, while Bucky was more laidback in dark jeans and a fitted grey t-shirt. The two of you exchanged the briefest of heated glances before you turned away and asked Steve if he was looking forward to his night out.

“I am, yeah. Haven’t seen this crowd in a while so it’ll be good to catch up” he beamed.

“Fun!” you responded cheerily. “What’s a vampire gathering like? Do you have a human sacrifice? Drink the finest AB negative from martini glasses?”

Steve laughed heartily. “Not since the 70s. We normally just hang out and catch up, put on some music. But yes, they do offer refreshments so you’re off the hook tonight”

You smiled back. “Sounds like a blast. Say hi to Blade for me”.

You laughed together for a moment before Steve’s expression turned into something more serious.

"Are you two going to be okay together without me?” he asked, looking between you and Bucky. “I’m a little worried I’ll come home and one of you will be torn limb from limb – and I mean it, both of you have a fair shot of being capable of that”.

You both turned to look at Bucky who was standing at the kitchen counter, reading through some mail. He glanced back at you briefly before turning to Steve.

“We’ll be fine” he replied solemnly as his azure eyes locked with yours once more, giving nothing away. “Won’t we?”

You nodded. “Yep…I’m still kinda hungover so I’m probably gonna watch a movie and call it a night. We’ll just stay out of each other’s way”.

Bucky nodded back as Steve eyed you both. You could see he wasn’t wholly convinced, worried about what the two of you might get up to in his absence.

If only he knew.

Steve eventually got to his feet, satisfied that he could trust you both not to kill each other at least until he got home. Or as satisfied as he’d ever be, at least.

“Okay, good. Well I’ll get on my way, then. Just call me if World War III breaks out”.

He headed to the door as Bucky walked with him, they were chatting about some old buddy of theirs, Rumlow something? So you tuned it out. You picked up your empty plate and took it to the sink, throwing away the takeout containers and turning the faucet to rinse. You were suddenly nauseous as you knew it was only a matter of moments before you and Bucky were alone, mindlessly scrubbing the plate as you felt your nerves take over.

You finally heard Steve say goodbye as the front door closed, and then silence from Bucky in the hall. You swallowed, wondering if you should make the first move or wait until he said something. Or maybe he’d changed his mind and was just going to ignore the whole thing. You rubbed at the plate a little harder, even though it was already clean.

You didn’t have to wait much longer as you suddenly felt strong arms from behind loop across your waist. You yelped and dropped the plate in surprise, you hadn’t even heard him enter the kitchen. He pulled you tight against him as his lips found your neck, sucking softly on your skin as he worked from behind your ear and down to your collarbone. You closed your eyes and let yourself sag against him as you leaned into the kisses, your hands gripping his. You whimpered quietly as you allowed him to sweep you away. He stopped kissing and you could feel his grin against the back of your neck.

His hands sharply flipped you so that you were facing him and you were immediately lost in his eyes as he pulled you against him, gently moving a strand of hair from your face as he studied you. You were painfully aware of how easily he could manoeuvre you without even breaking a sweat. It shot a burst of electricity straight through you.

“We need to talk-” he started, his voice firm and authoritative, but you didn’t let him finish.

You flung your arms around his neck, desperately pulling his face towards yours. You felt like you’d collapse if you didn’t kiss him in the next few seconds. You pushed your mouth onto his and despite his insistence on talking he didn’t resist as he kissed you back. You vaulted up into his arms, wrapping your legs tightly around his waist as he lifted you, staggering across the kitchen as you both blindly bumped into the counter and the table. He finally pinned you against the wall, your back flush with the cool plaster as he broke away and forced you to look him in the eye.

“I’m serious, Doll. It’s important that-”

But you gave him no leeway, diving back onto him as you greedily found his lips once more.

“Later…later. Please…” you mumbled into his mouth as your hands frantically ran up his shoulders. You were so desperate to have him that you couldn’t wait a moment longer. And maybe part of you worried he’d talk himself out of it.

But he broke away again and you sighed with frustration as he pointed a stern finger in your face, the other arm keeping you upright.

“Stop that” he chided.

You tried to move to him again but he caught your face in his hand, squeezing your cheeks in his fingers so that you looked like a caught fish. You sighed, admitting defeat and prying his hand off of you, pressing yourself against the wall as you waited for him to talk.

“That’s better” he smirked triumphantly before becoming serious again. “Okay. If we’re gonna do this, there’s no going back. You understand?”

You nodded obediently.

“It’s going to be intense. You get that foggy feeling when I feed from you? I feel a version of it too. That means we have a strong connection. It’s sort of like a bond. It happens sometimes with certain pairings of vampires and humans. Nobody really knows why, we just know it intensifies even further if that pairing have sex. So I need you to know this all going in, because it might feel overwhelming at times, alright?”

You nodded again, both exhilarated and slightly nervous. Also it felt validating to know you weren’t just a horny mess and there was something there.

“But I’ll be here with you alright? And we can slow down or even stop if it gets too much. You just need to communicate with me”.

“Okay. I can do that” you respond shyly.

He watches your face for a moment, seemingly checking that you understand everything he’s told you. After he seems satisfied, his gaze changes to something darker as his eyes scan you up and down. He’s still holding you against the wall, your legs squirm slightly around his waist. You realise the position he has you in leaves you quite…vulnerable.

“You’re wearing that to get me going, aren’t you?” he whispers, roughly pawing at your tight leggings.

You feel moisture pooling between your legs as you stare back at him defiantly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”.

He laughs. “Oh, really?” A finger slowly traces from your collarbone down across the curve of your breast and down to your stomach. Your breath hitches and your eyes widen as your skin goosebumps under his touch but you manage to keep your composure. Mostly.

“So it’s just a coincidence that tonight of all nights you’re wearing something that means I can see almost every part of you?” he asks, his face inquisitive.

“I just like to be comfortable at home” you reply breezily.

He grins, his finger still exploring your torso.

“There’s something I want to ask you…” he says softly as his finger moves from your stomach down to the apex of your thighs. You flinch, your body freezing as he hovers over your crotch.

“Mm?” you respond, unable to tear your eyes away from the precarious position his hand hovers in.

You gasp slightly as he begins circling your clothed core, the tight material means the sensation is especially heightened and your arms shoot up to grab his shoulders for support. You cling to him and he smirks as he presses his forehead against yours and continues to work you over. You begin to whimper softly and bite down on your bottom lip as the sensation leaves you breathless. You can already feel the beginnings of a climax and he’s barely started.

“I wanted to ask…” he continues as you subconsciously wriggle against his hand. His voice is softer than you’d ever heard it, velvety. You can practically feel the arousal radiating from him and it surges your ego like nothing else.

 “…I’d like to feed before we really get started. But from your neck, this time”.

You pull back and look at him, finally distracted from his touch.

“My…neck?” you ask hesitantly, your fingers move up to stroke over where your jugular is.

He nods. Removing his hand for a moment and delicately kissing your neck instead. You sigh as his lips ghost over your skin, closing your eyes as you lean into the tingling feeling.

“Yes, right here” he whispers as his tongue takes a cautious swipe over your nape. He groans slightly as he leans back into the kisses. “Like Steve said that first night we met, it’s a very intimate area to feed from. But if you agree…I really think it’ll enhance the experience…for both of us”.

He sucks on a patch of skin and you shudder with pleasure as he nips at you gently with his fangs, your fingers dig hard into his shoulder blades.

“…Okay” you manage to utter breathlessly.

He pulls back and grins fiendishly at you, fangs bared and smile wide. You’ve never felt more like prey than in this moment. That man will swallow you whole if given the chance.

“Okay” he nods. “Let’s go…”.

He pulls you away from the wall and throws you over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, you shriek with excitement as he heads to the stairs.

[yonduismarrypoppins]

‘Mother May I Sleep With Danger, Please'.....

Summary: Bucky and the reader have gone undercover.

Photos aren't mine, credit to the og owners

Tiltle from ‘Mother May I Sleep With Danger?’ By Joy Crookes

Warnings: reader is black, reader is wearing a dress and has a back tattoo, she/her pronouns, Bucky drinks a glass of whiskey, the longest fic I've ever written, no y/n used, weird nicknames, google translate Russian, ending is abrupt bc I couldn't think of any ending that wasn't me stealing from someone else, speaking of which; inspired by @buckyalpine ‘s fic

A/N: thanks to @webinurcloset for proofreading

I DO NOT GIVE ANYONE PERMISSION TO REPOST OR TRANSLATE AND REPOST, THIS IS MY WRITING! DO NOT FEED MY WORK INTO ANY AI BOT.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION, THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG MAKING THIS 18+ CONTENT. MOVE ON MINOR.

You were the newest addition to the avengers, quiet, solemn but hardworking nonetheless. You had been living in the tower for a month now, not a soul but you had seen the inside of your apartments. Every dinner, meeting and mission you stayed silent save for the occasional ‘hello’ ‘thank you’ and ‘goodnight’. The other Avengers didn't make a big deal of it, knowing how anxiety can affect a person especially a newly appointed avenger.

You had not yet been approved for missions so you spent most of your time in your room, but the few times you were spotted around the tower or the compound you wore loose black sweats and a scarf around your hair. The only visible parts of you being your face and part of your neck, the parts of you they could see they appreciated. They weren't very concerned about the rest of your body, knowing most of them were covered in scars, some more inclined to hide them than others.

Everyone expected that to change, especially once you were approved for missions. The week had finally come. They were given the option to watch from the balcony as you were examined in the training gym. As Tony hadn't finished your ‘Hero Suit’ as he called it, you were given a SHIELD issue suit. Unsurprisingly it covered more of your body than your sweats did, with a high neck, gloves and a hood. Though your silhouette was certainly visible, Steve's blush made that clear. You had undeniable skill easily mastering each and every weapon handed to you, easily defeating over a dozen SHIELD agents. 

You were called into a meeting shortly after your approval, along with Sam, Natasha and Bucky. You walked in to see the three spy’s spread about, sat around the long metal table. You were surprised at Steve's absence, deducing that this mission was to be more covert than usual. You were told by Maria Hill the nature of the mission, surveillance, which came as no surprise to you.

After a long silence caused by one of Sam's ‘jokes’, you wondered if you all would be sitting in a van together for hours. Maria quickly began to discuss the details of the mission. You and Bucky would be infiltrating a gala, set to happen the next day hosted by a man named Anatoli Volkov at his private residence in New Hampshire, one of his many properties. 

He had been suspected of human trafficking and many other dirty dealings by the FBI for years, only falling under SHIELDS radar after one of the girls he had ‘allegedly’ kidnaped was found in a Hydra facility barely breathing 3 years later. She thankfully survived and was able to give some information on how she ended up there, including Volkov’s name.

Maria gave you the files on yours and Bucky's undercover identities; Ukraine and American born spies, respectively, over a dozen confirmed kills, married in 2015... You stopped for a moment, eyes reverting back to that last phrase, a couple, a married couple. Feeling Bucky's eyes on you, you kept your expression as neutral as possible before continuing to read on. After the briefing you briskly made your way to your room, grabbing a bottle of your favorite drink from your fridge.

You thanked whoever designed this building for allowing everyone to have their own apartments, two to a floor with the only exception being Wanda and Vision.

Their apartments have been merged so they now have the floor to themselves.

The moderately sized units were outfitted with a kitchen with a small dining table, a small living room along with a television, bathroom, small walk in closet and bedroom. As well as the F.R.I.D.A.Y. ai wired throughout the building.

You had put more time into decorating than you originally planned but overall, you made a home for yourself. You only had to leave when you ran out of food, for training or for laundry and other chores. After a few hours sitting in your bed, memorizing the blueprints for Volkov's house and every given detail of your new identity F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s startled you out of your focus, notifying you that someone was at your door.

You opened your door to Bucky holding a black garment bag and a medium sized shopping bag in his right hand with a large black box in his left.

“Hill wanted me to give you these” he handed you the two bags, “and Tony finished your suit”

You weren't necessarily surprised at his arrival, considering you two shared a floor it made sense for him to be the one to deliver the items to you.

You thanked him quietly, reaching out to grab the box. It was heavier than expected. You gave him a small smile before closing the door. The heat in your cheeks suddenly became quite noticeable. You hoped quietly that the melanin you were so grateful for covered any hypothetical redness.

As you passed the windows on the way to your bedroom you noticed the dark night sky, you hadn't realized how late it was. You hung up the garment bag on the hook you had placed outside of your closet door, placing the bag and your new suit on the bed. You made your way to the bathroom to take a shower, the warm water calming you as you reflected on the events of the day.

You had been trying to befriend your fellow Avengers but your anxieties prevented you from being outgoing. You had grown closest with Bruce, as he could relate to your fears. You stepped out of the shower commencing your skincare and body care routine. After you finished you went to grab the garment bag, trying on the gown to ensure it fit with the black heels they'd given you to go along with it.

You quite liked the ensemble, but you weren't quite thrilled to wear it in front of the rest of the Avengers. You took it off returning the items to their previous packaging before putting on your night clothes and getting in your bed. You fell asleep searching for hairstyles to wear to the gala on Pinterest.

You dreamt of Bucky that night, how he might touch you with his large hands, one warm flesh, one cool metal , how he might look at you with gorgeous and piercing blue eyes, how he might love you with all of that and everything in between.

__________________

The Next Morning

You awoke earlier than normal, 4:56, a habit you'd had since adolescence when you were anxious. You changed into your workout clothes, black sports bra, leggings and the lulu lemon jacket Natasha had gifted to you when you first arrived. You made your way to the restroom where you pulled your hair back into a ponytail. Putting on your favorite pair of red sneakers before leaving.

Making your way to the elevator, Bucky's apartment door opened. You stopped in front of the elevator doors, turning to watch him. He turned around and made eye contact with you, after a few minutes of still silence you spoke, “going down?” he shut his door and answered with a smile, “yea”.

He stood beside you as the doors opened, he raised his hand allowing you to enter first pressing the gym floor button as he turned facing the closing the doors. You smiled down at the elevator buttons as Bucky adjusted his position so he wouldn't crowd you, something he often did unintentionally due to his large stature.

10, 9, 8.. The small screen changed as you descended the floors. “Thank you for bringing me the stuff for the mission.'' Bucky smiled, the most he'd ever heard you speak.

6, 5… “Of course, how'd you like your suit?” your suit, you'd forgotten to try it on last night. You didn't even open the box, “I haven't put it on yet” “no rush, I was just curious” he shrugged “its ok, I would be too” you both smiled.

4, 3. The doors slid open, you exited first heading for the women's locker room so you could use the bathroom. Glad to find it empty, you were in and out spending most of your time at the sink washing your hands and examining everything that just happened in the elevator. After finding one too many reasons to be embarrassed you left the bathroom and entered the gym, heading right for the open floor to stretch.

The gym was just as empty as the locker room, save for Bucky, you decided to go light today. Loosen yourself up before the mission just to avoid being sore. You finished before Bucky did, he was on the pull up bar as he had been for the 7 minutes before then, you'd spent that time admiring his muscular back looking away when you began to feel a gathering wetness in your underwear.

You left just before the morning gym rush arrived, taking another shower in your room and putting on your usual sweats and scarf before getting some fruit to eat in front of the tv where you sat for the next few hours.

You looked at the clock, 5:00. You were set to leave at 6:30.

You quickly got up, making sure you packed everything you needed to style your hair and do your makeup. You grabbed the garment and shoe bag along with a black purse with hardware that matched your chosen jewelry and a black scarf made with the same material of the dress to cover your shoulders. You made sure you had everything you needed before running to the elevator, heading to the top floor to board the quinjet.

You arrived first, much to your surprise, allowing the SHIELD agent piloting to pack your things into the built in storage compartments. As you sat down, Sam, Nat and Bucky arrived with their clothes and other supplies in tow. You looked back down over your thighs to make sure you put your seatbelt into the right clip. When you looked back up they were walking to their seats Bucky choosing to sit next to you

“Hey doll” he said with a small smile, “hello” you replied quietly. Sam and Nat sat across from you both. Suddenly a SHIELD agent, who appeared to be quite out of breath ran up the ramp. He stopped in front of you handing you a small black box, “the wedding rings mam” he said exasperatedly. You thanked him before he nodded and ran back out. You opened the box to two simple wedding bands, one thicker than the other and a diamond ring, one you might have chosen for yourself if this was real. You held out the box to Bucky before he reached for the thicker band, placing it on his ring finger before you did the same.

You noticed the rings were not new, with small nicks and marks. An important detail, especially if you were going to be surrounded by people as observant as you. You made a mental note to fake a tan line on yours and Bucky’s fingers later. The pilot cut through the silence on the intercom, announcing the beginning of the flight.

You landed in the SHIELD port shortly after as the flight was only 15 minutes. You were taken to the car port by another agent along with your bags where Natasha was given keys to a black cadillac escalade. You all stood against the grey concrete wall for a second, watching as the agent packed your things into the trunk of the car you looked at Bucky to your right, admiring how his jawline was accentuated by his man bun. You were sure you might have gaged at the bundle of hair on anyone else but on him you couldn't help but fawn over it. He looked down at you with a grin, making you look forward again embarrassed, glad to see the agent was finished.

Nat drove to the hotel where you would be staying, pleasantly surprised that it was an actual hotel and not a dirty highway motel like some of the other Avengers had been made to stay in. You and Nat packed all of your things onto a luggage cart while Sam and Bucky checked you all in.

“You should tell him you like him, you know, he likes you just as much.” Natasha says suddenly, you look up at her with shocked eyes “what?” you ask quickly, voice wavering. She flashes a grin at you, “Nothing, sorry”

You pushed the luggage cart into the lobby where Bucky and Sam were waiting by the elevator, you struggled slightly to push the cart into the elevator, Natasha and Sam attempting to help you on the other side. “I'll help you doll”. He moved behind you, placing his hands just above yours. You felt his warm body push into yours as you stumbled in with the cart. You turned to face him as the doors closed looking into his eyes for a moment, you cleared your throat, breaking eye contact and speaking quietly to ask “which floor?” he smirked “penthouse, doll” you clicked the button watching as it lit up and feeling the elevator begin to move.

Bucky was too preoccupied watching you avoid looking at his face to notice the look Sam and Nat exchanged, one of pride and cunning, it was only a matter of time.

Nat and Sam left your coms on the desk before going across the hall to their room. You used the master bathroom to get ready while Bucky used the half bath. You had finished your hair and makeup but were struggling to close the dress, the satin buttons proving hard to reach. You stepped out of the bathroom calling for Bucky, “what's up doll” he stepped out of the bathroom fixing his suit cuff, you were pulled into a trance admiring how he looked in the black suit, his bun making him look even more mysterious.

“Doll?” you snapped out of it. Not realizing he had moved closer to you, “what do you need, sweet girl?” he spoke softly, you swore that his pet names would make you spontaneously combust. “I need help with my dress, I can't get it closed.” You turned your back to him so he could start closing the buttons. He quietly admired the art tattooed on your back, it was beautiful, elongating your back with its elegant design. With every brush of his hands on your skin you became more and more flustered thanking whatever deity was looking down on you when he announced he was done, you turned to face him again “You look great doll.” Bucky said with a smile, your eyes flashing in between his eyes and chest a few times before you spoke up, “I'll just grab my bag and we can go” 

You made sure you had on all of your jewelry, including your wedding rings, your bag, your scarf and your com before you told Bucky you were ready to go. You stepped out just as Natasha and Sam did, donning their driver and bodyguard outfits respectively. The elevator trip was much less awkward, Sam even managing to make a joke that you all laughed at.

You all walked to the car, you and Sam moving to the right and Nat and Bucky moving to the left. Nat and Sam got in the front seats of the car while Bucky opened the door for you, you slid to the seat on the other end so he wouldn't have to circle the car to enter. Sam pulled off just as he shut the door. You had been staring absentmindedly out of the window when you felt Bucky grip your hand and pull it towards his chest. You turned your head toward him, making no movements as you had no intention of pulling your hand away. As he turned the wedding rings on your finger you wondered again what it would be like to be loved by Bucky.

The drive was short, you arrived ‘fashionably late’ as Sam called it at 8:15. The estate was gorgeous, elegant and large but not overbearing. It rested on a large piece of land surrounded by forests and greenery.

“Ladies and gents we have arrived. I'll circle to the entrance to drop you two off and we'll park a few blocks away.” Sam said, while his tone was gleeful you heard the underlying worry in his voice. Bucky walked out and around to your door, reaching his hand around to help you step out. “Don't forget to turn on your coms.” Nat added quickly as you Bucky closed the car door.

Bucky moved his arm around your waist to guide you up the stairs of the extravagant mansion, the doors opened to a gorgeous ballroom, warm lighting, brown tones and old school jazz music coming from the live band in the corner. Just quiet enough to feel like a background song to a memory. There were plenty of people, criminals you assumed. All well dressed in browns, blacks and creams.

You admired the dress of one woman while Bucky walked you to the bar, keeping you close. He ordered himself a whiskey neat. One of the perks that come from being a super soldier on missions, he can drink normal alcohol with no consequences because it has no effect on his body. Discovering his inability to get drunk has given Bucky the opportunity to drink whiskey for the flavor, he has become a bit of a connoisseur post freedom, his current favorite being Bushmills Black Bush Whiskey. You ordered a ‘Shirley Temple’, not necessarily feeling like drinking alcohol. You moved to sit on the bar stool facing away from the bar while Bucky stayed standing on your right side waiting for your drinks.

The bartender handed Bucky your drinks when suddenly you felt a clammy hand on your shoulder, “ну что тут у нас? экзотическая красавица?” (well what do we have here? an exotic beauty?) You looked up at the person touching him, and immediately recognized him as Anatoli Volkov. You wanted to pull his hand off of you and break it but you couldn't do anything to make him suspicious, thankfully Bucky spoke before you did.

“моя жена великолепна, не так ли?” (my wife is gorgeous, isn't she?) he said, putting some obvious emphasis on the word wife. He then wrapped one of his arms around your neck. You reached up to grasp his hand floating hand, pulling it down slightly. Volkov smirked, “I meant you no offense, Mr.?” he said in an amused tone, highlighting his thick accent.

“Joseph Smith and my wife Iris”. Your thumb swiped across his hand as he spoke, your head leaning back into his chest. Anatoli reached his hand out towards Bucky to shake, “it's nice to meet you Joseph, i hope to see you both again” Volkov looked down at you with a sly smirk, Bucky diverted his attention when he reciprocated his handshake, Anatoli's eyes shooting back up to him. “I hope to see you again too” Bucky smiled but his grip tightened, Volkov shook out his hand as he turned and walked away from the both of you. You turned to face the bar taking a sip of your drink, the sweet liquid refreshing your parched throat.

Bucky's arm moved off of you to take a sip of his drink. You turned back to the crowd after downing half of your drink, taking a moment to see how much security was in the building. Eventually you noticed at least 8 men in all black suits, all of whom had repeatedly talked to the same man in a dark blue suit. He had been shadowing Volkov since you arrived, you noted.

Suddenly Bucky grabbed your knees, pulling you to face him and moving your legs around his waist, with one hand you gripped his wrist and with the other you stabilized yourself on his shoulder. Your hand slowly moved up his arm as he pushed his hand up into your dress clutching and rubbing at your ass and thighs. “gray suit 2:00, he might have made us, i'm not sure.” you barely brought yourself to tear your eyes away from his face to look at the man in question. He was standing in a corner watching the two of you, finally looking away to reach into his pocket to answer his phone. You tried to read his lips but were quickly distracted when Bucky pushed his head into your neck, your hand flying to his neck carefully holding his head.

“Think we should go?” he said into your ear, you cleared your throat “we don't have anything on Volkov yet, we should wait.” he grunted in response before pulling his head out from your shoulder, only moving one of his hands to reach for his glass of whiskey again. You looked up at him, wondering how he can manage to make butterflies turn in your stomach while staying completely calm, you hoped that your flustered behavior wasn't tipping off the other people in the ballroom. You looked back at the jazz band when the music ended, quietly clapping before Anatoli walked on stage. You immediately rolled your eyes, wanting to zone out but knowing that if you did you'd likely regret it. You reached to take a sip of your drink, reminding yourself as to why you hadn't ordered something alcoholic when Anatoli began to speak.

The whole speech was in Russian, he thanked his guests, boasted and bragged but still delivered no useful information. Fake laughter coming from all sides of the room. You had zoned out a bit, listening to the heavenly jazz band on stage once again until you felt a hand on your neck. Bucky grasped both sides of your face with both of his hands, tilting your head up to look at him, he chucked when you hesitated to look him in the eye.

He held his forehead against yours brushing your lips against each other before speaking again, “Somebodys watching us, doll.” He smirked when he finished using his hands to push your head in the direction of the man in the gray suit once again. You looked back at Bucky before aiming your head down.

You took your hands, taping the inside of yours and Bucky’s ears discreetly before moving them around his neck. You spoke quietly, “Nat, do you copy?” there were a few seconds of static before a response came “Copy kitty-girl, what's going on in there?” you smiled at the nickname, reminded of the night you and Nat had snuck Alpine out from Bucky’s room to put her in the animal Falcon costume. “We're all good but maybe not for long, we’re being watched.” “Alright, get out of there. We'll be at the front waiting.” You heard her call for Sam to start the car before you looked at Bucky in the eye again, nodding subtly.

He moved his hands from your face, grabbing your bag from the bar before lifting you off of the stool, you let a small gasp escape you. Before you could process the action he was pulling you across the room to the entrance, when you reached the stairs he placed an arm under your shoulders and the other under your knee, the action made you squeal and you in turn made him laugh. You felt like a princess, or at the very least a main character in a rom com that was not deemed relevant enough to have Bucky watch yet.

You were sure that anyone witnessing the interaction would simply think you two were a happy couple eager to get home after a long night of tension.

He placed you down to open the door to the large van, lifting you into your seat before sliding in himself. Sam begins to open his mouth to speak when you put a finger over your mouth in an effort to quiet him. You look through your purse finding a bug in the open interior pocket and a tracker handing them to Natasha, she hands you a bug detector. You took Bucky's hands to make sure there were no other devices before doing a quick sweep over his body and yours, after finding nothing you say “alright, we're clear”. Natasha smiles when you hand the bug detector back to her, noticing that Bucky hasn't taken his eyes off of you and you haven't let go of Bucky's hand.

It's done, I'm done, sorry if this sucks.

Taglist:

@floriidakilos @zendayassimp @itsyagirljaz

[avengerscompound]

The Interview - Chapter 9

The Interview - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  nothing

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Melody Danes

Word Count:   2188

Summary:  Melody Danes gets the break of a lifetime when as a lowly intern, she’s assigned to write a profile piece on Captain America.  Steve Rogers is a hard man not to fall for and as she and Melody get closer and Melody’s career takes off, jealousy leads to sabotage, and the potential to bring her whole world crashing down.

Chapter 9

Dressing for a vampire dinner theater wasn’t something everyone could claim to be experts at.  Melody had been to this particular show so many times now, that she had an outfit ready to go.  She knew how it fit, she knew how to do her hair with it, and she knew exactly how red she liked her lip color and how sharp she liked her eyeliner.  It was a look she’d adjusted and added to each time she went to the show.  It consisted of a long black, Victorian-style dress, with a red corset, over a white, high-necked ruffled bodice.  At her throat, she wore a brooch with a dark red stone in the middle.  Over the dress, she wore a long, tailored lace coat that she’d made with the help of Bobbi.  She had knee-high, lace-up boots, and a little lace fascinator she wore in her hair, putting in product to enhance her curls.  The fact her hair was naturally black just added to the effect.  It meant when she was completely dressed, it was hard to tell that she wasn’t one of the cast.

The buzzer to her apartment sounded and she went and answered it.  “I’ll be right down,” she said.

She grabbed her clutch and hurried down the stairs.  Steve, Sam, and Bucky were waiting on the steps together.  They’d been told that people dressed up for the event, but if they stuck with shades of red and black they’d be fine.

Bucky had gone in his usual head-to-toe black.  A black leather jacket over a black shirt and black jeans.  He’d slicked his hair back and he had leather gloves on.  The gloves were to hide his prosthetic hand, but they helped add to the vampire feel he had just by wearing his regular clothes.  Steve had opted for a three-piece suit, the jacket, vest, and pants, he had paired it with a white shirt, and rather than wear a tie, he’d put on a red cravat.  It didn’t quite pass as a vampire, but he looked good, and you appreciated that he made the effort.

Sam was the one that had really gone all out.  He had a waistcoat with red roses embroidered on it that he wore over a white ruffled shirt.  He had black dress pants, and over the whole ensemble, he had the perfect vampire cloak with red satin lining and a high black collar.

“You all look so good,” Melody said as she stepped outside, into the warm New York evening.  “Sam Wilson!  Look at you?”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he teased and fished in his pocket.  He turned away from her, and when he turned back he smiled revealing a cheesy pair of vampire fangs.

Melody laughed as she approached him.  “You’ll fit right in,” she said, as she kissed him on the cheek.  She did the same to Bucky and then moved to Steve.

“You look amazing,” Steve said.  “Straight from a classic vampire movie.” 

“Thank you,” she said.  “I’ve been to this show a lot.”

“What’s it like?” Bucky asked as the group began to make its way to the subway station.  A car drove by and honked its horn and Melody and Sam both enthusiastically returned the waves of the people in it.

“It’s corny and fun,” she explained.  “There’s a lot of very talented out-of-work actors in New York, so performance-wise it’s better than a lot of dinner theatre you might see in other places.  You sit down and have dinner with a vampire ‘family’ -” she put the word family in air quotes “- there’s live music during dinner and the cast all kind of drop hints for what will happen later.  The meal is pretty good actually.  It’s kind of supposed to look over the top, and aristocratic, but everything is shades of black and red.  So there are these charcuterie boards that are put out as appetizers and it’s blackberries, dark red grapes, and then very dark red salamis and smoked meats, as well as cheeses and crackers that blend into that.  Then there’s a tomato bisque, a salad with blackberries, blood orange, rose petals, feta, and red peppers.  Then a main of these amazing shish kebabs and purple roasted potatoes.  The dessert is a red velvet cake.  They have amazing cocktails that look like you’re drinking blood.  At dessert, the real play part of it goes down.  But I don’t want to spoil it.”

“It sounds like it’s going to be really fun,” Steve said. “I’ve always loved the theater.  I try to go see musicals whenever I can.  Which isn’t that often, to be honest.”

“I’m completely the same,” Melody said.  “Because Bobbi is an actor/singer, she tries to keep up to date with what’s on and all the songs.  I go with her when I can.  We’ve gotten good at grabbing discounted tickets.  But I love it.  I’d go every week if I could.”

“You guys really support each other, don’t you?” Sam asked.

“She’s my best friend and my closest family,” Melody said.  “We were there for each other when there was literally no one else, and it was always our dream to come to New York and make it - her as an actor, me as a writer.  I don’t even think I’d be here if it weren’t for her.  But even if I’m wrong and I’d have figured out a way to do it on my own - I wouldn’t want to.”

“That’s how I feel about these two,” Steve said.

“So we date each other, we date the family?” she said, looking up at him.

His eyes crinkled in the corners, lining his otherwise flawless skin.  “I guess so.”

The small group made their way down the stairs to the subway platform.  It was there that they were set upon by a group of fans who wanted selfies and to talk.  Melody stood out of the way as best she could, and when the train arrived, Sam caught her arm, stopping her from getting into the same car as the fans and guiding her into one of the cars further down.  “Do you ever get used to that?” she asked.

Steve shrugged and nodded his head from side to side.  “Yes and no.  There are always times when it can be too much.  You know?  When there are too many of them and you’re just trying to go about your day, or you’re having dinner, or in the middle of a conversation.  But you get used to figuring out ways to minimize it, and you get used to the back and forth involved.  These people usually are fans or they’re people we’ve helped.  They aren’t bad people, no one wants to upset them.”

“And that’s why Sam made us sit in a different section?” Melody asked.

“That’s right,” Sam said.  “But it’s not all bad.  You get free meals sometimes, and people like giving you gifts.”

“People like giving them gifts,” Bucky corrected.  “So I have a question.  Your cousin - Bobbi - is she seeing anyone?”

You smiled and nudged him slightly.  “No, Bucky,” you said.  “She’s single.”

It wasn’t long before the group was getting off the train and heading back into the warm New York night.  The city was busier down where the restaurant was located, the street was filled with the sounds of traffic and the sidewalk was crowded with people, striding along, seemingly in a rush, as all typical New Yorkers were all hours of the day or night.  Melody led the way to the black and red facade of the dinner theater.  The greeter at the door was dressed like the classic Bela Lugosi Dracula.  Melody knew him both in his role at the theater and a little as just Jake from the few times you’d hung out with the cast with Bobbi.  “Ah, Lady Melody, you have come to visit us again.  And you’ve brought friends.  Enter.”

He let them through and led them to their seats at one of the long tables in the red and black room.  There were four long tables in all, ornately carved out of a dark wood.  The chairs were all high-backed and lined with red velvet.  At one end of the room was a fireplace with a large Gothic portrait above it, and at the other end, a string quartet was playing slow haunting music.  There were already some other patrons at the table and Melody knew that by the time the show started there would be actors at the tables too.

“This is cool,” Sam said.  “Reminds me of dates I went on before I joined the Air Force.  I bet neither of you has been anywhere like this,” he added, gesturing to Steve and Bucky.

“You would win that bet,” Steve said.  “I have no idea what to expect.”

“You’re going to love it,” Melody said and took his hand.  “At the very least you’re here with your friends.”

“That’s true,” he said and bumped her softly with his shoulders.

The room slowly filled and the actors came in, starting the show in a very low-key way so that the people had time to settle and begin eating the appetizers.  Sam and Melody talked Bucky and Steve into trying Vampire’s Kisses cocktails.

When Bobbi came out in her full Victorian vampire costume and took a seat at the table opposite Bucky, Bucky’s eyes lit up.  Melody hadn’t realized just how much of an impact her cousin had on the ex-assassin.  It wasn’t a surprise exactly.  Bobbi was Melody’s favorite person in the world, but Bobbi had this way of drawing attention to her with her loud and flamboyant personality, whereas Bucky Barnes seemed to avoid attention like it was the plague.  Perhaps it was the way she shone so brightly that attracted Bucky.  Or maybe it was just that Melody hadn’t seen Bucky open up fully yet.  Either way, he looked smitten.

As the night went on, the men really began to enjoy themselves.  Melody and Steve became more affectionate too.  Not that their PDA was anything more than completely innocent, but they nudged each other playfully when they shared a joke, and they held hands under the table when they weren’t eating.  During the final part of the production, while the audience was watching the vampire hunters come in and try to save the audience, he kept his arm around her, almost protectively.

Even though Bobbi could only interact with Bucky in character, and she had to divide her time and attention between all the guests, Melody loved getting to see their flirtatious interactions.  Bucky practically had hearts for eyes, every time he spoke to her.

Melody could relate.  She felt the same way about Steve.  She was smitten.  Her heart fluttered in her chest every time she locked her brown eyes with his blue.  She worried she was going to fall too hard too fast for him, only to lose part of herself.

When the show was over, Melody, Sam, Bucky, and Steve went to the bar next door to wait for Bobbi to come meet them. The group greeted her with a round of applause and after a couple more drinks they headed back to Melody and Bobbi’s building together.  The whole time, Steve kept his arm around her.

When they arrived back at her building Bobbi stopped to talk to Sam and Bucky as Steve pulled Melody to the side.  “I am so glad we did this,” he said, leaning into her.  He was so close that even in the low glow of the streetlight, she could see the fine lines of his face.  “Next time just the two of us though, I think.”

“I completely agree,” she said.  “Bucky is really into Bobbi, huh?”

Steve chuckled and looked over at them.  “He seems to be.  It’s good.  He hasn’t dated at all since he got out of HYDRA.”

“I’ll tell her to be gentle with him,” Melody said.

“Thank you,” he said, softly, leaning in just a little.

Melody could tell he wanted to kiss her, but he wasn’t going to bridge that last little gap.  She put her hands on his cheeks and moved in, so she could feel the heat of his breath on her lips.  “Kiss me,” she breathed.

He brought his lips to hers, softly and tenderly.  His lips slowly caressed hers, just barely parting.  It sent a shiver through her and as he pulled back, she chased him briefly, wanting a little more.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.  “We’ll set up another date.”

“Just the two of us,” Melody said.

Steve pecked her cheek and pulled back completely.  “Just the two of us.”

Melody climbed the steps, meeting Bobbi halfway up. “Night, Bucky, night, Sam,” she called to the two men as they began to walk away.  “I had fun.”

“Night, Mel,” Sam called back as Bucky raised his hand.  “See you ‘round.”

“I got his number,” Bobbi said as they went inside.

“I got the first kiss,” Melody countered,

Bobbi laughed and nudged her.  “Always having to one-up me.”

// NEXT

[adhd-insomnia1]

Steve Rogers ….with a kid!?

Js some random stuff…I don’t know man. I got bored lol

You’re a kid from HYDRA who was put in ice years ago

He couldn’t leave you there or put you in foster care

so what did he do?

he adopted you, of course!

he brings you back to his small apartment in Brooklyn..

And gives you a new name, since a number won’t work for a sweet little kid.

at first he’s a little hesitant

because what does he know about raising a kid, let alone a traumatized one?

nothing

so naturally he buys a bunch of parenting books

and books on how to help traumatized children

then he and Bucky read them

Bucky is not very happy at first

he loves kids and all…

but he’s anxious about being a parent, obviously.

Raising any child is hard

even worse when they’re young and have seen horrible things.

but yk

captain America never gives up!

you have to live a kind of sheltered life

both because of Bucky and Steve.

bucky still has people who would like to hurt him, and naturally Steve does to.

But alas, they try to get you to do lots of things, Steve especially.

He’ll go to your games, events, whatever.

he loves you and he makes sure you know that, even if he’s gone for a long time.

You know most of the avengers

sometimes Natasha babysits you

you call her Aunty Nat

Sometimes you call her Стерва

Steve blames Bucky for that one

when he’s gone he makes up for all the missed time by doing things with you

taking you out for ice cream, going on a walk, drawing with you, reading you books and tucking you in at night

You know that he loves you, how can he not?

you’re his kid, even if not by blood by relationship

he’s your dad and he always will be.

Till the end of the line

(This one doesn’t end)